Chapter 54: It’s Hard to Persuade the Damned Ghost with Kind Words
Chu Yian also felt incredible about his mother's behavior.
Qing'er's things cannot be touched, but the Marquis's family assets can be used at will?
He took a deep breath and patiently reasoned with his mother.
"If the foundation of the Marquis' Mansion is destroyed, Qing'er will not be able to keep it no matter how many titles she has. Now is not the time to worry about these gains and losses."
Jiang's heart ached, "Qing'er will definitely not want to do this."
Chu Dingfeng said coldly, "When it comes to the important matters of the Marquis' Mansion, she cannot be unwilling."
Jiang gritted her teeth and said, "It's all that bitch Lu Zhiran's fault for having to do things so ruthlessly!"
The Chu family father and son thought the same thing, but now, what was the point of harboring any more resentment? They had already witnessed the woman's ruthlessness and did not have the courage to risk confronting her head-on.
The next day, the originally gloomy sky suddenly cleared up, and the temperature, which had plummeted, also rose suddenly. Everyone could no longer wear their padded jackets, so they all changed into light clothes.
The unpredictable climate made everyone feel strange and puzzled. The price of charcoal, which had risen to 15 cents per catty, fell back to 5 cents, or even lower.
Dan Yan was a little anxious. "Why is it getting hot again? It won't stay like this all year, right? Those charcoal and cotton that the young lady bought..."
Cui Fu quickly said, "Pfft, pfft, pfft," "Don't be such a pessimist. The young lady's judgment is definitely correct. We should just trust her!"
Lu Zhiran was not worried. Although many things had changed in this life, the celestial phenomena would not change due to human factors.
Thinking about it, Lu Zhiran stood up and said, "Since the weather is good today, let's go out for a walk together."
She also wanted to go out and see how the charcoal market was doing.
Lu Zhiran went to ask Fang for advice, and Fang had no objection. "You really should go out for a walk during this period, so as not to stay at home all the time and have wild thoughts. It's a pity that your sister hasn't come back yet, otherwise she could go out with you to relax."
"I'm going out this time to arrange for the steward to buy some charcoal, but I'm afraid my sister isn't interested in that either."
Fang's expression was subtle for a moment, "You want to buy charcoal?"
Lu Zhiran nodded seriously, "My daughter thinks this business has great business opportunities. Mother, you still have to think carefully about what I said last time. While the price of charcoal is low now, we should stock up more in our house."
Fang looked amused. Charcoal wasn't a rare commodity, so why all the fuss? Even if the price really went up, wouldn't the Lu family be able to afford it?
It's really hard to persuade this damned ghost with good words. Since she is so determined to invest money, why should I be such a bad person? If I lose all my dowry, I will have nowhere to cry.
He scoffed in his heart but agreed outwardly, "Okay, mother will arrange for the steward to speed up the shopping."
Lu Zhiran pretended not to notice Fang's false agreement, exchanged a few hypocritical pleasantries with her, and then left.
The two maids were quite happy when they got on the carriage. They hadn't gone out for a walk for a long time.
"Miss, where are we going? Are we really going to buy charcoal?"
Lu Zhiran shook her head. "I've already told Uncle Tan about this. We three weak women can't really carry all that black charcoal. Today we'll just go shopping. You can buy whatever you want and put it on my account."
The two of them immediately became happy.
The lady was generous, so they didn't need to be polite to her.
Passing by Ruyi Pavilion, the master and his two servants went in to have a look.
Ruyi Pavilion has three floors. The first floor is for ordinary customers to shop, with relatively affordable prices. The second and third floors offer expensive jewelry, which is beyond the reach of ordinary people without a lot of money. In comparison, the third floor is more upscale than the second floor.
Cui Fu and Dan Yan picked out a few pieces of jewelry on the first floor, and then the master and his two servants went upstairs.
In the past, every time Lu Zhiran came to Ruyi Pavilion with Chu Yunqing, he would take her to the third floor to shop, and Chu Yunqing was never polite.
This time, Lu Zhiran didn't want to let herself down, so she went straight to the third floor.
As the master and his two servants stepped onto the third floor, they heard a familiar voice coming from a private room.
"This is a custom-made headpiece from you, made just over ten days ago. The whole thing is in perfect condition, and I have the receipts. Why can't I refund the full price?"
Lu Zhiran paused, and a subtle look flashed in his eyes.
Has the Xuanping Marquis Mansion fallen to such a state?
The shopkeeper's voice came with an apologetic smile, "Sir, I'm truly sorry, but our store has a policy that once an item is sold, it cannot be refunded at the original price, unless there are issues with the workmanship. If you truly wish to return it, we can only offer a 90% discount on the item."
Zhao Shuning's questioning voice came again, "Then why did you just say that you could only return 80%?"
"This headpiece of yours bears the marks of a fall. The entire piece is deformed, and several areas of craftsmanship are difficult to restore. It's probably reached its limit."
Chu Yunqing was unwilling to hand over the headdress, and Chu Yian had an argument and a tug of war with her. In the end, the headdress was thrown heavily to the ground and deformed.
Chu Yian's voice came, "Shuning, forget it, 80% is 80%."
Eighty percent was already a lot, and he really didn't want to argue here. If he was seen by other guests, it would be a joke.
If you can't even get back 80% of it in the end, then it will be a real loss in your hands.
When Zhao Shuning thought that it was his own money, he suddenly felt heartbroken.
He took a deep breath, suppressed the heartache, and nodded reluctantly.
Unexpectedly, at this moment, the shopkeeper said, "The deposit is non-refundable. This 80% is 80% of the final payment. This is the unspoken rule in the industry. You should know this, sir."
As soon as these words were spoken, Zhao Shuning exploded.
"What? The deposit isn't refundable? Isn't this extortion?"
Even though the deposit was not paid by her, she already regarded the money as her own. She had just calculated in her mind that if she calculated it as 80% of the original price of 8,888, her loss was not particularly large, so she reluctantly accepted it.
But if the deposit of 888 taels is not refunded and only 80% of 8,000 taels is calculated, she will lose 1,600 taels!
Zhao Shuning is no longer the same person she used to be. She no longer regards money as dirt.
One thousand six hundred taels is an absolutely huge sum of money for most people.
Chu Yian's expression changed when he heard this.
The shopkeeper still had a smile on his face. "Sir, this is the unspoken rule in the industry. If you don't believe it, you can go to other shops and ask around."
Zhao Shuning gritted his teeth, "We are the Xuanping Marquis Mansion!"
As soon as she showed the Xuanping Marquis Mansion, Chu Yian's face tightened.
Is it a glorious thing to show off one's reputation at a time like this?
What's more, the Xuanping Marquis Mansion has no good reputation at all nowadays. It would be better if no one said anything about it. Once it is said, others will laugh at them.
The shopkeeper's smile remained unchanged. "This industry rule applies to everyone equally and is not targeted at anyone. If you two want to withdraw, I will handle it for you. I wonder if you two will withdraw or not?"
Zhao Shuning and Chu Yian looked frozen and didn't say a word for a long time.
The shopkeeper said tactfully, "You two should consider it carefully. It's not too late to call me when you've made up your mind. You can also take your pick of the goods in the store."
After saying that, he turned and left the private room.
As soon as he came out, he saw Lu Zhiran and his two servants. He immediately put on a smile to greet them.
"Miss, what would you like to pick today?"
Lu Zhiran said calmly, "I'll just take a look, you go and do your own thing."
The shopkeeper knew that each of the nobles had his own preferences, and some people really didn't like others following them, so he bowed and took his leave.
"Miss, if you have any instructions, just ring the bell."
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