In the morning, Tangli felt a little uncomfortable in her stomach, so she lay in bed.
The two babies lay on the edge of the bed, staring at Tangli with their round eyes.
"Mom, do you want some hot water? The water in the pot is still hot."
Tangli nodded, and Erbao ran with his chubby little legs to get some hot water.
When Tangli was about to get up, Sanbao immediately placed her shoes in front of the bed, arranged them neatly for her to wear, making her look like a caring little cotton-padded jacket.
In the afternoon, Tangli's stomach felt better, but he was not idle. Instead, he took out a few sugar packets from the rice jar full of food and went out with the two babies.
Her house was on a street with houses on both sides. There were two households on the left side of Tangli's yard, and three households across the street, for a total of five neighbors. It was about a quarter of an hour's walk to the market, so it wasn't noisy or remote, and the location was great.
They say a close neighbor is better than a distant relative. Since she lives in town most of the time, it's natural for her to get to know her neighbors. Her move into a new house is a happy occasion, so she plans to give her neighbors candy bags, just like giving candy to colleagues at a wedding.
Tangli knocked on every door, handing out candy packets to the neighbors. Of the five neighbors, only three were home. The first on the left was occupied by a young woman, the second by a middle-aged woman, and directly across from them was a kindly older woman.
The young and middle-aged women were rather indifferent. They accepted the candy and closed the door. However, the old woman chatted with her for a while. The old woman's surname was Ye. She lived with her son, but her son was busy and lived alone most of the time. She felt that her home was too lonely and asked Tangli to come over more often. Tangli smiled and agreed.
After delivering the candy packets, Tangli took the two babies home.
On this side, Qian Guiying closed the door, took the candy bag, and threw it aside without even looking at it.
What good things could country folk have? Just those four or five-cent candies with rocks in them.
After a while, there was a sudden knock on the door.
Qian Guiying opened the door and was a little surprised.
"Sister Tian, how come you are free? Come in!" Qian Guiying immediately put on a smile, which was in stark contrast to her just cold attitude towards Tang Li.
Tian's husband runs a medicine shop. He has recently made a lot of business and earns several hundred taels a month. He is making a lot of money.
"Hurry and sit down!" She quickly brought a chair.
Tian waved her hand: "No, Guiying, did you take the candy bag just now?"
"Take it. We are neighbors after all, and we have to give it some face." Qian Guiying said.
"Have you opened it and taken a look?" Tian asked.
"No, I have so much candy at home that I can't finish it all. It's just taking up space and I want to throw it away." Qian Guiying looked disgusted.
Tian was immediately delighted: "Since you don't want it, then give it to me."
Qian Guiying looked surprised: "Sister Tian, do you want the candy bag that the country woman gave you?"
Qian Guiying picked up the candy bag and handed it to Tian.
Tian took the candy bag and said, "The candy inside is really good. It's a new product from the Jade Candy Shop. It's individually wrapped. My youngest loves it."
Qian Guiying was stunned for a moment: "Is this the candy from Yutangfang?"
Tian had already opened the candy bag, which contained dozens of candies. The wrapping paper was very delicate and had the words "Yutangfang" printed on it.
Qian Guiying was completely dumbfounded: "How could this country boy have such a good thing?"
"I guess you've spent a lot of money to make friends with us neighbors. Guiying, you really don't want it? Then I'll take it away."
"It's nothing. My boss brought it back a few days ago. We don't need it at home. Sister Tian, take it now."
"Okay, thanks. I'll go back and cook."
As soon as Tian left, Qian Guiying's face fell.
She muttered, "I'm greedy even when others give me candy. The richer I am, the stingier I am!"
The candy from Yutangfang was too expensive, so she only bought it for her children and couldn't bear to eat a single bite herself. Now that such a large bag had been taken away by Tian, she felt a pang of pain in her heart just thinking about it.
But, do those country folk really think that they can fit in by giving them some expensive gifts? Wishful thinking!
…
The next day, Tangli dressed the two babies in beautiful clothes and took them to the market.
Baiyaotang, the medicine sachet factory that supplies medicine to Tangli, is located in the market.
Baiyaotang is not the largest pharmacy in Yaoshui Town. Tangli is attracted by the quality of the medicine and the character of the shopkeeper.
Tangli came to the door of Baiyaotang.
When the shopkeeper saw Tang Li, he hurried over to greet him personally: "Shopkeeper Tang, please come in and sit down. Oh, your two children are so cute!"
The two babies were also very polite and called out in unison: "Uncle~"
The shopkeeper felt so moved by what he heard that he quickly called his waiter and got a lot of food for the two babies.
"Thank you, Shopkeeper Zhang. Shopkeeper Zhang, I brought some food that children like for your son." Tang Li was carrying an exquisite little basket with various candies and cakes in it, with high-end packaging.
Shopkeeper Zhang took the basket and said, "Thank you, Shopkeeper Tang. You are so thoughtful."
"Shopkeeper Zhang, can you find a way to give us more of the medicine we want?" Tang Li asked.
The formula for the medicine sachets contained a rare ingredient. Some time ago, Madam Su hired a few more embroiderers. The medicine sachets factory could produce six or seven hundred a month, but because of the limited supply of this ingredient, they could only produce five hundred a month at most. Because of the shortage of this ingredient, they could produce two hundred fewer sachets, which meant they lost six hundred taels of silver a month.
"Shopkeeper Tang, I also want to give you a little more. We are in business, so how can we not make money?! There is really no other way. We have raised the price from the herbal farmers, but it is still far from the quantity you demand." Shopkeeper Zhang patted his thigh and said helplessly.
"What about other pharmacies?" Tang Li thought for a moment and said.
Shopkeeper Zhang had considered it, but the prices other pharmacies paid were definitely different from those from farmers. He was hesitant to raise the price, lest it appear he was trying to make more money and leave a bad impression with Tangli. Tangli was his big client, and he didn't want to lose him.
He hesitated and said, "That's not impossible. I know a few shop owners, but the price..."
"Boss, I can add two taels of silver for one pound of medicinal materials." Tang Li said,
"Okay! I'll go check it out myself and absolutely guarantee the quality. The price for those bought from the herbal farmers will remain the same, but the price for those bought from the pharmacy will be increased by two taels."
The matter was settled in this way.
Tangli continued to stroll around the market with her two babies.
Shopkeeper Zhang could no longer sit still. He valued this deal very much and just wanted to get it done quickly. He asked his clerk to look after the store and he went home.
As soon as he got home, he told his wife, "Mu Sheng's mother, pack some clothes for me."
Coincidentally, Manager Zhang’s wife was actually Tian.
While packing, Tian asked, "Boss, where are you going?"
"The supply of medicinal herbs in the shop is running out. I'm going to the county to check."
"For the big boss?" Tian asked.
She knew that her husband had taken on a big business and could earn several hundred taels more a month.
"yes."
"We have to hurry." Tian also became nervous. She quickly packed up the things and handed them to Manager Zhang.
Shopkeeper Zhang took it and before leaving, he pointed to the basket on the table and said, "And this, the shopkeeper gave it to Mu Sheng."
Tian looked at the exquisite basket and thought that the manager was really good. His business was bigger than her own, and he still cared about his own children.
"This shopkeeper is really thoughtful. Boss, please be careful."
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