Gu Nanjiao shouted at the top of her lungs, "Cuihong, Juzi, why aren't you coming over yet?"

Looking at the dishes in front of him, Bai Luochen clicked his tongue twice: "They look delicious, but the only downside is that there's no meat."

"Too plain!"

Gu Nanjiao said irritably, "Kung Pao Chicken isn't meat, but meatball soup is meat too!"

Bai Luochen looked embarrassed and fell silent.

Cuihong and Juzi came over with small, hesitant steps, fidgeting and twisting the hem of their clothes.

It wasn't that they were being pretentious; they simply couldn't take their steps when they saw Bai Luochen's handsome face.

Gu Nanjiao quickly urged, "Sit down and eat! If people come to the shop later, you won't be able to get any food!"

Cuihong and Juzi kept their heads down and only ate the food in front of them. Every now and then, they would steal a glance at Bai Luochen with blushing faces. They could only eat a small bite every now and then, which made Gu Nanjiao sweat with anxiety.

Lu Yanzhao's appearance was stunning enough a while ago, but he was a bit aloof, which made people afraid to get close to him.

Bai Luochen is different. Although he is also outstanding in appearance and has a superior temperament, he always has his peach blossom eyes squinted and always has a smiling face, which makes people want to get close to him.

Bai Luochen remained unmoved by Cuihong and Juzi's furtive glances, and ate heartily without any restraint.

He knew he was handsome and was used to this kind of thing.

I hadn't even finished half of my meal when I heard someone shouting downstairs:

"Where is the shopkeeper? We've been calling him for ages."

As soon as Ju Zi put down her bowl and chopsticks, she said, "Coming, coming!" and hurriedly ran downstairs.

Cuihong paused for a moment, then put down her chopsticks and left. Before leaving, she couldn't help but steal a glance at Bai Luochen.

Bai Luochen and Gu Nanjiao continued eating.

"What kind of fabric is this? How dare you introduce it to our lady? You're looking down on us! Call your manager over here."

Gu Nanjiao frowned upon hearing this and said to Bai Luochen, "I'll go down and take a look first!"

Nowadays, Lü Siniang spends most of her time at Jiaoniang Pavilion in town so she can see her father more often. Jiaoniang Pavilion in the county town only employs Cuihong and Juzi. Gu Nanjiao's stall is nearby, so she comes to check on it from time to time.

Now that something has happened, it's only right that she, as the second-in-command, steps forward.

As soon as Gu Nanjiao came downstairs, she saw Yang Meiqin, adorned with gold and silver, sitting gracefully on a low stool, holding a round fan depicting mandarin ducks playing in the water. Beside her was a red-clad maid with a fierce expression.

The maid, with her hands on her hips and a fierce look on her face, said, "Does the shop have no other fabrics? You're just trying to fob us off with these cheap trinkets, as if we can't afford them. Our mistress is pregnant and can't wear coarse fabrics, so quickly bring us some good fabrics."

Orange looked troubled: "This is already the best fabric from Jiaoniang Pavilion, the finest silk, you see..."

"I don't want to look, what kind of attitude is that?" After saying this, the maid with the stern eyebrows cautiously approached Yang Meiqin and said, "Madam, this shop is no good, why don't we go to another one?"

Yang Meiqin frowned: "In this heat, you want me to go to another shop? Where is their manager? I don't believe such a big shop doesn't have decent fabrics." After saying that, she stood up, and when her gaze swept over Gu Nanjiao, she couldn't help but be stunned.

Yang Meiqin swayed her hips as she walked up to Gu Nanjiao, and said in a high-pitched voice, "Oh, it's you. What's up? Did Lu Yanzhao give you money to buy clothes too, or...?"

She paused and said, "The money your lover gave you. Otherwise, how could you afford these clothes?"

As soon as Yang Meiqin finished speaking, Ju Zi's expression changed: "Madam, why are you speaking so rudely? This is our second manager."

Gu Nanjiao glanced at Ju Zi with satisfaction, then looked up and met Yang Meiqin's gaze. She said with a half-smile, "It's only been a few days, and you've become a lady. Which family's lady are you from?"

