Journey to the West: Starting by taking Sun Wukong as my disciple!-Chapter 503: Preparing to Take He Xi Away

"Yes," Chen Nuo said, "I’ve never thought about the things you mentioned. You’re beautiful, intelligent, and capable. You shouldn’t be trapped here by such a life."

He Xi watched Chen Nuo quietly, it seemed like he was about to say the words she had been waiting to hear for a long time.

"I came here today specifically to ask if you’d be willing to come with me," Chen Nuo said earnestly, "Originally, when I wanted to ask you, I suddenly thought you might already have a man you liked, and if that were the case, I would have wished you happiness."

He Xi had always been waiting for Chen Nuo to say these words to her, thinking that if he didn’t propose to bring her with him, it wouldn’t matter even if she took the initiative.

He Xi thought she would have to spend the rest of her life this way, but unexpectedly, she was still able to wait until Chen Nuo said these words to her.

"Chen, of course I’m willing to go with you," He Xi hugged Chen Nuo excitedly, "Do you know, I’ve always wanted to hear these words, and I thought I would never hear them in my lifetime."

Chen Nuo was hugged so tight by He Xi that he found it hard to breathe, "Xi, let me go first."

He Xi quickly let go, her face covered in tears of excitement, "I’m sorry, Chen, I was just too overwhelmed. I truly never expected this day to come."

"It’s okay if you’re willing to come with me; I just considered the possibility that you might have a man you liked in the mortal world, that’s why I asked you first," he explained.

He Xi wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes with the back of her hand and shook her head, "Chen, of course not, you’re better than anyone else in this world. After meeting you, no one else can catch my eye."

Chen Nuo touched He Xi’s head affectionately, "Silly girl, what are you talking about? If I were to take what you said seriously, does that mean you’ll never get married?"

"What I said is true, and I don’t mind not getting married. What’s so good about marriage? I’d rather become a nun than live like my dad and mom did."

He Xi remembered her father who gambled and drank and her mother who always cried when she was little; she truly didn’t see anything good in getting married.

The harm came from her dysfunctional family, Chen Nuo sighed.

But whether or not to get married was He Xi’s own affair; he wouldn’t interfere. Now the goal was to take He Xi back to Mountain of Mind and Heart, and to let her live there from now on. After all, Chaos Residence was bustling with people coming and going, and perhaps she might find someone she liked.

"But brother, what will happen to our little shop if I leave?" He Xi asked.

The town had only one Oil Shop, and it had been in business for many years. It seemed that no one else had mastered the art of oil pressing. If they left, the townspeople really wouldn’t know how to live.

They had grown accustomed to a life with oil, and to ask them to return to their previous ways would definitely be unrealistic.

Since Chen Nuo had come to change the town, he certainly wouldn’t let them go back to the past.

He had already thought of this problem when he arrived; originally, he intended to pick any employee from Chaos Residence to take care of the Oil Shop.

But that was not a permanent solution, since everyone had their own lives. He couldn’t let another person waste their life in the shop, just as he wouldn’t allow He Xi to waste hers.

The solution Chen Nuo thought of was to teach the technology of oil pressing to the grain shop so it could become a grain and oil shop.

When he first came to town, the owner of the grain shop was indeed a very decent person. However, that old man had passed away, and now the shop was looked after by his eldest son.

Chen Nuo could see that the family running the shop was kind-hearted, and since they were grain merchants,

they were also aware of the varying prices of grain and could obtain it at the cheapest rates, which would keep the price of oil from rising too high.

After telling He Xi her thoughts, He Xi expressed strong agreement.

Before leaving, Chen Nuo had asked He Xi to buy stock from that grain shop to sell oil, but He Xi was just a young girl, and merely selling oil every day was already exhausting enough, let alone if she had to handle oil pressing as well, it would simply be too taxing.

Chen Nuo still decided to press the oil herself and deliver it to He Xi, but in doing so, the issue of rapeseed oil could not be resolved, as the small town did not cultivate rapeseed flowers.

The sales of rapeseed oil were quite good, mainly supplied to restaurants.

Since she had promised to transfer the oil-pressing technology to them, she decided to solve the rapeseed oil problem by entrusting it to that grain shop.

It wasn’t that she was lazy, but rather she hadn’t interacted much with the people in the town, except for selling oil, without any other exchanges. It was only with the grain shop that she felt somewhat trustworthy.

After making up her mind, Chen Nuo took the rapeseeds to the grain shop.

"What? You, you, you..." the owner of the grain shop stuttered in excitement.

He Xi finished his sentences for him, "Yes, we have decided to pass on the oil pressing technique to you. My brother and I are planning on going out of town, and we won’t be coming back here for the next few years, but the people in town still need oil. After thinking it over, it’s best to hand this technology over to you."

"But why?" The shopkeeper found it hard to believe. He couldn’t recall having any contact with Chen Nuo, so why would the owner of the Oil Shop specifically want to pass on the oil-pressing technique to him?

"You run a grain shop, so you are aware of the lowest grain prices, right?" Chen Nuo asked.

"As a grain shop owner, of course, I am aware of these things," the shopkeeper replied.

When he first heard the news, the shopkeeper was so surprised he almost bit his tongue.

The Oil Shop was the hottest store in their town, and there were many customers who came from afar, admiring its reputation; it was a business that brought in a hefty income daily.

The owner of the Oil Shop, faced with such a lucrative business, was actually planning to go out of town.

Going out of town was one thing, but to hand over such a profitable business to him, he not only found it hard to believe but also somewhat overwhelming.

"Only if I hand the Oil Shop over to you can the prices be maintained," Chen Nuo said, "Besides, I trust your family’s character. Even if I transfer the technique to you, you wouldn’t raise prices just for some extra silver, right?"

This rhetorical question made the shopkeeper’s heart quiver; even if he were to take over the Oil Shop, he truly wouldn’t inflate the prices.

Even such low prices allowed him to make a substantial profit; if he were to raise them, would that not be squandering the blessings of his future generations just to make more money?

Chen Nuo’s rhetorical question carried an implicit warning, regardless of whether or not the shopkeeper had the intention. She needed to caution him first. It didn’t matter if he had the thought now or not; what was important was whether he would be tempted to raise the prices later for the sake of earning more.

"But I still don’t understand, why choose me?" the shopkeeper asked, "Our town has more than one grain shop. There’s another one on the back street, and although our two shops have always been in a covert competition, if you don’t clarify this for me, I’ll feel uneasy in my heart."

"How long have you been running this shop?" Chen Nuo didn’t answer the shopkeeper directly, instead posing a question to him.

The shopkeeper didn’t understand her intention but still thought for a moment, "About three or four years now, I suppose. My father handed over the shop to me on his deathbed."

"When I first came to this small town, your father was the one tending to the shop," Chen Nuo said.