USWHC -Chapter 267 Getting Rich (Part 7)

“Hey? That clothing looks just like the one I’m wearing!” Zhu Jie said in surprise.

“We bought it here,” Ji Yi replied with a smile.

“Oh?” The place actually looks quite nice! Zhu Jie couldn’t help but sigh in admiration, feeling a little touched as well. No wonder Ji Mei and the others had looked at her clothes with such envy—so they really were good-quality items.

“Sir!” A shop assistant came forward, his face full of enthusiasm. Was he treating them like wealthy customers?

But honestly, didn’t he understand that women were the greatest driving force of consumption? How could he ignore her and greet Ji Yi first?

Zhu Jie immediately stepped in front of him, lifting her chin proudly and deliberately putting on the airs of a noble young lady. That’s right—she was the one with money!

The assistant was obviously taken aback. He looked back and forth between Zhu Jie and Ji Yi. Seeing Ji Yi smiling and pointing toward Zhu Jie, he quickly adjusted and fawned over her instead.

“Miss, what can I help you with?”

Zhu Jie puffed out her chest confidently and said with great authority, “Call your boss out.”

Huh? Asking for the boss right away? What kind of shopping method was this? The assistant froze for a moment. After hesitating briefly, he said, “Our shopkeeper is here. I’ll go get him for you!” Then he hurried inside.

Before long, he actually returned with someone. The man looked to be in his forties, wearing a scholar’s robe. From a distance he resembled a refined scholar, but upon closer inspection his face revealed sharp shrewdness—clearly not someone easy to fool.

Zhu Jie looked at him. Before he even spoke, she noticed him frown slightly, as if he didn’t have a very favorable impression of her. Her heart skipped a beat.

How could that be? Was there really someone who didn’t like her? Weren’t people supposed to light up with delight whenever they saw her?

Light up with delight? That would be lechers, wouldn’t it!

Clearly, this man was not the same type as those lechers. He politely extended a hand toward Zhu Jie and said, “My surname is Liao. How may I assist you, Miss?”

Surname Liao? Then he must be related to the owner somehow—perhaps a relative of the boss. Zhu Jie speculated silently, while on the surface she gave a mysterious smile.

“Could we speak somewhere more private?”

Of course, this “step aside to talk” didn’t literally mean stepping a few paces away. Shopkeeper Liao wasn’t foolish enough to think that. Still, he paused briefly in surprise before turning around and leading Zhu Jie and Ji Yi toward the reception room in the back.

“Miss, please.”

Several chairs had already been set up in the reception room, obviously a place normally used for discussing business.

Zhu Jie didn’t stand on ceremony. She strode in and plopped down boldly on the seat next to Shopkeeper Liao. As soon as she sat down, the assistant immediately served tea. The service was definitely attentive.

“Miss, what brings you here today?” Shopkeeper Liao asked in as calm a tone as possible.

Clearly, he didn’t believe that a young girl who had come straight in asking for the boss would have any major business deal to discuss.

Zhu Jie, however, placed a box on the table and said, “I have something I’d like the shopkeeper to appraise.”

As she spoke, she slowly opened the lid.

The moment the box was opened, a faint fragrance suddenly drifted out. The scent was rich but not cloying, with a lingering aftertaste. Everyone in the room widened their eyes and looked over.

“These are… pastries?” Shopkeeper Liao said hesitantly.

Indeed, the items inside the box looked very much like pastries—two beautifully crafted pieces. One was pale pink, shaped like a five-petaled flower, with what looked like tiny peach blossoms floating faintly on its surface. Could it be peach blossom cake?

The other piece was shaped like a leaf, a vibrant green with a delicate, elegant fragrance. It looked particularly unique—perhaps some kind of leaf cake?

“The pastries are indeed finely made, but we currently have no plans to hire a pastry chef,” Shopkeeper Liao said politely as he declined.

Zhu Jie, however, smiled and said, “No, this isn’t pastry.”

With that, she carefully picked up the pink peach-blossom cake and eagerly handed it to Shopkeeper Liao, even urging him:

“Try adding some water to it.”

Add water? Could pastries even be dipped in water?

Shopkeeper Liao took it. The moment he touched it, he felt that something was different—it was hard, not soft like ordinary pastries.

He dipped a bit of water from the tea tray and gently dripped it onto the peach-blossom cake. Instantly, the fragrance grew even stronger. He couldn’t help reaching out to touch it again.

Huh? It was actually slippery!

“This… this is soapberry soap?” Shopkeeper Liao exclaimed in astonishment. “It’s my first time seeing soapberry made so beautifully.”