The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 260: Meddling

Chapter 260: Chapter 260: Meddling

Wang Yongzhu gave Wang Yongping a warning look, and although Yongping was both angry and resentful after recalling what Old Granny Zhang had said that morning, he obediently stepped back and stood behind Wang Yongzhu.

The two of them stood by the door, listening attentively to the sounds coming from inside.

Inside the Cloth Store, Li Jinzhi sat on a chair, with the Cloth Store’s proprietress across from her: "Proprietress, not to boast, but the fabric our family has acquired this time is both affordable and of beautiful colors. It’s said to be the trendiest material in the provincial capital right now. If it hadn’t been for my brother-in-law bringing it back, I wouldn’t have known such attractive fabric existed in the world!"

"Just say what you came for today, will you? You’ve been to our shop several times these past few days, at first asking about this and that, and today you’re here talking about doing business. Your family has the ability to acquire such cheap and good fabric, that’s your family’s capability, but what are you doing running to my little Cloth Store, to show off, perhaps?" The Cloth Store’s proprietress had a belly full of anger. No customers had come early in the morning, yet that shameless scoundrel from He Family’s Shop came over to flaunt her fabric. If not for seeing that she was pregnant and fearing it would be trouble if something happened after sending her away, she would have loved to sweep her out with a broom.

Li Jinzhi smiled, "Proprietress is a straightforward person, so I’ll just speak frankly. I came today to discuss a business deal with you! I can sell the fabric to you for a bit cheaper—"

"What did you say? You’re offering to sell me the fabric you’ve acquired for a cheaper price?" The proprietress’s eyes widened in disbelief at Li Jinzhi.

Could this person be silly? Who conducts business like this? Her own Cloth Store was actually being squeezed to the point of closing by such an opponent?

The proprietress began to doubt life itself.

"That’s right! We’ve acquired a lot of this fabric. As you know, our shop isn’t as spacious as yours, and we can’t fully showcase it. If the fabric stays unsold for too long, it will fade. So I figured, why not sell this batch cheap to you? That way, we can all make money!" Li Jinzhi explained with a light smile.

"You won’t be losing money doing this? You’re not deceiving me, right? You’ve gone through the trouble to acquire the goods, and now you’ll sell them to me without making a profit? You think I’d believe that?" The proprietress shook her head, unable to believe it.

We’re all businessmen here, and businessmen exist to make a profit. Make a deal at a loss? Stop joking.

If I were in her shoes, would I sell high-quality and affordable fabric cheaply to my rival and let them profit?

Of course not, unless I had lost my mind.

"I know you don’t believe me, so I brought a few samples of the material. You can take a look first. As for the price— " Li Jinzhi indicated a number.

The proprietress’s eyes immediately lit up; the price Jinzhi had mentioned was indeed almost as if she was handing over the fabric to her without making any profit.

Upon inspecting the fabric samples Jinzhi had taken out, there were shades of water-pink, brownish-yellow, and the dark purple of near-black. Such colors were indeed rare in town.

The proprietress felt the fabric, which was ordinary cotton, not substandard in any way, and then fell silent, saying nothing.

Jinzhi didn’t rush her, merely watching the proprietress with a smile.

Seeing that the proprietress was tempted, Wang Yongzhu knew she had to intervene, fearing that it wouldn’t take long for the proprietress to agree to the deal.

She coughed and walked in, startling both of them.

The proprietress, however, greeted her with a smile, "Ah, Young Miss, you’ve arrived!"

Li Jinzhi’s face turned away in guilt upon seeing Wang Yongping follow Wang Yongzhu inside, and it took her a good while before she turned her head back, only staring intently at the table.

Fire seemed ready to burst from Wang Yongping’s eyes!

That wretched Li Jinzhi is looking to cut off the Wang Family’s lifeline!

His fists were clenched so tightly they creaked. If it weren’t for Old Granny Zhang’s words that he had to listen to everything his sister said, and his sister hadn’t given him permission to speak, he had to remain mute and behave.

He really wanted to go up and knock Li Jinzhi flat with a punch.

Li Jinzhi also felt extremely uncomfortable, seeing that Wang Yongping looked as if he wished he could kill her—and she wasn’t blind. Her first instinct was almost to take off running.

But then, thinking about Wang Yongping’s boastful demeanor a few days ago and Wang Yongzhu’s good fortune, she suppressed the anger in her heart and managed to stand her ground.

After all, they were in public now. Dare Wang Yongping hit her? If he dared, she would just lie down on the ground and claim a stomach ache.

Then, she would accuse Wang Yongping of assault.

Now that the Wang Family had lost Scholar Wang’s support, as long as she spent more silver, she could have Wang Yongping arrested and thrown into jail! That would be her revenge for the Li Family!

So, she actually lifted her head and looked at Wang Yongping and Wang Yongzhu, letting out a cold laugh.

Wang Yongzhu didn’t even glance at Li Jinzhi but addressed the proprietress, "Yes, I had an appointment with the proprietress. I just finished dyeing the cloth yesterday, and I’ve brought it today for you to take a look."

The proprietress herself was still hesitant; Li Jinzhi’s offer was indeed tempting, and the fabric was, in fact, decent—not substandard. At that price, if she could take it all, she would definitely make a profit.

But, she was somewhat reluctant to deal with Li Jinzhi. Not to mention Li Jinzhi’s flirtatious reputation, He Family’s Shop had recently pressured her Cloth Store to the brink of shutting down.

To buy her cloth would leave a bad taste.

Seeing Wang Yongzhu, the proprietress’s eyes lit up; she hadn’t expected this girl to really be able to dye cloth. If it was indeed possible to replicate that shade of pale red from the sample she brought last time, she would buy from this girl.

After all, such a pale red was rare!

So, with particular enthusiasm, she greeted them: "Oh my, let me have a look—"

Li Jinzhi, standing by, felt as if she were about to breathe fire. She had just managed to persuade the proprietress, almost securing her agreement, but this sister and brother pair had to pick this moment to barge in, messing with her business, over her dead body!

"Yo—Isn’t this Wang Yongzhu? I didn’t misunderstand, did I? You actually dye cloth? Everyone knows that dyeing cloth requires skill, more importantly, a secret dye recipe! Your Wang Family has always been farmers. I didn’t know that your family also has a recipe? Moreover, even if your family does have a recipe, without talented and experienced craftsmen, the dyeing won’t succeed. Could it be that your family has run out of land, is burdened with high expenses, and frivolously thought about soaking a piece of cloth in water, wishing to swindle some money?"

After speaking, she turned to look at the proprietress: "Proprietress, let me tell you this, I know the Wangs better than anyone! They’re just a bunch of country bumpkins, what do they know about dyeing cloth? If dyeing cloth was so easy, wouldn’t anyone be able to produce dyed cloth whenever they wanted? Then why would anyone come to us to buy cloth? Don’t be fooled by these people; their family is so sinister! Didn’t you hear? Their second son, Scholar Wang, deceived the family and sold their land, leaving them all behind to become an official in a far-off place! Such a family, they must be desperate for money—"