Mother Zhang used a duster to help Xianjin sweep away the snow on his feet, muttering, "...I still have to go get a piece of sheepskin. It's freezing cold after the Chinese New Year, and wearing only cotton boots will make your feet wet and icy."
Listening to Xianjin's words, Zhang's mother rolled her eyes, "You are such an ancestor! I have prepared bamboo shoots and egg skins for this afternoon, and I am going to make bamboo shoot and egg skin dumplings tonight. Just now, Bi Ma Tang sent a letter asking you to come over to eat in the evening."
Xianjin frowned. There was no good banquet. Every time he went to Bimatang to eat, he was never full.
"Please help me make the bamboo shoot and egg skin dumplings. I need to eat them when I come back." Xianjin left after saying this.
There was no charcoal fire in the Bi Ma main room. The main room was empty and the wind blew in as if it was free.
Xianjin looked at the copper pot burning brightly on the table. Tofu, Chinese cabbage, mushrooms and bamboo fungus were bubbling in the pot. He was obviously very hungry, but he didn't have the strength to pick up the chopsticks.
Madam Qu was not ready to eat. She asked a few questions about the situation in the shop after the New Year. Then, she lowered her eyes and ate the dishes while casually saying, "I heard that someone came to the shop to cause trouble today?"
There were a few more dark brown mushrooms and green leafy vegetables in Xianjin's bowl.
Xianjin nodded and briefly explained the situation, "...the person left after waking up. There was no splash. You can rest assured."
Madam Qu smiled, her thin face with protruding cheekbones, revealing a bit of hostility in her tiredness. "He is just here to extort money. You are doing the right thing. You are neither soft nor hard. Just give him a few copper plates to get rid of him."
The tone of her voice reminded Xianjin of when Boss Shang came to visit her, Mrs. Qu also spoke in an tone of "give him some money so that he won't leave empty-handed".
It doesn't sound very comfortable.
There is a feeling of looking down from a high place.
Xianjin lowered his head, picked up a truffle and put it in his mouth.
Madam Qu was still teaching, "The better our business is, the more people like this will appear. They are like a ulcer that can't be removed or thrown away. Paper is expensive, so we should look for the reasons why we can't make so much money instead of blaming the seller. The seller also needs to open a shop to make a living. If he is not a benevolent person, he should make something and sell it to you at a loss!"
The more she spoke, the more unhappy she became. When Mrs. Qu raised her eyes, she saw Xianjin's hair on the top of her head - the girl was drinking soup with her head down.
Madam Qu coughed lightly.
Xianjin looked up.
Madam Qu threw out the most important thing for today, "The Chamber of Commerce is in session today. I heard from Mr. Fang, the tea maker on Jingting Mountain, that the war in the southeast is about to end, and the court will definitely celebrate. At that time, it will be the time for all regions to send tribute. At this critical juncture, we cannot allow this kind of farce and scandal to happen in front of our store."
Xianjin swallowed the mushroom calmly and said, "This is to select tributes, not to select the ten most touching good people in Xuancheng."
Old Madam Qu didn't understand, so she put down her chopsticks and looked at Xianjin in confusion.
Xianjin pursed his lips, "As long as our goods are very popular, it will be hard for new comers to catch up. Even if I have some personal flaws and have kept seven or eight or nine gigolos in my room... Lord Xiong should recommend us, and he still has to recommend us."
Old Madam Qu sat on the stool, feeling like her butt was burning. She opened her mouth, not knowing where to start, let alone how to respond.
Xianjin buried his head and drank another sip of soup.
"It's just that this really shouldn't happen again."
Xianjin swallowed the delicious soup - this soup was not a vegetarian soup, but a soft chicken soup.
If she doesn't eat any meat during the three years of mourning, she will die before Mr. Zhang.
Therefore, when people observe mourning, they don’t actually strictly avoid meat and fish, and once they break the rules, they will be doomed. Often, the elders in the family will secretly give the younger generation some dried meat, meat soup, or meatballs to eat - this is something that only the elders in the family can do, otherwise it is not appropriate for anyone to do it.
Xianjin glanced at Madam Qu with complicated eyes.
You say she is bad, but she is really not that bad.
You say she is not a bad person, but she can always make you want to jump off the building within three seconds.
Xianjin lowered his head again and finished what he had just said, "Now the mulberry paper workshop in the east of the city has been changed to 'Fubai', the Jixi workshop has become a training ground for newcomers, and there is only one lantern paper workshop left."
"I want to change the Dengxuan Workshop into an outlet."
Xianjin blinked. Mushrooms were not produced at this time of year. Most of the mushrooms eaten now were dried mushrooms with a smoky smell. "Xuanzhi Olai."
"Rice Paper Olay?"
Madam Qu was a little confused. Oh no, not a little confused, but very confused. "I know about rice paper, but what is 'aolai'? Which one is 'sucking'? Which one is 'lacking'?"
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