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"This painting is so large, why is the price so small?" A woman in a half-worn skirt was surrounded by people in the embroidery room, but her voice did not get any louder and was still sharp and piercing.

"Ah Hong, you know we don't accept many patterns from outside. We gave you a break because you are all in the same gang. Besides, we don't know if those gaudy things can be sold. You can take them somewhere else and see if anyone wants them." Zhang Xiu Niang didn't say a single dirty word, but her meaning of "don't be ungrateful" was clear.

The woman wasn't so easy to deal with. She laughed and said, "Do you really think I'm an ignorant youngster? The more pictures like this, the more eager people are to buy them. A single screen costs over a hundred taels! You think you own the cloth shop just because you're in it. Are you planning to embezzle my money and enrich yourself?"

Zhang Xiu Niang's face changed and she angrily shouted, "Don't spit bloody words at me! This is the Bangli Cloth Shop, and we won't tolerate your insolence!"

"I'm just selling a painting, why should I be so presumptuous? Give me the money I deserve now and I'll turn around and leave." Ah Hong said coldly.

"That's all your paintings are worth. If you don't want to sell them, leave now. It'll ruin the peace and quiet of the house." Zhang Xiu Niang showed no sign of backing down. She sneered, "Do you think you're some top artist somewhere and can command a high price just by relying on your reputation?"

This was a bit harsh. If it were someone who wasn't too gentle, they would have covered their face with shame. But Ah Hong sneered, "I'm not the top prostitute, but you're a nun in a temple. Have you never touched a man in your life? You feel uncomfortable when you see this kind of picture?"

Many embroiderers never marry, fearing that raising children would ruin their skills. This blatant mockery made Zhang Xiu Niang's face flush red, and she cursed: "You lowly thing! If you want to save face, why don't you paint something else? It would be fine if you didn't work, but you're still making such a fuss here. It's just this much money. If you don't want to sell it, don't come back here again! Yingying, go call someone!"

I don't know what words frightened Ah Hong. She obviously hesitated for a moment, snatched the purse on the table, turned around and left. This time she didn't say anything weird.

Seeing her like this, Zhang Xiu Niang sneered, "You don't even know how to run a business properly, yet you dare to act so presumptuously here? I'll reduce the price of her paintings by another three points. You're so ungrateful."

The voice was quite loud, and the woman must have heard it, but she didn't even pause, but walked even faster.

After everyone disappeared, Feng Jingjing, who had watched the entire scene, stepped forward and asked, "What's going on?"

Zhang Xiu Niang almost forgot there were outsiders. She quickly suppressed her expression and said with a wry smile, "What a coincidence! I've made a fool of myself by showing you this. This Ah Hong is the one who painted the picture of the Begonia sleeping in spring. Her skills are not bad, but her character is really terrible. She always makes people angry."

Feng Jingjing took two steps forward and saw the scroll spread out on the table. It was different from the previous paintings of beauties; this one depicted a private reunion: the moon above the willows, a meeting under the eaves. Not only was the painting intricate, but it also evoked a certain sensuality. Plus, the scroll was quite large, so it could indeed be used as a screen.

She didn't comment on the painting, but instead turned the conversation to the person: "She's also a member of our Red Flag Gang? Why doesn't she go out to work and instead sell paintings?"

Upon hearing this, all the embroiderers in the room could no longer sit still and started talking at once.

"This Ah Hong is a woman from the island. I heard she was from a brothel before. She's definitely not a simple person."

"That's right. There are so many women on the island, all married or working in workshops, some as nurses or accountants. She lives on her own, doesn't farm or work, so who knows what she's thinking?"

"If the gang hadn't forbidden me from selling outside, I might have already opened a half-open door business."

"Tsk tsk tsk, just by the way she walks, you can tell she's a bitch! If anyone marries her, they'll be damned unlucky!"

"Most likely, they're used to the comforts of the brothel and don't want to work hard."

The group's words were getting more and more outrageous. Zhang Xiu Niang quickly coughed and explained, "I heard that Ah Hong was one of the first women to come down from the island. She saved up a little money and set up a housewife. She makes a living by drawing patterns. If Mr. Sun from the county hadn't ordered a screen, I wouldn't have accepted her."

As soon as she heard this, Feng Jingjing understood. The screen had been ordered long ago, and perhaps Zhang Xiu Niang had hinted that she wanted this kind of painting. But after the painting was completed, she deliberately lowered the price, taking advantage of the other party's lack of other livelihoods and poor reputation, which made her so confident.

But she didn't care about the business in the embroidery workshop. Feng Jingjing just frowned and pretended to be puzzled. "As long as anyone in the gang is willing to work hard, they can always make a living. Some of them have become managers in banks and workshops. She should be able to read, right? Why doesn't she do some clerical work?"

"Who would want to use a bastard like her..."

