"If you get married, you must invite me. No matter how busy I am, I'll rush over."
How could Gu Qingcheng miss such an important life event?
Hearing Gu Qingcheng's words, Du Lanyue was already very satisfied. She smiled and said,
"As of now, you won't be waiting for me to get married anytime soon."
"Ah? Why? You've been engaged for almost half a year. Shouldn't young Master Wang be eager to get married?"
Gu Qingcheng asked in confusion.
Before, she had heard from Du Lanxing that when her sister got engaged, they had said they would get married within a year.
Although Gu Qingcheng felt they were too young to get married, people married early back then, partly because their average lifespan was generally shorter.
Of course, if one lived a life of luxury, their lifespan could also be extended.
"Because I broke off the engagement!" Du Lanyue said this matter seemingly nonchalantly.
"Breaking off an engagement is a major event. Have you really thought it through? Young Master Wang is a good candidate."
Hearing that Du Lanyue had broken off the engagement, Gu Qingcheng felt an inexplicable joy, but she appeared indifferent on the surface.
"I won't regret it, because I felt uncomfortable all over when I was with young Master Wang. My words were off, my steps were off, and I felt completely restrained.
When I'm with you, we laugh and talk merrily. But he couldn't give me that feeling, so I knew for sure I didn't like him and couldn't spend my life with him."
Du Lanyue confessed honestly.
She felt that facing her true feelings, her engagement to young Master Wang at the time was out of spite and a temporary measure. She felt quite sorry for him. Therefore, Du Lanyue returned all the betrothal gifts and dowry, and even gave young Master Wang two shops as compensation, so as to avoid any lingering guilt.
Seeing that she had thought it through, Gu Qingcheng said,
"Actually, I could also tell that you only had friendly feelings for him, not marital affection. Since you want to break off the engagement, then do so. What was young Master Wang's reaction?"
"At first, he couldn't accept it and came to me several times. I ignored him. Later, when he saw my firm attitude, he left and stopped bothering me.
I heard he's now keeping the top courtesan at Yihongyuan and living quite comfortably."
Du Lanyue said with a blank expression.
Gu Qingcheng burst into laughter upon hearing this, saying,
"It seems a man's devotion doesn't last longer than three days."
Du Lanyue was taken aback for a moment and then said,
"You're absolutely right. After I rejected him for the last time, it wasn't even three days before he went to Yihongyuan and kept the top courtesan. I heard he's been indulging himself there, living a life of debauchery.
Now, he's even become dependent on that woman and is reportedly planning to buy her freedom."
"Haha, that's good. Since you're not in pain and he's moved on, you don't need to feel guilty anymore,"
Gu Qingcheng said happily.
Du Lanyue took a sip of tea and said faintly,
"Qingcheng, our relationship is so good, and you know that the money I have, with normal expenses, I could never spend it all in this lifetime.
If I didn't work, I'd still have enough to eat and wear for the rest of my life, right?"
Gu Qingcheng nodded and said, "Yes, but from what you're saying, you don't want to live like that?"
"Yes, I want to run a business like you, instead of being confined to home. Is that okay?"
"Of course, it is. Your father just took over a large freight terminal business from me. How about I propose an additional condition to him, so he agrees to let you work outside?"
Gu Qingcheng certainly supported Du Lanyue's idea of working outside.
Spending one's entire life confined to the inner quarters of a household was too pitiable.
"Then I'll have to trouble you."
Du Lanyue had made up her mind and wouldn't pretend in front of Gu Qingcheng, gracefully accepting her kindness.
Since Du Lanyue was willing to accept her goodwill, Gu Qingcheng naturally spared no effort.
Given Du Laoda's status on Chaliao Island, it would be difficult for anyone to persuade him to do business.
But Gu Qingcheng was different.
If Du Laoda was in the open, Gu Qingcheng was in the shadows.
She controlled the underground economy from the shadows.
Everywhere on Chaliao Island, her investments could be seen.
From pharmaceuticals, grain, docks, and freight, to now establishing brick and tile kilns.
Of course, Gu Qingcheng didn't just enrich herself; she had profitable projects that benefited everyone, seeking a psychological balance.
Du Laoda's son, Du Lancheng, was also working with Gu Qingcheng, so the only person who could persuade Du Laoda was Gu Qingcheng.
No one knew how eloquent Gu Qingcheng was, but in short, two weeks later, Du Lanyue began appearing at the freight terminal, handling specific matters related to it.
This was one of the most profitable projects on Chaliao Island. Du Laoda was initially worried if his daughter could manage it. However, a month later, he found that Du Lanyue was handling the relevant affairs in an orderly fashion. Du Laoda was greatly relieved, saying he had gained another capable assistant.
Seeing her sister able to step out and take on responsibilities, Du Lanxing was also eager to try. She asked her sister how she managed to gain their father's consent and control of the terminal.
However, Du Lanyue advised her sister, saying,
"Working outside isn't as simple and beautiful as you and I imagined. It involves scheming, deception, and hard work. If you're willing to stay at home, that's also quite good."
Hearing this, Du Lanxing blinked her eyes and said,
"I don't want to work at the terminal. I want to open a shop selling ready-made clothes or jewelry. That would be much easier, right?"
Du Lanyue was stunned for a moment. She hadn't expected her sister to have such discerning taste and choose something suitable for herself.
The reason she chose the terminal was that it was a project Gu Qingcheng had invested heavily in. Perhaps, she still harbored a slight thought of letting Gu Qingcheng see her capabilities.
As Gu Qingcheng had said, who said daughters are inferior to sons?
That's why she chose the challenging terminal.
She had to negotiate with merchants from outside every day and face the forces on the docks that were vying for territory. She was overwhelmed with work, which was why she didn't want her sister to go through what she had.
But since she had chosen to work at the terminal, there was no turning back.
She hadn't expected that by her taking the lead, even her sister would be inspired to build her own career.
However, if it were opening a shop, it would be much simpler. As long as the goods were good, and quality and trend were controlled, there would be no shortage of customers.
Moreover, the best thing about such shops was cash settlement, meaning no issues with capital stagnation.
"Alright, I support you. If you don't have enough money, I have some here."
Du Lanyue agreed, and Du Lanxing was overjoyed, saying,
"Sister, it's enough that you support me. I still have some money saved up from my personal savings, it's enough."
Upon hearing that she only had personal savings, Du Lanyue thought, "That's not enough!"
At this moment, she couldn't help but be grateful for her experience with Gu Qingcheng. Taking great risks had led to wealth. With those two chests of gold bars as her backing, Du Lanyue felt she had much more room to maneuver. Therefore, she said,
"I've earned some money recently. Here, take this gold bar. Use it to rent a good shop, sell some high-end goods, and let everyone see your capabilities."