Chapter 282: A Drink at Fortune Mansion
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
To her surprise, when that bunch of men heard this, they still refused to let her off.
“There’s no better time than the present! I think tonight will do!” Han Chao said loudly.
“It just so happens that Master Song is here as well. Let’s go to Fortune Mansion for a gathering!”
“Yeah! Let’s go together!” the rest of the people chirped up.
Qin Xiaoyao felt frustrated.
Just as she was about to turn him down, Song Que suddenly spoke.
“Sure.”
Qin Xiaoyao looked at Song Que in surprise.
Song Que simply smiled faintly at her.
“The Second Prince and the other officers are about to leave Mountain Spring Town. Rightfully, we should give them a fitting farewell,” he said.
“I don’t know if there’s still time after today. Tonight is just right.”
Qin Xiaoyao was stunned for a moment before she remembered this.
When she saw that Song Que was smiling and did not look angry, she finally relented.
“Then let’s do it tonight. My husband and I will treat everyone to a drink.”
Han Chao and the others all looked at Song Que.
When they saw how obedient Qin Xiaoyao was to him, their expressions became a little strange.
“Haha! Then I will have to thank Teacher Qin! Teacher Qin, please…” Han Chao quickly said.
He even gestured for Qin Xiaoyao to go first. He didn’t mention Song Que at all nor did he take him seriously.
Qin Xiaoyao furrowed her brows slightly.
She held Song Que’s hand tightly.
“Let’s go, Hubby,” she said to Song Que.
Then, she pulled Song Que along with her.
Han Chao and the rest of the people followed behind the two with sullen expressions.
That girly-faced guy was really not sensible at all.
Soon, the group arrived at Fortune Mansion.
The waiter welcomed the group warmly. Song Que spoke up and asked the waiter to prepare a private dining room for him.
Then, he ordered some food and wine with practiced ease.
Everyone was somewhat surprised by Song Que’s attitude.
“Master Song, are you very familiar with Fortune Mansion?” Someone could not help but ask.
This was the best restaurant in the town, and the cost of dining here was not low.
They themselves had only been here once or twice since they arrived in Mountain Spring Town.
And even when they came here, they were very careful when ordering.
They had to order the wine sparingly, afraid that they couldn’t afford it.
However, this fellow didn’t even look at the menu and just ordered a whole list of dishes. Moreover, the wine he ordered was not the kind of lower-priced wine that they used to drink.
“A little,” Song Que replied with a smile.
“I’m working at the government office. The higher-ups arranged for me to meet up with the merchants in Mountain Spring Town. It’s inevitable that I’m often invited to eat at Fortune Mansion.
“After coming a few times, I have become familiar with this place.”
When he saw that Han Chao had deliberately looked away as if he did not want to look at Song Que, Song Que’s eyes swept across his face.
“And I’m indebted to Boss Fang for thinking highly of me and giving me some discounts,” he continued with a smile.
“Whenever I come and eat, I only have to pay 80% of the bill.”
Everyone’s expression changed immediately when they heard that.
Other than Han Chao, no one else looked at Song Que with contempt.
In fact, a few of them not only stop looking down on Song Que, but they also looked at him with quite a bit of respect.
This was Fortune Mansion after all. Even the rich didn’t come here often, but he did.
Not only did he come often, but the restaurant owner even gave him a discount.
It was a 20% discount, no less. Based on the prices here, he could save a lot of money.
When he heard this, Han Chao was still not willing to cut Song Que any slack.
“The cost of a meal at Fortune Mansion is not low. It can easily cost more than a dozen taels of silver.
“Even if you only pay 80%, it’s still a huge sum of money.
“Can a mere scholar like Master Song afford it?”
Hmph! Wasn’t it all thanks to Teacher Qin?
He was very clear about the Song family’s situation.
This guy Song Que was just a pretty face with no real talent and a wholly undeserved reputation.
The Song family could lead the life they currently had all because of Teacher Qin.
She worked with Fortune Mansion to sell bean sprouts and century eggs. And now she was running a porridge shop.
These were all Teacher Qin’s ideas and she had been running these operations all along.
Otherwise, if they just relied on Song Que alone…
The family might still be cowering in one corner of Brook Falls Village.
At any rate, he simply couldn’t stand Song Que.
He couldn’t understand why the Second Prince and Teacher Qin think so highly of him.
There was a moment of silence at the table when he spoke these words.
Han Chao’s words were too deliberate and hurtful. Even if everyone wanted to cover up for Han Chao, there was no way for them to do it.
Before Song Que responded, Qin Xiaoyao’s face had already clouded over.
This fellow Han Chao was usually quite polite to her, and she was more familiar with him because of what happened in the government office previously.
She had not expected him to single out her husband like this.
Qin Xiaoyao was just about to give Han Chao a piece of her mind when Song Que suddenly grabbed her hand under the table.
She saw Song Que give her a reassuring smile.
Then, Song Que looked at Han Chao with a smile.
“There’s no need for you to worry about that, Captain Han.
“Thanks to the young master of the Liang family holding me in high regard, I’ve invested in some of the Liang family’s grain transportation business in Zhao County.
“The first batch of grain has just arrived in Mountain Spring Town. Once the profits have been distributed, it’s still barely enough to afford a meal at Fortune Mansion.”
Everyone was shocked by his words.
Song Que had actually invested in the Liang family’s grain transportation business?
Now, the entire Mountain Spring Town… Oh, in fact, the entire Zhao County, and even Hua An Prefecture, was lacking food most severely!
Even if they didn’t know the exact situation, they knew that the Liang family was one of the biggest grain merchants in Zhao County.
There was no other reason than the fact that Link Trading, owned by the Liang family, had the most grain stores in Zhao County.
To think that Song Que had actually invested in the Liang family’s grain transportation business in Zhao County. Then… who could still say that he was living off a woman?
Just based on this venture alone, he could earn a big fortune in the near future.
Right now, the way the officers looked at Song Que had completely changed, and they no longer dared to look down on him.
When some of them saw him sitting together with Qin Xiaoyao, they even began to feel that the two of them were increasingly more compatible. They even admired Qin Xiaoyao’s foresight.
When Han Chao heard this, he was also shocked.
It had not crossed his mind that Song Que would be able to achieve such great things after working less than a month at the government office.
After the initial shock, he did not dare to look down on Song Que anymore.
He stayed by the Second Prince’s side and so he knew how hard the Second Prince worked to solve the food shortage problem in Zhao County.
After that, it was said that the matter was settled with the help of the Liang family.
He did not realize Song Que was involved in this.
Even if Song Que didn’t know how to do business, with Zhao County’s current situation, he could still make a fortune by participating in the Liang family’s grain transportation business without the need to do anything.
Earning money was just one aspect, but to be able to work with the Liang family and convince them to give out a share of their grain transportation business, Song Que was definitely no ordinary person.
At this moment, Han Chao suddenly realized that perhaps he had really been looking down on Song Que.
If Song Que was able to catch the attention of the Second Prince and Teacher Qin, he must truly be extraordinary.
Qin Xiaoyao saw that Han Chao was rendered speechless by Song Que’s rebuttal, so she simply lowered her head and drank her wine.
As the rest of the people congratulated or complimented her husband, she was very happy inwardly.
No doubt she knew that her husband had invested in the Liang family’s grain transportation business.
At that juncture, their family had already bought eight shops and had about 4000 taels of silver left.
Following that, they spent 3500 taels of silver to buy a share of the grain transportation business, and so they gave up on buying more shops.
In the grain transportation business, although their family only got a 20% share, the profits were huge.
For this 3500 taels they had spent, they would probably be able to earn back the capital before the next summer..
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