Chapter 18: Father is Mighty

Mo Ruhai did not respond to Mo Yi; instead, he stared at Wang Qing with a serious expression.

Wang Qing did not dare to look up. He placed the chest down with light steps and then stood straight and obediently.

"You may leave for now! Don't forget what I just said!"

Wang Qing hurriedly responded and slipped away.

Mo Ruhai turned to face his daughter, his expression instantly shifting to an extremely gentle smile: "Yi Yi, the good goods over there are simply overwhelming! Many materials that we would buy with silver are just being thrown away like trash over there. Not only are they piled high, but they even have 'buy one get one free' deals! Truly... Father bought so much that the silver we brought hasn't even been fully spent."

"Daddy, that's wonderful! If this route opens up, we won't have to worry about anything in the future."

Mo Ruhai nodded and then shook his head: "The journey is indeed long. If it weren't for official business, it wouldn't be easy to make such a trip! The travel expenses are too high; if we were only dealing with these worthless trinkets, it wouldn't be worth it."

*Daddy has learned how to calculate things!* Mo Yi nodded in admiration.

Mo Ruhai immersed himself in her gaze. "But I still listened to you. I made some good friends locally and kept their addresses. When needed, they can send silver or letters; when someone or an escort agency heads to the capital, they will have someone bring it!"

"Daddy, you thought of everything! Let me take a look first..."

"The contents here are enough to keep the two of us busy. If we can truly sell it all... we'll strike it rich!"

The chest was opened, revealing many packets of materials. As she opened them at random, the dizzying variety made it difficult for Mo Yi to focus. Opening another packet... it was indeed much better than expected!

"There are also some fine materials and finished products; I left them in the front study. They are kept separately for safety. In a couple of days, when no one is paying attention, Father will take you to see them..."

He even gave his daughter a meaningful look.

Mo Yi nodded even more vigorously, her eyes full of adoration: "Daddy, you are becoming more and more experienced!"

Validated by his clever daughter, Mo Ruhai felt quite proud of himself. He picked up a small packet: "Look! This packet was picked up by Father; it didn't cost a single coin!"

Mo Yi took it and studied it seriously for a long time, her voice filled with disbelief: "The ones we bought before that were inferior to these actually cost us silver! It's hard to imagine that treasures are everywhere over there! Just by dealing with these, we could strike it rich!"

Mo Ruhai became even more smug: "These are nothing. Look, what is this?"

He pulled two books from his robe: "These two took a tremendous amount of effort to get; they only allowed me to make copies. Lord Chen and the others went to play by the lake for several days, but Father didn't go at all, busy with this instead!"

He let out a long sigh of relief.

Mo Yi took them: "Jade Manuals?!" They contained illustrations and analyses, detailing the characteristics of each period from the smallest details.

"Daddy! These are precious items." Mo Yi was as excited as Mo Ruhai had anticipated.

"The illustrations in the original books are better than these, but unfortunately, time was tight and the materials were incomplete. So, Father added..." He pulled out another book. "Detailed annotations for everything. Keep them and read them slowly!"

Although Mo Yi was spirited and diligent, her experience was ultimately limited.

She simply had no access to truly high-end goods.

The managers and clerks in those high-end jade shops all had eyes like fire; one look at the father and daughter... and they looked like people who couldn't afford anything! Who would give them a pleasant face?

After much polite conversation, if they encountered someone with a good heart, they might place some exquisite pieces on a tray for them, but as for wanting to handle them for a closer look... the opportunities were far too few!

Especially books like these, which could not be bought in ordinary bookstores.

The only reason they could get this small business off the ground was that the father and daughter were lucky and had accurate initial positioning. This, combined with Mo Yi's diligence and Mo Ruhai's willingness to drop his pretentious airs.

Otherwise, without capital, connections, skills, or customers, how could they have earned any silver?

In truth... it wasn't just about the money that made him happy. Looking at her spirited father, he seemed much more bright and composed than before.

"Daddy, your copying skills are becoming more and more outstanding. I must study these carefully. Then, combined with current fashions... and with so many materials. We will surely create our own specialty! We just can't be rushed; we must build our wealth steadily, like a slow-flowing stream!"

Mo Ruhai laughed heartily: "...That would be perfect. It won't have been in vain for Father to put in so much effort! You have no idea, I've been running out all day; even Lord Chen asked me what I was up to..."

Mo Yi whispered, "Daddy, you're bringing them to my room right now. Aren't you afraid Mother will see?"

"Hmph..." Mo Ruhai snorted coldly. Although he hadn't earned much silver yet, he had earned his confidence.

"If she knows, she knows! This time, Father put up over a hundred taels of silver and bought gifts for each of you. I wonder if that woman of yours has finished calculating yet?! Even if Father earns silver, isn't it to spend on you?! If she wants to control even this, Father isn't afraid to fall out with her!"

Mo Yi gave him a thumbs up: "Daddy, you are mighty!"

"This opportunity was not easily won by us!" Thinking back now, she still felt quite emotional.

It was over two years ago, when he had gone out with his superior and encountered a flood and a mudslide.

His superior... had been swept away.

He had risked his life to pull him back, but in the process, he had broken his own leg.

The local village doctors were no use, and the journey back was so bumpy that it was pure torture.

By the time they reached the capital, the bone had misaligned and failed to heal properly; it looked as if it were going to rot.

Someone recommended a rogue doctor, but the leg needed to be broken and reset. That doctor wasn't in the capital, and furthermore, the treatment would take over half a year. Being far from home and facing a long treatment period, he had hesitated.

However, his wife was greatly dissatisfied because his injury caused him to lose the position Brother Qin had arranged for him.

She complained incessantly: "Why were you so careless?"

"With so many guards and attendants, why did you have to go and show off?"

"If your leg becomes lame, your future is completely ruined."

These words left him trapped between internal and external pressures.

Finally, he steeled his resolve: he would find the rogue doctor to treat his leg!

It was this daughter... He looked at Mo Yi, his heart filled with affection. She had worried for him, insisting on coming along.

She was only twelve years old, yet she did the laundry, cooked, brewed medicine, and told jokes to ease his boredom.

Especially after the leg was broken again to be reset, someone needed to watch him day and night, for fear the bone would shift while he slept.

Even with servants to attend to him, his daughter was not at ease and watched over him constantly. The little girl was exhausted... otherwise, how could he love her so much?

But it was also because of this that the father and daughter found a way to make money.

It turned out that the town where they treated his leg was famous for jade carving skills.

Mo Yi loved to wander through the stalls, shops, material yards, and workshops. She could spend an entire day there.

The clean and delicate little girl was liked by all the masters and workers; seeing her curiosity, they would answer any question she had.

The girl was extremely talented; before long, she had figured out the inner workings of the trade.

As soon as she touched the materials, she roughly understood what they were. She could also clearly distinguish between various carving styles and techniques.

Even more coincidentally, she met Li Qi, a craftsman, who was a young man with a disability.

His parents had died early, and while he was very talented in jade carving, his elder brother and sister-in-law refused to split the household. They gave him work to do, but they didn't give him the silver he earned, providing him only one meal a day.

Beating and insulting him was common. In truth, they wanted to wear him down until he died so they wouldn't have to divide the estate. Dragging his crippled leg, he had nowhere to go and no choice.

His daughter especially loved the little trinkets Li Qi carved, because she couldn't afford the large materials or heavy pieces.

Having seen so much, the girl began to hatch a plan...

(End of Chapter)