"..."
Xiaoyao was silent for a while before saying in a daze: "Young Miss, how are you here? And what happened to your injuries?"
"Just minor injuries. I had a fight outside and came to get some medicinal wine to drink. I didn't expect to catch you here skimming profits." This beautiful figure was the Mo family's Young Miss Mo Yu, and her tone was very casual—after all, such matters were daily routine for her.
"Drinking medicinal wine..." Xiaoyao was somewhat speechless.
"Of course drinking medicinal wine! How else would I get better!" The Young Miss said very directly. "Kid, so you know how to skim profits too! Now that I've caught you, have I ruined your good business?"
"As a servant, if you don't know how to skim profits, how can that work?" Xiaoyao replied, as if in his understanding, servants definitely needed to know how to skim profits.
"Your tone makes it sound like skimming profits is a good thing. You're really something." The Young Miss took the medicinal wine, drank a few sips, then said to Xiaoyao.
"Young Miss, of course skimming profits is a good thing!" Xiaoyao answered as if it really was such a thing.
"How so?"
"Think about it—if we couldn't skim profits, would we bargain? In that case, the price would definitely be the original one. But because we want to skim profits, we'll definitely haggle the price down, taking a little for ourselves while also making the family spend less. This is beneficial for both sides." Xiaoyao analyzed.
"That does seem to make some sense!" The Young Miss thought for a while and agreed with Xiaoyao's reasoning.
Right—if there were no profits to be made, then servants wouldn't care about prices since they'd all be using the master's money anyway.
"Also, because we want to skim profits, we'll definitely be very careful to inspect the goods. Otherwise, if problems are discovered, not only would we be punished, but we'd have to spit back the profits!"
"This..."
"Moreover, profits can improve our enthusiasm and give us motivation to complete tasks in the shortest time!"
"..."
"Skimming profits..."
"Damn! Enough, stop talking! If you keep going, this lady will kneel down and beg you to skim profits! You kid have quite the eloquence!!"
"Thank you for the praise, Young Miss. Eloquence is also a skill servants need, so I know a little bit of it!"
"..."
This kid is too strong! This is the first time I've seen such a servant—caught skimming profits yet able to make it sound so noble.
The Huang family pharmacy's manager was about to worship Xiaoyao as an idol, his eyes full of exclamation marks!!
"Fine, I won't interfere with you. As long as you don't harm the family's interests, do whatever you want! Also, what are you doing this time? I remember the alchemy room's inventory is too high, and they're stopping for half a year—there shouldn't be any need to purchase medicinal materials." The Young Miss looked at Xiaoyao somewhat strangely.
She had set aside the matter of skimming profits since it wasn't her responsibility anyway. Even if it were, Xiaoyao's type of profit-skimming that didn't harm the Mo family's interests but actually secured benefits for them was within acceptable limits.
No matter what kind of family, they would turn a blind eye to such profit-skimming.
No one would be stupid enough to stop it, because that would only reduce their own benefits while dampening morale.
Xiaoyao's method of skimming profits was mutually beneficial and could get things done perfectly. Any master with magnanimity wouldn't interfere.
Moreover, when the water is too clear, there are no fish.
Of course, profit-skimming couldn't be too greedy—one had to know when to stop. Xiaoyao did this very well and seemed to never let the Mo family suffer losses.
In his own words: I'm just using my own abilities to earn some benefits I deserve.
"I'm purchasing supplies for the Third Young Master. He's currently undergoing medicinal baths to achieve a breakthrough in a short time, hoping to qualify for the Dragon Gate Tournament." Xiaoyao replied.
"Dragon Gate Tournament—is this really so important?" The Young Miss seemed to mutter to herself.
"Of course it's important! It's the Heavenly Wind Kingdom's grand event, everyone's chance to make a name, everyone's..." Xiaoyao began explaining the benefits of the Dragon Gate Tournament—things everyone knew.
"Stop right there! Don't I know all these things? Do I need you to remind me?" The Young Miss said irritably.
"Ah, I thought Young Miss didn't know. Otherwise, why would Young Miss ask?"
"...Fine, pretend I never asked!! Will the Third Young Master's medicinal baths have side effects?" The Young Miss returned to the main topic—this was what she cared about.
"No, the Third Young Master seems fine and it's going very smoothly. He can achieve his goal!" Xiaoyao replied.
"Achieving his goal... that's really difficult!!" The Young Miss frowned and took another sip of medicinal wine. Though medicinal wine didn't taste good, compared to medicine, she still preferred medicinal wine.
"Not difficult!" Xiaoyao said blankly.
