"Sister Wen, don't worry, there will be a way."
Liao Ziwan looked at Wen Yanli, who was pounding her chest and stamping her feet, and comforted her. She reached out to help the shopkeeper, who had fallen to the ground, up.
Wen Yanli dodged Liao Ziwan's outstretched hand and said accusingly in an unfriendly tone, "It's all your fault. You insisted on having me participate in this royal clothing making project. I just wanted to earn a little money..."
"Waaaah... Now look what happened! I've offended the palace, oh no, what am I going to do!"
"Why am I, Wen Yanli, so unlucky? If I had known, I should have had Wenbin go to the temple to have his fortune told by a master before agreeing to your request!"
Wen Yanli tossed aside her pipe, her face haggard and pale.
"My son will have even less chance of getting a wife!"
"Wenbin, it's all my fault, I'm so sorry!"
Wen Yanli pounded her chest hard.
"Ah, you must be Liao Ziwan! Young lady, you've really put my mother in a terrible situation. Tell me, what are you planning to do?"
A young man of medium build, with a slightly round face, sparse hair, and dressed in brown brocade stood to the side, berating Liao Ziwan.
Liao Ziwan glanced at him, guessing that this must be Shopkeeper Wen's eldest son, the one named Wenbin.
"Are you being reasonable? My manager told Sister Wen in advance to put the clothes away properly because it's been raining a lot lately and she shouldn't get wet! It's your own carelessness, what does it have to do with us!"
The manager next to Liao Ziwan pointed at the man and cursed.
"My boss didn't even have breakfast. He opened his eyes and rushed over in the pouring rain, all out of kindness to check on the situation and help you solve the problem. And you, on the contrary, are biting the hand that feeds you!"
"They don't appreciate kindness!"
"Who are you calling a dog?!" Wenbin was so angry that he raised his hand as if to hit someone.
"Is anyone else here?" The manager stared directly at Wenbin, showing no sign of backing down.
"What, you want to make a move?!"
"Stop arguing."
Liao Ziwan stopped her, saying, "You must be Sister Wen's eldest son, Brother Wenbin. Could you take me to see the storeroom and how soaked the clothes and bedding are?"
The young man neither spoke nor moved, but stood still, gazing into the distance, without uttering a word.
"Brother Wenbin, the most important thing right now is to solve the problem."
Wenbin remained motionless, seemingly not believing that Liao Ziwan could do anything.
"Wenbin, take Ziwan with you. I acted impulsively just now. This is not Ziwan's fault; it is indeed our problem. We will have to trouble Miss Ziwan to find a solution."
Manager Wen stood up shakily and apologized to Liao Ziwan.
Wen Yanli knew in her heart that she couldn't think of a solution to this problem, and her own son was useless; she would have to rely on Liao Ziwan to solve it.
"Sister Wen, there's no need to be so polite. We're all in the same boat now. We share the same fate. I'll do my best to find a solution. Let me see the warehouse first."
Liao Ziwan spoke sincerely.
"Wenbin, why aren't you going yet?"
Seeing that his son hadn't moved, Manager Wen called out.
"Alright, Mother, what good ideas can you come up with for such a little girl?"
Manager Wen's son glanced at Liao Ziwan with disdain, kicked a pebble under his feet with a reluctant look, and swayed his slightly plump body, leading Liao Ziwan and the steward toward the storeroom.
Upon arriving at the warehouse, Liao Ziwan observed it carefully. She wasn't sure if it was just a natural disaster or a man-made one, but she knew that Jinxiu Silk Company was likely to attract unwanted attention due to its large size.
"Have the roof tiles in this warehouse fallen off before?"
Liao Ziwan walked into the storeroom where undergarments and various fabrics were stored. Looking up, she saw several large holes in the roof, through which sunlight shone in without tiles.
If the house were sturdy and the tiles were secure, the heavy rain wouldn't have leaked in from the roof and ruined so many clothes.
"It had never broken before, perhaps the rain was too heavy last night."
“With such a strong wind, any house will leak,” said Manager Wen’s son, glancing at Liao Ziwan with disdain.
I knew you wouldn't be able to do anything about it.
Who was on duty in this warehouse yesterday?
Who was on duty yesterday?
Wenbin, the shopkeeper's son, asked the helper next to him who was cleaning up the water in the warehouse.
"Yesterday, Manager Du was in charge of the watch, but I don't know exactly who was on duty," the helper replied, head bowed.
"Go and call Steward Du over," Wenbin ordered.
"Manager Du worked through the night to salvage the clothes and fabrics in the warehouse, without resting until the rain stopped this morning. He is currently at the clinic."
"Are you sick?"
"Yes, I'm so exhausted I've passed out," the helper replied, bowing his head.
[Did she faint from exhaustion?]
Liao Ziwan frowned slightly.
Could this be related to Manager Du?
"What's this?"
Liao Ziwan saw several rectangular pieces of black cloth on the ground, bent down, and picked them up.
"I don't know either. I didn't find any black cloth like this in the warehouse before," the helper said, puzzled.
"Go and call Steward Zhou over; he's familiar with this fabric," Wenbin said.
Looking at Liao Ziwan's attitude and actions, he seemed to think that this woman was quite capable.
"yes."
A short while later, the helper led a middle-aged man dressed in dark blue coarse cloth clothes with his sleeves rolled up to Liao Ziwan.
"Shopkeeper, did you call me here because you need something?"
Manager Zhou bowed to the two men and asked.
Although Steward Zhou was very courteous, Liao Ziwan still sensed a certain arrogance about him.
It seemed as if the Wen family's cloth business couldn't function without him.
“You talk to her,” Wenbin said, pointing at Liao Ziwan.
Liao Ziwan unfolded the strip of cloth, held it up to her eyes, compared it with the hole formed by the fallen tile, and asked, "This cloth feels very thick. Is it for making clothes?"
"It's not usually used for making clothes. This thick fabric is probably black sable cloth, which is quite stiff and used to make curtains to block out the sun."
Liao Ziwan pondered for a moment, recalling the events of the past few days and the people she had met at Manager Wen's place. Suddenly, her eyes lit up, and she nodded knowingly, "Who was on duty the day before yesterday?"
Who is it?
"The day before yesterday, it should have been Manager Yu who answered," Manager Zhou replied after a moment's thought.
"Where is Steward Yu now?"
"Uh, Manager Yu went out to buy things early this morning."
Wenbin was completely bewildered. One minute it was Manager Du, the next it was Manager Zhou, and then it was Manager Yu.
Liao Ziwan had already figured out who was in charge of Wen's Cloth Shop. This Manager Zhou was the general manager, and apart from Manager Wen, he was the one who made all the decisions in the cloth shop.
As for Manager Du and Manager Yu, they were subordinates of Manager Zhou and took turns guarding the warehouse every day.
"Brother, please have someone search Steward Yu's room."
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