Chapter 373 - 374: Mutual Benefit

Chapter 373: Chapter 374: Mutual Benefit

Jin Qianqian grasped Li Cuicui’s hand and patted it soothingly. "Mom," she said with a smile, "this is the incredibly wealthy Mrs. Niu. She’s not lacking for these things."

"But..." Li Cuicui was still apprehensive and hesitated to accept.

Niu Yushi chuckled, covering her mouth. "Please, don’t you worry. I won’t let myself be taken advantage of.

I’ll swing by Mrs. Gu’s shop later. I might be the one getting the better end of the deal."

Jin Qianqian smiled and gestured playfully at her. "In that case, I’d better grab some more, or I’ll be the one at a major loss."

Laughing, Niu Yushi led them into the shop. "For saying that, I’ll have to take a little extra myself.

You’ve come at the perfect time. A new batch of silk flowers just arrived. I’ll have someone bring them out for you to pick from first."

Although they were called "new," everyone knew that this meant a new batch of silk flowers had been sent to the imperial palace, and only then could the designs from the previous shipment be sold to the public. Even so, it was enough to cause a buying frenzy.

"What a coincidence, running into you here so early in the morning," Jin Qianqian chatted idly, watching as her mother-in-law was drawn in by the designs and began to pick through them.

"It really is. I come out for two days every month to check on my shops. I didn’t expect to run into you today."

Seeing no one else was around, Niu Yushi lowered her voice. "Did that granddaughter-in-law from the Huang Mansion really get on your bad side?"

’As expected of a woman from an Imperial Merchant family, she gets news quickly.’

"Why? Are you here to plead their case?"

Niu Yushi quickly shook her head. "Not at all. I’m just curious. The two of you shouldn’t have had any reason to interact, so how did you end up clashing so fiercely?"

Jin Qianqian had no intention of covering for anyone. "What kind of twisted thinking is that? Our families have no history, no grudges, yet they did everything they could to scheme and push her widowed, younger half-sister onto my husband.

I have no idea where they learned their so-called feminine virtues. All they know are these dirty, underhanded tricks."

Niu Yushi looked at Jin Qianqian with some sympathy. "You should still be careful. The old madam of the Huang Mansion is not to be trifled with. Now that this talk is out, they probably have more moves planned."

Jin Qianqian sighed. "Then there’s nothing to be done. I can’t just stand here and let them beat me down."

"...Still, it’s best not to be too confrontational," Niu Yushi advised. "Some people simply can’t be reasoned with."

’Jin Qianqian knew that given their superficial friendship, it was remarkably kind of her to offer such a warning.’

At that moment, Li Cuicui finished selecting the silk flowers. "I didn’t realize I’d picked out so many. Shopkeeper, could you please calculate the total? Let me know how much Silver it comes to."

The Shopkeeper saw the two Madams still chatting, said, "One moment," and was about to go over and ask when Niu Yushi looked up at him. "Put all of Madam Gu’s items on my account. And find a nice box to pack them in."

Li Cuicui opened her mouth to protest, but Jin Qianqian shook her head. Refusing now would just be making a fuss.

"As it happens, my people have been experimenting with some new flower soaps recently. They’re quite good for washing your face. I’ll have some sent over to you later."

Niu Yushi smiled knowingly. "Then I’m really the one getting the better deal. You know, every time you release a new product, they sell out before you can even get your hands on them."

"It’s no trouble at all," Jin Qianqian said. "Next time there’s something you want, just let me know in advance. I can’t have you waiting in line with everyone else."

"..."

After they left the shop, Li Cuicui discreetly tugged on Jin Qianqian’s sleeve. "Did I cause trouble for you?"

Jin Qianqian smiled, shook her head, and said in a low voice, "This is all mutually beneficial. It’s a give-and-take. This is how you build connections."

Only then did Li Cuicui feel a bit more at ease. "That’s good, then. I don’t see anything else I need to buy. Why don’t we head back now?"

’The first shop was already so nerve-wracking. If they kept shopping, she worried if she could even handle it.’

But Jin Qianqian wouldn’t hear of it. She took her mother-in-law by the arm and guided her directly to the next shop.

While they were on their shopping spree, Gu Lehuan was pacing outside a brokerage.

Dazhuang was just seeing someone out when he spotted Gu Lehuan standing in a corner.

"Gu Lehuan," Dazhuang called out. Then he noticed the silk clothes he was wearing and immediately corrected himself, "Young Master Gu, what brings you here today? Weren’t you supposed to have gone back to your hometown?"

"I did go back," Gu Lehuan said. "I came back this time with my grandmother, so I thought I’d come take a walk and look around.

Dazhuang, is business at the brokerage still doing well?"

"It’s so-so," Dazhuang said. "The owner is still in her mourning period, so we can’t negotiate many deals. Most of the business has been snatched up by other brokerages. We’re just scraping by with the help of some old clients."

As Dazhuang spoke, his face filled with distress. If business didn’t pick up, the brokerage’s reputation would probably fade away, and they’d slowly have to close up shop.

"Is the owner doing okay?" Gu Lehuan asked.

Dazhuang glanced back at the courtyard, hurried down the stairs, and pulled Gu Lehuan aside. "Not good. The owner doesn’t even dare to go out now, for fear of being targeted by schemers."

Dazhuang stared intently at Gu Lehuan. "Young Master Gu, if you’re able to, please lend a hand."

’Following the owner now might be a bit hard and tiring, but at least they could live with dignity.

If the owner couldn’t hold on, who knows where they would end up?

This Gu Lehuan before him wasn’t the same temporary worker from before; he had relatives who were government officials now.’

Gu Lehuan grew anxious at once. "What exactly is going on?"

It turned out that many people on this street knew that Xu Nuo was just a young woman trying to run this big business by herself, and many had started to get ideas.

Although Xu Nuo had legally registered as an independent female head of household early on, she had no one to back her up. It was like a child walking down the street clutching a gold ingot.

Whenever Xu Nuo stepped out, unmarried sons or relatives of the families on this street would suddenly appear.

Those with any sense of shame, the more bashful ones, would just greet her. But the desperate ones would even get handsy. On a previous occasion, if Mr. Xu hadn’t brought them along, she might have been dragged away by someone.

Gu Lehuan clenched his fists. "Can’t you report it to the government?"

’The moment he asked, he felt his question was a bit foolish. If things really got to that point, what good would reporting it to the authorities do?

Besides, as long as the other party insisted it was mutual affection and no one was physically harmed, the government would likely just let the matter drop.’

"Is Mr. Xu inside now?"

"She is. Would Young Master Gu like to go in?" If it had been anyone else, Dazhuang definitely wouldn’t have dared to say this. The owner hadn’t been receiving any guests lately; he had been handling everything out front himself.

’But he was just an illiterate employee, and things were getting harder and harder for him to handle. Worse still, there were people intentionally looking for ways to stir up trouble.’

Gu Lehuan hesitated for a moment. "I’d better not go in right now. Please tell Mr. Xu that I’ll come to visit again tomorrow."

Dazhuang didn’t understand. "Then what about the owner’s situation? Young Master Gu, can you help?"