Chapter 75
When Sun Muliao heard this sarcasm, he frowned and looked up. Although he couldn't see the person who spoke, he knew who said it.
He retorted coldly, "Your Excellency has been working day and night, and naturally we are worried. I invited Young Master Fu to drink, simply to use this opportunity to discuss solutions to help you resolve your worries." At this point, he snorted coldly, "Mr. Qian, you are judging others by your own standards. Isn't your intention to exclude me too obvious?"
Secretary Qian raised his chin slightly and walked out from behind the pillar. He glanced arrogantly at Fu Wei in the wheelchair, then looked at Secretary Sun and sneered, "Who is more purposeful? I don't need to say more, right?"
Sun's staff narrowed his eyes and sneered, "Mr. Qian, are you trying to sow discord?"
Qian Muliao glanced at him with a half-smile, then looked at Fu Wei with the same look.
"I'm just too lazy to play along with someone as hypocritical as you. Besides, whether or not you're trying to sow discord, you, me, and him all know the answer. Why bother asking and embarrassing yourself?"
Fu Wei raised his eyebrows slightly, and Sun Qianchun sneered. The tense atmosphere between the two was something he had seen several times in the half month since he entered the yamen. It was just as what Huo Yachai said - they were as hostile as water and fire.
Huo Yachai also often said that if two people stood together outside the presence of a master, it would be best to stay as far away from them as possible.
Just then, some yamen runners saw the two of them in the same corridor from afar, and they hid far away, not daring to get close.
Sun Muliao was furious. He looked at Fu Wei and asked, "Young Master Fu, tell me, do I have any plans for you?!"
Fu Wei: ...
Whether there is any calculation or not, both parties know it clearly, so it would be unwise to ask.
Qian and Sun were clearly eager to see who he would face today. Even the slightest bias, let alone the slightest, would still make him a target.
One of these two men was an old subordinate of County Magistrate Zhou; the other one didn't have much ability, but was very good at winning people over.
Fu Wei didn't want to take sides with either of these two people.
He smiled and said calmly, "You two are my seniors. I won't say anything disrespectful or helpful." He bowed in order of his left and right aides, "I'm sorry, this junior can't accompany you."
He pushed Su Yu and tried to leave, but was stopped by Sun Muliao: "Young Master Fu, you won't even give me face?"
Sun Muliao, who is about fifty years old, can indeed be called an old man, but he obviously seems to be taking advantage of his seniority.
Fu Wei placed his hands on his knees and looked at Sun Muzuo with a smile on his lips: "Everyone in the county government says that Mr. Sun is easy to get along with and doesn't like to embarrass others. He shouldn't embarrass me either, right, Mr. Sun?"
Upon hearing this, Secretary Sun was speechless for a moment. Secretary Qian behind him chuckled and turned away.
Sun Muliao looked at the handsome man sitting on the plain carriage and took a deep look at him with a gentle and elegant smile.
This smile is really annoying.
It seemed as if he was mocking his lack of achievements.
It’s better not to drink this wine!
He made way and pretended to be regretful: "Since Young Master Fu doesn't want to come, then forget it. I won't force it."
Fu Wei smiled and said, "Thank you, Mr. Sun, for your understanding."
After saying that, he slowly walked past him.
Sun Muliao looked at Fu Wei's back, his face gradually darkening.
The Sun family still had a table full of delicious food and wine, but Fu Wei did not go.
Luo Dianshi and Huo Yacha were both among them.
Luo Dianshi was drinking alone, as if he was filled with sorrow because of his current lack of success.
Some people said, "That aide is just new, and he only stumbled upon the Master's favor by accident. But he's so arrogant because of that, he even turned down the banquet that Mr. Sun kindly arranged for him!"
Sun Muliao sighed, poured wine for Luo Dianshi, and said regretfully, "I originally thought that through this meal, the misunderstandings between me and that Fu Langjun, and between Luo Dianshi and him, could be clarified. What a pity..."
Another sigh: "What a pity, he is old and useless, even speaking is useless."
Luo Dianshi sneered, "I wonder how long he can keep up his arrogance. A disabled person with an unattractive appearance cannot possibly be accepted into a refined hall."
