Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 538 Questioning
Xie Yuyan had long anticipated that with several merchants secretly leaving Bianjing, some people would inevitably become anxious.

This is the situation she wanted.

Xie Yuyan said calmly, "Please invite them to sit down in the main room."

Su Man went to make arrangements, while Zhang Shi, who was standing to the side, asked with some concern, "Why did they come looking for us?"

These days, although many merchants have come to visit, they all gather at the porcelain shop. This time, however, they came to the South City Wharf.

Xie Yuyan said, "Because it's not about the porcelain business."

To be precise, what they wanted was not the sale of porcelain.

After speaking, Xie Yuyan looked at Zhang Shi: "Mother, don't worry, there's no need to prepare anything at home. Everyone will be leaving soon."

Zhang nodded and skillfully instructed the servants to do their work. Recently, she had kept two young servants and two maids at home, all of whom she had bought from a vagabond at the dock.

The South City Wharf became increasingly bustling, attracting many people to do business, including the young vendors. One vendor, with about a dozen children, stood on the wharf hawking his wares.

The children were born pale and thin, looking truly pitiful. Zhang was immediately moved with compassion, but she did not make a decision right away. Instead, she called over Yu Mama to help with the selection, and in the end, she kept four at home to help.

The two boys, named Xie Wang and Xie Gui, were taught manners by Yang Xiaoshan. The two girls, Xie Zhen and Xie Fang, were taught by Mama Yu and were now working in the courtyard. Recently, many guests had come to the house, and the two girls were already skilled at entertaining guests.

A dozen or so merchants sat down in the main room, and Xie Zhen and Xie Fang served tea and stepped aside.

Chen Yixiu sat at the front. The merchants had elected him to speak up for them in crucial moments. On the way here, he had thought a lot and was prepared to respond to whatever Lady Xie said.

After taking a sip of tea, Chen Yixiu heard footsteps at the door. He immediately put down his teacup, and the room fell silent instantly.

Chen Yixiu turned his head and saw that it was indeed Lady Xie leading her people over.

Chen Yixiu was still somewhat dazed when his gaze fell on that young face. How could such a woman hold such a high position as an elder? Then he met Xie Niangzi's gaze, and her clear and calm eyes immediately brought Chen Yixiu back to his senses.

The merchants in the main room all stood up to pay their respects, and only sat down again after Xie Yuyan sat down.

Xie Yuyan picked up the tea beside him and drank it. The merchants had long been familiar with this composure.

When they heard that the head of the porcelain shop was a woman, they wanted to intimidate her, but when they arrived at the porcelain shop, they were already bound by rules before they could even make a move.

With officials from the Bureau of Market Regulation present, along with a host of merchants from Bianjing, who would dare to speak disrespectfully at that time? If one were expelled from the porcelain business, the contract in their hand would be useless.

They weren't at the porcelain shop, and Zhou Guangyuan and his men weren't with Xie Niangzi, yet Xie Niangzi still looked at everyone with a calm expression.

"I wonder what brings you all here?" Xie Yuyan asked calmly.

The merchants immediately looked at Chen Yixiu. Before, they had all had their own thoughts, but now they were all glad that it was Chen Yixiu who was going to speak.

Chen Yixiu cleared his throat and said, "We've heard some news and came here specifically to verify it with Elder Xing."

Xie Yuyan remained silent, waiting for Chen Yixiu to continue.

Chen Yixiu was afraid of being interrupted, so this suited him perfectly: "There are rumors that those merchants who left Bianjing not only signed new contracts, but also received benefits from the old man."

Xie Yuyan asked calmly, "What benefits did you receive?"

Chen Yixiu was delighted, not expecting Xie Niangzi to be so cooperative, so he continued, "The charcoal kiln and the perfume shop...I wonder if this is true?"

Everyone immediately looked at Xie Yuyan.

Xie Yuyan wouldn't easily admit it under everyone's watchful eyes, but they had made preparations afterward, managing to summon a waiter to confirm that they had overheard the lady of the house and the merchants mentioning the perfume shop on the boat. "It's true."

