Chapter 44: Striving for a Good Outcome
Even if the other party betrays her first, Shen Zhiyi is willing to give them one last chance. Even if the deal falls through, she still wants to save face.
Although she had a bad feeling, it didn't stop her from making preparations for a backup plan at this time.
Originally, chili peppers could be sold both upwards and downwards, and with other derivative products, it was definitely a long-term business.
Therefore, she is not afraid of losing Jufu Restaurant as a partner.
"Then we'll wait for your good news, Miss," Hui Niang replied slowly, clearly not really paying attention. "I'll go and get busy now."
Shen Zhiyi didn't insist, and agreed, thus ending their conversation.
Meanwhile, Zheng San finally got rid of the troublesome person and returned to the table with great difficulty, looking at the lumps of noodles on the table with a pained expression.
Feeling apologetic, Shen Zhiyi said, "Third Brother, we can't finish these noodles. Let me buy you some meat pies."
"What do you mean you can't finish this? You can eat it! You can eat it!" Zheng San held the bowl and slurped down the noodles in a few bites. He wiped his mouth casually and winked at Shen Zhiyi.
After understanding, Shen Zhiyi nodded calmly, and the two left the crowded noodle shop.
The sunlight outside falls on the flag with the character "面" (mian, meaning noodles) written on it, and the flag flutters in the wind, just the right time to eat and drink one's fill.
Shen Zhiyi and Zheng San headed towards Jufu Restaurant, while Liang Jing went back to look after the carriage after eating a bowl of noodles. At this time, there were only the two of them, and they seemed to be outnumbered and outmatched.
"How about we call Uncle Liang along?" Zheng San suggested in a low voice.
"Third Brother, what are you afraid of? We're going to reason things out, not to fight," Shen Zhiyi said calmly.
"But we..." Zheng San was about to say something when Shen Zhiyi interrupted him, "Third Brother, what do you think of our chili peppers?"
"Huh?" Zheng San was stunned for a moment, then quickly said, "Of course that would be great!"
“Yes, even if we don’t sell to restaurants, we won’t have trouble selling our chili peppers,” Shen Zhiyi said earnestly.
Initially, the goal was to ship quickly, but now that the brand has gained wider recognition and there's no worry about sales, it's a good time to pursue a low-profit, high-volume strategy and sell derivative products as well.
After all, this was a long-awaited personal delivery, and Shen Zhiyi habitually brought the contract with her. Unexpectedly, this habit saved her time today.
"That's for sure!" Zheng San straightened his back and strode forward with great pride, taking even bigger steps than Shen Zhiyi, as if he couldn't wait to get to the restaurant.
A short while later, when the two stood at the entrance of Jufu Restaurant, Zheng San's imposing manner dissipated, and his tone changed to: "Sister, I won't go in."
"Third Brother, are you really not going in?" Shen Zhiyi turned her head and said slowly. "I was hoping that you could cooperate with me like you did in the noodle shop, so that those people in the restaurant would have nothing to say."
Just imagining that scene filled Zheng San with an indescribable sense of satisfaction, and he exclaimed, "Let's go!"
Shen Zhiyi suddenly knew how to cooperate with Zheng San's ambitious vanity, saving her a lot of explanations.
From the moment she entered Jufu Restaurant, Shen Zhiyi noticed that she didn't recognize any of the waiters who were greeting and seeing her off, and she had a question in her mind.
The waiter approached with a smile and asked, "Esteemed guests, are you here for a meal or to stay the night?"
"I'm looking for your boss, Mr. Lin," Shen Zhiyi said calmly.
These words prompted the waiter to glance at Shen Zhiyi cautiously a few times. She appeared extremely calm, making it difficult for him to understand her.
"Please wait a moment, young lady, I'll go and call the master right away." The waiter answered cautiously, leading Shen Zhiyi and the others to sit down in a corner.
After the waiter left, Zheng San pulled himself out of his dazed state and said in a low voice, "So we can see the restaurant owner now?"
"Yes, that's what confidence is all about." Shen Zhiyi earnestly shared her experience, but when she saw Zheng San's completely disbelieving expression, she suddenly didn't know how to correct those questions about aura.
As time went by, Zheng San became increasingly restless. After frequently shifting his position, he turned his head and asked, "Is that boss deliberately keeping us waiting? Why hasn't he come out yet?"
"Calm down, it's only been a quarter of an hour," Shen Zhiyi said slowly. She couldn't think of any reason why Lin Dongjia would avoid seeing her, so she stopped overthinking it.
"Has it only been a short while?" Zheng San murmured to himself.
Just then, someone came down the stairs and walked towards them. Shen Zhiyi looked up and saw a young man she didn't recognize. He was wearing a brocade robe, and the embroidery on the robe shimmered as he walked. It looked like very expensive embroidery thread.
The other party was also taken aback when they saw them; neither side had expected this.
"Who are you, and what business do you have with me?" the man asked arrogantly, opening the fan in his hand and fanning himself repeatedly, trying to dispel the stench of poverty lingering in his nose.
"I supply chili peppers to the restaurant..." Before Shen Zhiyi could finish speaking, the man rudely interrupted, "I'm not buying anymore! I'm not buying anymore! Get out of here!"
Shen Zhiyi frowned upon hearing this, took out the signed contract from her bosom, and spoke in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for the nearby tables to hear: "This is between me and Boss Lin, not you, but the boss who is a bit older than you..."
