Chapter 33 Born Businessman
The next day, Xiao Wu indeed brought a carriage and waited for Chen Qi early.
Seeing Chen Qi coming, Xiao Wu hurriedly came forward and said, "Thank you for your consideration, Second Madam. I've been in the shop for a long time and was just thinking of going out for a run!"
Shen Qi laughed and said, “My home is far away, but you can run for a long time!”
This time she looked carefully and found that Du Xiaowu was only about thirteen or fourteen years old. He was not yet fully grown and was thin, but his features were handsome.
He often went out with people and was very skilled at riding a horse. The journey to Baihe Town took about an hour, and the two of them talked and laughed, having a great time. Xiao Wu saw that Second Madam spoke in a friendly manner, so he picked out some new things in the shop to tell her, which made Shen Qi laugh non-stop.
"Second Master is a natural businessman, and everyone admires him. Second Madam, I hope you will have endless blessings in the future."
"Oh, tell me, why are you a natural born businessman?"
"He's a clever man! If the Second Master had calculated the account book once, even if he had ten other accountants, they wouldn't have made a mistake. He remembers the weight of each of the hundreds of medicinal herbs he purchased, no matter how many pounds or ounces they weighed. Normally, the shop is bustling with people, but if he's met someone once, he can still remember their name even after not seeing them for a long time. He's a natural born businessman, isn't he?"
Chen Qi had a smile on her face, but she didn't continue what he said.
"Business is something you learn over time. It's just that my grandfather taught me well."
"The eldest master is fine, but he loves to drink and get drunk. In the afternoon, he would just lie down and fall asleep. In the past, when we had something to ask the master, he would get angry and curse at us. Now, everyone has learned their lesson. Whenever there is something to ask, we just ask the second master. There is nothing he can't handle."
Shen Qi joked, "Oh, no wonder he's so busy."
"Second Master has been teaching me how to read accounts and count stocks lately! When I'm done learning, I'll let Second Master go back and spend more time with Second Madam."
After hearing this, Chen Qi quickly changed the subject and asked him how old he was, how old he was when he came here, and what skills he had learned. Listening to his words one by one, she could tell that this child was smart and witty, and he was indeed a clever guy.
When they arrived at Baihe Town, Shen's parents were taking inventory of the goods in the shop. They were very happy to see their daughter come home. They quickly asked Zhang to accompany Shen Qi back to the backyard and brought out a lot of fruits to treat Du Xiaowu.
Chen Qi met her mother and sister-in-law, exchanged greetings, and then told them the purpose of her visit.
Speaking of Si'er, Zhang sighed.
"I heard they saw another one a few days ago. He's a butcher, almost 30 years old. Xiao Si didn't agree. Her father beat her so badly that she's been ripped apart and hasn't eaten or drunk anything for days. Her parents were afraid she'd starve to death and then be unable to get married, so they agreed to look elsewhere. Your sister-in-law couldn't bear it, so she went to her mother and asked her to come work for us, offering a pay raise. But her mother flatly refused."
Sister-in-law Qiao followed up, saying, "Her mother's words are so irritating. She says that earning money month after month is too little and too slow. It would be better to marry off the fourth child. The gift money she gives at once could feed the whole family for a year or two."
As they spoke, the two sighed repeatedly.
Chen Qi was also angry when she heard this, but at least she felt relieved to know that Si'er had not been married off yet.
After lunch, Chen Qi went out and walked into an alley three or four blocks away, until he stopped at a courtyard at the edge of the town.
There was a tattered wooden door, and from inside came the noisy chattering of children.
Just by listening to the sound, I knew that this was Qin Si'er's home.
Chen Qi knocked on the door, but no one answered, so she pushed the door half open.
In the yard, Si'er, wearing tattered clothes, was combing the hair of a younger sister who was not dressed much better.
Her mother was cursing and swearing as she cooked vegetable leaves and lit a fire.
She cursed her newborn son for being unlucky and dead at birth. She cursed the group of boys and girls in the family for being noisy and troublesome all day long. She also cursed her incompetent husband for not coming home, drinking outside all day and not working.
Mainly scolding Si'er.
They scolded her for being disobedient. Her two older sisters had already married, and her one brother had been sold to work. The money her sisters had given her as gifts could have supported the family for a year, but she refused to do so and just ate plain rice at home every day.
Si'er didn't say anything, but tilted his head back, trying hard to fight against his sister's messy hair.
It was already late autumn, and his clothes were obviously too short. There were a few blue scars on his exposed arms, but his face was relatively clean.
I think she was preparing to show her appearance to the man she was looking at, and she didn't show her face on purpose.
"If you say no again, I'll marry off your eleven-year-old sister tomorrow. After all, you have to support your family! Who is so disobedient like you..."
Shen Qi really didn't want to listen anymore, so she quickly asked, "Is your aunt home?"
When Si'er's mother saw Chen Qi, it was like seeing a phoenix in broad daylight. She quickly dropped the vegetable leaves in her hand, called out "Miss Shen", and found a place for her to sit.
Unfortunately, there was not even a complete chair at home. After searching for a long time, he gave the wooden stool he was originally sitting on to Chen Qi and found a brick to sit on.
He took another bowl and tried to pour water in it, but was stopped by Chen Qi.
Si'er's mother had a smile on her face and asked Chen Qi if she was arranging a marriage for her daughter.
When he saw Chen Qi, Si'er's face brightened up for a moment, but after hearing these words, it dimmed again.
"If there's someone in the city who's willing to take her, it doesn't matter if she's a wife, a concubine, or even just a kept child! In the county town, there's plenty of money and big houses. If she can marry there, she'll have endless blessings..."
"It's not about marriage. There's a family that wants to buy a maid to help with cooking and sweeping the floor."
After Shen Qi finished speaking, she turned to ask Si'er, "Are you willing?"
"I do!"
Qin Si'er spoke in a decisive tone, his eyes shining again.
When she heard that she was going to be a maid, Si'er's mother was unwilling and curled her lips.
"Being a maid is worse than getting married! You're doing the same job, and if you get married, you can get a large gift right away, just like you, young lady..."
Shen Qi interrupted her.
"Aunt, my parents used my gift money to buy dowry."
Although Si'er's mother didn't say anything, the expression on her face showed that she still didn't believe it, and she didn't want to argue anymore.
"If it's to be a maid, then we won't go. A few days ago, the second son of the Wang family from Laoya Village came to see her, and her father has already agreed to give her a gift of eight taels of silver! I think that Wang Laoer is quite good..."
"I'll give you ten taels."
Hearing this, Si'er's mother's eyes lit up, "Really?"
These days, a very good maid only costs six or seven taels of silver.
Ten taels of silver can buy half of a new house facing the street in Baihe Town.
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