One month later.
"Is this what you've been busy with lately?" Putting down the proposal, his uncle looked at Mu Xing with a tolerant and gentle gaze. "You've been leaving early and coming home late these past few months, and it's been a while since your uncle has had a heart-to-heart talk with you. Tell me, what are your plans for this proposal?"
A maid brought over a cup of tea. Mu Xing took a sip, and her restless, excited state of mind, after completing her plan, gradually calmed down in the slightly bitter aroma of the tea. Recalling the words she had already prepared, she said in a deep voice, "Initially, I checked the accounts of the pharmacy branches and found some errors..."
Because none of the three children in the main family had the intention of inheriting the Mu family business, after Mu Gong retired to the second line, apart from the clinic, the Mu family's several pharmacies, factories and shops were divided and managed by several relatives, with the Mu family only taking a cut of the profits.
With so many people involved, it's inevitable that many unsavory things will happen. Some will fight for power and profit, lining their own pockets; others will misuse the "Minkang" name to make private profits, while failing to guarantee the quality of the medicinal materials and ruining the brand's reputation.
"I've even heard that several of my uncles have planted their own sales clerks in the main store to sell their own pills on consignment." Mu Xing couldn't help but get angry as he spoke. "A perfectly good pharmacy has been turned into a complete mess by these selfish motives!"
"It's not just the head office that's like this; the management of the branches is also very inappropriate. I noticed something was wrong when I was reconciling the accounts last month. In April, the purchasing agent bought a whole thousand yuan worth of American ginseng from the medicinal herb market, but the sales records for the American ginseng in the ledger not only showed a low price but also an exaggerated amount of wastage. Last week, I suggested going to the warehouse to check, but Manager Li tried every means to refuse. There must be something fishy going on here, and I'm afraid it's not just this one thing."
Hearing her say this, her uncle did not show any emotion, but simply said, "So you want to change the status quo by reforming the management system?"
Mu Xing nodded and said, "Yes, but I just want to try it out at this branch under my name first. I'll clear out the consignment sales from other pharmacies and change the commission-based salary system for the staff. We'll have a unified salary system, but allow staff to invest..."
After taking the proposal, Mu Xing explained his ideas to his uncle one by one.
His uncle listened attentively, occasionally raising questions and offering suggestions on some of the issues. Mu Xing's thinking was broadened considerably, and his ideas for the plan were refined.
The discussion lasted all afternoon.
After the first round of discussion, Mu Xing happily closed his notebook and said, "I'll revise it again when I get back and show it to you. If it's suitable, I'd like to implement it as soon as possible."
After taking a sip of tea, the uncle suddenly said, "However, your business model looks somewhat familiar to me."
Seeing that his uncle had pointed it out, Mu Xing scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly: "This model is an idea I got from Boss Zhang Derong, and I've discussed it with him before. I have to say, Boss Zhang is really good at business management..."
After listening to her finish speaking, her uncle slowly said, "Then, have you ever thought about why Mr. Zhang's methods could be implemented in his shop?"
Mu Xing thought for a moment: "Hmm...he has fewer manpower, already has a self-sufficient pharmaceutical system, and also knows some Japanese pharmaceutical formulas..."
She counted everything one by one, feeling that nothing had been missed. At this moment, her uncle asked again, "In that case, Ah Xuan, what do you think is the difference between the Mu family's situation and Boss Zhang's situation?"
Upon hearing this, Mu Xing was taken aback. Her uncle didn't speak again. She thought silently for a while before saying hesitantly, "Uncle, actually, I've had some doubts in my mind these past few days. I've only just taken over, yet I've already discovered so many problems. You are so insightful, Uncle, you couldn't possibly be unaware of them."
Without rebuttal, her uncle simply said, "Ah Xuan, changing course is not an easy task."
Mu Xing frowned: "As the old saying goes, 'If you don't block it, it won't flow; if you don't stop it, it won't stop.' The current situation is one of prosperity for domestic products and economic development. If we don't adapt to change and just cling to the old ways, how can the Mu family develop? Isn't 'reform and opening up' all the rage in the country right now? I think the reform of the Mu family's businesses can start right from this branch store!"
