It's clear that Yang Hua has a bad temper and is impatient. Even though she's seven months pregnant, she's still in a rush and leaves whenever she feels like it.

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Sure enough, Yang Hua and Hong Yu, dressed as ordinary women, walked arm in arm toward the Wen Dong Cotton Shop.

The doors of the cotton shop were wide open, and customers came and went in a steady stream. There were elegantly dressed ladies from wealthy families, ordinary people in plain clothes, and impoverished people in tattered garments…

Hongyu and Yanghua looked at each other in bewilderment. Wasn't this a cotton quilt? Why would a poor person come here?

At this moment, a pale-faced scholar-like man came out briskly and asked warmly, "I am the manager of the cotton shop, named Wan Mian. Are you two ladies looking to order cotton quilts?"

Hongyu and Yanghua were dumbfounded; it seemed a waste of talent for this handsome man to be the manager.

Hongyu asked, "Manager Wan, how much are the cotton quilts in your shop?"

"Ladies, please follow me."

Manager Wan led Hongyu and Yanghua into the shop.

The shop was truly a hidden gem; dozens of rolls of linen were displayed on the counter to the left, while silks, satins, knitwear, and embroidery were on the right.

Hongyu and Yanghua then realized that Wendong Cotton Shop not only made money from the rich, but also from the poor.

Yang Hua was furious again. She glared at Manager Wan and asked sarcastically, "How much are your cotton quilts? My sister wants to order thirty quilts."

Manager Wan stopped in his tracks, first nodding his thanks to Yang Hua and Hong Yu, and then said, "Ladies, I'm so sorry, this winter has been tough. To ensure that every household can buy a quilt, we have limited the quantity. You can only buy two quilts at a time, and we will not sell any more than that."

"What?" Yang Hua grinned in disbelief, then asked, "How much is a five-pound quilt?"

Manager Wan pointed to the fabric and explained to Yang Hua that the price of a cotton quilt depends not only on the amount of cotton used, but also on the price of the fabric.

Finally, the price quoted by Wanmian's manager left Yang Hua speechless.

Because, for the same cotton quilt, Wendong Cotton Shop's price was one tael of silver cheaper than Mu's.

Yang Hua was speechless and scrutinized Manager Wan again. There weren't many people with the surname Wan in the capital, and there were no officials with that surname in the imperial court.

Judging from Manager Wan's voice, which had a Shaanxi accent, it seemed that Manager Wan was an outsider.

That makes things easier.

Yang Hua had an idea in mind and tried to pull Hong Yu away, but Hong Yu stopped him.

"Manager Wan, my sister-in-law and I each ordered two top-quality brocade quilts."

After Hongyu paid the money, Yanghua pulled her away from the shop and back into the sedan chair.

When Xiuhua saw the two of them come in, she quickly handed the hand warmer in her hand to Hongyu.

"Your Majesty, this is a monopoly! Aren't you going to do anything about it? Why are you still buying their quilts and supporting their business?"

Hongyu wasn't angry. She clutched the hand warmer to her chest, glanced at Yanghua sideways, and asked in return:

"You say Manager Wan is monopolizing the market, but his quilts are cheaper than your Mu family's. If you, Mu family, were to monopolize the market, wouldn't the people suffer and cry out in misery?"

Yang Hua held his breath, and without saying goodbye to Hong Yu, left with a gloomy face.

Hongyu continued to sit in the sedan chair. She ordered each servant to make two quilts, so that she would have thirty quilts made.

Hongyu was smug, but when she lifted the curtain, she saw a familiar figure.

"Shy Flower, look, isn't that Mu Chenyu?"

Shy Flower peeked out.

A woman wearing a red cloak was talking to a short, stout man.

The man looked towards the sedan chair. Xiuhua squinted and examined him closely. The man was fat and had big ears; he was none other than the second uncle of the Gu family.

The flower, startled and frightened, quickly turned its head away.

"The deposit has been received! Miss Chenyu truly keeps her word. I shall take my leave now, until we meet again."

"Take care, Manager Gu!"

She truly is a beauty that can sink fish.

Hongyu quickly handed the hand warmer to Xiuhua and got off the carriage.

She rushed into the warm cotton shop and looked around, but Shen Yu was nowhere to be seen.

Strange, she clearly saw Chen Yu come in.

Manager Wan stepped forward and asked, "Is this lady looking for Wan Mou?"

"Does your shop have a back door?"

"Yes, yes, yes, please come with me."

As Manager Wan spoke, he led Hongyu to a side door. Hongyu pushed open the door and saw that the alley was deserted. Perhaps, Chenyu had already gone far away?

Shen Yu returned to the backyard, and as soon as she entered the room and took off her cloak, Manager Wan rushed in to report:

“Miss Chenyu, a lady just ran into the shop looking for you. She must know you.”

I secretly followed and watched. That woman was no ordinary person; she had dozens of servants with her.

Also, a pregnant woman accompanied her.

Shen Yu nodded, already realizing that the woman with such an impressive background must be Hong Yu.

She went to the window and looked outside. Why was it snowing again? And it was snowing heavily.

As the saying goes, "One autumn rain brings a chill, ten autumn rains mean it's time to wear cotton clothes."

This summer and autumn, both the Jiangnan region suffered from floods, leading her to predict that winter will arrive early and be colder than usual.

Therefore, she purchased large quantities of reed catkins, willow catkins, and cotton before the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Unfortunately, cotton is surprisingly scarce, and some people don't even know how to harvest it, treating it as a flower to admire.

Fortunately, she knew who the major merchants who cooperated with the Mu family were. So, she hired Wan Mian, who had come to Beijing to find his relatives, as her manager and had him handle the cotton purchases.

Just now, Wan Mian was unable to get away, so she personally placed an order for cotton from the Gu family and paid a deposit.

It's likely that Hongyu saw her on the street.

She turned to Manager Wan and instructed, "If anyone comes looking for me in the future, just say that you have never seen this person."

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