Farm Tough Girl
Chapter 402 - 402 403 Investigate These Two People_1

Chapter 402: Chapter 403: Investigate These Two People_1 Chapter 402: Chapter 403: Investigate These Two People_1 Old Mr. Zhu was truly furious, he had never seen a woman like this before! Truly! Truly!

“Old Mr. Zhu, don’t be in a hurry to glare at me. Guo Yuehua’s fame in Chatu Town is currently resounding. Whatever she wears is bound to become the trend, and she’s at the peak of her popularity right now. If Old Mr. Zhu quibbles over this thousand taels of silver with me and misses the chance to make more money, you might regret it when it’s too late,” Muniang said.

Muniang was employing the classic carrot-and-stick approach. Old Mr. Zhu, used to these tactics from many years of experience, would have simply walked away in the past, but this time, even though he clearly knew she was waiting for him, he had no choice but to play along.

Old Mr. Zhu said resentfully, “Fine, I’ll give you the thousand taels, but the jewelry must be worn by Guo Yuehua, and she’s not allowed to wear items from any other store. If she needs anything, she comes directly to my store to choose.”

“No problem. The jewelry from Zhu’s Silver Tower is all so beautiful, Lady Guo will surely be too lazy to go to any other store. Old Mr. Zhu, rest assured, I always value honesty in business. If you really don’t trust me, you can always supervise at any time,” Muniang said with a soft laugh.

Although it was a beauty smiling at him as if basking in the warmth of spring, Old Mr. Zhu still felt a suffocating frustration inside that he couldn’t let out. He was truly in agony!

No matter what, the deal was done. Muniang took Old Mr. Zhu’s thousand taels of silver, and then gave one-tenth of it to Guo Yuehua. She had always been generous when it came to money, and she got the rest of Old Mr. Zhu’s jewelry for free, which delighted her no end.

Seeing the booming businesses of Zhu’s Silver Tower and Yuyang Embroidery House, other shops also came knocking to do business. It wasn’t just women’s items they were after, either—there were men’s items too, such as folding fans, jade crowns, and boots, all naturally sought from Zhong Yulang. Muniang picked the highest bidder from among them, and now both Guo Yuehua and Zhong Yulang had become living billboards for the products, virtual cash cows.

Whenever an “endorsement merchant” came along, Muniang would invariably give the actors a ten percent commission. This was already quite generous, and momentarily, Mei Garden became the best-paying place in Chatu Town. Actors from other troupes were getting restless and looking to jump ship.

And, really, under the domineering presence of Mei Garden in Chatu Town, other theaters truly paled in comparison, barely scraping by in the struggle for survival. Some were even considering closing up shop for good.

——

A crisp “bang” sound echoed as a teacup was smashed to the ground, its scalding contents splashing all over the kneeling manager, who dared not dodge and trembled with fear.

“Our revenue for this month is only thirty taels of silver?! Thirty taels of silver! What are you lot, a bunch of useless good-for-nothings? How did my New Moon House end up with such a worthless bunch?!” a man roared, obviously enraged, his temples bulging with anger.

The manager trembled on the ground, “Master, it’s because this month really wasn’t prosperous, no one wanted to watch the plays, and the other troupes aren’t making money either. Many of them have already closed down…”

He was interrupted before he could finish speaking, “Bullsh*t! Then how is Mei Garden selling out every show?! Are they going to close down too? Do they also only make thirty taels a month?!”

The manager, with a downcast face, dared not speak. How could they compare with Mei Garden? They had made major innovations; forget thirty taels a month, they probably made three hundred taels per show. But of course, he didn’t dare voice this, and simply hung his head sorrowfully.

“Why don’t we try performing the same plays as them?”

The manager tentatively suggested, “Since this type of play is the current trend, if we want to stand a chance, we can only follow their example. After all, New Moon House in Chatu Town also used to be a major competitor against Mei Garden. If we quickly follow this path, we might not suffer too great a loss.”

Huang Bin pondered for a moment and felt it made sense, “Then let’s also perform that kind of play. Since the audience enjoys it, we can’t fall behind. Hurry up and give the orders. If next month’s income is still in such a sorry state, I’ll flay you alive!”

The manager trembled with fright and quickly agreed, turning around to leave, but was suddenly stopped by Huang Bin: “Wait a minute!”

“May I know if there is anything else you wish to instruct, Master?”

“Which two became the signature performers from the last play at Mei Garden?”

“To answer Master, it’s the two who played the leading male and female roles. One is Zhong Yulang, who has always been the star of the Mei Team, and the other is the new girl, Guo Yuehua. Though she’s new, her performance is indeed not bad.”

Huang Bin shot a glare, “You’ve seen it?”

The manager immediately realized he had misspoken. The Master was currently in a rage, and letting him know that he had been supporting another troupe’s play would surely incur immediate punishment. The manager quickly responded, “Not at all. I merely heard a thing or two from others. As you know, these two are now hot topics in Chatu Town, and everyone talks about them in their leisure time. I only overheard it unintentionally.”

Huang Bin snorted before saying, “Investigate these two for me carefully.”

The manager tentatively asked, “Master is planning to…?”

Huang Bin whispered a few words, and the manager instantly understood, breaking into an enlightened smile, “Master, you truly are a wise man! With someone like you, Mei Garden will soon find nowhere to cry.”

Huang Bin was quite pleased with the praise but still kept a stern face, “Well, don’t just stand there, go and take care of it!”

“Yes, yes, yes, I’ll go right away.”

——

In three days, Qinghe would be getting married, and Muniang was now putting aside all other tasks to help Qinghe prepare for everything inside and out.

Although it was Qinghe’s second marriage, Zeng Gang did not have any intention to keep it small. On the contrary, he wanted to send Qinghe off in a grand fashion. Qinghe initially wanted to argue, but this point happened to align with Li Cheng’s wishes, and so Qinghe lost her say in the matter.

But, after all, Li Cheng was a man, and managing marriage preparations was not his forte compared to women. With Qinghe set to be wed, the responsibility naturally fell on Song Wanwan. These past few days, Muniang had helped her purchase a lot of wedding trousseau, packed and sealed in auspicious red.

“Three sets of basins of different sizes, ten sets each of hairpins of various designs, three quilts, a pair of pillows, a complete set of pots and pans, and a gold lock for the bottom of the trunk – this was originally bought for Xi’er, but it can now be part of your dowry to make a good show. I’ve made a list for you to see,” Muniang showed Qinghe the inventory.