Chapter 9: Showing goodwill to the shop owner, preparing for what's to come!
She first went to a restaurant at the street corner and bought a jar of wine, then went to a eatery at the end of the street and bought braised pork. Neither of these was cheap, and she spent all two strings of cash.
Cloth shop.
Lu Zhaoruo smiled and handed over the wine jar: "Manager Chen, it's freezing cold, so I brought you some wine to warm you up."
Manager Chen put down the ledger: "Why should the master go to such lengths..."
He quickly wiped his hands with his sleeve, carefully picked up the wine jar, and after removing the seal and taking a sniff, his eyes widened: "This... isn't this Anlelou's lamb wine? A liter costs a hundred coins, and this jar will cost more than a string of cash!"
His rough fingers caressed the celadon body of the jar, his eyes welling up with tears of emotion.
Manager Chen was an honest and kind man who liked to drink a little wine, especially the lamb wine from Anlelou Restaurant. However, he was short of money and had to wait in line. Fortunately, the proprietress of Anlelou Restaurant was on good terms with Lu Zhaoruo, which saved him the trouble of waiting in line.
Lu Zhaoruo said gently, "You've been supporting this shop for me, so this meager amount of wine is nothing to worry about."
Manager Chen covered his face with his sleeve: "The owner is a kind person who often helps my whole family. Naturally, he will be loyal to managing the shop for you."
Lu Zhaoruo smiled and said, "That's because you treat people with sincerity, which is why I respect you."
She paused, then continued, "But I have another matter to ask of you today. The weather is getting colder, and I'd like to buy some winter clothes and take some fabric with me..."
Before he could finish speaking, Manager Chen had already strode to the shelf and pointed to several thick bolts of crepe silk on the top shelf: "This is newly arrived Yuanzhou crepe silk. Please feel free to use it. The accounts will be recorded as year-end inventory loss. Samples will be given to customers, and losses due to rodent damage will be accounted for."
After thanking him, Lu Zhaoruo took away 4 bolts of Yuanzhou crepe silk, 2 bolts of Hui-spun silk, and 3 catties of silk floss...
She went to the tailor shop again.
Holding the steaming hot braised pork, Yunniang's eyes reddened: "This...how can this be..."
"I always remember you love this, so eat it while it's hot."
After saying that, Lu Zhaoruo said softly, "I would also like to trouble you to make three winter coats..."
Yunniang lowered her voice: "Don't worry, boss. Everything has been handled properly on paper. Your father-in-law won't notice any flaws."
She leaned closer and said mysteriously, "It's strange, but a distinguished guest just came by and immediately ordered more than a dozen winter clothes, specifically choosing the best materials. He even asked me to help him purchase the fabric, so I naturally went to our shop and got the finest raw silk."
"What's even stranger is that he wasn't in a hurry to take it, and told me to take my time."
Yunniang took out a silver ingot from the silver cabinet: "Look, they gave me fifty taels of official silver directly, which is more than ten taels more than I should have. I asked a question, and the gentleman just smiled and said, 'It's not a big deal...'"
Lu Zhaoruo raised an eyebrow. Such a wealthy customer should be going to the silk shops in the city. Why would he come to her little shop?
However, she didn't think too much about it at the moment. She noted down the measurements of her mother, father, and brother, put away the extra silver, and left.
Manager Chen and Yunniang were both people she trusted; in her previous life, these two had always been with her.
She looked at the gilded signboard "Chen Ji" above the door and couldn't help but smile bitterly.
Although she brought these two shops back to life, they were still Shen family property. When the Shen family fell into ruin, they sold off all their assets, leaving only these two shops. The Shen family barely made ends meet with the meager rent.
According to the laws of the Great Jurisdiction, women are not allowed to establish their own households to conduct business. Although Shen Qingshu set up two managers as a front and the business was in her hands, he still had to review all the accounts.
Once she leaves the Shen family, these two shops will belong to the Shen family.
Moreover, since the owner of the property is Shen Qingshu, she cannot transfer the shop privately.
So she has to think of another way; if she leaves, these two shops have to go with her!
As for how they were able to operate two shops...
Three months after Shen Rongzhi left home, she happened to save the life of Gu Xian, the owner of a silk shop.
This scholar, who came from a family of weavers in Shucheng, made an exception to repay her life-saving kindness and allowed her, a woman, to directly purchase silk and textiles from the silk shops and weaving workshops. He even signed a "long-term supply contract".
I remember the first batch of goods came from Gu Xian's silk shop. That day, he personally brought the finest cloud-patterned crepe with his shop assistant. Seeing her troubled expression, he said gently, "Madam Lu, there's no need to rush to settle the bill. It's not too late to pay after the goods are sold."
Despite such kindness, Lu Zhaoruo always regarded her as a benefactor.
