The two families were not too far apart, and Zheng had already heard about Su Peng taking in concubines and promoting other concubines.
However, she never mentioned it casually, lest the master hear it and feel upset.
Since sending Chunxiang to the master's house, Jiang Zhengming has occasionally stayed overnight in her courtyard.
When Yang arrived at the Su family's house, she found Jiang Jiaojiao alone inside.
She glanced around. "Where did Caiyan go? Why isn't she in the room serving you?"
Jiang Jiaojiao poured Yang a cup of hot tea and said, "Auntie, don't look anymore. My husband has just opened a barbecue shop, and Caiyan is looking after it for our daughter."
“A young mistress of such high status, with no one to serve her in her room, what kind of behavior is this?” Madam Yang sat down, her mind preoccupied.
Jiang Jiaojiao shook her head and smiled bitterly, "Auntie, the Su family is just an empty shell; there are no rules to speak of."
"Didn't the son-in-law just take a concubine? Why don't you just ask her to come and serve you?"
In Yang's view, it was only natural for the mistress to order around the concubines, and it was best to deliberately torment them so that they would lose their desire to compete for favor.
Jiang Jiaojiao held Yang's hand and said, "Auntie, don't be angry. I don't need her to serve me. Besides, Kuihua is from my mother-in-law's room, and I can't order her around."
“Old hag, she’s obviously sending a maid to compete with you for favor and deliberately making things difficult for you. This marriage was definitely a mistake. I was blind to have agreed to marry you to her family.”
"Aunt, don't blame yourself. The marriage has been a series of mistakes. I've seen through it all. Nothing is more reassuring than having money in hand."
Before Yang could say anything more, Jiang Jiaojiao grabbed her hand, stopping her from continuing.
"Jiao'er, you should take care of yourself. Your father has reached an agreement with the broker today, and we will be leaving in a few days. Be careful in everything you do, and don't let the Su family lead you by the nose."
After Yang gave her some instructions, Jiang Jiaojiao was afraid that her aunt would worry, so she dared not tell Su Peng that the jewelry had been pawned.
Yang kept it brief, getting up to return home in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
Jiang Jiaojiao escorted Yang to the gate of the Su family and then let go of Yang's hand.
"Please take care, Aunt. Father is in a bad mood, so I won't go back to upset him."
Madam Yang said resentfully, "Why are you looking at him? Right now, he's focused on nurturing Jiang Qingjian. You're being bullied by a down-on-his-luck guy, and he hasn't even thought of standing up for you."
In the capital, if a daughter of a wealthy family is repeatedly taken in by her husband's family after her marriage, her family will demand an explanation.
Jiang Zhengming was already overwhelmed with his own problems and had no time to care about Jiang Jiaojiao's life or death.
When Madam Qin learned that Madam Yang had arrived, she did not show her face. Madam Yang was unhappy and would not take the initiative to meet her.
The mother and daughter had said everything they needed to say inside the house, and to avoid being overheard, they quickly said goodbye.
Less than fifteen minutes after Jiang Jiaojiao returned to her house, Caiyan returned to the courtyard.
Jiang Jiaojiao said unhappily, "There's Kuihua in the mansion doing chores, why did you come back? The business at the shop is important, you don't need to come back to serve during the day anymore."
“Young Madam, I was just about to discuss this with you. The shop has just been rented, and there are many odd jobs to do. We haven’t hired many people yet. Zhao Wuren is an honest man and not very good at ordering people around. The young master is busy with his own affairs and can’t stay in the shop to keep an eye on things all the time.”
Caiyan's words revealed the shop's shortcomings.
Jiang Jiaojiao panicked. "What should we do? Should we spend money to hire another manager?"
"Hired people are never as attentive as your own people. Young mistress, you can buy another maid or servant to live in the shop. That way, you can supervise everyone's work and no one can embezzle money."
Before Caiyan could finish speaking, Jiang Jiao immediately denied it:
"No, I have no money left. The shop needs to buy ingredients these days, but I don't have any money to pay back. I can't afford to buy servants."
Jiang Jiaojiao was furious when this was mentioned.
She glared at Caiyan fiercely, "If you had discovered earlier that the old hag was stealing our barbecue, we wouldn't have lost so much."
"Young Madam, please calm down. Even if I discovered it early, it wouldn't change anything. If you insist on eating it, I will stop you, and you will be branded as unfilial."
Caiyan calmly and deliberately shifted all the blame.
Jiang Jiaojiao understood this logic; her reputation was already ruined, and that was why Qin Shi had such a firm grip on her.
She sighed and said, "We have to think of another way. We can't let all the money we've invested go down the drain."
"Then let the son-in-law quit his job at the dye shop and run a barbecue stall," Caiyan suggested again.
Jiang Jiaojiao raised her hand and pressed her temples. "Let me think about it."
What are you thinking about?
Su Peng lifted the curtain and strode in.
Caiyan quickly stepped back and curtsied, "Young master, you've returned just in time. The young mistress was worried about who would manage the shop."
"Didn't I hand over the management of the shop's finances to you? Why are you still worried?" Su Peng sat down after entering the room, lifting his robe, and looked at Caiyan with a puzzled expression.
Caiyan frowned slightly. "I come back to the manor at noon and in the evening. How can I be perfect in everything? If we want to manage the business well, we need someone in charge to live in the shop."
"I really hadn't thought about this. What are your thoughts, my wife?"
Su Peng only considered selling barbecue as a small business and never thought that the shop would need a proper manager.
"Husband, could you please not go to the dye shop anymore? Just stay at the shop and manage the business properly."
"Impossible. I don't need to manage the barbecue shop business myself. I only need to buy ingredients and collect money. Caiyan can handle that."
Su Peng waved his hand repeatedly.
In his eyes, the barbecue stall was a low-class business, incomparable to a dye house.
While working at the dye house, he would occasionally go to brothels with his uncle to have fun, but he would never say this openly.
Caiyan picked up the teapot and poured a cup of hot tea for each of them, then stood to the side with her hands at her sides.
Su Peng picked up his teacup, but his gaze swept towards Caiyan.
After moving into Tingxue Pavilion from Kuihua, Su Peng often stayed overnight there.
Seeing Caiyan now, it's hard not to start lusting after her supple and alluring body again.
Caiyan noticed Su Peng's intense gaze fixed on her.
She deliberately raised her voice and said, "Why is the young master looking at me? The young mistress is waiting for you to make a decision."
This scene naturally caught Jiang Jiaojiao's eye, but she pretended not to see through Su Peng's intentions.
He turned to Caiyan and said, "I don't trust anyone else. From today onwards, you can move into the shop and give me the profits every few days."
"Young Madam, is it appropriate for you to be without servants to attend to you?"
Caiyan was overjoyed, but still pretended to be worried and asked.
“My wife only has Caiyan serving her, how can that be?” Su Peng blurted out in his anxiety.
Jiang Jiaojiao glanced at Su Peng and thought to herself, "The one who can't live without her is you, not me."
Jiang Jiaojiao showed no jealousy whatsoever, and looked up at Caiyan, "I don't need anyone to serve me, so this is decided."
"Yes, madam. Without me by your side, please take good care of yourself. I will go pack and move over right away."
Caiyan bowed respectfully and withdrew.
Su Peng glared at Jiang Jiaojiao, looking utterly defeated. "You, you did this on purpose?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
