When they arrived at the village entrance, Da Bao was already waiting there.
At this moment, Liu Laohan also drove his oxcart over, with Liang Fugui and Liang Shi sitting on it.
Da Bao waved and greeted them with a smile, "Uncle Fugui, Aunt Fugui, are you going to town too? Why don't we go together!"
“Yes, Fugui, why don’t you ride in Dabao’s oxcart and go with him? That way I won’t have to make the trip again.”
Liu Laohan now goes to Anyang County every other day to deliver brown sugar, earning dozens of times more a month than he used to do by driving people around. He no longer works as a tout.
However, he won't refuse if someone in the village urgently needs a car.
Now that he saw Da Bao going to town, and Da Bao himself was unwilling to earn even a few coins for the ride, he smiled and made a suggestion.
Liang Fugui waved his hands repeatedly, his expression extremely unnatural, "No need, Da Bao, we'll just ride in Uncle Lao Han's oxcart, so as not to delay you."
“Yes, your Uncle Fugui and I have other things to do, so I’m afraid we won’t be able to go together,” Madam Liang quickly added.
"Alright, we'll be going now." After saying that, Chen Dabao jumped onto the oxcart and was about to crack the whip.
"Wait, Da Bao."
Chen Qingqing called out to Da Bao, her sixth sense telling her that something was wrong with Liang Fugui and his wife.
Recalling what Mrs. Sun said last night, I became even more certain of my thoughts.
My gaze returned to Madam Liang, who was dressed in new clothes, her hair neatly combed, and a small cloth bag slung over her shoulder, hanging down...
Da Bao quickly stopped whipping the whip. "Sister Qingqing, is something wrong?"
“I just remembered I have some business to attend to in town. I’ll go with you.” Chen Qingqing said as she jumped onto the oxcart and turned back to Lin Shi, saying, “Mother, I’m leaving now. I’ll be back tonight.”
Mrs. Lin was momentarily taken aback. Her daughter had just said she wasn't going to town, so why was she leaving in such a hurry now? She didn't press for details and simply waved her hand, saying, "Alright, be careful on the road."
"Da Bao, let's go," Chen Qingqing instructed.
"Alright, sit tight." After Da Bao finished speaking, he waved his whip, and the oxcart slowly started moving.
Seeing that Liang Fugui insisted on taking his oxcart to town, Liu Laohan had no choice but to drive towards town.
They soon arrived at Qingshui Town. Chen Qingqing asked Da Bao to take Chen Han to the Confucius Academy first, while she walked quickly toward the dock.
Qingshui Town Wharf.
Zheng Zhong's cargo ship has arrived, and he is directing the workers to unload it.
Madam Liang had met Zheng Zhong before and recognized him at a glance. She pointed at him and said, "Fugui, that's the merchant who delivered the beets. Whether the deal goes through smoothly or not depends on you."
"Don't worry, wife, just hold on!" Liang Fugui puffed out his chest and walked straight toward Zheng Zhong.
As he approached, he smiled broadly and said, "Brother Zheng, you must have had a long journey."
Zheng Zhong glanced sideways, not recognizing the man, but still nodded politely. "You're too kind. May I ask who you are? How did you know my surname is Zheng?"
Liang Fugui didn't beat around the bush; he went straight to the point and stated his purpose.
“Brother Zheng, I am Liang Fugui from Nanshan Village. I know that your boat carries raw materials for making brown sugar. Many people in our village want to buy it. I am here on behalf of everyone to talk business with you.”
Upon hearing this, Zheng Zhong frowned and said in a flat tone, "I'm sorry, this batch of goods was ordered by Miss Chen from your village, so I can't sell it to you."
"Mr. Zheng, don't be so quick to refuse. The price is negotiable. If you agree to cooperate with me, I will add one coin per pound to the original price!"
As Liang Fugui spoke, he observed Zheng Zhong's reaction. Seeing that Zheng Zhong remained silent, he sensed an opportunity and quickly pressed his advantage.
"Don't worry, Mr. Zheng. From now on, I'll take as many beets as you have. You can calculate the profit margin carefully; it's no small sum!"
Following closely behind, Madam Liang chimed in, "Boss Zheng, my husband is right. Business is all about making money. If you agree, this boatload of beets will earn you an extra ten taels of silver, which would be a tremendous benefit for you."
Zheng Zhong carefully examined the two of them. Seeing Liang Fugui's shrewd expression, and then glancing at Liang Shi, he suddenly remembered, "I've seen you before. You worked at Miss Chen's sugar shop."
Madam Liang nodded and smiled, “That’s right, Mr. Zheng has a good memory. I did work at Chen Qingqing’s sugar shop, but I’m not doing it anymore. My husband and I are planning to cooperate with Mr. Zheng. If you agree to cooperate with us, we will buy your sugar beets at four copper coins per pound from now on.”
Without a second thought, Zheng Zhong blurted out,
"Brother, the key to business is 'honesty and integrity.' Miss Chen has been kind to me; as the saying goes, 'A kindness shown in a meal should never be forgotten.'"
She helped me when I was at my lowest point, and I can't go back on my word. I'm sorry, I can't sell you this shipment.
"If Brother Liang is interested in cooperating, I can transport an additional 10,000 catties next time, and then we can cooperate."
Upon hearing this, Liang Fugui shook his head and waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "Brother Zheng, you are mistaken. Although Miss Chen has been kind to you, as a businessman, you should prioritize profit. This is not the way to repay a debt of gratitude."
"Exactly, what is integrity? Can it feed you or make you rich?"
Liang snorted and glanced at Zheng Zhong.
"Boss Zheng, no offense, but what are you after, coming all this way to sell beetroots? Isn't it just to make a little more money? Money's hard to earn these days."
As the old saying goes, "A fool wouldn't take advantage of a good deal." I just don't understand why you can't see the point when something like this is offered to you.
However, on the other hand, you've been delivering goods for them for over a year and never raised the price; that can be considered repaying their kindness.
Even if you sold these beets to us, Chen Qingqing wouldn't be able to say anything.
At this moment, several merchants in the crowd couldn't help but speak up.
"Boss Zheng, isn't the point of doing business to make more money? Don't be foolish. Every extra penny you earn will make your trip much more profitable!"
"Yes, Mr. Zheng, it's not easy to do business when you're away from home. Since they're so sincere, you should sell these goods to them!"
......
The onlookers also joined in the discussion, chattering amongst themselves.
"If you have money to be made, wouldn't you be a complete fool!"
"Exactly, they've offered a high price. If it were me, I'd sell it to the highest bidder."
"That's right, if we make a little more money, we can buy some cosmetics, pastries, and candies for our wife and kids."
"This is no small amount of money, it's more than ten taels of silver, that's a lot of money!"
Seeing this, Liang Fugui quickly seized the opportunity and said, "Boss Zheng, just sell this batch of goods to me, and I promise to cooperate with you permanently, just like Chen Qingqing did."
“This…” Zheng Zhong hesitated.
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