Zhuang Meiyan was busy in front of the counter, accompanying the rich Wang family lady in the town to choose the color, there were several ladies in the shop, each looking at the color, accompanied by the maid Chunju Yang sister-in-law, Yang Xiucai sat at the counter, fiddling with the abacus beads, concentrating on the accounts. Relief of residual jaw boils

The scene was very quiet, and suddenly someone broke in and scolded, and everyone couldn't help but be startled.

Zhuang Meiyan looked up, the person who came was wearing a long skirt of lake blue flowers and silk satin, covered with a blue smoke silk satin shirt, the silk satin was smooth, but it was the best Jinzhou material, but it was a pity that this person's rich round face was angry, and the willow eyebrows were upside down, which really did not show the dignified and precious Jinzhou silk satin.

Zhuang Meiyan smiled, turned her head and said a few words to the lady of the Wang family, comforted a few words, and let everyone continue to choose. He stepped forward and said, "Sister-in-law Hong, I haven't seen you come to buy cloth these days, I just got a batch of new colors, and I am about to ask the little girl to go to the house to talk to you." What did you say, who provoked you? ”

Sister-in-law Hong's angry hairpin trembled together, stretched out her index finger and scolded: "Where is Chunju's little hoof? Tell her to get out of here." ”

She scolded while looking in the crowd, but when she entered the door, she vaguely saw the girl talking to people in front of the innermost counter, and in the blink of an eye, there was no one at all. Sister-in-law Hong looked at each other face by face, and couldn't find Chunju, so she jumped to her feet and scolded.

"You can't dodge horizontally and vertically, little hoof, you don't have to escape, you also know that you are at a loss. Today I will theorize with your master. Sister, you are also from a big family, it is said that compared with our small family, you know the rules the most, you come and comment on this reason with your sister-in-law. ”

Zhuang Meiyan stepped forward and said with a smile: "Chunju went to the street on time to buy fruits, this girl is playful, how did she offend her sister-in-law, let's listen to Meiyan." ”

Sister-in-law Hong immediately grabbed Zhuang Meiyan's hand, sobbed, and wiped her tears with a handkerchief, while complaining: "Good girl, you have to make decisions for your sister-in-law." You said that this shop told my sister earlier that I would also buy individual stocks, and I also came out of the silver, and I also came out of the force. I don't believe you ask, which of these ladies is willing to come to your shop to buy goods because they don't look at my face. My sister-in-law said that it was not easy for my sister-in-law, and I wanted people to help me. ”

Hong's sister-in-law splattered her saliva, chattering endlessly about her merits and qualifications, which was quite an invitation to merit.

Zhuang Meiyan knew her intention in her heart, and was neither in a hurry not to interrupt her words, nor to express her position, but just smiled slightly, led her upstairs, and personally served her tea.

Sister-in-law Hong still chattered to herself: "I know that my sister's shop has just opened, everything is difficult, and I don't dare to disturb anything. This morning, when I saw that your nephew's clothes were almost worn out, and he was afraid of other people's jokes, he sent a little servant to the store to get a piece of cloth to make clothes for him. ”

The words are as sincere as heart-wrenching, and it really seems that Zhuang Meiyan is meticulous everywhere.

As she spoke, she peeked at the changes in the expression on Zhuang Meiyan's face, and saw that she did not have the slightest displeasure, so she was even more bold, and there was some contempt in her expression.

Zhuang Meiyan was noncommittal, picked up the tea bowl, took a sip of tea, and said, "Oh, what happened later?"

This reaction made Sister-in-law Hong a little disappointed, and she continued to add fuel and vinegar and said: "Who knew that the little girl came back empty-handed, saying that the little hooves of Chunju not only did not give the cloth, but also said a lot of ugly things, saying that they would eat for nothing. I ignored the others, and my sister-in-law had never done anything for nothing. Sister, let's talk okay, my white silver is a share, but what is the value of a piece of cloth? ”

Sister-in-law Hong gritted her teeth, as if she wanted to devour Chunju alive, she looked at Zhuang Meiyan, and wanted to see how she fell.