The clear voice came through, and everyone's thoughts came to an end.

So you just admitted it so easily?
Contrary to expectations, it took Chen Yixiu a while to come to his senses. However, before he could speak, Xie Yuyan continued, "Is there something wrong?"

Chen Yixiu said, "It's certainly a good thing that Elder Xing is doing this, but... shouldn't we be treated equally? We've been here for so long, and Elder Xing has never mentioned giving us any compensation."

He wasn't talking about benefits, but rather compensation. Benefits were something that Lady Xie could give at will, while compensation was what they deserved.

Xie Yuyan raised her eyes: "Is this all you're after? If I open a perfume shop with you, will you sign a new contract?"

Upon hearing this question, several merchants nodded subconsciously.

If they could actually get a perfume shop, they wouldn't care how much porcelain they could buy.

Chen Yixiu couldn't help but feel a little nervous, both afraid that Madam Xie would agree so easily, and not wanting to miss out on such a good opportunity as the perfume business.

The perfume shop's stove was built so meticulously that it was difficult to see what was inside without digging it open, making it impossible to replicate. It would be wonderful if Lady Xie was willing to provide it.

“However,” Xie Yuyan said, “why should I compensate you? Have I owed you anything in return, or done you any favors?”

This question startled Chen Yixiu.

Xie Yuyan's gaze swept over everyone: "Or is it that you did something for me that I've forgotten?"

"If that's the case, you might as well tell me about it."

This……

The merchants looked at each other and couldn't help but whisper among themselves.

Chen Yixiu took a deep breath and said, "We want to take delivery of the goods according to the contract, but the porcelain shop can't prepare them. Shouldn't there be compensation?"

Xie Yuyan nodded: "That's right, but that's a matter for the porcelain shop. So I need to sign new contracts with everyone. Next year when you buy porcelain, the porcelain shop is willing to give you a 50% discount, but you all seem unwilling."

"The reason your contracts for purchasing porcelain went through porcelain merchants is because Bianjing is a hub for goods. Porcelain merchants even have their own porcelain warehouses, where porcelain from all over the country is collected. You can take away all the goods you want with just one trip to Bianjing."

"Doing this will make it easier for everyone to buy and sell, and it will also add some income to the porcelain industry. However, the market needs porcelain this year, and Han Si has signed too many contracts, so the porcelain warehouse will inevitably not have enough goods."

What Xie Yuyan was talking about is exactly the problem the porcelain industry is currently facing.

She picked up her teacup, and under everyone's watchful eyes, slowly moistened her throat before continuing unhurriedly, "The contract is correct, but I also have a question I'd like to ask you all."

"If Master Xing were still Han Si, would you come to Bianjing and demand that the porcelain shop deliver the goods right now?"

The merchants' eyes flickered, and they already knew the answer in their hearts, but none of them said it out loud. Chen Yixiu said, "Madam Xie, please don't blame us. We signed this contract with great difficulty. Our families depend on this business to make a living. Suddenly, the dealer has changed, and everyone is afraid that the business will go wrong. The best way is naturally to take the goods with us."

“It’s not that we don’t trust Madam Xie, it’s just that… we didn’t know Madam Xie before.”

Chen Yixiu felt that his words were reasonable and well-founded, and that Lady Xie would find it difficult to refute them. Unexpectedly, Lady Xie suddenly smiled and said, "That's exactly the point."

Xie Yuyan continued, "The coal kiln and perfume shop were built up with great difficulty. If it weren't for the lack of manpower, I wouldn't have wanted to open them together with others. Since it's a joint venture, I naturally need to carefully look for suitable candidates."

“It’s not that I don’t trust you all. I didn’t know you before, and now you’re all crowding the porcelain shop every day. You won’t listen to what I say. Perhaps you’re even hoping that the shop owner will be replaced by someone else… Since we can’t trust each other, how can we do something like pooling our money?”

It's getting late, I can't update more than two chapters now. I'll write more tomorrow morning.