Chapter 30 Contract

Tang Chunming followed Zhang Xiu to the embroidery workshop in the town. He watched Zhang Xiu exchange the embroidery he had saved a while ago for a lot of money and then took some embroidery thread and other materials back to continue doing embroidery work to save money. He also did the same for Wang Mo’s share. After Tang Chunming witnessed this, he couldn’t help sighing, he lamented how it was hard to make money. If his space hadn’t followed him through, he wouldn’t have an easy life now, and he wouldn’t know how to make money.

The two slowly walked back, Tang Chunming bought a lot of toys for Ah-Lin, such as dough figures, wood carvings, cloth tigers, slot candies, and candied fruits… If Zhang Xiu hadn’t stopped him and reminded him that Wang Mo was still helping sell the vegetables back at the stall, Tang Chunming would have continued shopping. He also liked the rustic toys in this market.

Zhang Xiu teased the child in his arms: “Look at how much your mother loves you now. When you grow up, you must treat your Mother well.”

Ah-Lin was holding a cloth tiger that was bigger than his two fists in one hand, and a candied haws in the other hand. Tang Chunming carried other things in his hands. He said with bright black eyes: “Ah-Lin would be the best to Mother.” Okay, there is also a little brother, I’ll leave this to little brother.” He held up the cloth tiger in his hand, he liked it so much, and his brother would like it too.

The two people walked back with a smile. About two-quarters of an hour had passed since they came out of Jinji Restaurant. When they looked over at their stall, they saw several people surrounding it, Wang Mo was anxiously explaining something to those people.

“What’s going on? Brother Ming, please slow down. I’ll go over and see who it is.” Zhang Xiu hurried over there as soon as his words fell with Ah-Lin in his arms. He often came to the town to sell things, and sometimes he encountered some ruffians in town. and the local gangsters nearby, but the way they dressed didn’t look like those who were here to extort money.

Zhang Xiu was a little panicked, no one in the village wanted to provoke the people in town especially the local gangsters, without a man to protect them, he would avoid them if he could. Tang Chunming behind him had already seen the situation was pleasing and narrowed his eyes with a smile. There was Shopkeeper Qi whom they had just separated not long ago among those people, it seemed business came to his door.

In addition to Shopkeeper Qi and the people he came with, there were also spectators around the stall to watch the excitement. Because Zhang Xiu was in a panic at first he failed to recognize Shopkeeper Qi.

Hugging Ah-Lin, he squeezed his way next to Wang Mo, when they came forward shopkeeper Qi recognized Zhang Xiu:

“Is this the geer who came to our restaurant with Tang Fulang to deliver vegetables? This geer I am shopkeeper Qi of Jinji restaurant, the one you left with Tang Fulang not long ago, you don’t recognize me?” 

Zhang Xiu looked at the owner of the voice and suddenly came to a realization. His heart was suddenly filled with delight, it looked like Brother Ming’s plan, to lure shopkeeper Qi over had come to fruition. He handed Ah-Lin to Wang Mo and then said to Shopkeeper Qi:

“Yes, my surname is Zhang and my husband’s surname is Li, is Shopkeeper Qi here to find Brother Ming? It just so happens that he is right behind” “Brother Ming, come on, shopkeeper Qi from Jinji is here” he called to Tang Chunming who was walking unhurreidly.

Shopkeeper Qi looked back in the direction of his beckoning and saw Tang Chunming he then turned around and said to Teng Yu

“ Young Master, it’s Tang Fulang, it looks like he is the owner here.”

Wang Mo tugged on Zhang Xiu’s sleeve and asked,

“What’s going on? As soon as these people came here, they said they were going to buy all the vegetables here and asked not to take them out, why were they asking where brother Ming was? It gave me a scare I don’t even know what to do.” 

Don’t blame him, it was mainly because the young master in a brocade robe next to him acted too intimidating, and the middle-aged man asked a lot of questions about Brother Ming, making Wang Amo who was timid, start muttering. 

No matter how one looked at these people they looked rich at a glance, not someone ordinary people could afford to offend.

“This is shopkeeper Qi from Jinji Restaurant. Don’t worry, he must have taken a liking to Brother Ming’s vegetables, so he came over to consult with Brother Ming.” Zhang Xiu patted his hand and comforted him, feeling emotional in his heart.

 Although Ming Geer was not rowdy in the past, this geer who’s learned is different from them. He isn’t nervous at all when facing these rich people.

