Hua Xiaomai had never heard him speak in that tone before, and it displeased her internally. She forcibly suppressed her anger, pondered for a mont, and then flashed him a slight smile.
"I had no such intention, Uncle Ping’an. You misunderstood. It seems that my words were ill-chosen and caused you displeasure. Considering that I am of the younger generation, please don’t take offense. However..."
Her tone shifted as she continued with a faint smile, "Let’s not forget, at the end of the day, I am the owner of Zhenwei Garden. Isn’t it only natural for to inquire about the business affairs of my shop?"
Pan Ping’an was taken aback and choked, unable to speak for a while. He picked up his tea bowl and gulped down its contents.
"You have yet to tell , have those two given the deposit? Since they are not locals, they probably won’t stay long in Tong’an Prefecture. When the ti cos, how will the sauce be delivered?"
Hua Xiaomai, indifferent to whatever he was currently thinking, asked again at her own pace.
"...This morning, the matter was settled." Pan Ping’an muttered reluctantly, "As for the deposit, it was naturally collected at the standard rate of twenty percent. Those two readily pulled out a silver note, saying they would co again tomorrow to select the types of sauces. As for delivery, they said there was no need for us to worry about it, and that there wouldn’t be any problems."
"Alright, I understand," Hua Xiaomai nodded, "If those two co again tomorrow, please have Xiao Haozi call over, Uncle Ping’an. For such a big transaction, I, as the owner, should surely make an appearance, don’t you think?"
Pan Ping’an, who had been in high spirits when he first arrived, now looked as if he had been doused with a bucket of cold water and dejectedly agreed, promptly standing up and leaving without looking back.
Hua Xiaomai shook her head as she watched his retreating figure. She sat in the front courtyard for a mont before getting up and going inside. She took little Walnut into her arms from Old Lady ng and remained silent, gently squeezing his plump little hand.
Old Lady ng, who had been in the main hall, hadn’t heard the whole story, but she’d gotten the gist and couldn’t stand to see Hua Xiaomai looking so troubled. She clicked her tongue and unceremoniously smacked Hua Xiaomai on the back.
"Mother!" Hua Xiaomai jumped in shock, wincing in pain and dodging backward, "I didn’t provoke you, why are you hitting so hard all of a sudden?"
"And what if I am?" Old Lady ng lifted her chin with a triumphant look, "I told you when you were pregnant with little Walnut, that I would be settling scores with you later. Now I’m just collecting a bit of interest with a slap. Are you not happy about it? — Tell , you’ve landed a big deal with that sauce garden of yours, shouldn’t you be grinning from ear to ear, instead of frowning like this? Who are you putting on such a sour face for?"
Hua Xiaomai looked up at her, pursing her lips, "It’s just that sothing about it doesn’t feel right..."
"What doesn’t feel right?" Old Lady ng frowned, speaking irritably, "Anyway, I’ve nothing better to do, so you might as well get it off your chest. Better than bothering Yuhuai and giving him more trouble when he’s already so busy lately!"
Hua Xiaomai’s eyes suddenly widened, and she couldn’t help but glance at the position of the sun.
Old Lady ng usually couldn’t care less about business affairs. Today... was the sun rising from the west?
"Are you alright?" She could hardly believe her ears and tentatively reached out to touch Old Lady ng’s forehead.
"Are you going to talk or not?" Old Lady ng batted her hand away and pointed nacingly at her face, "I don’t have the patience to wait. If you keep dawdling, I’ll ignore you and let you sulk here by yourself!"
With that, she really made as if to leave.
"Fine, isn’t it okay if I talk?" Hua Xiaomai hurriedly grabbed her, sighing, "You’ve heard what Uncle Ping’an said earlier. I don’t distrust him, but I still feel this whole affair is oddly strange."
As she spoke, she smoothly straightened little Walnut’s clothes. "According to Uncle Ping’an, those two businessn tasted dishes made with Zhenwei Garden’s sauce at a restaurant in Provincial City and found them excellent, which led them to seek us out. However... typically, when common folk find a dish delicious, don’t they usually credit the cook’s skills? How did they attribute it to the sauce instead? Cooks, who deal with oil and condints every day, naturally know the advantages of our sauces, but those two businessn are layn—Their explanation doesn’t seem credible to ; I find it rather untrustworthy."
Old Lady ng thought it over and unexpectedly nodded in agreent for the first ti, "That’s true. If it were , I would not have thought so deeply. But perhaps as businessn, they’re particularly keen on opportunities and specially inquired with the restaurateurs?"
"That’s also a possibility," Hua Xiaomai smiled at her, "but there’s another thing I find odd. Uncle Ping’an repeatedly described those two as being extravagantly dressed, almost as if locating such wealthy people would be difficult throughout Fuzhe County. If they really are so wealthy, this small sauce business is probably not such a big deal for them. Wealthy people like that always have capable attendants with them when they travel, and for a re transaction of seven hundred taels, they could’ve just delegated it to a trusted person to handle it. Why would they travel all the way from Provincial City in person?"
These thoughts had been swirling in her mind, but she hadn’t imdiately shared them since she saw that Pan Ping’an was already a bit displeased.
It was naturally exciting to have a big business opportunity knocking at her door, but with only so many employees at Zhenwei Garden, how much ti and effort would it take to brew tens of thousands of jars of sauce? If, in the end, it all turned out to be in vain, where could she find another buyer for so much sauce in a short amount of ti?
She truly had to be cautious!
Old Lady ng fell silent, habitually wanting to co up with a retort, but she couldn’t find anything to say. After a while, she suddenly looked up, surprised, "When did your mind beco so sharp?"
(To be continued. If you like this work, you are welco to co to Qidian (qidian) to cast your recomndation ticket, monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian to read.)
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