stingy landlady

Chapter 50 The Vegetable Selling Scandal 1

When the groceries arrived at Xiangmanlou, it was almost lunchtime! Purchasing Manager Li was pacing anxiously outside the kitchen.

Upon seeing the carriage, without even asking what happened, he shouted, "Why are you so late! How can you do business like this?"

Gui Hong remained silent, simply carrying the vegetables downstairs. Lin Xiaoyun, on the other hand, was completely silent, working without uttering a sound.

Guizhi could only continue taking the vegetables down while forcing a smile and saying, "Uncle Li! Something happened at my house today, that's why I'm late! I'm so sorry! I'm really sorry!"

Just as Li Cai was about to say something, he saw Gui Hong's swollen eyes and held back.

He said, "Sigh! Every family has its own troubles! You'll have to be careful next time! Manager Qu has come to ask several times already. You know, these vegetables are meant to be delivered to the county town!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Uncle Li, you settle the accounts with my second sister, and I'll go apologize to the shopkeeper!"

After saying that, Guizhi ran inside. Manager Qu was just about to check if the vegetables had been delivered when he almost bumped into Guizhi.

"Oh! Guizhi! You've finally arrived!"

"Uncle Shopkeeper! I'm so sorry! Something came up at home and I'm late!"

"Guizhi! What happened? Do you need any help? Just say the word! I'll definitely help if I can!"

Guizhi smiled and said, "Uncle Shopkeeper! Thank you! It's just a household matter!"

"It's good that you're alright! It's good that you're alright!" the shopkeeper said as he walked away.

"Uncle Manager! I wonder if you'll still need leafy greens in a while? I mean, if eggplants, green beans, cucumbers, and the like come into season, will your restaurant still accept these leafy greens?"

"We'll buy it, we'll always have it! It's just a matter of price! There will be plenty of these bok choy in a few days. Some people have grown a lot, so they can pick them out and sell them at a really cheap price. Then our restaurant can also sell stir-fried bok choy."

By the time cucumbers and green beans are harvested, we won't have any more of these vegetables! They're not growing them anymore! Why are you asking?

"Uncle Shopkeeper! I'm wondering if we should plant more vegetables after this batch is harvested!" Guizhi explained.

"I see! Uncle Qu has a suggestion for you! You'd better not plant it yet! If other people are already growing it, it won't fetch a good price! You'll just be wasting your time!"

After this batch of greens is finished, eggplants and green beans will be harvested, so you can plant less spinach, and maybe some bok choy or similar vegetables.

After eating so much eggplant and green beans, it's nice to have some leafy greens once in a while! Vegetables here are so seasonal! Everyone plants whatever they can find! So they definitely won't get a good price!

"I'll just give you a suggestion, but you'll have to go back and ask your dad if it's okay to plant! I've heard that not everything can be planted. I don't farm, so what I'm saying might not be true!"

Guizhi bowed and said, "Thank you, Uncle Shopkeeper! I'll tell my father when I get back! Well then, Uncle, you go ahead with your work, I'll be going now! Goodbye, Uncle Shopkeeper!"

Manager Qu waved his hand and said, "Alright! Go on your way! Goodbye, Guizhi!"

That evening, Lin Xiaoyun went to sleep at the east end of the house. He had changed into his own clothes that afternoon and refused all the clothes the old lady had suggested.

Li recounted the events of the day to Dazhu. Dazhu sighed as well.

"Tell me! What can I do? One is my mother! The other is my wife and children! I'll talk to Dad tomorrow and ask him to keep an eye on Mom! There are so many things to do every day, and the family is always in turmoil! Sigh!"

Li muttered, "They just think I'm easy to bully! My brother and sister-in-law bully me at my parents' home, and now my mother-in-law doesn't like me, and my sister-in-law bullies me too! My life is so miserable! Waaah!"

When she got to the sad part, she started sobbing softly again.

Dazhu said impatiently, "What are you crying for in the middle of the night! Nobody did anything to you! What else can you do besides cry all day long!"

Upon hearing this, Li burst into tears: "You just despise me! You despise me for not giving you a son! I also want a son to support me! But who told me I couldn't have one!"

Gui Hong interjected:

"Mom! Why can't you have a son? You can still have more! Look! My grandma had five children, including my dad, and my maternal grandma had even more, seven! Mom, just keep having children! You'll definitely have a son!"

Gui Xiang and Gui Zhi secretly laughed at what Gui Xiang said, and S Ya, seeing her sister laugh, also giggled foolishly.

Li burst into laughter through her tears: "Do you think your mother is a pig! Keep having babies! Where did you hear that? A young girl like you keeps spouting nonsense!"

Dazhu looked and thought, "Well, it's alright now!"

"Go to sleep! Go to sleep! There's still a lot of work to do tomorrow! Oh! Go to sleep now!"

Guizhi quickly said:

“Dad! When you talk to Grandpa tomorrow, you need to be firm in your stance. We said today that from now on, we'll each sell our own vegetables. We know where we're from! Otherwise, if there's a difference in price, he might use the excuse of not being home to come and beat or scold us!”

Dazhu listened to Guizhi's words.

"Okay! I got it! Don't get involved in their affairs anymore! Once the house is built, we'll move out and live far away, then there won't be so much talk!"

They didn't know that after Guizhi and the others left today, the old lady saw the vegetables being dumped out and the carriage leaving just like that, and she was furious!

She couldn't bring herself to ask Guizhi for help selling vegetables, so she turned around and went to Erzhu's place.

"Zhao Xiaofang! You think you're so capable? If you're so good, then you and Dabao go sell vegetables! If others can sell them, so can you! Go now!"

"Mother! I've never sold vegetables before! Where can I sell them?" Zhao asked timidly.

The old woman scolded, "Where are they going? To town! Oh! Which restaurant are they going to? Your father mentioned it, yes, it's Xiangmanlou Restaurant! Without Li Shi, that cake seller, would the earth stop spinning?! Hurry up and go! If we're late, those vegetables will lose so much weight after being dried in the sun! A living person can't be killed by holding their pee!"

Erzhu, sitting on the kang (heated brick bed), also said:

"Go on! You're always so loud and boastful, always saying you're so capable, but the vegetables will all rot by tomorrow! Go with Da Bao! Two people will keep you safe!"

The mother and son carried the vegetables to town, just after the restaurant's lunch break. The restaurant staff had just started eating when Zhao and Da Bao entered the lobby with their baskets on their backs.

The waiter was eating and hadn't noticed anyone coming in. He habitually asked, "Please have a seat, sir! How many of you are in your party? What would you like to eat?"

Zhao and Da Bao were uneasy as they entered the restaurant for the first time.

Upon hearing that they were being asked to sit down and eat, Zhao quickly replied, "We're not here to eat, we're here to sell vegetables!"

The waiter hesitated to make a decision, asking, "Who sent you?"

Fearing she would be kicked out, Zhao quickly explained, "Wang Dazhu is my elder brother! We come to deliver vegetables every day!"

I've never met Xiao Er, but he has no say in what happens in the back kitchen.

"Then you wait here, I'll go ask!"

The waiter went to the kitchen to ask, and was told that no one had ordered any dishes. He then ran to ask Manager Qu if they had ordered any vegetables.

Manager Qu waved his hand to indicate that he hadn't placed an order, then turned around and remembered to ask again:

"Wait a minute, she said Wang Dazhu is her older brother?"

"Yes, sir, that's what he said, that's why I came to ask!" the waiter replied.

"Let's go! Let's go take a look!"