382, Grave Tone (Part 4)
Upon hearing that Xie Zhinuan was calling for her, she told the person that she would come over after she finished what she was doing.
She first went to the rice shop, where the shopkeeper greeted Xiaoyuan with a flattering smile and handed her a pouch.
“Ha!” Xiaoyuan laughed.
She pushed the pouch back, “Shopkeeper, if you think you can bribe me with small favors to accept that inferior flour, then I’ll have to say this: our business will likely not continue!”
“Why must you do this, Madam Chen? Every month you …”
“No point in talking when we don’t see eye to eye. Take back those bags of flour immediately. I won’t be coming to your store for flour anymore!”
Seeing how adamant Xiaoyuan was, the rice shopkeeper also panicked.
Many were eyeing Xieji Noodle House for its bustling business, and the large quantity of flour it needed. This trade had made his shop quite a profit.
“Madam Chen, I was blinded by greed. Please give me a chance, I … I …”
Xiaoyuan looked at the shopkeeper and snorted coldly, “You speak as if it’s so easy and pleasant. But business is business, and we have our agreement in black and white. Substituting inferior goods for good ones is not acceptable, and if the price of flour really goes up, we will adjust our prices accordingly. But what you’ve done is simply unacceptable. There’s no need to continue our partnership. Goodbye!”
Xiaoyuan would not give him a chance.
Now that she was in charge, she felt emboldened to stand her ground.
If someone else took over later, and the master left for another place, if others who managed the place followed suit, how could the business possibly carry on?
Agitated, Xiaoyuan stormed out of the rice shop.
She was immediately stopped by two men, “Xiaoyuan?”
…
Xiaoyuan looked at the two men, “Cousin, have you come to the county town to make purchases?”
“Not this time. There’s no work at home, so we came to the county town to see if there’s any work to make some money!”
Xiaoyuan promptly invited them to a nearby teahouse and ordered a pot of hot tea, “Cousin, is everything well at home?”
The two cousins, seeing Xiaoyuan’s methodical way of speaking and acting, and how she invited them for tea, felt pleased.
“All is well. Your parents are in good health, and so are your grandparents. By the way, Dong Sheng’s brother has just gotten engaged, and it was quite a grand event. They say Dong Sheng even contributed silver to the family!”
…
Xiaoyuan was astonished.
Where did Dong Sheng get the silver?
She hadn’t received any wages up until now, and neither had Dong Sheng.
Moreover, all their food and necessities were provided by the noodle house. She had planned to save up by settling their wages in one go at the end of the year, avoiding the temptation to spend it carelessly.
And since she was considering buying the residence that her master had offered her, she dared not squander money.
She placed ten wen on the table, “Cousin, I must go ahead. If you need anything, come find me at the noodle house. I still have things to attend to today!”
The two of them had work to do as well. After enjoying two bowls of hot tea and feeling refreshed, they told Xiaoyuan to go on with her business.
They would visit Xieji Noodle House in a few days when they returned home for the New Year.
Xiaoyuan couldn’t wait to hear any more of their conversation and hurried back to Xieji Noodle House.
Dong Sheng was doing the accounts when he saw her come in, he looked up with a stern face and glared at her, his heart skipping a beat, “You’re back?”
…
Xiaoyuan stared at Dong Sheng with cold eyes, “Get inside!”
Xiaoyuan went to the room in the back courtyard where they usually rested. There was a cabinet in there, and she opened it right in front of Dong Sheng, taking out a box.
Dong Sheng was trembling with fear, “Xiaoyuan, what are you going to buy?”
He racked his brains trying to think what could be needed from the noodle house, but he couldn’t come up with anything.
Because everything was planned and if something was missing, someone would deliver it, and they would settle accounts at the end of the month.
Chapter 384