Ji Xinhe raised an eyebrow: "So what if I’m accused of being ungrateful? I brewed this grape wine, I am the owner of the shop Qinghe, and I am the one the Wang Family wants to do business with. I can afford to be ungracious. It’s up to the Wang Family to complain, but by what right do you complain?"
As soon as these words were spoken, Lady Ding and Ji Dashan turned white with shock... they truly differed from her in status.
"I...." Ji Dashan was so choked up that he couldn’t speak.
Ji Xinhe said with a mocking smile, "Ah, perhaps the two of you took the liberty to decide on my behalf, while conveniently reaping some benefits?"
Ji Dashan’s face reddened and then turned pale, almost wanting to bury his head on the ground. "We indeed agreed to their offer. This... this isn’t a bad thing, right? If you don’t agree to it, I can’t explain it to them."
The smile on Ji Xinhe’s face faded completely, "If I say I don’t want to do this business, I won’t do it. What does it have to do with what you’ve agreed to? My grape wine has nothing to do with you. Either you do it yourself or compensate them. What does this have to do with me?"
Seeing their insatiable greed extend to her, she wouldn’t leave them any room for negotiation.
If previously Ji Dashan had knelt and sincerely apologized, she might have shown some leniency considering he was her biological father. But after he shamelessly used her deceased mother to make money, Ji Xinhe truly believed such a man deserved what was coming to him!
"You!" Lady Ding was so angry she began cursing loudly, but Ji Xinhe had already turned and walked away.
"Ungrateful brat!" Lady Ding was eager to chase after Ji Xinhe and scold her, but as soon as she reached their door, she abruptly stopped her steps. She couldn’t take another step forward, and even the harsh words at the tip of her tongue were swallowed back. She was afraid to antagonize the spirit of Ji Xinhe’s deceased mother like last time.
She was genuinely scared.
So now she stays as far as away from their house as possible!
Watching Ji Xinhe disappear from sight, she had to suppress her anger and stand there, not daring to move forward. Lady Ding was frustrated and seething with anger.
Before she had a chance to vent, Ji Dashan shifted his anger towards her. "I told you not to rashly accept this job, but you didn’t listen! Now Xin He is unwilling to cooperate with the Wang family, so the deal is off. What can we do?"
"But... but you accepted the money right?" Lady Ding said through gritted teeth, "The Wang family offered a hundred taels of silver up front, and promised another hundred after the completion of the job. You still have the money! Is this all my fault now?"
"I, I, I ..." Ji Dashan was so choked up he couldn’t speak and stormed away angrily, flicking his sleeves.
"Where are you going?" Lady Ding yelled.
"Where else?! To the Wang family to return the money!"
"You, you’ve gone crazy! So much money, you just want to give it back?!" Lady Ding exclaimed in panic.
"What else can we do? Xinhe doesn’t agree and you think we can just take the Wang family’s money? Do you think the Wang Family is easy to deal with?" Ji Dashan retorted, ignoring Lady Ding’s objections and stormed off.
"Hey wait, wait for me!" Distressed, Lady Ding hurriedly chased after him.
——
As soon as Ji Xinhe entered the house, she saw Xiao Bei about to run out to investigate. He blinked and said, "Sister, did Lady Ding come to cause trouble again? I heard her voice!"
Ji Xinhe led Xiao Bei back into the house, "What does it matter what she’s doing? From now on, if you hear her talking, you should not come out. Avoid seeing such people as much as possible."
"Xiao Bei is worried about you, I’m afraid you’ll be bullied!" said Xiao Bei, pouting.
Mu Houchu was leisurely leaning against the kangtou, with a book in his hand. As he read, he said casually, "Don’t worry, your sister has a strong temper, she’s not easy to bully."
Ji Xinhe glanced at him, "So you’ve realized now that I’m fierce? It’s not too late to regret it!"
Mu Houchu chuckled lightly, "I don’t regret."
Ji Xinhe humphed lightly. Too lazy to engage him further, she sat at the other end of the kangtou, grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds, and began to chew, "Those two are so blinded by money, they even dared to take money from the Wang family pretending it was done on my behalf. Do they think they can squeeze me that easily?"
Xiao Bei’s eyes widened in disbelief, "Does the Wang family also want to do business with sister? They are royal merchants!"
"So what if they are royal merchants? The most important factor in doing business is trustworthiness. Since we have an agreement with Guilin home first, I naturally can’t be unfaithful. Besides, Guilin home has shown us a lot of sincerity. Every time they serve grape wine, they remember to mention our name, Qinghe shop. If it was another family, they might not have managed the same. After all, there are plenty of selfish businessmen."
Xiao Bei nodded, "Yes, trustworthiness is the most important!"
Then he tilted his head and said, "But Wang family is so kindhearted, we should also repay their kindness as they’ve been really helpful to our mother in the past, shouldn’t we?"
"We can reciprocate without damaging other people’s interests. Since we have a prior agreement with Guilin home, even if we want to repay any kindness, we can’t damage other people’s interests. In the future, when we have the opportunity, we will certainly reciprocate. Even though our mother is gone, we will never forget anyone who has been kind to her or our family. Xiao Bei, you mustn’t forget, understand?"
"I understand, I won’t forget!" Xiao Bei said happily. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢
"Good boy," Ji Xinhe smiled, remembering something. She took out a small book bag from a little cabinet behind her and handed it to Xiao Bei, "Here, you’ll start school tomorrow. I made a book bag for you. Although the craftsmanship isn’t great, it should be sturdy enough to carry a few books without a problem."
Xiao Bei hugged the small book bag exultantly, "You’re so nice, sister!"
——
Wang family’s residence.
The atmosphere in the house was eerily quiet.
Master Wang had a slightly dark expression, silently sipping his tea. After a while, he slowly said, "So, you mean to give back the hundred taels of silver to me and consider the business deal we discussed as never having occurred?"
Ji Dashan’s knees were weak, but he still nodded his head rapidly, "Yes, yes, because my daughter... she is truly unwilling..."
"If she is truly unwilling, I naturally won’t force the issue. However," Master Wang paused, his eyes held a deep meaning, "The business between us, I’m afraid, can’t be resolved with just a hundred taels of silver."
"Ah?" Ji Dashan was startled, feeling a sudden panic in his heart without knowing why.
Master Wang raised his hand, signalling the old steward to come in. The steward had a contract in his hand. Master Wang sneered and said, "According to our contract, if the deal doesn’t go through, you have to repay double the deposit made! That is, two hundred taels of silver!"
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