Gu Lejia stood at the gate, hesitating. His Seventh Uncle rarely had a day off at home, and he had thought that if he brought Song Xiuyang over, maybe his uncle would stop opposing them.

Unexpectedly, just as they reached the gate, Song Xiuyang backed down. "It’s not right to just show up like this."

She couldn’t quite say what was wrong, but she felt that coming back alone with Gu Lejia was improper, whether by the rules of etiquette or by reason.

"I want my Seventh Uncle to see how good you are. That way, he won’t refuse to lend us a hand." Gu Lejia tried to persuade Xiuxiang again, while also psyching himself up.

"Maybe we should just forget it?" Xiuxiang knew her own background. She had shown kindness to Gu Lejia only because he was a worker brought back by Chen Dongjia, with no family entanglements, thinking there would be much less resistance.

But she never expected this uncle who had suddenly appeared to live in such a large house and even have servants. He didn’t seem simple at all, and she started having second thoughts.

Gu Lejia said, "No matter what, we’re already here. We have to at least try. Otherwise, I won’t have any silver taels to give to your stepmother."

Song Xiuyang was getting a headache now. If she had known better, she wouldn’t have flirted with this simpleton. Now everyone around them thought they were having an affair, which put her in a difficult position. "Maybe we should just forget it. Actually, your uncle is just looking out for you. I’m a widow, after all. Your elders would surely want you to marry an innocent girl from a respectable family."

Gu Lejia replied, "You said it yourself, he’s just my uncle. My marriage should be decided by my parents. Since my parents aren’t here now, I’m the one who calls the shots."

Ancient Wen Heng really didn’t want the onlookers to keep enjoying the show, so he coughed lightly twice. The two, still lost in their own thoughts, whipped their heads around to look at them.

"Seventh Uncle, Seventh Aunt," Gu Lejia said, his eyes darting around guiltily. "You weren’t at home?"

Jin Qianqian was speechless. ’Isn’t that obvious?’

Jin Qianqian grumbled inwardly, not forgetting to secretly size up the girl beside him.

She was dressed in plain, unadorned clothes, which made her look quite clean and neat.

When she saw the small white flower pinned in the girl’s hair, Jin Qianqian couldn’t help but frown slightly. Even if she wasn’t a native of this ancient era, she at least understood basic social customs.

Wearing mourning attire like this, while it might make her look more pitiable and helpless, was completely inappropriate for meeting a man’s family.

However, her delicate features were actually not bad. Although her complexion was a bit dark, her refined features earned her some points.

"You didn’t go to work today?" Ancient Wen Heng asked, looking only at Gu Lejia. For the past few days, although the young man was staying with them, he had been going to help out at Chen Dongjia’s place on time every day, saying he wanted to earn some wages to take back.

"I took the day off from the boss today, Seventh Uncle..."

"I never thought Wenheng would have a nephew this old." Deng Yuanhang suddenly interjected, walking over and looking Gu Lejia up and down. "But you don’t look alike. Is he really your blood nephew?"

Ancient Wen Heng jabbed him with an elbow, smearing the seafood he was carrying onto Deng Yuanhang’s clothes. This made Deng Yuanhang jump back, squawking in protest.

"A gentleman uses his words, not his fists! Don’t you know what you’re holding? I think you’re just using this as an excuse for revenge. Besides, I didn’t even say anything bad! You can’t treat your senior brother like this." Once he was at what he considered a safe distance, Deng Yuanhang quickly inspected his robes.

"It’s ruined! I just put this robe on a little while ago, and now it reeks of fish! You have to compensate me with a new one."

Carrying his things, Ancient Wen Heng led Jin Qianqian toward the main gate. "I don’t have a new one, but I can give you a bar of soap so you can wash it yourself."

The moment he heard there was something to gain, Deng Yuanhang perked up. Forgetting all about uncles and nephews, he hurried after them. "It’s a deal, then! But one bar is too little. A smell this strong will take at least two or three bars to get out, don’t you think?"

Without turning his head, Ancient Wen Heng replied, "You overestimate your own size. Do you really think you’ll need that much?"

Deng Yuanhang was speechless. ’The words sound fine, but why does it feel like something’s wrong?’

Gu Lejia, forgotten outside the gate, and an awkward Xiuxiang standing to the side were left speechless.

As soon as they entered the house, Hong Da, who was guarding the entrance, immediately took the seafood from Ancient Wen Heng’s hands.

"Have you found a buyer for that soap of yours yet?" Deng Yuanhang had already made his way to the drawing room and was now slumped ungracefully in a chair. "Actually, we often work with merchants. Want me to introduce you to a few?"

Ancient Wen Heng replied, "Not right now. But if the need arises, I’ll have to trouble you for some help then, Senior Brother."

Deng Yuanhang nodded. "But that stuff of yours really is amazing. I had my servants wash some clothes with it. Not only did it get rid of many stains completely, but it also left a faint, fresh scent. My people said it seems to make the clothes last longer, and they’ve asked me several times where they can buy it.

"If the price isn’t set too high, I bet every household will want to stock up on it."

If they weren’t fellow disciples, Deng Yuanhang wasn’t sure he could have restrained himself from getting his hands on the business.

Ancient Wen Heng naturally knew the potential of such a consumable product and already had a plan. He was preparing to find a broker that afternoon to hire a few more nimble-fingered workers so they could get a small workshop up and running.

Jin Qianqian hadn’t been idle these past few days, either. The storage room in the backyard was already filled with the raw materials she needed. As soon as the workers arrived, they could get started.

"Soon," Ancient Wen Heng said. "It’s just hard to get leave from the academy right now, so my wife has been handling most things. Once we’ve made some progress, you’ll be the first to know." Although Deng Yuanhang had his own selfish thoughts, after spending so much time together, Ancient Wen Heng found his character trustworthy. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"Was that really your nephew outside just now?" Deng Yuanhang’s curiosity was always boundless.

Ancient Wen Heng said, "He’s my eldest brother’s youngest son. He got lost when we were fleeing the famine. I just never expected him to end up here after all this time."

Not seeing Jin Qianqian around, Deng Yuanhang couldn’t help but start teasing, "To be honest, you don’t look alike at all.

"You’re probably the best-looking one in your family. Even the daughter of the Prefect can’t forget your face after seeing it once. It was my fault for being so presumptuous last time and making you flee overnight. If we hadn’t run, we might have gotten to see a good show."

Ancient Wen Heng shot him a glare. "Don’t go starting trouble for me. Lu Ping already said that you’re Prefect Xiao’s first choice for a son-in-law. Someone like me, they wouldn’t even give a second glance."

Growing up, Ancient Wen Heng had met too many people like that and never paid them any mind.

Jin Qianqian, along with Little Hua and Mrs. Huang, began to get busy in the kitchen.

At some point, Gu Lejia, who had entered the courtyard, also came inside with his companion.