At that time, Dongrou was still beside him, smiling as she said, "Madam, do you think this young master Gu has ulterior motives? You just happened to be passing by and picked up the pills for him. Although it's true that you saved his life, he's being far too attentive..."
That day, Lu Zhaoruo went up the mountain to collect firewood when suddenly a young man in brocade robes collapsed on the road. The man had beautiful features but a pale face. His slender fingers were tightly gripping the fabric of his clothes, and his other hand was trembling as he reached for the pills that had rolled down not far away, but he couldn't reach them no matter what he did.
She quickly picked up the pill, helped him sit up, and fed it to him.
Gu Xian swallowed the pill and it took him a while to catch his breath. He smiled bitterly and said, "I have suffered from heart palpitations since childhood. If I don't take this medicine when it flares up, I'm afraid I will die."
She didn't know why this Scholar Gu would appear in this small town of Jizhou, especially on a mountain road. Not to mention the county government officials, even the prefectural officials would have to show him respect.
Once her thoughts returned to the present, Lu Zhaoruo did not return to the Shen residence, but instead went to the alleyways.
Anlelou, the corner room on the third floor that never has a nameplate.
An Linglong pushed open the door and entered, carrying a wine jar. She lowered her voice and said, "Just now, Madam Lu bought a jar of lamb wine. I originally wanted to waive her payment, but I couldn't find a proper reason. I was afraid she would become suspicious."
After saying that, her eyes sparkled, and she glanced at the two people in the room.
The man on the left, dressed in a flowing floral robe, exudes elegance as he gently waves his folding fan; the man on the right, holding a long sword, displays a refined and aloof air with his sharp eyebrows and bright eyes…
Although she was over thirty, her fondness for handsome young men was something she had had since childhood. She couldn't help but lightly lick her lips, about to step forward to say something intimate, when the waiter downstairs shouted at the top of his lungs, "Madam! The newly arrived Dongting Spring Colors are about to be stored in the cellar, come and take a look!"
She rolled her eyes and left reluctantly.
Gu Xian, fanning himself with a folding fan that made the fan tremble, tried to keep it going, and said, "Xiao... Xiao Yeming! You heartless bastard! You went and ordered more than a dozen sets of winter clothes from another store? I'm the owner of a silk shop! You've completely sided with Gan Hai..."
Xiao Yeming leaned against the window, sword in hand, too lazy to even lift his eyelids.
"Oh!"
Gu Xian waved his fan sarcastically, "That's right, Brother Xiao, you gave up a perfectly good position as the commander of the navy, and after you finished suppressing the Japanese pirates, you didn't get promoted. Instead, you came to Linhai and even humbled yourself to become a lowly commander. Aren't you afraid of freezing to death on your daily patrols!"
Xiao Yeming looked out the window, directly in the direction of Chenji Tailor Shop.
Seeing that he remained silent, Gu Xian, though already used to it, was still furious. She slammed her fan shut and said angrily, "Ungrateful wretch! Back then, to bring business to the Lu Niangzi you owed, I even wore out 'The Art of War'!"
He listed her complaints on his fingers: "I suggested pretending to jump into the river and shout for help, but you said you were afraid she would get cold if she jumped in! I suggested letting wild dogs chase me, but you said you were afraid they would bite her! I suggested pretending to faint, but you said she couldn't carry me and that it was inappropriate for men and women to touch each other!"
At this point, he fanned himself in anger and sneezed: "You've come up with a terrible idea, making me squat on the mountaintop pretending to be sick in the dead of winter. Not only did I sit on cow dung, but the styrax pills were so bitter that I couldn't eat a single bite for seven days!"
After saying that, he sighed, his tone softening slightly: "Brother Xiao, that Madam Lu has been married into the Shen family for three years now. She serves her parents-in-law, runs a shop, and with your help, her life is getting better and better. Perhaps her husband, who is doing business away from home, will be back soon. When that happens, the whole family will be happy and harmonious. You've already paid back what you owed her..."
Xiao Yeming withdrew his gaze. His pale complexion made him appear even more aloof and icy, while his spirited and sharp young face seemed to be wrapped in a layer of frost, making him awe-inspiring.
Deep sorrow and depression were hidden in his eyes.
“Shen Rongzhi is by no means a kind person.”
He said.
Gu Xian raised an eyebrow at him: "How do you know Shen Rongzhi isn't a good person? Everyone in Yong'an County, Jizhou City, knows that the two of them are famously childhood sweethearts, inseparable since they were little... Madam Lu waited for him for three years without asking to leave, that's true affection..."
"call out."
Xiao Yeming climbed out the window and left.
Gu Xian hurriedly leaned halfway out of the window frame, the jade pendant at his waist jingling against the window frame, and said, "I was wrong, I was wrong! It's just that I found out you secretly ordered winter clothes from Madam Lu! I won't blame you, okay? Come back and chat for a while."
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