I had long heard rumors in the village that Yang Meiqin had seduced a wealthy businessman and was pregnant with his child.

Before Yang Meiqin could answer, the maidservant beside her interjected, "Naturally, it's Master Wang, the famous wealthy merchant in town."

Yang Meiqin gave the maid a reproachful look: "You're so talkative!" Then she looked at Gu Nanjiao with a smug expression.

Look at what Gu Nanjiao is wearing—coarse cloth clothes, not even a hairpin in her hair, and her neck and wrists are bare. Lu Yanzhao is at least a scholar, but Gu Nanjiao, this scholar's wife, is truly shabby, without even a decent piece of jewelry.

Is he the second manager of Jiaoniang Pavilion?

He brags without thinking!

"Is it Master Wang Dafu from town?" Gu Nanjiao asked, tilting her head.

"How dare you call my master by his name?"

Gu Nanjiao was now certain that Yang Meiqin's lover was indeed Wang Sang and Wang Fu's father. However, she referred to herself as "Madam," and she wondered what Wang Fu would think if he found out.

It's hilarious to think that I suddenly have a mother!

"why are you laughing?"

Yang Meiqin always felt that Gu Nanjiao was mocking her. How dare Gu Nanjiao, the wife of a poor scholar, laugh at her?

Gu Nanjiao covered her lips and said, "It's nothing. I've long heard that Master Wang's wife is extremely fierce, and his son and daughter are all troublemakers. Aren't you afraid they'll find out that you call yourself 'Madam'?"

Yang Meiqin felt a little scared when she heard this. After Wang Dafu took her over, he settled her in his house in the county town and bought a maid to serve her.

She asked Wang Dafu why he didn't bring her over, and Wang Dafu gave a vague answer, saying that it was for the safety of the baby in her womb and that she should stay outside temporarily.

It seems that Wang Dafu was afraid of his shrewish wife at home and dared not bring her back to the mansion, so he could only keep her as a mistress outside.

The newly bought maidservant was sweet-talking, calling her "Madam" repeatedly, which made her heart flutter.

Thinking of this, Yang Meiqin retorted, "So what? I'm the wife outside, and that doesn't conflict with the one at home." She couldn't possibly bow down to Gu Nanjiao. Now that she was adorned with gold and silver, she finally managed to gain some sense of superiority over Gu Nanjiao.

At this moment, Bai Luochen finished eating and drinking.

Dressed in white, he was elegant and tall, with striking good looks.

He approached Gu Nanjiao and said, "I'm full. Do you need my help?"

Gu Nanjiao waved her hand: "You go back first. Remember to find a few trustworthy people tomorrow. I'll teach them the techniques."

Yang Meiqin, who was standing to the side, was stunned for a moment. Seeing Bai Luochen walk away, she said sarcastically, "Does Lu Yanzhao know that you found a lover outside? All your money comes from this pretty boy, doesn't it?"

Yang Meiqin is good-looking, so how could she say such disgusting things?

"You think everyone is like you, with nothing but thoughts of finding lovers!" Gu Nanjiao glanced at her coldly and gestured for her to leave: "Get lost, Jiaoniang Pavilion doesn't do business with you, you're filthy!"

Yang Meiqin wasn't angry. She felt that Gu Nanjiao had been caught out by her weakness and was now furious.

Just thinking about how Gu Nanjiao's lover was equally beautiful made her feel suffocated. They both dated men, but hers were either slovenly peasants or greasy, fat old men.

"That young man in white looks like a rich man. How did you, a mere village woman, manage to hook up with him? Is he a master in bed? Teach me sometime!" Yang Meiqin's words became increasingly vulgar, with a hint of sourness in her tone.

Gu Nanjiao could no longer bear it. She glared at Yang Meiqin and said in a icy tone, "Have you eaten shit? Your mouth is full of yellow filth. If you don't get out of here, don't blame me for being impolite."

Relying on Master Wang, Yang Meiqin completely disregarded Gu Nanjiao: "You're going to be rude to me? Want to hit me?" As she spoke, she pointed to her stomach and said to Gu Nanjiao with a grin, "Come on, hit me here?"