"It was wrong of me to enter your room without permission; it was also wrong of me to overestimate my abilities and think that you could help me negotiate with the Ministry of War..."
I desperately want to make a comeback, and I have no choice but to, because I have more than a dozen people to support, and I still have a debt of 100,000 taels to repay in less than six months...
In this situation, how could I possibly have the mind to go into a man's room for any other reason?
After saying all this, she was already in tears.
She told herself in her heart—this is the last time she will show weakness to Cheng Zhiwen.
Wiping away her tears, she stood up decisively and bowed to Cheng Zhiwen: "You saved me again today. I have no way to repay you, so I can only thank you. I will remember your advice."
After saying that, he walked towards the door.
Behind him, Cheng Zhiwen spoke coldly: "The matter of the eldest branch of the Gao family has been resolved. You can go to him to collect your money!"
Shen Qing closed her eyes briefly and bit her trembling lips: "Thank you, Boss Cheng!"
...
The night was cool and still, with gusts of wind blowing. Shen Qing hugged his arms and walked back in a daze.
After this argument with Cheng Zhiwen tonight, we may never see each other again.
His misunderstanding and contempt for her were so profound that he could no longer maintain his composure.
How much do you hate her to say such hurtful things and throw such a tantrum?
Shen Qing didn't know, she only knew that from now on, she didn't want to see Cheng Zhiwen again.
But she was grateful for the last gift he gave her—solving the horse feed business for the eldest son's family.
Now that he has indeed resolved the matter, she will go to the main house tomorrow to collect ten thousand taels of silver.
This was the last time she would enjoy the convenience that Cheng Zhiwen provided.
Her pride wouldn't allow her to do it, but the desperate situation forced her to.
The Gao family has more than a dozen members, plus Su Lan; these people are all her responsibility, and they depend on her for their livelihood.
When faced with responsibility, her self-esteem was insignificant.
She's determined to revitalize the business!
Thinking of this, Shen Qing cheered up again, as if her whole body had been injected with strength, and she ran forward with light steps.
Behind her, the man quickened his pace, following her all the way to the Gao family's house. Only after seeing her safely enter the gate did he turn back with peace of mind.
The next day, Shen Qing got up very early, washed up, and went to the eldest son's house.
Grandpa Gao was reading a letter that had been delivered by express courier from the Imperial Carriage and Imperial Household Department, and he was so happy that his mouth almost stretched to his ears.
Upon seeing her enter, he immediately and courteously invited her to sit down in the armchair.
“Niece-in-law, I really didn’t expect Boss Cheng to act so quickly. He got this matter done in just two days.”
Shen Qing didn't want to talk about Cheng Zhiwen anymore, so she asked instead, "Is Uncle satisfied?"
"Satisfied, satisfied!" Grandpa Gao said, taking a silver note from his sleeve and pushing it in front of her. "Take this! This isn't an investment, consider it a tip for your hard work!"
Shen Qing smiled and put the silver note into her purse.
"There's no charge for your hard work. An investment is an investment. Once I make money from the new materials, I will definitely repay you with the investment and dividends, including the principal and interest!"
After saying that, he stood up and prepared to take his leave.
"Niece-in-law, there's something I'm not sure if I should say..."
"Please speak, Uncle."
"Your fellow townsman, Boss Cheng, is incredibly capable! As the old saying goes, 'A wise man submits to circumstances,' you might as well..."
Shen Qing frowned, vaguely anticipating what he was about to say.
"Why not just openly become his concubine! That way, you can extricate yourself from the mess of being a second wife sooner!"
While seemingly considering her best interests at heart, his words were actually a way to lure her into becoming a blood bag for the Gao family to exploit.
Shen Qing knew all this and scoffed, "I will solve the second wife's debts on my own, not by relying on a man. Besides, do you think men are so easy to rely on?"
Do things practically and don't try to take shortcuts.
The price of taking shortcuts is not something you can afford!
This is Cheng Zhiwen's "advice" to her!
Shen Qing left the main house and immediately went to the money exchange to exchange the 10,000 taels of silver notes for several smaller denominations.
Then he returned to the Gao family home to pack his valuables, preparing to hire a carriage at the market later to travel to Huai County.
Carrying his valuables, he walked out of the Gao family's gate and saw the familiar carriage waiting outside. He was overjoyed and ran over.
"Old Xu, are you alright?"
Old Xu jumped off the carriage, scratching his head with a sheepish grin: "I'm fine, perfectly alright! Where are you going? I'll take you there!"
"Let's go! Let's go to Huai County together! I need to pay Chunmao for the goods!"
"Okay!"
The carriage headed towards Huai County.
Shen Qing paid the remaining amount for the duck feathers to the farm owner and successfully obtained the batch of spring feathers.
She also put down a deposit to reserve this year's winter wool.
Upon seeing the silver notes, the shopkeeper believed that Shen Qing was there to do business, and only then did he speak to her properly.
"Boss Shen, I will organize the workers to harvest the spring feathers tomorrow and deliver them to you in Jiangzhou within ten days!"
Shen Qing waved his hand: "Don't rush to pick them. Just leave them there. I'll let you know when I need them."
Why?
Shen Qing smiled, said nothing, and told Lao Xu to set off for other farms.
She used the same method to acquire all the ducks from duck farms in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, but did not require them to be harvested now.
On the way back, Old Xu asked, "Boss Shen, you've paid the money, why don't you hurry up and have them harvest the spring feathers and send them to Jiangzhou for us?"
Shen Qing sat by the door, the curtain drawn to one side, looking at the increasingly desolate road ahead, and said without much emotion:
"The agreement with the farm is to collect all the feathers without separating them. If all the duck feathers are transported to the factory now, firstly, we would need a lot of manpower to handle the feather separation; secondly, once the feathers are separated, they must be cleaned and disinfected immediately, otherwise they will smell bad. I don't have enough money to hire workers to separate the feathers right now, and I also lack disinfection materials."
Cheng Zhiwen only bought a sack of bleaching powder that day. It wouldn't be long before she needed to disinfect such a large batch of duck feathers, which would require a lot of bleaching powder.
Now that he has fallen out with Cheng Zhiwen, it's not appropriate for him to help buy bleach anymore. Shen Qing plans to go to Shanghai himself to meet with other compradors.
Old Xu, unaware of the details, said, "Well... sooner or later we'll have to hire workers and disinfect! If we leave it any longer, the spring mold will turn into summer mold."
Shen Qing smiled: "Don't worry, in a few days, someone will be willing to help us sort the wool!"
Three days later, sure enough, a medicine merchant from another county came to the shop.
The shopkeeper came to inform him, and Shen Qing hurried over to greet the guest.
Upon entering the shop, a middle-aged man stood with his hands behind his back in front of the counter, admiring the rayon displayed on the wall.
Shen Qing smiled and stepped forward, cupping her hands in greeting: "Mr. Li, do you like this fabric? Would you like to buy some to take back and make clothes for your daughter?"
Mr. Li turned around upon hearing the voice, looked at Shen Qing, and was so stunned that he forgot to greet her for a moment.
The shopkeeper quickly introduced, "Mr. Li, this is Mr. Shen, the head of our Gao family."
Shen Qing smiled and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture.
Boss Li came to his senses and cupped his hands in greeting: "This Boss Shen is not only so young, but also such a beautiful woman!"
Shen Qing smiled and invited him to sit in the inner room.
The shopkeeper served hot tea, and Shen Qing poured a cup for both Boss Li and himself.
"Mr. Li, you've come here because of Chunmao?"
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