Can women also establish their own households?

I can't even imagine it.

After so many years at Fengmingtai, Manniang's biggest dream was to find a loving man so that she could leave her life behind and marry a man she could follow.

However, such a caring person is hard to find.

Those men, when they're having sex, can spout all sorts of sweet nothings.

He turned his back on her without hesitation, refusing to marry her properly or even take her into his household.

Man Niang had seen through the fickleness of the world and originally thought that she would end up like Liu Mama of Fengming Terrace, a former courtesan who became a madam in her old age.

But unexpectedly, there was another way out in this world.

Looking at the shocked face, Gu An'an could read a hint of expectation in Man Niang's eyes, a thought that was carefully concealed.

But how can it be hidden?

"Of course, Magistrate Du of Anping County is always considerate of the people. I am quite familiar with him. I will talk to him and he will allow you to establish your own household."

Man Niang laughed when she heard this, and her eyes looked much younger. "Then I'll thank you in advance, Master."

Mei Niang's master, Nie Jinzhen, hesitated slightly upon hearing this. "So it turns out that Madam Gu is from Anping County. An old friend of mine went there, but we lost contact for quite some time. I wonder how she is doing now."

old friend.

Gu An'an thought of someone, "Is your old friend surnamed Su?"

“Yes, she’s the third among my disciples, and everyone calls her Su San Niang.” Nie Jinzhen looked at Gu An’an suspiciously, “Does Madam Gu know her?”

Gu An'an nodded, "We know each other."

Nie Jinzhen laughed, "It seems she's doing quite well. I wonder what her reaction will be when she sees me, her master."

Mei Niang explained in a low voice, "After Third Senior Sister betrayed Master, she fled Suzhou. I did hear that she was in Anping County, but the journey was too far and I was unable to find her."

There's another story behind this, which Mei Niang didn't go into detail about.

Gu An'an, however, understood the connection. "Master Nie, you don't need to worry about causing me any trouble, after all, Third Sister can't see you anymore."

Nie Jinzhen smiled. She had been immersed in embroidery for decades, and although her eyesight wasn't perfect, it wasn't great either. She squinted at Gu An'an and asked, "What, did she go blind from doing too much embroidery?"

“No, she’s dead.” Xiao You spoke quickly. “She tried to frame our boss, but she was killed.”

Although it was an undeserved disaster, cooperating with Bai Qiaoyin was like asking a tiger for its skin, so it's not surprising that Su Sanniang ended up like that.

She said this because she was afraid that Nie Jinzhen and Mei Niang would misunderstand Gu An'an, but she spoke so quickly and urgently that it seemed like she was shirking responsibility.

This is a classic example of good intentions gone wrong.

Looking at Nie Jinzhen, whose face showed a mixture of surprise and regret, Gu An'an slowly said, "Although I had no intention of taking her life, she did die because of me."

After saying that, she calmly looked at the elderly embroiderer, trying to find some other emotion on her face.

Nie Jinzhen met the young woman's gaze, concealing the slight sigh in her eyes, "She was originally a clever woman, but her cleverness backfired."

She was arrogant and thought that if she, as the master, had kept something to herself, she would be instigated by villains, which ultimately led to a rift between master and apprentice and caused her embroidery workshop to decline.

“These are all old grudges. Now that she’s gone, everything returns to dust.” Nie Jinzhen’s cloudy eyes became clearer than ever before in that instant. “I hope Madam Gu won’t hold it against you.”

Gu An'an smiled and said, "How could that be? We should look forward."

With those words, Nie Jinzhen was completely relieved. She had no idea that she would have such an entanglement with Gu An'an.

Fortunately, this person was clear about right and wrong and didn't hold grudges.

Indeed, since he was willing to help Mei Niang out of her predicament, why would he hold a grudge against a dead person?

She was overthinking it.

After discussing the matter, the group chatted for a while longer. Gu An'an then arranged accommodations for them, and the journey was smooth. They arrived in Songjiang Prefecture in the late afternoon.

Compared to the bustling Suzhou Prefecture, Songjiang Prefecture seemed a bit dull, but the world-famous Songjiang cotton cloth filled the city with the sound of looms.

"Manager Gu, let's settle in today and rest well. Tomorrow we'll take you to see the place. What do you think?"

The shop assistants at the fabric store had no idea how three women suddenly appeared around Gu An'an.

However, upon hearing that two of them were embroiderers, he felt that this was normal.

I heard that Manager Gu is going to set up a puppet workshop. I don't know what these puppets are, but since he's cooperating with the government, it should be quite lively. It would be perfectly normal for him to find a few skilled embroiderers.

Before retiring for the night, Gu An'an went to the room where Mei Niang and her master were staying, hoping to learn some experience from these two embroiderers.

Unexpectedly, Man Niang was also there, and they were talking about something that made Mei Niang blush and smile.

"Oh dear, the boss is here. I won't bother you any longer."

As Gu An'an watched the person gracefully leave, she suddenly remembered something. "If you have nothing to do, you can give me some advice."

This made Man Niang laugh. "Am I supposed to be a female Zhuge Liang?"

"Why not?" Gu An'an stopped rambling and began to explain her considerations. "I'm not particularly familiar with this either, so I'd like to ask you all for your advice."

Man Niang hesitated slightly upon hearing this. "Master, what doll are you talking about...?" She had never heard of it before and was quite curious.

"Like this." Gu An'an took out a small yellow chick.

"I used the paint myself to make this little yellow chick. It's alright, isn't it?"

Looking at the bloated little thing in front of her, Man Niang's eyelids twitched violently a few times. Are you sure you're not just overestimating yourself?

Is this a little yellow chick? It's way too fat.

When Mei Niang saw the little thing speak, her eyes lit up. "Can I redo it?"

Gu An'an felt it wasn't her imagination; for some reason, she could detect a hint of disdain in those words.

Is it that bad?

Man Niang found this question difficult to answer; she was, after all, good at coaxing people. "The little thing is quite unique."

It's as subtle as someone praising a girl for being beautiful.

For the first time, Gu An'an, who had always been a proud mother, questioned the meaning of life. As she watched Mei Niang's needlework bring the little yellow chick to life with just a few stitches, Gu An'an felt that the little yellow chick she had been so proud of was nothing but a pile of dog shit.

"As expected, everyone has their own expertise. With your skillful hands, Mei Niang, it's truly remarkable." Gu An'an carefully held the treasure as if it were a priceless gem. For the first time, Gu An'an regretted that she should have taught Han She a lesson to vent Mei Niang's anger.

But most importantly, cherish the people in front of you. "With Mei Niang here, I believe our dolls will definitely sell well throughout the entire Da Ye Dynasty."

She is one step closer to becoming the richest woman in the Great Ye Dynasty!