Gold Shop
The next morning, Qin Yuyao took Jin Yu and Qing Yu with her and took a carriage to check out the shop that Mrs. Lin had handed over.
The driver originally wanted to drive the carriage directly to the shop, but was stopped by Qin Yuyao. In the end, they only stopped at a nearby noodle shop. Jin Yu originally wanted to go there together.
Qin Yuyao said, "You look more powerful, so let Qingyu and I, the two weaklings, go explore the way first."
After saying this, Qingyu immediately laughed. It was indeed Jinyu who was in charge of all matters in the courtyard on weekdays, but seeing that Jinyu was a little depressed, she didn't dare to laugh out loud.
Qin Yuyao glanced at Qingyu and walked towards the first shop. This shop was a gold shop, which usually sold gold to wealthy ladies by relying on the craftsmanship of its craftsmen.
Even before Qin Yuyao entered, she could clearly see how many people were in the shop. She could count them on one hand, which showed that business was very poor.
However, a gold shop is not like a restaurant. It needs people to be there to be considered business. Therefore, Qin Yuyao temporarily suppressed the doubts in her heart and walked in.
The yawning clerk inside saw her and quickly greeted her with a smile, "Madam, are you here to buy some gold jewelry? The gold jewelry in our shop is all made by the best goldsmiths in Shengjing. If there's a style you like, we can make it too."
The waiter's attitude was quite enthusiastic. Qin Yuyao nodded slightly but said nothing. Qingyu said from the side, "Our lady wants some gold hairpins, but preferably ones inlaid with gemstones. Do you have any?"
Seeing that Qingyu was the first to speak, the clerk immediately assumed that Qin Yuyao was the kind of noble person who didn't like to talk to outsiders. He immediately said to Qingyu, "Of course we have this gold hairpin, but it's the one inlaid with gems. We don't have it in our store at the moment."
"It's just inlaid with gemstones, how can there be no gemstones? Aren't hairpins inlaid with gemstones popular in Shengjing this year? Your shop has the best goldsmiths, why don't you buy some gemstones?"
Qingyu spoke bluntly, almost asking if he couldn't afford the gems. This stunned the clerk, who was at a loss for words for a moment, not knowing how to explain.
Seeing this, Qingyu wanted to say something, but Qin Yuyao pulled his sleeve and he stopped talking.
"I see that the hairpins displayed in the store are all a bit old, although this gold hairpin doesn't matter whether it's new or old. But which lady in Shengjing doesn't like new things? Yours is too old and it won't look good when I take it out." Qin Yuyao looked straight at the clerk, her gaze as if it had substance.
The clerk's already lowered head drooped even further. "Madam, you may not know this, but our shop originally had some new styles. But the shopkeeper forbade us from making them, saying they were not suitable. We gave them all to another goldsmith, but he had no skills at all and only liked to make old pieces."
The clerk didn't say much else. But the fact that he told this to a stranger clearly showed that he had a long-standing grudge against the owner of the gold shop.
Seeing him speak proactively, Qin Yuyao nodded and said, "It seems that your shopkeeper is unwilling to find another goldsmith? Ask your shopkeeper to come out. I have more than one or two goldsmiths to make here. If they don't look good, I will find another one."
If the clerk in the gold shop asked for something from a customer, he would get more money. Hearing Qin Yuyao asking for so much and asking carefully, the clerk immediately gritted his teeth and agreed.
"Please wait a moment, madam. I will go and invite our boss over now." After the clerk said this, he quickly walked towards the back room of the gold shop.
Qingyu helped Qin Yuyao sit down on a chair in the gold shop. Fortunately, this clerk was reliable and knew to make tea in advance.
After finishing a cup of tea, the so-called shopkeeper finally arrived. He was a shopkeeper who looked quite young. After he opened the curtain and came out, his eyes fell on Qin Yuyao.
There was a very obvious look of greed on his face. If Qin Yuyao had not seen it clearly, she would have asked this person to hide away.
"Bang" accompanied by the crisp sound of the teacup falling on the table, Qin Yuyao looked up at the gold shop owner.
"Boss, you are really busy. It seems that there is not much business in this store. The waiter had to wait for a cup of tea." Qin Yuyao asked this quickly, and the store became quiet in an instant.
Qingyu looked at the shopkeeper with displeasure. Don't think she hadn't noticed. This man didn't look honest, and when she thought that this was her young lady's shop, she was even more furious.
"Boss, if you keep running the shop like this, you deserve to have no business and go bankrupt sooner or later." Qingyu put her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes at the shopkeeper.
The guy standing behind didn't dare to say anything, but nodded imperceptibly in response to Qingyu's question.
Upon seeing these two, Shopkeeper Liu knew they were not to be trifled with, and his somewhat frivolous demeanor immediately subsided. He bowed and said respectfully, "Sir, our shop can make any style. I just heard from our clerk that you wanted gemstones inlaid. It's not that we can't do it, but we're just short on resources. To make the gemstones, you'll need to pay a deposit first."
Hearing this, Qin Yuyao looked Shopkeeper Liu up and down, then said slowly, "Of course I can pay the deposit, but you don't even have gemstone-inlaid designs. How can we trust your craftsmanship?"
Qin Yuyao stood up as she spoke, and Qingyu reached out to help her. They were about to leave, but before they could even reach the door, they heard a voice from inside: "Where did these barbarians come from? You don't have the money to buy the gems, yet you want us to be the ones taking advantage of you. If you don't want to, then don't do it."
