CHAPTER 209: CHAPTER 209: A BIG GIFT FOR YOU

After a short while, Third Grandpa led Gu Jinli and the others into the house.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting." Third Grandpa said as he sat down on another long bench.

There weren’t enough benches, so the younger members of the Gu Family like Gu Jinli had no choice but to stand. However, Master Qi’s gaze was drawn to Gu Jinli; he had realized that this young lady was the one in charge of Gu’s Workshop.

Seeing him look over, Gu Jinli gave him a smile, flashing a set of bright, white teeth that were slightly dazzling.

Master Qi smiled back and nodded at her.

Zou Yuzhen had already stood up and began to speak again, formally apologizing to Third Grandpa: "Old Master, please forgive us, everything was the fault of the Zou and Lu Families. It was the greed of my family’s servants, my maternal family’s insatiable greed, that almost brought harm upon all your families. I feel extremely remorseful, and I am sincerely here today to apologize. Please, Old Master, forgive us this lapse."

Worried that Gu Jinli might rebuke him again, he quickly added: "Even if the Old Master cannot forgive the Zou and Lu Families, no matter, but I sincerely beg you to accept our apology as a gesture of my good intentions."

Third Grandpa shook his head: "There’s no need for an apology. We are simple farming folk; every bite we eat is hard-earned. Take those two carts of goods meant as an apology back with you."

The way Third Grandpa put it nearly implied that the Zou and Lu families acquired their food and drink by ill means.

Zou Yuzhen felt annoyed inside, yet he knew he couldn’t force the issue with these families. Suppressing his irritation, he adopted a bitter and ashamed expression and said with difficulty: "Since the Old Master refuses to accept, I will not insist. But please, Old Master, do not blame me and my sister. We bear no ill will toward your families, and we hope to associate with your families in the future. We hope the Old Master does not hold this against us."

He spoke very sincerely and, pointing to Zou Yuwan, said: "My sister and I will be staying in the village for a few days, and we might come to you for a visit."

Gu Jinli frowned upon hearing this. They intend to stay in the village for a few days? Are they planning to wear them down slowly, so their families lower their guard and accept them in the end?

Two young nobles making such a grand gesture of apologizing to the humble farming folks, and even deciding to stay behind to foster a good relationship, it’s hard to believe there aren’t ulterior motives.

Gu Jinli ignored them and turned to Master Qi, asking: "What brings Master Qi to our workshop? Could it be you want to do business with tofu and seasonings?"

"Young lady, you are correct. Master Qi has indeed come for the seasonings," responded Master Qi directly, getting right to the point: "Half a month ago, I happened to taste dishes made with your family’s seasonings and found the flavors to be excellent, not falling short of the Hai Xian Sauce. So, I had the idea to buy the recipe."

He added: "Rest assured, if you’re willing to sell, the Qi Family is prepared to offer a high price."

Master Qi held out one finger, saying: "10,000 taels of silver, what do you say?"

10,000... 10,000 taels of silver!

Third Grandpa, Gu Dashan, and Gu Dafu were all stunned. Had they heard it wrong? Master Qi wanted to buy their seasoning recipe for 10,000 taels of silver.

But their shock was fleeting, and they soon realized that while 10,000 taels of silver seemed like a lot—a sum they had never seen in their lives—their seasoning was a profitable venture. Since accepting orders from Elder Lei Wu, they knew they could make big money from it. Hearing this offer of 10,000 taels of silver didn’t seem so extraordinary anymore.

If they did a few more deals with Elder Lei Wu, they could easily earn back those 10,000 taels of silver.

Gu Jinli shook her head: "The recipe is not for sale."

She had originally thought of using Master Qi as a tool to rally against Zou Yuzhen. To her surprise, this man was also a wolf in sheep’s clothing, coveting her seasoning recipe—in her dreams!

Master Qi frowned and held up another finger: "What about 20,000 taels of silver? The Qi Family is not a domineering household. Once you sell the recipe to us, we will allow your families to continue with the seasoning business in He’an Prefecture. You can sell the seasonings in all the counties and towns of He’an, but the Prefecture city of He’an and areas outside the Prefecture should be left to the Qi Family."

"Young lady, there are many counties and towns in He’an Prefecture, enough for your families to make a good living. Think it over, what do you say?"

"Alright, then we’ll think it over," Gu Jinli said crisply, completely befuddling Master Qi.

He could hardly believe it as he asked, "Are you serious?"

Gu Jinli nodded, pointing to her own face, "Of course, do I look like I’m joking?"

Master Qi: "..."

Could he say that her current expression didn’t look credible at all?

"How long will you need to consider?" Master Qi inquired.

Gu Jinli replied, "Not long, coming by tomorrow afternoon will do."

Master Qi was astonished: "Only one day to consider?"

Gu Jinli nodded: "Yes, just one day."

Remember to come tomorrow, I’ll have a big gift for you.

Master Qi felt like he was dreaming, a bad premonition arising in his heart, always feeling that this Gu Family girl was setting a trap for him.

But he really coveted the spice business; the flavor of Gu’s Workshop’s spices was savory and delicious, comparable to Hai Xian Sauce, and while Hai Xian Sauce was expensive, costing one tael of silver for a small pot, Gu’s Workshop’s Five Blessings Spices sold for only five hundred copper coins per half kilogram, the huge profit margin was something he didn’t even dare to think about.

If he could sell the spices in the Capital, they would surely replace Hai Xian Sauce, becoming an essential condiment in the homes of the wealthy and the scholarly families.

Although the Gu, Qin, and Lu families from Luotian had some abilities, causing County Magistrate Zou to stumble a few times, his Qi Family was not to be underestimated, he was confident he could obtain the recipe for the spices.

"Alright, then it’s settled. Master Qi will visit again tomorrow afternoon."

However...

"Master Qi’s family has some reputation in the Prefecture, and my immediate elder brother holds an official position in the Capital. I hope the young lady won’t play tricks on my Qi Family."

Otherwise, you won’t be able to bear the consequences!

Gu Jinli smiled innocently: "No tricks, no tricks, we are all good citizens, who would dare to play with officials?"

Master Qi, looking at her demeanor, felt even more uneasy, but since things had come this far, he could only suppress his anxiety and wait for the next afternoon.

"Alright then, Master Qi will not impose any further and will take his leave now." Having said that, Master Qi took his leave first.

Upon seeing Master Qi depart, siblings Zou Yuzhen and Zou Yuwan also hurriedly left.

Following them, Zeng Da walked away disconsolately.

The compensation offered by those two mule carts was also pulled away; Third Grandpa did not accept it.

After Master Qi and the others left, Third Grandpa asked Gu Jinli, "Xiao Yu, what shall we do tomorrow afternoon? This Master Qi seems to be quite influential."

Gu Dafu was very angry, "This man surnamed Qi actually wants to buy our spice recipe; he is cutting off the livelihood of our workshop. He is in cahoots with County Magistrate Zou, none of them are good people!"

Gu Dashan was also very anxious, speaking with worry, "We have no power or influence, how can we compete with the people from Prefecture City? His family even has a brother holding an office in the Capital, we are even less of a match for them."

Yet, Gu Jinli said, "We may not be a match for the Qi Family, but there are always people in the world who can deal with the Qi Family."

She looked at Qin San Lang, "Brother Qin, you have work to do."