Deliberate
“…”
The hidden depth in Xiao Yingzhu's eyes and the unhurried manner in her words both implied that there was no room for refusal.
Jiang Nian kept a faint smile on her face, met his eyes for a moment, and then took a step back from the confrontation.
"Thank you for your kindness, Excellency. I am sorry to hear that."
Xiao Yingzhu's eyes became more emotional, and she curled her lips and spoke casually.
"We are all allies, so this is our responsibility."
"Ms. Jiang, please."
The carriage that had been stuck on the road started moving again. Jiang Nian lowered the curtain beside the window and sighed softly.
Although he had taken the initiative to go to the pharmacy yesterday, that was to check the pharmacy's marketing situation and strategy. Today she was going to reconcile accounts with the blacksmith, so why did Xiao Yingzhu suggest going together?
The street scenery outside the window gradually receded, and the carriage behind me followed not far away, and the face of the coachman was not very clear.
Jiang Nian glanced sideways at the carriage behind him, which was covered with a dark curtain. He felt a little depressed and complicated in his heart, and finally he put his thoughts aside.
When she got to the blacksmith shop, she asked the driver to wait at the corner of the alley not far away. After getting off the carriage, she waited on the street for the next carriage to arrive.
For some reason, there were few people around the blacksmith shop.
The furnace in the shop was running at a high temperature. Zhao the blacksmith, who was in charge of her tools, was hammering on the anvil. When he saw Jiang Nian coming, he just looked up and continued to hammer the tools in his hand indifferently.
Xiao Yingzhu stood beside Jiang Nian at some point, raised her eyes and glanced inside the shop, her gaze falling on her.
Feeling his seemingly real gaze, Jiang Nian always felt a little uncomfortable. She raised her eyes and looked back, her tone soft and quiet.
"I ordered a batch of equipment from him, but we couldn't agree on the price, so it will take a while. If you have something to do later, why not take your leave first?"
Their eyes met. His gaze was as dark as ink, and Jiang Nian could hardly discern the subtle emotions in his eyes.
Xiao Yingzhu seemed not to intend to respond to Jiang Nian's words. She just raised her eyelids to signal her to look behind her.
Craftsman Zhao had finished his work and was walking towards the door.
It takes an hour to get from Jiang Mansion to the blacksmith shop, and it is already 3:00 PM when you arrive at the city gate of Liangdu City.
The afternoon in late summer was not as hot as at noon. A cool breeze was already blowing in from the street. The temperature in the blacksmith shop was high, and only the awning outside the shop was suitable for conversation.
The four wooden stools beside the table still had some residual warmth from the midday sun. Jiang Nian walked to the awning, pulled out a wooden stool, sat down nonchalantly, and spread the production list he brought from the mansion on the table.
She watched Blacksmith Zhao stand in front of the table, then bend down, pull out a wooden stool, and sit opposite her.
Seeing that he had no intention of speaking directly and his eyes were still examining her face, Jiang Nian immediately got straight to the point.
"Master Zhao, my maid gave you the custom drawings earlier, but there's a discrepancy between the agreed-upon payment and the actual payment, so I came here to reconcile with you."
She tapped the drawing with her fingertips and looked at the other person's pressured gaze calmly, not at all as timid as other spoiled young ladies from wealthy families.
"This piece of paper already has the prices of each tool that were originally agreed upon, and the craftsman already knew these prices before starting the work. Why did he suddenly go back on his word?"
"In the market, merchants value integrity above all else. I know that in the blacksmithing industry, the most important thing is to strive for excellence and respect for craftsmanship. However, what you did, Master, violates this principle."
"Not only will you lose credibility with buyers, but in serious cases, you'll also damage your own reputation."
"Master Zhao, is there any hidden reason behind doing something so self-defeating as to change the previously agreed-upon price?"
Because he couldn't figure out what Blacksmith Zhao was thinking, Jiang Nian didn't make any other promises. He stopped asking questions and looked up to observe Blacksmith Zhao's expression without leaving any trace.
