Chapter 69: Not Innocent Even in Death

Fang Ning stopped her writing, lifted her eyes, and asked, "What is it? Are we going to pay our respects to the local powers?"

"No. There are two shops. No matter how prime the location is or how low the rent is, you must not rent them."

"Which two?"

"An incense and candle shop, and a sundry goods shop. Both have extremely prime locations, right on the main street in the city. If I calculate the time correctly, they are about to sublet."

"Are these two shops hiding some unspeakable secrets?"

"Both were scenes of murder. If you rent them, your business will struggle to thrive. There are dead bodies inside the walls."

Fang Ning paused, then asked, "...Were they killed because of adulterous affairs?"

"Mhm. The sundry goods shop owner's wife had always been in the countryside, and the owner of the incense and candle shop was a widow."

"So the sundry goods shop owner and the incense and candle shop owner hooked up behind the scenes, got caught in the act by the sundry goods shop owner's wife, and were killed by this pair of shameless scumbags?"

"Correct."

Fang Ning felt nauseated.

"The murders already happened? Then why didn't you—"

"Why didn't I stop it?"

Fang Ning nodded.

"Neither of them was a good person; they deserved to die."

Si Yuheng's expression remained calm.

Fang Ning always felt there was an underlying meaning to his words.

"Young Master, this matter doesn't have anything to do with you, does it?"

"No, I don't kill people."

Si Yuheng denied it.

Those small fries were simply not worth his effort.

Skeptical, Fang Ning asked, "Would the Young Master be willing to do me a favor and help my mother find a shop instead?"

"Fang Ning, you are so clever, why haven't you considered Flavor Pavilion?"

"Thank you for the compliment, Young Master." Fang Ning selectively chose to hear the praise first before continuing, "Does the Young Master mean you want to cooperate with my mother and give her a stake in the business?"

"A stake?"

"Meaning a percentage of ownership for my mother."

"Yes. Flavor Pavilion needs to expand, and your mother is the most suitable person for the job."

"Aren't you afraid we might betray you?"

Si Yuheng stared fixedly at Fang Ning. "If you dare to betray me, I dare to slice you into pieces through a thousand cuts. Fang Ning, I do not wish to repeat myself a second time; I will not tolerate even the slightest bit of disloyalty."

The intense killing intent in the depths of his eyes made it clear he was not joking.

This also meant he was placing his trust in Fang Ning.

Of course, he had certainly kept a backup plan in reserve.

"I can hand Flavor Pavilion over entirely for your mother to manage. Furthermore, once we step outside Tongzhou City, any future branches opened will entirely belong to your mother."

The temptation was enormous, but Fang Ning also understood that the accompanying risks were equally high.

Si Yuheng had never explicitly stated his identity, but she had already guessed seven or eight parts of it.

With certain relationships involving power and profit, it was always wiser not to get too deeply entangled.

Who knew what might happen down the line?

It was far better to hold a trump card to negotiate with Si Yuheng if necessary.

"I'll ask my mother about it tomorrow. I can't make decisions on her behalf."

"You don't actually trust me that much, do you?"

"What is the Young Master saying? If I didn't trust you, would I have let you become my tutor? Don't be overly paranoid, it's not a good trait."

Fang Ning rolled her eyes, while mentally complaining that his trust clearly came with strings attached.

Si Yuheng gave her a deep look and chose not to pursue the topic further.

A quarter of an hour later, Fang Ning finished writing the essay he had assigned and handed it to him for on-the-spot correction.

"Rewrite it." Si Yuheng circled and marked up five errors before tossing the paper back to her.

Fang Ning froze. "...Young Master, are you being too strict with me? Or is this a case of abusing public office for private revenge?"

"You're overthinking it," Si Yuheng replied calmly.

Fang Ning let out a huff and resignedly started writing from scratch.

...

The next day.

Fang Ning woke up early, and after completing her warm-up exercises, she began running around Futian Village.

The villagers went out to the fields to work early and greeted her warmly when they saw her running.

