"My dear brother, I only knew that your medical skills are superb. I didn’t expect you to have such extraordinary talent in business as well!"

"To live comfortably in this world, one needs a sufficient material foundation. One cannot do without money, and I can’t let my senior sister live a hard life with me forever," Lin Miao explained. "However, practicing medicine and healing cannot be for the purpose of making money. If I do that, I will gradually lose myself and the original intention of learning medicine. To maintain my original intention, I seek wealth elsewhere."

"How do you think those who make a living and amass great wealth in this way will feel?"

"I can’t save every patient in the world alone. They earn their profits, and I’m not stopping them, am I?" Lin Miao said.

"But one day, when your reputation spreads, won’t there be an endless line of people seeking your treatment?"

"Yes, but by then, there will be a solution. I don’t want to think too much about it now," Lin Miao smiled and said, "I heard that the wine brewed by the Su Family distillery is good. Why haven’t I seen you bring me a couple of jars?"

"Alright, I’ll send a hundred jars over to you later, is that enough?" Su Chen was taken aback for a moment, then asked.

"That’s enough, more than enough..." Lin Miao accepted with a smile.

"By the way, that Si Miaoxue seems to have a bewitching aura. What exactly is your relationship with her that you’re willing to mediate and facilitate the cooperation between us?"

"It’s just the kind of relationship you’re thinking of," Lin Miao did not hide.

"Where does that leave Youwei? She is so deeply affectionate towards you?" Su Chen couldn’t help but glare angrily. Even though they hadn’t known each other for long, Sun Youwei was the most beautiful and kind-hearted woman he had ever met.

Lin Miao was slightly taken aback and didn’t expect Su Chen to become emotionally charged and accuse him for Sun Youwei’s sake, which surprised him a bit. Could it be that he has fallen for his senior sister?

Even if he likes her, it’s normal. Who wouldn’t like a woman like his senior sister? However, he also sensed Su Chen’s sincerity. If he truly liked his senior sister, he would be so angry. Such friends were rare.

Some things don’t need to be said openly; everyone understands in their hearts. Su Chen is a man of principle and won’t do such things.

His senior sister too.

"My relationship with Miaoxue was an accident, but since she became my woman, I can’t be heartless and abandon her. You wouldn’t want me to do that, right?" Lin Miao explained, "As for my senior sister, I was honest with her. She knows about our relationship, and even if Miaoxue enters the Lin Family in the future, it will be as a concubine."

"Youwei knows?"

"Yes, there is nothing I can’t be open about with my senior sister. Some things are not suitable for her to know, but hiding something like this would only cause greater harm to both of us."

"I truly envy you for having such a close confidante by your side," Su Chen sighed.

"We grew up together, so our feelings are naturally different," Lin Miao said. "In this life, I will never let my senior sister down."

"So, tell me where you’ve been this past month. It seems like your experiences have been quite unusual?" Lin Miao asked curiously.

"I went to the Yue region..."

"That’s in the Western Regions. You went for the matters concerning the family farm, didn’t you?"

"Yes, the Yue region also breeds horses, and warhorses are especially large, especially purebred ones. Our Da Li’s warhorses are born from the crossbreeding of purebred horses and our horses. We want to purchase purebred mares from Yue. In previous years, there were transactions every year, but this year, the Shi family we do business with also raised the prices. In the past, we could trade goods for goods, but this year they suddenly refused and demanded cash settlement..."

"Besides purebred mares, we also need pure wild horses. Before I received your letter, I was at Beiyuan capturing wild horse herds. Wild horses are difficult to tame into warhorses; most are used as breeding stock. Only their hybrid offspring, after being domesticated, may become excellent warhorses..."

When everything is going smoothly for a person, just a gust of wind can make them soar.

But once they encounter difficulties, even taking a sip of water can get stuck in their teeth.

The same goes for families.

The Su Family’s difficulties probably involve not only horse plague, which is a natural disaster, but also clandestine obstructions from people wanting to tear a large piece of meat from the Su Family’s fallen body and swallow it whole.

They may not only want a piece of meat; they might even want to swallow the Su Family whole, skin and bone.

"That Si Miaoxue has considerable strength, and she doesn’t seem like a woman from an esteemed sect. My dear brother, I’m worried that you might be misled by her beauty..."

"I understand your concern, Mr. Su. I’m aware of her intentions in my heart, and besides, I am not completely defenseless against her. She still can’t harm me," Lin Miao smiled indifferently.

"So you were already on guard, my dear brother?"

"I always treat others with the same sincerity they show me. My bottom line is not to hurt my senior sister. Everything else doesn’t matter to me," Lin Miao replied.

"You truly have deep feelings for Youwei, and I envy you," Su Chen said.

"By the way, Mr. Su, you can try out that prescription. If it doesn’t work, we can think of another way," Lin Miao said. "Additionally, I suggest you carry out a mass extermination of mosquitoes and horseflies at the farm, as these are the best carriers for spreading horse plague. Furthermore, sick horses’ water should be separated from healthy horses and humans. A groom who has been in contact with a sick horse must be disinfected before moving to a healthy horse. Also, clothes that have come into contact with sick horses should be disinfected with boiling water for at least the time it takes to burn an incense stick..."

"My dear brother, how do you know so much about disease prevention on the farm and how horse plague spreads?"

