Chapter 28 Double the Profit
Two days later, the eldest sister Xie Yuzhong said goodbye to her grandmother and father and set off back to the provincial capital.
When she came back this time, Yu Zhong saw that her sister was well-behaved and sensible, her brother had started a family and a career, and her new sister-in-law was gentle and considerate, so she felt relieved.
Xie Yuduo took Chen Qi and Yu Jing and sent them to thirty miles outside the city.
"I've been back for five or six days now. I was worried about my brother and sister staying home because they didn't come back with me. Now that Daddy and Grandma are well, and you and Yujing are being reasonable, I feel relieved."
Before leaving, Yu Zhong took out a small sandalwood box containing a pair of fine jade bracelets and handed it to Chen Qi.
"This is a relic left by my mother. Back then, this pair of jade bracelets accompanied me to the provincial capital. Now that I see you have started a family, I think my mother can rest in peace in her grave. Just think of this pair of bracelets as a thought, keep them well."
Chen Qi took it carefully.
"I will take good care of mother's belongings. Don't worry, sister. When Yujing grows up and gets married, I will give her as a dowry. I will never let mother down."
Speaking of their deceased mother, the elder sister and Xie Yuduo felt sad. They were also relieved to see Chen Qi respect her mother-in-law whom they had never met.
There was only little Yujing, holding her sister-in-law's soft hand, looking at this and that with her big eyes. Perhaps because she was still young when her mother died, and she was ignorant when she grew up, she didn't think there was anything wrong, which made Chen Qi feel even more distressed.
After the eldest sister left, a few days passed and it was September. It was time for Chen Qi to take over the responsibility of lunch in the shop from the second aunt.
On the first day, after Xie Yuduo got up, he felt a little worried. While putting on his outer robe, he turned back and asked his wife.
"I guess the store isn't too busy today. How about I stay home with you? You'll have a helping hand."
Chen Qi was putting on earrings in front of the mirror and waved her hands hurriedly.
"It's okay. It's just a small matter. Why should I help you? You underestimate me."
Since Chen Qi was ten years old, she could help the adults who went out to buy goods to run the store for a whole day. The woolen yarn shop was full of odds and ends, needles and thread, but when they settled the bill at night, not a penny was wrong.
Not more, not less.
The neighbors all said that she was a Jade Rabbit reincarnated from the Moon Palace in the sky. She looked well-behaved and kind, but in fact, she was a very smart and capable fairy girl at heart.
Yes, she has always been like her parents in doing business - she will never suffer a loss, and she will never let others suffer a loss.
After saying that, Chen Qi sighed to himself.
"You met me too late. You didn't even see me running my own shop. What a pity."
Xie Yuduo couldn't help but lean over and kiss her ear. Looking at the beautiful smile in the mirror, he smiled meaningfully and murmured in her ear.
"Fortunately, it's not a regret."
Chen Qi didn't notice him and thought he was in the way, so she pushed him out.
After breakfast, Xie Yuduo walked to the front shop. Xiao Wu, who was sharp-eyed, immediately came over and lowered his voice.
"Second Master, there's news from the government."
Xie Yuduo nodded, looked around, and asked, "Is the master not in the store?"
"Oh, you don't know me yet? I'm afraid I'll only come when the sun is setting in the south. How about calling Uncle Tang?"
"No need, you go first."
Xie Yuduo took Xiao Wu'er to the study and casually asked him, "Did Manager Tang have the final say in the shop before?"
"Yes, he's always the one in charge! Master Tang never likes to worry about things. Before you go home, all the things in the shop like serving customers, collecting bills, and taking inventory were done by people assigned by Master Tang."
"How's it going?"
"I'm not being nosy. This is all Uncle Tang's business, so he knows more than you do. It's just... well, he's the one in charge, after all. He has a lot on his mind, and I can't really say what he's up to."
Xie Yuduo glanced at him and said, "You're quite clever."
"Isn't it all because I learned from you? For the past two days, I've been following your instructions, hanging around the government office. Yesterday, I finally waited for the magistrate to go to court, and watched the excitement for a long time. When everyone dispersed in the evening, I followed a patrol officer I knew well and asked him everything."
"What do they say over there?"
"A few days ago, our county's officers and soldiers apprehended a gang of thieves who were stealing medicinal herbs. There were originally five of them. The last time we saw them, they were just two of their minions. They only stole 30% of the goods, and the bulk was stored in the neighboring county! Yesterday, our county magistrate held court and sentenced the thieves. All of them were jailed, and the two small shops that had received the stolen goods were sealed. However, since the victim had already returned to Guangdong and Guangxi, and it was inconvenient for him to travel back and forth, they sent an official letter with a handprint to sell the herbs locally. The cash was converted into cash, which served as a way to recoup the business."
Xie Yuduo nodded. It was about the same as he had expected. It was worth it that he had specially passed the message to the county and prevented the stolen goods from falling into the neighboring county.
By the time the eldest brother came to the shop humming a little tune, Xie Yuduo had already planned this matter.
"These stolen herbs won't last long. They'll have to be sold at a discount sooner or later. Firstly, our family owns the largest herbal medicine shop in Pingshan County. Secondly, I'm afraid others haven't heard the news yet. As the saying goes, when the time comes, don't be lazy, for it won't come back. Big brother, you'll have to keep an eye on this matter. Find a way to buy them all. As long as the paperwork is in place, this is good stuff that's been passed around."
After hearing this plan, Xie Yuming was so happy that he banged his fan in his hands.
"Well done, second brother, you're amazing! It just so happens that I've had a few drinks with Mr. Liu from the county, and we're quite friendly. I'll ask Old Tang to invite him out, and tonight we'll get to the bottom of it all. I'll make sure to swallow it all in one gulp."
Xie Yuduo stopped his elder brother from pacing back and forth and said, "Master Liu can find it, but there's no need to trouble Steward Tang."
The eldest brother was very puzzled.
"You're rarely at home, and he's always there for the social events at the shop... Oh, this time it was your contribution. It would have been better if the two of us brothers had come together..."
Xie Yuduo smiled and shook his head.
"Brother, just go. What I mean is... Manager Tang has a lot of experience and knowledge, so he might have realized that this is stolen goods. If he did, why did he insist on us buying it..."
According to the laws of this dynasty, whenever there is a theft case involving stolen goods, local officials have the responsibility to arrest the criminals and recover the stolen goods, and all shops involved in the case must immediately hand over the stolen goods so that the owners can claim them at any time.
However, in order to save trouble, the laws have been tightened layer by layer from the capital to the local areas. In small places like Pingshan County, there is an unwritten rule that the shops involved in the case will be directly sealed off until the case is clear and the transaction is completed, and then the shops can be reopened for business.
If they really accepted this batch of stolen goods, I'm afraid the Xie family's shop would have suffered a loss of several hundred taels.
The running around and doing favors after the incident is another expense, and the profits from it are much more than the monthly salary of a supervisor.
"This... he's already two lifetimes old, it shouldn't be that serious, right?"
Xie Yuduo smiled, "Perhaps I'm overthinking it. But since things have come to this, I'd better trouble you to go in person."
Xie Yuming nodded thoughtfully.
"I'll do as you say. If we calculate this, if we buy these herbs at a discount, we'll make at least five or six hundred taels of profit, which is equivalent to half a year's profit for our shop. Wonderful!"
Xie Yuming was roughly calculating the profits, smiling happily, and regardless of the pain, he clapped his hands until they turned red with a fan, and hurried out to look for someone.
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