At this time, Huo Yacha also shook his head: "I think so too. Your Excellency is using him now because of his knowledge when he was the son of the prefect. If his knowledge has reached its limit, I am afraid Your Excellency will not keep him."
Sun Muliao looked at him in surprise and asked, "Haven't Huo Yacha and Fu Langjun always been good friends? Why would he say such a thing?"
Huo Yachai laughed and said, "I've only known him for a few days. How can I compare him to Sun Muliao and Luo Dianshi? I'm only befriending him now because I think there's something to be gained."
Fu Wei had been in the yamen for half a month, and there was also the matter of Luo Dianshi's elder brother, Director Luo, so everyone in the yamen knew that he had a capable and money-making daughter-in-law at home.
To be able to move from Lingshui Village, the poorest village in Yu County, to Yu County, and to move near the government office, one must have some money.
Moreover, this government office is not a clean place. Although the atmosphere has improved compared to a few years ago when the county magistrate was in office, as long as you don't go too far in making money and do your job well, the county magistrate will turn a blind eye.
Therefore, everyone present believed what Huo Yachai said without a doubt.
Someone winked and bumped the shoulder of the man pretending to be Huo Yacha, asking, "Tell me, how much profit did you make from this?"
Huo Yachai curled his lips and smiled, holding up a finger. "But only about four months, that's the number."
Someone suspected: "One hundred coins?"
Huo Yacha glanced at him with disdain: "Is it worth it for me to be polite to him for a hundred coins?"
Everyone was stunned: "One thousand coins?"
Huo Yachai just smiled and said nothing. Everyone understood instantly. No wonder Huo Yachai was so close to the disabled person. They would do the same if they were in his place!
After hearing what Huo Yachai said, Sun Muliao realized that he was not really sincere in his friendship with Fu Wei, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
After eating and drinking, everyone dispersed, and Luo Dianshi was the last to leave.
Sun Muliao patted his shoulder and said helplessly: "When he becomes more powerful, the government will kick us out."
Another long sigh: "Time makes people grow old, even if you don't want to admit it. I'm old, and it's understandable that I'm replaced by the younger generation. But you are different, Luo Dianshi. You are in your prime, and you could have been promoted to Chief Clerk in a few more years, but... Never mind, never mind, let's not talk about that. Now you can only clear up the misunderstanding with that Fu Langjun and stay here for now. Otherwise, when he succeeds, we will be the first to be driven away."
As he said this, he walked into the house alone with his hands behind his back.
Luo Dianshi looked at Sun Muliao's dejected back, and then thought of his own smooth future...
Thinking of this, his eyes dimmed.
He hadn't been home for a long time, and he couldn't help but blame his elder brother.
His anger made him unable to help but vent his anger on Fu Wei.
But at the same time, Sun's staff's words woke him up, and the danger was the key to whether he could stay in the government office!
Instead of trying to please Fu Wei, it would be better to force him to leave the yamen.
Now that he leaves, there will be no one in the yamen who will target him anymore!
After Luo Dianshi staggered away, the returning yamen official Huo walked out slowly from behind the dim wall with a frown on his face.
Previously, he thought that this Sun Muliao was easy to get along with, but after Fu Wei's advice, he thought of testing him.
This afternoon, Fu Wei told him about the banquet and asked him not to say a good word about him at the banquet.
He also explained that they were close to him in order to make money, hoping that this would allow Sun's staff to relax their vigilance and reveal their true colors.
Fu Wei said that if he did not go today, Sun's staff would be angry and their goal would change from winning him over to getting rid of him.
Huo Yachai came with a skeptical attitude. Everything he heard tonight seemed to be intentionally or unintentionally trying to incite everyone to be hostile to Fu Wei.
The same is true of what Sun's staff said to Luo Dianshi just now.
To those involved, there may not be any problem, but to those who are listening, it seems that the person is not trying to persuade them, but rather to stir up trouble.
*
The county seat of Cangwu County.
Yu Ying and her elder brother and sister-in-law still need to stay in the county seat for a few days. Since staying in an inn is very expensive, they cannot use the kitchen frequently and food will be relatively expensive, so they rent a house temporarily.
The small courtyard of 400 wen only had one room, one main room, and one toilet. The courtyard was just a narrow passage, only enough to hang clothes and cook.
