Chapter 54: The Use of Punctuation Marks

"Young Miss," Luo Wannian hurriedly cupped his hands in greeting.

Ning Yaxin nodded lightly and walked over to Xu Mo. "Young Master Xu, I thought you’d stay in Gushan Village and never return."

Xu Mo smiled. "Miss Ning, you jest."

"Shopkeeper Luo, you may go about your business. There’s no need to attend to us," Ning Yaxin said coolly.

Luo Wannian immediately nodded and turned away.

At this moment, Ning Yaxin noticed Qin Mutou nearby, engrossed in the storyteller’s tale. She asked Xu Mo, "Young Master Xu, I invited the storyteller here. I hope I haven’t disturbed your plans?"

"Not at all, Miss Ning," Xu Mo replied. "Having a storyteller keeps guests entertained and draws in the crowd. It’s a brilliant idea—truly admirable!"

Ning Yaxin remained indifferent. "Young Master Xu, you flatter me."

Despite her expressionless face, who could resist a well-placed compliment?

Then she continued, "Since we’ve met here, why not go upstairs to talk for a while?"

Xu Mo had the same thought and nodded in agreement.

"Mutou, don’t go anywhere. I’ll be back shortly," Xu Mo said to Qin Mutou.

But Qin Mutou was so absorbed in the story that he didn’t hear a word Xu Mo said.

It wasn’t until Xu Mo patted him and repeated himself that Qin Mutou nodded in acknowledgment.

Ling’er, standing nearby, couldn’t help but cover her mouth and laugh at Qin Mutou’s dazed demeanor.

Xu Mo then accompanied Ning Yaxin to the second floor, to Ning Yongqiang’s room.

Inside, Ling’er quickly brought them hot tea.

Ning Yaxin asked, "When do you plan to start building the soap workshop, Young Master Xu?"

Xu Mo patted his waist. "Miss Ning, I’ve secured the deed for the grove today. If all goes well, construction will begin within the next few days."

Ning Yaxin nodded slowly, then asked, "Do you have enough people for the construction? Would you like me to arrange for some workers to help?"

Xu Mo smiled gently, declining, "Thank you for your generosity, Miss Ning. I’ve spoken with the village head about the construction. I’ll hire villagers to assist, so manpower will be plentiful."

"Very well," Ning Yaxin replied softly, then added, "When the workshop is finished, do let me know immediately."

"Of course," Xu Mo said. "Miss Ning, you are the chief distributor of our Peony brand, after all! Haha..."

Xu Mo laughed as he spoke.

But Ning Yaxin didn’t smile, maintaining her cold composure, which made Xu Mo feel a bit foolish.

Moments later, Ning Yaxin brought up the distributor contract, expressing her wish to finalize the agreement as soon as possible.

Xu Mo understood her urgency and asked Ling’er to fetch pen, ink, and paper. Right there, he began drafting the distributor contract.

As he wrote the opening line, Ning Yaxin grew curious and pointed to the paper. "Young Master Xu, why have you placed a dot here?"

Xu Mo smiled and explained, "Miss Ning, that’s not a dot—it’s called a comma. It marks a pause when a sentence isn’t finished."

He took a fresh sheet of paper and drew a period, semicolon, exclamation mark, question mark, and other punctuation marks, explaining each one’s purpose.

Ning Yaxin listened carefully but still had her doubts. "Why do you need these symbols in a contract?"

Xu Mo replied earnestly, "Miss Ning, I include punctuation for clarity. Reading lines without breaks is exhausting. More importantly, punctuation helps distinguish tone, clarify sentence structure, and accurately convey meaning, preventing misunderstandings that could lead to disputes."

Ning Yaxin wasn’t convinced, feeling it unnecessary. "Each clause is written plainly and clearly—there shouldn’t be misunderstandings. Even official notices from the magistrate don’t use such symbols."

Xu Mo considered this, then wrote a sentence on the paper: "Zhang San’s life is miserable no food many illnesses earned a lot of money."

He raised his pen. "How would you punctuate this sentence, Miss Ning?"

Ning Yaxin glanced at it and read aloud, "Zhang San’s life is miserable, no food, many illnesses, earned a lot of money."

She looked at Xu Mo.

Xu Mo smiled and added several commas to the sentence.

"Read it again, Miss Ning," he said.

Without thinking, Ning Yaxin read, "Zhang San’s life is good, miserable no, plenty of food, few illnesses, earned a lot of money."

As soon as she finished, Ning Yaxin’s expression changed, and she turned to Xu Mo in surprise.

"Young Master Xu, how could the meaning of a sentence change so completely just by adding punctuation?" she exclaimed.

Xu Mo replied solemnly, "This is precisely why I use punctuation in contracts—to clarify meaning and prevent misunderstandings between parties."

Ning Yaxin nodded vigorously, sincerely praising him. "Young Master Xu, your attention to detail is impressive. I truly admire you!"

At that moment, Ning Yaxin resolved to use punctuation in her own future contracts.

With the purpose of punctuation explained, Xu Mo resumed drafting the contract.

His language was rather modern, filled with professional terminology, prompting Ning Yaxin to ask questions frequently.

At first, Xu Mo answered only when asked, but soon, he began proactively explaining any specialized terms as he wrote, so Ning Yaxin could understand quickly.

So they talked, wrote, revised...

Unknowingly, half an hour passed.

Finally, Xu Mo set down his pen, the first draft finished.

"Miss Ning, please review it," he said, stepping back to give her space.

Though Ning Yaxin had already gone over it line by line, her cautious nature compelled her to read it all again from the beginning.

Once she was certain there were no issues, she said, "Young Master Xu, this contract is flawless—airtight. I have no objections!"

"Excellent!" Xu Mo replied. "If you’re satisfied, let’s have someone copy out two clean versions. My handwriting is so poor, it would invite ridicule."

Ning Yaxin thought for a moment, then said, "If you don’t mind, I’ll do it myself. I’ve studied calligraphy for two years and believe I’m up to the task."

In truth, hiring someone to transcribe the contract wouldn’t take much time, but Ning Yaxin preferred not to.

First, she didn’t want outsiders to see the contract and prematurely expose the soap workshop.

Second, Xu Mo had used many unfamiliar terms and ideas while drafting the contract, stirring Ning Yaxin’s competitive spirit. She wanted to regain some ground with her excellent handwriting.

Incidentally, Ning Yaxin had studied calligraphy far more than two years; she had been reading and writing since age five, and by eleven or twelve, could already produce beautiful script.

Seeing her willingness, Xu Mo said, "Wonderful, Miss Ning, please proceed."

Ning Yaxin instantly adopted a determined attitude, instructing Ling’er to grind the ink while quietly preparing herself.

She resolved: no mistakes—every character must be neat and elegant, so Xu Mo couldn’t find a single flaw.

As expected, as soon as she began, Ning Yaxin’s mastery of calligraphy shone through.

Xu Mo watched from the side, nodding in admiration at her graceful hand.

But unexpectedly, while Ning Yaxin was fully absorbed, the door suddenly swung open.

Bang!

Normally, the sound wouldn’t be loud, but at this moment it startled Ning Yaxin, causing her to botch a character.

"Sister, Mr. Xu! When did you get here?" Ning Yongqiang strode in, smiling.

Seeing the ruined character, Ning Yaxin’s anger flared. She turned and scolded, "Who told you to barge in without knocking? Get out!"

Ning Yongqiang, baffled by his sister’s fury, stared wide-eyed in confusion. "Do I have to knock before entering my own room?"