Xiao Yingzhu, who had only intended to observe Jiang Nian from the beginning and not participate in the discussion, leaned casually on the wooden frame of the shed, lowered his eyes slightly, and his gaze gently fell on Jiang Nian's profile. Listening to Jiang Nian and Zhao the blacksmith's analysis, there was a hint of interest in his eyes.
Blacksmith Zhao was a domineering man with a tall and strong build. His bold aura often put buyers under pressure. He had seen many timid people who were afraid to look him in the eye and shrank back, and he had also seen many spoiled young ladies who were intimidated by his appearance, but he had never seen anyone like Jiang Nian.
She was obviously just a little girl, but she didn't shrink back at all when she saw him. She could even sit in front of him and talk clearly. Her eyes were full of confidence and honesty.
There have been cases of temporary price changes before, but when those people encountered emergencies, their first reaction was questioning, anxiety and indignation. They were not like this little girl who could sit down calmly and distinguish right from wrong.
Blacksmith Zhao stared at Jiang Nian for a while, and seeing that her expression had not changed and she was still quietly waiting for his reply without any sign of impatience, he burst into laughter.
"You are quite a clever young lady."
"I've worked in this shop in Liangdu for decades. I've seen its reputation grow, and I've seen all sorts of people come to me for help and to do business. This shop has a lot of history, but I've never seen someone as young as you speak so maturely."
He picked up the paper from the table, read the list carefully from beginning to end, and finally put it back on the table.
"You calculated correctly. This is what the price should be."
"But." He pointed to one of the utensils on the list.
"To make this, the bronze used must be very special and must be shipped from somewhere far away."
"The outskirts of Liangdu are all mountainous, with rugged and difficult roads. In late summer, it rains frequently, and the soil on the mountains is loose and prone to collapse. It's extremely difficult to get people to deliver materials. If you're unlucky, not only will you lose materials, but you'll also lose horses and lives."
“So the price is high.”
After Zhao the blacksmith finished speaking, Jiang Nian frowned and paused in thought.
"Master Zhao, if you say so, I already indicated the required materials when the maid gave you the blueprint. You've been doing this for so many years, you must be very familiar with the possible transport issues during each season. Why did you upgrade only after the decision was made?"
"This is your own fault."
Blacksmith Zhao was not annoyed when he heard Jiang Nian's question. He just nodded.
"That's true at first glance, but you've ordered a lot of tools, and if the bronze alloy can't be shipped, it will slow down my ability to take orders, and I'll get fewer orders."
"I take orders one by one. After I complete the buyer's demand list, I will take on the next one."
"But for a length like yours, not only does the bronze alloy have to be priced, but there are also the costs of the orders that are less profitable."
Jiang Nian shifted her gaze slightly and saw Xiao Yingzhu still leaning there, pouting her lips and watching her bargaining with interest. She sighed slightly in her heart.
Sure enough, he just came here to join in the fun.
Why is the Duke of the current dynasty so idle?
It was not yet the time to talk to Xiao Yingzhu, so Jiang Nian's thoughts wandered for a moment before returning to the main topic.
Blacksmith Zhao was still sitting there steadily, very confident in what he said.
Jiang Nian lowered his eyes to the list of custom-made tools on the table, and his gaze paused. He replayed what Zhao the blacksmith had just said in his mind, and his gentle expression gradually faded.
"According to what Master Zhao said, I will pay the original price."
"First of all, I gave you the list at the beginning and asked you to follow it. You accepted it. During your consideration, my maid gave you ample time to think about it."
"Secondly, as to whether the bronze alloy is expensive to transport, that's clearly stated on the invoice I gave you. As I just mentioned, you've run the blacksmith shop for so many years, so you must be familiar with the weather outside Liangdu City. And you've been doing this for so many years, and your reputation is still growing. This proves that you're very careful and considerate when running your blacksmith shop, which is why it stands out from the crowd and has become so popular."
"In that case, I don't believe you would take my order without any consideration when you receive it."
"The price you gave me at the beginning already included these costs."
"And then, you discovered that I gave you too much silver. Even though my maid told you it was hard work money, you not only didn't appreciate it, but you also wanted to ask for more money, swallowing up more money that didn't belong to you."
