Chapter 287: Chapter 288: Selected
The group quieted down, but their eyes remained fixed on Xu Nuo, hoping she would change her mind.
"Since the choice has been made, I’ll be leaving now." Xu Nuo felt extremely uncomfortable standing there.
’She also felt a pang of guilt for making all these people stand here, waiting for her to pick and choose among them.’
"Alright then, you can go. I’ll pick an auspicious date with your mother later." Thinking of the matchmaker’s fee she was about to receive, Matchmaker Lao’s eyes crinkled into a smile.
After Xu Nuo left, Matchmaker Lao took out several red envelopes. "It’s all fate, so don’t dwell on it. Take this and buy some food to take home."
When it was Gu Lehuan’s turn, Matchmaker Lao stuffed the remaining red envelopes into her robes. "As for you, boy of the Gu family, don’t leave just yet. I’ll go with you to your house to discuss the matter of the compensation!
You’ve really lucked out, kid. You have no idea how many men around these streets wanted to marry Miss Xu. If it weren’t for them being unable to leave their family businesses behind, a boy like you would never have had a chance."
Gu Lehuan hung his head, thinking to himself, ’Is this really my destiny?’
He had just walked through the door with the matchmaker when Wang Caiyue shot to her feet. "Auntie Lao, you’re here."
"Congratulations, congratulations," Matchmaker Lao said as soon as she spoke. Wang Caiyue gave her son a complicated look. ’He’s been chosen.’
"I’ve come today not only to offer my congratulations, but also to clarify a few matters with you.
This Xu Yapo is recruiting a son-in-law who will marry into the family and support the household.
She doesn’t want her future son-in-law to remain too entangled with his birth family, so she will provide a one-time compensation of silver.
If the boy wishes to remain filial in the future, he may visit and exchange gifts during holidays and festivals as relatives do. She won’t interfere with any of that.
However, she expects you not to show up at their door and disturb them. You also cannot concoct schemes to ask them for money or valuables. All of this must be written into the marriage agreement."
Wang Caiyue still felt a knot in her stomach, even though these terms had already been discussed.
"How much silver are we talking about?" This was her primary concern. If they couldn’t find some silver soon, the family would literally have nothing to eat.
Matchmaker Lao held up three fingers. "300 taels of silver. Let me tell you, that’s a considerable sum. If you don’t believe me, go ask around. No one else who has taken on a live-in son-in-law has ever paid so much.
Even when a man pays a bride price to marry a wife, he gets a dowry in return. In your case, you’re coming out ahead."
Wang Caiyue glanced worriedly at her eldest son. "Then... I wonder if it would be possible for one of the future children to take the Le Family name?"
"Absolutely not," Matchmaker Lao stated unequivocally. "These matters are all recorded at the government office. The children can only take the wife’s surname.
You need to think this over carefully. Once the payment is made, there’s no backing out."
Wang Caiyue gritted her teeth and nodded. "Fine!"
The light faded from Gu Lehuan’s eyes. He knew his fate was sealed.
Jin Qianqian kept herself busy while waiting for Ancient Wen Heng to return.
She spent her days moving between her four shops. The two newest ones, which she’d had Hu Dong open, were also enjoying steady business.
The shopkeepers in charge had been selected from the first group of servants Ancient Wen Heng purchased.
Flipping through the old ledgers, she found only one or two minor calculation errors; otherwise, there were no major issues.
It seemed everyone knew Hu Dong was a stickler for numbers and didn’t dare try anything clever with the books.
She then checked the inventory and found their stock was more than ample—it might even exceed the amount they had just brought with them on this trip.
"Madam, someone’s making a scene out front," Qing Lan rushed in. "The Shopkeeper has already gone to report it to the authorities, and he sent me to ask if you’d like to leave through the back door for now?"
Jin Qianqian replied, "Let’s not be hasty. We’ll assess the situation first."
With that, she slowly moved to the wall closest to the front of the shop, from where the voices outside became audible.
"Look at this! I used your so-called ’fragrant soap,’ and now my face is covered in red blotches!" The shrill, biting voice made Jin Qianqian resist the urge to clean out her ears.
"Ma’am, could you tell me when you made the purchase? I can look up the record for you," Manager Liu said in a calm voice.
"What’s there to check? You’re the only ones who sell this soap, and I haven’t used anything else on my face. If it’s not your fault, who’s to blame?
You’re just unscrupulous merchants, selling poisonous products! So, what are you going to do about this?"
Manager Liu beckoned to two of his clerks. "You, go to the apothecary down the street and fetch a physician. And you, go to the government office and request an official. This is not a matter we can decide. We will defer to the judgment of the officials."
The woman, clutching her face, blocked their path. "What’s this? The villain playing the victim? Trying to call the authorities on me? This is clearly your fault! Settle this with me, now!"
Manager Liu just smiled. He had been through extensive training to become a shopkeeper here. He’d seen countless demonstrations on how to handle all sorts of difficult customers. Situations like this were something they were well-prepared to handle with ease.
"Ma’am, the marks on your face look rather severe. If not treated properly, you could be disfigured. We’re sending for a physician simply to ensure your condition is diagnosed correctly so you can receive the proper treatment."
"What way is that for a Shopkeeper to talk? Do you think I’m sick? My face was ruined by your soap! Now hurry up and get someone in charge out here to deal with this!" the woman persisted, refusing to back down.
Manager Liu gave a slight raise of his hand, and two other clerks standing farther away immediately bolted for the door. The woman couldn’t have stopped them even if she’d tried.
"Rest assured, ma’am. As long as it was purchased here, we will have a record of it. This entire shipment of soap was made in a single batch. It’s impossible for one bar to be good and another bad.
If there is genuinely a problem, our shop will certainly take full responsibility.
What you may not realize is that our soap is also supplied to the imperial palace as tribute. The nobility all use it. Our owner would not dare to gamble with their entire family’s life and fortune over this."
Noticing the woman’s evasive gaze, Manager Liu grew more confident. "Now, can you tell me the exact date of your purchase? If you truly can’t recall, an approximate date is also fine.
Just give us the name of the person who bought it, and we can look it up."
Another customer nearby chimed in, "My family has been using their soap for a long time without any issues. Besides, look at that stack of numbered bars in the corner. They save a sample from every single batch. If there was really a problem, you wouldn’t be the only one affected.
Hurry up and tell the Shopkeeper which batch it was from! That way, the rest of us can be prepared."
"That’s right, just say it already! I buy soap here all the time, and you’re making me nervous!"
The woman glanced left and right, still refusing to give a straight answer. "How am I supposed to remember that? I’m busy with so many things every day."
"You must at least remember the name, right? As long as you can provide a name, they’ll surely be able to find the record," someone else offered.
The woman added, "Now that I think about it, I believe the clerk on duty that day was illiterate. He didn’t write anything down."
