Su San Niang looked somewhat embarrassed. "What do you mean? I don't understand." She turned her head away, looking like she didn't want to talk to Gu An An any longer.

"Is it that you truly don't understand or simply don't want to admit it? Tell me, why did Scholar Cao suddenly ask you to be his matchmaker?"

“His daughter often comes to my shop to buy some embroidery, and since our two shops are next to each other, it’s naturally the most convenient for her to find me.”

"Really? So you're saying it was Scholar Cao's daughter who told you this?"

The aggressive tone made Su Sanniang's heart tighten. "Why are you interrogating me like a criminal? Young Master Lin gave me a good scolding, and I returned the gift money and even took Scholar Cao to apologize to you. Isn't that enough?"

"Apologize? He threw twenty taels of silver into that pastry box as betrothal money so he could take me home. Didn't you know that?"

Upon hearing this, Su San Niang cursed, "You bastard!" Seeing Gu An An sitting there with an angry expression, she quickly explained, "I really didn't know. If I'm lying to you, may I be struck by lightning."

"What a wonderful 'struck by five thunderbolts from the sky'! Are you all gods who have descended to earth to face tribulations, and are you all destined to be struck by lightning?" Gu An'an sneered. "Third Sister, Scholar Cao's daughter is married and is currently pregnant and resting at home. I would like to ask her, how come a woman with an unfavorable pregnancy has the leisure to arrange her father's wedding?"

Su Sanniang's smile faltered slightly, "Little Gu..."

"You see my shop is doing well and you're envious, aren't you? But Third Sister, the shop's success is something I earned through my own hard work. If you can't see that, then what about the high-ranking officials in the capital and the emperors and concubines in the palace? You're envious of my money and you're thinking of arranging a terrible marriage for me to ruin my life. If you're so capable, why don't you go and cause trouble in the capital?"

"I, I..."

Su San Niang wanted to explain, but when she met Gu An An's eyes, she couldn't say a word.

She was indeed jealous of Gu An'an.

How can she, a woman with several children in tow, manage to run her small shop so well?

Despite having Suzhou embroidery skills, and having lived in Anping County for so many years, she is still not as successful as someone who has only been in the county for less than half a year.

When jealousy struck, Su San Niang noticed that Cao Juren was intentionally or unintentionally looking at Gu An'an, and she began to have designs on him.

However, she didn't expect Lin Zixing to interfere, leaving her with no room to say anything more.

What was even more unexpected was that Scholar Cao would cause such a commotion.

Su San Niang was at a loss for words, only to hear Gu An An say coldly, "I'm a person who always distinguishes between gratitude and resentment. Since you've schemed so much, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Su San Niang's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. "You, what do you mean?"

"You want to ruin my business? Wouldn't it be fair for me to retaliate in kind?"

Despite it being the height of summer, Su San Niang broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing these words—

Because she knew that Gu An'an wasn't just joking.

This woman is serious!

"I knew it, I knew it."

Su Sanniang dragged her weak body off the kang (a heated brick bed) by the window. "Even if I don't do this, you still covet my shop, just like when you took Lao Hong away!"

She has been sick for the past two days and has had a poor appetite. She hasn't eaten much and feels weak all over. She almost fell to the ground when she got off the kang (a heated brick bed).

Gu An'an looked at the flush that appeared on his pale face and said, "So, you still dare to cause me trouble? You've really brought this on yourself."

After saying that, Gu An'an turned and left.

Su San Niang wanted to chase after her, but after only a couple of steps, she collapsed to the ground, her body going limp and weak.

Seeing this, the young apprentice quickly came over to help her up, saying, "Master, you should go back and lie down."

"Lying down, do you also think I should lie in a coffin?"

The young apprentice looked embarrassed by what he said. She was a child taken in by Su San Niang. Besides learning embroidery and working in the shop, she also served Su San Niang.

Her master's kindness was as heavy as a mountain, and she dared not refute anything.

"Tell me, was I wrong? Even if I hadn't done that, she wouldn't have let me go. With such ambition and ability, how could she possibly let me go?"

no.

Su Sanniang sat up again. "I can't just sit here and wait to die. I absolutely can't just sit here and wait to die."

If Gu An'an doesn't give her a way out, she will definitely not surrender!

The young apprentice hesitated slightly upon hearing this, but considering that he had been raised by his master, he didn't say anything.

...

There are no secrets that stay hidden forever, especially since the shop is located in a bustling area.

When Gu An'an returned home, she saw Jiang Mingzhu waiting at the door. The girl rushed up to her, looking flustered, "Mother, are you alright?"

"It's alright." Gu An'an gently rubbed her eldest daughter's face. "Were you frightened? It's alright."

Jiang Mingzhu couldn't rest easy. She looked Gu An'an up and down before finally letting out a sigh of relief. "You can't keep everything from us."

Gu An'an looked at the nervous girl and said, "Silly girl, what are you afraid of?"

Jiang Mingzhu was terrified. She was afraid that Gu An'an would really remarry, that she would meet the wrong person, and that the hard-won good days for her and her brother would never return.

"Nothing will happen. Scholar Cao heard from a fortune teller that I will become a first-rank noblewoman in the future. I'm counting on you siblings to earn me that title."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Mingzhu nodded quickly, "Yes, my brother and I will study hard and try to get you a title of Lady of the Imperial Decree in the future."

Seeing the serious look on her face, Gu An'an smiled and said, "Then I'll wait."

Whether or not she becomes a Lady of the Imperial Decree is not that important to her; it's just that the young girl should not be so tense.

Perhaps because they were used to seeing threats everywhere in their early years, even Gu An'an's advice didn't work.

Educating children always requires patience, so just repeat it over and over again.

The more you talk about it, the more at ease they feel.

Chen Bei had also heard about this, and the young man asked with some worry, "Should I write a letter to my father and ask him to send someone to handle this matter?"

Gu An'an couldn't help but smile. "Then wouldn't I be bullying others by taking advantage of their power?"

"Who told that scholar to be so presumptuous?"

An old man who has lost countless wives dares to covet Sister Gu; shamelessness knows no bounds.

Chen Bei felt that even her older brother was not good enough for Gu An'an.

Yes, writing to his father would be making a mountain out of a molehill, but he could write to his brother.

After thinking it over, Chen Bei felt that this method was feasible. He had rarely asked his elder brother for help since he was a child. Now that he had finally written to ask for his help, his elder brother should not refuse, right?

The young master of the Chen family was always a man of action, and it took him two days to deliver the letter to his elder brother, Chen Yuan.

"How is Abei doing lately?"

The messenger hesitated for a moment before saying, "The Third Young Master hasn't been wearing makeup or those strange clothes lately."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yuan's sharp eyes softened somewhat. "Oh, really? This lady from the Gu family is quite capable. It seems I should make a trip there and properly thank her."