Lu Qiqi followed Jiang Qinglan's graceful figure upstairs.
Jiang Qinglan pushed open the door to a side room, and a faint, elegant sandalwood fragrance drifted into Lu Qiqi's nostrils.
Upon entering the room, there was no silk or satin fabric, only a large desk, behind which was a bookcase displaying various books.
Lu Qiqi guessed that this must be where Manager Jiang's office was located.
"Miss Lu, please have a seat," Jiang Qinglan said.
After the two sat down, Jiang Qinglan's maid brought out a pot of tea and poured tea for them.
The aroma of the tea spread with the steam, and just by smelling it, Lu Qiqi could tell that this tea was extraordinary.
The two took a sip of tea and tacitly avoided mentioning what had happened in the lobby earlier.
Lu Qiqi placed the basket on the table and got straight to the point, "Manager Jiang, I have two kinds of fresh seasonal vegetables, cabbage and lettuce, fifty catties a day, which can supply Zuixianju for two months."
Fifty catties a day, enough for two months, would amount to three thousand catties of vegetables, which is a considerable quantity in the current environment.
Therefore, Jiang Qinglan paused slightly while drinking tea.
Jiang Qinglan put down her teacup and smiled faintly, "Why would Miss Lu choose me for such a wonderful opportunity?"
Jiang Qinglan wouldn't believe a sliver of a truth that Lu Qiqi had no ulterior motives.
Take Wumingju across the street for example; it's been trying to outdo Zuixianju for quite some time now.
With so many vegetables growing within the territory of Luzhou Prefecture, it's impossible that Wumingju (a nameless residence) hadn't heard a thing.
Lu Qiqi didn't hide anything and directly told Jiang Qinglan about her grudge with Wumingju.
"Why would I cooperate with you? Offending Wumingju for a dish or two would bring me absolutely no benefit," Jiang Qinglan said.
Lu Qiqi was confident, "It's common knowledge that Wumingju and Zuixianju are at odds, so there's no reason for their relationship to break down because of this business deal."
"On the contrary, the enemy of my enemy is my best friend, isn't he?"
When Jiang Qinglan saw Lu Qiqi's sparkling eyes, it was as if she saw her own former self, full of vigor and ambition.
After a moment of stunned silence, he said, "Then let's make a contract. You must supply the quantity specified in the contract every day."
"Zui Xian Ju will also spread the word to protect your noodle shop!"
The two wrote a contract, made in duplicate, and pressed their fingerprints on it, thus establishing the agreement.
Lu Qiqi wiped her hands clean with a handkerchief, extended her right hand and said, "It's a pleasure to do business with you, Manager Jiang."
Jiang Qinglan had never seen such a novel etiquette before. She also extended her right hand, which was grasped by Lu Qiqi in less than a moment.
She froze slightly, but quickly recovered and smiled faintly, "It's a pleasure doing business with you, Manager Lu."
A certain degree of trust is built invisibly around the two people, something that cannot be seen or touched.
Back at the noodle shop, Liu Tong, looking dejected, called out to Aunt Zhao, "The shopkeeper is back."
Liu Tong immediately woke up and got up to say, "Seventh girl, there are guards outside again. I don't know when it will end. Maybe we should stop selling bone broth noodles."
Lu Qiqi didn't expect Liu Tong to be the first to back down. She said, "Uncle Liu, I have found a solution. From now on, Zuixianju will spread the word, and ordinary people will not dare to make a move."
"Wumingju, which is a rival to Zuixianju, will only target Zuixianju."
Upon hearing Lu Qiqi's words, Liu Tong instantly perked up and laughed loudly, "I knew you had a way; you solved the problem as soon as you took action."
Liu Tong's voice was full of pride, as if he had solved the noodle shop problem himself.
Once the contract was signed, Lu Qiqi would have to deliver vegetables to Zuixianju every day on time.
Lu Qiqi couldn't personally deliver the vegetables every day, so she could only collect the vegetables from her space, pack them in baskets, and find the person with the tightest tongue to deliver the vegetables to Zuixianju and the noodle shop every day.
As the person who keeps their mouth shut the tightest, Monday.
He could only go to Zuixianju in Luzhou Prefecture before dawn every day, and then travel back to the noodle shop to deliver the dishes.
Since they started selling pork bone noodles with confidence, the noodle shop's business has taken off.
Not only ordinary people, but even wealthy families with status would come to the noodle shop to dine in.
This further enhanced the noodle shop's reputation.
...
Lu Qiqi's life is getting better and better, and money is coming into her pocket every day.
Lu Changping, who was in Heping Village, did not have it so easy.
She was forced by her mother-in-law to wash clothes for others every day, and every finger of hers was covered in sores.
Half a month ago, she was too tired and went into premature labor when she got home, giving birth to a daughter five months later.
When Liu's mother, Yuan, saw that Lu Changping had given birth to a daughter, she casually fed the boiled eggs to Liu Dali's mentally challenged younger brother, Liu Dahang.
For several days in a row, Lu Changping was fed only vegetable soup and water; she couldn't even get a grain of rice out of a bowl of porridge.
Lu Changping herself couldn't even get enough to eat, let alone have enough breast milk to feed her daughter.
The child would only cry when he was hungry, which annoyed Lu Changping.
Seeing the child's face reminds Lu Changping of Liu Dali, who had forced himself on her in the woods, and a surge of hatred wells up in her heart.
Lu Changping sat on the bed, holding the child in her left arm, her right hand trembling as she slowly moved closer to the child's neck.
When the rough hands touched the delicate skin, the child cried even harder, her whole body turning red and even a little purple.
Startled, Lu Changping withdrew her hand, held the child in both arms, and gently rocked him, hoping to lull him to sleep.
Half a month passed like this. When the baby turned one month old, Lu Changping's parents-in-law didn't take it seriously and didn't even give the baby a name.
All he ever talked about was being a money-losing burden, which made Lu Changping want to take her child and jump into the lake.
Death would end everything, but she was still resentful. Why did those who treated her badly all live better lives than her?
Despite her reluctance, Lu Changping gritted her teeth and persevered.
Two days before Lunar New Year's Eve, on the evening of the 28th.
Many households in Qingshui Town have hung red lanterns, and the atmosphere is filled with the spirit of the New Year.
Peace Village was shrouded in darkness. Lu Changping lay on the bed with her hair disheveled and her clothes in disarray, too weak to even move a finger.
As the child cried, tears welled in her eyes, and her gaze slowly focused.
I can hear sounds now.
"Honey, did it go well?"
When Yuan opened the door, Old Master Liu was tying Liu Dahang's belt.
He glanced at the lifeless Lu Changping and said, "It's done."
After saying that, he pulled Liu Dahang out the door without looking back.
Liu Dahang, unaware of what had happened to him, obediently followed Old Master Liu out of the room.
As soon as the two left, Madam Yuan walked down to the bedside and said in a loud voice, "You are the daughter-in-law my family bought to carry on the family line. Since Dali is dead and you can't give birth to a son, you will live with Dahang from now on."
“I’m warning you, don’t be ungrateful. If you dare to have any disloyal thoughts or bully Da Hang, I’ll take your household registration and sell you off.”
Lu Changping, lying on the bed, remained motionless, as if she couldn't hear anything.
Seeing that his plan for the day was complete, Yuan decided not to linger any longer.
She bent down, picked up the hemp rope from the ground, locked the door, and went back to her own room.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
