jdhmnovel Chapter 155 This deal is probably going to fall through.
Chapter 155 This deal is probably going to fall through.
"As expected of Madam Ning's work, the embroidery is truly exquisite." A lady stood in front of the screen, nodding in satisfaction.
The shopkeeper beside her said politely, "That's right. For the past six months, Madam Ning has done nothing but embroider this screen. All for the sake of preparing for your daughter's wedding."
"Look at this silk thread, this technique, it's all top-notch. You absolutely can't buy this anywhere else."
Lady Hao, the wife of the Minister of Revenue, was even more pleased to hear this.
"In that case, the one thousand taels of silver was well spent."
Zhao Changgeng overheard their conversation.
Madam Ning?
He took a closer look at the screen and finally remembered why it looked so familiar.
Isn't this the screen that my eldest sister embroidered yesterday?
One thousand taels of silver?
Upon hearing the price, Zhao Changgeng gasped, then anger surged within him.
The eldest sister can earn a thousand taels of silver just by embroidering a screen.
But they only gave him one hundred taels of silver and made him write an IOU. Is this how you treat a beggar?
He angrily retorted, "What? I don't think so! This screen is absolutely terrible."
Upon hearing his voice, the shopkeeper and Madam Hao turned around at the same time, their expressions not looking too good.
"Does the young master know how to embroider?" the shopkeeper asked.
“That’s something only women know how to do, how could I possibly know it?” Zhao Changgeng blurted out.
"If you don't understand, why do you have the audacity to say that our products are terrible?" the shopkeeper asked with a stern face.
"If you're a competitor who's jealous of our products and comes to provoke us, let me tell you, I'm not afraid of you. I'll send you to see the authorities in a moment."
"Nonsense! I have official rank and title, how could I possibly be your colleague?" Zhao Changgeng was even angrier.
"I was just trying to stand up for what was right."
He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to Madam Hao: "Madam is getting her daughter married off, right?"
Mrs. Hao nodded.
Zhao Changgeng said calmly, "The woman who did this embroidery has divorced her husband and is disliked by both her husband's and her own families. Her ex-husband has even become a monk. Are you sure you want to give the things she embroidered to your daughter as part of her dowry?"
The expressions on Hao's face and the shopkeeper's face immediately changed.
Especially the Hao family.
She commissioned this double-sided embroidery of twin lotus blossoms for her daughter, hoping that her daughter and son-in-law would love each other dearly and grow old together.
Now that I know that this Madam Ning is a divorced woman, I feel extremely disgusted.
It feels like I'm cursed.
"Shopkeeper, is what he said true?"
The shopkeeper secretly groaned inwardly.
This deal is likely to fall through.
"Madam, I was unaware of this. We merchants only value craftsmanship; who would pry into someone's family affairs?" He tried to gloss over the matter.
Hao listened and felt that there was some truth to it.
But the thought of Zhao Changgeng's words made her feel uneasy.
I always felt that using this as part of my daughter's dowry was unlucky.
"Madam, look how exquisite this screen is! If you replace it now, you probably won't find anything more suitable," the shopkeeper continued to persuade Madam Hao.
"If you truly don't like it, we won't force you to accept it. However, the deposit is non-refundable."
Hao was even more undecided for a moment.
If we return the goods, we will lose the deposit of three hundred taels.
But she couldn't bring herself to accept it.
Zhao Changgeng, standing to the side, added, "They're marrying off their daughter; they're just looking for a joyous occasion. Your Treasure Pavilion didn't even investigate properly, and now you're refusing to refund the deposit? Isn't that just a case of a big business bullying its customers?"
"If you ask me, you should not only return the deposit, but also compensate the woman. After all, this is her dowry that she has been holding onto for so long. Where are they supposed to find a new replacement now?"
Hearing this, Madam Hao found it very reasonable and quickly nodded: "That's right, Madam Ning is divorced, how can she still embroider such a festive and loving screen? It's too disgusting. You must return my deposit."
The shopkeeper squinted at Zhao Changgeng for a moment, then looked at Hao Shi.
"Madam, the rules of Treasure Pavilion cannot be changed. Without rules, there can be no order. If everyone finds an excuse to cancel their deposits in the future, how can we continue doing business?"
Hearing this, Hao was somewhat annoyed.
But the shopkeeper's next words comforted her well.
"However, since you are a distinguished guest of our family, I, Old Zhang, will make an exception for you this time. Although the deposit is non-refundable, you can choose another item of equal value from our store to take home."
Upon hearing this, Hao thought that this approach was also quite good.
The Treasure Pavilion has many rare and precious treasures. Now we don't need this screen anymore. We'll spend three hundred taels of silver to buy some other things for our daughter.
That's a good suggestion.
“Okay, then we’ll do it your way.” Madam Hao nodded.
"This way, Madam." The shopkeeper hurriedly instructed the waiter to lead Madam Hao away.
Zhao Changgeng was somewhat pleased that he had ruined the deal.
He didn't care what that lady was buying at the Treasure Pavilion.
Anyway, it doesn't matter if the screens my eldest sister embroiders don't sell.
He left happily.
The shopkeeper called over another waiter and told him to follow Zhao Changgeng.
"Keep an eye on him, find out who he is, and tell the madam later."
……
Zhao Changgeng's words at the entrance of the Treasure Pavilion were overheard by someone with ulterior motives.
They quickly figured out who Madam Ning was.
Isn't that Zhao Yining, the second wife of the Marquis of Jing'an?
Cui Ruixin also found out about this.
She was insanely jealous.
How come they're all so lucky?
Zhao Yining got divorced, yet she still became famous throughout the capital.
She had even been thinking of queuing up to reserve Madam Ning's handiwork, so she could embroider a double-sided handkerchief.
Thinking about it now, it's really disgusting.
However, it's quite interesting that Zhao Yining's younger brother would say such a thing.
Cui Ruixin smiled knowingly.
It seems that Zhao Yining's family is unaware that their daughter has become a cash cow.
After thinking for a moment, she ordered her men to spread the word that Madam Ning was actually the second wife of the Marquis of Jing'an who had left the mansion.
The wider it spreads, the better.
Zhao Yining originally had several pre-orders in hand.
After learning her identity, many people went to the shopkeeper to cancel their orders.
After all, it's somewhat unlucky to have Zhao Yining, a divorced woman, embroider a wedding gift for a newlywed couple.
Some people also felt that the Jing'an Marquis's mansion was unlucky, since the old lady and the old marquis died one after the other, and this Lady Ning was probably carrying some bad luck with her.
Those who originally wanted the double-sided embroidery of birthday wishes also cancelled their orders.
Zhao Yining was stunned when she heard the news.
"Is there something wrong with the pattern I embroidered before, which is why they don't want it?" She looked at Shen Jinzhu anxiously.
She rarely goes out, so she is unaware of the rumors circulating outside.