Collective Price Increase
Ever since Dr. Ye agreed to help Chang Le with his health, Chang Le’s mood improved day by day, despite the increasingly cold weather. He would be smiling all day long, and the staff at the snack shop and restaurant could sense it.
“Brother Le, you seem to be in a very good mood today!”
“Recently, everything has been going well. Look outside, it’s raining and the weather is gloomy and humid, but it doesn’t affect Brother Le’s mood at all.”
Chang Le nodded with a smile and went into the kitchen.
Yu Qingze closed the umbrella and followed behind, also smiling.
If we talk about Chang Le’s good mood, the credit goes to Yu Qingze the most.
The soups and dishes he cooked were nourishing. Previously, Yu Qingze would tell Chang Le not to waste them, but now without a word, he would just drink them. Even when it came to soaking his feet before bedtime, he didn’t need any reminders. Yu Qingze would just set up the basin, and his feet were already inside. And during those intimate moments at night, he was obedient, tender, and proactive—cooperating in every way.
It was simply blissful!
With warm and sweet feelings and a thriving business, Yu Qingze was living through a period of incredibly wonderful happiness.
Later on, Grandpa Chang learned that Dr. Ye, Young Master Xue, could treat Chang Le’s illness. He was also surprised by this coincidence. It was as if they had been blessed by the heavens.
Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.
Now, he couldn’t refuse visitors anymore.
Later, Dr. Xue, along with his wife and son, found a suitable day and went to Niutou Village. They even went up the mountain and specifically went to pay respects at the tomb of Chang Wu and his wife.
Upon returning, Dr. Xue saw Grandpa Chang tending to a medicine pot and asked if he was sick.
Grandpa Chang said it was his old ailment and that he had seen a doctor who prescribed medicine. He was already feeling much better.
Dr. Xue took Grandpa Chang’s pulse and examined the prescription, and he was immediately attracted to it. He quickly called his son over to take a look.
“Do you recognize this handwriting? Doesn’t it look somewhat familiar?” Dr. Xue asked.
Ye Man carefully examined it for a while and asked Grandpa Chang, “Uncle, may I ask the surname and name of the doctor who wrote this prescription?”
In the mysterious workings of fate, it seems that there truly is karmic retribution.
Look, Chang Hao found Dr. He injured, and Yu Qingze carried him down. Later, Dr. He treated Grandpa Chang’s ailment and significantly improved his condition. Nine years ago, Chang Le’s father saved Dr. Xue and his wife, and now Dr. Ye is treating Chang Le.
Good deeds truly bear good fruits.
After these two incidents, the family felt deeply moved and gained insights.
As you sow, so shall you reap. In the future, they would strive to do more good deeds and fewer evil deeds, accumulating good karma to receive good outcomes.
By the end of October, the potatoes they were sprouting had grown enough to be planted. Grandpa Chang asked the villagers for help, and together they plowed the fields and planted all the potatoes, filling an entire plot of land.
The villagers knew that they would also receive some of the potatoes to plant, so they worked diligently and even refused payment when Grandpa Chang offered it.
Now that the temperature has dropped, a few days ago, Yu Qingze had someone bring all the ingredients for making cured meats. He said they could start making them.
As soon as everyone heard, they immediately bought the necessary ingredients and took the pigs from the pig farmers they had previously arranged with for slaughter. They began the process of making cured meats and sausages. Some villagers had raised extra chickens, ducks, and two more pigs to save costs, and now it was time to slaughter them too.
In no time, every household in Niutou Village was busy not only making sweet potato flour but also producing preserved meats. As a result, the nearby villages’ sweet potatoes were completely bought up, and the businesses of chicken and duck stalls and pork stalls in the city improved significantly. The elderly man by the river who used to sell the fish he caught every day no longer needed to go out to the streets to sell them; villagers would simply come and place their orders.
While the village was bustling with activity, there was a problem at the restaurant.
On this day, it was already past the usual delivery time for the vendors who usually supplied shrimp and clams. Normally, they would arrive around half past the hour, but it had been delayed for two or three quarters of an hour and they still hadn’t arrived.
Jiabao, who was now in charge of purchasing and receiving deliveries, quickly informed Yu Qingze.
“They haven’t arrived yet?” Yu Qingze frowned and asked.
Jiabao nodded, “Usually, they should have arrived three quarters of an hour ago.”
Yu Qingze instructed, “You keep waiting, I’ll go and check.”
Clams need some time to be soaked and purged of sand before they can be used. If the goods don’t arrive today, they won’t have anything to work with the day after tomorrow.
Yu Qingze briefly informed Chang Le and then went out.
In Tongshan City, there weren’t many seafood vendors, only around ten or so, and six of them were concentrated in the western section of the market, closer to the pier.
The seafood stall that supplied Yu Qingze and the others was located in the western section of the market. After comparing several vendors, Yu Qingze chose this one. He had gone to buy from different stalls for about ten days initially and found that this particular owner sold his goods quickly and at reasonable prices, so he decided to buy from him. As they became more familiar, Yu Qingze increased his daily purchases from there, eventually setting up regular deliveries.
Yu Qingze walked through the market and arrived at the seafood stall that supplied them. He saw the owner and his assistant busy with their work.
“Boss Luo, busy as usual?” he walked over and called out to the owner.
Upon seeing Yu Qingze, the owner and his assistant were taken aback for a moment, then chuckled and said, “Boss Yu, why do you have the time to come in person?”
Yu Qingze replied, “My younger brother said that the clams and shrimp haven’t arrived, and I was afraid that you might have forgotten amidst your busyness, so I came to check.”
Boss Luo glanced at Yu Qingze, weighed the shrimp that a customer had selected, and announced the weight and price. Then he said to Yu Qingze, “It’s indeed busy here. But Boss Yu, we wouldn’t forget about you.”
