Song Jinggong did not pay attention to Zhou Xihu at all. Instead, he respectfully said to County Magistrate Cheng Lingxiang, "Sir, please take a seat."
After waiting for Cheng Lingxiang to nod and sit down with a smile, Song Jinggong then looked at Zhou Xihu, who was standing there with a face full of arrogance. "Young Master Zhou, this way please. Zijin is very honored to have the county magistrate accompany me today. Waiter, bring up your restaurant's signature dish."
County Magistrate Cheng Lingxiang felt very comfortable at this moment. Zhou Xihu's attitude just now was as if he did not see him, which made him feel ashamed. He thought to himself that this Zhou Xihu was really unreasonable. So what if your uncle is a Rank Six? If I really decide your case, do you think your uncle will dare to reverse the case?
Song Jinggong was not bad. He knew who was the boss and gave money happily. He must take care of him in the future.
Zhou Xihu also realized that he was too anxious just now and forgot to greet people. His uncle had told him more than once to be respectful in front of the county magistrate. It was all because of this oil seller Song Jinggong. If it were not for him, how could he forget to talk to the county magistrate first?
Thinking of this, he looked at Song Jinggong more and more angrily. After pouring tea for the county magistrate, he impatiently asked Song Jinggong, "Young Master Song, you know what I want, right?"
"Zhou Xihu, if you still talk to me like this, I will not let you get anything." Song Jinggong's face darkened at this time.
"You, you dare to call me by my name and talk to me like this? Don't forget that there is still a patient who ate your oil lying on the bed."
Zhou Xihu suddenly stood up. In Sanshui County, he had never seen anyone who dared to talk to him like this.
Song Jinggong smiled at Weiwei. He calmly took out a piece of paper and casually threw it in front of Zhou Xihu. Zhou Xihu was dumbfounded. He did not recognize a single word written on the paper. He did not learn when he was young and did not even memorize the Thousand Character Classic.
"Uncle Cheng, help me take a look." Zhou Xihu had no choice but to hand the paper to County Magistrate Cheng Lingxiang.
Cheng Lingxiang took the paper and slowly read, "I am the person in charge of selling the oil. Because the person who pretended to be poisoned by the oil had a grudge against me, he pretended to be sick and framed me. I knew that things were not going well and I was afraid of being retaliated against, so I had to leave San Shui County and find another place to survive."
"Look, Zhou Xihu, the worker I hired at the last minute has a grudge with your person who pretended to be sick. Now, he has been scared away. You said that your brother got sick from eating too much oil, so why didn't your brother's family report it to the authorities?" Song Jinggong waited for the county magistrate to finish reading before he slowly spoke.
"Maybe your partner has a grudge against my brother, so he deliberately poisoned him." Zhou Xihu did not expect Song Jinggong to make such a false accusation, so he could only choose to reason.
"Well, it's possible. Then let your brother report it to the authorities and let the authorities issue an arrest warrant. That worker was hired at the last minute, so I don't know his background. My oil has already been sold to half of the restaurants and inns in San Shui County, as well as a few noble people's residences.
Zhou Xihu, you continue to find people to pretend to be sick. I will take away all the oil tonight. If those restaurants ask, I will tell them the truth. San Shui County's Zhou Xihu cannot be offended. I will sell the oil to other provinces. I don't know if your uncle who assists the provincial governor can still control me. "
Song Jinggong did not even look at Zhou Xihu. He looked at the autumn scenery outside the window and threatened him indirectly.
Zhou Xihu was really scared. Not only was he scared, but County Magistrate Cheng Lingxiang was also scared. He thought that when the time came, there would be so many restaurants in San Shui County, plus those noble people who were used to eating oil. If they really questioned him, it would be quite troublesome.
Zhou Xihu found that he could not use his strength. He could not report to the authorities and issue an arrest warrant. Even if he did, it would be useless. Song Jinggong had removed himself from the situation. At most, he could be considered to be a bad judge of character. If he really sold the oil to other places, how much tax would the county collect?
"How is it, Zhou Xihu? Have you thought about it?" Song Jinggong asked.
County Magistrate Cheng Lingxiang felt that the person behind Song Jinggong was indeed powerful. With this, Song Jinggong would be fine. He had taken the money, so no matter what, he had to help exonerate himself. From the ink on the paper, it seemed that it had been written long ago.
But now was not the time to talk about this. He still had to be a mediator, so it was better to talk about something else.
"Xihu, it's not that I want to scold you as an uncle. You haven't even figured out whether or not you were poisoned, and you went to find trouble with Zijin. This is not good. If it was someone else, they might have reported you to the yamen. At that time, as an uncle, it would be difficult for me to say anything.
Zhou Xihu was worried about the consequences if this matter was known by his uncle. Seeing that the county magistrate was willing to help, he did not dare to find trouble. He was afraid that the county magistrate, who had already retired, would find trouble with him if they could not eat the oil. If it was not because the oil was delicious, why would he come up with such a plan?
At this time, the only thing he could do was to not let Song Jinggong sell the oil elsewhere. He forced a smile and said, "Brother Zijin, I'm really sorry. It's all my fault that I was cheated. I was thinking, so many people eat oil together, why was only one person sick? After Zijin explained it, I understood. Please forgive me, Brother Zijin."
