Chapter 369: Setting up a store]

Qin Mengyue asked doubtfully, "Why?"

Chen Fenghe smiled and said, "Because once we take Mother back, it would be like admitting to the world that his previous decree to depose and exile us was wrong. Throughout the dynasties, no matter which emperor, there are not many who can calmly accept their mistakes. I'm afraid our emperor is no exception. Therefore, this letter of ours actually gives him a way out. There is no reason for him not to back down. Even if he wants to embarrass us, he has to consider the public opinion."

After hearing this, Qin Mengyue felt a little better and said, "If that's the case, it would be the best."

Youzhou City and its surroundings soon returned to their original bustle and liveliness.

When the people in Shili Village saw Qin Mengyue return to the village, her face was full of pits and wrinkles, and she no longer had her former beauty. They couldn't help but be surprised and sigh.

"Madam Qin, your face...how did it become like this?" Madam Yang asked in surprise.

Qin Mengyue smiled calmly and said, "I'm just unlucky. I finally got the emperor's decree and was allowed to return to the palace, but I fell ill and ended up like this. I'm not blessed enough..."

Madam Yang sighed even more deeply after hearing this: "Ah! You said it was caused by this incident. However, I heard that many people died in Youzhou City at that time. It's okay if you can save your life and ruin your appearance."

Chen Fenghe stepped forward and said, "I've been looking through medical books these days and there's a method mentioned that can slowly heal the marks on Mother's face. However, it varies from person to person, and the time required may be months, years, or even decades. But... it's better than doing nothing, so I have to slowly treat it."

Madam Yang smiled and said, "Madam Shen, your medical skills are extraordinary. If you say you can cure it, you can definitely do it. Madam Qin, you should relax and it will get better slowly."

After talking for a while, Madam Yang left.

Chen Fenghe put on men's clothes again and said, "Mom, I'm going to the town. I bought some saplings there before, but I was delayed by the plague. I also need to go see if the store is still open."

Qin Mengyue agreed.

Chen Fenghe drove a mule cart to the town and went straight to the store he had visited last time.

When the shopkeeper saw Shen Fenghe coming, he recognized her at a glance and greeted her with a smile.

"My dear guest, I haven't seen you for a long time!"

Chen Fenghe smiled and said, "Shopkeeper, do you still remember me?"

The shopkeeper smiled and said, "There aren't many customers as generous as you, young sir. However, with the recent outbreak of a serious disease in Youzhou City and its surrounding areas, I thought the deal was over. I never thought you would still come."

Although the plague was mainly concentrated in Youzhou City, the surrounding towns and villages were also affected to some extent. This town was not far from Youzhou, so it was naturally not spared.

Chen Fenghe smiled and said, "Thank goodness, I managed to escape this time. How about the store?"

The shopkeeper smiled and said, "This time, in order to purchase the tree species and other goods that my young guest wanted, I happened to go to nearby Datong Prefecture with a friend. Fortunately, we were able to escape the calamity of the plague. I have many thanks to my young guest. However, the journey delayed us for a while, and after hearing about the plague, I thought my young guest would not come, and I was really worried for a while."

The cost he spent on buying the tree species has already exceeded the deposit given by Chen Fenghe last time. If Chen Fenghe does not pay the final payment, he will suffer some loss.

Chen Fenghe walked into the store and said with a smile, "So, all the tree species are ready?"

The shopkeeper took her to the backyard and said with a smile, "They're all here. The larger ones are planted in large ceramic pots, and the smaller ones have their roots buried in the soil. They're watered every few days to prevent them from drying out and withering. Feel free to inspect them, young customer."

Chen Fenghe went over to look at them one by one, paid the balance readily, and asked the store owner to help move all the tree species onto the mule cart.

When I was about to leave, I passed by the store where I bought the pony last time. I saw that the door was ajar and there was a closed sign hanging at the door.

She suddenly had an idea, jumped off the mule cart and walked in.

When the shopkeeper saw a customer coming in, he hurriedly said, "Sorry, sir, we are closed today..."

Halfway through the conversation, he vaguely recognized Chen Fenghe. After all, he had only seen a few handsome young men in all the years he had run the shop.

"Are you... the customer who came to buy a pony a few days ago?"

Chen Fenghe smiled and said, "Shopkeeper, you have a good memory. Have you sold all your horses and mules? Otherwise, why would you close the shop?"