"Generally, epidemics spread in a few ways: through the air, water, feces, and insects. Airborne transmission is via droplets or spores, and waterborne transmission is simple to block by drinking boiled water. Fecal transmission can be stopped by deep burying and disinfecting with lime mud. As for insects, they must be eradicated. You can ask Mr. Jia about this tomorrow; he should have research in this area," Lin Miao explained.

"Where does Mr. Jia live? I’ll visit him personally tomorrow."

"You don’t know?"

"I really don’t know," Su Chen nodded. These days he’s been running around on horseback almost every day, occasionally receiving related news, but it’s always been brief and not detailed.

"It’s getting late. I’ve arranged a guest room for you. Quickly go and rest. I have to see patients early tomorrow morning," Lin Miao said.

"Alright."

Su Chen had long realized that Lin Miao was not an ordinary young man, but he never expected the vastness in Lin Miao’s mind to far exceed his imagination.

...

"Not bad, not bad, this peanut brittle tastes really good. Unfortunately, we have too few peanuts on hand, and we need to save them as seeds. We’ll talk about this product once we’ve planted a large amount of peanuts."

"Sir, I heard that big ships go from Da Li Qing Province to the Southern Wilderness. We could find someone to help us purchase a batch back, which would also reduce the cost a bit..."

"Hmm, it’s worth trying. You can contact the merchant who sold me the peanuts. If his asking price is too high, we can look for someone else."

Liuli nodded in agreement.

"When do you plan to open?"

"The 18th of this month," Liuli said. She actually wanted to prepare more thoroughly, as it concerned her future success or failure.

"Alright, since the date is set, we’ll follow what you said. I’m not rushing you; this store is the starting point of your career. It’s crucial to make a strong first impression, so make it lively." Lin Miao said, "For example, hold some tasting events, buy three get one free offers, and as for promotions, do you need my help?"

"If Sir is willing to assist, that would be great."

"It’s a family business. How could I stand by and watch? Don’t worry, I’ll help you." Lin Miao nodded.

"This time, we’re launching eighteen kinds of pastries, called the Eighteen Treasures: Almond Walnut Crisp, Lily Crisp, Dragon Beard Crisp, Red Date Crisp, Furong Cake, Donkey Roll, Mung Bean Cake, Hawthorn Cake..."

"Did you manage to make the pork floss?"

"According to the method you provided, we’ve tried making everything. We’ve basically succeeded, and the taste is quite good, but there’s room for improvement. This should be easy to digest and should be very popular among the elderly and children."

"Hmm, this can be added to some pastries or sold separately. It will later be one of our flagship products!"

"Understood."

"How is the white sugar production going?"

"It’s already in mass production, but due to raw material limitations, we can only produce about fifty pounds of white sugar daily. Because we’ve been hoarding raw sugar, the price of brown sugar in Dongshan Market has started to rise," Liuli said. "I plan to buy directly from the source and transport it back."

"Hmm, that can be considered." Although Lin Miao knew there are quite a few plants that can produce sugar, due to the climate, Dongshan Prefecture is not suitable for planting. And even if it’s grown, the cost of sugar production is high, far less than in the southern tropical and subtropical areas.

"Alright, the white sugar we prepared should last us for a while. Let’s take it one step at a time; don’t try to achieve everything at once."

After breakfast.

Lin Miao taught the children, including Lin Mao, martial arts, although it compressed his own training time. However, since he is now honing internal energy, practicing martial arts is not necessarily imperative.

"Before practicing boxing, first correct your heart. I teach you martial arts not to go around fighting and bullying the weak. A Martial Artist without virtue won’t gain others’ respect, no matter how high their skills..."

"Practicing boxing without training is futile in the end."

"When squatting in a horse stance, make sure your posture is steady. Without a solid foundation, things will be unstable; learning martial arts isn’t something that happens overnight. Only through enduring hardship can one stand out. Those who want to slack off shouldn’t practice martial arts with me..." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Spending half an hour each day teaching the children martial arts is also a process of building a relationship. Since he’s adopted them, it’s natural to educate and nurture them well. These people are like seeds, and in the future, he won’t have to do everything himself.

"Come over for breakfast!"

After practicing martial arts, Lin Miao called out. The breakfast he planned for these children wasn’t of low standard, ensuring they receive the nutrition they need for their bodies and training.

So, in just over twenty days, the dozen or so children who came all underwent a transformation. The biggest one, Lin Mao, grew by three or four centimeters and increasingly showed an unyielding temperament, while Ling Yu’Er also began to reveal the budding features of a beautiful young lady.

Aside from physical changes, there were also changes in their disposition. Learning to read and write has an enormous impact on a person, and the changes that happen when a person gains wisdom are unimaginable.

"Brother, did you adopt all these children?" Su Chen had long noticed this group of children.

"Yes, they were orphaned children, turned into little beggars. I need to cultivate some manpower, so I adopted them. This is just the first batch; some have been sent outside the city, where there is another group," Lin Miao explained.

"Brother, do you plan to train them as death warriors?"

"I never intended to train them into emotionless machines. On one hand, I’m short of people, so I wish to nurture talent. On the other hand, I want to give them a chance, a chance to change their fate," Lin Miao explained.

"But it would take at least ten years for them to become accomplished, wouldn’t it?"

"I’m only seventeen myself. Can I not wait for ten years?" Lin Miao chuckled.

Su Chen was slightly taken aback. Indeed, Lin Miao was only seventeen. In ten years, he would still only be twenty-seven, still in his prime.

"Later, I’ll go to the Star-Picking Tower to have them send an eagle message to my mother, asking her to come over immediately."

"Sorry to trouble Auntie again."