Nine-layer armor-breaking

Chapter 98 Uninvited
"Since you've asked me to speak frankly, I won't beat around the bush any more."

Seeing the honest official nod, the tall and thin housekeeper of the Wu family continued speaking.

"I came here today mainly to ask when the city gates will be opened. As for what happened in Qizhou City, since it's inconvenient, I won't ask anymore. I just want to know when we can enter and leave the city freely like before."

The Wu family's housekeeper finished speaking in one breath, with a very rich expression and a very impolite tone.

The Gao family is also one of the two major families in Qizhou City, but their daily style of doing things is completely different from that of the Wu family.

The Wu family has always had a tough style. No matter who they are dealing with, they are rarely polite and speak bluntly.

On the other hand, although the Gao family cannot be said to be at the same extreme as the Wu family, their working styles are quite different.

The Gao family runs the Green Lake Auction House, which has many customers coming and going.

Most of the customers served by the Green Lake Auction House are from several nearby states, and naturally they are all well-known figures.

Dealing with such people is naturally different from dealing with ordinary people, and you naturally need to be more tactful in doing things.

Listening to the Wu family's housekeeper's speech, the honest official nodded frequently with a faint smile.

Even though the other party's tone was not polite, there was not much emotion on his face.

"I understand. But we haven't received any specific notification on when the city gates will be opened and whether we can leave the city freely in the near future," said the official.

The tall, thin Wu family steward, upon hearing this answer, grew even more irritated and said, "Then there has to be a specific date, right? You know our business best. You've carefully documented the entire shipping process."

He continued, "Now the fish in the city can't leave, and the fish outside the city can't come in. The fish in the city can't be sold, so we just accept it. After all, the number is not that scary."

"But what about the fish outside the city? Some warehouse managers are trapped inside the city, and there's no one capable of managing the transportation. Even if there are a few, they don't know the ins and outs of business. Are you going to watch all the fish rot?"

Hearing this, the honest official's face seemed to show concern for the Wu family's steward who had just spoken. He said, "Of course I don't want such a bad result to occur."

The honest official pondered for a moment and said, "I remember that most of the Wu family's warehouses are outside the city. Why do they need to transport it into the city?"

"This was changed not long ago. We used to send people from the city to the warehouse to take inventory. This was more worry-free and saved a lot of shipping costs. However, there were several accidents not long ago. In order to further restore and improve the Wu family's reputation, we changed a step."

"Now, all fish have to be sent to the city in batches for further testing. Only those that pass the test can be marked and sent out of the city."

"Qizhou is under lockdown, but the rest of the country isn't. Without any information, fish are constantly being sent to Qizhou City for testing. Now, fish that can't be marked are not allowed to be shipped out of the warehouse."

"So that's how it is." The honest middle-aged official nodded slightly and replied.

The Wu family’s housekeeper added, “Now, if the city is closed for one more day, we will lose half a year’s worth of profits.”

"If we can't ship the fish, losing some money is the least of our worries. The real problem is that it will destroy the trust our old customers have in us. Over time, they'll inevitably look for other suppliers. How many big customers will still be willing to work with us in the future? Isn't this destroying the foundation of our Wu family?"

"We really can't just sit and wait any longer. Please think of a solution." After saying this, he became even more worried about the future of the Wu family, and his tone softened unconsciously.

The tall, thin Wu family steward said this, and the silent Gao family steward, who had been hiding a few steps away, finally stepped forward and returned to his previous position. After standing still, the somewhat elegant Gao family steward continued to express no emotion to the Wu family steward, at least, not on his face.

But at this moment, the Gao family's steward, who had remained silent for a long time, spoke first before the honest official could reply to the Wu family's steward.

"As this person just said, if the city gates remain closed, cutting off our connection with the outside world, we will lose many important customers."

"We're not worried about the auction house ceasing operations, but if we continue to operate in a 'makeshift' state, we'll probably lose a lot of customers over time, which will damage our reputation."

"Besides, the purchase of important items has always been decided by the head of the family or the young master, and the head of the family and the young master are both in the city right now..."

Hearing the word "this person", the tall and thin Wu family steward frowned unconsciously, and his face looked very unfriendly, as if he had cursed the person next to him countless times in his heart.

Seeing that the atmosphere between the two began to become strange again, the honest official coughed lightly to cover up his embarrassment in the extremely cold atmosphere between the two.

"Now, I'm going to tell you the truth. I really don't know the exact date when the city gates will be reopened."

After saying this, he saw that there was some disappointment in the eyes of the two people in front of him, so he immediately tried to comfort them in a softer and more humble tone.

"But I can promise you two that I will seek all possible ways to help the two families you belong to and try my best to minimize the losses of the two families." said the honest official.

"Your two families are the pillars of Qizhou City's commerce. The City Lord's Mansion certainly wishes you well. The better your two families develop, the more Qizhou City will benefit from you. Personally speaking, as a native of Qizhou and a part of Qizhou City, I naturally hope that Qizhou will continue to improve."

"Don't worry, please tell the heads of the two families that our City Lord's Mansion will do its utmost to recover the losses of your two families and all the people of Qizhou, whenever possible."

The honest official spoke in a very sincere tone, making it hard for people to press him any further.

In the past, the Wu family and the Gao family did not have such a bad quarrel because they had to give face to the city lord in public, but privately, they had long been incompatible, and the servants were constantly trying to trip up each other.

Although the housekeepers of the Wu and Gao families did not get the answers they wanted, their trip was not in vain.

In the past, the two families could never get along because of competition and conflicts, but this was because the business environment in Qizhou was stable and no major changes had occurred.

And now, there is only one possible reason why the two families that originally disliked each other can temporarily come together, and that is because of interests, common interests.

Only sufficient interests can drive the two originally incompatible families to come together and unite against the outside world.

The three of them stood there in silence for a long time.

In fact, the purpose of this "uninvited visit" to put pressure on the City Lord's Mansion has been achieved. If it continues, it will not be good. If it offends the City Lord again, it will be even worse. It is better to wait and see the situation.

The housekeepers of both the Wu and Gao families probably thought the same.

The two stewards were no longer silent. Just as they were about to answer the honest official's words, they heard a noise coming from afar. The sound was getting closer and closer...

(End of this chapter)