Taohuaxi

Chapter 19
The third lady took my arm and said, "Second sister-in-law, this person is a scoundrel. Let's report him to the official."

I smiled and waved my hands.

This man is a bit agitated, but he would never go to the official for such a trivial matter.

His clothes and shoes were washed and turned white, which showed that he was in a tight situation.

He doesn't want money, which shows that he is not looking for money.

I remembered the words of "Tao Zhugong's Twelve Principles of Financial Management" that I read a few days ago: If you can recognize people and know their good and evil, you can live up to your needs; if you can use people, you can rely on them because of their convenient wealth and equipment.

This cold-blooded man has intelligence in his brows, and he may be a useful talent.

The accountant at the counter resigned at the end of the year because of his age.At present, many affairs are weighing on Wu Bi alone.This is the time to employ people.

I said to him: "Sir, my sister-in-law cannot sew shoes for you. But I can give you a way to make a living. How about working as an accountant on my counter?"

He coughed twice, which made me aware of his predicament.

He looked at me, then at the third lady, and nodded.

I said, "Master, why don't you ask how much the monthly salary is?"

He cupped his hands and said, "Madam, since I'm here to invite you, I won't be at a loss."

I smiled and said, "That's clear. After the festival, go to Cheng's Tea House on East Street and find Shopkeeper Wu. Just say that it was arranged by the Second Young Mistress."

He leaned over and saluted the third lady and me, then walked away on his broken shoes and disappeared into the lively crowd.

The third lady said angrily: "Why did the second sister-in-law invite him back?"

I patted her hand and said: "In the Qing Dynasty, I saw that this young master has a majestic air and does not look like a bad person. Today is the Lantern Festival, among the bustling crowd, you bump into him, you know it is not a kind of fate. ?Don’t be angry anymore.”

She tilted her head, feeling melancholy.

I knew that she thought of Qin Mingxu again, but she refused to mention it again because of her face.

In the Qin Mansion, Qin Mingxu rejected her marriage proposal, and the third lady never mentioned this person again.

Although I don’t mention it, I can’t forget it.

Occasionally, when the excitement is extremely high, a word or a flower or a tree can make her lose her mind for a long time.

I pointed at the beautiful bunny lantern to distract her from her sorrow.

It was already the second watch, but the people on the streets showed no signs of fatigue. Fireworks were lighting up happily and lanterns were flowing happily.

However, after what happened just now, the third lady seemed tired, so she held my hand and went home.

When we reached the Dujiang Bridge, I vaguely saw a familiar face.

It was Bai Zhou, an old man from the Cheng family cabinet. According to Wu Bi, he arrived earlier than him.

Bai Zhou was talking to a tea merchant named Lu Yu in the chamber of commerce. He glanced around from time to time, looking very careful.

I told the third lady, "Qingshi, you go home first. The second sister-in-law has something to do here. I have to figure it out before I go back."

"Second sister-in-law, what's the matter?"

I looked at Bai Zhou and said, "Business matters."

She didn't ask any more questions, just said, "Second sister-in-law, please be more careful alone" and left.

I ducked down, quietly sneaked behind a big willow tree, and continued to stare at the two people.

Lu Yu said something and hurriedly handed a package of things to Bai Zhou, who took it and stuffed it into his arms.The two nodded to each other and separated.Baizhou goes east, Lu Yu goes west.

I followed Bai Zhou for about a cup of tea when I saw him walking into a small alley.

Just as I was about to walk in, someone behind me pulled me hard.

I turned around and saw Qin Mingxu.

I whispered: "Why don't you follow me!"

Qin Mingxu dragged me to the main road and then let go.

"I didn't follow you. I just saw you hiding at the bridge that time, and I was curious and worried that you had fallen into some kind of trap. I was worried, so I came to take a look." Qin Mingxu said calmly.

I cursed: "It's all your fault for interrupting! I lost track!"

He shook his head: "People who have done bad things are most afraid of being caught on the spot. If you are so persistent in pursuing me, aren't you afraid that he will become angry and attack you?"

He thought for a moment: "Besides, even if you take down Bai Zhou now, what's the use? You don't even know what they want to do. They can just push it away. Without Bai Zhou, what's the use?" There are other guys, so there’s no guarantee that another person won’t be bribed by them.”

I pondered for a while and calmed down: "We have to wait until the matter is resolved and Lu Yu's sore spot is caught, so that they will not dare to cause trouble again. Then we will punish Bai Zhou and kill him as a warning to others, so that all the guys will no longer dare to take advantage of him."

Qin Mingxu raised his hands and said, "Well said!"

At the end of the year, Mr. Liang served Cheng's tea as tribute tea.The rest of the tea merchants in the chamber of commerce have spent a lot of time in vain and have become foils.They are unwilling to do so.

Markets are like battlefields.

They want to play dirty with me.

"Historical Records·Biographies of Huozhi" says that a clever plan can defeat the soldiers and make a fortune by a clever plan.