” Tang Fulang, I finally found you. This is our boss. I immediately asked the chef to cook the dishes that you had left behind. It happened that my boss was also there. They all agreed that our boss would come over in person. Otherwise, Tang Fulang, you Look, this is not the place to talk, why don’t we sit down in our restaurant and talk in detail.” Shopkeeper Qi said with a smile on his face, looking kind and gentle, hiding his shrewdness underneath.

 “My surname is Teng Mingyu. Hello, Tang Fulang. We, at Jinji, sincerely want to cooperate with you. I just don’t know if the quantity of Tang Fulang’s vegetables will be sufficient. No matter how much there is, our Jinji restaurant is willing to buy it.” Teng Yu looked at the pregnant ger and thought to himself that he had no resemblance to the person described by Lao Chen. Although he was dressed the same as other rural gers around him, he had a different demeanor. The same, but this man was extraordinarily leisurely in this noisy market. If he saw it correctly, there was a smile on the corner of this ger’s mouth, as if he was a fox waiting for his prey to come to him. It seemed like It was expected that they would come after me.

“It’s agreeable,” Tang Chunming said with a smile, “I didn’t expect Mr. Teng and Shopkeeper Qi despite being so busy, would still wait patiently. Let’s just clean up here and then go to Jinji with you. Brother Axiu, Brother Mo, what are you waiting for, hurry up.”

“There is no need for Tang Fulang to do it himself. Please help Mr. Tang and his friends pack their things and take them to the restaurant together.” Teng Yu also brought two errand boys from the restaurant with him. How could they disobey the young master’s instructions?, they stepped forward and took away the work of Zhang Xiu and Wang Mo, even carrying the baskets containing their eggs, leaving the two of them standing aside and staring.

” Tang Fulang, please.”

“Master Teng and Shopkeeper Qi I’ll invite you first.” Tang Chunming said politely, waving to Ah-Lin, “Ah-Lin, follow Mother.”

Ah-Lin responded obediently, walked to his mother’s side, and held his hand tightly. He was wary of strangers, even though he knew that this man named Uncle Qi had packed delicious snacks for him before.

“Brother Ming,” Zhang Xiu followed and tugged on Tang Chunming’s sleeves and said, “How about we wait for you outside… No, forget it, I’d better go in with you audaciously.” Zhang Xiu originally said he was a little timid, but when he thought about it, if they didn’t go in, Brother Ming would have to face the young master alone, which made him feel uneasy.

Shopkeeper Qi, who was walking in front, twitched his lips when he heard the words behind him. Did he regard their Jinji Restaurant as a wolf’s den? Turning around he saw the young master, who was still smiling as if he hadn’t heard anything.

When they arrived at the restaurant, shopkeeper Qi invited a few people into the private room on the second floor, next to the window, which was the room where Teng Yu was previously sitting. When they arrived at the private room, shopkeeper Qi immediately ordered the people below to serve tea and snacks.

Since the young master liked Tang Fulang, he must serve them well. In Shopkeeper Qi’s heart, he did not look down upon the three because of their identities.

When serving snacks, shopkeeper Qi specially asked people to prepare food that the little children at this age like to eat and put it in front of him because he could see that Tang Fulang loved his child very much, and coaxing the child would naturally make Tang Fulang feel comfortable.

“This is the new tea that just came down from the south, let’s give it a  try.” Teng Yu made a gesture of invitation. Of course, the focus was on Tang Chunming. There was no trace of the awkwardness in him like the other two geers.

 New tea, Tang Chunming took a sip and smacked his lips, good tea! Although he is a rough man who doesn’t know how to taste tea, he can still tell the difference between good and bad tea. Especially after he has space and often eats space food, his tongue is used to good food. He can tell whether it tastes good or not as soon as he takes a sip. if it can be brewed with his space spring water, the taste will be even better.

Tea is a precious commodity for the country’s people. When entertaining guests, adding a spoonful of sugar to make a cup of sugar water is considered a good thing. Zhang Xiu and Wang Mo originally came to cheer Tang Chunming up, but now they couldn’t help but murmur in their hearts.

   Rich people are different from them after all. Not to mention the tea, there are all kinds of snacks on the table, most of which they have never tasted before. If they had seen it in normal times, they would have been unable to sit still, but now for Brother Ming’s sake, they must sit still. Having to bite the bullet and not retreat, the two looked at each other with the same persistence in their eyes.

Who is Teng Yu? He has been running his own business since he was a teenager. How many people have he dealt with? He can see who Zhang Xiu and Wang Mo are at a glance, but Tang Chunming, people can’t see through him, and they can’t help but feel a little curious.

“Okay, I’ve drank the tea, why don’t we talk about my vegetables At what price does your restaurant want to buy it, and how much quantity is needed?” Tang Chunming put down the teacup and picked up a piece of fruit with his hands as he spoke. 