"Well said, well said. From this matter, I can see that Brother Zhou is also a person who values loyalty. Let's forget about the past. I see that Brother Zhou has an imposing appearance. You are definitely not an ordinary person. I have a prescription that can change the color of the sugar. If Brother Zhou is interested, I am willing to work with Brother Zhou."
Song Jinggong saw that the other party had given in. According to the young master's instructions, it was time to give benefits. As he spoke, he took out an oil paper bag from his sleeve, opened it gently and put it on the table.
"This is … sugar?" Zhou Xihu looked at the white thing in the paper. He looked at the county magistrate and asked with uncertainty. He stuck out a finger and put it in his mouth. He opened his eyes and said, "It's sweet. It's really sugar. How did you make it like this?"
"Brother Zhou is right. This is sugar. This kind of sugar has its own merits compared to the kind that I used to eat. In terms of taste, this kind of sugar is better. If you want to use it as medicine, you need to use the original kind. I wonder if Brother Zhou is willing to do this business?"
Song Jinggong asked with a smile on his face.
"I am willing, of course I am willing. This is a good business. That prescription, I did some … What is it? Brother Zijin is still willing to do business with me?"
Zhou Xihu obviously knew how much profit he could make by selling this thing. Just as he was about to agree, he remembered that he had to extort Song Jinggong. At this time, would Song Jinggong still do business with him? He regretted it in his heart.
"Brother Zhou is not right. Brother Zhou also did not know about that matter. You were deceived. I see that Brother Zhou is so righteous. In the future, you will definitely do great things. When that time comes, it will be too late for me to curry favor with you. How can I reject Brother Zhou's good intentions?" Song Jinggong said according to the young master's instructions.
Zhou Xihu was in a state of excitement. County Magistrate Cheng Lingxiang was sweating profusely. This was the true means of that person. The suppression at the beginning was just a part of it. He was able to directly attract the attention of a Rank 6 official. Even a Rank 7 County Magistrate like him was used. What a good plan.
The most frightening thing was not this. It was that that person already knew that it would be like this. Could it be that when he was selling vegetable oil, he already planned to do this? Otherwise, why didn't he set up a shop? Song Jinggong was in charge of two shops here. A hundred taels of silver was given away so easily. Why would he lack the money to buy a shop? The smaller the shop, the easier it was to be bullied.
What Cheng Lingxiang wanted the most was to see the person behind Song Jinggong. He finally saw with his own eyes what was called strategizing and winning a battle from a thousand miles away. Moreover, so many things were thought of by that person. That person must be a reclusive old man. When he had nothing to do, he would sit under a tree and sip the tea in his hands. His eyes would look into the distance, unmoving like a mountain, but moving like thunder.
Song Jinggong was also thinking about the young master's words. When the time came to show the last item, that person surnamed Zhou would look silly and the county magistrate would be restless. Unexpectedly, the young master had predicted all of this.
Zhou Xihu was indeed heartless. He did not think so much. He thought about how he would use this candy to earn big money in the future and get his parents to praise him. Especially his uncle's approval, he felt his whole body was full of energy. He grabbed some more candy and stuffed it into his mouth.
"Zijin, you tell me, how should we distribute the money?"
"Brother Zhou, you can divide it however you want. Even if you want to monopolize it, I will also give the recipe to you." Zhou Xihu asked quickly and Song Jinggong answered quickly too.
Zhou Xihu took two deep breaths. Just as he was about to speak, the county magistrate Cheng Lingxiang suddenly interrupted. "Xihu, why are you not thanking Zijin? The money from this candy will definitely not be little. Why don't we split it fifty-fifty? If you can't decide, then ask your uncle."
Cheng Lingxiang understood Zhou Xihu. He really dared to take the recipe for free and earn all the money himself. If he really did that, he could imagine the consequences. The person behind Song Jinggong would be disappointed and give up on this business. Moreover, he, the county magistrate, was here. They might give up on him too.
Yes, give up. Although he was the county magistrate, he was also afraid of being given up by that kind of person. With that kind of person, he could ask for help. If he gave up, who would he ask for help?
Song Jinggong laughed. He felt that the biggest decision in his life was to cross that bridge, even if he regretted it. He really did not know what words to use to evaluate the young master. The young master said that even if the person surnamed Zhou did not know the depth of the situation, the county magistrate would speak out to help him. What else could he ask for in life if he followed such a calculative person?
"Why is Zijin laughing?" Cheng Lingxiang wondered.
"My family's young … that person said that you will definitely do so." At this moment, Song Jinggong seemed to have changed from the inside out. His attitude was reserved and his body was straight. That kind of arrogance had penetrated from his appearance to his bones.
Zhou Xihu had no time to think about what they were talking about. He was thinking about how he would become rich in the future. He said to the county magistrate Cheng Lingxiang, "Uncle is right. I will go back now and write to my uncle."
After saying that, he turned his head and said, "Brother Zijin, I will go back first today. Tomorrow, I will invite you to the Baiwei Pavilion to drink."
After Zhou Xihu left, the dishes were served one after another. Song Jinggong picked up his chopsticks and said, "Sir, since the dishes are here, then eat. If you can't finish them, I will put them in a box and take them away. The person in Zhuangzi hates to order a bunch of dishes and not eat them."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
