They transported the goods back to the Wei family overnight. To prevent any unforeseen complications, they had Xie tied up. If they couldn't find him overnight, they were afraid his family would rashly report it to the authorities, so they had to be quick.
They used an oxcart that they had brought from Wei Rongzheng. Fu Yuchi drove the cart, and Sun Miao'er sat in the back to escort the goods. They relied on a small oil lamp, which was hung in front, to barely light the way.
Fortunately, the entire journey was on official roads, and the road was smooth and easy.
"Who is it!" Butler Wei was wearing an overcoat when he knocked on the door. Autumn was getting stronger and it was quite chilly in the morning.
Sun Miao'er called out from outside, "Butler Wei, it's me."
When Steward Wei first saw Sun Miao'er's outfit, he didn't recognize her at first. He rubbed his eyes before he could see clearly and exclaimed, "It's Miss Sun! Why are you dressed like this? Please come in!"
"Where is Master Wei?" Sun Miao'er was only thinking about handing the goods over to Wei Rongchang. She still had to rush back to deal with the Xie family when it was light, and she might even have to meet with Chen Laowu.
Butler Wei said, "Master hasn't gotten up yet. How about I ask the kitchen to make some hot porridge for Miss Sun?"
"No need. This concerns the safety of the Wei family. Please ask the steward to inform Master Wei for me." Sun Miao'er dared not delay, as the roosters outside had already begun to crow.
A short while later, Wei Rongchang came out from the inner room. It was clear that he had gotten up in a hurry and had not tidied his clothes carefully.
"What happened? Miss Sun rushed back in the middle of the night?" Wei Rongchang vaguely sensed the seriousness of the situation and frowned.
Sun Miao'er nodded and replied, "Please follow me to the backyard, Master Wei."
When Wei Rongchang and she entered the backyard, they were truly dumbfounded when they saw a cart full of goods sealed with the Wei family's seal. He stammered, "Miss Sun, this, this is the Wei family's goods?"
"Can't Master Wei tell whether it's a Wei family product or not?" From his expression, Sun Miao'er could tell that he was completely kept in the dark about his brother's actions, and knowing the truth would probably be a big blow to him.
Wei Rongchang's hands trembled as he opened the box, grabbed the contents, and found that the quality and texture were clearly not from the Wei family; it was utterly inferior. He glared at it, his teeth chattering with rage, and slammed the cloth onto the ground.
He shouted in the yard, "Who did this! Get out here!"
There was a traitor in the Wei family. He had been in charge of the family for decades. He had seen servants who were greedy for petty gains and had conflicts with workers who were dissatisfied with their wages, but he had never encountered a traitor before.
Sun Miao'er stepped forward and advised, "Master Wei, we have made some progress on this matter, but it's best not to make a fuss about it now. If word gets out and that person gets away, it won't be good. I've already figured out a way to make contact with that person. You can investigate the Wei family and see who has the authority to put the Wei family's name on this batch of counterfeit goods."
“It’s getting late, and I need to get back to the city. I would appreciate it if Master Wei could carefully investigate who has taken over the Wei family warehouse recently.” Sun Miao’er looked up at the horizon, her face already flushed with the rosy hues of early morning. “Miao’er has a request.”
“Miss Sun, please speak freely.” Despite his anger, Wei Rongchang suppressed his rage and responded to Sun Miao’er amiably.
The first rays of the morning sun fell on her profile. The teenage girl possessed an unusual brightness and resilience. Her voice was firm and clear, "I have discovered that Pingting Cloth Shop was just a front. If this matter is resolved, could Master Wei acquire Pingting Cloth Shop and give it to me?"
For a small shop like Pingting Cloth Shop, without Wei Rongzheng backing it up, it would be virtually impossible to compete with the Wei family. However, once the matter that Xie had done was discovered, the cloth shop would only have one option: to be shut down. At that point, Wei Rongchang could simply spend a little money and use the pretext of public purchase to take over the cloth shop.
Wei Rongchang then realized why she had refused his enthusiastic invitation to work at the Wei family's house; it turned out she had no interest in it at all.
“Miss Sun has done the Wei family a great favor this time. Once this is done, I will definitely present Pingting Cloth Shop to you with both hands.” Wei Rongchang agreed to her request. Indeed, if this batch of goods were to leak out again, not only would the Wei family’s reputation be ruined, but they might not even be able to keep the orders they currently have.
By the time we got back to the warehouse, it was almost noon.
The man surnamed Xie was fast asleep in the warehouse when Sun Miao'er kicked him awake.
His hands were untied, but his feet were still bound, and he could not move.
"Eat something." Sun Miao'er tossed him two steamed buns and took out paper and pen. "Write what I say."
The man surnamed Xie had originally intended to escape, but upon seeing Fu Yuchi standing guard at the door like a gatekeeper, and remembering the dagger held to his neck the night before, he immediately became frightened. He fearfully took two bites of his steamed bun, picked up his pen, and dared not move for a long time.
"Reassure your wife and children that they are safe. Don't worry, once this matter is settled, I will let you go back. I won't take your life." Seeing that he was cooperating, Sun Miao'er stopped threatening him.
The man surnamed Xie did as he was told, writing a letter home in black and white, and truthfully telling Sun Miao'er his home address.
"Tell me where you usually go to find Chen Laowu." Since he couldn't go to see Wei Rongzheng, who had already seen him, he could only start with Chen Laowu.
Holding the address written by the man surnamed Xie, Sun Miao'er pressed him repeatedly, "Can anyone live in this place? You're not lying to me."
The man surnamed Xie was so frightened that he shook his head and said, "Grandma, I wouldn't dare lie to you. He really is here. You'll see when you get there..."
What do you mean by "you'll know when you get there"? Is there some kind of scam? But even if there is a scam, so what? With a master by my side, I doubt those people's fancy but ineffective skills will be enough to handle it.
When they arrived at that place, Sun Miao'er finally understood what Xie meant.
Before them was a workshop, but it was built in a forest in the middle of nowhere. All the trees within a few miles had been cut down before this open space was obtained.
It was extremely well hidden, and the door was tightly closed. From the outside, you could see smoke rising from inside, which was produced by heating during the dyeing process. Therefore, the workshop must have been operating as usual.
Sun Miao'er went up and knocked on the door, but no one answered after knocking for a long time. Could it be that the man surnamed Xie had not told her a secret code?
She waited outside for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before the door suddenly opened.
According to the description given by the man surnamed Xie, he was short and thin, with a scar on his left hand. This man was most likely Chen Laowu.
Chen Laowu stared at Sun Miao'er, hesitating to step out the door. "Who are you?"
“My boss ran into some trouble, and he sent me here,” Sun Miao’er said.
Chen Laowu was very wary and still didn't believe her. "Did the man surnamed Xie send you?"
"Yes, the shopkeeper said that the two thousand five hundred taels you wanted can be negotiated." Sun Miao'er remembered what Xie had told her before, and now it came in handy.
Old Chen, greedy for money, immediately let the two men in when he heard that 2,500 taels was negotiable.
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