Chapter 84 Cooperation
As soon as Tao Tao and her companion arrived, they saw the couple arguing at the door.
Seeing that they wouldn't finish arguing anytime soon, I simply stopped and waited for them to finish before going up.
"Boss, shall we...?"
Yu Shan looked at them and said softly.
She rubbed her ears, lay back, and said with utter boredom, "It's okay, let them make their noise, just treat it as free entertainment."
Suddenly, the two people who were arguing stopped and turned to look at her, their eyes filled with shame, annoyance and anger.
Tao Tao was still oblivious, only Yu Shan was watching them, secretly reaching out to poke her arm.
"Boss, why don't you come and take a look..."
Amidst their resentful gazes, the voices gradually faded into silence.
"What is that?"
She turned her head and was startled by the two pairs of resentful eyes she met; she almost fell over.
Then she quickly got up, acting as if nothing had happened, and greeted them: "Hi! How are you? I guess you're doing well."
Zeng Rong glared at her, her face showing no sign of friendliness: "What are you doing here?"
Tao Tao jumped off the carriage and said with a smile, "I've come to discuss a business deal with you. Aren't you welcome?"
Business? ?
Zeng Rong and He Niangzi exchanged glances and saw the confusion in each other's eyes. Clearly, neither of them knew what kind of business she was talking about.
Furthermore, the business of funeral services is becoming increasingly scarce. If it were truly profitable, wouldn't people be keeping it to themselves? Why would they seek out partners for cooperation?
"What exactly do you want?!"
"You must have heard recently that the imperial court is preparing to bury a group of soldiers who died in battle on the border and is specially bestowing cenotaphs upon them. I am the one who has taken on this business."
Upon hearing this, Zeng Rong's eyes lit up.
He had indeed heard of it, and he even tried to find out more about it through connections. However, he ended up spending a lot of money but didn't even get to know any important people.
It was a complete waste of time and effort.
"Is it really you?!"
He exclaimed in surprise.
He still had some doubts about this. He racked his brains but couldn't figure out why a young woman would have the ability to secure business from the imperial court.
Not only this time, but even during the Ghost Festival, he secretly laughed at how good his business was, because the Tao family had sold all their goods to others, which is why those people came to buy from them.
“It’s me, you don’t need to doubt anything.”
Upon seeing this, Madam He immediately beamed with joy. Seeing her husband still in a daze, she glared at him with exasperation and quickly ushered her inside.
"Quickly, quick, stop talking at the door, young lady, let's go inside and talk."
After Tao and the other person went inside, Madam He pinched his arm hard, signaling him to go in with her.
Zeng Rongsi let out a sound of pain, rubbed his arm, and followed him inside.
Madam He served tea and said with a smile, "You must be the young lady from the Tao family?"
Tao Tao held the tea in both hands, but didn't drink it. When she heard the question, she nodded and said, "Yes, that's me. As you all know, the funeral industry is not doing well these days. I'm willing to put aside past grievances and cooperate with you."
Upon hearing this, Zeng Rong said sarcastically, "I'm afraid it's because you can't do it yourself that you've come to us for cooperation, right?!"
"If that's the case, then forget it. We won't pick up other people's leftovers! The business that came down from the imperial court involves at least a thousand or eight hundred soldiers who died in battle over there, if not ten thousand. Let alone not having enough paper offerings, you alone absolutely cannot handle it."
His confident expression seemed to say that nothing could have been accomplished without him.
"Oh? So you're not interested in making this kind of money? In that case, forget it."
Tao Tao seemed completely unconcerned, turning around and leaving without the slightest hesitation.
Zeng Rong, who was waiting for her to beg, was instantly dumbfounded, wondering why she wasn't doing what he wanted.
Seeing her husband's erratic behavior, refusing to take the money that was offered to him, Madam He immediately berated him, "Zeng Rong, have you lost your mind? Are we getting rich by not doing business?"
"Have you forgotten how much money our family owes? Hurry up and go get that person back for me!"
She kept hitting him with both hands, throwing a tantrum and yelling at him, until he couldn't handle it.
"Alright! We won't starve if we don't make this money! I'm not going to beg her! She'll come begging to me when she's desperate."
Zeng Rong was proud and unwilling to lower himself in front of a young woman he looked down upon.
"Aaaaah!! Zeng Rong, what are you trying to prove! What's the point of your pride and self-respect?! Are you deliberately trying to make things difficult for us, mother and son?!"
"Since life is so miserable, my son and I might as well die!"
Madam He's eyes were red and filled with tears. She spoke resolutely and firmly, as if she really meant to do it.
Zeng Rong paused for a moment, thinking of his three children who hadn't been able to eat meat for half a month, sighed helplessly, and turned to chase after them.
I had only chased after them for half a mile when I heard a sound coming from behind me.
"Didn't you say you wouldn't cooperate?"
Tao Tao waved her riding whip in her hand, tilting her head and smiling at him.
He chuckled awkwardly a few times and said in a fawning tone, "It was my fault for not recognizing your greatness. Please forgive me, young lady. It was all my fault. Please forgive me, young lady."
"To tell you the truth, even without cooperating with you, I have my own ways of getting things done, it just means more manpower and resources will be wasted."
“But I have a good heart. I’m a good person. I know the funeral business is tough. It doesn’t matter who makes the money, but I chose to cooperate with you. Shouldn’t you be grateful?”
Tao Tao's soft cheeks were full of smiles, but her eyes held no smile at all, only a coldness and a hint of mockery.
"Yes, yes, Mr. Tao is right. I misspoke."
He was so embarrassed that his scalp tingled, and his old face turned red with shame.
He, a grown man, was bowing and scraping before a callow, immature girl. But the thought of money made him feel a little better.
It's not shameful to bow down for money, it's not shameful at all...
He comforted himself inwardly.
Tao Tao stared at him for a while, then continued, "I want all the goods in your shop, at half the market price. If you agree, we can sign an agreement."
"Only half?? This... Mr. Tao, isn't this too little?"
Zeng Rong looked distressed, hoping she could improve further.
"Mr. Zeng, I don't need to tell you how many old items you have in your shop. I can only say that you might not be able to sell them even if you keep them for another ten years. If I buy them all at once, you'll be laughing in your sleep."
He rubbed his hands nervously, not expecting this young woman to actually know what she was talking about.
This stuff is really profitable. Even at half the market price, the large quantity is enough for him to make a profit. He just wants more.
Tao Tao said impatiently, "I'll count to ten for you to consider. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
"1, 3, 5..."
"Hey, hey, hey! Boss Tao, weren't we counting to ten?!"
Zeng Rong noticed that the counting was incorrect and quickly told them to stop.
“It’s counting to ten, that’s right,” Tao Tao said confidently.
He finally understood; she meant to go up to ten, but not in the order of one to ten.
"Alright, alright, Mr. Tao, half the market price it is, let's sign the agreement quickly!"
He wanted to get it done immediately, otherwise he was afraid she wouldn't honor it.
"Sign, sign now."
Tao Tao immediately drafted the agreement, showed it to him, and after confirming there were no problems, the two of them signed it together.
Standing to the side, Madam He couldn't stop smiling. She took her hand and called her "little sister" repeatedly, showing her great enthusiasm.
In her eyes, Tao Tao was like a lucky charm, and the more she looked at him, the happier she became.
She was thinking about how much rouge she would buy, how many new clothes she would get, how much jewelry she would buy, and how many snacks the children would love to eat.
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