Yunling was immediately stunned by the shopkeeper's words. Could it be that she had forgotten something in Pingcheng? She remembered everything perfectly, knew the way, and remembered the people. How could she have forgotten anything?
Seeing Yunling's stunned expression, the shopkeeper explained:
"The owner bought these two shops last year and waived my rent. This is a great favor."
Yunling was even more confused.
"No, I know all that. I did buy the shop. I just thought the owner's band would become famous in the future, so I wanted to show my face here. What does that have to do with my young ladies freeloading at the music hall these days?"
The shopkeeper exclaimed "Oh dear!" and looked at Yunling with a gaze that seemed to be directed at a disappointing person.
"The owner previously said he wanted to invest in the music hall and become a small owner, and also said he wanted the music hall and your showgirls to support each other. If that's the case, then we are one, so there's no need to be so calculating."
"That's right, but does the music hall have a stable income right now?"
When this is mentioned, the workshop owner loses some of his bravado. He has taken on quite a few orders this year, but most of them are for places far from the city. After deducting the cost of renting a car and paying for three meals a day, there is not much left for each person.
Yunling also knew that this refined pursuit was an expensive hobby, but once it became famous, money would come in like a flood, and there would be no end to it.
This is undoubtedly a high-stakes gamble. Let's gamble, she might win.
"Here's what we'll do: each month, tell me your travel expenses, the cook's grocery money, and her salary, and I'll settle the accounts."
"No, no, the employer has already treated us very well. We must not take advantage of this. Besides, there is a downside to this: it will make us lazy."
"Then it's settled. You take care of your music hall, and I'll go back to taking care of my young ladies. There are ten of them in total, and the cost of three meals a day is not low. I'll have Tang Ling get the cook's grocery shopping details once a month, and I'll pay for it. As for the cook's salary, you can cover that. How does that sound?"
The music hall owner originally wanted to grit his teeth and persevere, but the instruments in the music hall were expensive when they were bought, and the maintenance costs were even more considerable, so he could only accept Yunling's kindness.
"Thank you, boss."
Yunling was delighted to see that the matter had been settled.
"Oh, I wonder if Sister Taoyao is here?"
"Yao Niang has been hired by the Song family to play music at their residence today. What business does the master have with her? I'll let her know when she returns."
“I was thinking of thanking her for her guidance to my young ladies these past few days,” Yunling said, taking out a sachet and a pouch. “These two jade beads are for her, this jade pendant is for the shop owner, and these Bianjing specialties are for you to enjoy.”
"How...how can this be done?"
Yunling smiled and said:
“Master, we were on the same page just now, no need to take it too seriously. How come you've forgotten about it so quickly? I won't say any more to you, I still need to go to Shengfu Restaurant.”
After Yunling finished speaking, she waved and left. The owner of the music hall, carrying large and small bags, couldn't catch up and had no choice but to accept Yunling's kindness. He secretly made up his mind that their music hall must do well so as not to disappoint Yunling's expectations.
After leaving Pingli Lane, the two headed straight for Shengfu Restaurant. Manager Zhou, upon seeing Yunling, was like seeing Guanyin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion, who had so much to say to her. However, upon seeing Gangzi behind her, his attention immediately shifted.
"Hey, Gangzi, I've been looking for you for quite some time now. I didn't expect you to come with that young lady. What, you went to Bianjing with her too?"
"Yes, I just got back yesterday. What does Manager Zhou want with me?"
Manager Zhou thought to himself that Gangzi was lucky, and then said:
"The weather's getting warmer now, and all those ladies are thinking about the jokes you tell. I'm thinking of giving you three hundred coins a day, which would be nine strings of copper coins a month. That's a pretty good salary. How about we tell you a few jokes tomorrow?"
Gangzi immediately shook his head and said:
"I'll work with the boss, earning five strings of cash a month, with room and board included. He'll also help me with my marriage and provide me with a house. That's the best salary I can get. So, Manager Zhou, you should hire someone else."
"Oh my, you little rascal, you're really lucky!"
This time, Manager Zhou stopped complaining in his heart and said it directly: having been rebuffed by Gangzi, he would make up for it with Yunling.
"Young lady, you've been having a great time in Bianjing these days. I've been here like an impregnable fortress, shielding you from all sorts of trouble, and I haven't gotten a single benefit from it."
Yunling couldn't help but chuckle as she noticed Manager Zhou constantly eyeing the things Gangzi was carrying.
"Of course I know how hard the shopkeeper works, so I specially brought back these local specialties from Bianjing, as well as headdresses and jewelry that no one else has, and some exquisite silk flower headdresses for the shopkeeper's wife and two daughters."
Shopkeeper Zhou was immediately delighted, his smile spreading across his face like that of Maitreya Buddha. He said, "We're all family, no need to be so polite," while taking all the things from Gangzi's hands, as if afraid that if he was a step too slow, these ducks that were about to be eaten would fly away.
"The shopkeeper knows I spent quite a while in Bianjing this time. The enthusiasm I had for the fashion show must have completely worn off. I wonder if I can sell a hundred sets..."
Manager Zhou welcomed Yunling and Gangzi into the tea room on the first floor, picked up the booklet on the long table, and handed it to Yunling with a serious expression.
Yunling panicked. This book seemed not to be a record of numbers, but a book of life and death that determined her fate.
She flipped through the pages one by one, and the number of pages kept growing, but then scratches appeared on them, each scratch clearly visible, like a face of disappointment.
Yunling panicked even more, fearing that after all her hard work, she wouldn't even have a hundred sets left.
"Young lady, why don't you stop watching? You won't be able to take it if you keep watching."
Although Gangzi couldn't read, he could tell from the underlines in the notebook that these things were unwanted. So many unwanted items must be a huge blow to Yunling, so he reached out to her and said:
"Boss, let me take a look."
"No need. Whether it's good or bad, I still want to find out for myself."
Gangzi had no choice but to withdraw his hand. Yunling took a deep breath and continued to turn the pages. The scratches disappeared, and the ink on the paper was fresh. There was a lot of ink, a lot of ink, until she turned to the last two pages, where the number stopped.
"I told you, young lady, you wouldn't be able to stand watching any longer."
The numbers in this book were indeed a bit overwhelming for Yunling, but she was mostly puzzled...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
