Yuan Changqing arrived at Dugu Bo's residence, only to find that the elder was not at home. Instead, he sat down for a casual chat with Dugu Xin before getting to the real reason for his visit.
Yuan Changqing said, "Brother Dugu, I actually came here today to talk about some business matters."
Dugu Xin looked puzzled. "Business? The only dealings between our two families are related to medicinal materials. Is something wrong with the supplies?"
The Dugu family had long been involved in medicinal herbs. Due to issues with their martial spirits, they'd spent generations studying herbs in an attempt to solve the problem of internal toxins. Over time, this research evolved into a small-scale medicinal herb business.
It wasn't until Dugu Bo's cultivation advanced and his condition stabilized that the family's herbal business began to gain traction. Since then, it had been managed mostly by Hua Feiyan. Wang Yuyan's clinic also sourced some herbs from the Dugu family, which maintained a small but important connection between the families.
Yuan Changqing waved his hand and clarified, "It's not about medicinal materials this time. I came to discuss another kind of business matter with your family."
Dugu Xin responded seriously, "Brother Yuan, Feiyan manages our family's business. I'm not very familiar with the specifics. How about I call her over first, and you can explain everything directly to her?"
Yuan Changqing nodded. "Sure, that works. We can wait until Sister-in-law gets here."
Dugu Xin then invited Yuan Changqing to enjoy some tea and went off to find Hua Feiyan. After a short while, the two returned together.
Hua Feiyan greeted him with a smile. "Doctor Yuan, I heard from Dugu Xin that you came by to discuss business?"
"Yes, Sister-in-law," Yuan Changqing replied. "To be honest, my family also operates some businesses, but they're mostly based in the Balak Kingdom and in border cities between Balak and the Heaven Dou Empire. So, our scope is limited."
"After years of development, we've reached a bottleneck, and expanding has proven difficult due to various constraints."
After listening, Hua Feiyan still didn't fully understand the connection.
She asked, "So, do you need something from our family?"
"You could say that," Yuan Changqing replied. "I came hoping to form an alliance between your family, Catherine's family, and mine. If we work together, we can grow stronger and expand together. What do you think?"
Hua Feiyan looked thoughtful. "And what kind of cooperation are you envisioning?"
Yuan Changqing explained, "I propose that the three families jointly establish a commercial platform—essentially, a unified trading company. Each of us can contribute goods or services to the business. For example, your family's medicinal materials will still be yours—you'll simply be supplying them to the joint firm."
"We won't interfere in each other's core businesses. It's more like the company purchases from each of us and sells on our behalf."
Hua Feiyan nodded slowly. "So, the business is jointly owned by the three families, but our original operations remain ours—we just supply products to the joint venture."
"Exactly," Yuan Changqing confirmed. "This way, we can save on manpower and resources by centralizing operations, and everyone benefits."
Hua Feiyan replied, "I can't make the decision alone. Let me discuss it with Dugu Xin. Please wait a moment."
She and Dugu Xin stepped away to talk in private. Yuan Changqing, meanwhile, sipped his tea and waited patiently.
After a while, the couple returned. Hua Feiyan smiled and said, "Dr. Yuan, our family agrees to the idea. How would you like to proceed?"
Yuan Changqing looked visibly relieved. "Great! Next, we should arrange a meeting with everyone involved to discuss the share structure and other details."
Dugu Xin agreed. "Sounds good. Let us know when and we'll gather the family to talk it over."
After wrapping up the discussion, Yuan Changqing stayed briefly for a drink at Dugu Xin's home, then returned.
Later, he and Catherine visited her family. After explaining everything to Hans, her father, and Uncle Tom, they also gave their approval. The families recognized that joining forces would make them stronger. Having a Titled Douluo like Dugu Bo backing the alliance added even more confidence.
…
A few days later, the families gathered at Catherine's family hotel: Dugu Xin and Hua Feiyan, Hans and Uncle Tom, Yuan Changqing, his grandfather Yuan Tao, and his uncle Ye Xiaofan.
They met there to formally discuss the alliance and begin by choosing a name for the trading company.
Yuan Changqing said, "Since we're all gathered here, let's start by naming the business. Everyone, please share your ideas."
"How about Tianxia Trading Company? Our goal will be to open branches all across the Douluo Continent."
"Or maybe Huitong Trading House—to signify that goods from all over the continent converge here."
"I think a simple name is best. Since this is a joint effort by three families, how about United Firm? It emphasizes the strength of our alliance."
"…"
Everyone contributed name ideas along with their reasoning. After some discussion, they agreed on something simple and universal. In the end, they settled on the name United Firm.
With the name decided, Yuan Changqing moved on. "Now that we've named the company, let's clarify what kind of business we're actually running. Each of us has a core business, so we need to be clear to avoid conflicts later."
Hua Feiyan began, "Our family's main trade is in medicinal materials. Going forward, we'll continue to supply all herbal products to the company."
Yuan Changqing and Hans both nodded in agreement.
Hans added, "Our core business is hotels, and we also have a few ventures in partnership with the Changqing family."
Then Yuan Changqing said, "My family mainly produces various drinks, along with some agricultural and sideline products."
After listing their primary trades, Yuan Changqing emphasized, "Our core businesses will remain independent and run by each family. We won't interfere with each other. However, within the company, we'll work as one team."
"For example, the firm will purchase Brother Dugu's herbs and my drinks at agreed prices. The company needs to make a profit, so pricing must allow for that."
"Also, Father-in-law, if your hotels need supplies that our company can provide, they must be purchased through the firm."
"As for staffing, we'll jointly recruit personnel. That's all from me for now. If anyone has other suggestions, feel free to speak up."
Hua Feiyan said, "That sounds good for now. We can adjust things later if issues arise."
Hans nodded in agreement.
Yuan Changqing then said, "Next, let's talk about how to divide the company shares."
Since the business wasn't large yet, no one pushed too hard over ownership. In the end, the share distribution was:
Dugu Xin's family: 40%
Yuan Changqing's family: 40%
Hans' family: 20%