During the days in the county government, Yu Ying and her sister-in-law lived in the inner room, while the two grown men slept in the main room.
It is already winter now, but fortunately there is a thick curtain covering the door of the main room, so there is no need to worry about the wind. Burning some firewood at night is much warmer for the two of them than staying in a thatched hut.
Yu Ying planned to stay for about seven more days before leaving.
The day after the driver left, they set up their stall.
Considering that her residence was far from the stall, Yu Ying went to a carpentry workshop to custom-make a square table.
The table legs and table top are separate, and the legs can be folded up for easy carrying.
The table is not very big, but high enough.
Two holes were hollowed out at both ends of the table, and two bamboos with slots that were half a foot high were inserted into the holes. Finally, a thin plaque was fixed on the top of the two bamboos, with the words "Ru Yu Fang·Mian Zhi" written on it.
Finally, cover the table with a clean, plain cloth, long enough to cover half of the corners, and your stall will be ready.
Most of the stalls on the street are low tables or long benches that are easy to carry; or a piece of cloth, or a dustpan or backpack. Only people who live nearby will actually bring a high table.
Their stalls are obviously different from those ordinary small stalls. They look a bit more upscale, so it is understandable that they sell things at a higher price.
The small bamboo tubes used to hold the samples had the outer bamboo green peeled off and were then stamped with a red seal of "Ruyufang" so that others would always remember their brand.
On the first day of setting up the stall, without much shouting, people were curious about what the new stall was selling.
Most of the visitors are women.
Seeing that they were young women and unmarried girls, Yu Ying took out some facial cream for trial use, smeared some on her own hands, and then said to them, "You might as well try it and smell the fragrance."
One woman asked, "What if we try it and they don't sell it?"
Yu Ying smiled and said, "Then let's just be friends. If you want to buy facial cream in the future, you can come and look at me."
A woman heard this, stretched out her hand, and said with a smile: "Then let me try."
Yu Ying used a bamboo stick to scoop. Whenever someone put their hand over, she would scoop a small spoonful and explain, "This facial cream is made with sixteen medicinal herbs. Apply it regularly to keep your skin smooth. If you feel your skin is a little flaky, apply it for a day and a night, and it will be 70% to 80% healed by the next day."
There were four or five female customers in front of the stall, all dressed neatly and cleanly. They were not from wealthy families, but they had enough food and clothing.
Someone asked about the price, and Yu Ying explained, "A decoction of sixteen herbs costs fifty coins, and a decoction of five herbs costs thirty-five coins."
Someone exclaimed: "So expensive?!"
Someone was originally looking at the exquisite pottery jar, but after hearing the price, he quickly put it down.
Yu Ying said, "The facial cream made from the herbs in this clinic costs at least forty or fifty coins at the cheapest. I'm only selling it at this price, so how can it be considered expensive?"
"But how can we know if your facial cream is really made with medicinal herbs? And if it really works?"
Yu Ying took out some trial facial cream and said, "I have some here. If you don't believe me, you can take it home and try it for two days. If it works, it's not too late to buy more."
Several people were a little surprised.
"No money? No need for us to buy a can first? Just give it away for free?"
Yu Ying smiled and said, "Yes, it's a free gift. Just consider it as a chance to make friends."
There are some who are wary of things that don't cost money, but they are few and far between. If someone reaches out to take something, there will be another.
The four female customers in front of the stall each took a sample and left.
Then there were some male customers, and Yu Ying also gave them cheap and expensive facial creams as gifts.
At the end of the day, I didn't sell many bottles of facial cream, but almost all of the thirty tubes of trial products were given away.
The same thing happened the next day.
But I can still sell four or five cans of facial cream at different prices every day. Although it is not as good as the first two days when I set up the stall and sold it hard, after deducting various miscellaneous expenses, I can actually make a profit of about 200 wen a day.
After two days, four or five hundred copper coins were collected, which was a dizzying sight.
Song Sanlang exclaimed, "I used to think that earning fifty cents a day was the best I could do. It seems I was too conservative."
Not only him, the other three also thought so.
Yu Ying said, "I never thought I could make so much money just by setting up a stall in this county seat."
She used to be distressed because of her refusal to go to the clinic, but now it seems that it was a blessing in disguise!
