Chapter 20: Chapter 20: Father Qin Caught in the Middle
Ever since Uncle Zhao joined Fortune Mansion and got promotion after promotion, their family had benefited a lot from it.
Now, Qin Dazhuang was even delivering pork to Fortune Mansion on a daily basis.
When Qin Dazhuang heard this, he paused for a while.
Then, he looked at the Chinese yam in the bowl and nodded.
"Deal! This Chinese yam is good stuff and tastes good. If Fortune Mansion buys it and lets the customers eat something fresh, we can probably make some money."
After some thought, Qin Dazhuang added. "Other than the Chinese yam, your Uncle Zhao is also in charge of buying some other things for the back kitchen."
"I'll talk to him again. If you have anything else you can sell in the future, see if you can send it to him."
"By the way, you should be mentally prepared for the price."
"You also know your Uncle Zhao's character. We can ask him for help, but he doesn't like those gimmicks."
This old buddy of his was an honest man above all else.
The owner of Fortune Mansion saw this virtue in him and promoted him all the way to the position of the kitchen's purchasing manager.
It was one thing for them to benefit from this, but they couldn't drag their brother down with them.
"I know. I don't expect it to be higher than the market price. Just a little lower than the market price is fine. After all, it's a waste of time to physically set up a stall to sell things, and there's no guarantee that we may be able to sell them."
As expected of her biological father, he was worried about what she was worried about and always thought for her.
If the deal with Uncle Zhao could go through, and they could sell all the Chinese yam to him, she could still find other things to sell.
There was no capital investment for the things in the mountains. If she worked a little harder, she could always earn some silver.
Qin Dazhuang looked at his daughter beaming happily and sighed.
If he had known that his daughter would end up like this after marrying into the Song family, he would not have agreed when his daughter asked to borrow money from him to scheme against Eldest Son Song.
Now… now that things had come to this, he could only help her out.
Fortunately, his daughter seemed to have become more sensible this time. This was considered a relief.
The father and daughter chatted until the meat stall was almost out of meat. Qin Dazhuang then closed the stall.
Qin Xiaoyao diligently helped to pack up, then followed Qin Dazhuang home.
They talked and laughed all the way to the entrance of the Qin family's courtyard dwelling. Qin Dazhuang suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"Why don't you just wait outside?" He said to his daughter in embarrassment.
It was because they had a big argument yesterday morning. He was afraid that his wife would fight with his daughter the moment she appeared.
His wife had just confirmed that she was pregnant, and he was worried that if they made a fuss like this, the unborn child would be in trouble.
"Okay!" Qin Xiaoyao agreed readily and didn't make things difficult for her father.
Qin Dazhuang, on the other hand, saw that his daughter was so cooperative and looked at her with a touch of gratitude in his eyes.
After that, Qin Dazhuang entered the house.
When he went in, he also took Qin Xiaoyao's backpack with him.
After that, Qin Xiaoyao didn't wait for long at the door before she heard a roar from inside.
"Ten taels? Even if you sell me, I won't be worth ten taels!"
"You only care about that girl! You want to give her everything in the house and let her empty it, right?"
"…"
"You're bought over by that little thing? If it were me, I would also trade ten taels of silver for that!"
"If she's your daughter, then what about us? Can't you think for us mother and son?"
"Boo-hoo-hoo! I don't agree! Qin Dazhuang, if you dare to lend her the money, I… I will not let you off!"
"…"
Even Qin Xiaoyao, who was standing at the door, felt her heart twist up as she listened.
Fortunately, few people passed by this place at this time. Otherwise, she was afraid she would have to dig a hole in the ground to hide.
At this moment, Qin Xiaoyao had also made up her mind.
She had to hurry up and get some money when she got back so that she could return the money she had borrowed from her father as soon as possible.
The matter of borrowing money today had indeed caused trouble for her father.
She waited for another fifteen minutes.
Qin Dazhuang finally came out.
He was carrying Qin Xiaoyao's backpack on his back, and he looked a little pathetic.
Qin Dazhuang scratched his head in embarrassment when he saw his daughter looking at him worriedly.
"Don't hold it against your aunt. She's just worried..."
Qin Dazhuang didn't finish his sentence.
What was there to worry about? Naturally, he was worried that his daughter would not return the money.
Ten taels of silver was not a small sum. Now that his wife was pregnant with a child, it was understandable that he was not at ease.
Qin Xiaoyao smiled at Qin Dazhuang to comfort him.
"Father, I understand," she said in embarrassment.
"It is I who have caused trouble for Father." She added after a while.
Qin Dazhuang's expression changed.
"What trouble are you talking about? You're my daughter. How can I not help you if you encounter problems?" he immediately said.
When he saw his daughter looking at him with a touched expression, a hint of embarrassment flashed across Qin Dazhuang's face.
"Don't worry. Your Aunt has already agreed to lend you the silver."
Qin Xiaoyao's face lit up.
"But…" Qin Dazhuang suddenly stopped.
"But what?" Qin Xiaoyao asked.
"But I can only send you the silver in the afternoon," Qin Dazhuang said.
When he saw his daughter's stunned expression, Qin Dazhuang quickly explained, "Your aunt's intention is for your Big Brother to accompany me to the Song family in the afternoon to take a look. If…"
"Sigh! If Eldest Son Song's injuries are really that serious, I'll lend the money! Also, she said that Eldest Son Song would be the one to write the IOU."
Seeing the confusion on Qin Xiaoyao's face, Qin Dazhuang continued. "I guess what your aunt said is not unreasonable."
"This silver was lent to Eldest Son Song to treat his injuries, so he should be the one to write the IOU."
"Also, that kid has always had a problem with you. He can't see your efforts. This time, it's time to let him know how good you are to him." At this point, Qin Dazhuang looked at his daughter with a touch of heartache.
Qin Xiaoyao felt a warm sensation in her heart again.
Just as she was about to agree, Qin Dazhuang added, "By the way, I'll go look for your Uncle Zhao later to talk to him about buying your Chinese yam."
"If we can come to an agreement, I'll go to the Song family's house in the afternoon. I can give you an answer then."
Six to seven hundred catties of Chinese yam, even if it was sold for four copper coins, would only bring in two to three taels of silver. Nonetheless, it could more or less relieve some of the pressure on his daughter.
Qin Xiaoyao nodded hurriedly.
"Okay! Then I'll have to trouble Father to make this trip."
"Oh, yes. I have to tell you how to process the Chinese yam. It is best to avoid touching its skin when peeling it. This thing is like taro, and your skin will itch if you touch it for a long time."
Qin Dazhuang nodded.
"Alright, I'll let your Uncle Zhao know!"
After that, Qin Dazhuang handed the backpack to Qin Xiaoyao.
Qin Xiaoyao took it and immediately felt that there was something inside.
Seeing that Qin Dazhuang had placed a lotus leaf to cover the backpack, Qin Xiaoyao was ready to open it.
Qin Dazhuang stopped her before she could open it.
"It's getting late, so Father won't keep you for lunch. Go home quickly. Doctor Li still has to go to your house in the afternoon."
"Alright." Qin Xiaoyao guessed something but didn't insist.
She turned around, took the bamboo backpack on her back, and bade farewell to her father before leaving.
Qin Xiaoyao didn't put down the backpack until she had walked out of the alley and turned around to check that there was no one behind her.
Finally, she flipped open the lotus leaf and saw what was inside.