Farm Tough Girl
Chapter 401 - 401 402 Crafty to the Core_1

Chapter 401: Chapter 402 Crafty to the Core_1 Chapter 401: Chapter 402 Crafty to the Core_1 Muniang almost threw up at the sound, feeling that even as a woman she couldn’t hold a candle to such affectation.

Old Mr. Zhu immediately veered away in disgust, not sparing Yun Guan’er a glance, and with a cupped-fist salute said to Muniang, “Lady Yu, I have long admired you. Today, I have come with an important matter that I wish to discuss with you.”

Muniang was taken aback. So he wasn’t here for Yun Guan’er?

Old Mr. Zhu, as if seeing through Muniang’s confusion, seemed slightly embarrassed but went on to say, “I am not here for this little groom, who was just a momentary lapse of concentration for me. I find no interest in him nowadays.”

Muniang’s lips curled into a smile at Old Mr. Zhu’s attitude, which was quite agreeable.

Yun Guan’er’s face crumbled as he begged, “Old Mr. Zhu, after all, Yun Guan’er did serve you once. You cannot simply ignore my suffering here!”

Old Mr. Zhu glared at him and briskly shook off Yun Guan’er’s hand, “How I should act is not for you to question. I have given you plenty of silver coin for past services. Don’t try to cozy up to me!”

What a joke. Now, who in Chatu Town didn’t know that Mei Garden was the big trend? With Qiao Muniang as the owner of Mei Garden, that put her at the very top of Chatu Town’s whole food chain. As a businessman, would he really offend a major client over a little groom?

Zhong Yulang couldn’t stand it anymore and directly said, “Why are you still making a scene here? Do you really think the Lady is of good temperament? Better scram quickly!”

Yun Guan’er glared fiercely at him. If Mei Garden hadn’t changed hands, when would Zhong Yulang have had the chance to speak to him like this? A few words from him praising to Mrs. Luo could have made them regret their actions! But now, even Zhong Yulang dared to bully him openly.

Muniang’s voice was cold as she ordered, “Just drag him down to the woodshed and lock him up, and without my command he is not to be let out. I find his presence irksome!”

Then she turned to Old Mr. Zhu and asked, “May I know the reason for Old Mr. Zhu’s visit?”

Old Mr. Zhu quickly made another cupped-fist salute, “It’s about a business matter.”

Muniang was puzzled; none of her business ventures seemed to involve collaborations with the silver tower.

Old Mr. Zhu fidgeted for a moment before saying, “How about we talk inside?”

Muniang nodded, “Please.”

The two of them went straight to a private room on the second floor, leaving Yun Guan’er alone in the disarray of the wind. Old Mr. Zhu had utterly disregarded him, and it seemed his consideration was unreciprocated. Steamed with rage, Yun Guan’er’s nose nearly crooked with anger. Just as he thought to stop them, two burly men twisted his arms as if he were a little chicken and whisked him down to the woodshed.

Zhong Yulang looked at him with disdain. To be honest, he really looked down on such people.

“Old Mr. Zhu, you may speak candidly now,” Muniang said.

Old Mr. Zhu then commanded a servant trailing behind him to hand over an exquisitely crafted small box, “Lady Yu, please take a look. These are all jewelry pieces from our Silver Tower. Recently, Mei Garden has produced a popular leading actress, who is also a female performer. I heard that you, Lady Yu, are particularly fond of her, and she dresses daily as if she were a daughter of a wealthy household; her clothing and accessories, embroidered handkerchiefs, and pouches are all extremely delicate. However, I thought that a young lady should also have proper jewelry to match, hence I took the liberty of selecting a few pieces from our Silver Tower to send over.”

Muniang curled her lips in understanding of what this old man was up to—his peculiar hobby might be somewhat hard to accept, but indeed, his business tactics were quite something. He probably noticed how prosperous Yuyang Embroidery House had been these days, hence he wanted to secure some advantage for himself.

Muniang casually fiddled with the items in the small box before saying, “Old Mr. Zhu is too kind, but our Lady Guo is not someone who simply accepts things. She doesn’t welcome every gift onto her person.”

Old Mr. Zhu, thinking Muniang was dissatisfied with the quality of the goods, quickly said, “These are all top-notch products from our Silver Tower, particularly suited to Lady Guo’s status. Wearing them out will certainly not bring disgrace.”

Muniang, however, spoke in a cool tone, “I am not speaking of that. Though Mei Garden may not be much, we are not so destitute that we need others to gift us jewelry to wear. Old Mr. Zhu’s gesture is appreciated, but whether Lady Guo will wear these gifts also depends on my say.”

Old Mr. Zhu’s eyelid twitched, obviously underestimating this woman’s sentiment, but he still pressed with a forced smile, “I don’t understand what Lady Yu means by this?”

Muniang chuckled softly, “Yuyang Embroidery House has become a sensation thanks to our Lady Guo’s promotion. I am also aware of why Old Mr. Zhu has come. However, Lady Guo is not one to promote others’ products for nothing. Even if she were willing, I wouldn’t be. After all, she is under my management.”

The implication of Muniang’s words was clear; if they wanted Lady Guo to endorse their jewelry, it would have to be to her satisfaction. And what better way to satisfy a merchant? Silver coins!

What a joke—did he think that by simply sending a few pieces of jewelry, I would be grateful and have Guo Yuehua wear them? For an endorsement, we would need to collect an endorsement fee! And as her agent, I should get a commission too!

Old Mr. Zhu gritted his teeth, initially thinking a woman would be easy to fool and that she would be happy to accept these expensive items as gifts. Then, later on, they could be given directly to Guo Yuehua, letting her wear them and be done with it.

However, this woman was sly as a fox, even more difficult to deal with than a man.

“Then, what amount does Lady Yu find appropriate?” Old Mr. Zhu asked.

Muniang raised an eyebrow, “At the very least, I expect a thousand taels of silver.”

Old Mr. Zhu immediately jumped, outraged that they were charging him silver coins and such an exorbitant amount for gifts they were given!

Old Mr. Zhu said sternly, “Lady Yu, such demands are hardly sincere! After all, I have been speaking with you for so long, but you are asking the sky-high price, taking advantage of me. Business should be practical!”

Muniang laughed, “Old Mr. Zhu thinks I’m being impractical? If you hadn’t thoroughly investigated how lucrative Yuyang Embroidery House has become, why would you have personally come to find me? If Lady Guo were to wear these pieces, your Silver Tower’s business would probably be booming, and you could make back that thousand taels in just a couple of days. You’re quibbling over these thousand taels with me—is it because you really think I’m easily fooled?”

Old Mr. Zhu’s face changed color, and he coughed awkwardly, “But that price really is quite improper. After all, it’s just wearing the jewelry for a bit. If I had not come to you, Guo Yuehua might just have bought the jewelry from our Silver Tower to wear.”

Muniang smiled slyly, “Before you came here today, that might have been possible. But since you’ve made the trip, if we don’t reach an agreement, you can be sure that Zhu’s jewelry will never appear on Lady Guo. Even if she wants to buy some herself, I’ll remind her to take a detour as soon as she sees Zhu’s Silver Tower.”