401 Hopeful
Lady Yun looked at the couple in front of her. The husband was tall and handsome, and the lady was gentle and beautiful. When she spoke, her voice was soft. It was difficult to have any ill feelings towards her just by hearing her voice.
She wiped her hands on her clothes and said nervously, “All the embroidery in the shop is already here. Although the technique of these patterns is not superb, they are exquisite and beautiful. Why don’t you take a look around…”
She felt that her words were a little too much, but her rent was due, and she had to raise a child alone.
When she first opened this shop, most of the money she earned was given to her mother-in-law. What she left for them was only enough for their daily lives.
!!
Now that her husband was dead, this shop was burning money every day and everyone looked down on her. She didn’t even care about shamelessness anymore.
As long as she could sell at least one thing, it would be considered a little hope in this dark life.
“I’m sure that it’s been a while since anyone has consigned any embroidery for sale in your shop.” Yue Jiaojiao put down the embroidery in her hands. “In the long run, I’m afraid it’ll be difficult to maintain the normal operations of this shop.”
“Mother…”
The little boy beside Lady Yun tugged at the hem of her clothes. “Is our shop really going to be closed down? If the shop is closed, then I won’t go to school. I can read now, so I can learn by myself.”
He looked like he was only six or seven years old. When he spoke, he still had a childish tone, but his words were very sensible and considerate.
“Do you have any intention of selling this shop?”
Yue Jiaojiao didn’t beat around the bush and explained her intention. “I want to buy this shop of yours. Are you guys willing to sell it?”
Although this shop was not big, its geographical location was excellent.
The shop’s business had been slow for so long, and yet no one had bought it. Yue Jiaojiao was actually worried that it might be because the other party was insistent on not selling it, or there was some other secret they were keeping, which was why she didn’t tell her the reason for her visit when she first entered the shop.
When Lady Yun heard her say this, she immediately hugged the child beside her tightly.
“I see that you have come in with a purpose. Why is it that you also want to occupy my shop like the others?” Although Lady Yun’s words were full of wit, her tone was full of grief and indignation.
Yue Jiaojiao’s mind was clear, so how could she not understand what she meant when she heard her say that?
Someone must have set their eyes on her, a person who had lost her husband, and wanted to take over this shop at a low price.
Instead of taking over, it was more like coaxing her to leave.
“You’ve misunderstood my intentions,” Yue Jiaojiao said in a good mood. “You can tell me the price you want. If I’m not satisfied with the price, I’ll discuss it further with you. Whether it’s a deal or not will depend on the final result of our discussion.”
Lady Yun’s vigilance did not disappear. “Are you really not sent by those people?”
“I don’t know who you’re talking about, but I’m really sincere with my decision. Also, if you really transfer the shop to me, I’ll let you stay in the shop and help out, and I’ll give you money to start working.”
Lady Yun’s heart skipped a beat and she looked up at Yue Jiaojiao.
“You’re willing to hire a woman like me?”
“So what if you’re a woman? The business I want to do is very suitable for a woman to do.”
Lady Yun’s hands were thick and strong. It was obvious that she was used to doing work at home. Although she was in a dire state now, she still maintained a clean and tidy lifestyle.
The child standing beside her had clean nails and hair. It was obvious that Lady Yun had taken good care of him.
If she wasn’t someone who liked to be clean, she would never notice such a small detail like having dirty fingernails.
“If I want to transfer this shop of mine, it will cost you one thousand two hundred pieces of silver.”
“One thousand two hundred silver is too much. If you’re willing, I can give you eight hundred taels of silver for rent.”
Yue Jiaojiao pitied her, but she would not let her silver go to waste. “In your shop, there are only some counters and embroidery left. I think other people would only be willing to give you five hundred silver. I don’t want to take advantage of this, but I also don’t want to be a sucker. To be fair, you can only get seven hundred from reselling this shop. I’m offering eight hundred taels. You should be able to see my sincerity.”
After she finished speaking, Lady Yun had already calmed down.
She naturally knew that her asking price was very high, but she just wanted to try and see if this lady in front of her was specially hired by those people to deceive people.
Zhao Zhan understood tacitly and took out eight hundred silver and placed it on the table.
A gentle smile bloomed on Yue Jiaojiao’s face. “If you’re willing, I can sign a contract for you right now. In addition, can I pay you five silver a month if you work for me?”
Five silver?
Lady Yun was a little nervous.
The well-known waiters in the restaurants in Ahangjing only earned about three silver a month, this was including tips.
This lady opened her mouth and offered five silver. She must have done business before, right?
However, from the way she placed her bid just now, she didn’t seem like someone who didn’t know anything.
When Lady Yun thought of this, she subconsciously raised her head and quickly glanced at Zhao Zhan. Then, she tightly hugged the child beside her. “What business are you planning to do? Although I don’t have a husband, I’m still a wife, so I can’t do many things.”
Yue Jiaojiao couldn’t help but laugh when she saw that the lady had misunderstood her. “What are you thinking? I bought this shop because I want to sell food. It’s not what you’re thinking.”
Lady Yun’s face reddened, and she felt a little embarrassed in her heart. She mumbled, “Five silver is a little too much for me. I don’t feel safe holding onto that much silver.”
“We’ll talk about wages later. Now, let’s talk about this contract first.” Yue Jiaojiao’s fingers tapped on the table. “The contract has already been set up. If you agree, how about you sign your name and stamp your thumbprint here?”
It turned out that when Yue Jiaojiao arrived, she had asked Chang Ning to write her a contract.
Lady Yun carefully read the contract from the beginning to the end. She gritted her teeth and finally pressed her thumbprint on the contract.
Although this shop was her husband’s hard work, she couldn’t sustain it any longer. It was better to transfer it to a reliable person than to be deceived by those people. Besides, she could still work in the shop, which could be considered as keeping her honor.
“Lady Yun,” Yue Jiaojiao looked at the name on the contract and smiled, “The shop is going to be renovated soon, so you should stay at home and spend time with the child. I’ll still pay you. When the shop starts, I’ll send someone to your house to let you know.”
Afraid that she would be worried, Yue Jiaojiao gave her her current address as well. “If you need any help, you can come to my house to look for me.”
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