After closing the teacup lid, the uncle sighed and said slowly, "But Ah Xuan, your uncle is getting old."
Mu Xing, who had been speaking eloquently, suddenly stopped and said, "Uncle! How could you say such a thing!"
Shaking his head, his uncle said, “Ah Xuan, you are young and it’s good that you want to improve yourself, but you can’t only see the bright side of things. Your eldest and second eldest brothers don’t get involved in business, and your father and I have long since retired. The fact that our family’s businesses have been able to stay afloat is largely due to the efforts of your uncles. They all have their own families to support and raise, which is not easy for them. So I don’t care if they occasionally try to take advantage of you.”
“Although you are now willing to participate in some management, just by looking at that contract, you should know that your uncle is not arranging for you to enter the system, but is directly giving you the business. He knows your personality, and even if you want to make any changes, they will only be done in the branches, and will not go deep into the system here and disrupt the balance that has been maintained for many years.”
At first, Mu Xing was puzzled when she heard that her uncle did not want to make any changes, but after thinking about it again, she understood something.
After years of joint management, my second uncle and his associates had formed a network of checks and balances. Their proposed reforms undoubtedly disrupted this balance. Conversely, this provided them with an opportunity to unite against external threats. Now that my uncle has stepped down and my eldest and second brothers are no longer involved, if anything were to happen, the Mu family would likely suffer a severe blow.
These were all things Mu Xing had never considered before, and now that her uncle had pointed them out, she couldn't help but feel a little panicked.
It turns out that what she had always thought was a steady, forward-moving ship was not actually that stable beneath the surface.
Perhaps sensing Mu Xing's thoughts, his uncle spoke up at the opportune moment: "But you don't need to worry too much, or you'll only tie your hands. Whatever you want to do, you can do it at the branch, and your uncle will support you. Young people always need to gain more experience and try new things. Regardless of now, the future is always yours."
Silently nodding in agreement, Mu Xing regained her composure and decided to prioritize dealing with her branch stores. Not everything can be accomplished overnight; she should be patient.
After chatting for a few more minutes, Mu Xing noticed that his uncle looked tired and was about to take his leave when he suddenly remembered something and said to his uncle, "I heard that the election for the chairman of the Medicine Merchants Association has ended, and Boss Zhang lived up to expectations and successfully won the position. Yesterday, he sent someone to deliver a visiting card, saying that he looks forward to your visit, Uncle."
The uncle waved his hand: "You go in my place. And your second uncle, he's the one who's handling this. You can go with him then."
Mu Xing agreed and withdrew.
Then she immediately called Zhang Derong, making up an excuse that she wanted to celebrate with him privately and did not want to attend the formal banquet.
Just kidding, she didn't want to attend with her second uncle. Not only did he know she was a young lady from the Mu family, but Zhang Derong still only saw her as the third young master. Wouldn't it be too awkward if anyone said anything?
Moreover, some of the false accounting issues she discovered during her previous bookkeeping were actually under her second uncle's name.
Although she had just heard her uncle talk about the pros and cons, she still felt awkward and couldn't look her seemingly gentle and kind second uncle in the eye.
Back in his room, Mu Xingcai suddenly remembered to ask Fu Guang, "Did you call the Li residence when I asked you to?"
Fu Guang hurriedly replied, "I called, and they said Miss Li instructed me that she needs to finish her graduation thesis and doesn't have any free time recently."
Mu Xing frowned.
She hadn't seen Li Yining for almost two months since the Second Master Li's happy occasion.
Previously, she hadn't had time to contact him because of... Miss Bai's matter. For over a month now, she still couldn't get in touch. Knowing Li Yining as she did, she simply couldn't believe the excuse of writing a thesis.
But she asked herself if she had offended Li Yining recently!
Completely baffled, Mu Xing thought for a moment and said to Fu Guang, "Call her again tomorrow and tell her that I'm going to visit her at the Li residence in a couple of days, and ask her to make sure she has time to leave."
Fu Guang agreed.
Zhang Derong has set the banquet for the day after tomorrow. Before that, Mu Xing still needs to deal with the prescription.