The candied fruit was brought to Ah-Lin’s mouth. Ah-Lin would not eat it without his help. Seeing Ah-Lin obediently open his mouth and eat it with a smile on his face, Tang Chunming also smiled.

” Tang Fulang is so alert, so I won’t say much else. How many vegetables does Tang Fulang have seeds in total? No matter how many, our restaurant can buy them. As for the price, which is easy to negotiate, we will follow the market. How much does it cost in the market?” How about we raise another 20% on this basis?”

Although Teng Yu wanted to find out more about the relationship between Tang Fulang and the black-faced man mentioned by Shopkeeper Chen, he also knew that this matter could not be rushed. He had to stabilize Mr. Tang first, and then he could slowly investigate the persons behind him. Regardless of whether it was related or not, based on his visits during this period, only the dishes provided by Mr. Tang were closest in taste to the ones in Tingjing Pavilion. Teng Yu could not let go of these dishes.

Of course, we must also ensure that the quality of dishes Tang Fulang provides in the future cannot be lower than the current batch.

Twenty percent? Zhang Xiu and Wang Mo both showed joy on their faces. With 20% more, it would be able to support Ming Ge’er, mother and son just by selling vegetables. They couldn’t wait for Ming Ge’er to agree immediately. But Tang Chunming thought about it in his mind. Twenty percent sounds like a lot of price increase, but in this era, this dish is the least valuable in season. You can buy a lot of it for a few pennies, but your own He knows the food well. The food grown by adding space spring water, not to mention the taste, has improved a lot in terms of nutrition. If he eats space food regularly, his body will be in great shape. Not to mention other things, he only uses it after coming to this place. The space water has adjusted his and Ah-Lin’s bodies to the current level, which cannot be achieved by other means.

Doing business is about bargaining, how can the other party settle the price as soon as it is made? So Tang Chunming shook his head and said: “It’s too low. I guess you decided to order my food after eating it. Now The price is pretty good, but if you wait two more months, the vegetables outside will be worthless. But my vegetables are different. They are very particular about the seedlings. Watering and fertilizing in the middle are also different from other people’s. Why? It’s not just that price, otherwise we won’t even be able to recover the cost.”

Zhang Xiu and Wang Mo’s jaws were about to drop. This brother Ming was so bold. The price was still too low. The two of them stared at each other anxiously.

Shopkeeper Qi blinked, is this Zhao Dahu’s geer? Why is his temperament completely different from that of Dahu? What an honest man he is. Of course, their restaurant has never bullied honest people and never deducted the wild things he sent. I thought of what Dahu said, that his brother is introverted, and doesn’t Love contact with strangers, shopkeeper Qi wants to ask Dahu underground, is he talking about this geer?

Teng Yu raised his eyebrows and was not angry because of Tang Chunming’s bargaining. He had indeed thought wrong before. After a while, this dish would indeed be worthless. Even if he raised 20%, it wouldn’t be worth much, so he smiled. Then he asked: “How many percent does Mr. Tang say we can agree to it?”

“Sixty percent!”

There seemed to be a sound of gasping coming from behind, but Tang Chunming turned a deaf ear and only looked at the owner of Jinji Restaurant.

 He would not be deceived by the young man’s superficial appearance. He knew how much the shopkeeper respected him. He was not just a man. A rich young master who knows how to show off.

“Thirty percent!” Teng Yu frowned.

“Sixty percent!” Tang Chunming insisted.

“Forty percent!” Teng Yu took another step back.

“Sixty percent!” Tang Chunming was unwavering.

“No, 60% is too high. It was okay in the current season, but in the current situation, the price is very high. Our restaurant is also a small business. For the sake of our sincerity, we hope that Tang Fulang will give in.” 

Teng Yu had no choice but to convince people with emotion.

“Okay, how about we each take a step back and settle for 50%? You know you won’t be able to sell this dish at the original price even after it’s cooked, and with these dishes as a sign, you will surely be able to attract more customers.  Then the business will be booming, and the money earned will not be a small amount like mine.” Well, Tang Chunming originally wanted to say 50%, but seeing how stingy Teng Yu was, he had to ask for a higher price to let him Counteroffer, look, now that he takes a step back, Teng Yu will be happier.

Seeing Tang Chunming smiling as if your restaurant had taken advantage, Teng Yu was secretly amused in his heart, and could only say on his face: “Okay, then we will increase the price by 50% as Tang Fulang said, but let’s talk about the ugly things first. We must After signing the contract, Tang Fulang can only supply me and Teng’s family from now on, and can no longer sell it to other restaurants.”

