"Grandpa Hu, where have you been? I'll get everything ready for you right away." Xi Chun had heard him say before that he travels every year, and this time he left before the New Year. Now he's finally back.
"You went to spend the New Year with your family and grandchildren and have only just returned. How is your business? Is anyone still bullying you?" Grandpa Hu asked with a kind smile.
"No, business has been going quite well lately," Xichun replied truthfully.
"That's good. If you need anything, you can come to the Hu residence to find me." He felt sorry for the girl because of her resolute character and tragic background.
"Xichun, someone's come to buy chili peppers, but the quantity is too large, I don't dare to agree right away. Come with me quickly and take a look." Qiangzi came running over, panting, and called to Xichun as they were about to leave.
"Brother Qiangzi, how much does that person want to buy?" Upon hearing this, Xichun knew that things wouldn't be simple. After giving Aunt Zhang some instructions, she left with Qiangzi.
"He plans to buy two thousand jin, saying he wants to sell it to other places." Although they usually sell more than two thousand jin in total, this is a big customer. If he continues to buy like this in the future, they can make a lot of money.
Xi Chun led Qiangzi to the stall, where the customer was waiting for them. Upon seeing Xi Chun, the customer did not object, as he had already inquired and learned that Xi Chun was the owner of the stall.
"May I ask your surname, sir? My surname is Chen, and I'm the owner of a chili oil shop," Xi Chun introduced himself with a smile.
“My surname is Zeng, and I come from Yizhou Prefecture. I heard that you have excellent-tasting chili peppers, so we specifically sent me here to purchase them. I have just tasted them, and they taste the same as those sold in Yizhou Prefecture. So I would like to ask if you can deliver the goods on time. I will be leaving in ten days.”
"So it's Boss Zeng. It's truly an honor that our goods have gained the favor of Yizhou Prefecture. How many kilograms and what varieties do you need so that I can determine whether we can deliver?"
"Give me 5,000 catties of chili oil and 1,000 catties of chopped chili peppers. If you can't deliver on time, you can prepare as much as you can. Also, I require that the taste be perfect and that the quality be the same as these."
Five thousand catties. It seems that they changed their minds after tasting their chili peppers. Xichun thought for a moment. She had a thousand catties of chili oil and two thousand catties of chopped chili peppers in her own stock. The season was not right, and she did not have any fresh chili peppers to make chopped chili peppers. So she could only deliver a thousand catties first.
If we were to purchase dried chili peppers again, we would need to buy at least five or six thousand kilograms to ensure both delivery and sufficient inventory.
"Thank you for your consideration, Mr. Zeng. We will do our best to deliver the goods according to your requirements. However, we have not done many big business deals and have limited capital. We also need to purchase chili peppers. So, could you please pay half of the deposit first?"
"Of course, Miss Chen, please come with me. Let's sign the contract first." After Boss Zeng nodded in agreement, Xi Chun breathed a sigh of relief. Otherwise, she really wouldn't have had that much money to make the purchases.
While Xichun was immersed in joy, Chen Xique from the county government also received good news.
"Doctor, am I really pregnant?" Chen Xique hadn't expected that she would become pregnant after appearing by the master's side last time. Thinking of this child, she was very excited. The master didn't have any children yet, and neither of his two concubines had given birth.
As for the master's wife, who was far away in her hometown, even if she had another child, it was still beyond her reach. Now, she was the only one by the master's side who was pregnant. She often heard the servants gossiping, so she naturally knew that in such a wealthy family, having a child meant that the mother was poor while the child was rich.
"Ye'er, don't tell anyone else about this yet. I'm worried they might cause trouble. Let's talk about it after this pregnancy is more stable." After seeing the doctor off, Chen Xique calmed her excited emotions before speaking.
"Yes, Madam, rest assured." Chen Xique had wanted to experience being a madam before, so she had Ye'er call her madam when no one was around.
After Ye'er finished speaking, a sly glint flashed in her eyes. She wasn't one of Aunt Chen's people, and she would report to her master in a moment.
Chen Xique touched her child with her hand, thinking about how to use the child to maintain her position as a concubine, so that even if she went to work in other places with her husband in the future, she could still maintain her current position.
Chen Xique had already learned from her father that he would be transferred to a more affluent county by the end of the year. This was something her father had casually mentioned when he was drunk that day, but she hadn't told her parents yet.
If the master is about to leave, and she has just given birth, then she cannot travel far. She might be sent back to her hometown beforehand, where the principal wife's domain is now. She might not even be able to keep her child. No, she cannot let the master send her back to his hometown. She must give birth locally before returning to the master's side. Otherwise, she doesn't know which little hussy will steal her place.
Chen Xique had long since changed amidst the coldness and indifference of human relationships in this grand mansion. She was no longer the Chen Xique from Taoyuan Village, but rather Chen, the concubine of the county magistrate, a woman who had gradually come to understand the benefits of power. She was no longer content to simply be the wife of a wealthy man here.
Soon, just when Chen Xique wanted to keep a low profile, everyone in the manor knew that she was pregnant.
"Magpie, come quickly! I heard you're pregnant. Why didn't you tell me sooner? This is the first child I've had since I arrived in Weinan County. You all must take good care of him, do you hear me? If anything goes wrong, you'll be held responsible!"
The county magistrate also heard the news and was all smiles. In his opinion, after three years here, something good had finally happened, proving that he would definitely succeed in his efforts to be transferred to a more prosperous county this year, where he could make even more money.
"Master, I wanted to wait until the pregnancy was stable before telling you, but the servants were too quick to speak." Chen Xique knew perfectly well that she had been tricked. Seeing the resentful looks on her two concubines' faces, she felt insecure about keeping the pregnancy. She had no choice but to beg the master to change the servants who would take care of her. She insisted that they be chosen by herself from outside the manor and not from the servants in the manor.
The county magistrate agreed to everything, as long as she gave birth to a son, what was this small request?
To increase the chances of success, Chen Xique summoned Madam Du and asked her to help her find someone experienced, as she couldn't trust anyone in the household now.
"That's wonderful! Our family will have a grandson who is the county magistrate's son. It's a pity there's still no news from Xiyue. If she's pregnant too, that would be great. The Chen family's assets will all belong to Xiyue's child." Du Shi couldn't stop smiling when she heard this good news.
"Xiyue won't have my good fortune so soon. Mother, you must be reliable and take good care of this baby. If I give birth to a big, healthy boy, will our family still have to worry about food and drink?"
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