Chapter 156 Compradors collectively deceive their masters
Jia Lian walked leisurely into Baochang Pavilion.
Shopkeeper Bi of Baochang Pavilion saw Jia Lian's demeanor and attire, and did not dare to neglect him. He greeted him personally with a smile. When Xing'er said that this was the second master Lian of Rongguo Mansion, he hurriedly came to serve tea.
Jia Lian sat down and looked around, saying: "First take out the good things from the store so I can take a look."
Li Gui knew that there were three treasures in the Baochang Pavilion: red gold earrings inlaid with emerald peony beads, red gold phoenix-tail embroidered tassels holding pearl hairpins, and gold and silver two-color silk-embedded double-luan long hairpins with red jewels.
Worth a thousand taels of silver.
But who would have expected that when Mr. Lian came here for the first time, he asked for two things in one go and didn’t want the other. The reason is: he didn’t like it.
But Mr. Lian obviously didn't think it was enough, so he also picked out several pieces of unique and exquisite jewelry, each of which is worth a lot of money.
Li Gui followed behind, already dumbfounded.
My mother, is this Mr. Lian in front of me, or the living God of Wealth?
Tsk tsk, what kind of grandeur is this!
Second Master Bao is the living phoenix of Rongguo Mansion. When will he be able to live so richly?
.
Just when Shopkeeper Bi on the side thought he had been taken advantage of and was secretly overjoyed, Mr. Lian put down the tea bowl in his hand and spoke:
"Li Gui, go and talk to Shopkeeper Bi about the price.
Don’t let others suffer, and don’t let others laugh at me for being a big mistake.”
Li Gui was caught off guard and was stunned.
Xing'er had been waiting to watch the excitement, and now he poked Li Gui from the side:
"Why are you here? Don't you just want to show off in front of our Second Master Lian?
Second Master, this is giving you a chance to see what you are capable of."
Jia Lian glared at Xing'er:
"Talk too much!"
Xing'er stuck out his tongue, turned around and secretly smiled at Jia Lian.
.
Li Gui is not a fool, and he immediately understands that this second master Lian is not easy to fool. If you don't let him understand that you are indeed valuable, he will definitely ignore the rabbit and the hawk.
Li Gui showed his arms and rolled up his sleeves in his mind, thinking:
Shopkeeper Bi, I have to show you what I am capable of today.
So, Li Gui first got closer, then brought out several famous silver and jewelry shops in the capital for comparison, and then played hard to get. After several rounds, the total price was reduced from 3,200 taels of silver to 2,000 taels of silver. Mr. Lian agreed with the price of two thousand taels, so he directly put down the banknote.
Shopkeeper Bi was collecting the cash, telling his waiters to quickly pack the brocade boxes, and bowing to Jia Lian:
"Second Master Lian will come here often from now on. Whether you buy something or not, it will make the shop shine."
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After leaving Baochang Pavilion, Jia Lian told Xing'er to take these brocade boxes into his study and give them to Qingwen to put away.
After that, Jia Lian strolled along the street, and Li Gui followed him, full of hope and anxiety.
After strolling into the Chenghuang Temple on East Street, Jia Lian suddenly stopped and turned around to ask Li Gui:
"Do you want to change to a better job?"
Li Guileng suddenly asked Jia Lian such a straightforward question. He was stunned for a moment, and then he said calmly after a while:
"Yes...I think about it..."
Jia Lian frowned:
"Tell me the truth, you dare to come to me and don't dare to tell the truth?"
Li Gui knelt on the ground and kowtowed:
"Although I am not literate, I am not stupid. I have been serving Master Bao for eight years. I am loyal, but I have not made any progress.
I just want to ask Mr. Lian if you can give me a chance to learn more and do more things. I can’t say I’m not greedy for money, but I’m definitely more decent than them.”
Jia Lian smiled after hearing what he said honestly:
"Good boy, get up."
When Li Gui got up, Jia Lian said again:
"Since you asked me directly, Mr. Lian, I will answer you directly.
If you want a chance, I can give it to you, but not now.
I want you to do something here, and if you do it well, your future will be bright."
When Li Gui heard this, he thought:
Good guy, it turns out it was just a small test, and there will be a big one later.
So he knelt on the ground with another "dong" sound, and kowtowed three more times:
"But according to the instructions of Second Master Lian, the little ones go into water and into fire.
The city gods here are all watching. If you are not loyal at all and don’t do your best, you will be struck by lightning."
Jia Lian waved his hand and said:
"It's not like I'm asking you to kill people or set fire to something like water or fire.
Get up and follow me from now on. Just obey the rules and avoid the red tape."
Li Gui secretly breathed a sigh of relief: It's okay, just don't kill people and set fires.
.
Jia Lian had heard from Xing'er before that although Li Gui was Baoyu's nanny, he was not in line with Baoyu's wishes because he was several years older than Baoyu and had a dull personality.
Unless ordered by Jia Mu, Baoyu would only take Mingyan with him when he went out, and Mingyan would usually take the lead in giving orders to the servants. This made Li Guiwo, the oldest of Baoyu's eight servants, worried for a long time, but he was helpless.<
/p>
Originally, Jia Lian's previous plan still needed someone to snoop out the rumors, but this time it was just right.
So I deliberately asked:
"I heard that Mingyan's two cousins are both buyers?"
"Yes, he has two cousins. One is from the second master's side, named Dezhong, and the other is from the old lady's side, named Shunzi."
"They are on the same vine, and you are the only one. I just sent you over to do the purchasing, and you were the one who was squeezed and plotted.
I will be away for a few months. During these months, you can try to get evidence of the comprador's misdeeds.
When I come back and pull out their vines, you will be able to do your work."
When Li Gui heard this, he almost jumped for joy:
Great! Let’s pack up the Mingyan group first, and then go shopping. This is a good job that relieves anger and is affordable!
He hurriedly wanted to kneel down again, but Jia Lian stopped him:
"Wait a minute, we have to say something ugly first:
Same thing, don't be sloppy when doing things with me. If you treat me like a fool, don't blame me for being ruthless.
Secondly, don’t talk nonsense to anyone about what I’ve told you. If you let me know about it, you’ve failed me.
You can agree and do my thing again. If you can't do it, regret it now and save everyone trouble."
Li Gui repeatedly swore to heaven that he would only obey Jia Lian's orders.
Jia Lian said again:
"When Mingyan is by Baoyu's side, there will inevitably be times when she becomes a monster. You have clearly remembered it. I will ask you later."
Li Guigui nodded politely:
"Second Master, from now on, I will keep in mind everything that happens around me. Whatever you ask me, I will answer whatever you ask me. If I conceal anything or leak anything, I will die badly."
After a pause, he said again:
"I thought there was something unusual, so I told the second master. Anyway, the little one has the eyes and ears of the second master."
Jia Lian was very satisfied. He took out a stack of banknotes, took out one fifty taels and handed it to Li Gui. Li Gui was surprised and happy, took it with both hands, knelt down and kowtowed.
Jia Lian said:
"Those who follow me will be rewarded by me and I will not treat them unfairly.
But there is a rule: you are not allowed to make money behind my back, do you remember?"
Li Guilian said "remember".
Just as he was walking to the entrance of the Chenghuang Temple, Jia Lian said, "Go back." He got on his horse and walked away.