Chapter 425
The carriage had already long been waiting at the entrance of the mansion. Huamo helped Wei Yuewu into the carriage and took a cushion so that Wei Yuewu could lean on it.
The lad servant sent by Wei Luowen sat with Old Li on the shafts of the carriage.
The carriage moved slowly and steadily. When they got on the carriage just now, Old Li saw that Wei Yuewu was not in a good condition, so he deliberately drove slowly.
“Miss, are you really okay?” Inside the carriage, although Huamo had placed a few soft cushions beside Wei Yuewu, she was still worried.
“I’m fine!” Wei Yuewu shook her head and closed her eyes to rest. “Ask the carriage to pass through the road we came from!”
Jin Ling should be waiting over there at this time!
“Yes, Miss. When I got in the carriage just now, I had already instructed Old Li. He will pass through there later. Miss, you should rest first. When Sister Jin Ling comes up, I will call you!”
Huamo was worried about Wei Yuewu and advised softly.
Wei Yuewu nodded and closed her eyes. She really did not have much strength at this time. Things would not be calm when she returned to the mansion. It was good for her to have a good rest in the carriage first.
There were cargo boats that arrived at the dock in the morning. Some were just passing by, and some stopped to unload, but they were at different positions.
Although it was early winter, the dock was lively.
There were two cargo boats parked at the unloading dock, waiting to unload the goods.
After unloading these two cargo boats, Old Liu could go back and rest for a while. He was very satisfied. It was almost the New Year. After unloading, he could go home. After finishing this task, Master would definitely reward him with a lot of money. Then, he could have a prosperous New Year, which was a really good thing.
Two people hurried over from the shore. They scanned all the boats, and when they saw the familiar face on one boat, they walked over with a smile.
“Old Liu, how is it? Have you brought all the goods?”
Old Liu, who had just received the goods, replied with a smile, “They are all here. The goods this time are very complete. Some of the goods that I didn’t have in the past have all been brought in. This New Year, we can earn a lot from these.”
“That’s for sure! The boss will definitely reward you well!” One of them punched Old Liu hard on the shoulder, causing him to stagger, but he still had a smile on his face. It could be seen that he was truly happy.
“Why did only the two of you come? Why didn’t the two Shopkeepers come?” After Old Liu steadied himself, he looked behind them and asked curiously.
These two boats had a lot of goods. In the past, the two Shopkeepers would come on their own to pick up the goods. But now, the Second Shopkeepers had come. Old Liu did not understand.
“The Shopkeepers went into the mansion to hand over the accounts. Don’t ask anymore. After this, our two shops will be renamed. You just need to take care of the stock in the future. The boss knows what is going on!” One of the Second Shopkeepers instructed in a low voice.
“What… what about the other three shops?” Old Liu hesitated for a moment. Although he had already guessed it, he still could not help but ask. Previously, he had been responsible for buying goods for all the five shops.
“The boss of those shops isn’t our Master. Of course, the situation is different. However, the situation over there is not as good as on our side. They have been directly merged, and many old shop assistants have been driven away. They are using new staff now. It is different from our side—we only changed places. Speaking of which, our side is still in a better situation!” Another Second Shopkeeper sighed.
The two of them were not young. They came here when Marquise Hua Yang married over back then. However, after so many years, they had already changed Masters. How could they still remember the scene back then where they had expressed their loyalty to their Madam?
“Alright then. Unload, unload!” Old Liu did not dare to ask about these things. He knew that these were all secrets of the mansion, so it was better for him not to know so much.
The two Second Shopkeepers also felt that it was better not to gossip about their own Master. They waved their hands and a few strong shop assistants came over. These people were all brought over from their shops. With a command, they started unloading the goods in good spirits.
The two Second Shopkeepers and Old Liu just looked and pointed out what was wrong when they encountered an issue. The shop assistants’ movements were quite fast. In just a short while, they had already unloaded half of the goods.
The two Second Shopkeepers were very happy. Originally, one boat of goods would need to be split into five shops, and the goods were actually lacking for each shop when they got them. But now, there were only two shops sharing the same goods. This year’s New Year’s goods could be considered sufficient. With such a large supply of goods, Master would definitely reward them well. When they thought of this, their faces bloomed into a smile.
Just as they were standing there and chatting, they suddenly saw a group of people coming over from the dock. The one leading them was the familiar Shopkeeper Liu. They could not help but be stunned for a moment. Didn’t they say that the shop had been taken away by Madam Dowager, and that all the people had been driven away? Why did he come at this time?
“Eldest Brother, why are you here?” Old Liu also saw Shopkeeper Liu and was stunned for a moment. However, he immediately greeted him. The two of them had both come with Marquise Hua Yang as a part of her dowry. They could be considered brothers of the same sect.
“Come and move the goods!” Shopkeeper Liu rolled his eyes and waved his hand behind him. “Unload the goods!”
The person behind him was also a young shop assistant. Hearing his words, he came over with others and jumped onto the boat to move the goods.
