Chapter 364: What a Huge Dividend
After the uproar in the Bai Family, Wang Xiujun had no desire to continue running the stall. It was already a loss-making and time-consuming venture. If it was all just a matter of pride, it seemed unnecessary to continue.
However, Wang Jiapo disagreed, insisting that they had already paid a month’s stall management fee to the government office. To simply stop running the stall now, she argued, would be a waste. It would be better to continue for the rest of the month, minimizing losses.
In the end, though Wang Xiujun and his wife put up a fight, they had to keep running the stall, even though it hardly felt worth it anymore.
"Besides, it’s not even profitable. We’re wasting our time. We’d be better off doing something else," Wang Xiujun commented.
At this point, Zhao Family had finished making the hand-grabbed pancakes and handed them to Wang Jiapo. She took a bite, then scowled at Zhao Family, grumbling, "It’s because you married such a useless wife who can’t cook well, that’s why the customers are leaving."
Zhao Family glanced back at her coldly and retorted, "If you can do a better job, Mother, then you can do it yourself." With that, she took off her apron, threw it onto the cutting board, and walked away without looking back.
"Just look at the attitude of your wife. Does she think I can’t divorce her?" Wang Jiapo grumbled aloud.
Wang Xiujun quietly gathered his things in silence, ignoring his mother’s complaints. He suspected that her behavior would only lead to trouble. If things got any worse, he thought, perhaps they should just pick up and move away. As long as their family could live in peace, he would be okay with living more frugally.
...
Due to Yang San’s unexpected disruption, the Bai Family’s business had indeed suffered a slight setback. Some less courageous customers, scared that Yang San might return, decided not to eat their pancakes anymore.
"What on earth is going on? Why on earth would Yang San target us? Did Guizhi’s mother put him up to this?" Lin Ping’er sighed and asked.
Bai Ruozhu shook her head. "Guizhi’s mother is hoping that Guizhi will bring back some reward money home and wants to get some news from my side. She definitely won’t offend us now. I suspect Wang Jiapo is spreading rumors in the background."
"What?" Lin Ping’er was so shocked that she jumped up. Wan Caiyue, who was listening nearby, was also taken aback. She knew about Wang Jiapo introducing a distant relative to Bai Ruozhu, that was Xi Ya. Although in the end, the person didn’t sell, but Wang Jiapo had received a silver reward. What was there for her to hold a grudge about?
Bai Ruozhu shrugged, "That’s just my guess. There are a lot of greedy people in this world. Yang San probably saw that our family is now making money and wanted to extort some silver."
"But what should we do in the future? He can’t always come and wreak havoc, right?" Wan Caiyue asked a little bit anxiously.
For some unknown reason, an idea popped into Bai Ruozhu’s mind. If Jiang Yichun heard about Yang San’s flirtation with her, it’s likely that Yang San would find it very difficult to leave his house in the future. All she needed to think about was San Lang’s leg to know that.
Having this thought made Bai Ruozhu feel a bit elated. The feeling of being cared for and protected was rather nice. It was as though she had a strong backing behind her at all times, leaving her with no worries.
After some more chat, everyone decided not to tell Guizhi about this matter to prevent her from overthinking it and feeling guilty towards the Bai family.
That night, Bai Ruozhu took Dengdeng back to their room to sleep. She started wondering whether Jiang Yichun knew about this incident and what his reaction would be if he did. However, until late at night, Jiang Yichun did not appear. It was then that Bai Ruozhu realized he might not come at all.
The previous night he had not shown up either. Perhaps he was busy with work, or maybe he had left town unexpectedly. Yet he had not warned her, which left Bai Ruozhu feeling somewhat uncomfortable. She was full of enthusiasm about the situation, but it turned out he was probably not even aware of it.
For a moment, she decided not to let Jiang Yichun find out, after all, was she that kind of weak woman who depended on a man for everything? Couldn’t she handle it herself?
There were no words exchanged that night, and the second day, Yang San did not appear. The Bai family let out a sigh of relief, hoping that perhaps Yang San’s threats were empty after all. After all, it was quite a hassle to come over from Linjiang Village.
In the afternoon, Bai Ruozhu took Dengdeng back to the west courtyard for a rest as usual. After taking a nap and holding Dengdeng as she prepared to return to the stall, she ran into Du Zhongshu, who was just coming towards them.
"Du Gongzi, are you going to Master Xie’s?" Bai Ruozhu could sense Du Zhongshu’s attempts to avoid her, but since they had run into each other, she still greeted him politely.
"Yes, I went out to get some medicine, initially planning on giving it to you tonight, but this saves me the trouble." He pulled out a paper package from his sleeve and handed it to Bai Ruozhu.
Upon opening it, Bai Ruozhu inquired, "How much for these two medicinal materials?"
"Don’t worry about it, we can deduct it from your account," replied Du Zhongshu nonchalantly.
Bai Ruozhu frowned slightly; she felt she needed to make things clear to Du Zhongshu.
"Du Gongzi, when we first collaborated, we agreed on a profit-sharing arrangement. You have never shortchanged me, and I shouldn’t take advantage of our relationship to benefit myself either. These herbs are quite expensive. Isn’t it unfair that the account isn’t settled properly? In that case, I’d rather buy the medicine from someone else, at least that way I wouldn’t feel guilty."
Bai Ruozhu’s voice raised, attracting the attention of passersby. Du Zhongshu looked slightly embarrassed as he replied, "You’re overthinking things. I was actually hoping to talk to you about something. I’ve been quite busy lately and haven’t had an opportunity to discuss some matters."
"Oh? Alright then." Bai Ruozhu was slightly taken aback, what did Du Zhongshu want to discuss?
"Shall we go have some tea and talk in a quiet place?" Du Zhongshu suggested.
Bai Ruozhu nodded in agreement, and they headed towards a tea house.
Du Zhongshu apparently often brought people here for business discussions.The tea house shopkeeper immediately greeted him with a smile when he saw Du Zhongshu. "Du Gongzi, will you be using your usual private room?"
Du Zhongshu hesitated briefly, then said, "No need, the Main Hall will do. Just arrange a quiet corner for us."
The shopkeeper quickly scanned Bai Ruozhu, who was still holding Dengdeng, and guessed that Du Zhongshu was trying to avoid any gossip. He promptly led them to a secluded spot in the Main Hall, which was visible from the entrance, preventing anyone from spreading ill rumors.
Bai Ruozhu was quite pleased with Du Zhongshu’s arrangement. They walked over and sat down at the table. Dengdeng stirred slightly in her arms and fell back asleep.
Du Zhongshu asked Bai Ruozhu what kind of tea she wanted to drink, then ordered a pot of tea and a few snacks. After dismissing the shopkeeper, he began to chat with Bai Ruozhu.
"You don’t have to worry about the cost of the medicine. I recently started selling toothpaste at our main store in Beiyu City, using your method. The sales have been astounding, so your cut is also incredible," Du Zhongshu revealed.
Bai Ruozhu was suddenly overwhelmed, feeling like a pie had fallen from the sky. She asked excitedly, "About how much is it?"
Du Zhongshu stretched out four slender fingers, waving them in front of Bai Ruozhu’s eyes.
Bai Ruozhu’s eyes widened in disbelief, "Four hundred taels?"
A smile spread across Du Zhongshu’s face as he nodded and replied, "Over four hundred, to be precise. We’ll have to check the account book for the exact amount."
Bai Ruozhu was in need of money, and hearing the mention of four hundred taels made her beam with joy. But not long after, her heart sank again.