Chapter 420: Chapter 407: Blessing in Disguise

“So, a lot of money has been erroneously ending up in Manager Zhu’s pocket.”

“I’ve heard that Manager Zhu has been doing this for a while because Chen Ji has a good reputation. Many people trust their word, and spices are often mixed in in a way that’s hard to detect. As such, many merchants and customers did not notice until recently. This was only discovered by Manager Cheng, leading to Manager Zhu’s exposure.”

“It follows that Manager Cheng must be occupied dealing with this issue these days.”

“I see.” Zhuang Qingning finally understood what had happened when Zhuang Yutian finished explaining. She furrowed her brows, “But even though Manager Cheng now knows about this and has punished Manager Zhu, I’m afraid this behavior has already tainted Cheng’s reputation. I worry that the reputation of Cheng’s spice shop has taken a significant hit.”

“Indeed.” Zhuang Yutian nodded, “However, I heard that Manager Cheng has made a public announcement. He said that all the merchants who have recently traded with Cheng’s spice shop can use their receipts from spice purchases to claim compensation for their corresponding losses.”

“Many merchants have gone to claim their silver over this short period of time, making Cheng’s spice shop lively. Manager Cheng has been rather busy, likely due to dealing with this.”

“Manager Cheng is truly honest and trustworthy.”

Zhuang Qingning’s eyes sparkled with amusement, “Indeed, Manager Cheng’s actions seem to be saving Cheng’s spice shop.”

Zhuang Yutian pondered this, then nodded in agreement, “That’s right. Many of the merchants and old customers of Cheng probably aren’t ignorant of the inferior quality of the spices. But due to Cheng’s reputation, they didn’t want to cause a fuss and chose to pass it off as their own oversight.”

“But now they’ve seen the truth, they won’t fall for this again. While none of them are making a fuss, it doesn’t mean that Cheng’s business won’t be affected.”

“Even if Manager Cheng has dealt with Manager Zhu, people won’t necessarily trust the next manager. They might suspect that Manager Zhu was simply made a scapegoat.”

“But Manager Cheng is openly compensating all the losses. This kind of action, which seemingly will cost him a large sum of money on the surface, will make people believe in Cheng’s honesty and trustworthiness in business. Even those who’ve never done business with Cheng’s will have a good impression of it. Those who were once deceived by Manager Zhu, upon hearing this news, are likely to view Cheng’s more highly. They’ll increasingly believe that Cheng’s is an honest and reliable businessman for long-term business.”

“I suspect that after this incident, Cheng’s spice shop will be even more prosperous, and the income will be much higher than the losses.”

“This is what they call a blessing in disguise. However, how one chooses to handle such a situation greatly depends on their courage and skills.” Zhuang Qingning said lightly with a smile.

There’s no denying that the Cheng family, who have passed down their business over several generations, indeed have extraordinary abilities.

They opportunistically turn situations to their advantage and make the best of every circumstance with extraordinary insight, wisdom, and shrewd calculations. They are indeed impressive in the business world.

However…

“Now that Cheng’s is caught up in this matter, Manager Cheng must be extraordinarily busy. I presume he wouldn’t have any time to spare today. When Fang Hou arrives later, I should head back earlier.”

As for the matters at hand, she’ll find another solution.

“Alright.” Zhuang Yutian grinned, “But you should at least have lunch before you leave, right? These days, Hanfeng Tower serves a delicious stewed lamb chop, which we could order. We can eat big slices of meat and drink the broth. It’s delicious.”

“Uncle Yutian, I appreciate your kindness, but I really can’t stay for lunch today.” Zhuang Qingning grimaced lightly at the mention of it, “I need to rush to the Ruyi Pavilion in town by noon.”

With such a busy schedule over the past few days, she hadn’t had time to visit Zhang YongChang for a meal, which made him unhappy.

Upset, he started acting childishly and pick a fight with Zhuang Qingning.

It was only when Zhuang Qingning promised to have lunch at the Ruyi Pavilion that Zhang Yongchang calmed down. However, he made Zhuang Qingning promise that she had to keep her word. If she didn’t, he would continue to cause trouble.

So Zhuang Qingning decided that, no matter what, she should go to the Ruyi Pavilion for lunch.

Zhuang Yutian knew all about the close relationship between Zhuang Qingning and Zhang Yongchang. Hearing her mention visiting the Ruyi Pavilion, he understood what was going on and guffawed, “That being the case, I will not hold you back.”

“Please don’t, or else you’ll have to deal with a whole lot of trouble.” Zhuang Qingning heaved a sigh of relief, “By the way, thank you, Uncle Yutian, for helping with the Hu brothers. I’ve been so busy lately and haven’t had time to properly express my gratitude.”

“We’re like family; there’s no need for formalities. Thanking each other back and forth…doesn’t it become bothersome?”

Zhuang Yutian laughed, “Wasn’t this matter just a piece of cake?”

“I heard that Manager Lu has assigned the Hu brothers to run some goods to the west, which will take them at least three months. By the time they return, it will already be early winter.”

“That’s right, Manager Lu highly praised the brothers, saying that the journey to the west is the hardest and most taxing. Many people, after making a lot of money, refuse to take up such hard tasks. However, these three brothers agreed without hesitation. They even said that they didn’t mind if they didn’t make much money the first time; they just wanted to gain some experience so they wouldn’t disgrace Manager Lu.”

“These days, it’s hard to find people who are dedicated and diligent, which is why Manager Lu was very happy. He even asked me where I found such good workers from. He mentioned that he plans to invite me for a meal as a way to show his gratitude.”

“Looks like the task I took on turned out quite well. I didn’t have to owe anyone anything and yet I managed to curry favor from both sides. It was indeed a good deal. Qingning, if there are any similar opportunities in the future, do let me know. I too would like to get some benefits.”

Zhuang Qingning chuckled at Zhuang Yutian’s light-hearted comment, her eyes curving into crescents.

Previously, when the Hu brothers had confirmed their job at Manager Lu’s place, they had specifically gone to thank Zhuang Qingning. She asked them to hold off their thanks until they had settled down at Manager Lu’s and started earning money. Then, they could thank her.

Since she had only played a small role in their employment and nothing was sure about how suitable the jobs would be, Zhuang Qingning felt it was inappropriate to accept so much gratitude.”

Now that the Hu brothers were doing well and were being admired, she was completely reassured.”

Just as Zhuang Qingning was enjoying this conversation with Zhuang Yutian, Fang Hou rushed to the cloth shop in a hurry.