The two Second Shopkeepers were unhappy. These goods had been said to belong to the two of their shops. What did Shopkeeper Liu appear here for? Now one shop had been split into the possessions of two Masters. Everyone knew very well that these were the goods of their Master, Concubine Dong. How could they let Madam Dowager’s subordinates take these away?
Moreover, didn’t Madam Dowager say that she was going to pay the bill for these three shops?
“Shopkeeper Liu, do you know the rules? These goods belong to our two shops.” The two Second Shopkeepers looked at each other, walked over, and stopped in front of Shopkeeper Liu.
“These goods belong to the mansion of Marquis Hua Yang. When did they belong to your two shops?” Shopkeeper Qi bluntly reprimanded. He was the Shopkeeper. Compared to two Second Shopkeepers from the two other shops, whether it was in terms of qualification or reputation, he was at least two levels higher. Therefore, he was fearless when facing the Second Shopkeepers who were questioning him.
“Wasn’t it said that it belongs to our two shops now? Shopkeeper Qi, you can’t be so ill-informed, can you?” Of course, the two Second Shopkeepers didn’t buy into what Shopkeeper Qi said and wouldn’t give in.
“Who said that the goods belong to your two shops? Since Madam was around, this rule has been left behind. The shop that has more profits gets to take more. Our shop has a good profit now, so we have to take more. I heard that your two shops aren’t doing well and the ownership will be transferred. It’s better not to take these goods! All these are Old Master’s goods!”
Shopkeeper Liu sneered, and then said to several shop assistants over there, “Come on, move. When we go back later, let’s have a good meal!”
“Yes!” Several young shop assistants immediately laughed and nodded. They exercised their shoulders and began to move the goods. Although the shop assistants brought by the two Second Shopkeepers were also young and strong, they were a level lower. One or two shop assistants wanted to go over and carry the goods, but they were pushed by others and fell to the ground.
Seeing that their own shops could not get the goods, and even their own people were pushed aside, the two Second Shopkeepers were angry.
“Shopkeeper Liu, what do you mean?”
“Nothing, I just follow the old boss’ rules!” Shopkeeper Liu said calmly.
“Old boss? I…” The two Second Shopkeepers were speechless for a moment. There were some words that could not be said in front of so many people.
“What’s wrong? Whoever with a better profit takes more. The rules that have been established for so many years can’t be suddenly changed!” Shopkeeper Liu had an aggressive look on his face.
When they quarreled, many people had already surrounded them. It seemed that there was going to be trouble.
It was at this time that Jin Ling quietly sneaked into the crowd.
Seeing the crowd getting bigger and bigger, the two Second Shopkeepers did not dare to tell the truth. However, if they did not tell the truth, the goods would be moved away by Shopkeeper Liu’s people. The Second Shopkeepers were extremely anxious.
Suddenly, a light flashed in one of the Second Shopkeepers’ eyes and he said anxiously, “Your shop’s profit is not as good as our shops. Your shop is almost losing money. What profit is there to talk about? According to the rules, these two boats of goods should be divided by our two shops. You don’t have a share.”
“I don’t have a share? My shop has always been gaining profit!” Shopkeeper Liu seemed to be stunned for a moment, but he immediately straightened his neck and said. However, it was obvious that his voice was not as loud as before.
“Our shops are the ones that have always been gaining profit!” When the two Second Shopkeepers saw that Shopkeeper Liu’s momentum was low, they were overjoyed and hurriedly attacked him.
“Your shops? How is that possible?” Shopkeeper Liu raised his head, his face filled with disbelief.
“How is that impossible? Just you wait!” In order to increase the credibility of the matter, the two Shopkeepers looked at each other and made a decision.
To be honest, although Shopkeeper Liu’s shop did gain profit, it was obviously not as good as these two shops. Otherwise, Concubine Dong, who was familiar with the inside story, would not choose these two shops.
“I’ll wait. I’m really not afraid to wait. I will also ask my people to get the account book and show everyone. Let’s see whether your shops earn more profit or my shop earns more. Why? Why is it you can have the goods, but I can’t? You two are just Second Shopkeepers, right? Ask your Shopkeeper who can make the decision to speak to me!”
Shopkeeper Liu’s words became more and more arrogant, and he glanced at the two Second Shopkeepers with a bit of ridicule in his words. It was obvious that he did not take them seriously, as if he believed that they were not the decision-makers.
The two Second Shopkeepers were about to explode with anger, but in terms of qualifications, they really could not suppress Shopkeeper Liu. Judging from Shopkeeper Liu’s looks, if there was no proof today, he would definitely rob over the goods.
“Go, bring the account book for last month.” The two Second Shopkeepers instructed their shop assistants almost at the same time.
“Shopkeeper Liu, since you are so full of yourself, do you dare to take out your account book for last month and show it to me?”
“Why not? But just one month is not enough. Maybe you earned a lot last month.” Shopkeeper Liu had a guilty look on his face.
“Bring us half a year’s account books!” The two Second Shopkeepers gritted their teeth at the same time. Their respective shop assistants from the two shops responded and ran back.
On Shopkeeper Liu’s side, he also took his time and sent his shop assistant to get half a year’s account books…