Chapter 673: 673: Hypocrisy

Did Shopkeeper Zhou really not know Zhu Hongyun is her sister-in-law?

Heh, only a three-year-old child would believe that.

Ever since she made herself known to the retired emperor, Shopkeeper Zhou has surely looked up about her ancestors and those of the Tong Family.

Saying he doesn’t know Zhu Hongyun, who’s he trying to fool?

Is it not that he wants to sneakily acquire the recipe for Braised Pork with fifty taels of silver?

Moreover, they have been secretly experimenting with the Braised Chicken Feet she made before, trying to mimic its taste.

From these incidents, it is clear that Shopkeeper Zhou’s character is far worse than Shopkeeper He.

She even asked Tong Sanlang, if Shopkeeper He refrained from copying her recipes because of his influence.

Tong Sanlang nodded, agreeing it was partly his influence, but also due to He Zhanggui’s sense of decency.

Seeing Qiao Xiaomai’s boundless potential, Shopkeeper He would never cross her unnecessarily.

Even though he is a merchant, he abides by commerce ethics, and wouldn’t sneak up on Qiao Xiaomai’s recipes.

Tong Sanlang’s answer pleased Qiao Xiaomai and indirectly confirmed her suspicion about Shopkeeper Zhou’s poor character.

If his character was shoddy, she wouldn’t want to continue dealing with him.

After all, now that she’s married to Tong Sanlang, even though the retired emperor won’t let the Tong Family meddle in the affairs of Jiwuju, half of Jiwuju still belongs to the Tong Family. Hence, she would only sell her Dried Sweet Potatoes at Jiwuju.

“Oh dear, Miss Qiao, why did you sign the agreement?” Upon hearing these three words, Shopkeeper Zhou immediately slapped his thigh, acting as though she had been cheated by Shopkeeper He, “Anything crafted by you could be sold out anywhere. You do not need to sign any agreement!”

“If you sold your product at our Zuixian Building, we would set a higher price, and you’d earn more.”

Qiao Xiaomai just smiled upon hearing this, “I’m selling a pound of dried sweet potatoes for three hundred Wen. That’s already enough for me.”

“Jiwuju sells it for 310 Wen per pound. The profit is not very high. Shopkeeper Zhou, with so many culinary delights in Zuixian Building, you shouldn’t fuss over these ten Wen worth of dried sweet potatoes?”

Shopkeeper Zhou was left speechless…

Zuixian Building wouldn’t miss a business that earns ten Wen per pound. But the fact that Qiao Xiaomai, a former Royal Chef to the retired Emperor, produces it and their business doesn’t own it implies that they are inferior to Jiwuju!

“Could you spare some for my Zuixian Building?” Shopkeeper Zhou softened his voice, with an almost unnoticeable pleading look on his face and a submissive posture.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Qiao Xiaomai shook her head, “No. One must keep their word.”

On hearing this, Shopkeeper Zhou sighed deeply, with a look of intense regret on his face, “Alright then.”

“Miss Qiao, next time you have a great recipe, I hope you consider Zuixian Building first!”

Qiao Xiaomai nodded, “Alright.”

“Also, about last time, it was indeed a misunderstanding.” Shopkeeper Zhou emphasized once again as he was about to leave.

Qiao Xiaomai laughed and chuckled, “I know, I know. Don’t worry, it doesn’t bother me.”

Hearing this, he finally ambled away with evident reluctance.

His sizable figure soon disappeared into the crowd on the street.

Qiao Xiaomai got into the carriage and turned to Tong Sanlan, “He always treats me like an idiot, assuming I’m unaware of his misdeeds.”

She detested such people.

Hypocrites.