Someone interrupted, and no one knew who said it. Zhang Xiu Niang glared at her subordinates, then sighed, "The leader is considerate of his subordinates and is willing to give everyone a bite to eat. But some people are born lazy and unwilling to work. Maybe in a while, they will find a rich man to marry and become concubines."

This statement drew the approval of a group of people. They all made their livings from their craft, and they hated people like this the most. Feng Jingjing smiled and nodded in agreement.

…

Back home, Ah Hong didn't bother to clean up. She just took off her coat and collapsed on the bed. Her feet ached from all the walking, and she couldn't even think about cooking. The money she'd earned was much less than she'd expected, and she couldn't contain her anger, so she started arguing with the embroiderer again. Things were going to get even harder from now on. She had to find another way to make money.

Her thoughts wandered, and she fell asleep. When she woke up, it was almost dark. Without turning on the lights, she quickly tidied the room, took some effort to clean herself up, and prepared to go out to find food. After being hungry for so long, she didn't feel like cooking anyway. Fortunately, there were many restaurants in town, and women often bought food after work, so it wasn't surprising that she went alone.

It's just that eating out too much is another expense. Oh, that bitch is too hard on the price. Does she really think she doesn't dare to tell others?

Her stomach ached with hunger, and without a second thought about whether she had anything to eat, Ah Hong pushed open the door and prepared to go buy food. Unexpectedly, she saw a woman standing in front of her house. Ah Hong thought she had some ability to recognize people, and the woman's posture and demeanor were also unusual. She immediately recognized it as the person standing behind Zhang Xiu Niang. Could it be someone from the embroidery room? Her face suddenly darkened.

The woman seemed to have been paying attention to this place. When she saw Ah Hong leave, she stepped forward and said with a smile: "Are you Ah Hong? My name is Feng Jingjing. I saw you in the embroidery room this afternoon."

"The paintings have been sold, the money and goods have been paid, and I don't care about anything else." Seeing that she had revealed her identity, Ah Hong immediately spoke first.

Feng Jingjing laughed: "I'm not from the embroidery room, and I'm not looking for you about that painting. I have something else to tell you."

Could it be that he was attracted by her paintings? Ah Hong thought about it and immediately picked up Jiao: "Whatever you want, wait a minute. I'm hungry and I need to go eat."

Feng Jingjing didn't take it as an offense and said with a smile, "Why don't we find a place to eat and talk?"

No matter what the other party wanted to talk about, such a respectable person should be treated to a meal, right? Ah Hong did not refuse. The two found a small stall on the street and sat down in a secluded corner.

Ah Hong ordered a bowl of steamed taro rice, and the other party picked two dishes at random. As soon as the rice was served, Ah Hong started to gobble it up without caring about anything.

It looked like she hadn't eaten lunch yet. Feng Jingjing barely touched her chopsticks, just staring at her. Although Ah Hong ate quickly, her table manners weren't bad, likely due to her childhood training. And despite her sardonic expression, she wasn't bad-looking, though she looked a bit haggard without her attire.

Even while eating, Ah Hong could feel the other person's gaze, and she felt a little unhappy. After eating half full, she put down her chopsticks and said coldly: "Alright, I'll eat your meal. If you want to ask anything, just ask!"

Feng Jingjing nodded slightly, without any politeness, and said directly: "I have seen your paintings. The brushstrokes are delicate and exquisite. It seems that you have put a lot of effort into them."

Ah Hong sneered and laughed: "Madam, you want to make friends through painting? I'm afraid you've found the wrong person. I hate painting the most in my life."

Feng Jingjing frowned slightly. "Given your skills, you must have worked very hard in calligraphy and painting."

The implication is very clear. With such hard work and ingenuity, how could one not like it a little?

The mockery in Ah Hong's eyes was even more intense: "You ladies paint for your own amusement or to please your husbands. I paint just to sleep with fewer people, so it's naturally different."

In the brothel, whether one is good at music, chess, calligraphy or painting, one's circumstances vary greatly. She was able to endure and marry a businessman, and naturally she had studied hard, but she never felt happy when she put pen to paper.

This still doesn't hide her background at all. Feng Jingjing sighed, "Whether you like it or not, my painting skills are always excellent. The gang is now planning to build a porcelain kiln and wants to recruit a group of women with excellent painting skills to specialize in Western-style business. I'm honored to be in charge, I wonder if you'd be willing to come out and work?"

Ah Hong looked at Feng Jingjing for a moment and suddenly said, "Are you the new official's wife? Didn't you go to the cloth workshop to teach? How come there's a porcelain kiln?"

Unexpectedly, she knew about herself. Feng Jingjing explained, "It was indeed me. I went to the cloth workshop just to gain some experience. I'll have to manage a porcelain kiln in the future. It's just that there aren't many people as talented as you. If you can become a master craftsman, I think you'll have no worries about food and clothing."

She said it sincerely, but Ah Hong said without hesitation: "No!"

Seeing her almost arrogant expression, Feng Jingjing was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "You don't want to go out to work, is it because of your bound feet?"