They've all separated, so what does it matter to me if they get poorer and poorer?

Chapter 324 Beating
The shop owner sneered, "What kind of big customer is he? He's just a two-faced scoundrel! Oh well, it's my fault. I'll apologize to you, sister-in-law. If you want to buy something, I'll give you a discount, and it'll also help get rid of bad luck."

"Really? Then I'll take my time to choose." Granny Qin Qing weighed out a pound of sesame seeds and three pounds of peanut seeds, and was still picking through the others. She asked curiously, "That gentleman just now was clearly a big customer. Why did the owner say that? What happened? Tell me and be the judge."

The shop owner glared at Qin Qing, looking very unhappy, feeling that she was meddling in other people's business.

Granny Qin Qing wasn't angry at all. She smiled and looked just like a gossipy old woman who loved to gossip about everyone else's business. She would go wherever there was gossip and rumors, and she would be happy to hear it. "Tell me about it. I'll have some fun, and it will make the master feel better, won't it?"

"Wow!" The shop owner was so angry he laughed, thinking to himself, "Where did this guy who's so overly familiar come from?"

But Qin Qing's attitude was too natural, as if she was born to gossip. The shop owner was really angry. Someone was willing to listen to his complaints. It's good to say it out loud.

He sneered, "Do you think he's some rich man's master? He's just a steward of a wealthy family. He told me he'd buy peanut and soybean seeds for about 300 acres of land from my shop, but now he's changed his mind and says he doesn't need them anymore, saying his boss isn't growing peanuts and soybeans anymore, he's switched to cotton. Honestly, does he think I'm easy to fool? Who grows cotton in Qingyang County? Do you think cotton seeds for hundreds of acres are so easy to buy? He can't even come up with a decent excuse when he lies."

"It must be that someone else offered more, and he's already negotiated with someone else! Honestly, I could offer more too. If there's a problem, we can communicate and talk it over properly, right? He just stood me up without even saying goodbye. He has no sense of ethics at all. Isn't that outrageous?"

"Such a thing exists? It's outrageous, absolutely outrageous!"

"exactly!"

Granny Qin Qing understood; so that's what happened.

No wonder Manager Mao reacted that way yesterday when he heard that cotton seeds were available.

If the lady fails to buy cotton seeds, Steward Mao, with his clever words and flattery, will take on the task of buying peanut and soybean seeds. He will surely be able to get some benefits from the shopkeeper. With over 300 acres of land, the cost of seeds alone would be 30 to 40 taels of silver. It wouldn't be difficult for Steward Mao to make a few taels of profit from it.

His wife paid him such a high monthly salary to prevent such things from happening, yet he was still not satisfied.

It's only been a short time, and they're already doing this kind of thing.

Fortunately, his wife was alert; otherwise, if he had tasted the sweetness of success, who knows what might have happened in the future.

After all, the emperor is far away and the country is far from its capital.

Granny Qin Qing kept this in mind, dealt with the shopkeeper for a while, and left with the things she had bought.

She didn't wait for Manager Mao; she rented a car and went home first.

Granny Qin Qing never expected that her casual stroll would be spotted by Qi Tong, the young master's attendant. Qi Tong was full of questions: Isn't this the old woman from Madam Xu's side? Madam Xu is probably here too, so why is she in Qingyang County again? What is it about Qingyang County that attracts her so much?

Qi Tong went back and reported to Young Master Qi, who was lying in bed recovering from his injuries.

Young Master Qi's expression turned ferocious and agitated. "Go find her! Search every inn for me! Find her!"

Qi Tong was startled, "Young Master!"

"Go quickly!"

Yes, yes.

The more Young Master Qi thought about it, the more he felt that his inexplicable bad luck was probably related to Xu Zhichun.

This matter, like the one where he and Zeng Mingzhu were "caught," is eerie and related to Xu Zhichun.

To say it has nothing to do with her is to fool whoever you are.

She dares to come to Qingyang County? Since she's come knocking on his door, she shouldn't blame him for being impolite. What does "Mrs. Shanci" mean? Once she marries him, she's the wife of the Qi family, and he can say whatever he wants.
When Granny Qin returned to the estate, she explained the situation to Xu Zhichun in detail, which made Xu Zhichun somewhat annoyed.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and slowly said, "Manager Mao isn't completely muddle-headed after all; he knows to refuse."

If it were someone more ruthless, they might have gone so far as to destroy the cotton seeds.

Now that she knows, she has to give him a warning so that he will be wary and nip that budding gray idea in the bud.

The next day, Xu Zhichun summoned all the tenants and villagers and distributed rewards.

When there is a happy occasion in the family, it is only right to reward.

The tenants and villagers were overjoyed to receive their reward money. They offered their congratulations and looked at Xu Zhichun with even greater awe, while also feeling honored to have received it.

The Emperor himself bestowed upon her the title of Lady Shanci, and she received so many rewards—she's the only one like her in the entire Qingyang County, isn't she? Who is she? She's their mistress!
It's more prestigious to work under the madam.

Manager Mao also received a reward even greater than that given to the villagers. Xu Zhichun casually smiled and instructed, "The cotton seeds are the most important. I've checked them all; they're all top-quality seeds. Make sure to take good care of them. It would be terrible if anything went wrong."

"Yes, ma'am."

"By the way, I know someone who can get good seeds. I'll personally buy the seeds we need for our village in the future."

For some reason, Steward Mao suddenly thought of yesterday's events, and how Granny Qin Qing had also come into the city with him—could Granny Qin Qing have inadvertently discovered something? It didn't seem likely.
But if not, why would the lady suddenly bring these things up?
Manager Mao was in a state of panic and trepidation. He hurriedly nodded and replied, "Yes, yes, Madam is right. We will do as Madam decides."

Xu Zhichun smiled and said, "But other matters will still require Manager Mao's help. After all, I live far away and can't come here even once a month. I trust Manager Mao to do things properly."

"Of course I should."

"If Steward Mao works a little harder, we'll give him a big red envelope when there's a good harvest at the end of the year."

"Yes, thank you ma'am."

When Steward Mao left, he was still in a state of surprise and doubt. He still felt that the madam must know something, and he was stunned for a long time, unable to figure out how the madam knew.

Then gave up.

The lady didn't make it clear, which was a way of saving face for herself.

Forget it, I'd better just focus on doing my job properly from now on.

The monthly salary is already quite good; don't even think about anything else.

Thinking this way, Steward Mao finally felt a little better.

Xu Zhichun, along with Granny Qin Qing and Chunfen, stayed for three more days, explaining everything they had to say and walking through the fields and orchards before returning home.

The driver was Zhang Quan, a villager from Loujia Village, and the cart itself was a mule cart from Loujia Village. Everything was their own, so they felt at ease using it.

When Xu Zhichun bought the mule cart, he specifically communicated with the shopkeeper and made many improvements. The exterior looked simple and unadorned, the undercarriage was equipped with shock absorbers, and the carriage was not only sturdy and reliable but also very spacious and convenient. The seats were wide and soft enough to be comfortable, and there were storage drawers under the seats. Next to them were shelves that could be folded up to fit against the carriage wall for placing items. The shelves had grooves that were neither too deep nor too shallow, so that items would not easily roll or fall off.

The car had just entered the official road and had not gone far when it was stopped at a bend.