Chapter 236 – Spitting Blood (5)
Xu Ke was a clever guy; he could tell that Qi Guanrang had a fondness for Young Master Liu.
So why wasn’t he joining in on the fun?
If he hopped on board now, he could toss all that internal work onto Qi Guanrang and be free at last!
Working overtime every day, Xu Ke had somehow managed to brew a couple of lovely panda eyes.
A young man, looking perpetually drained; one could easily mistake him for someone living a scandalous life, with a different “stamina” workout every night.
“The timing isn’t right.”
Qi Guanrang forced a smile that just didn’t suit him, making the corners of his mouth stiff.
“Timing?” Xu Ke inquired, “Isn’t this a perfect moment?”
Adding flowers to the brocade was nothing compared to sending coal in the snow!
The camaraderie of staying with Young Master Liu in hard times couldn’t compare to standing firm once she found her footing later!
Qi Guanrang glanced at Xu Ke and said, “As long as Dongqing exists and the royal family still holds sway, the timing is not mature yet. It’s still insufficient.”
Xu Ke fell silent for a moment, faintly understanding the implication behind Qi Guanrang’s words.
As long as Dongqing continued, Jiang Pengji wouldn’t be able to unleash her full potential.
The shop was barely that big, and one Xu Ke was already swamped; bringing Qi Guanrang in now wouldn’t change much… except alleviating Xu Ke’s workload, allowing him to leave on time every day… so he might as well wait until Jiang Pengji truly needed him.
If it were someone else, showing signs of allegiance yet dragging their feet to join, they’d likely have blown a gasket by now.
Fortunately, Qi Guanrang’s restraint was entirely understandable to Jiang Pengji, and she supported it wholeheartedly.
This was their unspoken tacit understanding, both teacher and friend, making for quite a harmonious interaction.
Because of this, Qi Guanrang occasionally found the time to help Xu Ke with some tasks.
Xu Ke looked a bit pale, muttering in frustration, “I just hope this timing arrives sooner…”
Otherwise, at the rate Young Master Liu was going in his current situation, he’d definitely drop dead buried in paperwork.
Young Master Liu was doing such a perfectly competent job as the shopkeeper that just one line, “Outsiders don’t manage insiders,” managed to silence him completely, leaving him with absolutely no involvement.
Qi Guanrang scrutinized Xu Ke with a smirk, teasingly, “Xiaoyu is of marrying age now; why not take some time to think about that? No matter how cold Young Master Liu is, he wouldn’t ignore the lifelong matter of his subordinates, right?”
Considering that lad is out there finding a wife, dating, and making babies, he should at least get a few days’ leave!
Qi Guanrang’s reluctance to join now wasn’t just because of the workload; he seemed to want a bit more leisure time.
Xu Ke’s face turned a mix of red and white, looking very conflicted.
“The suggestion from Wenzheng is indeed…”
Could he say that Qi Guanrang was uncannily similar to Young Master Liu in some aspects?
If Jiang Pengji knew Xu Ke was working himself into this state, she’d probably say the same teasing remark.
Suddenly, Xu Ke found himself hoping that Qi Guanrang wouldn’t join for a while longer.
He couldn’t imagine what might result from the combination of Young Master Liu and Qi Guanrang; it’d be exhausting for him for sure.
Qi Guanrang pressed his lips together, saying, “Xiaoyu, don’t be so downhearted; once Young Master Liu’s reputation spreads, talented folks will come knocking.”
Xu Ke still wore a look of utter disinterest.
Wait for that time to come?
He figured he’d already be dead on the job by then.
Even though Jiang Pengji was a hands-off shopkeeper, it didn’t mean she didn’t care about anything.
【Stowaway Non-Money】: I think it’s fine! Whatever the streamer does, I find it interesting. Besides, think about Xu Ke’s pile of tasks on his desk; if the streamer were to show how to deal with them, I feel that would be even more boring…
As soon as this comment popped up, the audience in the livestream fell silent for a second, then flooded with “hahaha” expressions of sympathy for Xu Ke.
【Super Sharp】: Getting stuck with a boss like the streamer, Xu Ke is really down on his luck.
【Eating Feet While Working】: If I had a boss like that, I’d be pushing for those five insurances and a solid raise!
Jiang Pengji sat at a noodle stand, munching on tasteless noodles, her eyes secretly glancing at the screen while her ears perked up to the conversation of other customers, multitasking diligently, she felt inspired and added a streamer comment.
【Host V】: I just walked past a fabric shop. Didn’t I ask Ta Xue to pick out several new fabrics for him and his aunt?
Following the principle of “give others what they need the most,” Jiang Pengji thought carefully and concluded that Xu Ke’s current living standard wasn’t bad, and he had no other pressing needs. She decided to have some servants prepare some fabric, rice, and silver for his aunt and send it all in one go.
That counts as a raise, right?
【Musician Zhuge Qinxie】: That makes a lot of sense; Xu Ke really has no response… but you forgot the most crucial thing: vacation.
Giving a raise is great, but if there’s no time to enjoy the money earned, and running around until you’re exhausted, it makes Xu Ke just as pitiful.
Jiang Pengji cleared her throat lightly.
【Host V】: As the saying goes, the capable should work more. Right now, we’re short-staffed, so we’ll note the leave first and take it all together later.
She put it nicely, but let’s be real— Xu Ke, and even the livestream audience, didn’t buy it.
Young Master Liu, every day, was off doing something exciting or feasting, while Xu Ke was just stuck feeling miserable.
In response, Jiang Pengji felt utterly wronged.
True, going to deal with bandits was real, but the fun shopping and leisure? She claimed she didn’t know anything about that.
Every time she went shopping, there was a legitimate purpose behind it!
After finishing her noodles, Jiang Pengji pulled out three copper coins to pay, and other customers at the stand began to leave as well.
Returning home, Jiang Pengji went to the study, took out the financial ledgers Xu Ke managed, with all items categorized neatly, looking very clear.
She set that ledger down, then grabbed a piece of bamboo paper from the corner of the desk, filled with various data.
【Stowaway Non-Money】: Haven’t seen the streamer in a few days; what have you been up to?
【Musician Zhuge Qinxie】: The grain prices for the past few days have risen nearly double since three days ago… this inflation is terrifying.
