Chapter 470 : Fundraising (1)

The next day, Yuxi thought about it for a long time inside the room, but she couldn’t think of any good solution. When she heard Zaozao’s cry, Yuxi came out of the study.

After feeding her child, Yuxi thought for a moment and carried Zaozao to the front yard to visit Huo Changqing. When she arrived, she saw Huo Changqing sunbathing in the yard.

Seeing Yuxi, Huo Changqing smiled and asked, “Why did you even bring Zaozao here yourself?” Teasing Zaozao was one of the few pleasures he had left these days.

Yuxi handed Zaozao to Huo Changqing and said, “Uncle Huo, I’d like to ask you something.” Huo Changqing was more experienced than her and Yun Qing, so he might have a suitable method.

As Huo Changqing heard her words, he asked, “Have you encountered anything difficult?” Seeing Yuxi nod, he said, “What is it?” For something to be able to make even Yuxi feel embarrassed, it must be a big deal.

Yuxi spoke of Yun Qing’s current situation. “The Imperial Court can’t pay the pension, and the officers and soldiers are already complaining. But there’s not much money left in the accounts these days, and even after writing the memorial, it’s as if it had sunk into the sea.” Since the Imperial Court couldn’t come up with that much money, they naturally didn’t give an answer.

Huo Changqing commented, “This matter is not easy to handle.” Being the head of this Yu City was less glamorous than it looked on the surface. But he had known about this for a long time.

Yuxi made a sound of agreement. “But if we don’t find a way out of this, I’m worried that He Rui will follow Marshal Qin’s old path.” If there were no way out, they could only go down Marshal Qin’s path even when they knew they were going to drink poison1.

Huo Changqing asked: “Do you have any good ideas?” Yuxi had always been resourceful, and Huo Changqing thought that she should be able to think of a way.

Yuxi shook her head. “If the shortage were only thirty to fifty thousand, I could still find a solution. But the shortfall is millions, which I have nowhere to draw from.” No matter how good she was, she couldn’t make millions a year.

Huo Changqing pondered momentarily and said, “Don’t be anxious. Just think of the solution slowly.” That was what he said, but Huo Changqing knew this matter was difficult to handle.

Yuxi wasn’t disappointed. This time, she had come with the mindset of giving it a try. If it were that easy to find a way, Marshal Qin wouldn’t have been forced to take that road.

Huo Changqing asked, “How are the children in the Charity Home doing right now?” Although Huo Changqing hadn’t gone out, he knew exactly what was happening outside.

Yuxi replied, ”Everyone has settled in well. However, there are more than 500 children in the Charity Home, plus the dozens in the manor house, making a total of nearly 600. With so many children, the expenses are too high, and I won’t be able to support them for a long time. That’s why I asked He Rui to write a memorial, hoping the Imperial Court would allocate some money.”

Huo Changqing had long ago seen through the current imperial court. “Once the shortfall in military expenditure is resolved, the Charity Home will no longer be a problem.”

Yuxi also knew this reasoning, but the military expenditure shortfall was not easy to solve. At that moment, she just smiled bitterly and said, “Even if the Imperial Court can only give me a little, I’ll accept it!” This acceptance made her feel terrible. It was obviously money that the Imperial Court should provide, but they had to beg these people again and again for it.

Huo Changqing also didn’t want to talk about this topic either, as there was nothing else he could say. “When I feel better physically, I want to select and nurture a group of children from the Charity Home who have a talent for martial arts.” This time, he was seriously injured. His strength was severely damaged, and it would take him at least two to three years to recover. And once he healed, it would be inappropriate for him to continue to follow and protect Yun Qing.

Yuxi didn’t object, merely said, “I’m afraid He Rui won’t agree.” If Huo Changqing could train more people, it would be beneficial and harmless to Yun Qing.

Huo Changqing didn’t think this was a problem: “Don’t worry about this. I will tell Yun Qing myself.” There were too few people around Yun Qing, and he still needed to cultivate more trustworthy assistants.

Back in the backyard, Yuxi went to her study again. She drew a picture and handed it to Xu Wu. It was a blueprint of a wheelchair2. “Tell the craftsmen to make it according to the blueprint. Once they’ve made the wheelchair, Uncle Huo won’t feel trapped in the house anymore.” An agitated mind would only slow down one’s recovery.

Xu Wu was pleasantly surprised as he asked: “Madam, did you come up with this?” With this, it would be much more convenient for someone like Yifu3 to come and go and no longer feel trapped inside the house.

Yuxi couldn’t help laughing. “How could I come up with something so complicated like this? This thing has been around in the capital for a long time, and I’m just drawing a dipper with a gourd as my model4.” If she hadn’t seen Huo Changqing sunbathing in the yard today, she wouldn’t have remembered about this thing.

Xu Wu smiled slightly. “It’s also impressive that Madam can remember it so clearly.” With that, he hurried out with the blueprint.

Yuxi started to write a letter but tore it up halfway through. They had to solve these problems themselves, and asking anyone else for help was useless.

Wu Kuo received the portrait sent by Yuxi on the way, and he was startled to see that it was a picture of a man. After reading Yuxi’s letter, he understood what was going on. “Madam Yun is really not modest!” If this person was an actual merchant from Jiangnan, as long as he was willing, he could find out the details of this person in just a few days. The point was, why did Han Shi feel that he would help her?

