Watching her mother navigate effortlessly among a group of cunning and shrewd businessmen, Li Xin's mother felt a surge of pride. Her mother often told them, "Be confident, become stronger when facing stronger opponents, and be above them." That must have been the gist of it.
Looking at Yan Qingqing from the side, Wu Jingzhi said enviously, "Auntie is indeed a born businesswoman. I am no match for her."
After hearing this, Li Xinniang smiled and said, "My mother is certainly very capable, but Young Master Wu is not bad either."
After finishing her sentence, she started chatting with the people who came to inquire. From the craftsmanship and techniques to the market prospects, Li Xinniang spoke fluently. Of course, a large part of what she said was taught to her by Yan Qingqing in advance, but being able to talk calmly in front of so many people was a completely new challenge for Li Xinniang.
Wu Jingzhi was momentarily dazed by what he saw. It's no wonder he was a little confused; mainly because Li Xinniang had been so quiet the whole way, barely exchanging a few words with him, except for Yan Qingqing. Now, she was being so talkative. Thinking about this, Wu Jingzhi felt a little depressed and uncomfortable.
Yan Qingqing has already signed many orders, roughly estimated to be worth tens of thousands of taels of silver. Ah Da's hands were trembling as he ground the ink. Was their lady about to strike it rich?
Yan Qingqing was also very excited, but on the surface she remained calm and composed. After signing the contract and receiving the deposit, Yan Qingqing smiled and said, "My family has also built a mushroom cultivation workshop, but it is still in the experimental stage. If it is successful, you can all try it. It contains some extremely rare wild delicacies, which those high-ranking officials and nobles should really like."
The group of people were somewhat taken aback when they heard that Yan Qingqing's family had other businesses. At the same time, they were also very curious about just how large Yan Qingqing's family's business was. They wouldn't be surprised if it were some wealthy merchants, but the key was that it was in such an unknown little place. So they all had the idea of going to take a look.
This was exactly what Yan Qingqing wanted. She was just thinking about how to get rich with the villagers, and this opportunity had come knocking on her door. It seemed she would have to have a serious talk with Li Kaishan when she got back.
Some were happy while others were sad. This chamber of commerce meeting was undoubtedly a great success for Yan Qingqing and also a great success for the Wu family. However, it was not so successful for those merchants whose products were outdated and whose negotiation skills were weak.
Back at their inn, Yan Qingqing had just sat down to catch her breath when Wu Jingzhi came over happily. Upon seeing Yan Qingqing, he first bowed to her and said, "I'm sorry to have bothered you, Auntie. Please rest."
Yan Qingqing glanced at him and smiled, "What are you saying? It's just that I'm not as young as you. My old arms and legs are indeed a bit tired after a day of running around."
Upon hearing this, Li Xin's mother quickly went to her side and said, "Mother, let me massage your shoulders, that will make you feel better."
At home, when Yan Qingqing was tired, Yuan Huiniang and Li Xinniang would massage her like this to help her relax. So Yan Qingqing nodded, and then a pair of delicate white hands were placed on her shoulders.
Wu Jingzhi looked at the small hands massaging back and forth, a dark and ambiguous look flashing in his eyes, and then said, "Nephew is here to thank Aunt and Brother Xin. Today, thanks to Brother Xin's help, Jinsheng Pavilion has received so many orders. Our order volume will be very large later, and the people in the embroidery workshop may have to work hard."
Yan Qingqing's brow twitched upon hearing this. Although Wu Jingzhi always called her "aunt," he had never referred to himself as "little nephew" in front of her. This reminded Yan Qingqing of Manager Xue from back then. Both of them were "cunning merchants" and must have some ulterior motives to be so humble.
Yan Qingqing glanced at Wu Jingzhi without showing any emotion and said, "These are all things we should do, Jingzhi, you don't need to take them to heart."
After exchanging a few more polite words, Wu Jingzhi left. Yan Qingqing looked up at Li Xinniang and asked, "How many orders did the Wu family receive today?"
Li Xinniang thought for a moment and said, "I don't know the exact amount, but it should be around 100,000 to 200,000 taels. The headdresses we made were also quite numerous, probably worth around 20,000 to 30,000 taels."
Yan Qingqing: ......
She was just feeling smug about the orders the Chamber of Commerce had placed, totaling thirty to forty thousand taels. Who knew that compared to the Wu family, she was utterly crushed?
Yan Qingqing's envy flared up again, and she only stared at the money. She didn't consider how many years the Wu family had built up their connections, and that the gold and silver jewelry was expensive, with some pieces costing thousands of taels.
Yan Qingqing did not attend the Chamber of Commerce meeting the next day. It was not that she was arrogant and refused to accept orders, but rather that her family's workshop had just started up and she was afraid that if they could not produce enough, it would damage the reputation of their Canghe Liji.
Before Yan Qingqing even got out of bed, Wu Jingzhi knocked on the door and said he was going to the Chamber of Commerce. For someone like him who does big business, the more orders the better. Even if there are no orders, he can still build up a network of contacts, which will only help Wu Jingzhi in the future.
To Wu Jingzhi's surprise, when he knocked on the door, it was Li Xinniang who opened it. Wu Jingzhi paused in his knocking and asked, "I need to go to the Chamber of Commerce to tell Auntie."
Li Xinniang replied with a smile, "My mother hasn't gotten up yet. She already told Young Master Wu yesterday that she wouldn't be going today. I'll go with Young Master Wu today."
Wu Jingzhi nodded upon hearing this, and Li Xinniang had already closed the door for Yan Qingqing and quickly went downstairs.
Wu Jingzhi looked at Li Xinniang's retreating figure, seemingly wanting to say something but ultimately swallowing his words.
After getting enough sleep, Yan Qingqing started to wash and dress up. She had nothing to do today, and since Li Xinniang wasn't home, she was quite bored and decided to go out for a stroll.
As soon as she opened the door, she saw Ah Da squatting at her door. Seeing that Yan Qingqing had gotten up, he quickly said, "Madam, you're awake. I'll go get you some water to wash your face."
Yan Qingqing stopped him and asked, "Why didn't you go to the Chamber of Commerce with the young lady?"
Ah Da replied, "The eldest young lady said that I should stay by the madam's side, and Young Master Wu has plenty of people to serve him."
Actually, Yan Qingqing would prefer that A'da stay with Li Xinniang, but after thinking about it, she decided against it. Anyway, with Wu Jingzhi by her side, she didn't need to worry about Li Xinniang's safety.
Actually, there's no need to worry about her safety. Not only is she a Taekwondo expert, but before coming to the capital, Xiao Mochen said he would send two people to protect her. Although she doesn't know what those two people look like, Yan Qingqing can sense that they are not far from her. Especially at night, Yan Qingqing can sense that one is on the roof, while she can't feel where the other one is.
After a quick wash and a neat makeup, Yan Qingqing left the inn with A'da without having breakfast. She had several thousand taels of silver in her pocket and was determined to have a good time today.
In the first two days after she arrived, Li Xinniang asked her why she didn't go out for a stroll. She gave a long list of reasons, which were indeed part of the reason, but the main reason was that she was short of money. She had squandered almost all of her family's money on one workshop and one garden.
So she brought several hundred taels of silver notes with her this time, because the cost of living in the prefectural city is so high that money doesn't last long.
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