Saving System: Calm Down, My Fleeing Host!-Chapter 224: The Current Situation in Lijiang
Cheng Xiaoxiao was puzzled, but she didn’t ask directly as it would be impolite, so she silently ate the meat. After all, the fish dishes were quite good.
"Seems like Miss Di really loves eating fish!" Old Sir Bai teased with a smile.
Everyone ate gracefully and didn’t lose composure even though they hadn’t had such good food for a long time.
However, they did eat their food quite quickly.
Cheng Xiaoxiao shyly used a handkerchief to dab at the corner of her mouth and smiled, "I hope Grandpa Bai won’t laugh at me."
"Haha! What’s there to laugh at? Our family never lacks fish, Miss Di. Feel free to eat, and tomorrow I’ll have the cook prepare other flavors."
"Really? That’s great!" Cheng Xiaoxiao was just pleased and then realized her blunder, lowering her head with a shy murmur.
Old Sir Bai was very happy, thinking this child is genuine! She may not have the gentle demeanor of a young lady, but she’s free-spirited, straightforward, and not overly concerned with minor details. No wonder she’s so righteous, a kind girl with a warm heart.
"Hmm, when Grandpa Bai speaks, he means it."
After saying this, he gave the butler a look.
"Yes, master." The butler received the order and kept it in mind.
"Brother Bai, my granddaughter has been wild since childhood, too headstrong and competitive. I hope you can bear with her."
"Not at all, I find Miss Di to be candid and righteous, kind-hearted and generous, a wonderful girl, unlike my troublesome boys, each giving me worry."
"Brother Bai, you can’t say that much..."
The mutual compliments between businessmen began, leaving Cheng Xiaoxiao with nothing to do but find an excuse to slip away.
As soon as she stepped out the door, a cold wind hit her; the temperature at noon outside was about ten degrees or so, and in the morning and evening, it might be only four or five degrees, or even lower.
It’s not even November yet, and it’s already so cold. Who knows how cold it’ll get later?
Without air conditioning, it’s going to be tough!
What a worry!
In the evening, Cheng Xiaoxiao was digesting her food in the garden, listening to the system’s complaints about how the Bai family’s young master was being punished in the ancestral hall now.
If they hadn’t helped, the Bai family’s docks would still be in danger, and the damage to their reputation would seriously affect business at all their shops, so Old Sir Bai was in the ancestral hall lecturing them now.
Bai Qiuyi knelt before the ancestor’s tablet, bowing his head in repentance, while the Bai Family Head and Second Master stood by listening.
Actually, the Bai family’s lineage isn’t complicated: Old Sir Bai has three sons and a daughter.
The eldest is Bai Qiuyi’s father, Bai Lian, the current family head, with two sons and a daughter; the second, Bai Zheng, has a son and daughter; the third, a concubine-born Bai Xiao, has two sons and two daughters.
Among the Bai family, strict hierarchy is maintained between legitimate and illegitimate children, with no drama of illegitimate children dominating or plotting against the legitimate ones.
The third son has little say, primarily managing two farms, and the family usually lives there, only returning to the ancestral home when necessary.
But the Bai family’s daughter is quite incompetent, with a poor character and married to a useless scholar, often returning to her maiden home to live off her family.
Old Sir Bai wore a worried expression in the ancestral hall; times were getting harder, not to mention the Wang family’s suppression, and even the harvest from the farms was poor this year.
Adding to that, business in the shops wasn’t doing well, and the household was cutting back on expenses, making this winter likely to be a tough one.
"What do you all think of the Di family?"
The Bai family’s Second Master said excitedly, "Father, they’re wealthy people, we should curry favor with them. Maybe the Bai family can rely on them to turn things around."
The Bai Family Head disagreed, "Second brother, don’t be so naive. We’ve only just met them, and we don’t know much about them. How can we make such a decision based on a single impression?"
Old Sir Bai also sighed, "The eldest is right, we shouldn’t harm others, but we must be cautious. Let’s observe them for a couple of days; if we have similar interests, then making a decision won’t be too late."
The system complained, "Host, it seems the Bai family is wary of you. We helped them a lot today, yet they act like ungrateful wolves."
"It’s human nature, suspicion is normal. Even friendships spanning decades can fall apart, let alone a stranger met just a day ago."
The saying goes ’you can know a person’s face but not their heart’; it’s not surprising. I don’t expect to gain their trust in one go. Businessmen prioritize profit; where there’s gain, things happen naturally, and it has nothing to do with personal feelings."
To quickly obtain proof and guarantee documents, it’d be best to change household registration; otherwise, she’d be restricted everywhere she goes.
The next morning, after breakfast, Bai Qiuyi took the young masters of the Di family to stroll down the bustling and lively streets.
Bai Qiuyi assumed he would be accompanied by Miss Di, but only the two young masters and a junior steward came, along with four little servants trailing behind.
He was disappointed inwardly but didn’t show it on his face.
He maintained a professional smile as he led them out the door.
The Bai family owns five shops in town, besides a fish market stall, there’s a grocery store, a teahouse, and a bookstore.
The worst business is the tavern, running at a loss every month, almost unable to sustain and on the verge of closing.
These are not profitable industries, incomparable to the earnings from restaurants, brothels, and gambling houses, which is why the Bai family’s fortunes have declined with each generation compared to the Wang family.
Engaging in legitimate business can’t compete with the ones that reap huge profits.
And since the Wang family built connections with the county magistrate, they’ve dipped a finger into every lucrative trade, and as they reaped rewards, their ambitions grew.
Along the way, Bai Qiuyi introduced the two young masters to the local specialties, cultural sights, and covered details about food, clothing, housing, and transportation completely.
Disguised as a servant, Cheng Xiaoxiao followed behind, glancing around, observing the diverse array of products on both sides of the street. There were all sorts of things being sold. If it weren’t for her different identity now, she would have already dashed out to explore the many curious and unusual things, some she’d only seen on TV, some that were completely new to her.
Due to the age gap, Hu Yixiu and Hu Eryang maintained their composure, leading to rather sparse conversations. Only when they came across something the two young masters liked would Bai Qiuyi buy it for them.
Having left home early in the morning, they shopped for most of the day, ate lunch, and only returned around three or four in the afternoon.
Bai Qiuyi’s thoughts kept returning to someone, yet he failed to notice they were right beside him. After escorting the two young masters back home, he began inquiring the steward about Miss Di’s whereabouts.
Hu Yixiu and Hu Eryang, who hadn’t gone far, held back their laughter.
"You two boys itching for a beating, huh!" Cheng Xiaoxiao said as she made a move.
"We don’t dare!" The two quickly dashed ahead.
Laughing and chatting, they ran off, leaving behind a bewildered little servant leading the way.
Cheng Xiaoxiao had a rough grasp of Lijiang County’s current state. The common folks barely made ends meet, and most trade by traveling merchants involved aquatic products. The Aristocratic Families were content with their wealth, but collusion between officials and merchants caused imported goods to be not only expensive but in high demand.
Such goods were mainly controlled by influential families, leaving commoners with no share. Only two or three types of vegetables could be planted, mostly in spring. Hence, in this season, the dining tables of common people seldom saw any green vegetables.
