It's rare to find handmade items made by master craftsmen these days. Jiang Yue searched several shops but couldn't find any. Finally, a shopkeeper told her the reason: "Miss, I know all the shops you've looked for, but like our shop, they all cater to wealthy ladies like you."
"If you want to buy that kind of old-fashioned rouge, you'll probably have to look for those older small shops. There are many traditional shops like that on XX Street. Why don't you go and have a look there?"
"Oh dear, I was completely out of my mind. Thank you, shopkeeper."
You're too kind.
The shopkeeper saw her out because Jiang Yue had bought some things to express her gratitude. The shopkeeper was still seeing her off at the door after she got into the car. After driving for a while, the smile on Jiang Yue's face disappeared. Of course, she knew that the shops she had looked for did not sell them. She had deliberately asked a shopkeeper to remind her to go there.
Geese leave their traces as they fly by, and the wind leaves its sound as it passes. It would be inappropriate for a young lady like Jiang Yue to go there, especially since her family is quite large and runs a trading company, a sensitive industry. There's no guarantee that she wouldn't already be under the surveillance of traitors. If she suddenly went there after returning from out of town, wouldn't that be obviously suspicious? She could handle the danger, but what about her comrades?
This whole operation might have been a battle of wits with thin air, but Jiang Yue thought it was worth it. After arriving at the rendezvous point, Jiang Yue didn't rush over. She first had the advanced puppet scan the area to make sure it was safe before she went over.
Jiang Yue looked up at the signboard above her head that read "Lao Zhuang Rouge Shop". Inside, she found a shopkeeper sitting there drinking tea. Upon seeing Jiang Yue enter, he quickly stood up to greet her: "Miss, what would you like to order?"
Are you the shopkeeper?
"Yes, you can just call me Manager Zhuang."
"Hello, Manager Zhuang. I heard you sell rouge made by Gu Dajia?"
Upon hearing this, Manager Zhuang's eyes lit up, but being a seasoned underground party member, he remained calm: "Hello, sir. A few years ago, Mr. Gu consigned some items to our shop, but he returned to his hometown in Jiangsu this year, and we haven't sold any since."
"Oh, what a pity. My family kept saying that it was impossible to buy. I asked around and finally found out about you, but I didn't expect that you didn't have any left either."
"Oh, I've kept a few boxes for my own use. Since you're so kind, I'll give you two boxes. I've put them in the back warehouse. Would you like to wait a bit?"
"I'll go in with you to get it."
After saying that, Manager Zhuang led Jiang Yue inside. His shop had four stores in the front and a small courtyard in the back, which served as both the store and the warehouse. When they got to the back, they met a man who looked up at Jiang Yue and then lowered his head: "Erzi, go keep an eye on things in the front. I'll take the customers to find the few boxes of rouge that Gu Dajia left."
"Yes, shopkeeper."
After the two men left, Manager Zhuang led Jiang Yue into a house. The room was filled with many things. As they walked in, Jiang Yue confirmed the contact's information; the person was probably not an imposter.
After reaching a corner, the two exchanged tokens and, to confirm that everything was in order, Lao Zhuang extended his hand to Jiang Yue: "Hello, Comrade Hamster, I am your contact, Cuckoo."
The two greeted each other and exchanged information. They didn't discuss anything else during their first meeting, as finding something wouldn't take long. They mainly agreed on their future contact methods and emergency contact methods.
Normally, when Jiang Yue comes to buy rouge, she will hand over the information to Lao Zhuang while paying. In case of emergency, both parties exchange phone numbers and communicate according to the agreed code words.
"Old Zhuang, you'd better find another place. It's not appropriate for me to come here so often. Today, when I got off the bus, a bunch of people were staring at me."
"Yes, I've thought of that too. Give me some time to find a suitable reason and place."
"I've found you one. I've developed a cosmetic that works really well. My mission is to collect supplies for the organization, so I'm planning to set up a chamber of commerce as a cover, and openly sell this cosmetic. After we've had a few meetings, how about I poach you to be the manager?"
"The reason is that I think you have good business skills and experience in this industry, which is quite reasonable, right?"
After pondering for a moment, Lao Zhuang agreed, but he needed to consult his superiors first and couldn't act on his own. The two confirmed the details and then put the matter aside.
"By the way, is that Erzi one of ours?"
"No, I've been in a dormant state all along. I was only recently awakened. He's someone I recruited to help me."
"When you report to your superiors, ask if they can send some people over. Setting up a trading company requires a lot of people, and it's not appropriate to have outsiders in the shop. It would be good to have some of our people here."
"Yes, I will report it truthfully."
After discussing business, Manager Zhuang also found Rouge. He had secretly hidden her when the organization woke him up a few days ago. It had been about ten minutes since Jiang Yue came in, and it was time for her to leave. However, before leaving, Jiang Yue left the $1,000 her father had given her to Manager Zhuang.
"Here's the money. This is the pocket money I just asked for. Hand it over."
"What will you do with all the money if you give it to me? Don't you still need to open the shop?"
"It's okay. Opening a shop has nothing to do with pocket money. I can ask my dad for it again after a while."
After Lao Zhuang collected the money, he led Jiang Yue out. Once they reached the front, he found a cloth, wiped the rouge off, and handed it to Jiang Yue. He paid great attention to detail. Jiang Yue took it, looked at it, and then opened it and smelled it: "The product is fine. Thank you so much, shopkeeper. How much is it? I'll take it!"
"Why don't you give me two silver dollars? It's always been this price, and it won't go up."
Jiang Yue took out three silver dollars and handed them over: "Please take this. Didn't you say there were a few boxes left? Could you please help me find them?"
"Hey! No problem."
Jiang Yue put away the rouge, then took out a pen and paper from her bag, left her phone number, handed it to Manager Zhuang, and said, "Then I'll take my leave. Just call me when you find me." With that, she left.
Manager Zhuang watched Jiang Yue walk away before returning to the shop. Several shopkeepers from the neighboring shops gathered around after Jiang Yue left, asking, "Old Zhuang, why would a young lady like that go back to Lennie's shop?"
"Oh, isn't this the rouge I sold to Gu Dajia? People like it and came here specifically to buy it. It's a pity that Gu Dajia has already gone back to her hometown, and she doesn't have many boxes of rouge left. I searched for a long time before I found a few boxes in a corner. Sigh, I can't make this money now, otherwise I could have made a fortune!"
He looked annoyed after saying that, and the shop owners who had gathered around him gloated, "Old Zhuang, this fortune isn't yours to have. You shouldn't have earned it."
"Oh no! I need to call Mr. Gu, I need to find Mr. Gu's phone number and see if I can still get in touch with him. Everyone, please forgive me for not being a good host, I'll be leaving now."
After saying that, he left. To make the performance more convincing, he planned to go to the place where Gu Dajia used to live and see if he could still contact them. Jiang Yue also told him that it would be good to get the rouge formula, as it would be useful for opening a shop in the future.
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