For more than a month, she was constantly busy—checking accounts, thinking about management reforms, writing plans… and also contacting Song Youcheng’s girlfriend, the Japanese woman, through him.
She had never met this girl named Xiaobaihe before, but after meeting her that day, she understood why Song Youcheng was so deeply in love.
Little Lily, true to her name, possessed a fresh and elegant appearance and temperament, much like a lily. She was very gentle, speaking softly and gracefully, and her every move was exceptionally charming. Not to mention Song Youcheng, even Mu Xing couldn't help but soften his tone, afraid that her presence might offend this delicate lily.
Xiaobaihe used to be a dancer in a dance hall, and Mu Xing wanted to learn about Mr. Kudo, who might have the prescription, through her.
The Japanese have a peculiar tendency; in China, they only want to interact with other Japanese or Europeans. Wenjiang, unlike Shanghai, has few foreigners. Therefore, it was no surprise that Sayuri had indeed hosted Mr. Kudo.
Through Sayuri, Mu Xing learned some things about Mr. Kudo, and also learned that Mr. Kudo had a nephew named Kudo Daiki. The two were as close as father and son, but this nephew was not very promising, being addicted to gambling, prostitution, and drugs, which greatly troubled Mr. Kudo, who had complained to Sayuri many times.
This was naturally very useful information. Mu Xing took a break from his busy schedule and inquired with a few young men who frequented casinos. Sure enough, he heard about Kudo Daiki's story. Through introductions and deliberate contact, Mu Xing had become quite familiar with him.
Kudo Daiki was no different from those local spoiled brats. Relying on his uncle's wealth, he squandered money recklessly. He had already invested tens of thousands of dollars in the newly built casino in Wenjiang—some of which were loans. With interest compounding, it would eventually become a huge sum of money.
The strict Mr. Kudo abhorred this behavior. Although he doted on his nephew, he would not let it go easily if he knew about it. Therefore, Kudo Daiki, who is now heavily in debt, is teetering on the brink of ruin, yet he continues to gamble recklessly, oblivious to his own mortality.
After getting to know him, Mu Xing coldly observed his behavior and felt he was truly beyond redemption. However, in order to get closer to Mr. Kudo, she had no choice but to deal with him. Over time, the two gradually became acquainted, and she even lent some money to Kudo Daiki so that he could make a living.
Mu Xing had originally planned to discuss the reform with his uncle today and then continue to contact Kudo Daiki.
After changing into men's clothing again, Mu Xing stood in front of the dressing mirror and looked at himself. Looking at the two faint dark circles under his eyes in the mirror, Mu Xing suddenly felt a little tired.
Over the past month, she had attended quite a few dinner parties. Where there are men, there are bound to be girls from brothels. Hesitantly, she had written invitations to Bai Yan several times, asking her to write a note for each party, but without exception, she was refused each time.
The tickets sent out disappeared without a trace, and no response was received.
The words Bai Yan spoke that day, when the large candles were lit, still echoed in her ears. Bai Yan clearly meant that she wanted to continue searching for the next man—a real man who could provide her with a stable life.
Mu Xing knew that, at least for now, she had no right to stop Bai Yan, but just the thought of Bai Yan smiling and talking to another person, being taken away to some unknown place by a man whose identity and background she didn't know, made her feel like she was going crazy!
But apart from trying her best to do her job quickly and running forward desperately, she had no way to relieve her anxiety and pain.
She took a deep breath, got up, and walked out the door.
…
It was another night of extravagance and debauchery at Yuhua Book House.
Bai Yan sat alone in the room, several game tickets in front of her. The bracelet on her wrist clinked crisply on the table as her fingers traced the tickets one by one.
Pingjin Restaurant, Zuihualou, Helen Cafe... The headings on the tickets are all different, but they all bear the same vigorous and powerful character "Mu".
The character, dignified and powerful, stretched out on the ticket, as if that person were standing right in front of her.
She never saw her again, but she could piece together all her whereabouts through the tickets, as if she were still standing beside her, holding her hand and accompanying her on one journey after another.
Since the day the large candles were lit, Bai Yan received no invitations for the first few days, except for Mu Xing's invitations. But after she repeatedly declined Mu Xing's invitations, invitations from other people gradually began to arrive, even more so than in the first few days after that important person passed away.
