freenovelworld Chapter 220 Emergency
Chapter 220 Emergency
Chen Wenfang couldn't bear to see this honest old man shed tears, so she said, "Sir, please don't be in such a hurry. How much per pound would you like to sell it to us for?"
Zhang Cuishan stopped crying and said in a low voice, "I saw on your notice board that it says eighteen coins per catty." He looked at Zhang Cuihua and then turned to Chen Wenfang and said, "We have a lot of goods. Madam, could you buy them for fifteen coins per catty? Just to help us out."
Zhang Cuihua also looked at her with hope and bowed.
Chen Wenfang looked at the two of them thoughtfully, then turned to Wang Xiaoguang and asked, "Is our warehouse big enough?"
Wang Xiaoguang said, "Those warehouses haven't been painted yet, so they might be a bit crowded."
Zhang Cuihua hurriedly interjected, "If it really doesn't work, we can lower the price by two coins, and we can deliver it in batches later."
Zhang Cuishan looked at Zhang Cuihua and sighed. Well, as long as we can recoup our costs, that's fine.
Chen Wenfang looked at the two expectant, weathered middle-aged men and said, "The sign at the door says dried peanuts are 18 wen per jin. We buy peanuts up to 1,000 jin at this price. Your peanuts are in good condition, plump, and of excellent quality, definitely worth the price. If the whole shipment is like this, we'll buy them at 18 wen per jin, but you'll need to deliver 1,000 jin every two days. We'll try to make room here, and once the goods arrive, we'll inspect them. If there are no problems, we'll settle the payment on the spot. Is that alright with you?"
The two old men were flattered, and Zhang Cuishan couldn't bear to speak, saying, "But Madam Chen, your price of eighteen coins per catty is for a thousand catties. We have more than six thousand catties here. Wouldn't we be taking advantage of you? This is unacceptable."
Zhang Cuihua also said, "That's true. Since Madam Chen is so righteous, we can't raise the price too much."
Chen Wenfang waved her hand and said, "We set the price. If we didn't set the price for several thousand kilograms, that's our problem. Don't worry about it. This matter is settled. You can eat your noodles now. Zhuantou, bring the noodles over. They're almost mushy. Hurry up and eat. After you finish, you can discuss the delivery and payment with Butler Wang directly." Chen Wenfang spoke with certainty, and the two old men didn't dare to say anything more.
Zhuantou served the noodles, saying, "Uncle, have some noodles to tide you over."
"Oh, okay, thank you, sir." The two brothers thanked him repeatedly.
"Please enjoy your meal, I have to go now." Chen Wenfang left the table; she needed to figure out how to use up this batch of peanuts.
"Alright, alright, take care, Madam Chen." The two old men stood up simultaneously and bowed respectfully to Chen Wenfang. If it weren't for Madam Chen's help, they would have been in trouble. Chen Wenfang returned the bow before leaving. She then instructed Wang Xiaoguang to find a way to properly store the peanuts.
The two elderly men then settled down to eat their noodles. Wow, Chen Ji's noodles are so delicious! Before long, they devoured two large bowls of noodles, leaving Zhuan and the other man dumbfounded. They were quite old, yet they could eat so much.
After reviewing the account books, Chen Wenfang asked Li Huanqiu to take her to town. Just then, Dazhuang returned with Wang Erniu, carrying a delivery truck. Several carts had been made, and Dazhuang and his crew used different horse-drawn carts each day depending on the amount of cargo.
"My husband is back? What a coincidence, I was just about to go to town." Chen Wenfang said with a sweet smile.
Wang Erniu grabbed her small hand and said, "It's already noon, what are you going to town for?"
"Hmm... I just harvested a batch of peanuts, quite a lot. I thought of another recipe and want to try it," Chen Wenfang said with a grin.
"What's the recipe?" Wang Erniu asked curiously. His wife always had some strange ways of making food, but it was surprisingly delicious.
"Come with me. It's still early, we can make it in time." Chen Wenfang smiled gently and coaxed him, holding his hand and shaking it slightly. She didn't dare to make any big movements, lest someone see them and it become improper.
