WBSGVS Chapter 74 V1

He Dan went out right after speaking.

Du Qing didn’t even try to stop her.

To her, it didn’t seem like a big deal. After all, Du Qingli was selling many different items now, including date cakes, egg cakes, and mung bean cakes. Sharing a recipe wouldn’t affect her business at all.

Besides, they were family. Even though He Dan hadn’t been very honorable in the past, Du Qingli was just a young girl. When it came time for marriage, she would rely on them; if she truly offended them, she wouldn’t dare.

He Dan had become somewhat caught in a whirlpool of obsession.

She loved money and was afraid of being poor. Having just received a large sum of money from Qingli’s father, she enjoyed a brief period of financial ease, only to be thrown back into her old struggles just days later. She couldn’t stand it.

Compared to Du Chuan and Du Qing, she was more motivated because she was a mother with four children. Du Qing believed that with two daughters at home, they could find good matches for their two sons.

However, He Dan didn’t see it that way. She believed that her daughters deserved good marriages; simply using their dowries to marry off her sons would only make her daughters feel inferior when they visited their parents’ homes.

While her in-laws spoke sweetly, they were stingy with money. The last time they could lend them a hundred yuan was because they had taken a thousand yuan from Du Qingli.

Now that half of the money had been taken back by Qingli, their finances were once again tight, and they were reluctant to spend unless absolutely necessary.

Seeing Du Qingli succeed in her business made the others in the Du family envious, but Du Chuan was too old to seek trouble, seeking stability and face, while Zhang Shuang had no opinion of her own. Du Qing was timid and cowardly, just like her eldest son.

If He Dan wanted to make money, she had to do it herself.

Yet, she also knew she had acted dishonorably in the past. Although she felt she had done nothing wrong, she lacked confidence. She had delayed taking action until now and feared if she didn’t do something soon, she would continue to lose money. This impulse drove her to come here.

When she reached the entrance of the courtyard, He Dan felt a twinge of anxiety and hesitated.

However, the little dog, now slightly bigger, sensed something and looked alertly in one direction, running to the entrance and barking, “Woof!”

This made He Dan feel a little relieved. She was already there; it would be pointless not to go in now, so she walked in confidently.

When Qingli looked up, she saw He Dan approaching with a worried expression.

He Dan paid no attention to the little dog, walking straight in. She paused upon seeing the unfamiliar girl in Qingli’s arms but quickly brushed it off, focusing on her agenda. With a tone that was both friendly and slightly ingratiating, she asked, “Qingli, can you tell me how to make that egg cake?”

Qingli gently patted Xiaoyu, telling her to go back inside, then smiled at He Dan. “Auntie, you’re joking! That’s the core of my business. If I tell you, that defeats the purpose, doesn’t it?”

He Dan’s expression changed slightly, and after a moment of silence, she forced a bitter smile. “I know this puts you in a difficult position, but I’m really in a tight spot. I promise I won’t share the recipe with anyone else!” She pleaded, but Qingli’s smile remained unchanged, and He Dan continued, “You know your grandparents always say nice things, but they don’t help your cousin with his marriage. We’re really out of money. I’m not trying to take away your business; I’ll sell far away. Just tell me, please?”

Qingli crossed her arms and sat down in a chair, enjoying the sight of He Dan’s anxiousness. She asked deliberately, “What’s going on, Auntie? Are you also trying to sell egg cakes now? Did you lose money?”

He Dan chuckled awkwardly, realizing she had slipped up. She had intentionally avoided Qingli while trying to sell her goods these past few days, but now she could only admit the truth. “Well, yes, I lost money. My skills aren’t great, and people don’t like my cakes. Qingli, please help me. I promise to treat you well from now on. After all, we’re family, right?”

Qingli smiled sweetly, then extended her hand. “That’ll be fifty yuan. The last time I sold these, people asked me for the recipe, and I refused to sell it for one hundred. Since you’re my aunt, I’ll give you a discount, but it’ll still be fifty.”

“Fifty!” He Dan gasped, feeling a dryness in her throat at the price. On her way here, she had considered the possibility of being refused and anticipated having to pay something, but she thought her limit was at most ten yuan.

And now Du Qingli had said fifty!

That was five times more!

She knew how much fifty yuan could buy at this time. An egg cake sold for five cents each, and it would take a thousand yuan to reach that amount, and she hadn’t even recouped her costs.

How long would she have to sell to break even?

Furthermore, egg cakes had already been imitated. While they might not taste as good as Du Qingli’s, their value had decreased.

Qingli nodded affirmatively. “Yes, fifty! That’s already half off because you’re my aunt. I can’t go lower than that.”

He Dan, of course, could not agree. Her face fell as she said, “We’re family, so why be so harsh? Are you sure you won’t need anything from us in the future?”

Qingli laughed. “Auntie, you’re joking! We’ve been family all along, and you didn’t bat an eye when you stole my dowry money. I think I’m being generous here; my egg cakes are a million times better than yours. Don’t you think?”

With that, Qingli stared at her quietly, her dark, bright eyes seeming to see right through He Dan’s heart.

He Dan felt embarrassed under that gaze, even angry, but facing those eyes, she couldn’t muster any real anger.

There was a strange feeling that washed over her.

Was this the look that Du Qingli wanted to see?

That thought flashed through her mind, but she didn’t grasp it. Instead, she felt more uncomfortable and insisted, “If you’re not going to sell it, then don’t. Why say so much?!”

Grinding her teeth, she left in a hurry.

Qingli clicked her tongue, feeling it still wasn’t enough. He Dan seemed more cautious than she had imagined, but also blindly confident, choosing to sell the same things as her.

The members of the Du family were currently a tight-knit unit; if there was a crack, trouble would ensue, and everyone would suffer.

Even though Du Qing could be easily swayed, based on his character, he wouldn’t divorce He Dan even if she made a mistake.

In the end, they would all bear the consequences together, and that was what she wanted to see. But for now, this level of conflict is still insufficient.

After leaving Qingli’s house, He Dan spotted Aunt Xiuhong from next door coming out.

When Aunt Xiuhong saw He Dan, her expression was also strange. “What a coincidence! What brings you here? Looking for Qingli?”