My Fulang is a Delicate Flower Chapter 44 Part 4

Ever since Ji Taoyu and Huo Shu got engaged, Ji Wanglan hadn’t visited for a long time. Probably because the earlier matchmaking incident had left her too embarrassed, so someone who usually loved dropping by to mooch off them had stubbornly stayed away.  

Aside from attending the wedding banquet, this was her first visit since their marriage.  

Ji Yangzong frowned. He was fine with his seventh brother’s son, Wenliang, going with Huo Shu. Though young, the boy was diligent and ambitious.  

What worried him was his sister’s son, Yuan Fei. With such a troublemaker around, he absolutely wouldn’t allow it.  

But he couldn’t accept one and reject the other, showing favoritism would only give people more to talk about.  

So he hardened his heart and said, "We’ve already hired enough people. The northern frontier is no place for sightseeing, but a deathscape of bandits and barbarians. Wenliang, would your parents even let you go so far? This is nonsense."  

"More hands mean more help. Who complains about having too many people? Besides, even if you have enough people, what’s wrong with bringing along one or two more relatives? Xiao Liu, you’re still holding a grudge over last time, aren’t you?"  

The news of their sixth brother’s son-in-law going on a business trip had reached all of Ji Yangzong’s siblings.  

Ji Wanglan wanted her son to prosper - to climb from their humble station and fill his purse with silver, but she never imagined sending him to some northern wasteland, it sounded terrifying.  

When she first heard about Huo Shu’s plans, she didn’t think much of it. But today, after visiting her seventh brother’s house and seeing their Wenliang insisting on going, she decided to tag along.  

She had casually suggested bringing Yuan Fei along to test the waters, but to her surprise, her sixth brother flat-out refused. The more he resisted, the more she insisted.  

Maybe they were planning to make a fortune in secret, why else would they let their son-in-law go?  

The argument grew more heated.  

Ji Wenliang had finally convinced his parents and come to talk to his sixth uncle, only for his third aunt to show up and complicate things.  

He knew exactly what kind of person Yuan Fei was, there was no way his sixth uncle would agree. Now, he was getting dragged down too.  

Ji Wenliang pressed his lips together, deciding not to plead further and risk making things worse.  

"Let’s settle it like this! Both brothers will go. It’s good for them to venture out and see the world. If they make a fortune, won’t that solve everything?"  

"Third Sister, I never agreed to this!"  

Ji Yangzong glared. "This is Huo Shu’s business. Who goes is up to him, not me."  

"Xiao Liu, would he really choose outsiders over family? He’s a live-in son-in-law, are you telling me you, as his father-in-law, have no say?"  

Just then, Huo Shu and Ji Taoyu walked in.  

Ji Wenliang brightened at the sight of them. "Brother Taoyu!"  

Then, noticing the cold-faced Huo Shu behind him, he stiffened slightly, his voice growing quieter and more nervous. "Brother-in-law."  

Ji Taoyu blinked his round eyes. "Wenliang, why are you here?"  

Ji Wanglan cut in, "Perfect timing! We were just discussing Huo Shu’s business trip and how Yuan Fei and Wenliang should go with him."  

"Your father’s being difficult. Taoyu, don’t you think this is a good idea?"  

Ji Taoyu shrugged slightly. He wasn’t about to get tangled in his aunt’s schemes. "Men’s business isn’t for me to meddle in. Third Aunt, you should talk to Huo Shu."  

Ji Wanglan glanced at Huo Shu’s stern face, opened her mouth, then closed it again—she didn’t dare push him like she did with her own relatives.  

Without a word, Huo Shu pulled out the remaining contract papers from earlier that day. "If they want to go, they’ll sign this. Name, mark, and fingerprint."  

Ji Wanglan, confused by Huo Shu’s sudden compliance, took the paper and read it, her expression quickly darkened.  

"What do you mean ‘if danger occurs, each is responsible for their own life, and companions bear no liability’? How can you just abandon your own people on the road?"  

Ji Yangzong said, "Everyone who’s going has signed. If Third Sister wants Yuan Fei to go, he must sign."  

Ji Wanglan immediately protested, "Since when does a business trip require a life-and-death contract? For outsiders, fine, but family? This is ridiculous."  

She tugged at Ji Wenliang’s sleeve. "Your sixth uncle is being petty. Wenliang, don’t you think so? None of your other uncles would do this."  

"Let’s just forget about you two brothers going. People would laugh at us if word got out."  

Now she was back to insisting they shouldn’t need to sign anything to join.  

But to Ji Wenliang, this was a stroke of luck. He grinned. "I’ve heard big merchant groups usually only take their own servants, people who are already bound by contracts. If they hire outsiders, they make them sign too, to ensure they’re committed."  

"I’ll follow Brother-in-law’s rules. I’ll sign."  

With that, Ji Wenliang took the brush, signed his name, and pressed his fingerprint onto the paper.  

Ji Wanglan was dumbstruck, muttering how foolish the boy was.  

"Third Sister, are you signing, or should we call Yuan Fei to do it?"  

Ji Yangzong said, "Look, Wenliang’s already signed."  

"Making family do this, what kind of nonsense is it?"  

Ji Wanglan’s tone shifted quickly:  

"Not many villagers actually want to go out and start businesses anyway. Those who try their luck as traveling merchants, how many actually make money? Most lose their capital and end up back in the fields."  

"And the northern frontier? A warzone, full of barbarians. What kind of business can you do there? You’d have to be tired of peace to even consider it."  

Ji Yangzong was done listening. "So, is Yuan Fei going or not? The kids just got back today and are tired. If you're signing, let’s do it now. If not, drop it and let them rest."  

Ji Wanglan, thick-skinned as ever, said, "Yuan Fei might not even be interested in this kind of business. I’ll go ask him first."