Hearing this, Zheng Quchi walked over with a smile and changed the subject: "Shopkeeper, other businesses believe in making money through harmony, but here you keep turning customers away, which is quite unusual."
The shopkeeper was about to roll up his sleeves and get really angry, but when he heard someone interrupt, he turned around to look.
He was a handsome young man of medium to short stature, with clear and bright eyes, and a pleasant appearance.
"And who are you?" he asked irritably.
Zheng Quchi deliberately spoke loudly: "A righteous person. You run a shop in Yongchun and should treat everyone equally. This is the rule of business. But you have taken your personal grudges and prejudices and accepted the order but then went back on your word. Doesn't this show that your Jinxing Inn is an unethical and untrustworthy business? Now that it is the Jichun Craftsmen's Association, you take advantage of your good business to arbitrarily cheat us new customers and choose which guests to stay in. If your business declines in the future, I want to see who will dare to choose such an untrustworthy inn that can arbitrarily kick out customers."
They can say whatever they want about other things, but once it involves their business, that won't do.
"You...you're talking nonsense!"
He panicked when he saw the strange looks in the eyes of the onlookers, who were pointing and whispering in his direction.
Zheng Quchi, of course, knew the weaknesses of merchants. She turned around and said to the people around her, "Please take a good look at this Jinxing Inn. They are a big business that bullies its customers. Right now, you may think it's none of your business, but once such an unscrupulous inn is free from basic ethics, how will it treat or bully its customers? Perhaps we today will be you tomorrow."
Her words were highly inflammatory, and what was originally a dispute between the two sides suddenly extended to involve everyone.
"I thought Yongchun was a great city that could embrace all rivers. Business regulations here are strict, but open and friendly. After all, all the inns here welcome guests with a smile. But this Jinxing Inn is really something else."
The merchants, who were initially somewhat dissatisfied with Zheng Quchi, an outsider, for making such outrageous remarks, decided not to join in the fun when they heard her praising the powerful and belittling the weak, but only targeting their Jinxing Inn. Instead, they were happy to have one less competitor.
When the innkeeper of Jinxing Inn heard the commotion and the young man's sharp and incisive words, she kept saying "amazing" and "untrustworthy," which made him, who was already in the wrong, unable to be fierce.
If things really escalate and the cause and effect are brought up, wouldn't that completely ruin the reputation of their Jinxing Inn?
That won't do!
However, the shop owner has been running the business for many years and has encountered many difficult customers, and is not bad at talking.
He immediately retorted, "We welcome everyone else at Jinxing Inn, but we look down on the craftsmen from your Ye Kingdom. Everyone knows that your Ye Kingdom has no craftsmen and no skills, yet you insist on participating in the Jichun Craftsmen's Gathering, competing with craftsmen from the other six kingdoms for rooms. If we let them stay, and they make it into the finals, our Jinxing Inn will be honored. But if we let you stay, it will only bring you bad reputation."
These words were an insult to the craftsmen of Ye, not only throwing them to the ground and trampling on them, but also grinding them down hard.
Zheng Quchi's pent-up anger, which had been building up since the beginning, finally erupted.
"Oh, so you mean that because the craftsmen from Ye are incompetent, you have the right to turn away customers and completely disregard their original orders?"
"It's not like I'm not going to cancel my reservation. Rooms are in short supply right now. Do you think I should prioritize those who are actually here in Yongchun to do business, and instead cater to people like you who are just here to join in the fun and can't even get close to the Jichun Craftsmen's Association?"
The shopkeeper was indeed eloquent; with his words, he immediately reversed the tide of events.
"Don't be so stubborn." Zheng Quchi looked at him calmly and asked indifferently, "How do you define what you call competence and incompetence? If you differentiate by country, it's too one-sided. Why don't you come up with a standard and we'll try it out?"
Upon hearing her boast, if the shopkeeper hadn't been provoked by her desire for revenge in the first place, he might have just dismissed her with a barrage of ridicule and humiliation. But now, he couldn't let it go and wanted to make this arrogant man look foolish and humiliated in public!
He walked to the entrance of their Jinxing Inn and pointed to a doorpost as thick as a man's embrace: "You want to prove that your Ye Kingdom's craftsmen are also capable, right? Well then, see this doorpost?"
Zheng Quchi looked in the direction he pointed and saw a relief doorpost with decent craftsmanship, but... "Why is it only half-carved?"
At this moment, someone said, "Isn't this the half of the carved pillar that their owner deliberately left behind when he opened the inn? He said that his craftsmanship was superb, and few could compare to him. He also said that if anyone could complete it, he would waive their room and board for a whole year."
Room and board expenses for the whole year?
How much is that?
Upon hearing this, Zheng Quchi's calm expression immediately changed; her eyes turned green, and she eagerly anticipated the challenge.
Who would have thought I'd encounter such a wonderful thing?
"I have to say, with so many people coming and going, after taking a few glances, no one dared to try the challenge."
"I've heard it's very difficult. The first difficulty is in the skill, the second is in recreating the other person's carving, and the third difficulty... I don't know. In short, everyone who has seen it says it's difficult."
Hearing the people discussing this, the shopkeeper proudly raised his chin and said arrogantly, "That's right, this is our master's unparalleled carving technique. Don't you think your Ye Kingdom's craftsmen can do it too? Why don't you challenge them in public?"
What?
A carving technique that has shaken the ages?
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