Chapter 377 The Leng Family Comes to Apologize
The Qian family were wealthy merchants in Baiyun Town, which was not far from Ping'an County.
The Qian family was well aware of what had happened in Ping'an County, and Old Master Qian had long since found out which businesses Mrs. Sui had been involved in.
First came the ice jelly business, then the braised food business, then the soap business, and recently she even opened a restaurant. It seems that anything Ms. Sui handles is guaranteed to make a profit.
Of course, Mr. Qian's purpose in requesting cooperation was first to get on this ship, and second to make money. No matter what business Mrs. Sui wanted to do with him, even if it seemed like a losing proposition, he would agree.
Cheng Wanwan directly stated that the business she planned to start next was skincare products.
These days, skincare products are something only the wealthy can afford; they're much more expensive than cosmetics like rouge and face powder, which often contain excessive amounts of lead.
She wanted to create a more affordable skincare product line, including moisturizing glycerin, hydrating cream, and hand cream.
“I will be in charge of product manufacturing, and the Qian family will be in charge of sales channels,” Cheng Wanwan said methodically. “We can discuss the specific profit-sharing model in detail after the product is released.”
For her, production is relatively simple; once the raw materials and labor are in place, she can start production at any time.
But when a new product is first launched, the most tiring thing is to run the market. Back then, in order to promote soap, she even took a boat to Nanyang City. Thinking back on it, she really has a lot of tears to share.
By outsourcing this task, she can save herself a lot of trouble.
"Very good, very good."
Grandpa Qian readily agreed.
As soon as they left the Yuelai Inn, Qian Hui exploded: "Grandfather, how could you do such a thing?"
"Hui'er, you are still too young and don't understand the complexities of interests involved."
"Interests! Always talking about interests!" Qian Hui gritted his teeth. "You asked me to get close to Lady Sui for your own benefit, and you asked me to befriend Cheng Zhao and Shen Zheng for your own benefit. I agreed and did as you asked. Why are you still taking advantage of Lady Sui? How am I supposed to get along with Cheng Zhao and Shen Zheng in the future?"
“Grandfather’s pursuit of profit is indeed despicable, but he has a clear conscience,” Grandfather said solemnly. “I did not scheme against Lady Sui, nor did I coerce her, nor did I ever intend to take advantage of her in any way! I did this to establish a relationship between the Qian family and Lady Sui, whether it is a friendship or a business relationship. As long as we are involved, we will be in the same boat.”
The old man pressed down on Qian Hui's shoulder and said, "Your father spends his days indulging in pleasure, and your uncles are all useless. Your grandfather can only place his hopes on you. But you are too young, you have no official rank or business acumen. Your grandfather is old and can't protect you for long. I only hope to pave a broad road for you before I turn to dust. Do you understand your grandfather's good intentions?"
Qian Hui pursed his lips, unsure of what to say.
He only has himself to blame for being so useless. Even Shen Zheng passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, but he is still nothing.
The night passed quietly, and the next day, as soon as it was light, Cheng Wanwan got up, packed her things, and prepared to return to Dahe Village.
With the help of the three Wei siblings, things were packed up quickly. One cart was used to carry fruit seedlings and other odds and ends, while the other two carriages carried people, one for boys and one for women.
As soon as the group stepped out of the inn, they saw a luxurious carriage parked in front of the Yuelai Inn.
Master Leng and his wife got out of the carriage first, followed by their steward and servants carrying expensive gifts.
"Greetings, Madam Sui!" Master Leng bowed and stepped forward, saying, "These are all specialties from Huzhou City. Please accept them, Madam Sui."
Madam Leng also lowered her head: "We two were blind and didn't recognize your greatness, and we made a mistake. Please forgive us, Madam Sui..."
The arrival of the Leng family in such a large group, blocking the entrance to the inn, attracted a lot of onlookers.
The events that happened at the Leng family yesterday, spread by word of mouth among hundreds of guests, have almost reached the entire city of Huzhou.
"Look, this is the Leng family. They actually kidnapped the top scorer in the provincial examination and forced him to marry their own daughter. Who would have thought that this year's top scorer in the provincial examination would be the nephew of Lady Sui, whom the Emperor himself had bestowed the title of Lady Sui upon."
"Good heavens, the Leng family's move of 'catching a son-in-law through a public notice' not only didn't result in them getting a good son-in-law, but also offended Madam Sui?"
"So this is Madam Sui! I've been staying at the Yuelai Inn for almost half a month and have seen this woman every day. I only found out today that she is Madam Sui!"
"I always thought Lady Sui was an old woman in her fifties or sixties, but I didn't expect her to be so young and have such an air about her, it's just that her clothes are a bit shabby."
"After all, he rose from a peasant family, so he must have been quite frugal in his daily life. Otherwise, the Leng family wouldn't have made such a mistake."
"It is said that the business of several shops of the Leng family has been affected, and they have been despised by many scholars. Tsk tsk, the Leng family is probably going to suffer a lot this time."
"And that eldest daughter of the Leng family, just how ugly is she that she's being forced into marriage?"
"All I can say is, he brought it on himself..."
Various sounds came from the surroundings, making Master Leng and Madam Leng dare not raise their heads.
It's bad enough that the Leng family's reputation is ruined, but the real problem is that the reputation of their precious daughter has also been destroyed.
Many people now say that their daughters are ugly, have tuberculosis, and will never get married.
Thinking of this, tears welled up in Madam Leng's eyes: "Madam Sui, we were really wrong. We hope that Madam Sui will accept the apology gift that the Leng family has carefully prepared."
Cheng Wanwan's voice was very calm: "What's done is done, I won't take it to heart, take the gift back."
Before the Leng family could say anything more, she lifted her skirt and got into the carriage. Lu Yingxue followed, then the two sisters, Wei Hongying and Wei Hongyan. Finally, the coachman got on, gave a shout, and the carriage slowly started moving.
Afu drove the Shen family's carriage behind them, and the third hired carriage was at the very back. The convoy slowly drove out of Huzhou City.
It's been a full two weeks since I left Dahe Village. From the early spring chill to the gradual rise in temperature, it's already mid-March.
Cheng Wanwan was still suffering from her old problem of motion sickness. With two more people in the car, she couldn't lie down to sleep, so she leaned against the side wall and closed her eyes to rest.
“Madam, my father suffers from dizziness and blurred vision year-round, and I often help him by massaging his temples,” Wei Hongying said softly. “How about I massage your temples to relieve your fatigue?”
Cheng Wanwan closed her eyes and said, "Don't call me Madam anymore. Call me Auntie like everyone else."
In this era, the title "Madam" had two meanings. It referred to the matriarch of wealthy families or the wives of officials. In addition, women of the first and second ranks were also called "Madam." She was currently a "Ruren" (a low-ranking woman), so she couldn't be given the title "Madam" first, as it would give others a handle to use against her.
Wei Hongying nodded quickly: "Yes."
"Come here and give me a massage." Cheng Wanwan opened her eyes and looked at her gently. "Don't be nervous, I'm not going to eat you."
Wei Hongying was extremely nervous.
She had initially thought the woman was just an ordinary rich lady, but after the Leng couple appeared, she realized she was completely wrong.
The three siblings actually became servants of Lady Sui; what incredible luck they had!
The thought that Lady Sui was a seventh-rank official personally appointed by the Emperor made her somewhat afraid, and her hand trembled slightly as she reached out.
However, her technique was quite good. After gently massaging her head, Cheng Wanwan felt less dizzy and more comfortable.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
