Chapter Seventeen Weakness

  "Haha, this metaphor is well said, but hasn't Miss Li heard of 'clear water produces lotus flowers, natural without carving'? " Wei Hong's mouth was smiling, but in his heart he looked at Li Qiulan with new eyes. In just a few words, she pointed out the shortcomings of the sewing machine. Originally, Wei Hong had understood the sewing machine well and had cut corners to make it cheap. If they wanted to mass-produce it, for the sake of stability, they would have to use good materials and complex craftsmanship, which would drive up the cost, just as Li Qiulan said, ordinary people wouldn't be able to afford it."

  Li Qiulan covered her mouth and smiled lightly: "Clear water produces lotus flowers, natural without carving? Hehehe, young master's words are as elegant as a poem, compared to young master, Autumn Orchid who has been studying poetry since childhood is somewhat embarrassed."

  Weihong was also smiling, but beneath his smile, he hid a worried heart. In just a few words, Weihong could see that Li Qiulan was extremely difficult to deal with. She was articulate and well-reasoned, able to advance and retreat with ease, making her far more formidable than those self-proclaimed geniuses, the young masters and misses. According to what Weihong knew, Li Xiehe must have committed some great sin in his past life, for he had three daughters but no sons. Li Qiulan was the youngest of the three, and if she was already so difficult to deal with, it didn't bode well for future collaborations on developing sewing machines, especially if her two older sisters were just as cunning.

  Of course, Wei Hong, as a man, would never be intimidated by a mere woman. In this world, the top talents in every profession are overwhelmingly dominated by men, which is enough to illustrate the advantages of being a man.

  "Boy, bring tea!" The tea on the table had been drunk up, Li Qiulan hastily shouted for the boy to go into the house and add more tea.

  The young man walked in with his head down, not daring to look up at Li Qiulan. He quickly poured the teapot full and turned around to leave, but just as he reached the door, he was stopped by Wei Hong: "Young brother, did you deliver the meal I instructed you to send to my wife earlier?"

  The fellow, due to the great disparity in their social status, didn't dare go see Li Qiulan. He tilted his head and focused all his attention on Wei Hong: "Sir, I've already delivered the meal to your respected wife, and I've also conveyed all your instructions."

  "All right, then go ahead." Wei Hong waved his hand, signaling his partner to withdraw.

  After the waiter turned and left, closing the door behind him, Wei Hong found Li Qiulan staring at him intently: "Hehe, Miss Li is indeed the daughter of Old Man Li, with a heroic spirit that's no less than her father's. A lone man and woman together in a room during broad daylight, yet she doesn't show any restraint."

  When she heard this, Li Qiulan was taken aback at first, and then her small face suddenly turned bright red. She quickly turned her face to one side, secretly scolding Wei Hong in her heart. Weren't they just chatting harmoniously earlier? How did he suddenly become sarcastic? He really is a mysterious guy: "Young Master, what are you talking about? I...I was just curious about what kind of person Young Master is, and didn't have any improper thoughts. Please don't misunderstand..."

  Presumptuous thoughts? Wei Hongle was amused, he himself was just a poor rural tribute, apart from being somewhat handsome, by some twist of fate became a member of the army that crossed over, what else could be worthy of your thoughts as the daughter of a wealthy family? One's own weight and measure are still clear, as the saying goes: if you don't have the diamond, then don't take on the task of polishing porcelain!

  Looking at Li Qiulan's shy appearance, Wei Hong joked: "Miss Li, I don't have any other intentions, don't think too much about it..."

  "I...I didn't mean it that way!" Li Qiulan turned her head and glared at Wei Hong, although she was quite savvy about business, but after all, she was just a woman, and still very shy about discussing matters between men and women.

  "Alright, alright, you're not thinking crookedly, it's Wei who's being crooked..." Wei Hong retreated repeatedly, but in his heart he was laughing loudly. Li Qiulan was indeed a woman of the house, with business methods that were orderly and well-organized, very much like an old hand. But when it came to romantic affairs between men and women, she was as innocent as a newborn chick. Since it was just business, Wei Hong had grasped this opportunity. He wasn't afraid that the Li family would renege on their promise!

  At first, Li Qiulan thought she could handle Wei Hong, but unexpectedly, he came up with this move. For a while, it was hard to find another topic of conversation. To eliminate the awkwardness, Li Qiulan didn't look at Wei Hong and picked up "The Biography of Merchants" from the table, pretending to flip through it. But the more she did so, the weirder the atmosphere in the room became.

  Just as Wei Hong was about to find a topic to break the awkwardness, the door was suddenly pushed open and Li Xiehe and Li Yan walked in. As soon as she saw Li Xiehe, Li Qiulan let out a sigh of relief and quickly got up to walk to his side, supporting him as he took his seat: "Father, sir, you've finally arrived."

  Li Xiehe and Li Yan were both old foxes, they took a look at Li Qiulan's red face, then looked at Wei Hong who was pretending to be calm on the side, and immediately understood what had happened. Li Xiehe burst out laughing: "Haha, Lanyu, do you still remember what I told you before? This young master Wei is a business genius, your little tricks are no match for him, how's that, got outsmarted?"

  "Father, it's not what you said, it's because of him! He..." Li Qiulan wanted to repeat the mocking words that Wei Hong had just spoken, but she couldn't bring herself to say them out loud. After all, she was a daughter, and even in front of her own father, there were some things that couldn't be said. In the end, she could only stomp her foot angrily and glare at Wei Hong again before turning around and sitting down on the stool, where she began to read "The Biography of Merchants" to herself.

  Li Xiehe didn't bother with Li Qiulan, turned his head to look at Wei Hong, and said in a calm tone: "Young Master Wei, my daughter is naturally proud and arrogant, relying on the few years of business skills she learned from me, so she doesn't put anyone in her eyes. If there was any offense earlier, please bear with it, don't treat her as an equal to that little yellow-haired girl."

  Wei Hong sneaked a glance at Li Qiulan and found that Li Qiulan was also secretly looking at him through the book, their eyes met, and the two of them seemed to be electrified, quickly shifting their gaze away: "Boss Li, look at what you're saying, what's this about being considerate or not? In the future, when we cooperate together, we'll be like family. Since we're like family, why bother talking about two different households? Besides, your daughter is well-read and eloquent, and in our previous conversation, she pointed out the shortcomings of the sewing machine with just one sentence. In my humble opinion, your daughter can be considered a rare talent in the business world!"

  Li Xiehe is a man with a special good point, that is, he has no concept of 'valuing men over women'. In this feudal old society, having the idea of gender equality is enough to show that Li Xiehe is not an ordinary person. Being praised by Wei Hong like this, Li Xiehe suddenly felt his face glowing with pride, and laughed with a wide smile: "Hehehe, Master Wei is being too kind, it's just a woman's words, not worth taking seriously, Master Wei shouldn't mind!"