Unwittingly, she once again used the person she cared about as a stepping stone.
There was a sudden knock on the door, and Bai Yan quickly gathered up the game tickets on the table: "Come in."
The madam pushed open the door and walked in, carrying a stack of game tickets. She smiled broadly, and before she even spoke, Bai Yan already knew what she was going to say.
"Young lady, Young Master Mu hasn't given you any tickets for the past few days. Why don't you hurry up and greet some new guests? What are you doing sitting in this room all cooped up?"
After the large candles were lit, Mom's attitude towards Bai Yan became much more polite. After all, Bai Yan was now the only one who could truly "make money" for her.
Bai Yan remained silent. The madam walked over nonchalantly and tidied her hair. Just as she was about to speak, the madam's sharp eyes caught sight of the game ticket in Bai Yan's hand. Her eyes darted around, and she added, "You young people always like to get involved in love and romance. Didn't you say that Young Master Mu angered you, which is why you deliberately rejected his game ticket? Now that you've accepted someone else's game ticket, isn't that a perfect way to provoke Young Master Mu?"
This was naturally Bai Yan's lie to the madam; she had originally planned to never see Mu Xing again, wanting to return to her initial mindset and path. But no matter what decision she made, no matter how much reason clamored, the heart that had once loved could no longer feign or deceive.
She didn't accept any more tickets, because she was constantly thinking about Mu Xing.
But dreams eventually end, and people must go on living.
"Any more tickets today?" she asked softly.
Seeing that she seemed to be relenting, the madam quickly laid out a stack of promissory notes: "Which one do you want to take? You can decide for yourself. It's getting late. If you're not coming back tonight, remember to have the maid come back and let her know."
Looking listlessly at the pile of various game tickets, Bai Yan randomly picked one out: "This one will do."
The madam took it and exclaimed, "New World Stadium? That's a great place!"
Bai Yan responded indifferently and got up to start tidying up.
…
The gambling stadium that Kudo Daiki frequents was originally a racecourse. After renovations earlier this year, it was renamed New World Stadium and opened for business. Because of its novel and interesting gambling methods, it was extremely popular from the start, with a constant stream of people coming and going every day.
Mu Xing knew nothing about this gambling method and had no interest in learning about it. Each time, she would buy a ticket to enter and then randomly buy a "winner's ticket" for one of the players. After that, she would focus on dealing with Kudo Daiki and didn't care whether she won or lost.
As she entered the stadium, searching for Kudo Daiki, she suddenly heard someone call out to her, "Young Master Mu!"
Turning around, I saw it was Tang Yu.
Mu Xing exclaimed in surprise, "Young Master Tang? I didn't expect to run into you here."
Tang Yu seemed to have just arrived as well. He walked up and said with a smile, "I heard from Young Master Lin that you've been coming here often lately. We haven't run into each other for over a month, so I thought I'd come and see if I could bump into you. This casino happens to be owned by a friend of mine, so I thought I'd have a go. I didn't expect to run into you as soon as I walked in. Which team are you betting on?"
Mu Xing spoke frankly: "I can't even count how many teams I have. I just buy tickets for whichever one looks good to me." As she spoke, she picked up her ticket and looked at it. "Oh, I bought number 3, called... 'Misfortune'."
…doom?
Mu Xing suddenly felt unwell.
Tang Yu glanced at it and laughed, "Oh, it's the 'Unlucky Team'! I also bet on this team. I heard that although their name is 'Misfortune,' they're incredibly lucky and make a fortune every time they play. Maybe we can make a killing today."
Mu Xing smiled perfunctorily, wondering whether to go find Kudo or chat with Tang Yu a little longer, when Tang Yu took the initiative to say, "You came alone today? Why don't you come with me and sit with my friend for a while, so we can all get to know each other?"
There was no rush regarding Kudo's matter, and besides, Mu Xing really needed to relax after a busy month, so he readily agreed: "Alright."
Unlike the usual circular stands, Tang Yu's friend watched the game from a stand with the best view, which, judging from its terrain, resembled an isolated island in the ocean.