Zhuang Meiyan smiled and said, "What should I do to make Sister-in-law Hong so angry." When this girl comes back, I will lecture her and ask her to come to the door to compensate my sister-in-law. ”

Zhuang Meiyan turned around and shouted downstairs: "Sister-in-law Yang, sister-in-law Yang, pick two fine silk cloths and bring them up." ”

Sister-in-law Yang answered, and quickly hugged two silk cloths upstairs. Sister-in-law Hong couldn't help but smile when she saw it, that bit of anger had already been thrown to Java Island, and she touched the fabric happily, the silk cloth was soft and delicate, and it was a good material at first glance.

Zhuang Meiyan said again: "If my sister-in-law likes it, just take it and record it in the account." Yang Xiucai took the account book to help Hong's sister-in-law remember. ”

"Hey!"

Yang Xiucai immediately trotted all the way and ran upstairs with the ledger and brush.

When Sister-in-law Hong heard that she was going to keep accounts, she was stunned and said, "It's good for my sister to help me remember, I'll go first." ”

Zhuang Meiyan hurriedly said: "Sister-in-law Hong has a share of money in our shop, if you can't remember the accounts clearly, it's not good for our shop, you just take a look." ”

Yang Xiucai flipped through the thick account book and was about to put pen to paper, when he suddenly looked embarrassed and said, "Third girl, I'm afraid I can't keep accounts this time." Hong Niangzi's principal has been spent by her, and our store doesn't owe it on credit. ”

Before Yang Xiucai's voice fell, Sister-in-law Hong's face gradually changed, and before she had time to attack, someone next to her was already screaming.

"Oh! How is this possible? Yang Xiucai, you are mistaken. Sister-in-law Hong put a full three hundred taels of silver here with us, even if Sister-in-law Hong is used to being generous, she can't spend so much. You can do the math quickly. ”

Zhuang Meiyan anxiously urged, her brows furrowed slightly, and then she turned to Sister-in-law Hong and said, "Sister-in-law, don't worry, maybe the number has been miscalculated." Sister-in-law, how much cloth have you bought in the shop lately?"

Sister-in-law Hong's face turned red and white, cloudy and uncertain, and she said with a little weakness: "That's it, don't I just take a few pieces of cloth? It can be worth a few big bucks, doesn't Xiucai have an account here, let him check it." ”

Sister-in-law Hong pretended to be generous, but her eyes kept glancing at Yang Xiucai's account book and the abacus in his hand, but her heart was fluttering violently.

After a while, Yang Xiucai recalculated the accounts in front of Sister-in-law Hong, and finally pushed the calculated number to Sister-in-law Hong.

"Hong Niangzi, a total of three hundred and fifteen taels and three dollars, this is all converted into money, if it is according to the market price is far more than this number!"

Sister-in-law Hong's face turned the color of pig liver, and she suddenly stepped forward to take Yang Xiucai's account book, flipped through and looked at it, and the rows of small characters, I remember it clearly, on a certain day, a certain month, Hong Niangzi bought two silk satin, one silk flower, and so on, and so on, she actually wrote down the things she usually took on it.

Sister-in-law Hong's eyes were erected, and she immediately threw the account book on the ground, crying and crying, and said, "Wow! You are calculating against me, a woman, and you are obviously trying to blackmail my money." I, I sue you. ”

After a while, a pair of eyes were red and swollen from crying, and the rouge gouache on his face was washed into traces, which was both pitiful and ridiculous. Sister-in-law Hong squatted on the ground and cried while looking at the situation in the room through the gap covered by her fingers.

