Chapter 299 Those with bad intentions cannot fulfill their wishes
On the carriage heading to the county town, Madam Su, who came to look for Sang Zhixia at the instruction of Aunt Xu, had a bitter look on her face, clutching her clothes and sighing constantly.
"Because the molds needed this time were numerous and varied, the shopkeeper had explained everything to Craftsman Li early in the morning. He also specifically asked him if he could find enough suitable people and if he could deliver the full quantity within the agreed timeframe."
"Craftsman Li had originally agreed to the job, and the shopkeeper even gave him an extra 10% in wages. But who knew something would go wrong during the delivery."
The molds we requested were well made, with no problem in terms of quantity or quality.
The problem lies in the final payment that Craftsman Li asked for.
Madam Su worked for Second Aunt Xu and knew the whole story. She was extremely angry when she talked about it again.
"We agreed on this a long time ago, and the shopkeeper even signed a contract with him. But who would have thought he'd go back on his word, withholding the goods and refusing to hand them over? He keeps saying the wages are too low and insists on raising the price!"
If you just add some more to the original basis, it is actually not impossible to agree to it.
But what Master Li asked for was too much.
Madam Su was so angry that her face turned blue that she said, "You have to provide the agreed materials yourself, and when it's done, all the work will be counted as one hundred taels of silver."
"But Craftsman Li is now asking for an extra hundred taels, otherwise he'll take the finished mold and sell it somewhere else. No matter how much I try to persuade him, it's useless!"
The pigs on the farm have been slaughtered and the oil has been boiled, and we are just waiting for the molds to be delivered at the appointed time.
But just when I was waiting to use it, the promised mold could not be delivered.
If the soap liquid cannot be poured into the mold in time, the soap liquid that is made with great effort will solidify into a shape that Sang Zhixia does not really want.
Although you can find ways to cut and modify the soap body later, it will take more time and effort and require more labor costs.
Sang Zhixia didn't want to pay the extra money, but she also didn't want to let the person who was raising the price get what he wanted.
Madam Su said what she needed to say and then fell silent. The carriage was filled with silence.
Halfway through the journey, Sang Zhixia suddenly said, "Madam Su, where was that craftsman Li you mentioned originally from?"
"They are from Huanxi Village."
Madam Su cheered up and said, "When we found this person, the shopkeeper had someone inquire about him and confirmed that he was from Huanxi Village."
"Huanxi Village?"
Sang Zhixia unconsciously rubbed her fingertips and raised an eyebrow, "How far is Huanxi Village from North City?"
Madam Su: "It's less than half a day's journey."
"If we set out from North City early in the morning, it would take about three hours by mule cart, and two hours by horse carriage."
Sang Zhixia quickly went over the details in her mind, narrowing her eyes in amusement. "I remember Second Aunt mentioned to me that this person used to make gold and silver jewelry? Why did he stop doing his old business?"
Madam Su was not very clear about this detail. After a pause, she said hesitantly, "It seems that something went wrong along the way. I can't tell you what it was."
"I can't explain the details, but after all, I often come to the embroidery shop, so I wouldn't be ignorant of any rumors."
"Madam Su, there's no need to be so formal with me. Just say whatever you want to say. I won't hold onto something I might have said wrong. What do you think?"
Sang Zhixia still had a smile on her face when she said this, but the subtle chill between the lines made people's hearts tremble involuntarily.
Madam Su hesitated for a moment, biting her lower lip as she mumbled, "I've heard from others before that this man isn't a clean man. It seems his previous master had something on him, so he lost his job as a goldsmith and became a carpenter instead."
Craftsmen who make gold and silver jewelry are paid much more than carpenters who work with wood, and the level of praise they receive in public is also different.
There was something fishy about the fact that Craftsman Li was willing to give up making gold and silver jewelry, which was quite profitable, and instead turned around to do carpentry work.
But when they were looking for someone, both Sang Zhixia and Aunt Xu were careless.
In addition, this man hurriedly made a lot of exquisite things during the famine, which happened to catch Sang Zhixia's eye, which led to what happened today.
It’s not completely too late to learn about this person’s past now.
Sang Zhixia's eyes flickered slightly. She lifted the carriage curtain and said to Lin Yun, who was riding outside, "Go to Huanxi Village right now and find out where this person worked before and why he was abandoned by his master."
"Also, try to find out who this person has been interacting with the most in the past three months. Which of them are carpenters? It would be best if you could find all the carpenters he interacts with, okay?"
As far as Sang Zhixia knows, these craftsmen are paid by piecework rather than by the hour, and whoever makes the work gets it.
But what Madam Su meant was that Second Aunt Xu had given full authority to this craftsman Li to recruit people on her behalf, which was equivalent to promoting this man to the position of a small manager, and having him convey the message to the lower levels.
This guy is now pledging the goods to raise the price. Are all the other people who handed the goods over to him on his behalf aware of this?
Craftsman Li, who had finally climbed up from the brink of starvation, was faced with such a position where he had to pass messages between the upper and lower levels and could deceive his superiors and subordinates and make a lot of money. Could he resist taking advantage of it?
Look at this guy, he's asking for too much, he doesn't seem like an honest and decent person.
There are so many things to explore in detail here.
Sang Zhixia whispered a few more words of advice, and Lin Yun whispered, "Don't worry, Boss. I'll hurry over as fast as I can and report back to the embroidery shop by noon tomorrow at the latest."
Sang Zhixia waved her hand and smiled: "There's no need to be so anxious."
"The farm's inventory is currently enough for three days. If we can get the agreed goods back within three days, it won't be too late."
The carriage rolled all the way into the North City. As soon as it stopped in front of the embroidery shop, Aunt Xu, who had been waiting there for a long time, called out anxiously, "Xia Xia!"
"Second Aunt, I'm here."
Sang Zhixia didn't need anyone to help her. She jumped down from the frame by herself, stood firmly, and held Aunt Xu's hand, which was shaking with anger. She said slowly, "Don't worry, Aunt Xu. I know what's going on. Let's talk inside."
Over the past year or so, Second Aunt Xu has set up a large embroidery shop, and her business transactions are well organized.
Everything was going smoothly for me, but I was caught off guard and fell flat on my face. I was really angry at that moment.
Second Aunt Xu came into the room and said without waiting to sit down, "Xia Xia, this time I am sorry for you. If it weren't for the last resort, I wouldn't have called you here in such a hurry. The main thing is..."
"The main reason is that this matter is really difficult to handle!"
Craftsman Li refused to give in and refused to deliver the goods unless he was paid the extra 100 taels of silver he had asked for.
But everyone on the farm is waiting anxiously, and if we can't deliver it in time, the amount of things that will be wasted due to the delay is definitely not worth a hundred taels.
Aunt Xu gritted her teeth, suppressing her anger and saying, "I was thinking of just giving in to his wishes and getting through this first, but..."
"That won't do."
Sang Zhixia's eyes revealed a hint of coldness, and he said word by word, "Those with bad intentions cannot fulfill their wishes."
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