In this tense situation, Shen Qinghe still managed to ask such a question. Meng Zhao didn't know whether to be angry or amused, so she suddenly raised her voice: "What does it matter if it's true or false? If you keep being so stubborn, I'll get sick from all the anger you've given me!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Qinghe seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, her voice incredibly gentle: "It's alright, I was wrong just now, don't be angry."
"Then will you change?" Meng Zhao looked up at him, her eyes still filled with lingering anger.
Shen Qing remained silent, and Meng Zhao understood what he meant. She was truly exhausted after all the commotion, so she said, "If you don't want to keep getting beaten up, leave now."
Shen Qinghe hesitated, then Meng Zhao closed her eyes and hardened her heart, saying, "From now on, don't come to the Meng family again unless it's absolutely necessary. I don't want to see you."
Under the moonlight, Shen Qinghe's figure stiffened slightly, showing that her complexion was indeed not good. In the end, he dared not linger any longer and could only slowly turn around. Before leaving the house, he looked back and gazed deeply at her, his eyes filled with deep affection, yet also with a touch of helpless sorrow.
As the footsteps faded into the distance, Meng Zhao slumped into a chair, her head throbbing as if it were about to explode. How could there be someone like Shen Qinghe in this world? Reasoning with him was pointless, and neither beating nor scolding him worked. He was like a stubborn piece of meat.
As the candlelight flickered, she couldn't help but ask herself, "Am I really going to just leave like this?" After all, once an official of the imperial court was appointed, he was not allowed to leave his post without a transfer order; otherwise, it would be considered dereliction of duty. If she left, he probably wouldn't be able to catch up with her.
But then she thought about it again. Her businesses in the capital had just started and hadn't even settled in yet. The restaurants and greenhouses she had planned hadn't even been arranged yet. Just because of his inexplicable affection, did she have to give up everything and flee in a hurry?
Why should she be the one hiding from me? She hadn't done anything wrong. So she started thinking about how to solve this problem.
At this moment, she felt extremely regretful. She shouldn't have bought such close houses just to save money. Now, whenever there are holidays or happy occasions, the two families would automatically gather together for a meal, and she couldn't avoid it even if she wanted to. It was so annoying.
The next morning, Meng Zhao woke up late because he had been drinking the night before and hadn't slept well due to some worries. He didn't get up until after having lunch at home before getting ready to go to the shop.
When they arrived at the Treasure Pavilion, Su Meng told her, "Manager, yesterday was a happy day, so I didn't mention it to you. Qingzhi finally decided to leave. I paid her wages before closing time yesterday."
Meng Zhao gave a casual "hmm" and flipped through the account book in her hand. Let her go. Everyone has their own ambitions. Since she insists on jumping into the fire pit, why should she stop her?
Looking up, Meng Zhao saw Su Meng still standing in the same spot, looking like she wanted to say something but hesitated. He raised an eyebrow: "Is there something else?"
Su Meng sighed softly and took out a small piece of silver from her sleeve: "When I opened the shop this morning, the young shop assistant said there was an extra piece of silver on the checkout counter. He thought it was left over when he was checking the accounts yesterday because he was in a hurry to close. When I looked at the size, I realized it was the same piece of silver I gave to Qingzhi yesterday. I guess she felt bad for us and was embarrassed to accept this money."
Looking at the silver coin, Meng Zhao's head started to ache again. Why were all these people like this? They were wicked but not thoroughly wicked, making it impossible for anyone to be ruthless.
After a moment of silence, she picked up the silver and handed it to Xiao Chuan, who was standing to the side, her tone tinged with helplessness: "Xiao Chuan, go and inquire around near Qing Zhi's house to see if the 'brother' she mentioned is really talented." She paused and continued, "Then find a time when no one is around and give her this silver alone. Just say that she works for me, and this is what she's entitled to. It has nothing to do with any favors or feelings of guilt."
Xiao Chuan pouted, looking unwilling: "Sister Meng Zhao, she's treated you like this, why are you still bothering with her?" The handsome young man angrily weighed the silver in his hand, "If you ask me, this silver is just enough to cover the cost of her meals when she was an apprentice, why should we give it back to her?"
Meng Zhao raised his hand and tapped Xiao Chuan on the head. "One thing at a time. I trained her so that she could make money for me in the future. I did it voluntarily. Besides, in the first three months of their work, although they had performance, they didn't receive bonuses or performance pay. This was already repaying the training expenses. And this money is her basic daily wage, plus the overtime pay she earned from working overtime a few days ago. How can you mix them up?"
Xiao Chuan rubbed his forehead where he had been hit, and suddenly remembered that cold winter. If it weren't for her stubborn kindness, which led her to brave the heavy snow to find him and Sister Wei, he would probably have frozen to death in the dilapidated temple long ago. Thinking of this, the dissatisfaction in the boy's eyes gradually turned into understanding. "I understand, Sister Meng. I'll go and do it right away!"
Watching the boy's departing figure, Meng Zhao suddenly remembered something and turned to Su Meng beside him: "Who was that young man you just said found the money?"
Su Meng replied, "It was Cui'er. Before the store opened today, when they were assigning cleaning areas, they put her near the checkout counter. She said she saw her while wiping the table."
Meng Zhao nodded slightly. "I remember a few days ago, a customer accidentally knocked over a blue and white porcelain vase. A young waiter immediately squatted down, picked up all the broken pieces with a handkerchief, and then cleaned the area thoroughly. I praised her at the time. Was it Cui'er?" Meng Zhao had too many responsibilities on a daily basis, and sometimes she couldn't remember some of the small things, so she asked.
"If you remember correctly, it's Cui'er. She's the youngest in our shop right now, but she's very meticulous in her work. Even Jianxia praised her, saying she's talented."
Meng Zhao pondered for a moment and said, "Then, when you close today, remember to praise Cui'er in front of everyone, and give her 100 coins from the account as a reward for her honesty in returning lost property. Also, tell Cui'er privately that if she performs well, she will be given priority to be transferred upstairs when there is a shortage of staff on the second floor in the future."
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