Chapter 543 - 545: Questioning

Chapter 543: Chapter 545: Questioning

After watching the boat sail into the distance, Gu Wenheng couldn’t linger any longer. The autumn grain was about to be put into storage, and there was no room for error.

Today, Jin Qianqian was also headed to the restaurant to check on the new hire. She hoped that, as Ming Nian had said, he had found a real gem this time.

"Madam, you were up so early today. Would you like to go back to the residence and rest for a bit?" Lichun said, helping to arrange a bolster so Jin Qianqian could lean against it comfortably.

"It’s fine," Jin Qianqian said. "Since we’re already out, we might as well take care of everything. Besides, I’ve grown tired of the food at home lately. We can go to Tianfu Restaurant and see if the chefs’ skills have improved."

Lichun smiled and said, "The two young masters will surely complain when we return."

The mere thought gave Jin Qianqian a headache. "Later, take some people and go fetch them. Otherwise, we won’t have a moment of peace when we get back."

The eldest one was more reasonable; you could reason with him. But Gu Ben Can was a different story. He would surely grab her hand and cry his eyes out.

Lichun agreed with a smile. "Shall I inform the Master, then?"

Jin Qianqian shook her head. "He doesn’t have the time these days. Later, have the restaurant staff deliver a full meal over to them. We can consider it a reward for all their hard work."

"You’re always so thoughtful, Madam. I expect the next time we see Mr. He and the others, they’ll be thanking you profusely again."

"It’s been difficult for the three of them," Jin Qianqian said. "Their families haven’t arrived yet after all this time. Their Attendant Students are managing their entire households, so how could they possibly be eating anything decent?"

Jin Qianqian had a rather good impression of He Gaofei and his two colleagues. Their households were also relatively quiet.

She found them unlike some officials who left their primary wives at home to serve their in-laws, while they brought beautiful concubines to their posts to live a life of pleasure.

Furthermore, although they each had their own agendas, they were sharp when it came to government affairs. This saved Gu Wenheng a lot of trouble, so she was naturally willing to maintain a good relationship with them.

The carriage sped along and soon arrived at Tianfu Restaurant. It wasn’t lunchtime yet, and the staff inside were busy setting up the tables and chairs.

When a waiter saw the familiar carriage pull up to the entrance, he hurried inside to notify the Shopkeeper.

At that moment, Ming Nian and Yu Min were in the middle of questioning Wang Li, trying to find out who else in the vicinity was a good swimmer.

The moment he heard the Madam of the house had arrived, Ming Nian didn’t dare delay and immediately led the men out to greet her.

"Madam," Ming Nian and Yu Min said, standing respectfully to one side, awaiting her orders.

Jin Qianqian surveyed the restaurant, which she hadn’t had time to visit for several days. "You’ve all worked hard."

Then, her gaze fell on the unfamiliar man behind him. "Is this your new hire?"

"Yes," Ming Nian said, stepping slightly aside to reveal Wang Li. "This is our master. Greet the Madam at once."

Wang Li had taken a quick glance at first but had kept his head lowered ever since, not daring to be disrespectful.

Now that Manager Ming had spoken, he scrambled to perform a clumsy, awkward bow.

"Let’s go to the private room to talk," Jin Qianqian said. Even though the main hall was empty, she preferred to handle matters in her designated room.

"This way, Madam."

After ushering everyone into the private room and ensuring the staff served tea and snacks, Ming Nian stood dutifully to the side, waiting for his master’s orders.

As Jin Qianqian began to ask about Wang Li’s background, Lichun, who stood behind her, suddenly wore a strange expression.

The village the man mentioned was one they had visited with the Madam just a few days prior. When she heard he had been in the business of purchasing dried goods from Zhaoyu Village, she exclaimed, "So it was you people!"

Wang Li’s attention was finally drawn to the maid beside the Madam. "You know us, Miss?"

Lichun’s expression was a little awkward. After all, she hadn’t had a good impression of those merchants initially, never imagining that it was Zhaoyu Village that had been the first to act in bad faith.

"We’ve been there before," Lichun said. The thought of Li Qiu being kept back at the residence by the Madam because of that village left a sour taste in her mouth.

But it wasn’t exactly a secret. "We saw that the dried goods they were sunning looked quite clean and fresh, so we went into the village to purchase some."

Wang Li said, "...That’s perfectly normal. After all, everyone loves a quality product.

We knew that travelers often bought directly from them. At first, we considered putting a stop to it, but eventually, it felt pointless, so we just let it go."

"Don’t you hold any resentment?" Jin Qianqian asked.

"To be honest, Madam, I am upset about it. In the beginning, I wanted to take my men and go settle the score with them.

But after thinking it over, I realized most of the problem was my own fault.

I was too young and didn’t think things through, so I rushed into an agreement with their village.

If I had locked in the price and quality standards from the start, they wouldn’t have been able to repeatedly raise prices and pass off inferior products later.

There’s always a price to pay for underestimating human nature."

Wang Li said mockingly, "Getting burned once is a lesson I’ll never forget."

"Don’t be so discouraged," Jin Qianqian said. "That village has only ruined its own prospects.

On the contrary, you did them a favor by providing them with a livelihood. This kind of behavior, repaying kindness with malice, will eventually destroy their village’s reputation around here.

But there’s something I don’t understand. If you knew what they were like, why did you let your men continue doing business with them?"

Wang Li’s face flushed. "Madam, you may not know this, but for us boys from the coast, we don’t have any special skills. We rely on the grace of the heavens to eat.

Families with a little extra money can build fishing boats to go to sea and increase their income.

But for fishermen like us, who have next to nothing and whose families are on the verge of starvation, even this barely profitable merchant work is a lifeline. Earning even a little bit adds to the family’s income.

My brothers all have families to feed. We earn what little we can. Taking a small loss is still better than starving."

Jin Qianqian nodded to herself. ’He’s quite rational,’ she thought. ’If he’d acted on impulse and they’d all just gone their separate ways, it might not have made a huge difference to him, a single man.’

’But for those with families to feed, even a single copper coin is crucial.’

"Didn’t you say your brothers are all decent swimmers? Why not have them come with you to find work?"

Wang Li lowered his head, flustered. ’How am I supposed to answer that?’

"Is there some conflict between you all?" Jin Qianqian asked.

Wang Li’s head shot up, and he shook it frantically. "We brothers are very close! There’s no conflict at all.

I only came to apply on a whim, just to try my luck. I never expected Manager Ming to take a liking to me."

Forgetting the Madam was even in the room, Ming Nian immediately jumped in to clear his name. "Whoa, hold on! I did not ’take a liking’ to him. I just thought he was a suitable candidate, so I hired him.

You kid, can’t you choose your words more carefully? You’re about to ruin my good name!"