After hearing this, the shopkeeper couldn't help but sigh heavily and said:

"Oh! Forget it. I'm selling off the horses and mules in my shop because I'm closing it, so I'm selling them for lower prices than other shops. I used to be able to sell one or two every day, and I figured I'd be cleared out in about a month. But who knew we'd be caught up in this once-in-a-century pandemic? Youzhou City is trapped, and everyone in the surrounding towns and villages is in danger. Who dares to go out? I'm even losing money on fodder, and it's really hard to sustain. The other day, a tavern in Youzhou City came over and said they'd buy all the horses, oxen, and mules. Although the price is a bit low, it's better than me trying to maintain them at a loss. Once the horses and mules are taken away, I'll close the shop and return home. When spring comes and the market improves, I'll sell this shop too..."

Chen Fenghe frowned upon hearing this and said, "The tavern in Youzhou City? They bought so many horses, I'm afraid they're using them to transport goods, right?"

The shopkeeper's face showed a look of pity. He sighed and said, "Youzhou City has been under siege for so long, and it's said that all the city's supplies have been eaten up. The tavern has reopened, but I can't buy pigs and sheep for the time being. That's why I bought these horses and old yellow cattle as an emergency measure... If possible, I also want to keep these animals alive, but... there's really nothing I can do..."

Chen Fenghe said, "Shopkeeper, if I tell you that I want to buy all the horses, mules, cattle, and this shop, would you be willing?"

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper's eyes widened in surprise. "Buy the shop and everything? Young sir, did I hear correctly? Even if I were to sell these horses, oxen, and mules to you at the same price as the Youzhou City restaurant, it would still be a hundred taels of silver! And this shop and all the mule and ox carts in it would cost another two hundred taels of silver. Young sir, are you making fun of me?"

Chen Fenghe laughed and said, "How could I possibly be making fun of you, the shopkeeper? It's just that this shop and the carriage cost two hundred taels of silver, which is really too expensive. If you're willing to make a concession, I'll buy the shop, the horses, the mules, and everything else for two hundred and fifty taels in total. Would you be willing to do that?"

The shopkeeper was still a little unconvinced and just stared at Chen Fenghe blankly. After a while, he confirmed: "Is it really... cash?"

Chen Fenghe pulled out a silver note worth one hundred taels from her sleeve and said with a smile, "This is a silver note that will be immediately redeemed by banks in all the counties and prefectures of Da Yu. The shopkeepers should recognize it, right?"

The shopkeeper took it and looked at it before he believed it.

His shop was doing poorly, and he had originally thought that it would be quite a hassle to deal with it after the spring. However, he had never expected that a noble person would come directly today, saving him a lot of trouble and effort.

However, he looked Chen Fenghe up and down and said with a smile: "Young guest, if you can really take out the silver notes, then there is no reason for me to refuse. It's just that... cutting off 50 taels at once is a bit too much. Look... I'll give you 10 taels, showing my sincerity, for a total of 290 taels, how about that?"

Chen Fenghe shook his head and said, "The shop owner has said before that business has been bleak in recent years. Otherwise, you wouldn't have sold the shop, right? I'm taking a risk by buying this shop. Two hundred and fifty taels is the highest price I can offer. Any more, and you'll have to find another buyer."

The shopkeeper originally thought that this young customer was easy to talk to and might not be that clear about the market. However, he never expected that he would refute him in a flash and was not someone who was easy to fool.

But looking at the genuine silver bills in front of him, he hesitated again.

If you miss this opportunity, you will never get it again. I gave up this time. Who knows if I can meet such a straightforward buyer next time?

Chen Fenghe didn't say anything else, and just looked at the shopkeeper in front of him calmly.

She didn't lack the 50 taels of silver, but she still had to bargain when she could, otherwise she would easily be taken advantage of.

The shopkeeper hesitated for a moment, then finally gritted his teeth and said, "Alright! Since you're so forthcoming, young sir, I'll consider it a friendship. It'll open up a new avenue for us in the future. Two hundred and fifty taels, and we'll sign the contract now."

The shop owner quickly found a middleman in the town, and the two parties quickly signed the contract. The shop owner gave the store deed to Chen Fenghe, and Chen Fenghe also gave the banknote, and the payment was completed.