She saw that Zhuang Meiyan was still sitting on the chair, holding the tea bowl, blowing gently, her eyelids drooping slightly, and she didn't even look at herself. The person standing in front of him was Yang Xiucai, he picked up the account book in a hurry, and said seriously: "Hong Niangzi, this account can be remembered clearly, every time you take something, it is stamped with a seal, please take a look, the trade is fair, even if you take it to the court, you can't take advantage of it." ”

Sister-in-law Hong suddenly had nothing to say, and she was unwilling, and argued strongly: "I took some of them, but I don't even know about some of them, who knows who took them?"

Yang Xiucai shook the account book and said: "Hong Niangzi, this little student is going to say a few words about you, yes, there are a few times when you sent the little maids to come over to get the fabric, but they are all holding your seal, if you want to say that it is not your idea, but your family law is not strict." ”

"You--" Sister-in-law Hong originally wanted to take advantage of this to repay the debt, but she was blocked tightly by Yang Xiucai's watertight words, and she rolled her eyes in anger and couldn't say a word.

Although Zhuang Meiyan lowered her head to drink tea, she saw this person's ugly face in her eyes, this matter was expected by her, thanks to her precautions, every stroke made Xiucai remember clearly, that is, this woman could not deny it. By now, it's almost over, Zhuang Meiyan said in her heart, it's good to give her a step down, otherwise she will definitely not be able to end today, and everyone will not look good if she continues to make trouble.

After thinking about it like this, Zhuang Meiyan said to Sister-in-law Hong: "Sister-in-law, don't worry, it's always right that you took the things." ”

Zhuang Meiyan saw that she lowered her head and remained silent, knowing that she had acquiesced, so she picked up the account book, glanced at it, and said with a smile: "Five horses of blue Jinzhou silk satin, this alone costs seventy or eighty taels of silver, and Sister-in-law Hong is really generous." And Rong Meiyan has one more sentence, even if she likes it, Sister-in-law Hong may not be able to use so many fabrics at home, it is better to take it back to the store, and let Yang Xiucai hook this account, sister-in-law, what do you say?"

The sister-in-law of Hong who said this was full of redness, she has always loved to be greedy and cheap, and she also deceived Zhuang Meiyan to be young, every time she took the fabric Zhuang Meiyan accompanied by a smiling face, she didn't mention the matter of silver, but she didn't expect to wait for her here, and she couldn't help but secretly hold a grudge in her heart. Zhuang Meiyan's words are reasonable, but she got cheap things, and she thought she had a plan, a lot of fabrics have been given away, and the rest has been made into clothes, and there is nothing left at all, so how can she pay it back?

Zhuang Meiyan also knew very well that there was no fabric left in her sister-in-law's house, this woman loved face the most, and got a lot of cheap fabrics, so she naturally showed off everywhere and distributed them to her friends, she made the most clothes in the past few months, and almost all styles were made one, and she probably didn't need to make new clothes for several years.

She had already thought of a way out for Sister-in-law Hong, and said confidently: "Sister-in-law Hong, silver is nothing but something outside the body, and you can earn it back if you go." There is another way to charm Yan, I don't know if Sister-in-law Hong is willing?"

Sister-in-law Hong lost such a large sum of money in vain, and naturally her flesh hurt terribly, and there seemed to be room for relaxation in Zhuang Meiyan's words, and she immediately opened her eyes wide, revealing an expectant expression.

"It doesn't matter if the capital is lost, the sister is still willing to give money to Hong's sister-in-law. Sister-in-law Hong has a wide range of people, as long as the person brought by Sister-in-law Hong buys goods in our shop in the future, how about we give it to Sister-in-law Hong according to 10% of the money sold?"

Isn't this a good thing to pick up for nothing? You don't need a single capital, just call a few people. Sister-in-law Hong is good friends with most of the ladies of the big families in the town, and often buys items together, and even the stewards of the various houses have some friendship with her.

