Chapter 36 Cooperation

Chapter 36 Cooperation

It was still early, and the streets were bustling with people.

Xin You climbed into the carriage and headed straight for Qingsong Bookstore.

Inside the carriage, Xiaolian asked softly, "Miss, will Old Madam really give you the money to buy Qingsong Bookstore?"

Xin You smiled. "Once I stepped out that door, she had no choice but to buy it for me."

Xiaolian couldn't quite understand, but felt more at ease. She then worried about another issue: "What if they can't agree on the price, and the owner of Qingsong Bookstore doesn't want to sell?"

Xin You's smile deepened. "As long as the other party is willing to sell, there's no price that can't be negotiated. If they don't want to sell at all, there are always poorly managed shops in this vast capital city. It doesn't have to be Qingsong Bookstore."

Xiaolian sighed with relief. "Then I'm relieved."

Xin You whispered a few instructions, and Xiaolian nodded repeatedly, trying to hide her shock.

As they spoke, they arrived at Qingsong Bookstore.

Xin You stepped out of the carriage, but her first glance wasn't towards Qingsong Bookstore; instead, she looked across the street.

The crowd in front of Yaxin Bookstore had dispersed, and the shop doors were wide open, with customers coming and going occasionally.

Turning back to Qingsong Bookstore, it remained desolate, with the shopkeeper and clerks staring blankly at each other out of boredom.

"Ah, Miss, you're here again," said a clerk, surprised yet enthusiastic upon seeing Xin You.

The shopkeeper glanced discreetly at the steward following Xin You, wondering about the purpose of this second visit by the young lady who knew Lord He.

Xin You stepped aside. "This is Steward Duan from Shaoqing Mansion. He's here to discuss matters with me."

"Duan Steward," the shopkeeper bowed slightly.

The steward returned the gesture.

The shopkeeper hesitated between Xin You and the steward before asking Xin You, "May I ask what you're here to discuss?"

"This morning when I visited the bookstore, the shopkeeper mentioned that your owner intends to sell the bookstore. Coincidentally, I have plans to open a bookstore, so I consulted my elders and they sent the steward along to inquire further."

The shopkeeper was taken aback. "You want to open a bookstore?"

Xin You nodded. "Yes."

"Opening a bookstore isn't an easy task—" The shopkeeper suddenly realized he shouldn't say such things and stopped himself.

"It's not easy. But with my grandmother's support, if I do take over the bookstore, wouldn't we have experienced people like you to help?"

The shopkeeper was stunned.

Did this young lady mean that if she bought Qingsong Bookstore, everyone working here would keep their jobs?

His heart thumped hard twice.

Ever since the old owner fell ill and the young master took over, the bookstore had been on a downward spiral. After Mr. Ping'an left for Yaxin Bookstore, the losses only grew worse.

The young master had little interest in the bookstore and, after the old master's passing, only wanted to live a carefree life. He had long intended to sell Qingsong Bookstore.

Unfortunately, with the opposite bookstore flourishing, no one wanted to take on the troubled Qingsong Bookstore, or they tried to get a bargain, offering less than the value of the attached property.

The shopkeeper had feelings for the bookstore and his longtime colleagues. If a new owner were willing to take everyone on, he would be very pleased.

What he doubted was whether a young girl could run a bookstore, but hearing that she had family support seemed promising.

Perhaps the young girl just found it interesting and would eventually leave it to her family to manage once the novelty wore off.

"Our owner isn't here right now. Please wait a moment while I send someone to fetch him."

"No rush."

The shopkeeper instructed a clerk to go fetch the owner.

To avoid awkward silence during the wait, the shopkeeper engaged Xin You in conversation, noticing she wasn't keen on chatting much, so he turned to the steward.

The steward, who had been instructed to accompany the young lady without knowing the details, was happy to chat with the shopkeeper and thus didn't notice that after the clerk left, Xiaolian slipped out quietly as well.

"Little brother, where is your owner?"

The clerk was surprised to see the young maid catch up. "Why did you come out, sister?"

"Our lady has some instructions. Before our lady meets your owner, she wants me to speak with him first."

The clerk was even more puzzled.

Xiaolian skillfully handed him a piece of silver. "Little brother, please help. It's just a quick word."

"Alright. What should I call you, sister?"

"My name is Xiaolian. And how should I address you?"

"Just call me Liu Zhou, Xiaolian sister."

"Liu Zhou, has your owner mentioned how much he wants for the bookstore?"

The clerk became wary. "I'm just a clerk; how would I know these things?"

"Is your owner approachable? Is he easy to talk to?"

The clerk wiped his sweat, thinking this young maid sure could talk.

Fortunately, the place wasn't far, and soon Xiaolian met the owner of Qingsong Bookstore.

It was a young man in his early twenties, dressed in plain clothes, with a delicate appearance and a somewhat carefree demeanor.

After hearing the clerk's explanation, the young man looked at Xiaolian.

Xiaolian bowed.

"Your young lady wants to buy the bookstore?"

"Yes."

The young man was particularly direct: "Do you have the money?"

The clerk rolled his eyes discreetly.

The young master really has no attachment to the bookstore, showing it so clearly. He'll surely be haggled down hard later.

"Our young lady is sincerely interested in buying it. May I ask how much the owner wants for it?"

The young man frowned, clearly thinking it unnecessary to discuss this with a little maid.

Xiaolian quickly said, "Our young lady wanted to buy the bookstore and spent a long time convincing her elders. Today, the steward from our mansion is accompanying her. She fears she might not handle the negotiations well, so she sent me to speak with the owner first."

The clerk twitched his lips.

It's clear that this young lady who wants to buy the bookstore doesn't know how to hide her intentions. This is practically telling the seller she really wants it.

Looking at the young master, then at Xiaolian, the clerk suddenly felt calm: both sides are amateurs, it evens out.

Hearing Xiaolian's words, the young man said indifferently, "Eight thousand taels. Less than that, no deal."

Xiaolian didn't understand if this price was high or low for the bookstore, but she didn't need to; she just needed to follow her young lady's instructions.

"Eight thousand taels won't do."

The young man stopped, showing impatience: "If you think it's too expensive, there's no point wasting each other's time."

He knew few were genuinely interested in buying it. Someone had previously offered five thousand taels. Even if he wanted to get rid of this losing venture, he couldn't sell it for that.

Seeing the young man about to leave, Xiaolian hurriedly stopped him: "Please hear me out, sir."

"Go on."

Xiaolian held up two fingers.

The young man's face changed abruptly: "Two thousand taels? Is your young lady joking?"

"Misunderstanding, sir. Not two thousand taels, but twenty thousand taels."

The young man was stunned, looking at the clerk.

Did he hear wrong?

The clerk's dumbfounded expression confirmed he hadn't, and he frowned, staring at Xiaolian.

Xiaolian calmly finished: "When you meet our young lady, quote twenty thousand taels, and she will buy it. You keep ten thousand taels, and give the other ten thousand back to us."

The clerk stared in disbelief.

He had never seen anyone make such a profit from the difference!

"What do you think?"

The young man furrowed his brow even more.

An extra two thousand taels for nothing? Of course, he was willing, but the people from Shaoqing Mansion aren't fools. Would they agree to twenty thousand taels?

Hearing the young man's doubts, Xiaolian spoke confidently: "Our young lady will buy it if she wants to, it all depends on whether the owner is willing to cooperate."

The young man was silent for a moment, then smiled slightly: "Deal."