The shopkeeper then said, "My dear sir, I wonder what business you plan to make with this shop? If you're planning to run a horse and carriage business, then as someone who's experienced, I have a word of advice for you. In this world, running a horse and carriage business is not a good business."

Chen Fenghe smiled and said, "I do want to continue running the carriage and horse business. Is the owner so pessimistic about it?"

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper smiled bitterly and said, "My dear customer, you can see that I've been doing this business until I had to sell it off. We're running a small business with no backing or background, so it's really difficult..."

As he was speaking, someone walked into the shop and said, "Shopkeeper, I'm here to drive those horses and cattle..."

This man was the waiter of the restaurant who had previously agreed with the store owner to buy the livestock in the store.

Upon hearing this, the innkeeper hurried over and said with a smile, "I'm sorry. All the horses and cattle in our inn have been bought by this young guest. These animals are great for pulling carts and people, and I really can't bear to sell them to the tavern to be slaughtered. Besides, these horses and cattle are old, and I'm afraid the meat won't be tasty. I hope you can forgive me."

The waiter raised his eyebrows and said in a loud voice, "What? Boss Zheng, we agreed on a price! If you suddenly change your mind, our hotel will reopen tomorrow and we'll have to pay the bills! Can you just say sorry and let it go? I don't care! I must get these horses and cattle back today! If you can't hand them over, we'll have to go to the government office and ask the officials to judge the matter!"

The shopkeeper smiled apologetically and said, "I'm truly sorry. You see, we originally agreed on a hundred taels of silver, and you didn't pay in advance... However, I'm certainly in the wrong in this matter. How about I compensate you with five taels of silver as a deposit for breaking the contract? Is that okay?"

The man sneered twice and said, "Five taels of silver? You're sending away a beggar? He's delayed our hotel's business for a day, which is at least a loss of hundreds of taels of silver! If you really want to settle it privately, that's easy to do. At least pay fifty taels of silver. Otherwise, let's go to the government office and file a complaint!"

The shopkeeper's face turned green when he heard this: "Fifty taels? You're asking for too much! I originally sold it for a hundred taels, which was already a low price, and now you want me to pay fifty taels in compensation. I can't accept this! If you insist on going to the government office, then let's go to the government office..."

Chen Fenghe listened from the side and felt a little more favorable towards the store owner.

He originally sold it to the hotel for one hundred taels, and today he sold it to her for one hundred taels as well, without raising the price. He must have been really reluctant to send so many horses and cattle to the slaughterhouse, so he thought that by selling it to her, he could at least give these horses, cattle, mules, etc. a chance to survive.

The fact that Boss Zheng is kind to livestock shows that he is a trustworthy person.

Moreover, after breaking the agreement with the tavern, he took the initiative to ask the hotel staff for compensation, which shows that he also upholds basic credibility in doing business.

Upon hearing this, the bartender said arrogantly, "Go ahead! I want to see if the master can rule that you, a person who broke the contract, are right!"

Chen Fenghe then spoke up, "Sir, I just heard from Boss Zheng that your tavern hasn't even paid the deposit to Boss Zheng. Is this true?"

The tavern waiter was speechless after hearing this.

Boss Zheng said on the side: "It is true that it has not been paid."

Chen Fenghe smiled and said, "If that's the case, according to Dayu's laws, even if the seller breaks the contract, they don't have to bear full responsibility. The maximum compensation they need is indeed half. Boss Zheng just said he was willing to pay five taels of silver, which is already full compensation. Even if this goes to the government, I'm afraid the result will be the same."

The guy didn't know how to refute for a moment.

Then, his eyes suddenly rolled, and he sneered, "It would have been fine if you hadn't said anything, but now that you've spoken, I remember something! You have to come with us to the government office. I now suspect you two have colluded. You first said you would sell us horses and scalpers, but now you're going back on your word. You're deliberately trying to ruin our tavern!"

Chen Fenghe looked at him and said calmly, "Are you sure you want to take this to the government office? According to Dayu's laws, oxen are essential for plowing the land and pulling carts. Unless under special circumstances, slaughtering them at will is a crime, punishable by a fine at the very least and imprisonment at the worst."

"If you insist on taking us to the government office, we are not afraid. Let's go now."

After Shen Fenghe finished speaking, she glanced at Boss Zheng and motioned him to go out with her.