Zhuang Meiyan saw that she was moved, so she took out a heavy bag of silver from her sleeve pocket, deliberately rested it on the table, and said with a smile: "This is fifty taels of silver, it is Sister-in-law Hong's share of this month's money, and Sister-in-law Hong will take it and count it." ”

Sister-in-law Hong's eyes rolled, and the little abacus in her heart made a noise, at this rate, the principal she eroded would soon come back, and the more customers she pulled, the more money she bought, and the more money she had, this accounting method was more cost-effective than the previous division.

She immediately burst into tears and smiled, grinned and took the money bag, but said in her mouth: "Ah! How is this embarrassing? If you don't have the principal and return the money, what is this good for your sister-in-law? My sister is a person who does a big business, and in the end she is from a big family, and her bearing is different. ”

Zhuang Meiyan saw that her eyelids were shallow, and she only cared about the interests in front of her, the scar was not healed, and the pain had been forgotten. She was secretly amused in her heart, but she said with a pleasant face: "The charm is still young, and I still have to ask my sister-in-law to take care of it in many places." ”

Sister-in-law Hong smiled happily and said, "That's nature, who called us a family." ”

Hong's sister-in-law got the silver, counted and counted, carefully put it in her purse, habitually picked up the two silk cloths on the table, and was about to leave. Suddenly remembering that he hadn't settled the bill yet, he couldn't help but look embarrassed and put it down.

Zhuang Meiyan personally picked up the silk cloth and instructed Yang Xiucai: "Xiucai, you send these two pieces of cloth to Sister-in-law Hong back to the house." Sister-in-law Hong, even if these two pieces of cloth are given to the virtuous nephew to cut new clothes, they are not allowed to visit the house, even if it is a little meeting gift from Meiyan. ”

Sister-in-law Hong, who said something, ironed in her heart, and she pretended to excuse herself: "How embarrassing is this." Then thank you for your kindness!"

Zhuang Meiyan continued: "Everything has a degree, the water is full, the moon is full, the ancients said, thrifty to keep the family, and I hope that my sister-in-law will always remember this." ”

Sister-in-law Hong knew that she was wrong, so she was silent and quietly went downstairs.

Sister-in-law Hong went out of the gate, and there was a string of laughter behind the screen upstairs, and Chunju bent over and hugged her stomach, happy. Zhuang Meiyan glanced at her and said, "Is it a good magic barrier? ”

Chunju pounded the table vigorously, laughed even harder, covered her stomach and only sighed, gasping and said: "Miss, you are so good, the slave is almost angry these days, half of the goods in our shop have been taken by her, so that we keep loading the goods, and the capital is almost unbearable." Now I'm finally getting rid of this money-grubber. ”

Zhuang Meiyan sighed and said, "You are wrong to blame this money-grubber, our business is getting better and better, but thanks to her." ”

Chunju was puzzled and her eyes widened.

Zhuang Meiyan explained: "No one is willing to buy these Jinzhou silk satins because of their high price, but under the drive of Hong's sister-in-law, they are selling better and better. ”

Chunju pouted and said, "The slave maid thought that she could get rid of this money-grubbing ghost from now on, but why did the young lady still give her a share of the money? Isn't this going to be relied on by her for the rest of her life?"

Zhuang Mei glanced at her, and said earnestly: "You really followed me for nothing, but you were a shallow-eyed girl, I only saw her take money, but I didn't see her send us money." I told you a long time ago that the strong dragon does not suppress the head snake, this kind of person has to be beaten and entraped, and she must be used by us to make it happen, and there will be many places to use her in the future. ”

Chunju didn't seem to understand when she heard it, and said: "Miss is going to talk about the big truth again, the slave doesn't understand a word, the slave doesn't care about this, the slave just listens to the young lady and does things for the young lady." ”

Zhuang Meiyan smiled and scolded: "Dead Nizi learned to slip her mouth and smeared it with honey." ”

The two talked and laughed for a while, and Chunju picked up a bag and was about to go downstairs. Zhuang Meiyan glanced at a familiar object, and couldn't help blurting out: "Wait." ”