Chapter 17: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 17: Business Deal Concluded (Part 2)
Upon hearing Mo Yan's words, Manager Wang pondered for a moment, feeling the imprint on the palm of his hand. Finally, he reluctantly declined, "I'm sorry, but I can't agree to this."
"Why?" Manager Wang exclaimed in disbelief, his face full of incredulity and a hint of annoyance.
Xiangmanlou was one of the best restaurants in Longshi Town, and there were countless farmers who would jump at the chance to supply vegetables to them. Yet, this excellent opportunity was being rejected by this ignorant little girl.
Mo Yan also felt it was a pity, but she couldn't deceive others with her eyes wide open, so she explained, "To be honest, my family will be leaving Longshi Town for another place in a few days. I won't be able to supply vegetables to Xiangmanlou on a long-term basis."
Upon hearing this reason, Manager Wang's rising anger dissipated. He just felt it was a great pity. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Then how much vegetables does your family have now? Can you supply us temporarily for a few days until we find a new vegetable supplier?"
"That's no problem. There are still quite a few vegetables at home, and we were planning to sell this batch to earn some money," Mo Yan replied promptly.
This arrangement suited Mo Yan's intentions perfectly, so she readily agreed. To ensure everything was secure, they both signed a written agreement in the presence of an elderly customer.
The agreement stipulated: Mo Yan would supply Xiangmanlou with 50 catties of cabbage, 80 catties of tomatoes, and 150 corn cobs daily at market price, and Xiangmanlou would pay Mo Yan for the vegetables on a daily basis.
After leaving Xiangmanlou, Mo Yan didn't immediately return to the ruined temple. Instead, she pocketed the money she received for selling vegetables and, with the guidance of passersby, hurried to the denture shop...
Not long after, Mo Yan hurried out of the denture shop with a middle-aged denturist and arrived at the end of a sparsely populated street, where a dilapidated adobe house appeared before them.
The denturist took out a rusty key from his sleeve pocket and opened the equally rusty large lock. As he pushed the door open, a large cloud of dust hit them, causing them to sneeze violently.
Stepping back, the denturist let Mo Yan enter first. Seeing that Mo Yan remained silent, he took the initiative to say, "This house is a bit old, but it's not damp. There should be no problem storing things here."
Mo Yan felt satisfied in her heart but showed some dissatisfaction on her face. "Just barely acceptable. If the rent is cheaper, I might consider renting it."
The denturist, seeing a chance, became enthusiastic again. "Rent is negotiable. If you're willing, I can rent it to you for ten copper coins!"
Mo Yan shook her head and held up six fingers.
The denturist's expression turned sour when he saw this but gritted his teeth and said, "Eight copper coins, final offer. If you find it too expensive, I can't make it any cheaper."
Mo Yan smiled, agreeing readily, "Fine, eight copper coins it is. But I'll only rent it for seven days."
The denturist winced at the thought of renting it for only seven days but slapped his forehead and said, "Seven days it is then!"
Since the house was just sitting there with no money coming in, renting it out for eight copper coins a day was enough for him to buy some liquor. Only a fool would refuse.
Afterward, the two of them returned to the denture shop, drew up a written agreement, Mo Yan paid the rent, took the key, and quietly went to the dilapidated house. She estimated the weight and carefully arranged the cabbage, tomatoes, and corn she would supply to Xiangmanlou the next day from her space. All she had to do now was to notify the people from Xiangmanlou to come and take them away early the next morning.
After completing all these tasks, Mo Yan sighed with relief, then went back into her space, pulled out a bunch of radishes, which were out of season, thinking that Manager Wang would probably be very pleased...
Comments
Post a Comment