Chapter 242: The Perspective of Jiang Chenghuan

Chapter 242

Jiang Sheng's heart skipped a beat.

Although she had expected it, You Ran House was too offended by them to terminate the partnership, which would surely include the managers of Anshui Prefecture and Xieyang County. Still, Jiang Sheng harbored a glimmer of hope since she quite liked the two managers.

Jiang Sheng and her siblings had gone from nothing to where they were now, from Xieyang County to Anshui Prefecture, and finally to Fengjing. Their partnership had gradually expanded, and their silver had steadily increased bit by bit.

You Ran House was the starting point of their business and a witness to their gradual development. Especially the manager of Xieyang County had guided them on several occasions, leaving them grateful.

Ending it all of a sudden was hard to bear.

Jiang Sheng stared with her round eyes, feeling somewhat dejected for a moment.

"Don't blame me," said Jiang Chenghua, a flash of reluctance in her eyes, "Blame your elder brother's loud mouth if you must."

Blame him for making you so well-liked that even my only elder brother wants to admire and praise you.

"I don't blame my elder brother," Jiang Sheng came to her senses and said earnestly, "He was just trying to protect me. If the partnership ends, then so be it. There's nothing more to say."

But with business cut off entirely, she could no longer resign herself to the status quo.

She had to work hard to find new business and ensure the aunties in the workshop and the vegetable delivery brothers had work and income and would not go hungry again.

Jiang Sheng clenched her fists, about to leave, when a familiar young waiter suddenly opened the door.

He was skinny with an alert pair of eyes that entreated when looking at her but turned solemn when he glanced away.

"Ahem," this was the first time He Rui felt like he was bluffing, "Boss, the family head has spoken, the partnership continues, it cannot be terminated."

"What?" The boss was too shocked to produce more than a quacking sound.

Jiang Chenghua was equally incredulous. "What nonsense are you spewing, little waiter? Do my words not represent the Jiang family?"

"Because you are not the family head, Miss. You are merely an unmarried Jiang daughter."

An unmarried daughter had no assets or entitlement to dividends, only some say, which amounted to nothing before the true family head.

Jiang Chenghua turned deathly pale and staggered back nearly falling into a chair. "Who said that? Who?"

He Rui did not dare answer.

Actually it was because Miss Jiang was too immaculate, without even a mole, let alone a birthmark, making identification difficult.

Lady Jiang could only keep her around using business as pretext while attempting to ascertain her ancestry.

Emboldened with his little bluff, He Rui knew he was but a lowly waiter dependent on the manager for a living. So after running off Miss Jiang, he repeatedly winked at the boss and pointed to the adjoining room.

Only then did it occur to the manager who quickly said, "Then let's continue our partnership. Fetch the preserved meats and sausages from the workshop. Bring the exquisite desserts tomorrow as we previously discussed."

It was said heaven never drops meat pies, but by all appearances today seemed like a huge one had fallen.

Others would have exulted, but Jiang Sheng grew wary.

She remembered back when stealing food to survive, should the mansion's maids discover the pilfering urchins, they would deliberately leave out a bowl of chicken stew as bait and jump out to thrash them afterward.

As Jiang Sheng grew smarter with age, she knew folks like her were unworthy of fine fare. She gave such untouched platters wide berth, scavenging only for scraps to fill her belly, thereby avoiding further traps.

Under present circumstances, the family heads of You Ran House surely had no sinister plots to sell her off for profit.

She rolled her big eyes in deliberation, weighing pros and cons.

After all the Jiangs were a prominent clan, and You Ran House a major establishment. With stocks of cured meat dwindling, fresh supplies had to be dispatched today from the workshop. Even if something underhanded was at play, the workshop stood to gain a tidy sum upfront and empty their warehouses.

On the whole, the pros outweighed the cons.

Most vitally, she was no longer that lonely, helpless waif. She now had five incredibly savvy elder brothers behind her, leaving her fearless.

But keeping up a righteous front was still necessary. "Boss, you can't promise to continue today only to terminate tomorrow. Our goods are also highly sought-after."

The boss did not dare make such an assurance.

Instead it was He Rui who quickly pledged, "Rest assured, our family head's word is law."

Only then was Jiang Sheng satisfied enough to take her leave.

Once she was out of earshot, He Rui bent at the waist and entered the adjacent room, softly asking, "My lady, what's our next step?"

Lady Jiang closed her eyes, silvery hair stirred by her breath. "Send someone to Anshui Prefecture. I want all available information on this child from birth till present."

Everything.