"Am I right, Master Zhao?"
Jiang Nian raised his eyes and looked at Zhao the blacksmith. The gentle smile on his lips just now seemed like a flash in the pan, and now only a faint indifference remained.
Blacksmith Zhao frowned, and the reasonable and cheerful look he had just pretended to be disappeared. In an instant, he reached out to tear open the list on the table.
Jiang Nian had calculated that he would do this, so he didn't give him a chance to think it through. He raised his hand and pressed a corner of the list on the table, his clear tone carrying a cold warning.
"Master Zhao, please think carefully. I left an extra transaction record here from the beginning."
When she first started trading with Blacksmith Zhao, she was afraid of making mistakes. To be on the safe side, she deliberately made a piece of imitation modern carbon paper, but she never thought it would really come in handy.
Seeing Zhao the blacksmith stand up and try to snatch her bag, rushing towards her, Jiang Nian moved nimbly and moved aside. Just as she was about to take out the homemade anti-wolf spray prepared in her bag, Zhao the blacksmith who was rushing towards her suddenly stopped.
Xiao Yingzhu had arrived in front of Jiang Nian without her knowing. At this moment, he simply withdrew his hand and turned to glance at her lightly, with a hint of dangerous hostility in his eyes.
“…”
Jiang Nian's eyes were filled with white, and her pupils widened slightly. Then she suddenly came to her senses and turned her gaze away from Xiao Yingzhu, looking down at Zhao the blacksmith who was lying stiffly on the table, conscious but unable to move his limbs.
Blacksmith Zhao stared at her fiercely with his eyes wide open. His wishful thinking was shattered, and he was in a bad mood.
Jiang Nian was not interested in Zhao the blacksmith's mood at the moment. She closed the slightly open mouth of her shoulder bag, lowered her eyes to look at Zhao the blacksmith, and her voice was calm without much fluctuation.
"Master Zhao, this notary and I saw everything you just did."
She paused slightly, her tone holding a hint of cold sharpness.
"If Master Zhao wants to put on another show, I, Jiang Nian, will be waiting in the lobby of the county government office."
After this commotion, the area around the blacksmith shop was a little noisy, but no one came in to watch.
Jiang Nian finished what she wanted to say and thought that she had stayed here long enough. If the two maids, Fuling and Guizhi, didn't see her for too long, they would get anxious, so she didn't stay here any longer.
The driver was still waiting there, but when he heard the noise outside and was about to run out to see what was going on, he saw Xiao Yingzhu take action. He caught a glimpse of the cruel and cold look in Xiao Yingzhu's eyes and quickly shrank back.
At this time, he had returned to the seat at the front of the carriage. When he saw Xiao Yingzhu following Jiang Nian, a scene that was enough to trap him in an ice cave flashed through his mind. He bowed silently to Jiang Nian and stopped talking.
The coachmen of the Jiang Mansion had been replaced recently, and the coachman who picked up Jiang Nian was a young boy. Jiang Nian looked at his face, then turned to look at Xiao Yingzhu who was looking elegant behind her. A moment of doubt flashed through her mind, but she had more important things to discuss at the moment, so she didn't pursue it.
Standing in front of her was Xiao Yingzhu, who had just protected her. Although they were allies, Xiao Yingzhu had no obligation to follow her this time. She immediately thanked him.
However, even though she had no obligation, Jiang Nian felt a little annoyed when she thought about how Xiao Yingzhu had just stood by and watched her bargaining idly like a spectator.
Xiao Yingzhu had already suppressed the murderous intent that had flashed across his face just now, and the viciousness in his eyes had been hidden again. Now, when he looked over, the kind of indifferent and casual demeanor that he had first encountered in the afternoon had returned to him.
There was a faint smile on his lips, and his eyes were full of thoughts. He looked at Jiang Nian casually and casually, as if he could see through her thoughts.
"Miss Jiang looks a little unhappy, as if she has something on her mind. When I have some free time, why not tell me about it to cheer me up?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
