Chapter 194
Boss Shen is good in every way except that he is extremely stubborn.
She had made up her mind, and no matter how much Tian Bajiao talked, it was useless.
The shop remained the same.
The only difference was that she saw that Tian Bajiao's flowers were beautiful, so she asked her to paint more, write the name of Dingxiangfang on them, and stick them on the paper used to wrap the spices. If the ones were particularly good, she would frame them and hang them in the private room on the second floor for enjoying the incense.
This not only saves the money of hiring someone to paint, but also allows you to change the style from time to time to prevent customers from getting bored. It's like killing two birds with one stone.
"But be frugal with your paint and ink. Use as little as possible. Just paint the idea. It's fine at first glance, so there's no need for excessive detail."
Boss Shen was thinking that this thing had a nice appearance and a nice name, and it would make people like it, so maybe it would really attract more customers. However, she was still not happy about it because it would require her to spend more money.
Tian Bajiao thought about it and realized that his wages had increased by a hundred coins, and he had also added this job. He was not happy at all and nodded lacking interest.
I still don't give up and am still thinking about how to make these spices cheap and profitable.
I thought about it for several days but couldn't come up with any clue.
An unexpected guest came to the shop. He was the one who caused Madam Liu to cause a big fuss in Dingxiangfang that day.
The second master of the Zhou family.
Tian Bajiao didn't recognize him at first, so he asked him as usual what he wanted to buy. It was not until Boss Shen, who was chatting next door, saw him and came back to call him out that Tian Bajiao knew who he was.
However, Boss Shen's tone was not good at all. Before he even entered the shop, he started to say in a sarcastic tone, "It's that gust of wind that's blowing today. How did it bring Mr. Zhou Er to my shop? What fake goods did he buy that you want to blame me for?
As the saying goes, people should not fight against officials. Your uncle works in the government office. If the second uncle insists that it was me, I will admit it. Bajiao, please take out the money box and give it to Mr. Zhou Er. We will compensate him with whatever amount he deserves. Don't wait for the second uncle to sue you in the government office. If you do that, we will not be able to do business anymore.
It was also because I didn't know the current situation. I shouldn't have argued with the Second Madam that day. Otherwise, the Second Master wouldn't have had to intervene."
"Boss Shen's words have made me feel so ashamed. What happened that day was all a misunderstanding. I bought the incense from a peddler for a bargain and didn't even examine it carefully. I put it in an old box when I got home. Who knew Su Niang would see it? She was furious when she saw it was fake, and then she saw that the box belonged to Boss Shen. She came here without knowing the truth and made a scene. Mother has already punished her, but she is ill and can't come to apologize in person. She asked me to come here today. I hope Boss Shen will forgive her."
He clenched his fists and bent down slightly.
The etiquette was quite sufficient.
But who knows whether this is true or not? Tian Bajiao clearly remembers that Boss Shen said that he is a person who loves fragrance and he used to be a frequent customer of Liu's incense and medicine shop.
But since she had said so, and was so polite, Boss Shen didn't want to keep harping on it. He smiled generously and said loudly: "What's the point of being tolerant or not? Everyone knows her temper. It's okay to talk it out. But her illness..."
Boss Shen paused, then asked with a hint of worry, "What's wrong with her? It was really scary when she suddenly fainted that day. I always remembered her being in good health."
"Oh, it's just a moment of anger, it's nothing serious. I heard that Boss Shen also hired a doctor for Su Niang that day, and I haven't thanked Boss Shen yet."
"Why thank you or not? I did ask her to come, but she was so angry that she didn't even let anyone take a closer look at the doctor. She just left without saying anything."
Boss Shen didn't know whether Liu Suniang went back and confronted the person with the box of poisonous incense. She just instinctively felt that it was inappropriate to tell Mr. Zhou Er about this matter. What if he was the one who poisoned the person? If she told him so, she might bring trouble to herself.
It's unclear whether he knew about it or not.
Anyway, he was quite polite: "That's just her temper. I really don't want to apologize for Boss Shen's kindness."
"It's human nature. Who would listen to someone when they're angry? I don't blame her. Second Master told her to rest and recuperate when she gets back. Tomorrow, when she's better, I'll ask her to come to the shop and give me some advice. Her ability to distinguish the real from the fake is something not everyone has."
"Who said it wasn't..." Mr. Zhou Er said in an ambiguous tone.
He didn't leave for a while and asked if there were any new things in the store. He went upstairs to drink some tea, saw Tian Bajiao's paintings, and praised them. He spent the time of burning an incense stick before buying some spices and leaving.
Boss Shen's smile almost froze. After sending the man away, he kept muttering, "What do you think he's here for? He's not going to kill us, is he? Did Liu Suniang tell him everything the doctor said? No, no, this won't do. Bajiao, go to the butcher shop on East Street and borrow their big black dog. Tie it up in the backyard and it can guard the door for us at night."
Tian Bajiao thought she was really desperate and looking for a dog.
"Boss, that dog is crazy. It will eat us before it bites the bad guys. Besides, it wants meat for every meal. Who can afford to feed it? We don't raise pigs."
Tian Bajiao actually didn't believe that the dog could eat meat every meal, but there were indeed always drops of oil in its bowl.
This is not important, what matters is——
"Besides, he just left. If we look for the dog, he'll get the news. Even if nothing happens, it will become a problem. You should relax. It's not necessarily him who did it. Otherwise, why would he wait so long to come and inquire? Maybe it's just like he said. The spices are poisonous. Madam Liu used them, so naturally she got poison in her body."
"Then how much should she use? The doctor said she's seriously poisoned and it's too late to cure..."
Boss Shen disliked Liu Suniang very much, but if he let her watch someone die like this... she would never be able to sleep for the rest of her life.
That night, Tian Bajiao looked at Boss Shen standing by her bed with a lamp in his hand. She could only pretend to be startled and asked, "Are you still awake?"
She wondered if the man was sleepwalking.
Boss Shen said weakly, "I wanted to fall asleep, but as soon as I closed my eyes, I couldn't help but think about Liu Suniang. When I finally fell asleep, I dreamed that she was standing in the store and asking me why I didn't save her. She also grabbed my neck and wanted to kill me. What do you think this means?"
"What you mean is...she really deserves to die?" Tian Bajiao asked tentatively.
But Boss Shen said: "What? I'm afraid she's already dead!"
She placed the lamp heavily on the table and sat down.
Tian Bajiao: Okay... I won’t be able to sleep this time.
She sat up, draped over her clothes, and said, "You're thinking too much. It's normal to dream about something during the day."
"That would be nice, but I'm afraid the nightmare will come true!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
