CHAPTER 643: EPISODE 341: PROBE_2

She thought to herself that although she was thin, she had always been robust. A couple of sneezes were hardly a big deal. However, to her dismay, when she got up early the next morning, her head ached, and her nose felt congested.

Old Lady Meng hopped about, berating her severely. If it weren’t for the fact that she looked somewhat wilted, Old Lady Meng would have really liked to greet her with a broom.

"I told you, you’re asking for trouble! Staying up late and messing about in the kitchen, what on earth were you thinking? Haven’t I told you that the one thing I hate most in my life is sickly people, those who look half-dead, not the least bit brisk? And right now, you’re nursing a child, do you dare to take any medicine prescribed by the physician carelessly? Isn’t this just looking for trouble? Can’t you, as a mother, give me some peace of mind?"

Scolded by her to the point her head was ringing, Hua Xiaomai, unable to bear it, retorted with a croaky voice, "Do you mean to say you’ve never been sick in your entire life? It’s common to feel unwell with the sudden changes in temperature during spring. If you want to blame someone, blame the heavens, what’s the point of scolding me?"

"You still dare to talk back?" Old Lady Meng rushed off to the kitchen to simmer ginger and brown sugar water, then turned her head and glared hard at her, "Don’t say I didn’t warn you, hold Walnut less today, and when you feed him, cover your face tightly with a cloth. If you pass this illness on to him, I’ll truly skin you alive!"

"Can’t you occasionally show some sympathy for me?" Hua Xiaomai felt both annoyed and amused. She wanted to say something else, but then she saw a figure flash by the gate, followed swiftly by the little rascal coming in beaming with joy.

"Sister Xiaomai, those two merchants from out of town came again yesterday, and Uncle Ping’an sent me to call for you!"

"So early?" Hua Xiaomai frowned slightly—was there really a need to rush like this?

"You’re going?" Old Lady Meng poked her head out from the kitchen, "Are you planning to work yourself to death?"

"I’ll go take a look and be right back." Hua Xiaomai flashed a smile at her, forced herself to stand up from the chair, calling the little rascal to head out the door with her.

...

At this time, Zhenwei Garden had not officially started work. The workers had just begun trickling in from home. Most of them seemed to know that the two merchants had heavy purses and were excited and curious, gathering around to gawk, occasionally whispering to each other. Only Sun Great Saint didn’t care, speaking loudly, laughing so boisterously that a couple of birds on the eaves were startled into flight.

Pan Ping’an was talking to the two merchants and glanced up at the arrival of Hua Xiaomai. He appeared somewhat uncomfortable, gave her a reluctant nod and smile, then said to the two men, "This is the owner of our Zhenwei Garden."

The two turned their heads, and immediately exclaimed in surprise, "Oh, the owner of this Sauce Garden is so young?" Their accent was noticeable, but she couldn’t place their origin.

Hua Xiaomai smiled softly, subtly sizing up the two men in return.

As Pan Ping’an had said, there was nothing particularly remarkable about the appearance of the two men, yet they were indeed dressed with great care. In their twenties, their attire was a rare sight in the entirety of Fuzhe County, and they were adorned with an assortment of accessories, clanking with every movement. Among these ornaments were items made of gold and jade, which Hua Xiaomai couldn’t recognize, but even she could see, at a glance, that they were of considerable value.

However, perhaps because she had been somewhat suspicious of the duo beforehand, she couldn’t help but feel that their dressing was excessively ostentatious.

These two were itinerant merchants, after all; dressed so conspicuously, were they hoping to attract thieves?

While she was pondering this, the two men had cheerfully approached her.

"The skill of your Zhenwei Garden is truly remarkable. We both consider ourselves connoisseurs of food and, despite years of travel, have never tasted such flavor-rich sauce. With such fine products, it truly adds luster to the food! Yesterday, we finalized the deal to buy the sauce ingredients with Shopkeeper Pan, and today we’ve come specifically to choose the varieties. There are so many excellent sauces here; we’re afraid we might be spoiled for choice, ha ha!"

Turning her back, Hua Xiaomai rubbed her nose and then turned around with a smile, "Yes, Shopkeeper Pan told me about this yesterday, and I’m very pleased. Zhenwei Garden has always done business within Tong’an Prefecture, and if we can sell our goods to other provinces, that would indeed be honorific for me as the owner. I came today to discuss a small matter with you two— I heard that you’ve already paid the deposit yesterday?"

"Isn’t that the truth?" the slightly shorter of the two nodded without hesitation, "One must be honest in business. Since we genuinely want to buy, naturally, we should promptly pay the deposit to set your mind at ease. Once you deliver the goods, we’ll immediately pay the remaining amount, surely without delay!"

Having already deliberated on the matter, Hua Xiaomai seemed somewhat hesitant to speak, her head lowered, she hesitated, "It’s about that, I was hoping to discuss something with you two."

"What is it?" the man immediately pressed.

"Well," said Hua Xiaomai with earnest, "Shopkeeper Pan told me that you used a silver note for the deposit yesterday, but actually, our store has a rule of only accepting cash, either Silver Taels or Copper Coins. Shopkeeper Pan mentioned that he found it difficult to bring this up because you have traveled from afar, but after pondering it throughout the night, I feel it’s best to stick to our rules to avoid complications in the future. I don’t mean to hide this from you two; I’m genuinely concerned about potential discrepancies with the silver note, so I hope you’ll understand."

Silver notes could be invalidated with just a procedure at the note-issuing office, leaving the recipient with no money to collect. If she knew the person well who paid with a silver note, there would be no issue on her part, but these two men seemed to have appeared out of nowhere; how could she not be extra cautious?

Pan Ping’an hadn’t expected her to say that, and upon hearing it, he turned to look at her, barely managing to keep himself from calling her out, his expression growing even more displeased.

As for the two merchants, they were taken aback, simultaneously freezing. After a considerable pause, they rubbed their hands together somewhat perplexedly, "This... You understand we are travelers, how could we carry that much cash on us? Silver notes are so much more convenient and easier to carry..."

Suppressing her vexation, Hua Xiaomai pressed the corners of her lips together, answered with a friendly smile, "That’s not a problem. When you two head back to the city, I can send an assistant to accompany you, and in your presence, we’ll exchange the silver note for cash at the office. Wouldn’t that solve the issue?" (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation ticket, monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to continue reading.)