Wu Shun suggested, “Eldest Master, if you want to cooperate with them for a long time, you should try your best to do Yuxi a favour.” Doing this favour would make it easier for them to negotiate business in the future.

Wu Kuo handed the portrait to Wu Shun and commented, “This is probably why she dared to ask me to do such things for her. This woman is quite interesting.”

Wu Shun knew that his Eldest Master was aware of this as well.

At that time, Wu Xiaomao🤔, another close confidant of Wu Kuo, rushed in and said, “Master, a letter has come from Jiangnan, saying that Taitai6 is seriously ill. Eldest Master, we must hurry back.” The Wu family’s head madam, Yu Shi, had never been in good health, and her condition had worsened over the past two years.

Wu Kuo’s expression changed, and he instructed, “Prepare the horse.” She was fine when he left, but he didn’t expect her to be seriously ill again. This place was far away from Jiangnan. Even if he spurred his horse on at full speed7, it would still take him half a month to get there. He only hoped that his mother would be safe this time.

As for the Zhao family, on the sixth day after Fei Shi’s conversation with Yuxi, Zhao Huan came to see Yuxi in person. It was more appropriate to discuss such matters with the head of the family.

Yuxi smiled and said, “Finally.” This person was the one who could really make the final decision. If it was someone else, Yuxi would not want to see them.

Zhao Huan walked into the parlour and bowed to Yuxi. “Greetings, Madam Yun.” He was wearing a green bamboo changpao, his hair was tied back with a heavy wooden hairpin, and his manner was measured and polite. He didn’t look like a businessman but rather a scholar.

Yuxi was also very polite as she responded with a smile: “Eldest Master Huan, please, have a seat.” After saying this, she ordered the maid next to her: “Prepare tea.”

Zhao Huan felt weird when he saw that he was being served chrysanthemum tea. It wasn’t that the tea was bad; it was just that this was the first time he had ever seen chrysanthemum tea served to guests.

Yuxi smiled and explained: “Drinking some chrysanthemum tea in midsummer can relieve the heat and reduce one’s internal heat.” In fact, she did not have any top-notch tea, so instead of getting second-class tea for Zhao Huan, who was used to drinking good tea, it would be better to serve him chrysanthemum tea. At least it was appropriate for the occasion.

Zhao Huan had not expected Yuxi to be so straightforward, so he smiled and said, “Madam is so considerate.” After taking a sip of tea, Zhao Huan put down the teacup and continued, “Last time, my wife📝 told me about Madam’s words after she returned from the Yun Residence. Since Madam understands herbs and knows their market prices, I won’t lie to you. Madam, the prices of ordinary herbs can only be reduced by 15%, and those precious and hard-to-find herbs can only be decreased by 30%.” It was such a headache to meet someone who knew the market.

Yuxi also knew this would be the result, so she neither objected nor agreed. She just said something from the lips of a donkey that did not fit a horse’s mouth9: “Has Eldest Master Huan heard of the Charity Home?” When she saw Zhao Huan nod, she sighed and took a deep breath before continuing: “Alas, there are more than 500 children in the Charity Home, and more than 20 of them are sick. The daily cost of food and medical expenses is high, and insufficient money is allocated for them. All the money used during this period has been subsidised by me. If this continues, I won’t be able to keep the place up…” At this point, she didn’t continue to talk about this. Instead, she picked up the white jade teacup and took a sip. She couldn’t drink other teas, but she could drink chrysanthemum tea.

Zhao Huan naturally understood Yuxi’s unspoken implication and expressed his willingness to donate.

Yuxi gently put down the white jade teacup in her hand and said with a smile, “Eldest Master Huan, if we can appeal to all the wealthy merchants in Xinping City to donate, it would be a great merit.” If Zhao Huan took the lead, everyone else would definitely give her some face, and a considerable amount of money could be raised in due course.

Zhao Huan secretly exclaimed in his heart that Yuxi was such a shrewd, but this request was something he couldn’t refuse. After all, Han Shi wasn’t doing this for herself but for the hundreds of children at the Charity Home. “When I go back, I’ll gather some of my friends and ask them to donate if they have the money and contribute if they have the strength.”

A genuine smile appeared on Yuxi’s face. One person could only do so much. If more people were willing to help, those children could have a better life. “I would like to thank Eldest Master Huan on behalf of those children.”

When Eldest Master Huan looked at Yuxi’s expression, his heart lurched. He originally thought that Yuxi had founded the school and accepted the Charity Home in order to gain a good reputation. But now, he knew that his previous thoughts were wrong. This woman genuinely wanted to help these children, not to fish for fame and compliments. “It’s a shame to say that we, the seven-foot men10, are not half as good as Madam.” Zhao Huan secretly decided to donate more this time.

Yuxi smiled and said, “Eldest Master Huan spoke too highly of me. I’ll talk to the General about the medicinal herbs tonight.” This statement was tantamount to agreeing to the price Zhao Huan had quoted.

Zhao Huan returned home very satisfied. As for the dividends, neither of them mentioned them. Yuxi didn’t say anything because she knew very well that even if she didn’t bring it up, the Zhao family would pay her the dividends at the end of the year. Together with the grain and fodder dividends, they would have a considerable amount of money at the end of the year. However, Yuxi had other uses for this money. The intelligence in the residence was lagging too far behind, and this aspect needed to be strengthened.