Ninth Sister-in-law quickly realized that Gu An'an had been clamoring for a divorce from Jiang Yong'an earlier.

However, she originally thought that Gu An'an would give up the idea after Jiang Yong'an returned.

After all, Jiang Yong'an was quite handsome and not muddle-headed; he was not the same kind of person as his mother, brother, and sister-in-law.

But the man who once clamored for a divorce is now eager to have his wife divorced.

What exactly happened?

Ninth Sister-in-law was unaware of this.

The young widow sighed, "It's hard to be a person, but it's even harder to be a woman."

Ninth Sister-in-law's maiden name is Liu.

She was born to Old Man Liu's second wife and was the ninth child, so she was named Liu Jiuniang.

Liu Jiuniang lost her parents at a young age and lived a difficult life with her elder brother and sister-in-law since childhood.

Later, her brother and sister-in-law, greedy for those few taels of silver, married her off to Jiangjia Village, to a consumptive man.

A few years later, the sick man was gone, and the young wife became a widow, with the label of being a jinx to her husband.

The hardships Liu Jiuniang has endured these past few years are not something she can share with outsiders.

She was quite docile at her parents' home, but in recent years she has become a shrew.

If she wasn't assertive, her brother and sister-in-law would arrange for her to marry someone else, to be married off to their youngest son.

She didn't want to.

Those who have been tormented by fate, seeing Gu An'an like this, feel both envy and longing.

Why don't I have a brain as sharp as Gu An'an's?

If she had the brains and business acumen, why would she worry about being sold by her brother and sister-in-law?

"Ninth Aunt, how are you going to get home later?"

Liu Jiuniang laughed upon hearing this, "It gets dark late now, and I'll be home in about half an hour, so I'm not worried."

Jiang Mingzhu nodded. "Mother, how about my brother and I take Aunt Jiu home?"

It's true that she wanted to give it away, but the girl had other intentions as well.

Gu An'an laughed, "Okay, go and get the carriage later and take Jiu Niang back."

Gu An'an also changed her form of address, expressing her determination to sever ties with Jiangjia Village.

This made Liu Jiuniang a little embarrassed. "There's no need to go to such trouble."

I heard that it costs ten coins to ride in this carriage.

I feel so embarrassed.

"It's alright, Ninth Aunt, the carriage is going very fast."

And it's a good opportunity for her to practice.

The six arts are rites, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics, among which charioteering is the art of driving a chariot.

Moreover, Jiang Mingzhu was also curious about what had happened to their family's house.

Since she was taking Liu Jiuniang home, Gu An'an didn't worry about dinner anymore. She packed some ingredients in oil paper for Liu Jiuniang to take home and cook for herself.

After watching Jiang Mingyi and Jiang Mingzhu drive away, Gu An'an carried Bao'er and closed the door to go home.

Su San Niang, who was sitting at the door next door doing needlework, couldn't help but greet Gu An'an when she came in, "Didn't you hire a helper yesterday? Why didn't he come to work?"

His words carried a hint of sarcasm.

Su San Niang was unaware of the relationship between Gu An'an and Jiang Yong'an, and assumed that Jiang Yong'an was trying to seduce the young widow because Gu An'an was good-looking.

“He skipped work, but it’s okay, I’ll deduct his wages and he’ll work for me for free later.”

Upon hearing this, Su San Niang was stunned for a moment. The needle pierced her finger, and large beads of blood immediately gushed out.

She sucked on her finger, a hint of mockery in her smile. "Oh my, working for free? This man is such a fool."

Gu An'an smiled without saying anything, "It's not very effective. It's just that you haven't hired any workers, Third Sister, otherwise I would definitely go to work for you."

Su San Niang was stunned when she heard this, and subconsciously looked at the notice posted on the door.

It's not that she doesn't want to hire people, it's just that she doesn't want to be seen as improprious, so she doesn't hire men.

"Actually, Third Sister, why don't you try hiring a young man to help you sell things? You might be surprised by the results."

Su San Niang's eyes widened upon hearing this, a thin layer of anger flashing across her face. "What nonsense are you spouting? How can you let outsiders into this needlework shop?"

In the second decade of the 21st century, one of the most popular live-streaming e-commerce hosts was a man.

Moreover, most of the products sold through live streaming are cosmetics.

What's wrong with men?

Sometimes you really need to find a different approach, otherwise why would anyone come to your needlework shop?

Just like how brothels and entertainment venues not only have prostitutes, but also male prostitutes selling their bodies.

Gu An'an offered a well-intentioned suggestion, but was met with such a harsh rebuke, which made her a little angry as well. "Why does Third Sister have to take things out of context? It's certainly not acceptable to have a married man come here to help you sell these things, but who would care if you found a cute little boy?"

"My adorable little boy, Mom, are you talking about me?"

Gu An'an turned around and looked at Jiang Mingxu, who had arrived at some point, and was speechless.

Kid, your surname is Jiang, not Wang, so please don't brag about yourself.

Jiang Mingxu's innocent and adorable appearance stirred some interest in Su San Niang.

That's definitely a good idea; maybe we should give it a try?

Business at the needlework shop was indeed not very good, and Su San Niang was somewhat desperate and grasping at straws, "Sister Gu."

The person who was just being sarcastic is now all smiles. "Look, we're neighbors. I'll borrow your young master for a while. I promise you won't be treated badly later."

When it came to enthusiasm, Su San Niang grabbed Gu An An's hand, looking like a close sister.

Seeing this, Gu An'an smiled lightly, "Third Sister, you're being too polite. As the saying goes, a close neighbor is worse than a distant relative, but even brothers have to keep clear accounts. How much are you planning to pay my Xu'er for borrowing this place for a day?"

He opened his mouth with a smile, but his expression changed completely the moment he turned around.

Su San Niang cursed inwardly, but said with a smile, "How about this? Business at my shop hasn't been very good lately. If you and your daughter need anything, just come to the shop and get it. I won't charge you."

This was indeed extremely generous, but Gu An'an felt that this woman was cunning and shrewd. "This has put me in a difficult position. If I take too much, I don't know what I'm doing, but if I take too little, I feel bad for my Xu'er's hard work. Why don't you go through the trouble of finding another child? Xu'er is busy with his studies every day and doesn't have time to help."

Su San Niang was unwilling to agree.

Where could she find such a cute young man to help her sell things in the shop?

In all her years in Anping County, she had never seen a boy who was better looking than Jiang Mingxu.

If not Jiang Mingxu, who should we choose?

Jiang Mingyi, who is a bit older, is not bad either; he looks like a very handsome young man.

But it's a bit too big, and with that cold expression, it's not suitable.

Jiang Mingxu is better; he's small, so no one can find fault with him.

Su San Niang and Gu An An bargained.

Relying on her monopolistic access to resources in Anping County, Gu An'an obtained a satisfactory price: a three-day trial period with a base salary of one hundred coins per day, plus a 10% cut from the sales.

Su San Niang gritted her teeth and agreed.

Jiang Mingxu, however, stared wide-eyed. "Am I still your biological child? You just sold me off like this? Waaah!"

Seeing this, Gu An'an comforted him repeatedly, "Silly son, of course you're not my biological son, have you forgotten?"

The little boy, who had been pretending to cry, stared blankly at these words, and then burst into song, "Little cabbage, yellow in the field, no father, relying on stepmother."