Chapter 887: I Don't Want a Single Cent
In order to successfully open his own shop in the underworld, Yang Haoran has spent most of his time in the underworld lately, but he occasionally returns to the Mortal Realm, though he doesn't stay there long before hurrying back to the underworld.
During this period, Lecheng has undergone some significant changes each time Yang Haoran returns. To be precise, Lecheng is actually changing every day, but since Yang Haoran spends most of his time in the underworld, he hasn't witnessed most of these changes.
Under Zhu Rong's leadership, Lecheng is gradually getting back on track. The damaged buildings in the city have been repaired, and while they may not be brand new, they are in much better shape than before.
In addition, numerous residential buildings have sprung up around the city center, as Zhu Rong aims to consolidate all the people within Lecheng's borders. Since housing was insufficient, she had these new residential buildings constructed.
Due to limited materials, these newly built residential buildings are not particularly grand, but they are sufficient for housing people.
Nowadays, except for a small number of stubborn individuals who refuse to move into the city area, everyone else has been relocated to the city, where they are protected 24/7 by the official forces.
As for those few stubborn individuals who refuse to move into the city, Zhu Rong has not forced them, but she also does not send troops to protect them, leaving them to fend for themselves.
Outside the planned residential areas, large tracts of land have been opened up, and some farms have been built. There are people working hard every day, tending to the livestock. Lecheng's current food supply comes entirely from these farms. To maintain order in these areas, Zhu Rong has not only deployed soldiers, but also mobilized the Spirit Police, demonstrating the importance she places on these locations.
In addition, other official institutions have also gradually started to function, such as education, healthcare, and communications. If all goes well, it won't be long before Lecheng can be restored to its proper order under Zhu Rong's leadership.
Since Zhu Rong is able to handle things well on her own, Yang Haoran naturally has no intention of interfering. Moreover, he has been so busy lately that he doesn't have the time or energy to get involved in these matters.
Of course, if Zhu Rong encounters any troubles that she cannot resolve, Yang Haoran will certainly lend a hand to help her. But since she hasn't sought his help, he naturally needs to focus on the matters he needs to deal with at the moment.
After returning to Lecheng, Yang Haoran did not disturb anyone. He briefly looked around at the current state of Lecheng and then immediately returned to the villa to find Feng Xiao.
When Yang Haoran initially planned to open a grocery store in the underworld, he did not discuss it with Feng Xiao, as it had nothing to do with her. However, when he changed his plan and decided to turn it into a medicine shop instead, he had to discuss it with Feng Xiao, as the medicines he would sell would rely entirely on Feng Xiao's refinement. Without Feng Xiao, his medicine shop would not be able to operate.
During his previous return to the Mortal Realm, Yang Haoran had already discussed the plan to open a medicine shop in the underworld with Feng Xiao and obtained her consent. However, given the importance of this matter, he felt it necessary to confirm with her again.
If Feng Xiao still had no objections, he would proceed with the plan and have her start mass-refining the various medicines to be sold in the shop. Otherwise, if Feng Xiao had changed her mind, he would need to find a way to persuade her, though he believed she would not go back on her word, as that was not her character.
After meeting with Feng Xiao, Yang Haoran brought up the matter of the underworld medicine shop. Feng Xiao's response did not surprise him, as she continued to fully support him, without any intention of changing her mind.
Receiving Feng Xiao's reaffirmation, Yang Haoran then discussed some of the details with her. The previous discussion had been based on the assumption of finding a satisfactory store manager, but now that the situation had changed, some details needed to be adjusted accordingly.
Rather than a discussion, it was more like Yang Haoran making the arrangements, and Feng Xiao simply agreeing to everything he said. Yang Haoran felt a bit uncomfortable with this, as he did not want to treat Feng Xiao as free labor, especially not for his own people.
The medicines in the shop would be refined by Feng Xiao, as she is the only one in their team capable of this task. Yang Haoran would be responsible for procuring all the spiritual medicinal materials required for the refinement. Any failures in the refinement process would be his responsibility, but the profits from successful sales would be shared between them.
Since hell coins and soul pills hold no value for Feng Xiao, Yang Haoran planned to pay her share of the profits in the form of various spiritual medicinal materials. Feng Xiao could also specify the materials she wanted, and Yang Haoran would do his best to obtain them, even if it meant using every means available.
Initially, Feng Xiao had not voiced any opinions, simply agreeing to whatever Yang Haoran proposed. However, when Yang Haoran mentioned the profit-sharing arrangement, she expressed a different opinion, not that the share was too little, but rather that it was too much.
"Brother Yang, you don't need to give me any of the profits from selling the medicines. Even if you did, I wouldn't take it," Feng Xiao said firmly, leaving no room for negotiation.
Yang Haoran was puzzled by this, as his impression of Feng Xiao was that of a delicate and timid young woman, who usually spoke softly. He had never heard her use such a decisive tone with anyone, including himself.
"Haha, you've put in the effort, so you should be rewarded. These are your rightful earnings. Why don't you want them?" Yang Haoran asked with a gentle smile.
"Because we are a family, as you said before. Since we are family, why do we need to keep things so separate?" Feng Xiao replied.
Yang Haoran was taken aback by this response.
"I did say that, but if I don't give you anything, wouldn't that be treating you like free labor? I couldn't bear that," Yang Haoran said with a wry smile. The canonical source for this content: M|V|L2EMPYR.
"Brother Yang, you're being too distant. When you first took me out of the mountains, you introduced me to the outside world, let me wear beautiful clothes, eat delicious food, and experience safety and friendship that I had never known before. Compared to that, I owe you so much," Feng Xiao said.
"Although I was happy living in the mountains with my teacher, he is no longer with us, and I have truly become a part of this big family. In my eyes, you are all my family. Since we are family, helping each other is only natural. We don't need to think about rewards."
"Moreover, my greatest passion is researching and refining various medicines. You providing me with spiritual medicinal materials, which will allow me to improve my alchemy skills, is already more than enough. After all, spiritual medicinal materials are not cheap."
"In the past, the spiritual medicinal materials I used for alchemy were mostly self-grown. But now, to open a medicine shop, there will be many elixirs that I've never had the chance to try before. When I start refining them, failures will be inevitable, and I'll need a large amount of spiritual medicinal materials to practice. The cost of purchasing these materials will be a huge expense."
"Being able to have a constant supply of precious spiritual medicinal materials to practice and improve my alchemy skills, that's already more than enough to satisfy me. I won't take even a single cent of the profits from selling the medicines, Brother Yang. Even if you try to give it to me, I won't accept it."