“Young lady, you’ve come to the wrong place. Master Lin is the elder brother of this young Master Lin,” a diner at a separate table said slowly.
"Thank you for reminding me, brother. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known I'd contacted the wrong person." Just as Shen Zhiyi was about to take back the contract, the other diner said, "If you're doing business with the restaurant, you've made the right choice by contacting Young Master Lin. After all, he's been managing the restaurant for a few days now."
"What about Mr. Lin?" Shen Zhiyi couldn't help but ask.
"Hmph, what business is it of yours where my older brother went!" the man said impatiently. "You'd better get out of here, or I'll have someone throw you out!"
At this moment, Zheng San stood up and blocked Shen Zhiyi's way, saying in a trembling voice, "What are you trying to do? We're here to reason with you!"
“Third Brother, let me speak.” Shen Zhiyi continued, gently patting Zheng San’s shoulder, who was still angry, and facing the man, “Last month, I signed a contract with Lin Dongjia for the supply of chili peppers. Mr. Li was our witness, and the contract must not be forged.”
As Shen Zhiyi spoke, she handed the contract to Zheng San. After taking it, Zheng San first showed it to the diners who had spoken earlier, and then looked around at several nearby tables.
"This is indeed Mr. Li's handwriting."
"It says 56 coins per catty and you have to buy all of this quality of chili peppers."
"If you decide not to cooperate or the contract is void, you must give prior notice. If you fail to give prior notice, you will have to pay twenty taels of silver!"
The chorus of voices completed the contract, and Zheng San's hands were trembling when he took it back.
Shen Zhiyi took the contract and handed it to the man, saying slowly, "Young Master Lin should be able to read, right? Please take a look at what is written on the contract."
The man frowned. No wonder he disliked this person from the first moment he saw him!
Under everyone's watchful eyes, he could only look at the contract. The more he looked, the more his brows furrowed. To make matters worse, the seal at the bottom was his elder brother's. He cursed his own stupidity several times in his heart, and said with a forced smile, "If I remember correctly, our restaurant has already received many batches of chili peppers, right? We should have finished receiving the chili peppers of the quality the young lady ordered by now. How come there are still some left..."
The ambiguous words were full of condemnation of Shen Zhiyi for her deception.
Although the surrounding diners didn't speak, they listened quietly, and a few pairs of shifty eyes glanced at Shen Zhiyi with suspicion.
In contrast, she remained calm and said, "It's good that Mr. Lin acknowledges this contract. In that case, we can talk about the remaining chili peppers. I told Mr. Lin that our entire village has been cleared and planted with chili peppers, and this matter has been reviewed by the county magistrate."
"Due to the different progress of land reclamation in our village, the timing of chili planting also varies slightly, so the chilies are delivered in batches." Shen Zhiyi thought the man was about to refute, but then continued, "Of course, this matter was agreed upon privately by me, Mr. Lin, Mr. Yuan (the accountant), and Chef Dong (the chef), and it was not written into this contract. We can find out the truth by calling one of them out for a confrontation."
Shen Zhiyi's words were reasonable and well-founded, and naturally, some people who weren't afraid of trouble spoke up to support her, saying, "That's right, wouldn't it be clear if we called the person out?"
“You make it sound so easy. I remember Lin Dongjia saying before that he took those old people to a restaurant in the prefectural city. He’s probably in the prefectural city right now,” someone else replied.
"This isn't bullying this little girl..." The soft-hearted person couldn't bear to watch and said slowly.
Shen Zhiyi was no ordinary young girl. When public opinion turned in her favor, she knew she had to act decisively. So, she sincerely retreated to advance, saying, "This contract was signed with Master Lin. If Master Lin doesn't acknowledge it, we farmers have nowhere to turn for justice."
"Tear it up if you want," Shen Zhiyi said, lowering her head slightly, her raised hand landing on the corner of her eye as if she were secretly wiping away tears. "I just came here today to ask about this. If it's no longer valid, then how should this contract be voided?"
From the man's perspective, he didn't see the delicate, tearful appearance; instead, he was overly calm and immediately said, "You!"
"Mr. Lin, you should be lenient! Besides, this matter is entirely your fault, Jufu Restaurant. How can you be so arrogant? It's disgusting!" said a diner nearby angrily.
“That’s right! What you did was dishonest!” someone chimed in.
"The Lin family is so wealthy, yet they act so stingily." A slightly raised voice rang out at this moment. A man who also walked over with a folding fan looked over with a mocking expression. "Since Young Master Lin can't afford this, I, Young Master Qian, will pay for it for him!"
As he spoke, the young master Qian casually reached for his money pouch, but the man immediately became displeased and said loudly, "Wait! This is a matter for our restaurant, and it's not your place to make decisions!"
"It's just twenty taels, my Lin family doesn't lack that kind of money!" the man continued, tossing a light silver note out of his money bag. "Give me the contract."
Zheng San didn't hesitate at all. He picked up the silver note from the ground, touched the patterns on it that he couldn't understand at all, and then handed it to Shen Zhiyi with great care, saying, "Sister, take a look, is this real?"
"Tch," the man replied with dissatisfaction.
Shen Zhiyi carefully examined the banknote, and after confirming the amount on it, she was about to nod to Zheng San when the man sneered, "Pretending to be an expert! Don't worry, I'm not one of those cunning scoundrels who can guarantee the authenticity of a banknote I give out."
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