"Where did those pearls come from?" Zhang Wu looked at Bai Nuo, one question after another popping up.
"It was also obtained for me by our shopkeeper. I don't know if the Long brothers have told you about it. I told them that I know an old man who gave me the pearl."
"You mean this old man is your behind-the-scenes manager?" Zhang Wu was shocked. He didn't expect that Bai Nuo knew about his mission to follow her. But Bai Nuo's words were half true and half false, which surprised Zhang Wu so much that he forgot to refute them and instead admitted it.
Bai Nuo nodded, then shook his head. "That old man was just helping our manager with his work. The decision is our manager's, not the old man who gave me the pearl."
So, the pearl actually belongs to someone else now. However, Zhang Wu had a new question. Last time, his family went to great lengths and overcame all difficulties to make a connection in the palace and send the pearl to the empress, which caused a sensation and left an impression on the emperor. According to his clues, this pearl is a new item. Since the shopkeeper that Bai Nuo mentioned is so capable, why didn't he send the pearl up before?
Seeing the wave of confusion on Zhang Wu's face, Bai Nuo kindly explained, "Our master doesn't have such grand ambitions; he's content with just enough to live on. Although I've always been the one selling the pearls, I still need to discuss the matter of cooperation with our master before making a decision. Currently, we simply cannot supply you with so many pearls. However, if you want the pearls we have on hand, my mother can arrange to sell them all to you. You are a major customer of our Duobao Pavilion, and we can offer you a discount!"
Zhang Wu shook his head. The supply couldn't last, and even a small amount wouldn't be of any use to him; the key issue was that this small amount was extremely expensive.
"Where is your manager?" Zhang Wu asked, still unwilling to give up. "Could you arrange for me to meet with him?"
Bai Nuo shook her head. "Our manager is originally from the capital." When she said this, Bai Nuo unconsciously brought Hu Mingmei into the conversation. "But our manager is often not in the capital. His family doesn't know where he is. He's always the one who looks for us. We really can't find him. However, I can keep an eye out for him for Young Master Zhang. If our manager comes back, we will definitely invite you over for a get-together."
Seeing that Bai Nuo had spoken like this, Zhang Wu felt that if he continued to say anything, he would be being unreasonable, so he immediately stopped talking and said, "In that case, thank you very much, Miss Bai."
After learning that Bai Nuo was not the real shopkeeper, Zhang Wu immediately changed his address for Bai Nuo back to "Miss Bai."
"I'm so sorry!" Bai Nuo said with a smile as she poured tea for Zhang Wu. "Young master, please have some tea."
Since the deal fell through, Zhang Wu was unwilling to condescend to accept Bai Nuo's extremely inferior tea. "No, Jingwen is still waiting for me downstairs. I've been out for quite a while now, so I need to hurry back."
Zhang Wu had already stood up, so Bai Nuo couldn't very well try to stop him. He could only stand up and give Zhang Wu a slight bow, saying, "I'll see you down, young master!"
Zhang Wu waved his hand, "Miss Bai, please wait!" and then hurriedly walked away.
As soon as Zhang Wu left, Jiang Qiao'er leaned over the railing and looked down. Only after seeing that Zhang Wu had really gone down did she whisper, "What manager? What are you talking about? Isn't this Treasure Pavilion yours?"
Bai Nuo smiled and shook his head, not telling Jiang Qiao'er the truth.
She now realizes that the excuses about cousins and things belonging to someone else are really useful. If Zhang Wu comes again in the future, she can use all the excuses on this non-existent shopkeeper.
With this shopkeeper whose voice is heard but whose face is never seen, I believe there will be far fewer troubles.
"Let's go downstairs too." Bai Nuo picked up the teapot and fruit plate and went downstairs.
As soon as I got to the second floor, before I even reached the first floor, I could hear a series of noises coming from the lobby.
It's not that someone is arguing, it's that someone is talking loudly.
Bai Nuo frowned and quickly walked downstairs.
"What's wrong?"
When they went down to the first floor, Li Jinyu, the Zhang siblings, and the lady who had shown great interest in buying the pearl bracelet were no longer there; only a few people were browsing.
Hu Mingmei and Lu Ying were still there. When Bai Nuo came down, she glanced at Hu Mingmei. Hu Mingmei was drinking tea in the same spot and in the same posture. Lu Ying was also standing still. If they hadn't occasionally exchanged a few words, Bai Nuo would have thought that two statues had come.
The one speaking loudly was none other than an old acquaintance.
Yu Ziqing's mother and Yu Ziqing's childhood sweetheart, Old Lady Yu, and Zhang Jiyue.
Yu Ziqing, one of the three members of the Yu family, was not present today; only the two women came.
The two of them were the ones speaking loudly.
When Jiang San Niang heard Bai Nuo's voice, she subconsciously looked towards the stairwell and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that it was Bai Nuo.
Seeing Jiang San Niang's troubled expression, Bai Nuo quickly walked over and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"
Jiang San Niang recounted the story in a low voice.
The news of Duobao Pavilion's opening today has spread throughout the entire town in such a short time. Everyone who goes out, whether old or young, knows that Duobao Pavilion has opened today.
Everyone wanted to come and see, so many people came to join in the fun. After they went back, they told others, and now everyone knows.
Old Mrs. Yu and Zhang Jiyue were originally in the line that no one knew about, but when they came out to buy groceries, they heard people talking about how a new shop called Duobaoge had opened on the main street, and that the things sold there were ridiculously expensive, costing thirty taels of silver. Old Mrs. Yu was quite impressed and wanted to see what was going on, so she came with her shopping basket.
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