Chapter 658 - 656: Don’t Know What to Say
Xiuqin, seeing that Lady Zhao’s complexion was unwell, asked cautiously, "Auntie, what did you say to Old Master Qi, did it go smoothly?"
Lady Zhao had only deliberated on her thoughts the night before and hadn’t shared her ideas with anyone else, believing she could definitely win back the rightful treatment for her son. With confidence in the matter, she naturally harbored little resentment and felt no need to grumble to others.
However, now that things hadn’t gone smoothly, almost as if she had run into a wall, the displeasure in Lady Zhao’s heart sought an outlet. Upon hearing Xiuqin ask, she briefly recounted her thoughts and Qi Younian’s response, her frustration and indignation evident in her words.
Xiuqin listened and couldn’t help but inwardly lament; it went just as poorly as she had feared.
She responded carefully to Lady Zhao, "Auntie, don’t be angry. When cousin comes back, you can ask him what he thinks. From what I see, cousin’s stay at the Qi family seems quite nice. Old Master Qi and the eldest miss treat him very courteously, differently from how they treat others."
Lady Zhao immediately grew angry, "Of course they have to be courteous, how else could they coax Ah Qiao into dedicating his life to them? We don’t know how much they’ve taken advantage of Ah Qiao in the past, just considering the Three Thousand Taels of Silver we do know about. Didn’t they secure that business all thanks to Ah Qiao leading the team? And in the end, how much actually went into Ah Qiao’s hands? What infuriates me is how Ah Qiao toils day and night, while the Qi family maintains so many idlers, each living a more leisurely and comfortable life than Ah Qiao."
Xiuqin looked troubled. She wanted to tell Lady Zhao that this was the Qi family’s business and naturally, they would pay their workers whatever they deemed appropriate—doesn’t every family’s business operate this way?
But the problem was, Old Master Qi had said that he treated cousin like his own son or nephew. If that were the case, for the project worth Three Thousand Taels of Silver, entirely reliant on cousin leading the workers, the share given to cousin by the Qi family should not amount to what they would give to their own son or nephew.