TNIBFT -Chapter 192 Young People Should Endure More Hardship

Yuan Heipang stood at the doorway with a pained expression, unwilling to leave first—it was obvious he wasn’t satisfied with Ye Tian’s arrangement.

Seeing his dark eye circles and exhausted face, the scolding words on Ye Tian’s lips were swallowed back. A rare moment of conscience surfaced as he said, “Old Yuan, you’ve worked hard too. You stayed up all night—go get some rest.”

“As long as the pharmaceutical factory does well, you’ll be the factory director in the future. When that time comes, I’ll give you a commission every month.”

Factory director?

Yuan Heipang’s eyes widened, his mouth hanging open in shock.

Ye Tian’s voice turned persuasive. “Aren’t you earning one tael of silver a month right now?”

“If you’re the director, I’ll raise it tenfold!”

Tenfold?!

Yuan Heipang’s mouth refused to close now. His eyes shone brightly, his face flushed with excitement. After a long moment, he swallowed and looked at Ye Tian with a flattering smile. “How could I accept that?”

“It’s not about the money…”

He chuckled awkwardly, scratching his head.

“Since you insist on refusing—” Ye Tian hadn’t even finished speaking before Yuan Heipang hurriedly cut in, “Don’t worry, boss! I’ll definitely work hard!”

“My life is yours! Forget just working—if you tell me to kill, I, Old Yuan, will do it!”

Yuan Heipang declared firmly.

Ye Tian waved his hand. “Alright, go get some sleep. Work well. When our pharmaceutical factories spread across all of Great Liang, you won’t just be managing two hundred workers—you’ll be in charge of thousands, tens of thousands. Just imagine it—who wouldn’t flatter you then? You’d be more imposing than the city lord of Sifang City!”

More imposing than the city lord?

Yuan Heipang stood there in shock, mouth agape, already lost in his fantasies, his eyes unfocused.

A cold wind blew through the corridor, and Ye Tian shrank his neck.

Bang! He shut the door.

Touching the cold bedding with no warmth left, Ye Tian found he wasn’t sleepy anymore. He simply got dressed, and just as he opened the window—

“I got here first, stop pushing!”

“You stepped on me!”

“Get off me!”

The noisy shouting from the street was crystal clear. Ye Tian stuck his head out to take a look, only to see the area below the hotpot restaurant packed three layers deep with people. Faces flushed, necks red, voices raised in anger—it looked like a fight could break out at any moment.

Noticing someone glance upward, Ye Tian quickly shut the window.

What’s going on?

Why are they surrounding the hotpot restaurant again?

Helpless, Ye Tian quickly put on his outer robe, preparing to go downstairs and find out what was happening.

First Floor Hall of the Hotpot Restaurant

“So much money?”

“This was all earned by the pharmacy yesterday?”

“My heavens—won’t Ye Tian become the richest man in Sifang City soon?”

“Who would’ve thought the people of Sifang City were this wealthy?”

In the hall, Xiao Xun’er, Xiao Wang, and Duan Qingshan were chatting. When they saw Ye Tian come over, Xiao Wang immediately stood up straight and greeted respectfully, “Boss.”

“Mm.” Ye Tian nodded.

Xiao Xun’er straightened her posture and looked at him. “Ye Tian, you’ve earned so much money and have nowhere to spend it… how about I help you share the burden?”

Ye Tian directly ignored her question and looked toward the gray cloth sack in the middle of the hall.

As expected, it was full of money.

He walked over. The sack, nearly a meter tall, was stuffed with copper coins and bits of silver. He only glanced at it briefly before turning to Duan Qingshan and Old Yang beside him. “Why are there so many people gathered at the entrance again?”

“They’re all here to buy medicine,” Duan Qingshan replied.

Ye Tian sighed helplessly and glanced around the hall. “Where’s Old Yuan?”

“Brother Yuan just went to the backyard. He’s probably washing up,” Xiao Wang said. Then, after sneaking a glance at Ye Tian, he added, “These past few days, he’s been the one working the hardest. He hasn’t slept for two or three days. He’s always been the worrying type—handling everything in the pharmacy himself. I think he could fall asleep even while standing.”

Ye Tian nodded in agreement. “Young people should endure more hardship. The good days will come later.”

“Right!”

Xiao Wang and the other employees nodded enthusiastically.

They wished they had such an opportunity to “endure hardship” too.

“Go call Old Yuan out,” Ye Tian said, then turned and sat down on a rocking chair nearby.

Xiao Wang and the others exchanged glances.

Brother Yuan had just lain down, and now Ye Tian wanted to call him again—he was really treating him like a workhorse!

Creaaak! Creaaak!

Ye Tian leisurely rocked back and forth in the chair. Xiao Wang glanced at him, then hurried toward the backyard. Yuan Heipang had just taken off his clothes and lay down when he heard Ye Tian calling for him. His eyes immediately lit up—like he’d been injected with adrenaline—and he sprang out of bed, rushing toward the hall without even putting his clothes on properly.

Xiao Wang followed behind him, completely dumbfounded.

Brother Yuan was so loyal he was practically going crazy for the hotpot restaurant!

…

At this moment, outside Zhuque Street.

Ye Shuangxue stood across from her family’s hotpot restaurant, her big eyes blankly staring at the crowded scene. Sun Wuji stood beside her. In the morning sunlight, the little girl’s face glowed warmly. Her hair was tied into two small buns, soft and slightly yellow under the light. A few loose strands on her forehead fluttered in the cold breeze. Her porcelain-white face seemed coated in a layer of golden light, with fine baby hairs faintly visible. Her rosy lips were still greasy.

She stuck out her tongue and licked her lips, then looked at the kraft paper bag in her hand with lingering desire.

Suppressing the urge to eat more, she turned to Sun Wuji. “Master, can Ye Tian finish three meat buns?”

“Or… should I help him eat one more?”

Sun Wuji’s mouth twitched. “You’ve already helped him eat two!”

Looking at his little apprentice’s round, bulging belly, he was worried she might eat too much and hurt herself.

“Alright then…”

Ye Shuangxue drooped her face. After sneaking another glance at the plump bun, she thought for a moment, then pinched off a bit of the bun skin and popped it into her mouth. The next second, her face lit up with satisfaction. Her eyes curved into crescents as she swayed her head. “So delicious! I could eat ten more!”

“So this is Ye Tian’s shop?”

A sharp, duck-like voice suddenly rang out. Ye Shuangxue frowned in discomfort and turned to look. Under the eaves of a nearby cloth shop stood several strange-looking people. One of them had sleek, glossy long hair, his face heavily powdered—so pale it looked like he’d been dead for three days. His long fingernails curled into an orchid shape, and he held a bright red handkerchief.

His lips were blood-red, and when he opened his mouth, it looked like he could devour a child.

As he spoke, his body swayed unnaturally.

The little girl froze. Instantly, she felt full—like the bun in her mouth had lost all taste.

“So it really is him!”

The man continued, his tone dripping with mockery. “I never expected Young Master Ye to have a talent for business. But this is nothing more than a last struggle.”

After Gao Defu finished speaking, someone beside him added, “These past two days, since Ye Tian’s pharmacy opened, aside from the disaster victims, almost everyone in Sifang City who can afford it has bought a bottle. Some are even reselling them at high prices. This Ye Tian is not simple.”

“Indeed. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn’t have believed it was really him.”

“Hmph!”

Gao Defu let out a cold, mocking snort. Holding the red handkerchief over his lips, he said coldly, “A grasshopper after autumn—he only has a few days left.”