amaotonovel Chapter 690 The Meng Family's Situation
Chapter 690 The Meng Family's Situation
"Grandmother, I heard that the reason his family's restaurant is hesitant to choose a wine merchant is that they want a wine merchant to be in charge of everything." The speaker was a young man dressed in brocade.
His most distinctive feature is his constantly darting eyes.
This person is named Meng Qingchao, the eldest son of Meng Qingge's uncle's family, and also her cousin. He was the one who ultimately competed with Meng Qingfan for the position of clan leader.
"Yes, Chao'er did a good job, managing to uncover such confidential information." The old lady of the Meng family nodded in satisfaction.
"Grandmother, rest assured, I have sent Qingya to handle this matter. Unlike some people who can't even buy things with money, Qingya will definitely be able to accomplish this, elevating the Meng family to a higher level and solidifying its status as a second-rate family."
Meng Qingchao made a veiled criticism.
Su Qingya is the daughter of Meng Qingge's aunt, and is her cousin. She and Meng Qingchao are in charge of alcohol sales and manage the Meng family's finances.
She had been trying to outdo Meng Qingge since childhood, but she could never win in any way.
Not long ago, I heard that Meng Qingge's fiancé had appeared, and I almost laughed myself to death.
As the saying goes, a man fears choosing the wrong career, and a woman fears marrying the wrong man. A woman's greatest support is her husband, and Meng Qingge is destined to marry a poor boy. How could Su Qingya not be happy?
In addition, Meng Qingge's purchase of grain went poorly this time, so she no longer even regarded Meng Qingge as an object of comparison.
"I have always trusted Qingya to handle things."
The old lady of the Meng family nodded in satisfaction at first, then glanced at Mu Qingge and asked, "Qingge, what's going on? Why couldn't you buy any grain?"
Ultimately, Meng Yuanping was not born to the old lady, and Meng Qingge was not her biological granddaughter, so it was natural that she would be ostracized.
If it weren't for the old master's protection and Meng Qingge's business acumen, she probably would have had her real power taken away by the old lady long ago.
Now that she has failed in her duties, she has been caught red-handed, and even the old master can't help her. Moreover, the old master's health is deteriorating, and there are some things she can't let him know.
"Reporting to Grandmother, this year there has been a severe drought, resulting in a poor harvest in the capital region. The people dare not sell the grain that is essential for their survival," Meng Qingge said truthfully.
“Just as Qingge said, it was indeed caused by a natural disaster,” Meng Yuanping added in a low voice.
"Uncle, you are mistaken. If it were truly caused by a natural disaster, why were the grain merchants in the capital able to buy grain? And why are the Zhang family's granaries overflowing with grain? Rather than attributing it to a natural disaster, it would be more accurate to say that Qingge did not do her best." Meng Qingchao said sarcastically, disregarding Meng Yuanping's feelings.
“Chao’er, you mustn’t be rude to your uncle. Qingge is a member of the Meng family. How could she not do her best? Perhaps she’s just not as eloquent as those grain merchants,” Meng Yuanlin said with a smile.
This man was Meng Qingge's uncle and Meng Qingchao's father, holding a high position in the Meng family.
He wasn't trying to excuse Meng Qingge; his implication was that Meng Qingge's lack of ability was a more serious consequence than her not putting in her best effort.
"Alright, alright, stop arguing. Qingge has made many contributions to the Meng family over the years, so let's consider that her merits and demerits cancel each other out," the old lady said softly, tapping her cane.
What does "calculate merits and demerits" mean? It still means that Meng Qingge did something wrong.
With just this one sentence, Meng Qingge's achievements over the years were completely erased.
Meng Qingge was naturally unconvinced and wanted to argue, but her father stopped her.
This matter is neither a big deal nor a small one; it depends on who is in charge. If the old master is present, he will not only not blame the person, but will also say some comforting words.
But now that the old lady is in charge, Meng Yuanping's family is naturally in a very passive position.
Any further explanations will only give the other side leverage; their only remaining support is the old man.
“Grandmother, this matter cannot be left unresolved. Qingya will soon obtain the contract with the restaurant. At that time, the sales of Meng family's wine will increase dramatically. If there is not enough grain, how will we produce these wines?” Meng Qingchao said incessantly.
He clearly wanted to take this opportunity to completely crush Meng Qingge and prevent her from making a comeback.
Meng Qingge was indeed unlucky. Not only did she fail to buy grain, but she also caught the opportunity of the Meng family's rapid development.
Meng Qingge couldn't bear the blame for dragging down the family's development.
"She's back! Qingya's back!" Just then, a relative exclaimed excitedly, eager to see Meng Qingge embarrassed.
Even the old lady was eagerly anticipating this, hoping that as long as Meng Qingge was trampled underfoot this time, the Meng Yuanping family would be completely crushed.
"Qingya is an outstanding person among her peers. Not only is she beautiful, but she is also good at business."
"That's right. I have the highest hopes for Qingya. If she weren't a woman, she would definitely be able to lead the Meng family to a higher level."
“So what if she’s a girl? She still got things done, didn’t she? Besides, Qingya is beautiful and will definitely marry into royalty in the future, so my Meng family can also rise to prominence. Unlike some people who are destined to marry a poor boy.”
The group of relatives flattered her, completely oblivious to Su Qingya's disappointed expression.
"Qingya, quickly take out the contract and let certain people see it, so that she can also find the shortcomings."
"Qingya, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and take it out." Meng Qingchao gave her a meaningful look.
"Quickly tell Grandmother, did you negotiate with that restaurant about several thousand jars of wine?" the old lady asked anxiously.
The wine jars used in the distillery are all large jars, each jar can hold ten catties of wine. At an average price of one hundred coins per catty of wine, each jar of wine can be worth one tael of silver. Several thousand jars would be worth several thousand taels of silver.
Of course, this is only the initial cooperation. If the two sides can establish a long-term cooperative relationship, they can definitely sell tens of thousands of jars of wine every year, which is equivalent to tens of thousands of taels of silver. This can completely solidify the Meng family's position among the second-rate families. No wonder the old lady was excited.
Su Qingya shook her head without saying a word, only extending one finger.
"Ten thousand jars? Hahaha, as expected of my granddaughter, Grandma will not mistreat you." The old lady said excitedly, almost saying that she should replace Meng Qingge.
"Not a single jar of wine has been sold." Su Qingya finally spoke, and her words startled everyone.
"What? Not a single jar of wine has been sold?" The old lady's face immediately darkened.
It's common for business deals to fail. The reason she was angry was because she was prepared to sell 10,000 jars and couldn't handle the disappointment.
"Qingya, you must be joking. How could you not have sold a single jar of wine?" The relatives still refused to believe it.
"It's not just that we didn't sell anything; I didn't even get to see the restaurant owner. The people who want to do business with them are all established second-rate families, and there are even some first-rate families. They don't give the Meng family any face at all."
Under everyone's questioning, Su Qingya burst into tears.
She was born into a noble family, yet after being exposed to the sun for two hours, she couldn't even get inside the restaurant.
After finally managing to bribe a waiter, the shop owner ruthlessly rejected him. The reason was simple: the Meng family was not worthy.
These words were like a wake-up call, completely sobering up the Meng family.
They barely managed to squeeze into the ranks of second-rate families. What qualifications do they have to compete with first-rate families for this big piece of the pie?