"Okay, okay, I'll go wash my hands and be right back."
"Okay." Chen Wenfang nodded sweetly.
Wang Erniu returned quickly. Dazhuang and Zhuantou had already unloaded the goods and loaded two baskets of fried rice onto the cart. Wang Erniu got into the cart, and Dazhuang drove the cart to town.
Inside the car, the two held hands again. Chen Wenfang leaned against him, languidly like a cat. Wang Erniu asked, "What do you plan to do with so many peanuts?"
Chen Wenfang buried her head in his chest and said, "Making peanut brittle, it'll be used up in no time."
Wang Erniu let her have her way and asked, "Is it good?"
"It's alright, it's sweet," Chen Wenfang replied rather perfunctorily.
"Okay, as long as you like it." Wang Erniu patted her head and tried to sit up straight so she could lie down more comfortably. "Fang'er, where are we going when we get there? I'll go with you."
Chen Wenfang didn't reply to him, but mumbled something.
Wang Erniu looked down and saw if she was sleepy. He reached out and put his arm around her to help her sleep better. Chen Wenfang also took her arm out and put her arm around his waist, and fell into a deep sleep.
They soon arrived at Chen's restaurant. The place was bustling with carriages and people. Chen Wenfang stretched and got up from Wang Erniu's arms, feeling quite comfortable after a short nap.
Wang Erniu jumped off the car, and Chen Wenfang reached out her hand. With a strong pull, he swung his arm around her waist and helped her jump down. "Hehe!" Chen Wenfang liked this very much and laughed like a child.
Wang Erniu looked at her with tenderness and affection, and smiled, "Wife, where are we going now?"
Chen Wenfang took his hand and said, "Let's go to the paper shop first. Your wife has thought of a problem that we haven't been able to solve for a long time."
"Okay, what's the problem?" Wang Erniu smiled at her, and the two joked as they walked.
"I'll explain later." Chen Wenfang looked at Wang Erniu, who was grinning like a golden retriever, put her hand in his palm and held it, resisting the urge to pat his head.
As they talked, they arrived at the paper shop. The paper shop was about two zhang wide and quite deep. The paper shop was fully stocked with all kinds of paper and paper rolls, which Chen Wenfang had never seen before. Wang Erniu only had a rudimentary understanding of writing and was not very familiar with these kinds of papers.
"What do you want to buy? Are you buying paper for the kids to practice their handwriting?"
"No, let me ask first," Chen Wenfang said with a laugh.
Chen Wenfang had only ever bought ordinary paper-wrapped pastries before. It was a small business, and the paper she bought later was a bit better, but it was thinner. Since she was already there, Chen Wenfang pretended to know what she was talking about and asked, "Boss, do you have any better paper?"
"I wonder what kind of oiled paper Madam Chen would like?" The shop owner, surnamed Zhang, clearly saw that neither of them knew anything about it, and instead asked with a smile, "The kind used for umbrellas?"
"Yes, yes, let me see it." This shop owner is so understanding.
Boss Zhang took out two rolls of thick oil paper. Chen Wenfang touched them and found that the thickness was good, almost as thick as kraft paper. It should be fine for making bags.
Chen Wenfang wasn't sure if glutinous rice paper existed in ancient times, so she cautiously asked, "Boss Zhang, do you not have that kind of edible paper? The very thin kind?"
"Huh? This, I've never heard of it. I'm sorry." Mr. Zhang was taken aback for a moment, then quickly realized what he meant.
Wang Erniu, who was standing to the side, was also somewhat surprised, but he silently suppressed his surprise.
"Haha, it's okay, it's okay. I was just asking how much this costs. I'll buy it." Chen Wenfang laughed awkwardly.
"Five hundred coins a scroll, Madam Chen can have two scrolls for nine hundred coins," Boss Zhang said with a smile, his professional smile returning.
"So expensive!" Chen Wenfang thought to herself, then looked at Wang Erniu, who nodded. The two paid and left the paper shop.