Having the new boss hire him as the manager was even more impossible. He had been running the shop for more than 30 years. The fact that he had to sell the shop showed his incompetence. Who would allow him to continue running the shop then?
That was why he had been hesitating about selling the shop, but he was in urgent need of money, so he had no choice.
Perhaps good things came to good people. Before the shopkeeper put up the sale sign, Lin Yuelan arrived and blessed him with all the gifts.
The shopkeeper said with disbelief, “Miss Lin, are you telling the truth?”
Lin Yuelan nodded seriously. “I always keep my word. I never lie! As long as you work hard, I will not mistreat you. Otherwise…” Lin Yuelan’s tone suddenly changed as she warned them in a sonorous and sharp voice, “Even if you just betray me once, I’ll make you wish that you were dead!”
The shopkeeper was so excited that he almost knelt down. “Miss Lin, please accept my gratitude!” Immediately after, his expression became extremely serious, and he promised, “I, Li Huaisheng, will never betray you. Otherwise, I will be struck by lightning, and my family will all perish with me!”
He wanted to continue to be a shopkeeper. Other than emotional reasons, there was also a practical one. He was in the dusk of his life. He needed a job to support his family. After all, his savings had been exhausted to treat his wife’s illness. He had no money left. Lin Yuelan saved him and his family. It was a timely help too.
Therefore, he was very grateful.
He might never be able to repay such favor in his entire life. Betraying Lin Yuelan was simply an act of ingratitude, and he would be struck by lightning.
Therefore, he took this oath very seriously. He had implicated his whole family in it! In ancient times, such an oath was very serious. Not many would dare to make oaths like that.
Lin Yuelan immediately helped him up, then said to Li Huaisheng very seriously, “Manager Li, you need to get up first. I believe you!”
Li Huaisheng looked at Lin Yuelan with gratitude and said, “thank you, miss Lin!”
Then, Lin Yuelan took out five banknotes from the cloth bag. Four of them were for 100 taels of silver, and one was 50 taels of silver. She then took out two gold ingots and ten pieces of silver and handed them to Li Huaisheng, saying, “Shopkeeper Li, this is 660 taels of silver and ten pieces of silver.”
Li Huaisheng was a little stunned, but he quickly reacted and said, “miss Lin, you’re overpaying. It’s four hundred taels of silver, not six hundred and sixty taels of silver.”
Lin Yuelan shook her head and said, “that’s right. You gave me the shop for four hundred taels of silver. However, I want to update the shop. I need a creative and new business model.
“Then, I need you to order a batch of beautiful and fresh fabric. I will design the clothes, and you just need to find a good tailor and seamstress.
“Third, I’ll need to hire two more assistants.”
The renovation, restocking, and hiring people all required money. After deducting the 400 taels of silver for the transfer of ownership, the remaining 200 taels of silver was not much.
“In addition, these ten taels of silver are the money for the clothes I want to buy today. I need fifteen sets of clothes for five people. As for the sizes, Little Twelve will tell you. Also, I want to buy some canvas to make tents. Each canvas should be about three meters. Also, get me some bedsheets, pillows, and other daily necessities. Sorry for troubling manager Li!”
Ten taels of silver were more than enough to buy these things.
Li Huaisheng replied respectfully, “yes, miss Lin! I’ll ask Xiao Li to prepare everything for miss Lin!”
As he said this, he seemed to have thought of something and quickly walked out. When he came back, Xiao Li followed behind him.
