She thought to herself that although she was thin, she had always been robust. A couple of sneezes were hardly a big deal. However, to her dismay, when she got up early the next morning, her head ached, and her nose felt congested.
Old Lady ng hopped about, berating her severely. If it weren’t for the fact that she looked sowhat wilted, Old Lady ng would have really liked to greet her with a broom.
"I told you, you’re asking for trouble! Staying up late and ssing about in the kitchen, what on earth were you thinking? Haven’t I told you that the one thing I hate most in my life is sickly people, those who look half-dead, not the least bit brisk? And right now, you’re nursing a child, do you dare to take any dicine prescribed by the physician carelessly? Isn’t this just looking for trouble? Can’t you, as a mother, give so peace of mind?"
Scolded by her to the point her head was ringing, Hua Xiaomai, unable to bear it, retorted with a croaky voice, "Do you an to say you’ve never been sick in your entire life? It’s common to feel unwell with the sudden changes in temperature during spring. If you want to bla soone, bla the heavens, what’s the point of scolding ?"
"You still dare to talk back?" Old Lady ng rushed off to the kitchen to simr ginger and brown sugar water, then turned her head and glared hard at her, "Don’t say I didn’t warn you, hold Walnut less today, and when you feed him, cover your face tightly with a cloth. If you pass this illness on to him, I’ll truly skin you alive!"
"Can’t you occasionally show so sympathy for ?" Hua Xiaomai felt both annoyed and amused. She wanted to say sothing else, but then she saw a figure flash by the gate, followed swiftly by the little rascal coming in beaming with joy.
"Sister Xiaomai, those two rchants from out of town ca again yesterday, and Uncle Ping’an sent to call for you!"
"So early?" Hua Xiaomai frowned slightly—was there really a need to rush like this?
"You’re going?" Old Lady ng poked her head out from the kitchen, "Are you planning to work yourself to death?"
"I’ll go take a look and be right back." Hua Xiaomai flashed a smile at her, forced herself to stand up from the chair, calling the little rascal to head out the door with her.
...
At this ti, Zhenwei Garden had not officially started work. The workers had just begun trickling in from ho. Most of them seed to know that the two rchants had heavy purses and were excited and curious, gathering around to gawk, occasionally whispering to each other. Only Sun Great Saint didn’t care, speaking loudly, laughing so boisterously that a couple of birds on the eaves were startled into flight.
Pan Ping’an was talking to the two rchants and glanced up at the arrival of Hua Xiaomai. He appeared sowhat uncomfortable, gave her a reluctant nod and smile, then said to the two n, "This is the owner of our Zhenwei Garden."
The two turned their heads, and imdiately exclaid in surprise, "Oh, the owner of this Sauce Garden is so young?" Their accent was noticeable, but she couldn’t place their origin.
Hua Xiaomai smiled softly, subtly sizing up the two n in return.
As Pan Ping’an had said, there was nothing particularly remarkable about the appearance of the two n, yet they were indeed dressed with great care. In their twenties, their attire was a rare sight in the entirety of Fuzhe County, and they were adorned with an assortnt of accessories, clanking with every movent. Among these ornants were items made of gold and jade, which Hua Xiaomai couldn’t recognize, but even she could see, at a glance, that they were of considerable value.
However, perhaps because she had been sowhat suspicious of the duo beforehand, she couldn’t help but feel that their dressing was excessively ostentatious.
These two were itinerant rchants, after all; dressed so conspicuously, were they hoping to attract thieves?
While she was pondering this, the two n had cheerfully approached her.
"The skill of your Zhenwei Garden is truly remarkable. We both consider ourselves connoisseurs of food and, despite years of travel, have never tasted such flavor-rich sauce. With such fine products, it truly adds luster to the food! Yesterday, we finalized the deal to buy the sauce ingredients with Shopkeeper Pan, and today we’ve co specifically to choose the varieties. There are so many excellent sauces here; we’re afraid we might be spoiled for choice, ha ha!"
Turning her back, Hua Xiaomai rubbed her nose and then turned around with a smile, "Yes, Shopkeeper Pan told about this yesterday, and I’m very pleased. Zhenwei Garden has always done business within Tong’an Prefecture, and if we can sell our goods to other provinces, that would indeed be honorific for as the owner. I ca today to discuss a small matter with you two— I heard that you’ve already paid the deposit yesterday?"
"Isn’t that the truth?" the slightly shorter of the two nodded without hesitation, "One must be honest in business. Since we genuinely want to buy, naturally, we should promptly pay the deposit to set your mind at ease. Once you deliver the goods, we’ll imdiately pay the remaining amount, surely without delay!"
Having already deliberated on the matter, Hua Xiaomai seed sowhat hesitant to speak, her head lowered, she hesitated, "It’s about that, I was hoping to discuss sothing with you two."
"What is it?" the man imdiately pressed.
"Well," said Hua Xiaomai with earnest, "Shopkeeper Pan told that you used a silver note for the deposit yesterday, but actually, our store has a rule of only accepting cash, either Silver Taels or Copper Coins. Shopkeeper Pan ntioned that he found it difficult to bring this up because you have traveled from afar, but after pondering it throughout the night, I feel it’s best to stick to our rules to avoid complications in the future. I don’t an to hide this from you two; I’m genuinely concerned about potential discrepancies with the silver note, so I hope you’ll understand."
Silver notes could be invalidated with just a procedure at the note-issuing office, leaving the recipient with no money to collect. If she knew the person well who paid with a silver note, there would be no issue on her part, but these two n seed to have appeared out of nowhere; how could she not be extra cautious?
Pan Ping’an hadn’t expected her to say that, and upon hearing it, he turned to look at her, barely managing to keep himself from calling her out, his expression growing even more displeased.
As for the two rchants, they were taken aback, simultaneously freezing. After a considerable pause, they rubbed their hands together sowhat perplexedly, "This... You understand we are travelers, how could we carry that much cash on us? Silver notes are so much more convenient and easier to carry..."
Suppressing her vexation, Hua Xiaomai pressed the corners of her lips together, answered with a friendly smile, "That’s not a problem. When you two head back to the city, I can send an assistant to accompany you, and in your presence, we’ll exchange the silver note for cash at the office. Wouldn’t that solve the issue?" (To be continued. If you like this work, welco to Qidian (qidian) to cast your recomndation ticket, monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian to continue reading.)
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