A family with three widows, after severing ties with relatives, she became wealthy and married into

Chapter 239 It would be better to befriend the second girl.

Tian Tian looked at Zhu Qian and suddenly realized that he could easily change the magistrate of Wan County's attitude...

"Okay, then I'll leave it to you."

She looked at him with great trust.

Zhu Qian was also very grateful.

"Don't worry, young lady, I'll take care of it right away."

After saying that, Zhu Qian left without making any requests to Tian Tian.

Qian Fulai followed suspiciously to the door, "He..."

"Can he really do it?" He walked back to Tian Tian's side in disbelief, but pointed in the direction Zhu Qian had left.

Tian Tian shrugged, "Since you're not good enough anyway, what's wrong with letting him give it a try?"

Despite saying that, she actually trusted Zhu Qian to some extent.

Qian Fulai pointed to himself, raising his eyebrows dramatically, "I can't do it?"

"If I can't... then why does Miss Rong have to be with me?"

Tian Tian glanced at him.

Qian Fulai smiled shamelessly, but in reality, he was constantly observing Tian Tian's expression.

However, Tian Tian's expression didn't show the slightest hint of jealousy, contrary to his expectations...

Qian Fulai felt disappointed, and his smile became slightly stiff.

*

Zhu Qian went directly to the Rong family's residence, where he was stopped by the gatekeeper.

"Who goes there? Do you have a visiting card?"

Zhu Qian said frankly, "I am the manager of Qian Fulai, the owner of Fulai Restaurant in Baishi County. My surname is Zhu. I request an audience with Miss Rong."

Upon hearing this, the gatekeeper looked Zhu Qian up and down, "Master Qian's steward?"

"That's right." Zhu Qian continued, "The owner asked me to come and discuss the purchase of the shop with Miss Rong. Please inform him."

Upon hearing this, the gatekeeper dared not be negligent.

"Manager Zhu, please wait a moment."

A short while later, the gatekeeper came and led Zhu Qian inside.

Zhu Qian waited in the side room for only a short while before Miss Rong arrived, and she even used a gauze screen to shield herself from view.

"Is this the steward of the Qian family?" Miss Rong's voice came from behind the gauze screen.

Zhu Qian stood up. "Zhu Qian greets Miss Rong. I am the manager of Master Qian's household, but... not quite."

Miss Rong tilted her head slightly, her voice displeased, "What do you mean?"

"Actually, I am the steward of Miss Tian Er," Zhu Qian revealed his true identity.

Miss Rong frowned. "Miss Tian the Second? Who is that?"

“It’s the girl you saw with Master Qian,” Zhu Qian said.

"That ugly girl? You're her housekeeper? What did she send you to tell me?" Miss Rong didn't take Tian Tian seriously, her tone lazy and casual.

Zhu Qian cut to the chase, "It concerns Miss Rong's request for Qian Dongjia to marry into the Rong family."

Miss Rong's voice immediately became impatient, "What does my want for Qian Fulai to marry into the Rong family have to do with your Miss Tian Er?"

"Is she afraid she won't be able to get married? Is she going to marry Qian Fulai too?!"

Zhu Qian didn't answer her question at all, but instead pointed out Miss Rong's thoughts directly.

"Miss Rong wants Mr. Qian to marry into the Rong family, simply because she believes that the Qian family's Fulai Restaurant is doing very well, with novel and unique dishes, and now they're planning to open a branch..."

"So...Master Qian must be a business genius."

"With him, perhaps the Rong family's assets can be managed even better..."

Miss Rong slightly raised her chin and arched her eyebrows; Zhu Qian had guessed correctly.

The Rong family owns dozens of shops and thousands of acres of land, but these are all family assets passed down from their ancestors.

In fact, no one in the Rong family has been good at business since her grandfather's generation.

They relied entirely on collecting rent from shops and land...

Although they could barely maintain the family's extravagant lifestyle, it was not a long-term solution.

But when her grandfather passed away, all he wanted to do was make the Rong family bigger and stronger.

Unfortunately, neither her father nor she were cut out for business.

That's why she had the idea of ​​finding a son-in-law to live with her.

Later, I heard that Qian Fulai was looking for a shop to open a restaurant, and it was a branch.

She then sent someone to Baishi County to inquire about it.

Just as Zhu Qian said, they took a liking to Qian Fulai.

"What a pity," Zhu Qian said firmly.

Miss Rong gripped the armrests of the chair tightly. "What's the pity?"

"Unfortunately, the credit for Fulai Restaurant's current success does not lie with Qian Fulai, but with my second daughter."

“Miss Rong, instead of forcing Qian Fulai to marry into the family, you might as well befriend my second daughter.”

"Perhaps it will be more likely to fulfill your wishes."

Miss Rong turned her head to look at the person next to her.

She clearly sent people to Baishi County to investigate, and Fulai Restaurant is a property of the Qian family.

Since Qian Fulai, the young master, took over, Fulai Restaurant's business has been booming.

It is still the best restaurant in Baishi County.

"Miss Rong, it takes time to investigate a person's background. Don't be fooled by appearances," Zhu Qian reminded her.

