Chapter 200: Chapter 200 Losing Face (Additional Monthly Pass)

Translator: 549690339

He had lost his composure due to a surge of anger. Whether the matter was regarded as a big deal or a small one, the fact remained that he had knocked over someone else’s goods. Even if it was not necessary to compensate for an entire basket of vegetables, he still owed some money.

No matter how much he had to compensate, he had lost face in this matter.

If word of this incident were to spread, it might stir dissatisfaction among people against Fushun Tower and possibly affect its business.

The most critical part came from Zhuang Qingning’s statement about no longer supplying tofu and other ingredients to Fushun Tower.

Currently, Fushun Tower’s signature dishes were mainly made from ingredients from Zhuang’s Tofu Shop. If Zhuang’s refused to supply, the taste of the dishes would deteriorate and naturally affect the business. At such a juncture, Ruyi Pavilion might seize the opportunity to oust Fushun Tower from its position.

Feng Yongkang was in turmoil, not knowing how to respond to this situation.

It seemed that no matter the response, it would bring him no benefits, only disadvantages. Moreover, the resentment in Zhuang Qingning’s eyes had heightened.

In the end, all of this was Zhuang Qingning’s doing. If she hadn’t been so eager to sell vegetables to Fushun Tower for profit, such an incident wouldn’t have occurred.

Zhang Yongchang, who had just returned from the county town, approached, put down the bamboo basket he was carrying, and looked at Zhuang Qingning with a grin. “Miss Ning is here. Why are you all standing at the door? Let’s talk inside the courtyard.”

After saying that, Zhang Yongchang noticed the overturned basket under Feng Yongkang’s feet, with loofahs and chives scattered everywhere, and he frowned. “What happened?”

“Master, you’re finally back.”

Seeing Zhang Yongchang, Lian Rong felt like a drowning man catching a life raft. He quickly seized Zhang Yongchang’s arm. “The shop manager and Miss Zhuang had an argument.”

“Why?” Zhang Yongchang’s frown deepened further.

“Here’s what happened…”

Lian Rong wiped the sweat from his forehead, a result of his previous anxiety. He explained how Zhuang Qingning had intended to give the surplus crops from their home field to Zhang Yongchang. He was supposed to move the crops to the backyard when he encountered Feng Yongkang. He clearly explained how Feng Yongkang misunderstood the situation and started giving Zhuang Qingning a hard time.

He even visually demonstrated the whole scenario.

“The shop manager did indeed misunderstand. Miss Zhuang really didn’t intend to sell us the vegetables or use her favor to make a profit. She wanted to give the vegetables to the master out of goodwill,” Lian Rong explained.

Feng Yongkang’s face turned grim upon hearing this.

It turned out he made a fool of himself by making such a fuss.

Zhang Yongchang turned to Lian Rong, frowning. “If that’s the case, why didn’t you say it earlier?”

“I wanted to.” Lian Rong pouted with a wronged expression. “But before I could even speak, the shop manager took over the conversation. Not only did he scold me, but he also left me speechless.”

“Shop manager, you really misunderstood and unjustly accused Miss Zhuang.”

When Lian Rong said this, he glanced at Feng Yongkang. His words contained no small amount of resentment.

Without seeking clarity about the whole situation, he aggressively started the verbal attack. Anybody would dislike this; moreover, he wrongfully blamed Zhuang Qingning.

Lian Rong was deeply displeased.

Hearing the sequence of events from Lian Rong, Zhang Yongchang thought for a moment, nodding in acknowledgment. “Yes, there indeed seems to be a misunderstanding. The shop manager indeed handled this quite poorly. How about apologizing to Miss Ning?”

The way things turned out, an explanation needed to be given or a grudge would form.

In the future, it was uncertain whether Zhuang Qingning would continue to send supplies to Fushun Tower, and the future business of Fushun Tower would be at risk.

Although it seemed rushed to ask Feng Yongkang for an explanation on the spot, it was a way to measure Feng Yongkang’s attitude. If Feng Yongkang could weigh the situation properly, he would have an excuse to approach Zhuang Qingning in the future. If not…

He must weigh it properly!

Zhang Yongchang looked at Feng Yongkang with a deep and meaningful gaze.

At this point, Feng Yongkang’s face had turned the color of a pig’s liver. He was simply furious.

What was this all about?

No matter what, Fushun Tower was the buyer to Zhuang’s Tofu Shop’s seller. Sellers always flatter the buyers, not the other way around.

Moreover, the matter of the vegetables being given out of goodwill, wasn’t that something Zhuang Qingning could have clarified? Plainly, she intentionally didn’t explain, wishing to infuriate him and ridicule him, while she played innocent, pretending to be pitiful.

Wasn’t this just a trap set for him to fall into?

What irked him even more was Zhang Yongchang. Without even fully understanding the matter, he asked him to apologize to a girl. As a restaurant manager, how could he grovel before an unscrupulous girl without losing face? How could he maintain his dignity in town?

He had previously suspected that Zhang Yongchang and Zhuang Qingning were up to something. But as Zhang Yongchang seemed to have been handling things appropriately over the past few days, he didn’t take it to heart.

However, Zhang Yongchang siding with Zhuang Qingning so strongly at this moment aroused his suspicion again.

Some things didn’t occur without a reason. There was always a cause for suspicion. There was certainly some plotting going on, and that’s why some clues were revealed.

As Feng Yongkang thought about this, his anger flared up even more. He glared fiercely at Zhang Yongchang and Zhuang Qingning, gave a cold huff, turned, and left briskly.

This left Lian Rong and Ma Tong stunned, glancing at each other in surprise.

What happened to the shop manager? If he did something wrong, shouldn’t he apologize to the person? Why was he so concerned about his face?

Who knew? The shop manager seemed strange lately, overtly hostile towards Miss Zhuang without any reason.

The two of them exchanged glances, neither daring to speak a word, just looking anxiously at Zhang Yongchang and Zhuang Qingning.

Zhang Yongchang was stunned by Feng Yongkang’s abrupt departure.

Generally, Feng Yongkang was a sensible man, at least superficially, and could understand many things clearly. He wasn’t someone who lacked common sense or was hopelessly naive.

The current situation was not particularly serious; for Feng Yongkang, it was merely admitting to a mistake and offering an apology. It seemed like Zhuang Qingning would not reject him either, especially since he had a senior’s face to save.

This should have been easy to resolve and was the best and most direct solution.

However, Feng Yongkang rejected this.

With his complete refusal, he had thoroughly offended Zhuang Qingning..