Su Qingluan knew that although Aunt Zhang was just a "servant" in the Xie Mansion, she was, after all, just an ordinary person. The most important thing was that as a junior, she should take the initiative to say hello.
So Su Qingluan walked up to Aunt Zhang, bowed gracefully, and said with a smile, "It's been a few days since we last met. Aunt Zhang is still as energetic as ever."
Aunt Zhang's attitude this time was even more kind and respectful than the last time she received the jam specially prepared by Su Qingluan, yet it made people feel relaxed and relaxed, like a spring breeze: "Well, what's the point of an old woman like me being glamorous or not? It's only because you, Madam Su, look up to me, but how can an old woman like me compare to you young people in your prime?"
The two of them exchanged a few pleasantries, and Aunt Zhang looked at the fat uncle next to them who was "generous and plump." "This is one of the stewards of the Xie Mansion."
The Xie family was a large and powerful family, so naturally, it was impossible for them to have only one steward. This was something Su Qingluan had expected. However, the title did make Su Qingluan slightly concerned - it was the steward of the "Xie family", not someone who "served the old lady".
When Su Qingluan was introduced to Zhang Ma, whose superior status was different from that of ordinary maids, she heard the words "she has to be used in front of the old lady" more than once, but she understood the subtle difference between "Xie Mansion" and "in front of the old lady".
Since Su Qingluan planned to discuss business with the Xie family, she had asked Mu Xingzhi about some of the situations in the Xie family.
Since Mu Xingzhi has told Su Qingluan several times, both openly and secretly, that his identity is not simple, he naturally knows a thing or two about those dignitaries. Isn't there a better time to build up his connections?
As expected, Su Qingluan learned through Mu Xingzhi that although the Xie family was essentially headed by Xie Zian's grandmother, Old Lady Xie, and her descendants were also very filial and followed the old lady's wishes in everything.
But although the old lady was of high rank, she only controlled a small piece of land in the backyard. The real ruler of the Xie Mansion was the eldest son of the old lady, Xie Xuanfan, Xie Zian's biological father.
Therefore, Aunt Zhang represents the meaning of "Old Lady Xie", while the manager of the Xie family who works in the front can represent the Xie Mansion, that is, part of Xie Xuanfan.
not to mention--
"I'm Xie Deshun, one of the stewards of the Xie family. I never thought that the one who won the favor of our old lady would be such a young lady. It's true that heroes emerge from youth!"
Su Qingluan didn't dare to agree to this statement casually. She lowered her head and said, "I've met Manager Xie. It's because everyone in the Xie Mansion is kind that they allow a little girl like me to act recklessly."
It’s not that she suddenly became timid, to be more precise, Su Qingluan was cautious.
Putting aside other things, the fact that the person in front of him did not treat her with disrespect or perfunctory tone just because she was a woman and young showed that she was not an ordinary manager.
What's more, the manager's surname is "Xie".
According to Mu Xingzhi's "Popular Science Knowledge on Local Customs and People of This Dynasty", generally speaking, in such wealthy families, if there is someone working in the family who happens to have the same surname as the head of the family, if it is a living contract, that is, a "short-term staff member", generally speaking, the head of the family will not react. After all, the surname is given by parents, and one has no say in it.
However, in this case, because it is a "living contract", that is, a temporary contract, which means "you may leave at any time", loyalty will naturally not be too high.
Therefore, in this kind of situation, the master will generally not trust such a person with important positions, especially the position of steward.
So it is obvious that this is not the case for Butler Xie.
That is another situation - their original surname was not Xie, or although they had the surname Xie, their name was changed. However, later on, due to their outstanding work, they were highly appreciated by their master, so these people were given the same surname as their master.
This was a different kind of honor—though from the perspective of a modern person like Su Qingluan, it was considered too nosy for someone living by the sea. And if the owner's surname was Zhu, Jia, Feng, or something like that, the person whose surname was changed would probably be crazy, right?
In short, Su Qingluan respectfully declined this kind of "honor".
But as the saying goes, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Even though she doesn't agree with it in her heart, they can respect each other on the surface.
These messy thoughts flashed through Su Qingluan's mind for just a moment, and then she gathered her thoughts and returned to her original calm state.
As per convention, Su Qingluan was led by Aunt Zhang to the main hall for receiving guests, and Steward Xie also walked beside them.
The main parties in the negotiations today were obviously Su Qingluan and Manager Xie, so Manager Xie took the lead and sat down in the main seat. He then asked Su Qingluan to sit in the guest seat opposite, while Aunt Zhang sat below Manager Xie, one level lower than Su Qingluan.
Su Qingluan knew that she was representing one of the parties in the negotiations today, so she smiled and said, "As a junior, I shouldn't be on equal footing with Manager Xie. However, business is business, so today I'll be shameless and take the guest seat."
Having said that, he sat down gracefully.
Su Qingluan had never learned any aristocratic etiquette, so naturally she didn't pay attention to how much of a chair to sit on or what posture to use when drinking tea.
However, some etiquette is universal. At this moment, the girl has an upright posture, speaks freely, and drinks tea in a very casual manner, with a unique unrestrained and uninhibited air.
Manager Xie has been being polite to Su Qingluan, probably wanting Su Qingluan to propose conditions so that he can strike back and avoid being at a disadvantage.
The other party was taking his time, but Su Qingluan was too lazy to beat around the bush and wanted to cut the Gordian knot. To put it bluntly, even if the deal didn't go through in the end, it wouldn't be a problem for Su Ji's fruit jam to go the evaluation route. It would just be a smaller profit, and she would have to work harder, but she could still achieve her goal of making money with her neighbors.
So Su Qingluan said straight to the point, "I admit that the Xie Mansion is a very good partner, so I came here with the attitude of a win-win cooperation. I hope that we can make money together. So before that, there is something I hope Manager Xie can tell you truthfully."
Steward Xie was still smiling like a Maitreya Buddha, looking very easy to talk to. "Oh? I wonder what Madam Su is asking? I will tell you everything I know."
Su Qingluan smiled and said, "It's not a particularly important matter. Since you are willing to trouble Manager Xie and Aunt Zhang to take the time to come here, my 'Fallen Flowers' series of fruit jams should be quite popular in the capital." From the attitudes of Manager Xie and Aunt Zhang, it can be seen that they are also positive about promoting this cooperation.
Steward Xie nodded and said, "Madam Su's cooking skills are amazing."
Su Qingluan automatically ignored this kind of commercial flattery and asked, "I want to know, what is the highest bidder's price for this fruit jam? What is the span and duration of each bidding? How many people rushed to buy this fruit jam? And..."
After asking seven or eight questions in a row, Su Qingluan stopped.
Manager Xie's originally smiling face like Maitreya Buddha faded, and his gaze towards Su Qingluan became more serious.
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