"If Miss Rong has any doubts about what I said, why not send someone to Baishi County to investigate thoroughly?"

He didn't know how long it took Miss Rong's people to arrive, but when he went to Baishi County to investigate, it took him half a month.

He had visited all of Tian Er's fields and properties.

I've also been to Fulai Restaurant, of course.

Starting with the bean curd skin that boosted the business of Fulai Restaurant, Qian Fulai began doing business with Tian Er Guniang.

If he wasn't mistaken, the reason why Miss Tian was helping Qian Fulai so much was also related to the fried bean curd skin.

At that time, Chu Xing Restaurant and the Tian family had a feud, and Baiwei Restaurant looked down on You Doupi. Only Qian Fulai helped them, allowing the Tian family to earn their first sum of money.

Tian Er was grateful for Qian Fulai's appreciation and continued to help him expand Fulai Restaurant. Later, she even recognized the Qian family manager and his wife as her godparents.

It was precisely because of Miss Tian's character that Zhu Qian came to the decision to follow her.

"I have said all I have to say. I hope Miss Rong will think it over carefully. Farewell."

As soon as Zhu Qian left, Miss Rong immediately sent someone to Baishi County to inquire, the key being to verify whether what Zhu Qian had said was true.

"Yan'er." Rong Jie, the patriarch of the Rong family, came looking for her. "Yan'er."

Rong Yan'er responded, "Father, I'm here."

"Yan'er, hurry, I've found out!" Rong Jie said anxiously.

"What did you find out?" Rong Yan'er came out.

"I found out where the girl who grows high-yield rice lives."

"Really?" Rong Yan'er exclaimed in surprise. "Then shall we go visit her right away?"

"Let's go, let's go right now." Rong Jie grabbed Rong Yan'er's hand. "Father has already had a carriage prepared."

*

The Rong family's carriage arrived at Song'an Inn. Upon alighting from the carriage and seeing the inn, Rong Yan'er was somewhat surprised.

Isn't this the inn where Qian Fulai is staying temporarily?

Does that girl live here too?

Rong Jie approached the counter alone. "Young man, may I ask which room Miss Tian Er is staying in? I have some business to attend to."

"Master Rong?" The waiter recognized him and immediately told him, "It's the yellow shop on the second floor."

"Yan'er." Only after receiving the answer did Rong Jie wave to Rong Yan'er.

Rong Yan'er stepped forward and said, "I found out."

"We've found out. Let's go upstairs."

The father and daughter arrived at the door of Tian Tian's room.

Rong Jie gently knocked on the door frame. "Miss Tian Er, I am Rong Jie from Songxi County. I have something I would like to discuss with you. Please take the time to meet me."

Rong Yan'er was taken aback. "Father, who are you calling?"

“Miss Tian Er,” Rong Jie replied softly, “Miss Tian Er from Baishi County.”

Didn't I tell you?

Rong Yan'er's eyes widened. "When did you tell me that?"

bang——

The door opened in front of the father and daughter.

The two turned their heads, and Rongjie said, "Second Miss Tian."

Rong Yan'er looked over and, to her surprise, the girl who had previously looked down on her was indeed the one who opened the door.

How could it be her?

She was the one her father pinned his hopes on.

The Rong family owned several thousand acres of land, which they used to rent out to others to cultivate.

After hearing about high-yield rice varieties, Rongjie thought... why not grow them himself?

The grain grown can be sold for more money than the rent.

However, the county magistrate said that the rice seedlings were limited this time, and the people could only be given priority to plant them.

As for the Rong family, they would only allow him to cultivate five mu of land at most.

But that's not enough.

That's why Rongjie thought of discussing with Miss Tian Er about spending some money to buy some rice seedlings.

"Miss Tian, ​​hello, I am Rong Jie. I have several thousand acres of land in Songxi County, and I would like to buy some rice seedlings from you..." Rong Jie rambled on about his purpose.

As Tian Tian listened to his words, her eyes were fixed on Rong Yan'er.

"Miss Rong?"

Didn't Zhu Qian go to find her?

How did she end up here?

"Ugly..." Rong Yan'er was about to blurt it out, but stopped herself in time. "Second Miss Tian."

Tian Tian smiled and said, "Come in and let's talk."

She stepped aside to let the father and daughter in.

Empress Li was also in the room.

Rong Jie and Rong Yan'er sat down...

Tian Tian sat opposite them. "Master Rong, I remember that your land was registered at the county government office?"

"It was registered, but only five mu were registered."

Rongjie held up a few fingers, "And my family has... three thousand acres of land."

Five mu of land is indeed insignificant compared to three thousand mu.

Tian Tian's eyes darted around...

She is currently buying land in various places, and Zhang Fusheng is traveling around everywhere.

I wrote to her before, saying that there isn't much land in Songxi County, and it's not contiguous.

Because the shop in Songxi County had not yet been settled, and she had bought a lot of land in other places, she didn't pay attention to it for the time being.

Tian Tian glanced at Rong Yan'er, causing Rong Yan'er to widen her eyes warily.

