Chapter 126 The Lu family's embroidered pavilion is probably coming to an end!
The next day.
The embroidery shop was unusually quiet, with not a single customer visiting for half a day.
Lu Zhaoruo then summoned everyone to the hall...
Besides Wan Wanning, Sun Jing, and Lü'er, there was also Yunniang, the head of the storeroom, Chen Lao, the head needlework instructor, Yang Yuexiu, the accountant, Shi Tou, the purchasing manager, Ni Qiu San, the guard, Shi Mo Zi, as well as all the embroiderers, shop assistants, and even the cleaning ladies.
Everyone gathered in the hall, their eyes all fixed on Lu Zhaoruo standing at the front.
She was dressed in a simple dress, without any makeup, and her eyes showed signs of fatigue, but her back was ramrod straight.
She slowly swept her gaze across the crowd and said, "Gentlemen, you are all aware of the current situation. To help the navy suppress the Japanese pirates, the treasury of the Embroidery Pavilion has been emptied out. In the coming months, the monthly wages... will probably have to be delayed for a while, and we will also have to be extra frugal with our daily expenses."
Before she could finish speaking, the eldest steward, Chen, stepped forward first, his voice booming: "What are you saying, Master! Suppressing the Japanese pirates and quelling the rebellion is a matter of utmost importance, protecting the peace of our people! It is a blessing and an honor for all of us that the Embroidery Pavilion can contribute to this cause! What's wrong with the money being paid a little later? I won't go hungry!"
"that is!"
Yunniang, the outspoken and straightforward manager, immediately chimed in. Her eyes were slightly red, but the corners of her mouth were turned up in a forced smile. "How has the master always treated us? What have we ever done to us? What have we ever eaten, what have we ever worn out? We're all human! Now that the embroidery shop is in trouble, if we only care about those few taels of monthly pay, are we even human?"
The usually shrewd and calculating purchasing manager, Mudfish Three, who was always extremely frugal, leaned out from the crowd and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Boss! Don't worry! We may not have any other skills, but we're tough and can endure any hardship!"
“In the past, you would have provided enough for our whole family to eat and drink without us ever running out of food. Now that Xiulou has encountered such a big problem, it is time for us to repay your kindness!”
"It's just a matter of tightening your belt! I, Mudfish, will go to the market and spar with those bastards every three times I turn around, saving you every single penny! I'll make sure our brothel goes hungry!"
His words were both honest and witty, which made several young embroiderers burst into laughter through their tears, and the originally somber atmosphere in the hall immediately lightened up considerably.
Shi Mozi rubbed his large hands together, a simple blush rising on his dark face. He took half a step forward and said, "I...I'm a rough man, I don't know how to say nice things."
He looked at Lu Zhaoruo, his tone full of admiration: "But I know in my heart! You, a woman, Lu, are able to give up all your possessions, with righteousness in your heart, for the country and the people, without regard for your own gains and losses... This, this is an act of great kindness, the work of a hero!"
"We...we all admire you so much! We feel so secure working for an employer like you!"
After that, the others also spoke up.
"We stand with Xiulou through thick and thin!"
"Yes! We're all in this together! Boss, don't worry, we're all here for you!"
"What's wrong with suffering for a while? We won't lose our skills!"
Every word was earnest and sincere, echoing in the somewhat empty hall.
Looking at the sincere faces before her, Lu Zhaoruo suddenly felt a lump in her throat and her nose sting.
She took a deep breath, suppressing the tears welling up in her eyes, and bowed deeply and solemnly to everyone: "Zhao Ruo... thank you all! I will remember your words today and never forget them. I hereby swear that as long as the Embroidery Pavilion survives this calamity, this place will be everyone's home from now on. I, Lu Zhao Ruo, will do my utmost to ensure that everyone has enough to eat and wear and can live in peace and prosperity!"
Dong Rou, who was listening from the side, had already been moved to tears and kept wiping her eyes with her sleeve.
Wan Wanning stood alone in a corner a little further away from the crowd, coldly watching the scene. A slight smirk played on her lips as she muttered to herself, "Such nice words… So much real money was spent donating to the navy back then. If the people don't return and the ships sink, wouldn't this magnificent embroidered pavilion and all these beautiful words become a huge joke? Even if General Xiao returns, the emperor is far away, and he's become a rising star in the court. It's hard to say whether he'll even remember your small favors…"
She strongly agreed with what the owner of the Zhou family's diary across the street said.
Across the street, the vermilion gate of Zhou's Embroidery Shop was wide open.
With his hands in his sleeves and a slightly protruding belly, Master Zhou stood leisurely at the door with two sycophantic waiters, his gaze unabashedly sweeping across the tightly closed doors of the Lu family's embroidered building across the street.
A weasel-faced waiter was the first to raise his voice, speaking in a sarcastic tone: "Boss, look! That Lu's Embroidery Shop across the street is closed again today! It's been over ten days, and we haven't seen a single customer."
Zhou Dongjia snorted coldly: "Let them hold on for a few more days. Once the people inside are starving, I'll spend double the price to poach those skilled embroiderers and craftsmen one by one!"
He became more and more smug as he spoke, and his voice rose a few decibels: "At that time, Lu's Embroidery Shop will definitely have to close down!"
Another, more astute waiter immediately nodded and bowed, adding, "That's right! If it weren't for that... Madam Lu, who insisted on offering a high price of five hundred taels and snatched this brothel away halfway, this prime location would have been yours long ago, sir!"
Master Zhou's face darkened, and he spat on the ground: "Hmph! Just thinking about it makes me angry! I had it all planned out: I could buy this embroidered building along with the land deed for three hundred taels of silver!"
"Who would have thought that merchant woman would suddenly appear out of nowhere! She dared to ask for five hundred taels right off the bat! She completely undercut my price and snatched my bid!"
"I was laughing at her back then, saying she was naive, rich, and a hothead!"
His face twitched, revealing a hint of pleasure. "It seems I was right! When the time comes, I'll use three hundred taels to take back the embroidery shop. The embroidery industry in Jizhou City will still be dominated by my Zhou family!"
Just then, a cacophony of footsteps and shouts approached from afar!
Zhou Dongjia looked in the direction of the sound, and his small eyes suddenly lit up.
Li Nian'er, with a frosty expression and her eyebrows raised, led Peng, the head constable of the yamen, and a dozen or so fierce-looking yamen runners wielding fire and water sticks, heading menacingly towards the gate of Lu Ji Embroidery Building!
Without even knocking on the door, Peng Bandi waved his hand and shouted, "Break down the door! Search! Search thoroughly!"
"Bang... Clang..."
The heavy thud of the door being slammed and the ear-piercing sound of the bolt snapping instantly silenced the entire street.
This immediately attracted more onlookers from a distance, who pointed and whispered among themselves.
Master Zhou almost burst into laughter, tugging at the sleeve of his shop assistant beside him and whispering, "Look! Look! Why wait a few more days? It's truly heaven's help! It seems that soon, this embroidery shop, along with all the good stuff inside, will belong to the Zhou family! Hahaha!"
The weasel-faced waiter nodded and bowed repeatedly, winking and agreeing: "Master, you're right! You're right! I've heard about it long ago. That Madam Lu and her dismissed brother are blind and have offended the magistrate's daughter and the late Lord Li!"
He gestured with his lip across the room, his face full of disdain: "Tell me, a mere merchant's wife, with a little money, doesn't know her place and dares to fight with the officials? Now look at this, Young Master Li has personally led people to question us. This kind of scene... hehe, the Lu family's embroidered pavilion is probably doomed!"
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