“Of course, but if I expand my planting, can a restaurant in Jinji be able to buy all of it? Where can I sell my extra vegetables? They can’t rot in the ground.”

 It doesn’t matter to Tang Chunming where he sells to. But there are some issues that you need to consider carefully.

“Don’t worry, I have other businesses besides Jinji. I won’t let Tang Fulang’s food go bad. It’s me, Teng Mingyu who signed the contract with you, not Jinji.” Teng Yu smiled confidently.

Sure enough, he is a rich man. Tang Chunming sighed in his heart and added: “It’s good that this contract is signed once a year. After it expires, everyone will have room to think about it, how about it?”

“This…” Teng Yu glanced at Shopkeeper Qi who was sitting beside him calmly. Is this the honest man that Shopkeeper Qi said? “Yes, yes, but it is stipulated in the contract that when signing another contract, we must give priority to someone else unless we give up on our initiative.”

“No problem, everything is easy to discuss.” Tang Chunming naturally felt very good after the negotiation was settled, and laughed.

The corners of Teng Yu’s mouth also curved. His temperament was different from that of ordinary geers. If his features weren’t so obvious, he would have thought he was facing a man just like himself.

At this time, Shopkeeper Qi took action, preparing the contract to be signed by both parties in triplicate, and also invited a special broker to come over. Looking at the refined script written by Tang Chunming, shopkeeper Qi still couldn’t believe that he was Zhao Dahu’s geer, who couldn’t read a word, and couldn’t understand why such a geer would marry such a man.

After collecting the contract, leaving more than half of the dishes, and the snacks that shopkeeper Qi had packed for Ah-Lin, Tang Chunming put the deposit in his arms and stuffed Ah-Lin into Zhang Xiu’s arms. Pulling Zhang Xiu and Wang Mo, who were still in shock, out of the restaurant.

Still in the private room, while drinking tea, Teng Yu looked out onto the street and saw three adults and one child coming out of the restaurant. Tang Fulang was playing around with the other two brothers, pinching each other again. He slapped the two brothers again and woke them up. One of them screamed, which made Tang Fulang burst into laughter. The way he laughed was not at all reserved as a ger should be.

After watching the three laughing figures disappear into the street, Teng Yu looked back. Seeing shopkeeper Qi still standing beside him, Teng Yu motioned for him to sit down and talk, saying, “Lao Qi, you think this business is not worthwhile?”

Shopkeeper Qi shook his head. He had also eaten the previous dishes. The taste of the restaurant’s dishes would be improved by using such dishes. The business would naturally flourish as Mr. Tang said. In the long run, this business would be beneficial to the restaurant. It’s advantageous, but the young master seems to be interested in Tang Fulang…

“Master, Tang Fulang’s husband, Zhao Dahu, died less than half a year ago, and he also has two children.” Such a geer is not even qualified to teach the young master. Shopkeeper Qi had to remind his young master.

Who is Teng Yu? Naturally, he immediately heard the hidden meaning of shopkeeper Qi’s words and said angrily: “Old Qi, who do you think I am? Not to mention that he is still observing filial piety, but even if he has given up filial piety, don’t just see such a person.” It’s impossible to raise a kid for others. Do you think he is the same as those gers in the county? If those gers were in Tang Fulang’s position, they could live a good life? “

Shopkeeper Qi shook his head. Of course, he knew it was different, but wasn’t it just because of the difference that the young master looked at Tang Fulang differently? Well, since the young master knew what he knew, he didn’t want to talk too much.

But he said: “Master, you should have a family. You see, Tang Fulang already has two children.” Although there is still one child in the belly, he is not as old as the master.

Teng Yu frowned, this Lao Qi is unyielding. He waved lazily and said, “I know, you go down and do your work. I’ll sit here by myself.”

“Yes, young master.” Seeing that the young master was unwilling to talk anymore, shopkeeper Qi could only sigh secretly, when will the young master get married?

The three of them went crazy for a while before they calmed down. Zhang Xiu and Wang Mo politely asked Tang Chunming to treat them to dinner. During the meal, Zhang Xiu said: “The boss of that restaurant is handsome. After all, he is a young master from the city and we are country gers.” There’s no comparison.”

“Okay, when I get back I’ll tell Dashan that Brother Xiu has taken a liking to the young master in the city.”

“Bah!” Zhang Xiu slapped Tang Chunming for his unrestrained speech. Wang Mo also laughed sullenly on the side. Well, he also thought the young men in the city were very handsome. No wonder those good-looking ones in the village All the younger brothers want to marry in the city, but it’s not what he said. Those self-righteous younger brothers don’t know how good-looking my elder brother is.

