Chapter 243 Meeting the Magistrate of Wanzhou County
"The magistrate of Wanzhou County..." Du Wanchun muttered to himself, then replied with a smile, "Alright, I'll make a trip to Wanzhou County in a few days."
The waiter bowed and replied with a smile, "Alright, here's the invitation. Magistrate Qu said to take this invitation to his residence and someone will take you there."
Du Wanchun took the invitation and looked closely at it. The county magistrate's surname was Qu and his given name was Qu Wenzhi. The name sounded quite refined, but he didn't know who he was.
After receiving the invitation, she returned to her residence and told Zhou Ruiyuan about it.
Zhou Ruiyuan took her hand and said, "I'll go with you tomorrow."
Du Wanchun nodded. "Yes, husband, I think we're short two servants in the manor. Shall we invite them over?"
Zhou Ruiyuan shook his head, "No need, I usually only come here during the day, so it's fine if I live a simple life."
"Alright," Du Wanchun replied with a smile.
After returning to Changliu Village that night, the two went to Wanzhou County early the next morning.
Wanzhou County is relatively close to Cheng'an County, and it only takes about half a day to get there.
They set off in the morning and arrived at the Qu residence at noon.
Du Wanchun handed the invitation in her hand to the servant at the door.
Not long after, two servants came out of the mansion and welcomed them inside.
Du Wanchun followed them through the front yard to the main hall.
A man dressed in white was painting in the hall. When he saw them arrive, he quickly put down his brush, looked up at them, and said, "Lord Zhou, Madam Zhou, you've arrived."
Du Wanchun looked surprised when she saw the person in front of her. This Lord Qu was very young and handsome.
Qu Wenzhi welcomed them in and had the maids in the mansion pour each of them a cup of hot tea.
Du Wanchun picked up his teacup and said directly, "Lord Qu, I heard from the servants at home that you want us to open a shop in Wanzhou County."
Qu Wenzhi took out a plate of pastries and placed it in front of her. "Yes, there used to be a rice shop in Wanzhou County, but the owner of the rice shop passed away some time ago. The family property and the shop were divided among his sons, and the rice shop stopped operating."
“Now, if the people of Wanzhou County want to buy rice, they have to take a horse-drawn carriage for most of the day to come to your Chang'an County to buy rice.”
Zhou Ruiyuan nodded slightly and said, "You're right. It takes half a day to travel from our Cheng'an County to your Wanzhou County by carriage, and a whole day to walk. Ordinary people would only waste time and effort."
Qu Wenzhi nodded and said, "Just as Lord Zhou said, that's why I wanted Madam Zhou to open a rice shop in Wanzhou County. Madam Zhou doesn't need to worry about the shop; I will rent a good one for you."
After pondering for a moment, Du Wanchun replied, "If we open a rice shop in Wanzhou County, we will need to send someone to deliver rice every month, and we will also need to send a reliable manager to look after the shop."
Qu Wenzhi poured them a cup of tea. "As for the shopkeeper, Madam Zhou can send your preferred person over. As for the others, with me here, no one will dare to tamper with your rice shop."
Du Wanchun wanted to hear those words. If their shops had the protection of a county magistrate like him, their business would naturally go smoothly.
She smiled gently, her eyes crinkling, and said slowly, "Alright, my mother and I will go back and make some preparations."
Qu Wenzhi stood up and bowed to her very politely: "Then thank you very much, Madam."
Du Wanchun quickly stood up and bowed to him, saying, "It should be our Lord Xie."
Qu Wenzhi had initially thought that the Zhou family's lady was a cunning businesswoman, but he was surprised to find her to be so generous and gentle, which put his mind at ease.
Afterwards, Du Wanchun followed Qu Wenzhi to take a look at the shop.
It is indeed a great location, right in the most prosperous part of Wanzhou County.
After inspecting the shop, Qu Wenzhi invited Du Wanchun and Zhou Ruiyuan to lunch at the most famous restaurant in Wanzhou County.
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