Yu Qingze raised an eyebrow and asked, “Oh? What happened?”
Boss Luo pulled Yu Qingze a bit to the side, glanced around, hesitated for a moment, and then said, “Boss Yu, well, here’s the thing. The prices of shrimp and clams have gone up. I was afraid that you might not be aware, so to avoid any trouble, we didn’t deliver them.”
“They’ve gone up in price? How much?” Yu Qingze furrowed his brow. It was normal for prices to increase as the weather grew colder, and clam harvesting became more difficult.
Boss Luo hesitated for a moment, then raised his index finger.
“Has it increased by one coin?” Yu Qingze asked.
Boss Luo shook his head.
“Ten wen?” Yu Qingze furrowed his brow.
Boss Luo continued to shake his head.
Yu Qingze’s heart sank, and he said, “Boss Luo, just tell me, how much?”
“Double… it has doubled,” Boss Luo stammered.
Yu Qingze’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. “Doubled?!”
Boss Luo reluctantly nodded.
Yu Qingze couldn’t help but burst into laughter from anger. He looked at the expression on Boss Luo’s face, wiped his own face, and said, “Boss Luo, you’re really overcharging. Is this how prices are increased?”
Just then, a customer came up and asked about the price of shrimp. The assistant answered, and to Yu Qingze’s surprise, the price was exactly the same as before!
“It increased in price?” He looked at Boss Luo, speechless.
Boss Luo was very embarrassed but still nodded, saying, “Well, for others, it’s the previous price, but for you, it’s doubled.”
Upon hearing this, Yu Qingze furrowed his brow tightly and asked, “What’s going on? Boss Luo, we’re on good terms, just tell me.”
Boss Luo rubbed his hands together, looked around anxiously, and remained silent.
Seeing his reluctant expression, Yu Qingze said, “Alright, I’ll go ask elsewhere then.”
Boss Luo quickly stopped him and said, “Don’t bother asking, it’s the same for all the seafood in the whole city.”
Yu Qingze frowned and skeptically went to a few other places to inquire.
Just as Boss Luo had said, the owners of those seafood stalls raised their prices by double when he asked.
After making the rounds, Yu Qingze returned to Boss Luo and asked, “Is this specifically targeting me? Have you been threatened?”
Boss Luo helplessly said, “Oh, Boss Yu, don’t ask anymore. Anyway, if we don’t do this, we won’t be able to get the goods in the future. Please understand, it’s not easy for us to make a living running this small business.”
Understanding the situation, Yu Qingze had no intention of further troubling Boss Luo and said, “Alright, I understand.”
After saying that, he went back.
Jiabao and Chang Le looked at him returning empty-handed and asked what happened.
Yu Qingze explained the situation, and Jiabao and Chang Le were astonished upon hearing it.
Chang Le gestured and asked, “Did we offend someone? Why are they specifically targeting us?”
Yu Qingze shook his head and said, “We haven’t offended anyone, at least not personally. If anything, it might be related to our business. But we don’t know which party is behind this.”
A thought flashed through Chang Le’s mind, and for some reason, the face of Shi Sheng came to his mind. Hesitantly, he gestured, “Could it be Xiang Man Yuan?”
Yu Qingze asked, “Why do you think so?” Although Xiang Man Yuan had strong suspicions based on their past actions, there was no evidence to casually accuse others.
Chang Le thought for a moment and then gestured, “Do you remember Shi Sheng?”
The name “Shi Sheng” was written on Yu Qingze’s hand.
“Shi Sheng?” Yu Qingze furrowed his brow, thinking for a moment before retrieving a distant memory. He said, “The relative of the landlord of the snack shop?”
Chang Le nodded.
Yu Qingze asked, “What’s the connection with him? Didn’t he get married a long time ago?”
Chang Le gestured, indicating that Shi Sheng married the owner of Xiang Man Yuan and is now pregnant.
“What?” Yu Qingze looked surprised. “I remember he was supposed to marry someone else, right?” He distinctly recalled Steward Zhao mentioning that Shi Sheng was going to marry a bedridden young master, and he remembered it quite clearly.
Chang Le clarified that it was the Second Young Master of the Zeng family.
“Yes, the Zeng family’s. How did he end up becoming the wife of Xiang Man Yuan’s owner?” Yu Qingze looked bewildered. This was quite a turn of events.
Chang Le shook his head, indicating that he didn’t know either. Then he gestured, indicating that there was something he hadn’t told Yu Qingze all along.
“What is it?” Yu Qingze asked curiously.
Chang Le then recounted the incident when Shi Sheng came to find him, but he and Brother Chang intercepted him and had their people take him back.
“You did that too?” Yu Qingze raised an eyebrow. His wife had once personally confronted a love rival and even tore him apart. He was quite capable.
Chang Le nodded somewhat sheepishly, concerned. He wondered if it was Shi Sheng who had manipulated things behind to seek revenge on them.
“I’m not sure about that, but that Boss Jia doesn’t seem like someone who would do such things out of personal matters. If he’s involved, there must be a more important reason, such as him wanting to take over our business,” Yu Qingze speculated thoughtfully.
Before they could continue their discussion, Brother Chang rushed over in a hurry and said to Yu Qingze, “Boss Yu, one of the workers from the flour shop just came and said that the price of flour has increased.”
Yu Qingze’s eyebrow twitched, and he asked, “By how much?”
Brother Chang exclaimed in anger, “Double the price!”
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Thandar: Why did they hide things from each other? Like as a couple, shouldn’t they be telling each other like “Oh, guess who I met at the clinic today? It’s that freaking Shi Sheng, and you know what he said to me? …” I hate that trait in some novels where they don’t communicate openly between couples.