After eating, Tang Chunming purchased a lot of things again. This time Zhang Xiu didn’t stop him, knowing that as long as he grew vegetables, he would not be short of money.

When they arrived at the place agreed with Zhao Liushu, Liushu was already waiting there. Neither Zhang Xiu nor Wang Mo mentioned selling vegetables again. Although everyone in the village would know when Jinji came to collect the vegetables, at least they were going back now. Let others use less harsh words on the road.

When those people saw that Brother Ming’s two baskets were empty and knew that he had sold them for a lot of money. They also said some slanderous words in the cart and wanted to find out how much Brother Ming sold for. Zhang Xiu and Wang Mo intercepted their words in unison.

When they returned to Pingshan Village, Tang Chunming gave Uncle Zhao Liu a pack of sugar and a pack of snacks from Jinji as promised. Uncle Zhao wanted to refuse, but Tang Chunming said that they had been prepared in advance, and both Zhang Xiu and Mo Geer had them. and besides, it’s not for Uncle Liu, but for Uncle Liu’s eldest grandson. Uncle Zhao Liu had no choice but to accept it. To be honest, he felt sorry for his eldest grandson.

 Back then, he had sold part of the land to raise money for his brother’s affairs. He had to take the cow back from the geer’s house. Fortunately, he could barely raise their current income with this cart. If the family can survive, it will be great if the eldest grandson can have enough to eat. There will be no spare money to buy snacks.

Sitting on the bullock cart and driving back, Uncle Zhao Liu’s eyes were a little red. If Dalian could be as tough as Brother Ming back then, maybe the family could live happily together now. Being together as a family is better than anything else.

Not long after arriving home, Li Zheng and Shen Fulang came to the door.

 Tang Chunming opened the door for them and was very surprised. It was normal for Shen Fulang to come, but if Li Zheng came to the door, it meant something was wrong. What could happen at this time of year? Suddenly a word flashed into his mind.

Damn it! Corvee!

Tyranny is fiercer than a tiger!

To be honest, life was really difficult for the ancients without any special skills or vision.

 At this time, Tang Chunming understood the thoughts of his third uncle. He was eager to have a scholar from the Zhao family, and then transfer the clan’s land to the scholar’s name. There is no need to pay taxes, and the scholar’s family does not have to do corvee service, which is a great benefit. It would be even more amazing if you could pass the examination.

Of course, understanding does not mean to agree. The third uncle is quite invigorating to other people.

Tang Chunming was thinking irrationally as he ushered Li Zheng in. As expected, two government officials in official uniforms followed him. Xiaohua bared his teeth and growled at the stranger. After being scolded by Tang Chunming, he wagged his tail and lay aside.

 But still stared at the few people who came in, while Ah-Lin was carried into the house by Shen Fulang, fearing that the little geer would be frightened.

The sheep were bleating in the yard, and the fifty chickens that were kept in the yard were also clamoring for food. he hadn’t had time to feed them when he just came back, but it seemed that the small yard was particularly full of life.

Li Zheng directly stated the purpose of coming: “Brother Ming, I have told you before that the corvee will come down after the spring plowing. No, the Yamen has already come to count the population. You can decide whether to serve or to use silver instead of labor. but with your current situation, you can only pay for the service. According to your family’s situation, you need half a tael of silver. Brother Ming, if you are in difficulty right now, why not…”

Li Zheng had discussed with Mr. Shen that if Brother Ming was really in trouble, their family would help with the advance payment and wait until Brother Ming came home. Tang ChunMing was also a hard-working geer and it was difficult for him to be a man. He often heard Mr. Shen say so, and now that he came over to see the situation in the yard, he felt that he was indeed persevering. Now that the current difficulty is over, he should be able to live a better life in the future.

“Uncle Li Zheng, don’t worry. You still don’t know that I just went to town today and sold two baskets of vegetables. I can still get the money. Wait, I will go back to the house to get money for you.” While standing in the yard with two government officials, Tang Chunming ran into the house. Shen Fulang also looked at him worriedly. Tang Chunming opened the box with a smile and took out a broken piece of silver from the space, which was exactly half a tael and walked out. Handed it to the two government officials.

The government officials don’t care what kind of family you are, whether you deserve sympathy or not. What they need is for you to pay the household tax so that they can go back to work. Of course, because the brother-in-law of Li Zheng’s family is also traveling with them, he is considered a good person in Pingshan Village, they were rather polite.