"Up so early! What are you doing?"

"Growing taller!"

"Does that work?"

"Of course. I'm going to become a strong man soon."

Fang Ning flexed her pale, tender arm, which looked like poached chicken meat.

The villagers burst into hearty laughter.

Honestly, Fang Ning felt that ancient clothing was utterly unsuitable for working out.

She should eventually have someone make her a set of short-sleeved and short-panted athletic wear.

When she returned from her run, Si Yuheng was standing at the courtyard entrance. "You ran five laps around the village, and went over time by two quarters of an hour. Too slow."

Fang Ning stared at him. "???"

"Young Master, I am still a child!"

A lap around Futian Village was no small distance—at least one kilometer. Wasn't completing five kilometers in half an hour completely normal?

"A single quarter of an hour should suffice."

"Just say you want me dead."

Fang Ning rolled her eyes.

"You haven't been practicing your internal energy properly."

"Young Master, don't hold me to your own standards. I've always been lenient with myself."

"I expect you to keep it under two quarters of an hour tomorrow. For the extra time you took today, you will spend two quarters of an hour practicing the horse stance as punishment."

Fang Ning gritted her teeth. "..."

Si Yuheng raised an eyebrow.

After finishing her stretches, Fang Ning obediently stood in the middle of the courtyard to hold the horse stance.

Fang Ning decided that Si Yuheng was a more demonic existence than any drill instructor she had ever had.

A ten-year-old child, and he was already training her to death.

Holding a horse stance wasn't just about standing still; he even balanced a bowl of rice on her head, warning her that if a single grain spilled, he would add another two quarters of an hour to the penalty.

Fortunately, Fang Ning's willpower far exceeded that of ordinary people, and she gritted her teeth and pushed through it.

This once again made Si Yuheng look at her in a new light.

However, Old Madam Fang and the others felt deeply distressed seeing this and tried to negotiate with Si Yuheng. "Young Master, could you let Ningning take a break?"

Si Yuheng refused. "Fang Ning used to lack ambition. If I'm not strict, she might easily relapse into her old habits. By the way, Madam, since I'm already teaching one, would you like Fang Ling and the others to join in?"

"Since the Young Master is willing to teach, how could we refuse? We're just troubling you too much."

"It's no trouble."

As long as they didn't interfere out of pity, that was fine.

When Fang Ling and the others found out, apart from Fang Hei—who resisted with every fiber of her being—the other three readily agreed.

However, Si Yuheng didn't require them to follow Fang Ning's exact regimen, only asking them to practice the horse stance. Yet, seeing Fang Ning run every morning, they all started getting up early to run alongside her.

Once her morning lessons concluded, Fang Ning pulled Liang Anrong aside to discuss Si Yuheng's proposal.

Unsurprisingly, Liang Anrong rejected it.

"Doing business in partnership too easily leads to friction over profits, so it's better to nip it in the bud from the very beginning. I was thinking that once my own shop gets on the right track, I'll let the second and third branches set up independently," Liang Anrong said softly. "Ningning, sometimes family affection is fragile in the face of profit."

"I understand. Then do whatever you planned to do; I'll support you either way," Fang Ning said with a smile. "I believe my mother will definitely succeed."

"Not just definitely. It's a must."

Fang Ning relayed Liang Anrong's decision to Si Yuheng.

After hearing it, Si Yuheng fell silent for a moment before saying, "I respect her choice."

Fang Ning patted Si Yuheng on the shoulder. "Flavor Pavilion is doing so well, Young Master, you should work hard so my mother doesn't surpass you."

Si Yuheng chuckled softly. "I'll do my best."

However, when it came to the food business, everything ultimately hinged on exceptional taste.

During his time at the Fang household, Si Yuheng had already witnessed just how superb Liang Anrong's culinary skills were—something the chefs at Flavor Pavilion couldn't hope to match even if they rode horses to catch up.

Since the recruitment had failed, he would not force the issue.

At least, he still had a student like Fang Ning...