The whole family died tragically? The eldest daughter is the most powerful in the capital after her

"Besides, pursuing Miss Seven is an upright thing to do. The most you can do is to compete fairly."

Zhang Mo was stunned for a moment, then he laughed, and the original worries on his face disappeared a lot.

Since Gu Nanyuan said so, he really had nothing to hesitate about.

After all, when it comes to love, there is no such thing as first come first served; it all depends on who can touch the other person's heart.

Zhang Mo's anxiety instantly dissipated, and his eyes were filled with determination. He said to Gu Nanyuan gratefully, "Sir, thank you so much for your support."

Seeing how determined he was, Gu Nanyuan smiled and patted his shoulder, saying in a relaxed and encouraging tone: "That's right, since you like it, just go for it."

Zhang Mo was in a good mood, a little excited, and nodded solemnly: "Don't worry, my lord, I will take good care of it."

Upon seeing this, Gu Nanyuan said no more and turned around and left Zhang's house in a very good mood.

Wu family.

The shop owner came hurriedly, his face full of anxiety and uneasiness.

He was standing at the door, and when he saw Mrs. Wu looking up and gesturing, he quickly stepped forward and saluted.

"Madam, something happened." The shopkeeper's tone was hurried, with worry in his eyes.

Mrs. Wu frowned, put down the account book in her hand, and asked in a deep voice, "What happened? Tell me slowly."

The shopkeeper took a deep breath, calmed down a little, and then slowly said: "Recently, the store's goods have basically been sold out, and the inventory is almost at the bottom. But the purchase price is twice as expensive as last month. If you buy at this price, there is almost no profit left."

Mrs. Wu's expression suddenly changed when she heard this. She was shocked. "It's twice as expensive as last month? This... if you calculate it this way, isn't it more than four times more expensive than the same season in previous years?"

"That's true."

"What's going on this year? Prices haven't risen that much, so why are the purchase prices so high?"

She was filled with doubts.

Although there have been some price fluctuations at this time of year in previous years, there has never been such an exaggerated increase.

Her eyes darkened, and after thinking for a moment, she asked, "What exactly caused this? Have you found out the situation?"

The shopkeeper shook his head and said helplessly, "Madam, we haven't fully understood the specific situation. The store has been sold out many times, so we have to restock frequently. The inventory of suppliers has also become tight, and the supply is far less sufficient than in previous years. This situation has led to a shortage of supply, and prices have naturally risen."

Mrs. Wu's heart sank and her brows furrowed even tighter: "The goods are being snapped up frequently?"

Although the Wu family's business has always been good, it wouldn't sell out so quickly. She suspected that someone was behind it.

The shopkeeper also seemed a little confused: "We also felt strange at first, but sometimes there are large orders, and sometimes there are individual customers. We haven't found any specific clues yet."

Mrs. Wu closed her eyes and rubbed her temples gently, with some vague guesses in her mind.

"Has there been any similar situation in recent years?"

The shopkeeper immediately shook his head: "No, ma'am. Although there have been times when goods are scarce in previous years, it has never been like this year, where goods are sold out so frequently."

After hearing this, Mrs. Wu felt more and more that something was wrong.

She narrowed her eyes slightly, and spoke in a low but calm voice: "I'm afraid things are not that simple. It seems that someone is behind this, trying to deliberately raise our costs, or even targeting the Wu family."

She looked up at the shopkeeper and said vigilantly, "Next time someone comes to buy in large quantities, you should be careful and quietly send someone to follow them. I want to know who is behind this and whether someone is deliberately targeting our Wu family."

The shopkeeper nodded and said, "Yes, ma'am, I will make arrangements. I will find out their identities."

After Mrs. Wu finished giving her instructions, the worry in her heart did not completely dissipate.

The shopkeeper went on to talk about the current predicament: "Madam, regarding the purchase of goods... right now, many noble families have come to our store to place orders in advance. Should we continue to accept their orders or reject them? If we go by the current purchase price, the profit will be much less, but if we reject the orders from these noble families, I'm afraid we will have a hard time gaining a foothold in the future."

If you rashly refuse these dignitaries, you will not only offend them, but you may even be hated by them, and your business will be difficult.

She raised her head and said in an unquestionable tone: "We can't afford to offend these nobles. If we reject their orders, I'm afraid we will really be blacklisted by them in the future. It's a small matter that business is difficult, but if we are excluded by them, the Wu family will have a harder and harder road in the future. Let's continue to accept orders."

The shopkeeper knew that the situation was difficult at the moment, and Mrs. Wu’s decision was also very rational: “I understand, ma’am.”

The Song family has recently found itself in a similar predicament.

Although the Song family is large and powerful and its foundation would not be shaken by the operating problems of a store, it is winter now and charcoal has become the most urgently needed material in the capital.

The insufficient supply of charcoal will not only affect the store’s business, but also affect the Song family’s reputation.

Mr. Song was flipping through the account book with a frown on his face.

The purchase price of charcoal has increased several times compared with previous years, and suppliers' spot stocks are also insufficient.

The most difficult thing is that the nobles have already begun to place orders for winter supplies, but if the price increases too much, it will inevitably cause dissatisfaction and may even damage the relationship with these nobles.

If it were sold at the current price, the Song family would have to bear huge costs, not only would they not make any money, but they might even lose money.

Mr. Song looked at the numbers in the account book and felt increasingly heavy in his heart.

"When you count all the money, it turns out that the money is not coming in, but flowing out instead." A trace of helplessness flashed across his eyes.

The shopkeeper stood aside, cautiously waiting for Master Song's instructions, not daring to make the slightest sound.

Mr. Song sighed, raised his head, and asked solemnly, "Business cannot be interrupted, especially at this time of year. Running out of stock will damage your reputation."

"Under the current situation, don't sell to others for the time being. All inventory should be reserved for those noble families first to ensure that their needs are met. Even if the purchase price is higher, we must continue to replenish the inventory and cannot leave the store empty."

The shopkeeper responded and hurried to do it.

After he left, Mr. Song leaned back in his chair, rubbed his brows, and looked worried.

"I'm afraid this winter won't be easy." He whispered to himself.

Song Zhennan also learned about his family's business. The Song family was in a precarious situation. If no action was taken in time, the family's status might be shaken.

Only when he truly gains control of the Song family and becomes the head of the family can he make decisions and no longer be controlled by others.

His deepest desire, however, was not limited to power.