Chapter 404: shirking responsibility
Xu Miaomiao nodded, took the account book from Yu Zhen's hand, looked at him and said, "When I first approached this shopkeeper Li to discuss cooperation, I was attracted by his family's ancestral craftsmanship. His family made this pen and ink very delicately. I'm afraid it's hard to find such a good pen in the capital. It's a pity that it turned out to be really rough."
As Xu Miaomiao spoke, she picked up a pen and ink from the department store, and when she bent it gently, it broke.
Yu Zhen was surprised when he saw this scene. He said, "How could this happen? Although I wanted to join him and spend some money, I wouldn't use something made of this material. If you take something like this out, it's just a scam. How could anyone buy something that breaks easily?"
"Yes." Xu Miaomiao said secretly, "But what if this kind of thing is just tribute to the department store? The Li family's brand is not on the department store's brand. They just casually signed an agreement saying that the two families will join together. If he only pays tribute to the department store, this kind of writing brush and ink will still be sold at the original price, and his own store will still have the same high-quality writing brush and ink. In this way, he can make a lot of money, and at the same time the reputation of the department store will be dragged down, and his family will not suffer any losses. Why not do it?"
"How could this happen?" Yu Zhen was a little surprised to hear Xu Miaomiao say this. Although he wanted to take the money, he never expected that it would lead to such consequences.
He was immediately filled with an expression of regret and felt ashamed to face Xu Miaomiao.
Xu Miaomiao looked at his expression and didn't say much. Instead, she comforted him and said, "You don't have to worry about these things. This is how business is done. Everyone is seeking personal gain. But how to solve this offline issue is still the most important thing."
"How else can we solve it? Of course, we should go to their house with pen and paper. I want to see what they can say."
Xu Miaomiao wanted to refute, but couldn't find a more appropriate word for a moment, so she could only nod at him: "You are right, there is really no better way now, pack up your things, and we will leave now."
"Would it be too hasty to leave now?"
Xu Miaomiao shook her head and told Yu Zhen, "Bring all the account books you have with them, and these things with you. Yu Jie, you stay in the store and if anything happens, let me know and we'll go to this ink and brush shop."
"Okay, Madam Xu, you can go with peace of mind. I will take good care of the department store."
Yu Jie responded to Xu Miaomiao's words and watched the two of them walking away.
The Bi Mo Fang was neither far from the department store nor close. It took some distance to get there, but there was no need to take a horse carriage. After walking for a while, Xu Miaomiao and Yu Zhen arrived at the entrance of the Bi Mo Fang.
Actually, this was her first time to take a good look at this calligraphy and painting shop. Last time, she just hurriedly signed a contract with the shopkeeper Li in the teahouse and that was it. Today, she wanted to go in and take a closer look.
As soon as you enter the door, you can smell the fragrance of ink. You can see several literati and poets filling the place, looking at their pens and ink from time to time. It is a very pleasant scene.
It seemed a bit strange for Xu Miaomiao, a woman, to come in. When everyone saw a woman in a pink dress, they looked at her curiously.
The man not far away also immediately found Xu Miaomiao's trail and came over immediately. When he saw Xu Miaomiao, he was shocked: "Madam Xu, why are you here? I thought you were doing well in the capital and would never come here again."
"Manager Li, what are you talking about? This news has already spread like wildfire. How could you not know that my family was demoted and sent back to Bai County? Manager Li just likes to give me face. Even at this time, he still leaves me some wiggle room."
Xu Miaomiao responded to the man politely.
When the man heard this, he laughed and made a gesture of invitation to Xu Miaomiao.
Out of sight of the two, Shopkeeper Li and Yu Zhen looked at each other, but in the end, they said nothing.
Arriving at a private room, as soon as Xu Miaomiao sat down, Shopkeeper Li immediately brought tea to her. He looked at Xu Miaomiao and said, "Madam Xu, I don't know what happened today that you came here. I used to contact this young husband Yu Zhen, so why are you here today?"
"I just returned to the department store in Bai County. Many things have happened, and I didn't even know about them. I haven't seen Shopkeeper Li for a long time, so I came here to bother you today. I hope Shopkeeper Li doesn't mind."
The man shook his head and said to Xu Miaomiao with a joking smile: "Madam Xu, how could I dislike you coming? Your presence makes my small shop shine, and you will surely attract many customers to my shop."
"Let's stop talking politely." Xu Miaomiao suddenly spoke up, interrupting the man's needs, and said with a cold expression: "Shopkeeper Li, you know that I have a clear distinction between love and hate. At that time, I said I would join forces with your family because I was impressed by your pen-making skills, but is this how you treat me?"
As Xu Miaomiao spoke, she took out the broken pen in her hand. Shopkeeper Li was a little surprised to see the pen. He picked up the pen and said in confusion: "Madam Xu, what does this mean?"
"When you and my family teamed up, we agreed to send your top-quality pens to the department store. Although they were stamped with your seal, they were sold in my store. The profits were split 50-50 between you and me. But why did you use these inferior products to slap our department store in the face? What should I do with you?"
Seeing Xu Miaomiao's shocked expression, Shopkeeper Li was so frightened that he was speechless. He touched his head awkwardly, sat down immediately, looked at Xu Miaomiao and said, "Madam Xu, is there any misunderstanding here?"
"Is there any other misunderstanding that I don't know?" Xu Miaomiao said with a cold expression as she looked at the man in front of her.
The man touched his head awkwardly, and immediately said to Xu Miaomiao, "Madam Xu, you have to be careful and check it out. The pens I sent to your department store are of course the best pens I have. Could it be that some crooked people in your store want to keep these pens for themselves, so they secretly replaced the genuine ones and passed off inferior ones as good ones, which caused this scene? Madam Xu, you really wronged me."
(End of this chapter)
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