HLnovel Chapter 334 She felt it was somewhat unlikely!
Chapter 334 She felt it was somewhat unlikely!
Aunt Xiangqin was slightly taken aback. She immediately asked, "These few sets of tables and chairs aren't cheap? How much did you pay for each set?"
Xiao Jiu gestured a ten and then a five.
Aunt Xiangqin opened her mouth and said, "One and a half ounces?"
Xiao Jiu shook her head, somewhat hesitant to tell Xiangqin Milk, because the price was clearly beyond Xiangqin Milk's budget.
Moreover, he gestured ten, but Xiangqin Milk mistakenly saw it as one, and he was too embarrassed to correct her.
Shuisheng, however, stubbornly corrected Xiaojiu, saying, "Mother, where can you buy these tables and chairs for one and a half taels? Such good wood, such neat tabletops and legs, and such carvings—the shops sell them to customers for twenty-five taels of silver a set. It's all thanks to Manager Su who led us there that Manager Tong gave us fifteen taels a set out of respect for Manager Su. They didn't even charge us for the craftsmanship."
Thanks to the fact that Wanhe Restaurant often made purchases from Tong Zhangui's shop, he was willing to do Manager Su this favor. Xiao Tang was right after all; when you're out in business, having more friends means having more options.
When Aunt Xiangqin heard that the tables, chairs and stools cost fifteen taels of silver per set, she was completely dumbfounded.
These tables and chairs, a set costs fifteen taels of silver?
She's lived all these years and spent less than fifteen taels of silver. In the end, her life wasn't even worth as much as a set of tables and chairs.
"My goodness, this set of tables and chairs costs fifteen taels of silver! You guys are really generous. We do business to make money, but we can't spend it like this. Why buy such nice tables and chairs? If you ask me, you guys should go back to the village, cut down a tree at the foot of the mountain, and make your own. It'll be practical and won't cost you any money. Why waste money like this?"
Shuisheng disagreed, saying, "Mother, that's not how you do it. If we're reluctant to spend the money to buy new tables and chairs and instead go back to the village to cut down trees and make them on the spot, wouldn't that delay our business for a few days? The money we can earn from selling braised pig's trotters for a few days is more than the money we would have spent on these tables and chairs."
Let's grit our teeth and buy a few good sets, open for business tomorrow, and earn our money back as soon as possible. In the end, we can even keep a few good sets of tables and chairs. Look how impressive these tables and chairs look in the shop!
Besides, the shop was damaged by Pan's relatives who came to cause trouble. The government has already ordered them to compensate for the losses. Once they pay the shop, it will offset the cost of these purchases. So, in the end, it didn't cost us any of our own money. Therefore, you shouldn't feel bad about it.”
Besides, this Lin's Pig Trotters Shop is jointly owned by Brother Qingchuan, Xiaotang, and Manager Su. If anyone should be worried about the money, it should be Brother Qingchuan and Manager Su. They are the ones who spend the money; Mother is just worrying unnecessarily.
Aunt Xiangqin pouted and said, "I'm not worried about the money. It's not my money anyway. I just think you're all still young and I want you to save money and not be extravagant. We can't go back to the hard life we used to live."
Lin Qingchuan pulled Aunt Xiangqin to sit on the chairs they had bought, and said with a smile, "Auntie, we know your good intentions. Don't worry, we know what we're doing. The government has already ruled that those people should compensate us for our losses. The shop gave us a lot of discounts because of Manager Su. These tables and chairs were a great deal; we didn't spend any extra money. Come and sit down in these chairs, how do you feel?"
Aunt Xiangqin sat in the new chair, unconsciously shifting her bottom, and immediately exclaimed in delight, "Wow, this chair is so comfortable! It doesn't hurt my bottom at all. The backrest is just the right size, it's so comfortable and impressive. I've lived this long and this is the first time I've ever sat in such an expensive chair. I'd close my eyes and it would be worth it."
"What are you saying, Auntie? A set of tables and chairs is only fifteen taels of silver. If you sit on it and immediately close your eyes, it's worth it. We still need to expand our business, buy houses and land, and live a prosperous life. At that time, let alone fifteen taels for a set, even a hundred or eighty taels for a set will be fine."
Aunt Xiangqin quickly waved her hand and said, "No, no, I'm not destined for such wealth. I'm already very satisfied to be able to sit in this fifteen-tael set thanks to the shop. I've lived a worthwhile life, haha."
Lin Xiaotang felt something was off. She had been so focused on looking at the carved tables, chairs and stools that she hadn't thought about it at all.
These sets of tables and chairs were originally priced at 25 taels per set by Manager Tong, but he gave them a discount and offered them 20 taels per set. However, after Manager Su pulled Manager Tong aside and said a few words, Manager Tong immediately changed his mind and offered 15 taels per set.
There's a difference of ten taels of silver between them. Eight sets are already discounted by eighty taels of silver. Does Manager Tong really offer such a large discount?
She felt it was unlikely!
So she pulled Manager Su to a corner where no one could hear her, looked up at him earnestly, and asked, "Second Uncle, tell me the truth, how did you manage to get Manager Tong to lower the price to fifteen taels of silver for a set?"
Shopkeeper Su smiled and patted Lin Xiaotang on the shoulder.
"My second uncle didn't say anything, just that he was planning to open another restaurant and would have all the tables, chairs and stools custom-made by him. He asked him to give us a better price this time, and he agreed."
Lin Xiaotang stared at Manager Su. Her eyes were clear and bright, as if she could see into people's hearts, which made Manager Su feel uneasy.
His eyes flickered, then he immediately smiled.
"You little rascal, you're really something. When has your second uncle ever lied to you? Do you suspect that your second uncle is plotting something with Manager Tong?"
Lin Xiaotang hurriedly said, "That's not what I think. Second Uncle owns not only restaurants and shops, but also farmland and houses. Why would he look down on our little things? I just feel that Manager Tong's discount was too generous. Could it be that you asked Manager Tong to lower the price and then secretly made up the difference?"
Manager Su's breath hitched; he hadn't expected Xiao Tang to guess correctly.
This little girl is so smart!
She didn't seem like a little girl of a few years old at all; no, she didn't seem to come from a farming family at all. Instead, she seemed like a well-educated and knowledgeable young woman raised in a large family.
The moment Manager Su paused, Lin Xiaotang confirmed her suspicions. Sure enough, he had made up the price difference. No wonder Manager Tong had agreed to the price reduction so readily.
People usually offer discounts of tens of coins at a time, or at the very least, half a tael or an ounce. How could someone possibly offer a discount of five taels of silver at once, or ten taels twice? That's unthinkable.
She whispered, "Second Uncle, why are you doing this? The pig's trotter shop was originally our joint venture. The government has also ordered those who came to cause trouble to pay compensation. No matter how much money it costs, the pig's trotter shop will pay it. I've only ever heard of people taking kickbacks. This is the first time I've ever seen someone pay out of their own pocket to give everyone a discount."
My parents just think it's a bit expensive, but it's not unacceptable. If they knew you paid the difference yourself to get a discount from Manager Tong, they'd definitely feel ashamed.
Everyone says that merchants are unscrupulous, but Manager Su is a kind and righteous person, worthy of being befriended.
Manager Su felt that it was only a difference of forty taels of silver, which was nothing to him. He would just quietly make up the difference to Manager Tong. Everyone would think that Manager Tong was giving them a discount, and it would be a good thing to make them happy.
I never expected that Xiao Tang would find out. It seems that nothing can be hidden from her anymore.