Brother Liubao was deep in thought when, suddenly, Bai Xian next to him exclaimed with surprise, "Miss Dong, you’re here!?"
Brother Liubao turned his head and saw the signature petite figure and a pretty face that was gorgeous without being gaudy—it was none other than the elusive Miss Xiao Dong.
"My ancestors, you finally came! If you hadn’t come, everyone in this building would have been left to chill in the northwest wind!" he exclaimed.
Dong Huiying smiled without showing her teeth, "I wonder what you think, Brother Bao? I believe that after observing the effects over the past few days, you can clearly understand that partnering with me is all to your benefit and not at all harmful. As for what you’ll earn in the future, it’ll definitely be much more than before."
Brother Liubao’s face was a mask of frustration. Deep down, he vaguely understood that these past days, Miss Xiao Dong might have been deliberately keeping him hanging. "But... eighty percent profits, isn’t that just too much?"
Reluctant to let go, Brother Liubao struggled as if it were his last, "The Sky Blue Building is the effort of my lifetime, akin to my own child. Eighty percent profits would be like changing owners outright. Even the remaining twenty percent is still much more than what I used to earn, but still... in my heart...ai!"
He sighed. In truth, even if Miss Xiao Dong didn’t agree or give concessions, after tasting the sweetness before, he would certainly not be willing to spit out the fat meat that was already in his mouth.
But as a merchant, the pursuit of profit prevailed. After all, one can’t earn too much—no fool has ever complained about having too much money.
Dong Huiying pondered and, as she remained silent, Brother Liubao looked eager and anxious. Finally, he said, "Alright then, I will give in another ten percent. A seventy-thirty split, I take seventy, and you take thirty, how does that sound?"
The surprise came so fast, like a big pie smashing straight down onto his head.
Brother Liubao was a bit dazed, still somewhat in disbelief.
"You, you, you, Miss Dong... Are you serious?"
Never underestimate that ten percent. Brother Liubao believed that the Sky Blue Building would surely dominate the Red-light District in the future, and an extra ten percent meant that his future income could be half as much again as he had anticipated.
Miss Dong smiled and nodded her head, her face incredibly beautiful and her demeanor as gentle as water and as demure as chrysanthemums.
Brother Liubao was so overjoyed he almost leapt up, "Alright, alright, alright! But Miss Dong, your makeup technique seemed to melt away on the second day, vanishing without a trace, do you have any solution for that?"
Dong Huiying came prepared, immediately taking out brush, ink, paper, and inkstone to spread the paper flat and draft a contract.
"Sign this first, and every so often I’ll deliver a batch of rouge and face powder."
Brother Liubao knew how to read. He leaned in and saw Miss Xiao Dong’s bold strokes, first silently praising the excellent calligraphy, and then he was stupefied. The contract written on the paper was terrifyingly tight, with no loopholes, binding them both in obligation and cooperation.
The most crucial part was about the compensation Brother Liubao would have to pay in case of a breach of contract.
After reading through it, apart from a few words that took careful pondering, he was pretty satisfied with the rest.
He immediately picked up the brush and with a flourish signed it, as if he was relieving a burden.
He felt increasingly bright-hearted, imagining a future where vast amounts of silver continuously rolled towards him.
Having settled the business, Dong Huiying got up to take her leave. Brother Liubao enthusiastically saw her off, and she also left behind quite a few small jars and bottles for him.