The voice was younger than Shopkeeper Liu's, almost the same age as the clerk. With the sound of a beaded curtain being lifted and lowered, the man stepped out. "Everyone loves the designs I make. If you don't trust them, then find someone else. Don't waste your time with me."
Qin Yuyao frowned. Is this how this guy usually does business? Not only did he leave money in the gold shop's account to buy the materials, but even if he asked the customer to pay first, he should have made it clear.
How could he expect someone to pay directly when there was no style available and nothing he liked? Qin Yuyao turned around to look, and when she saw the other person, she understood everything in an instant.
"Who is this?" Qin Yuyao looked at the shopkeeper nonchalantly, obviously not intending to talk to the person who had just spoken.
Shopkeeper Liu hadn't expected the old man from the back room to come out on his own. He hurriedly said with a smile, "Sir, this is the best goldsmith in our shop, Lin. The gold hairpins, gold earrings, and even the necklace that comes out of his hands are all beautiful."
"So, are there any styles?" Qin Yuyao didn't intend to listen to his nonsense and looked at Manager Liu with sharp eyes.
This immediately left Shopkeeper Liu speechless, and he didn't say a word for a long time.
Seeing this, Qin Yuyao lost her last bit of patience and glanced at the two of them and said, "Manager Liu and Goldsmith Lin, right? I remember there should be a Goldsmith Zhang in this gold shop. How come I don't see him?"
Unexpectedly, Qin Yuyao knew so much about it. Shopkeeper Liu immediately felt something was wrong, but he still stepped forward with a smile and was about to explain.
But the goldsmith Lin behind him beat him to the punch: "Madam, if you can't afford it, go find someone else. You're the only one who appreciates the craftsmanship of goldsmith Zhang. I wonder if you're the actor hired by goldsmith Zhang."
As he spoke, Lin the Goldsmith looked Qin Yuyao up and down with a look of disdain. He clearly thought Qin Yuyao was a liar, or even someone hired by Zhang the Goldsmith.
This was a blunt remark, and Qin Yuyao was no pushover. She immediately sat back down and said, "Manager Liu, you're favoring Goldsmith Lin while leaving Goldsmith Zhang unused. Are you being bribed? Today, neither you nor the Lin family needs to come. Just ask Goldsmith Zhang to come out."
Suddenly, the expressions of the two people present tensed. Shopkeeper Liu, who was already a little uneasy, became even more uneasy. He looked at Qin Yuyao's cold expression, and then looked at Qingyu beside her who still looked fearless.
"I am blind. You...you must be the eldest lady! Meet the eldest lady!" Shopkeeper Liu bowed hurriedly, his head bowed deeply, as if he was not the one who neglected the two people just now.
Lin the goldsmith, seeing him like this and the young lady in his words, suddenly understood what was going on, but he couldn't bring himself to do it, so he just stiffened his neck and didn't look at the two of them.
As they were talking, two people suddenly came out. One was Jin Yu, who had just been outside and entered through the back door, and Zhang the goldsmith beside her.
Although he couldn't tell what was going on, Zhang the goldsmith saw the two men, who had always been arrogant and domineering, now looked ashen. He immediately knew that someone was calling the shots, and without hesitation he stepped forward and bowed.
"Boss, I'm Zhang Qiaoshou, the goldsmith of this gold shop. The previous boss passed away, and the two who came after him squeezed out my father and found someone they knew to be the manager. This goldsmith Lin is just a big talker and can't do anything." Seeing that someone was in charge, Zhang the goldsmith immediately spilled the beans and told everything that had happened over the years.
With each new story, Shopkeeper Liu's face paled. Goldsmith Lin was from the Lin family, and even if he left the gold shop, he would have nowhere else to go. He was an outsider, relying on the Lin family to get to where he was today.
Although he knew that the shop belonged to the eldest daughter, she had never come here since she took over the shop. The Lin family was still hanging around here, so he thought it was all a matter of face.
Who would have thought that he would actually come to his door? Seeing Qin Yuyao's face darken, he didn't ask for anything else and immediately knelt down.
He trembled as he told the whole story, and even with tears streaming down his face, he said, "Miss, I was forced to do this. I am the only servant here. If you don't listen, you will be kicked out."
Goldsmith Lin also looked unhappy at this moment. In the past, Mrs. Lin was in charge of the shop. As a relative of Lin, he could have gotten some bargains. But he didn't expect to be liquidated today. He suddenly felt that coming to the shop today was unlucky.
"Miss Qin, I came to this gold shop just because my family told me to. I won't stay long. I won't come tomorrow." After saying this, Lin the goldsmith wanted to leave.
Seeing this, Jin Yu stepped forward and blocked the way outside: "Are you dreaming? My lady hasn't settled the score yet, who knows if you've taken anything out secretly? If she doesn't settle the score clearly, you can't leave!"
Unexpectedly, such a maid would be so bold. Lin Jinjiang immediately became angry and tried to push Jin Yu away: "Dream on! I can come to this place whenever I want. Go ask that Liu guy if you lost anything."
As he spoke, Goldsmith Lin secretly glanced at Shopkeeper Liu, asking him to speak. However, the shopkeeper lowered his head and did not respond to his gaze.
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