Transmigrated as a Stepmother: Time to Bring the Family to Prosper!-Chapter 379: Haggling

Faced with Qin Yao’s probing inquiry, Jiang Wen did not answer but merely shook his head subtly, indicating that they were aware, but lacked evidence; even confronting them would not solve the problem.

Qin Yao nodded, she understood, it seemed the forces behind them were quite formidable.

"As far as I know, every big business has a tradition of paying respects. Can’t the higher-ups in the trading company help?" Qin Yao asked curiously.

Jiang Wen saw that she knew quite a bit, even aware of the tradition of paying respects, and was even more convinced of her close ties with the He Family.

"Sigh~" Jiang Wen sighed deeply, "Just in Zijing Mansion, there are five or six trading companies that come to mind, we’re not significant enough."

Whether they have one more or one less makes no difference, and especially with the involvement of the Cao Yun Bureau, the officials in the city are eager to avoid it.

Jiang Wen also spoke frankly to Qin Yao, "If Fulong Trading Company cannot pass this hurdle, our cooperation with Divine Power Book Box may have to end. Today’s order for two thousand book boxes is the last one."

Just now when he altered the deposit, he also changed the five thousand book boxes to two thousand.

Qin Yao’s face darkened for a moment, this was forcing her hand!

But putting herself in his shoes, if she were Jiang Wen, she might be even more ruthless.

"Phew~" Qin Yao put her hands on her hips, got up, and paced back and forth in the store, contemplating a strategy.

The stationery factory and Fulong Trading Company are now like grasshoppers tied to the same rope; without sales channels, the book boxes produced in the factory cannot be sold.

Even if she quickly finds another buyer, Fulong Trading Company might sabotage out of desperation, and by then, dragging on for two or three months, the factory relying solely on the small profits from stationery gift boxes won’t be able to support over a hundred workers.

Qin Yao didn’t really have a choice because she had no choice.

Either finish this deal and part ways amicably... wait! She can’t even do this deal. If Fulong Trading Company doesn’t pay the final payment, she would incur a huge loss and also spend energy suing them.

Qin Yao turned to look at the newly drafted order contract for two thousand book boxes on the table by Jiang Wen, briefly considering not doing it at all.

But in just a moment, she decided to switch back to the order of five thousand book boxes.

Jiang Wen, who was feeling anxious, suddenly saw Qin Yao pick up the new contract on the table, tear it up in two moves, and lay out the original first contract again.

"Miss Qin, what are you doing?" Jiang Wen was astonished and delighted but didn’t dare to be sure, so he kept a straight face, his expression somewhat twisted.

Qin Yao faced his expectant gaze without making any promises, only saying, "I’ll give it a try. If it doesn’t work out, we part on good terms and end this relationship. I’ll sign this contract when I return."

At this, she paused, and added, "I might not come back to sign it."

Having said that, under the grateful gaze of the other party, she took her five hundred and sixty taels of silver and turned to leave the trading company.

All the shop workers gathered around Jiang Wen, eagerly asking, "Second shopkeeper, did Miss Qin agree?"

Jiang Wen lightly shook his head; he didn’t know.

The hope was slim, but there was a little glimmer of hope, after all.

Holding the money box, Qin Yao retraced her steps, and when passing by a small stall she had scouted earlier, she even had the mood to stop by.

These small windmills were made of bamboo strips, painted in colors of red, yellow, and green, with the size of a palm, and in the center was a bamboo-woven zodiac tiger for the coming year.

The little tiger was crafted so vividly that even though it was a mini version, it exuded a clueless cuteness, which even a twenty-year-old adult like Qin Yao loved.

After asking the price, just one of those windmills cost fifteen cents. Qin Yao clicked her tongue and shook her head, "Eight coins, I’ll take 25 of them."

The stall owner gasped, his eyes wide with anger; if Qin Yao wasn’t a woman, he might have hit her!

Haggling is one thing, but going straight to half the price is another!

"If you take thirty, I’ll give it to you for ten coins," the stall owner said through gritted teeth. He had just lost a wave of customers, and with no one else there at the moment, otherwise, he wouldn’t have conceded.

Qin Yao shook her head, her attitude firm: "Just eight coins, I only want twenty-five."

The stall owner gritted his teeth, contemplating telling her to get lost, when another stall selling the same windmills suddenly waved at Qin Yao, showing a friendly smile.

The first stall owner saw this, alarm bells ringing in his head, and hesitated.

Qin Yao chuckled inwardly, and struck with her final blow, "A pair of straw sandals costs only three or five coins. Can your little windmill possibly require more labor than a pair of straw sandals? Only the little tiger requires slightly more craftsmanship, but windmills without it cost just three coins everywhere."

The stall owner’s neck stiffened, he hesitated to speak, finally sighed in defeat, and pushed the straw block bristling with windmills in front of Qin Yao, "Take them, take them!"

"Thank you, big brother." Qin Yao smiled, carefully selecting twenty-five windmills, grabbing a big handful, and planning to use Liu Ji’s book box to pack them back at the inn to prevent them from getting damaged on the road.

Qin Yao paid with two coins of broken silver, grabbing a large handful of windmills, and returned to the inn amid the envious pursuits of street children.

Upon seeing this, Liu Ji knew it was merchandise brought for Second Lang’s business; he was a bit dissatisfied with Qin Yao borrowing his book box, but didn’t dare say anything, emptying the books out and handing the empty box to Qin Yao.

"Ma’am, you’re back so soon, did the discussion go smoothly?" Liu Ji followed closely behind Qin Yao, inquiring.

Qin Yao responded with a hum, neatly organizing the small windmills, closing the book box lid, placing it by the bed, and having a sip of hot tea at the table, she was preparing to head out again.

Liu Ji’s intended "ma" wasn’t even voiced before the room door slammed with a "bang", nearly hitting his high nose.

"I’m going out for a walk." A distant admonition came, Liu Ji responded with an "oh", his heart feeling empty as she walked away.

"Sigh, might as well continue studying." Liu Ji glanced at the cold wind outside, his hands clenched tightly within his sleeves, retreated into his bedding, leaving only his head out to focus on the book.

This way, if sleep overcame him, he could lay down, and if the vicious woman returned, he could claim instantly he was diligently studying.

Liu Ji: "I’m truly wiser than most~"

The Prefecture has an official residence, where visiting officials handling cases or stopping briefly stay.

Qin Yao sneakily joined the flow of people to the vicinity of the official residence, where the atmosphere was evidently more solemn than the bustling streets nearby, with patrolling officials occasionally driving away idlers.

Qin Yao didn’t enter through the main entrance but circled to the stables at the back of the official residence, ensuring the black carriage she saw the previous day was there, before approaching the main entrance, handing a tael of silver to the guard, asking him to pass a message to Mu Ling.

From the start, Qin Yao never planned to visit the He Family. First, they weren’t close enough, and second, being indebted to the He Family would be a big hassle, so she decided to try her luck with Mu Ling.

Being fellow women, they should be easier to talk to... right?