Seeing the butcher's somewhat simple-minded appearance, Yan Qingqing couldn't help but smile and ask, "Boss, do you offer home delivery?"
The butcher quickly replied, "It's a delivery, it's a delivery. I'll deliver all the pork offal you need directly to the shop now."
Yan Qingqing thought for a moment and said, "Okay, give me 120 catties of meat, cut into 60 portions, each portion weighing 2 catties."
"If the boss has time, please deliver it to the Li family's shop in Canghe Village. If he doesn't have time, delivering it to our shop is fine too."
The butcher was secretly pleased to see that Yan Qingqing wanted so much meat at once. Yan Qingqing's family had always been his big customers, and he had made a lot of money from them in the past six months.
He immediately agreed, saying that he would slaughter a fresh pig first thing tomorrow morning and deliver it to Yan Qingqing in Canghe Village.
Yan Qingqing ordered pork and planned to go to Manager Yang's Five Grains Shop again.
Yuan Huiniang asked, somewhat puzzled, "Mother, why are you buying so much pork? Even if there are many people in our family, we can't finish it all."
Besides, we still have chickens and ducks at home, and we eat plenty of that meat regularly, so nobody's that craving it.
Yuan Huiniang was telling the truth. Their family's life had been getting better and better over the past six months, and they really didn't crave meat anymore.
Yan Qingqing explained with a smile, "This isn't for us to eat, but rather for the welfare of the people who work in our family."
Yuan Huiniang exclaimed in surprise after hearing this, as she had never heard of any household providing welfare benefits for its workers.
Li Xin's mother also asked, "Mother, do we have all the people who work for our family?"
Yan Qingqing nodded and said, "Actually, giving them benefits will make them feel more at home in our embroidery workshop and shop."
Our industry is still small now. Once it grows bigger, I'm thinking of giving them bonuses and profit sharing.
The three of them were deeply moved by her mother's magnanimity and breadth of mind, something they could never achieve in their entire lives.
After arriving at Wugufang, Yan Qingqing chatted with Manager Yang for a while and asked for another batch of flour. Of course, it wasn't too much; she just asked Manager Yang to pack ten jin for each batch.
That's six hundred catties, so Manager Yang was naturally happy. In those days, only wealthy families could afford to buy six hundred catties of flour at once.
After buying those items, it was time to purchase things for their own household. Yan Qingqing let Yuan Huiniang make the decisions herself, since Yuan Huiniang had written most of the list.
The three of them shopped and strolled along the way. They carried the small items they bought themselves, and paid for the larger items to be delivered to Li Ji Delicatessen in Canghe.
Shopping is probably a woman's nature, and the four of them got more and more excited as they shopped.
Finally, they arrived at a jewelry store, and Yuan Huiniang said, "Mother, you don't have a decent piece of jewelry yet. Let's go in and take a look. If you like anything, I'll buy it for you."
Yan Qingqing was pleased to hear this, but as the mother-in-law who controlled the family finances, it was unreasonable for her to ask her daughter-in-law to invite her.
So she said generously, "Mother has money. Let's go take a look. If you like something, Mother will buy one for each of you."
The four of them happily entered the jewelry store, where a young clerk of about fifteen or sixteen years old quickly came out to greet them and asked, "Madam and Miss, are you looking to buy jewelry?"
Yan Qingqing nodded and said, "Do you have any new styles here? Show them to me."
The young waiter quickly agreed, but then a middle-aged man walked over and said, "Get out of the way. You've only been here a few days. How can you possibly serve the customers well?"
After saying that, he smiled obsequiously at Yan Qingqing and said, "Madam, I am the manager of this jewelry store. Please see if there is anything you need and I will help you find it."
Yan Qingqing glanced at the young shop assistant who dared not speak out against his anger, then looked at the obsequious manager and immediately smiled, "Alright, bring me whatever new and beautiful designs your jewelry store has."
The steward was delighted to hear this and quickly brought over a plate of hairpins. Yan Qingqing looked at them but didn't say anything.
Seeing that Yan Qingqing was not satisfied, the manager went inside to change the plate, but Yan Qingqing still shook her head.
The person in charge changed the plates five or six times in a row, and Yan Qingqing shook her head without saying a word.
Yuan Huiniang, Li Xinniang, and Li Yueniang exchanged glances, knowing that their mother was dissatisfied with the steward, so the three of them stood aside without saying a word.
The atmosphere was extremely awkward. Finally, the manager couldn't hold back any longer and said in a low voice, "Madam, I think you're not here to buy jewelry, but to cause trouble, aren't you?"
Before Yan Qingqing could speak, Li Yueniang retorted, "How can you talk like that? Look at your hairpin, it's so vulgar, how can it match my mother's noble temperament?"
The manager said irritably, "These are all the latest models, specially made by famous masters. If you can't afford them, go somewhere else."
Yan Qingqing snorted and said, "Do you think we can necessarily like something made by a famous master? Look at this flower carving, it's almost bigger than your head. Can you really wear something like this out in public?"
Or do you think we can't see through your little schemes, and you're afraid you won't get enough commission?
Yan Qingqing's deliberate attempt to cause trouble was one aspect, but her genuine disdain for these things was another.
The things the person in charge brought out were all the same kind of headdresses with big flowers and butterflies.
If you wore that on your head, you'd immediately look like a nouveau riche.
Moreover, the manager's intentions were quite clear: the larger and heavier the silver ornament, the more Yan Qingqing and her group would spend, and the more commission he could earn.
The manager, his little scheme exposed by Yan Qingqing, was so angry that his face turned red as he said, "Our jewelry store does not welcome customers like you. Please go elsewhere."
Yan Qingqing scoffed and retorted, "Do you own this jewelry store? Or does your boss authorize you to turn customers away?"
The manager, sticking out his neck, said, "This is our boss's brother-in-law."
Yan Qingqing said "Oh," and then added, "So your boss not only has a poor eye for sourcing goods, but also an even worse eye for people!"
Without lingering, they led Yuan Huiniang and the other two out. The young waiter who had initially greeted Yan Qingqing and her companions quickly chased after them, saying, "Madam, please wait!"
Yan Qingqing turned around and glanced at him. The young waiter smiled broadly and said, "Madam, I'm so sorry. I've made you suffer today. I apologize to you."
Yan Qingqing glanced at him; he was still a child. Besides, this matter had nothing to do with him, so she smiled and said, "This has nothing to do with you; you don't need to take it to heart."
The young waiter shook his head and said, "I was the one who greeted you at first, and I should have served you to the end. But because I was timid and afraid of trouble, Manager Qi took over, which made Madam unhappy. I am also responsible."
As a shop assistant, this level of awareness is not something an ordinary person can have. Yan Qingqing rolled her eyes and said, "I think you're quite clever. Why put up with this? If you can't stand it here, you can come to Canghe Li Ji Delicatessen to find me. My surname is Yan."
After saying that, Yan Qingqing left without waiting for his reaction, taking Yuan Huiniang and the other two with her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com