Chapter 75 Discussing Business Cooperation
San Shier leaned close to Bai Yuan, lowering his voice. "The Heavenly Lord doesn't like to manifest his power elsewhere; only here in Gao Family Village will he personally intervene."
Bai Yuan instantly stiffened. "What? Is that true?"
San Shier shrugged. "I can't say for sure, but... that's how it is for now. Otherwise, have you ever heard of the Heavenly Lord intervening anywhere else?"
Bai Yuan froze, instantly losing his nerve.
Without the Heavenly Lord's blessing, leading men into the mountains in the dead of night, in utter darkness, to rescue Wang Er? He wasn't keen on it. Wang Er had no real connection to him, Bai Yuan, and was just a rebel anyway. Why should he risk his neck?
He didn't want to go!
But he had just made such grand pronouncements, throwing his words out there. If he went back on them now, wouldn't it mean immediately reneging on what he’d just said?
If news of this spread, everyone would say that Master Bai of Bai Family Fortress was a man without his word. The "Rites" aspect of a gentleman's six arts would have to be struck from his ledger.
Bai Yuan roared at San Shier, "Why didn't you say so earlier?"
The word "scared" hit Bai Yuan like a strike to a vital pressure point. He instantly snapped back to a composed expression, huffing, "Scared? I, Bai Yuan, a refined gentleman, skilled in both scholarship and martial arts, proficient in the Six Arts—would I be scared of a mere few dozen bandits? Gao Chuwu, Zheng Daniu, Li Da, Gao Yiyi, and all the capable young men in the village, put on your armor, grab your weapons, and follow me! You from Wangjia Village, your name's Bai Mao, right? You'll lead the way. Hmph, scared? Me, scared? Heh heh... Say, Li Da, do you have any extra armor? Get me a set too."
Everyone: "..."
Gao Chuwu grinned, "I have no objections. Last time we went to the county town, Wang Er escorted us. Now that he's in trouble, it's only right we go rescue him."
Zheng Daniu also grinned, "Whatever you tell me to do, I'll do."
"Then let's go!"
Steeling himself, Bai Yuan led a large group of Gao Family Village's most capable young men, torches blazing, up into the mountains.
Li Daoxuan felt a twinge of worry, but then he considered their current equipment and the robust physical condition they'd cultivated from regular, hearty meals—with meat, oil, and salt every day. He realized there was no need to worry too much. Let them have their fun.
Alright, there was nothing left to see in the box for now.
Li Daoxuan stretched, "Time for bed." Oh, right, before I sleep, I should upload that "Daily Life of the Little People" Episode 8 video I just edited to TikTok.
Hit upload, then sleep!
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It wasn't even dawn when Li Daoxuan was woken by a phone call.
He'd stayed up late watching the little people fight their night battle yesterday, sleeping only a few hours. This call felt incredibly annoying, and he didn't want to answer it, but since he was already awake, not answering would be a complete waste.
A little exasperatedly, Li Daoxuan answered the phone, "Hello, who is this?"
"Hello, are you the creator of the TikTok account 'Daily Life of the Little People'? I'm the sales manager for Ningyang Toy Company, and I'd like to discuss a business partnership with you."
Li Daoxuan glanced out the window. It was still dark, not even dawn. Making business calls at this hour? What the hell! Who calls at this hour?
The caller sensed his displeasure from his brief pause and quickly explained, "My apologies for calling at such an hour. I was just worried someone else would snatch this opportunity, so I wanted to reach you as soon as possible."
The person was surprisingly frank. After hearing that, Li Daoxuan's annoyance faded. "Alright, I understand."
The caller continued, "I don't want to waste your time, so I'll be direct. We'd like you to create a video using our building block toys, and then add a shopping cart icon to the video to sell our products..."
Li Daoxuan chuckled to himself. Finally! He'd been waiting for this for ages. But his tone remained flat: "What's my commission?"
The caller said, "Twenty-five percent of the sales."
Li Daoxuan didn't know if the price was reasonable, only that TikTok would take 5%, leaving him with 20%.
It seemed doable! After all, any money was good money; why overthink it?
Li Daoxuan said, "I'll need to see your company's products first, to determine if they're suitable for a 'Little People' video. Don't send me some giant toy; that wouldn't fit my video's theme."
The caller chortled, "Don't worry, they're absolutely perfect! Our company specializes in miniature toys—all tiny little things. They're extremely well-suited for a 'Little People' theme, I guarantee you'll be satisfied when you see them."
"Alright!" Li Daoxuan replied, "Then send me the samples to take a look."
The caller said, "We'll send them via SF Express expedited service right away; they'll arrive by evening. You see, I contacted you before dawn precisely for this reason."
Li Daoxuan offered a polite reply, then hung up.
With the call ended, sleep wouldn't come, so he got out of bed.
Outside, the first rays of dawn were breaking. Li Daoxuan casually ordered some porridge and cold noodles for delivery, then his gaze habitually fell upon the diorama box beside his bed.
Inside the box, the sky was also just beginning to lighten.
The first person to get out of bed in Gao Family Village was none other than Teacher Wang, the scholar.
Last night, everyone in Gao Family Village, men and women alike, had fought in the battle. They were all exhausted and, for a change, slept in.
Only Teacher Wang hadn't participated in the fighting. He'd cowered in fear in his small room, and as a result, he was the first to rise today.
A poor scholar, he hadn't developed the bad habit of needing servants. He cooked himself a bowl of porridge, adding a few salt-cured chicken strips and fresh greens. He ate his breakfast with satisfaction.
Teacher Wang then began organizing his teaching materials.
Because of yesterday's battle, the children had missed their lessons, delayed by the preparations for war. Today, he resolved to teach them thoroughly. Otherwise, how could he have the face to eat such fine food?
Seeing his earnest and responsible demeanor, Li Daoxuan couldn't help but smile. Yesterday, introducing the Seventh Set of Radio Calisthenics was just a momentary prank born of whimsy, but he realized he truly needed to consider education moving forward. He would have to start with this scholar, allowing modern education to spread and flourish through him.
Ancient scholars were incredibly rigid and traditional; getting him to accept a new teaching method would be extremely difficult. He needed to find a way to persuade and guide him into sincerely embracing it.
Just as he was thinking this, the children also woke up.
Gao Yiye led a large group of children, hopping and skipping, into the courtyard where Teacher Wang lived. The moment they saw him, the children stopped their antics, bowing deeply and respectfully to Teacher Wang. "Greetings, Teacher!"
It seemed that children, whether ancient or modern, were always afraid of their teachers.
Gao Yiye also smiled at him. "Hello, Teacher Wang. This humble girl also wishes to learn reading and writing with the children."
Teacher Wang nodded, about to begin class, when he suddenly remembered something and looked up at the distant watchtower.
Li Daoxuan knew what he was looking at and couldn't help but chuckle. He opened his phone, extended it into the box, and hovered it above the watchtower. "Now we begin, the Seventh Set of Radio Calisthenics... First set, stretching exercises..."
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