Song Qi glared fiercely at Jiang Yimian, "I'll keep smoking."
Seeing that the other party decided to continue drawing, the lively shouts of the crowd gradually subsided, and they still stared intently at the fortune box, wondering how many draws they would need to get a second-class fortune this time.
However, the silence did not last long, and another burst of cheers erupted from the crowd.
"Wow, you won the second prize with just ten draws! If you had kept drawing, you could have made a fortune."
"Who says otherwise? Young Master Song, you didn't deliberately cause this scene to cut in line, did you?"
"That's right, you're the ones who say Huichuntang is a scammer, aren't you siblings? If you hadn't interfered, this reward would have been ours."
The thought that they might win the second prize with just ten slips of paper made everyone dissatisfied.
Three bars of ordinary soap cost 210 coins, and ten sticks cost 100 coins. This way, they could save 110 coins. Although the quantity was not large, they were naturally happy to get it cheaply.
Seeing that the people around him were becoming dissatisfied with him, Song Qi's face darkened with anger. He wanted to curse, but he couldn't bring himself to speak.
His charade not only failed to expose Huichuntang's tricks, but also brought him a lot of trouble.
Unfortunately, Song Miaoyin's eyes were glued to the raccoon-shaped soap, which only confirmed that the brother and sister had come to cut in line. He was so angry that he pointed at Jiang Yimian and yelled, "You're messing with me! This fortune box must have been tampered with. You're just lying to me!"
If he didn't understand at first, he realized it after hearing everyone's dissatisfaction. This person in front of him was deliberately provoking him to come and slap him.
Not only could it prove the fairness of the lottery, but it also cheated him out of fifteen taels of silver.
Jiang Yimian blinked innocently, "What are you saying, Young Master Song? You've already won the first and second prizes, are you regretting that fifteen taels of silver?"
Song Qi was truly regretful. He had acted rashly and concluded that the two fortune sticks were not in the box. Only now did he realize that something was wrong. This person had clearly tricked him as well.
Not only did he lose his money, but he also helped Huichuntang clarify the situation, leaving the onlookers with the illusion that everyone could win the first prize in just a few rounds.
But he didn't skimp on the money at all.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and the surrounding onlookers also grew dissatisfied.
“Young Master Song, I’m telling you, you’re not just being hypocritical after getting a good deal, are you? You just don’t believe there are those two fortune sticks in the fortune box, which would prove Huichuntang’s innocence, but you’re unwilling to part with those fifteen taels of silver.”
Isn't that a bit too much?
"That's right, if you hadn't suddenly come to Huichuntang and spouted nonsense, that first prize would have been mine. Now look what's happened, you've taken away something unique, you should be secretly happy."
"Of course, would a member of the prestigious Song family be someone who goes back on their word and breaks their promises?"
Song Qi was furious, but he didn't dare to say anything more, for fear of embarrassing the Song family. He grabbed Song Miaoyin and tried to leave.
Song Miaoyin quickly took the two prizes from the counter before happily leaving, her previous arrogant demeanor completely gone, her eyes and heart filled with the raccoon soap in her hand.
Three unique bars of soap, which so many people hadn't gotten, greatly satisfied her vanity.
Seeing the two siblings leave, Jiang Yimian continued to reassure everyone with a smile, "Don't worry, everyone. The lucky draw will continue tomorrow, but it will be for soaps with different designs. If you want one, remember to line up early."
Upon hearing this, the group, who had initially felt somewhat disappointed, became happy. Several servants hurriedly left, clearly intending to return and report to their masters.
As soon as Song Qi left Huichuntang, he kicked the servant standing next to him in a fit of rage, his whole body radiating hostility.
The servant was kicked to the ground but didn't dare make a sound. He got up and stood respectfully to the side again, as if he was used to it.
Song Qi still hadn't vented his frustration and anger, but he was hesitant to do so in public. Just as he was about to get into the carriage, he saw Jiang Yaoguang standing to the side, still peering into Huichuntang with a complex expression on his face, a mixture of surprise and disbelief.
Song Qi said irritably, "What are you looking at? Are you also interested in this deceptive trick?"
If it weren't for his father and sister liking this man, he wouldn't have bothered with this peasant. He'd heard that this man was a refugee from famine, and that he'd only managed to seduce his sister by relying on his literary talent, which tricked his father into wanting to marry his sister to this man.
Jiang Yaoguang snapped back to reality and hurriedly said respectfully, "Young Master, you misunderstand. I was just seeing things and thought I was seeing an acquaintance."
He thought he had just seen his eldest cousin; she looked somewhat like her, but not quite. He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination.
All the people from the main branch should be dead. How could a sickly woman with three children be killed by bandits or starve to death?
He must have been seeing things.
Upon seeing Jiang Yaoguang being scolded, Song Miaoyin couldn't even be happy to have received the soap. Instead, she stepped forward with some dissatisfaction and took the arm of the thin man beside her, saying, "Brother, why are you scolding Brother Yaoguang? He just mistook someone for someone else. You were the one who went to Huichuntang to cause trouble. Blame yourself, don't take it out on Brother Yaoguang."
Song Qi was furious with his younger sister, especially seeing her holding Jiang Yaoguang's arm. His brows furrowed even more, and he said coldly, "What kind of behavior is this in public? Get in the carriage and go back to the manor."
Song Miaoyin made a face at Song Qi's back before smiling and pulling Jiang Yaoguang into the carriage together.
*
At this moment, on the second floor of Baozhitang.
A middle-aged man listened to the servant's report and scoffed, "A petty trick. Do you think you can surpass Baozhitang with this? The people from Huichuntang are underestimating us."
The servant next to him laughed, "The manager is right. Baozhitang has been in business for too long, so those other shops are naturally no match for it."
The middle-aged man quickly suppressed his smile and asked, "How's the investigation going? Who made that soap?"
Although he didn't think Huichuntang could threaten Baozhitang's position, that soap did indeed interest him.
For so many years, whether in the capital or in the surrounding small countries, people have been using bath beads or some scented powders with cleaning properties.
No matter how much hype they make on the outside, the underlying formula is actually the same.
Not only is it ineffective, but it's also expensive. If it weren't for the popularity among noble ladies in the capital, it wouldn't have sold for such a high price.
This was the first time he had ever seen this soap. If he mastered this method, it would surely earn him more respect from that person.
Their Baozhitang would naturally make a fortune.
The servant hesitated for a moment before saying, "If I'm not mistaken, this soap recipe should have been provided to Huichuntang by a peasant girl from Qinghe Town. It seems that the method we're using today was also devised by that peasant girl."
The middle-aged man raised an eyebrow. "Interesting. A peasant girl knows such a recipe. Go, tell someone to keep an eye on her. I want to see what other skills this peasant girl has."
The servant simply responded.
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