Chapter 400: Chapter 396: Hiring a Stealth Ghost as Security_2

“This won’t do. Your family has both the elderly and the young, and business isn’t easy for you,” Yu Qiucai quickly went to untie his wallet.

Mrs. Wang said with a smile, “It’s just some preserved fruit, how much could it be worth? As long as Mrs. Yu likes it, that’s what matters. Besides, we should also thank Mr. Yu for helping us out.”

Yu Qiucai replied, “This was only possible because of the master’s intervention. I merely had someone deliver it to the governmental office.”

“Having your name card and strict requirements, those in charge wouldn’t handle us carelessly. They wouldn’t dare trouble us again,” Qin Liuxi said.

Though they might not necessarily have had the power to come here, it still needed to be said.

Seeing this, Yu Qiucai had no choice but to accept, saying, “Go ahead and focus on your business. I’ll tell the city patrol to check this area more frequently. I don’t think anyone will dare cause trouble here.”

Mrs. Wang was thrilled, as this meant much less trouble for them, essentially being under the protection of Yu Qiucai.

“Then we truly thank Mr. Yu,” Mrs. Wang gratefully bowed, and Qin Meiniang also resisted her excitement and bowed.

Yu Qiucai stepped aside and said to Qin Liuxi, “This is your Qin family’s shop, but I recall the master mentioned having another shop in Shouxi Square?”

“That’s a different matter,” Qin Liuxi clarified, “I only manage the shop over at Shouxi Square.”

Understanding this, Yu Qiucai no longer pursued the topic, bowed to them, and took his leave.

Actually, the master is a girl, he needed a moment to compose himself.

After he left, Mrs. Wang immediately said to Qin Liuxi, “You child, too reckless. Why confront those rogues? Just report them to the authorities. What if you had been hurt? It’s not worth it, like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.”

“Don’t worry, a few small thugs won’t trouble me. Filing a report works, and now they won’t dare to be so bold,” Qin Liuxi clapped her hands suddenly, “Oh no, I forgot to take back the protection money we paid. How much silver did we give in total? We need to get it back.”

Mrs. Wang chuckled, “It was just a few ounces of broken silver, let it go. Consider it a loss to prevent further misfortune.”

Qin Liuxi glanced at the neatly arranged shop, and reflecting on today’s events, said, “The shop had just opened, and troublemakers come looking for trouble. Besides these people, is there anyone else?”

“That was the only group,” Mrs. Wang coldly said. “They just saw that we are women running a business and wanted to take advantage.”

Qin Meiniang brought some preserved fruits for Teng Zhao and the others, also sighing, “Yes, the shop just opened, and we currently don’t have many types of preserved fruits. It’s just my sister-in-law and I managing the business up front; it’s really busy, so we let the female workers help out. Since we’re all women here, they thought we’d be easy to bully.”

It’s such being a woman in business, they see you sticking your neck out and without strong support, you’re the perfect target to trample on, perhaps even share in the spoils, always looking to take advantage.

“Since Mr. Yu has said he will increase patrols around here, we don’t have to worry in the future. But are you sure you two will continue managing the front? Once business picks up, we should pull some female workers to help out or hire another assistant, also about the shopkeeper position, do you plan not to hire one?” Qin Liuxi asked.

Mrs. Wang replied, “Hiring a stranger or a relative is all hiring. I thought about having your great-aunt be the shopkeeper, giving her a proper salary. We could also hire two more agile assistants, not to mention the buying and moving things around. As for the accounting, I’ll handle it myself.”

Qin Meiniang carefully looked at Qin Liuxi and said, “Xixi, if you think it’s not suitable, I can work as an assistant.”

She needed to save up some salary anyway, and she found that earning money on her own was empowering without relying on anyone.

She had planned, once she saved enough silver, to buy some farmland, slowly building up the family’s holdings so that in the future, she and her daughters would have something to rely on.

Qin Liuxi smiled and said, “Why not? Auntie, you can also do the math and have managed a household before; managing a shop should be well within your abilities. And I won’t interfere with the shop; hiring people is entirely up to mother taking the lead. However, hiring a physically strong assistant who knows some self-defense is indeed necessary.”

Qin Meiniang sighed with relief, saying, “I will surely take good care.”

She was worried Qin Liuxi might disagree.

Mrs. Wang also smiled, her mind already planning. After today’s incident, hiring an assistant skilled in martial arts was essential.

Although it was fortunate that Qin Liuxi was present and they encountered Yu Qiucai, if neither had been there, they would have suffered a loss today.

The shop had just started doing good business; it couldn’t be allowed to be ruined.

Mrs. Wang had Qin Meiniang keep an eye on the business while she took Qin Liuxi inside.

Qin Liuxi heard that the shop’s female workers lived in a small room at the back, looking after the shop and also having a place to stay.

“Looking after them might not be so secure for now; once we hire a male assistant, I’ll have him guard the shop,” Mrs. Wang said.

Qin Liuxi agreed, but she already had a plan. Open enemies are easy to avoid, but hidden dangers are hard to defend against. Mrs. Wang would hire an upfront person, and she would hire a covert ‘ghost’ to help protect the shop.

After all, it was just a matter of a few candles and a meal.

It wasn’t that Qin Liuxi was meddling too much, in fact, running a shop isn’t easy. If this shop does well, the Qin family can rely on it, and she wouldn’t have to worry too much.

Better to teach someone to fish than to just give them a fish, she understood this principle.

With the shop established, they should have easier lives, and once the Qin family was on firm footing, she wouldn’t need to involve herself.

Qin Liuxi silently noted down the plan to hire the covert guard, not mentioning it to Mrs. Wang to keep her from feeling uneasy. Sometimes, ignorance brings fearlessness.