"How can it not be difficult? The Dragon Gate Tournament isn't simple—how many people from across the nation participate!!" The Young Miss said irritably, while the other people in the Huang family pharmacy were preparing what Xiaoyao needed.
"Yes, the whole world knows this." Xiaoyao replied casually while waiting for his items.
"Then shouldn't the whole world also know that every participant is no ordinary person? Even if he participates, he'll still be buried among them." The Young Miss continued.
"I know!" Xiaoyao nodded, though his gaze continued watching inside.
"Then what are you saying? How could he possibly win!"
"But the Third Young Master just wants to participate in the Dragon Gate Tournament, not win it. This goal can still be achieved." Xiaoyao replied indifferently.
"Ah..." The Young Miss was stunned. She seemed to have been thinking with her habitual mindset, always assuming one should strive for victory in the Dragon Gate Tournament. "This... is that all he wants?"
"What did you think it was?" Xiaoyao paused and looked at the Young Miss. "Proving one's worth doesn't necessarily require victory. Just participating is a form of proof. The process is more important than the result!!"
"..." The Young Miss fell silent, carefully pondering Xiaoyao's words. In them, she seemed to have gained some understanding.
"Xiaoyao, here are the medicinal materials you wanted. Should we deliver them or will you arrange transport?"
In the silence, the Huang family pharmacy had finished preparing the items. They couldn't wait for the Young Miss to finish thinking—they still had business to conduct.
"I'll handle it myself. This time I'm using the family's funds, so just help me load them up!!" Xiaoyao replied and led people over.
"Alright!"
"Xiaoyao, I'll go back with you!" The Young Miss caught up to Xiaoyao and said.
"??" Xiaoyao was somewhat puzzled. Normally, the Young Miss wouldn't return home until dark. What was going on today?
"What are you looking at? Can't this young lady go home to rest when she's tired today?" The Young Miss seemed to read Xiaoyao's thoughts and glanced at him.
This glance was quite something—countless people would want such a charming glance from the Young Miss.
However, Xiaoyao knew he wasn't blessed enough to appreciate it, not just because of their status difference, but most importantly because this Young Miss had somewhat different "interests and hobbies."
"Fine, of course that's fine! You're the Young Miss—whatever you say goes. It's just that this is a cargo wagon, and you might be uncomfortable." Xiaoyao said. What he could drive out was naturally a cargo wagon.
"It's okay, this young lady doesn't mind!" The Young Miss shook her head and said with a smile.
"Then let's go!" Xiaoyao said nothing more. He couldn't tell the Young Miss not to come along, and besides, this was a matter of going the same way anyway—why refuse?
"Kid, where's that little glutton of yours?" On the road, the Young Miss suddenly remembered Chi Chi, who was usually by Xiaoyao's side. Originally, she wanted to use Chi Chi to pass some time.
Chi Chi was very popular, especially with girls, even with Young Misses of her type.
"That glutton seems to have been captured by someone. Don't worry about it." Xiaoyao said casually.
"...By whom? Let this lady go destroy them! How dare they capture this lady's subordinate's things!" The Young Miss was angry.
Was Xiaoyao her subordinate? From a literal interpretation, yes—he was one of her little servants.
"Don't know. Anyway, it often gets captured and comes back at night!" Xiaoyao said indifferently.
"You don't seem to care about it." The Young Miss looked at Xiaoyao.
"Why care about that glutton? I think the ones who need concern are the people who captured it..." Xiaoyao whipped the "ox" pulling the cart and replied to the Young Miss.
"Why?" The Young Miss was somewhat confused.
"Chi Chi has no other abilities except eating, and it can eat non-stop!" Xiaoyao replied.
"?? I still don't understand. What's wrong with that?" The Young Miss was still puzzled.
"Young Miss, you're from a wealthy family, so you don't understand the concept of insufficient food! Chi Chi will eat everything. If there's not enough food, it will eat furniture and even houses..." Xiaoyao replied with some emotion—there were definitely some unbearable memories involved.
"..." The Young Miss seemed to understand a bit, though she found it hard to believe how much that little thing could eat.
If Xiaoyao knew the Young Miss's current thoughts, he would definitely shout loudly: That Chi Chi is a glutton! What it can eat is beyond your imagination forever—describing it as a bottomless pit is completely appropriate.
...
At this moment, in a wealthy family's home in the city, the family's young miss had just finished bathing and immediately ran to a place to see the cute little monster beast she had captured today.
As soon as she entered, she saw her mother standing to the side with a green face, while the little monster beast she had captured was now eating something with tapping sounds, looking extremely cute.
This made the young miss like it even more!!
At this moment, she didn't yet know that this little cutie had a special kind of destructive power…
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