Lady Ding finally calmed down a little, fondling the notes of eight hundred taels of silver in her bosom, her hand trembling uncontrollably. With a smug hum, she said, "I’ve thought it all out. First, I’ll buy a mansion. We also need to buy some clothes and jewelry. We’re different now. We’re not like those country bumpkins in the countryside. We must have our own identity and class!"
——
Not many days later, Wu Zhanggui, the shopkeeper of Guilin Residence, hurriedly came looking for them, with a look of anxiety all over his face.
Ji Xinhe was busy in the courtyard when he spotted the carriage of Guilin Residence in the blink of an eye. He laughed and called out, "Shopkeeper Wu is here? I’ve already prepared my grape wine, just waiting for you to come and pick it up."
As soon as Shopkeeper Wu entered, he looked extremely troubled: "I’m here to talk about this business. I’m afraid it’s not going through!"
Ji Xinhe raised an eyebrow: "Why?"
While speaking, he welcomed Shopkeeper Wu into the house and even poured him a cup of tea.
Just seeing her completely unbothered demeanor astonished Shopkeeper Wu. How did she manage to remain so composed despite such a turmoil?
Shopkeeper Wu had a sip of tea before finally sighing and said, "There’s news from the capital that the grape wine business we were planning to do for the palace doesn’t need to be done anymore." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦
"Oh?" Ji Xinhe sounded unsurprised.
"It’s the Wang Family. They’ve also figured out how to make grape wine. They are native royal merchants and they’ve been doing business with the palace for over a decade. As soon as the palace heard that the Wang Family could supply grape wine, why would they continue to do business with us, with whom they’ve never had any dealings before? And that Wang Family! How did they figure this out!" Shopkeeper Wu was visibly disappointed.
Such a good opportunity just flew away.
Ji Xinhe poured herself a cup of tea and topped up Shopkeeper Wu’s cup as well. "Shopkeeper Wu, for some matters, you can’t be sure until they’re over. We might not be doing the business for the palace, but it doesn’t mean we should just give up."
Shopkeeper’s Wu eyes widened: "You’re not planning to stand up to the palace, are you?"
Though Guilin Residence is indeed a major chain of restaurants, it’s still just a business. How could they possibly afford to offend the people in the palace?
Ji Xinhe laughed: "I don’t have the nerve for that. What I mean is, as for the grape wine, please proceed and take it to the capital city. Who knows, the palace might order it again while it’s en route?"
"How is that possible? The Wang Family has already started producing grape wine in their winery in the capital! There’s no way the palace would want our wine. Why bother taking it to the capital?" Shopkeeper Wu was perplexed.
"I won’t go into details, but I’m giving you these two big vats of grape wine. You just need to send people to carefully transport them to the capital. If the palace doesn’t end up wanting the wine in the end, I’ll bear the losses. What do you say?" Ji Xinhe asserted.
The more Shopkeeper Wu dealt with Ji Xinhe, the more he felt that she was a dependable person. Although it was difficult to gain any advantage from her, she was absolutely trustworthy.
These absurd words, had they come from a bystander, Shopkeeper Wu would definitely not believe them. But since Ji Xinhe was saying them so seriously, he couldn’t help but harbor some hope and anticipation. After considering it for a while, he said, "Deal! We’ll do as you said!"
Only then did Ji Xinhe smile: "In that case, let’s not waste any time. Shopkeeper Wu, please haul the goods today and send them off as soon as possible."
"Alright, I will take my leave now." Shopkeeper Wu, not bothering with the tea, got up and made a bow before heading out to instruct his attendant. The attendant then took the two large vats of grape wine that had been prepared in Ji Xinhe’s courtyard, loaded them onto the carriage, and went off.
As Ji Xinhe watched Shopkeeper Wu’s horse carriage fading into the distance, she smiled.
In the event that there was a problem with the Wang Family’s wine, besides the Wang Family and Ji Dashan suffering bad luck, the important thing was that the palace would eventually have to procure grape wine from Guilin Residence. If they didn’t start transporting now and waited until the palace sent a notice to start transportation, while the business deal would still go through, they might miss the marketing opportunity with the princess’s grand wedding. If they missed the grand wedding, wouldn’t they lose the perfect promotion opportunity?
Do note that the effect of enjoying the wine themselves in the palace was different from the palace gifting the wine to the entire courtiers to enjoy.
For this reason, Ji Xinhe had to make sure that the grape wine was dispatched. Regardless, they would send it to the capital city first. When the palace needed it, it could be directly delivered to the palace. How simple was that?
Blissfully contemplating, Ji Xinhe glanced over at the front room, a mocking smile playing on her lips. Then she turned and went back into the house.
——
The whole Ji Dashan family had been causing quite a stir these past few days. First, they bought a courtyard house in town for three hundred taels of silver, claiming that their status as nobles couldn’t tolerate living in a desolate place like Yang Luowan.
They even bought two maids to show off, waiting on Lady Ding hand and foot. Lady Ding was feeling so superior, she was walking on cloud nine!
Not to mention the gold and silver jewelry. Lady Ding had used her money freely in the past, and now she was even more reckless with her spending.
Just these few things had cost half of the silver.
Today, she swaggered back with the little maids. Lady Ding was here to buy land, specifically thirty acres of good farmland. She stated she wanted to hire workers to help her cultivate the land.
"I’ve told you, I’m not short of money. As for the land, just give me the best quality. Don’t try to bluff me with poor-quality stuff. I’m not short of money!" Lady Ding huffed.
A maid hastily massaged her shoulders from behind while another poured her tea. They were extremely attentive.
Li Zheng sat across the table, frowning. He really didn’t want to sell even an acre of land to her.
But in the end, they signed the contract and the transaction of thirty acres of good farmland was completed.
Watching Lady Ding swagger away, Jin Bao couldn’t hold back and scoffed: "Tch! What’s she thinking! She got lucky and came into some money, and look at how cocky she’s become. Xinhe’s family earned far more than hers but they don’t show off like that. She even despises people from our village. Dad, look at her."
Li Zheng spoke sternly, "Enough. In the end, she’s moving out. Let this matter be. The thirty acres of land in the village, I’ve been wanting to dispose of them anyway. If she buys it, fine. She doesn’t live in Yangluowan, so we don’t have to deal with her. Don’t go provoking such people."
"I really don’t understand why God would let such people get rich. Dad, how did their family get rich?" Jin Bao was annoyed.
"Why bother yourself with such matters? Remember, whoever sows iniquity will reap calamity. There’s karma in the world. They’re so unrestrained, I don’t see their good days lasting." Li Zheng gave a cold humph.
Indeed, Li Zheng’s words were wise. Within a few days, they were proven right.
The Wang Family’s winery in the capital had entirely followed Ji Xinhe’s method, rushing to produce the grape wine.
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