The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure
Chapter 264: Agreement (Extra - for every 1000 monthly tickets)

Chapter 264: Chapter 264: Agreement (Extra Chapter for every 1000 monthly tickets)

However, Wang Yongzhu remained steadfast and added that she was also developing other dye colors and was on the verge of a breakthrough. In the future, she would continuously strive to invent new colors and dyeing methods. Shopkeeper Wu would certainly not suffer losses by collaborating with her!

Shopkeeper Wu hesitated for a moment, but being a decisive person, he thought about nothing else but the dyeing valves. Just with those, he could make a huge profit. And with the indigo cloth, although it was suitable for commoners and couldn’t be sold at high prices, the large sales volume could dominate the market—large quantities meant cumulative profits, which were also quite substantial!

After weighing his options, Shopkeeper Wu debated with Wang Yongzhu about profit distribution for quite a long time.

In the end, they reached an agreement on a 20/80 split.

Anxious that Wang Yongzhu might change her mind, Shopkeeper Wu hurriedly drafted a contract. He even invited a respected elder from the town to witness and sign the agreement, providing both parties with peace of mind.

Once the contract was drawn up, Shopkeeper Wu sent the witness away and returned to push two silver notes across to Wang Yongzhu: "This is an advance payment of your share of the profits. It will be deducted from your share after the first batch of goods is sold!"

Wang Yongzhu looked down to see one silver note was for one hundred taels and the other for fifty taels.

She knew this was Shopkeeper Wu’s way of being considerate of the Wang Family’s current financial situation and a little tactic to win her over.

Thus, she smiled and accepted: "Thank you for your kindness, Shopkeeper Wu! I will accept it with thick skin. Honestly, there are many expenses at home right now, and this advance payment of profits has solved an urgent need for my family!"

Seeing that Wang Yongzhu was sensible and not pretentious, Shopkeeper Wu was naturally satisfied.

"These two samples will be kept here at your place, Shopkeeper Wu. As for the indigo dye, I will go back and expedite its preparation and then deliver it to you. As for the dye workshop, I will need you to take a lot of care. Once the workshop is built, I will immediately bring over the dye and the recipes for dyeing valves!" Wang Yongzhu stated her intentions.

Shopkeeper Wu nodded: "I will expedite the construction of the dye workshop. Does the niece need anything else? My general store has just received a good number of new items these past few days—won’t you take a look?"

Wang Yongzhu thanked Shopkeeper Wu and followed the shop assistant out the door to the adjacent general store.

Wang Yongping saw his sister sell two and a half pieces of fabric for one hundred and fifty taels of silver, not to mention something about profits? Although he didn’t quite understand, he guessed that it also meant silver.

So much money? Wang Yongping, whose worldview was being refreshed time and again, followed his sister with unsteady steps.

Wang Yongzhu went into the general store to pick out items, while Wang Yongping stood at the entrance as if in a dream, still trying to wrap his head around what had happened.

After a long while, a smile slowly crept onto his face. Thankfully, the matter with Li Jinzhi hadn’t caused any losses for his sister and the family—in fact, the fabric sold for even more money!

What a relief! Otherwise, he really wouldn’t know how to face his family.

Just as Wang Yongping, feeling a bit better, was about to enter the general store to accompany Wang Yongzhu, he heard a stream of cursing coming from the end of the street.

Looking up, he saw Li Jinzhi with disheveled hair and a swollen face, resembling a pig’s head, her clothing torn, stumbling ahead.

Following close behind were He Dawei, his parents, and a whole crowd of onlookers.

He Dawei’s mother, advanced in years, managed only a few steps before running out of breath. Panting and clutching her chest, she didn’t miss the chance to curse furiously: "You little tramp! Shameless wench, you shamelessly seduced my son from the start. And you got him beaten so badly his legs were broken! I always said I didn’t agree with a wretch like you entering the He Family’s door, but you used every trick in the book, bewitching my son until he insisted on marrying you! The heavens must be blind, after your Li Family did such horrendous deeds, why haven’t you faced retribution, clinging to our Dawei! You had the nerve to shamelessly stick around at our Li Family’s place, in all my life I’ve never seen a woman with such thick skin as you——"

He Dawei’s father, caring about appearances, tried to quiet his wife, tugging at her clothes: "Old lady, hold back a few words!"

"Pah! Why shouldn’t I speak out? This shameless girl, doing all those unconscionable things outside, how dare she throw the blame onto my He Family? She’s not one of the He Family, is she? The good name our family has had for generations, ruined by this wretch, and I can’t even speak up? Stop right there, you little tramp—" He Dawei’s mother, after resting for a moment and noticing Li Jinzhi had run off into the distance, hastily pushed her bewildered son who was standing by her side.

"Are you stupid or what? Why don’t you go catch that little slut? She’s trying to run away! If she runs, the Cloth Store’s madam will demand compensation from our He Family! Could it be that you still have feelings for her? You’ve heard everything, that little tramp is pinning it all on us!"

A flicker of hesitation and struggle crossed He Dawei’s face, "Mom, Jinzhi is pregnant! If we chase her too fiercely and she falls, what if the child is lost?"

He Dawei’s mother was nearly breathless with anger, "The offspring of such a vile woman, my He Family wouldn’t dare claim as our own! Besides, if she could fool around with you before marriage, who’s to say she hasn’t been fooling around with other men? Who knows whose bastard is in her belly!"

"Mom—" He Dawei’s face turned green. What kind of mother accuses his son of being cuckolded so bluntly?

It turned out that Li Jinzhi had been dragged to the He Family with her hair caught in the grasp of the Cloth Store’s madam.

The He Family’s Shop was open, and many of the neighbors were present.

In front of so many people, the Cloth Store’s madam entered the shop cursing and throwing things around as she did so.

Her fervor was such that the neighbors didn’t dare intervene, only could listen obediently.

Finally, when the Cloth Store’s madam finished cursing, everyone understood the situation, and the He Family’s Shop had been trashed thoroughly.

He Dawei’s mother felt her face burning with shame. Seeing the things in her shop smashed to pieces—items bought with real silver—she felt extremely distressed.

All at once her heart ached unbearably.

Then, when she thought of how it was all caused by Li Jinzhi, that harbinger of disaster, anger surged within her, and she slapped Jinzhi hard across the face twice, knocking her to the ground.

She then kicked her, saying, "You scourge, you bring ruin upon the Li Family, and now you seek to do the same to our He Family?"

Li Jinzhi, overpowered, could only try to protect her belly, until some onlookers couldn’t bear to watch anymore and went to call He Dawei and He Laoshuan over.

When He Laoshuan arrived and saw the distressing scene, he immediately stopped his wife and demanded to know what had happened.

The neighbors explained the situation to him, all speaking at once.

Both He Laoshuan and He Dawei’s faces turned as they listened.

The Cloth Store’s madam had been established in the town for many years, and how long had they moved here? A strong dragon cannot repress a local snake, and their own He Family was certainly not the strong dragon.

If they truly provoked her, and she set a trap for them, did something malicious, they could only watch helplessly.

This was a disaster out of nowhere!

He Laoshuan, shrewd with age and always concerned about his family’s reputation, had never had much regard for Li Jinzhi. Now presented with an opportunity, he considered pushing her out, determined not to let her ruin his family and son.

The He Family had received no benefits, so why should they pay compensation for Li Jinzhi?