“I would like to help Master Rong, but cultivating seedlings takes time, and that time... has already passed.”

Rongjie hurriedly asked, "Can't we start raising seedlings now?"

"Farming should follow the twenty-four solar terms. We've already missed the Spring Equinox and are approaching Grain Rain, so it's not suitable to plant rice now," Tian Tian said.

Rong Yan'er's lips pursed slightly.

"Not suitable" is clearly just an excuse.

It's because of Qian Fulai!

Rong Yan'er glanced at Tian Tian, ​​thinking about Zhu Qian's words...

If you want the Rong family's business to prosper, you should befriend Miss Tian.

How much of this statement is true or false?

Well, she couldn't afford to offend this Miss Tian any further until the people she sent out returned.

“Second Miss, we have come with sincere intentions…” Rong Jie also felt that Tian Tian was making excuses. “Please, Miss… give us a chance.”

Tian Tian hesitated...

Seeing this, Rong Yan'er assumed that she was not speaking because she had not expressed her opinion.

So she cleared her throat and said hesitantly, "Yes, Miss Tian, ​​about that high-yield rice variety... just name a price."

Tian Tian raised her eyes, her expression calm. "Miss Rong, I've already made myself very clear. Now is not the right time to cultivate rice seedlings."

Rong Yan'er pouted, wanting to say something, but ultimately held it back.

Upon hearing this, Rong Jie felt flustered and confused.

If he can't grow a high-yield rice crop this year, then...won't all his land be left to lie fallow?

"Miss Tian, ​​is there... any other way?"

"I have so much land, I can't let it go to waste," Tian Tian thought to herself. Of course, she couldn't let so much land go to waste.

She couldn't bear to let the land go to waste.

But that land belongs to the Rong family... She needs to think carefully about how to maximize her profits.

"Master Rong, please allow me to think this over carefully..."

Rong Yan'er had been observing Tian Tian's expression. She had been convinced that Tian Tian was deceiving her father.

But now, upon closer inspection, she realized that Tian Tian was genuinely deep in thought.

Rong Yan'er couldn't help but frown. This Miss Tian... was genuinely trying to find a solution; she wasn't just trying to fool them...

Doesn't Miss Tian mind that she doesn't allow others to sell the shop?

Is she really... that magnanimous?

Rong Yan'er thought for a moment...

She grows high-yield rice and gives it away to the people free of charge... she must be a girl with a broad vision.

Rong Yan'er bit her lower lip, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

If it were her, she really couldn't do it.

If people don't do it for themselves, heaven and earth will destroy them.

And her previous behavior... compared to Tian Er Guniang, it was really childish and unreasonable.

"that..."

Just as she was about to speak, Rong Jie pulled her, "Yan'er, let's go back first."

Rong Yan'er told Rong Jie to go out first.

She stayed behind and curtsied to Tian Tian, ​​saying, "Second Miss Tian."

"I'm so sorry for speaking rudely to you before."

"I hope Miss Tian can forgive me."

Tian Tian raised an eyebrow in surprise, her mouth slightly open.

Is Rong Yan'er afraid that she won't find a solution for Rong Jie?

But her expression didn't seem to suggest that; on the contrary, she seemed to be apologizing very sincerely.

What exactly did Zhu Qian say to her?

What changed her so much?

"I...I sincerely apologize..." Rong Yan'er lowered her head shyly, looking up at her with slightly raised eyes, "It's not for any other reason..."

After saying that, Rong Yan'er turned and left.

Zhu Qian arrived late, after the Rong family father and daughter had left.

Tian Tian told him about Rong Yan'er's apology, "What did you say to her?"

Zhu Qian repeated what he had said to Rong Yan'er, "That's all."

"That doesn't make sense. How could she have figured it out so quickly?"

Zhu Qian thought for a moment and said confidently, "Miss, I don't think she changed her mind because of what I said."

"Perhaps it's because..."

"She knew that the girl had given away her rice seeds without compensation."

Tian Tian had some doubts about that arrogant Rong Yan'er...

Zhu Qian cupped his hands in greeting, "On my way to and from the Rong residence, I asked quite a few people..."

He walked back, which was slower than the Rong family father and daughter taking a carriage, but he also inquired about some things along the way.

"They all say that Miss Rong is spoiled by Master Rong and has a bad temper, but she is still a kind person."

“When they rent out their shops and land, they often reduce the rent because the tenants have cash flow problems.”

"Miss Rong must be looking for someone to revitalize these shops and fields, which is why she has her eye on Mr. Qian."

Empress Li looked at Zhu Qian with admiration, saying, "Steward Zhu is quite thorough in his work."

On the way there and back, they thoroughly investigated the Rong family's situation.

It was precisely because he knew the Rong family's character and weaknesses that he was able to grasp the key points and strike the right target.

"According to Steward Zhu, is this Miss Rong worth befriending?" Tian Tian asked.

Zhu Qian nodded, "Although Miss Rong and the young lady have some misunderstandings, judging from her attitude towards the tenants, she is someone worth befriending."