If I don't have any means, how can I gain a foothold in Yangzhou Prefecture?

How can Cheng's Tea House continue to operate among the merchants who are so intrigued by each other?

I thought about it.

Qin Mingxu said: "Use it, observe it, control it, pretend it, let it go -"

He shook his hand and said, "Destroy it."

I nodded, leaned over and said, "Thank you."

After saying that, I wanted to turn around and leave.He called to me: "Zhu Sangyu——"

I turned my head and was stunned.

"Why did you call me that?"

He spread his hands and said, "If you don't let me call you miss, I'll call you by your name. What's wrong with that? I don't like calling a woman Mrs. So-and-so, as if she loses herself by taking her husband's surname. If you marry a woman, can’t you be yourself?”

"Call it whatever you want." I didn't want to argue with him.

He said: "Five days ago, I went to Dongchang Mansion to handle the semicolon affairs and met Mr. Zhu..."

Hearing him mention his mother's family, I felt a little nervous in my heart. After a while, I couldn't help but ask, "How is my father?"

He said: "Mr. Zhu seems to be in poor health. He said that he suffered from a cough in the middle of the year and took more than ten medicines, but he didn't feel better."

I am silent.

My father loved to drink, so I guess he was in poor health.

He said: "Master Zhu is still thinking about you. He knew that I came from Yangzhou, so he asked me if I had seen you and whether it was okay for you to be at my husband's house."

I sneered and said, "I'm afraid you're not worried about how well I'm doing, but you're asking for money from me."

Qin Mingxu sighed and said after a while: "Why do you say such cruel words? You can't be cruel in your heart."

I tried my best to hold back the sourness that made me want to cry.

It was as if this sentence had passed through my heart.

Every word is sincere.

No matter how resentful and sad I am, I still can't let go.

"It's the most thoughtful thing if you take good care of yourself." Qin Mingxu said.

A big firework suddenly exploded in the sky.

I returned home amidst the din of lights.

Not long after, I received a letter from my father.He said that Qin Mingxu bought ten carts of Zhujia's flower wine and introduced him to many customers. Knowing that he had a cough, he gave him good donkey-hide gelatin to help him heal his body.His father thought it was because of Qin Mingxu's friendship with the Cheng family, so he thanked his in-laws and uncle profusely.

I held the letter from home and drank half a cup of Qiuye tea.

Qin Mingxu once explained his kindness to me as "repaying kindness".This repayment of kindness is already too much and is in vain.

How could it be better to return the favor to him at the same time?

The new accounting clerk is extremely reliable.

Wu Bi was overjoyed.

"Second Young Mistress, where did you get a person like Lu Gui? Although he is young, he is more serious than many old gentlemen. Within seven days of his arrival, he reorganized and transcribed all the account books over the years and kept them in order. . Not only that, he also marked the money and amounts of the major customers' transactions, summarized them, and put forward many useful suggestions."

Before Lu Gui came, Wu Bi was too busy to move.

After Lu Gui arrived, Wu Bi had extra free time and could better maintain customers.

He liked this boy very much.

I laughed: "I picked it up from the street during the Lantern Festival. His name is quite interesting. Lu Gui, Lu Buwei, and Bai Gui, they are all business giants."

Lu Gui didn't talk much, but he had a lot of work in his eyes. His eyes were open to all directions and his ears were listening to all directions. I took a closer look and found that he was a good candidate for business.

Only when the third lady occasionally appeared on the counter, he would get angry and quarrel with her like a thorn in his head.

The third lady was so angry every time that she turned around and slowly came up with many powerful words to say.

The two of them were competing with each other.

I don't dissuade him, and I don't allow Wu Bi to dissuade him. It's up to them.

With such an enemy, the third young lady might feel less depressed.

I never let down my guard against Bai Zhou.

He secretly sent people to watch his every move.

After a month or two, there was nothing unusual about him.

I am ready for the day and night.

Soon, March arrived.

The early orioles sing in the tall willows, and the spring rain sounds in the corridor.

A spring rain fell.

It’s time to harvest the spring tea.

Orders from all directions are pouring in from southeast to northwest.

New tea from Huizhou tea gardens is brought in by the carload, and the fragrance and fresh taste are wafting from the cabinets all day long.

Spring is full of life.New tea is also full of life.

On the dock, Wu Bi watched the guys loading the goods, covered with stars and moon.

I was watching "Journey to the West" in my mansion, and the courtyard was ablaze with colors.

I read Chapter No. 17: Sun Xingzhe made a big fuss in Heifeng Mountain, and Avalokitesvara subdued the bear monster.

He Hua walked in from outside, lowered his voice and said, "Second Young Mistress, Bai Zhou has taken action."

I put down the book and smiled: "Okay. This time, let's see how Guanyin subdues the bear monster. Tell Wu Bi to take action tonight."

(End of this chapter)