Ugly-cute.

The person who always prided himself on being skillful was hurt by this word.

How can you say it's ugly?

As the mother and daughter were talking, Jiang Mingzhu came in. "Mom, have you rested enough? If you have, let's eat."

Although there weren't many rules at home, Gu An'an still felt a little embarrassed by the invitation.

"You should have woken me up."

“Brother said that Mother has had a long and tiring journey, so we should be considerate of her. We can just cook, it’s not much trouble anyway.”

These words made Gu An'an laugh. "Mingyi cooks? That's quite a rare sight."

The teasing was so obvious, it would be strange if Jiang Mingzhu didn't understand.

"Brother, please help me. Mother, did your trip to Songjiang Prefecture go smoothly?"

"It's alright." Gu An'an tidied up a bit and then talked to Jiang Mingzhu, "There are some early signs of capitalism over there."

The girl clearly didn't understand the word. "Capital, what does that mean?"

"Just some small capital for starting a business." Gu An'an chuckled, not intending to explain in detail to Jiang Mingzhu. "How have you all been lately?"

Everything was fine at home. Jiang Mingyi's illness did not relapse, and after resting for a few days, she went back to study with Sun Hanzhou.

Sun Hanzhou didn't ask any further questions about the students' absences.

"The gentleman wrote an article praising my elder brother, saying that he would definitely pass the imperial examination next year and become a scholar."

Only by passing the preliminary imperial examination could one truly achieve official rank and fame.

Jiang Mingyi was determined to pursue a career in politics, so Gu An'an naturally wouldn't try to stop him.

Jiang Mingyi looked much better than when he left home.

She had probably been in the kitchen for a while, as her face was flushed.

Seeing this, Gu An'an teased, "I didn't expect that Mingyi could cook when I came back from my trip. It seems I'll have to go out more often in the future."

These words made Jiang Mingyi's expression slightly unnatural, and he lowered his head to eat without saying a word.

Seeing this, Jiang Mingzhu tried to lighten the mood, "Mother, what's fun to do in Songjiang Prefecture? How is it different from here?"

"There are quite a few differences..."

Gu An'an told the children, who had never traveled far from home, about her journey. When she mentioned rescuing Mei Niang, Jiang Mingzhu's eyes widened. "What if that Han scholar really went to find Man Niang?"

"Silly girl, if he wants to marry Manniang, he needs to have the money to redeem her from her servitude. He's probably read too many storybooks and thinks that it's mostly courtesans who pay out of their own pockets to subsidize scholars."

Gu An'an's words carried a hint of sarcasm.

Jiang Mingzhu realized what was happening. "Is that so? It's good that you're alright. That Manniang must be a remarkable woman in the world of courtesans. Mother, what are you going to do with her?"

Gu An'an laughed, "She's quite capable. I plan to have her manage the puppet shop later."

The key is to make the best use of people and place the right people in the right positions. Gu An'an felt that she was quite good at recognizing talent in this matter.

"The puppet shop? In that case, Ninth Sister..."

Just then, there was a knock on the door, and it was none other than Liu Jiuniang.

"We've already settled them in the inn. We can't find a suitable courtyard for the time being, so they might have to make do for a few days."

Gu An'an invited them inside to talk. "Okay, they're not picky people, but they can't always stay at the inn; it's inconvenient for them to come and go."

Liu Jiuniang hesitated slightly upon hearing this, "Xiao Gu, I heard that you're going to let that Manniang manage the puppet shop later. Is that appropriate? I mean, you haven't even discussed it with Magistrate Du. Isn't it a bit inappropriate to make such an arrangement?"

Gu An'an glanced at the person who spoke and saw Liu Jiuniang with her head down, fiddling with her sleeves. Clearly, she was not in a calm mood at the moment.

“Magistrate Du is not an unreasonable person. I will discuss this matter with him later. Manniang is good at dealing with people, so she is the perfect person to manage the puppet shop. Jiuniang, have you had a conflict with Manniang?”

Did the people who just met have a conflict?

Gu An'an really couldn't say for sure.

"No, that's not true. I'm just afraid of offending Magistrate Du later."

Gu An'an felt there must be something wrong. "It's okay, I'll talk to the magistrate about this tomorrow. I believe he will understand my plan."

Upon hearing this, Liu Jiuniang abruptly raised her head, meeting Gu An'an's calm gaze. She felt that whatever she said would be inappropriate.

After a long while, Liu Jiuniang finally spoke, "Little Gu, you are truly kind-hearted, always rescuing these women who have suffered so much."

"Women are inherently easy to bully. If I save one, there will be one less person to be bullied in the world. It can also be considered as accumulating good karma for myself." Gu An'an smiled. "Man Niang came from a brothel, but she did not willingly degenerate. She was sold into a brothel by her family, and that was not her fault."

These words made Liu Jiuniang blush instantly. She didn't know that Manniang had such a tragic past. "I didn't mean to be at odds with her."

"I know, but you have different experiences, so we need to be tolerant of each other. We are all working together, so there is no need for infighting."

These words made Liu Jiuniang's face turn even redder. "I understand. You've just gotten back, so get some rest. I won't bother you any longer."

Watching the person leave almost as if they were flying, Gu An'an sighed.

"Mother, does Ninth Sister not like that Man Niang very much?"

"Perhaps, or maybe my decision was too sudden and she couldn't accept it right away."

The arrival of someone to manage the puppet shop could easily cause Liu Jiuniang, who had started the business with Gu An'an, to feel psychologically unbalanced.

Jiang Mingzhu frowned upon hearing this. "If it were me, I might also feel uncomfortable. But people's abilities are limited. How can one be perfect in every aspect? I think you did the right thing, Mother."

The young woman added, "It would be better if you told Ninth Sister first, Mother."

“Yes.” Gu An’an was planning to talk to Liu Jiu Niang first, but she didn’t expect that Liu Jiu Niang had already found out.

"However, Ninth Sister is not one to hold grudges. I'll talk to her about it again tomorrow."

Gu An'an didn't take this matter too seriously, after all, Liu Jiuniang wasn't an unreasonable or domineering person.

Right now, Gu An'an is troubled by something else: how should she reply to Madam Xie's letter?

Gu An'an didn't get a good night's sleep. First, the usually kind and amiable Madam Xie lunged at her with her claws outstretched, and then Liu Jiuniang screamed hysterically at her, "Why did you do this?"

Gu An'an felt a tightness in her chest. She suddenly woke up from her dream and realized the reason for her nightmare—

Little Jiang Baozhu was pressing against her chest, holding the modified little yellow chick in her hand.

While she was sleeping soundly, wasn't Gu An'an suffering?