Wen Xing said, "I think our stall is clean and tidy, so people are willing to come and buy from us."
Indeed, if they set up the stall as before, using only a long bench, it is estimated that when the taciturn Song Sanlang comes around, they won’t know if they can attract new customers.
Although the profits have been considerable these days, I still haven't earned back what I spent.
Yu Ying did some accounting, not counting how much she earned, but only counting the expenses. Adding the twenty bottles of facial cream she brought with her and other expenses, she spent a total of more than two thousand coins.
The total amount of about twenty or thirty cans sold now is only more than 1,500 wen, which is far from enough to break even.
Let’s not talk about these for now. Fortunately, the facial cream business is finally on the rise, and I will be able to make it back in the future. Now I have to think about how to distribute the dividends to Song Sanlang.
Yu Ying pondered for a long time and asked her sister-in-law for her opinion. Finally, after everyone felt that there was no problem, she went to Song Sanlang to discuss it.
"Brother Song, the third brother, is staying in the county seat to buy facial cream. I've figured out the profit sharing—two kinds of facial cream, each can sold will be paid four and six wen respectively. The government will pay 70% of the rent for this house, and you'll pay 30%. After that, you'll receive an additional 100 wen in food supplements each month..."
Before Yu Ying could finish her words, Song Sanlang interrupted, "Don't bother. Just calculate it based on the four and six coins. I'll take care of the rest myself. After all, I have my own reasons for wanting to stay in the county seat. The people from the old house often come to make trouble, which makes me annoyed. So I'll find a way to pay for the food and rent."
Wen Xing, who was standing by, said softly, "My sister-in-law has always kept her public and private lives separate. The fact that she said this shows that she has thought it through carefully."
Yu Ying looked at her sister-in-law in surprise, thinking that her sister-in-law really understood her more and more.
Noticing her sister-in-law's gaze, Wen Xing smiled at her with her teeth showing, her eyebrows curved.
Yu Ying once again discovered that her sister-in-law and Ningning were really cut from the same cloth, not only in appearance but also in personality.
Yu Ying thought shamelessly - she really wanted to pinch her sister-in-law's face like she pinched Ningning's cheek.
Fu Zhen, who was standing by, couldn't stand it any longer and coughed softly, interrupting the exchange of glances between the two sisters-in-law.
Yu Ying withdrew her thoughts, looked back at Song Jia Sanlang, and said, "Sister-in-law is right. I have always kept a clear distinction between public and private matters. What should be accounted for must be accounted for. If we make a profit together, we must also share the cost."
Song Sanlang opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't.
Yu Ying understood his thoughts and said, "If Third Brother Song wants to repay me for treating his foot earlier, why not give me twenty coins as medical expenses? That would be enough."
How can these twenty cents be easily explained?
Not to mention anything else, the fact that Fu Dalang carried him all the way back to the village from his employer's place, this matter cannot be cleared up!
Song Sanlang sighed and could only say, "Then let's do as you said before, Fu's sister-in-law."
Yu Ying nodded slightly and continued, "We'll be leaving in a few days. Before we leave, I'll make 250 jars of facial cream. After all, it's November now, and the Chinese New Year is less than two months away. If you sell out before then, you can come back early. If you can't sell out, you have to come back by the 28th of the year."
She brought enough medicinal herbs to the county seat. As for the other medicinal herbs produced in other places, they could be bought at the clinic.
Although Yu Ying also wanted to stay and take care of the cream stall, not to mention the misunderstanding that she and Song Sanlang were alone together, she also had to take care of the medicinal herbs at home during the cold winter.
Although the winter in Lingnan is cold for a short time, it can be fatal when it gets really cold.
The cost of facial cream can be kept so low simply because she can find the medicinal materials herself, so she has to keep a close eye on the medicinal materials.
*
When I was setting up the stall on the fourth day, I ran into some trouble.
Several groups of people came to ask for samples, mostly women over 30 years old and men in their 40s and 50s.
Actually, some people came to ask about trial products yesterday, but not as many as today.
Maybe the news of her giving away free facial cream had spread. Yu Ying was very satisfied with the effect. At least others knew about the facial cream of "Ruyufang" and it was no longer just an unknown stall.
If others had never heard of it before, even if they were offered a free sample with a purchase of one, no one would have even glanced at it.
On the contrary, they may think that the profit of this facial cream is very high, so they will give an extra tube. Customers have these thoughts and don’t want to be taken advantage of.
Facing those who requested samples, Yu Ying smiled and changed her explanation: "We just opened and gave some away occasionally, but we don't do that anymore."
The woman with a loud voice shouted, "So what you're saying is that the free facial cream you gave me earlier was a scam?!"
Her voice really attracted many people to stop.
Yu Ying's smile faded slightly as she explained, "I never said I was giving away facial cream upon opening. I only gave it to a few customers to try. How could I be accused of deceiving them?"
"Tsk, you say one thing in front of people and another behind their backs. I think you just don't want to give it to people like us. You look down on us because we don't have the money to buy it. You look down on us, don't you?!"
As he spoke, he slapped the table with his palm with great force, and the jars of facial cream on the table were shaken and made a crisp sound.
Yu Ying had expected such a scoundrel, so she was prepared. She looked at her elder brother and Song Sanlang calmly.
The two of them understood and walked over.
Two burly and tall men walked forward, one on the left and one on the right, like mighty door gods, standing on both sides of the stall with their hands folded, which was extremely intimidating.
Compared to the mighty goalkeeper, Yu Ying felt that calling him a "thug" was more appropriate.
The woman who had come looking for trouble had originally taken advantage of the fact that there were only two young women in front of the stall and they looked calm and collected, so she wanted to take advantage. But when she saw the two strong men, she immediately became timid and said with a weak voice, "How can you do business like this?"
Yu Ying blushed at this moment, and with a gentle smile, she picked up the trial facial cream and said, "Although there are no samples left, you can still try our facial creams."
The middle-aged woman cleared her throat and walked down the stairs: "Why didn't you say so earlier?"
Yu Ying was looking for cheap facial cream.
She scooped a little into the hands of everyone in front of the stall.
The people who were staying there also came to join in the fun.
It's very lively in front of the stall.
Seeing this, Yu Ying quickly said, "If you can introduce someone to my Ruyifang to buy facial cream, I'll give you a free tube of trial facial cream for every can you sell. If you use it sparingly, you can use it several times. All in all, the trial facial cream is worth four or five cents."
After hearing this, the sisters-in-law and uncles hurriedly asked, "Is it true?"
Yu Ying nodded: "When the time comes, bring them to Ruyufang to buy facial cream, and I will really give it away, but it will only be for these three days. After three days, I will no longer be running the stall, and I don't know if I will be able to continue giving it away then."
Yu Ying kept calling it "Ruyufang" so she wasn't afraid that they would forget the name.
After hearing this, the greedy sister-in-law and uncle started to think secretly.
Seeing that they didn't continue to make a fuss, Yu Ying breathed a sigh of relief and smiled quietly at her sister-in-law.
The sister-in-law also patted her chest, breathed a sigh of relief, and smiled back.
It has been several months since my sister-in-law returned from the quarry.
When she came back, perhaps because of the environment of the quarry, she was like a frightened bird at first, and any loud noise would scare her.
But gradually, after life became stable, my sister-in-law's temper was no longer as easily panicked as before, but gentle yet resilient.
It was such a weak woman who, after her husband died, went to seek justice but failed and was instead beaten, which allowed her to return home.
After returning home, she was penniless but had to deal with the funeral arrangements of her mother-in-law and husband. She also had to take care of her two children despite her sick body, and occasionally look after her disabled brother-in-law.
This kind of tenacity is something many people cannot match.
Fu Wei in the article may have recovered his spirits after experiencing the successive deaths of his biological mother and a brother he had never met, and was also influenced by his sister-in-law.
But at that time, the Fu family was already like an old man in his twilight years, and no medicine or medicine could help them. It was beyond his ability to turn the tide.
It is understandable that Fu Wei would eventually become cold-blooded and heartless.
In the past half month, Yu Ying has been busy like a top and has no free time. Now she rarely thinks of Fu Wei and can't help but look towards the direction of Yu County.
After half a year of getting along, she had developed ties to everyone in the Fu family, so now her heart was filled with longing for their return.
——She kind of wanted to go back.
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