Zhu Jiayu liked Qiu Lingyan's innocence and cuteness and wanted to protect her, which is why he went to Song Jiangmei to say these things.
Of course, she could retaliate secretly afterward, making it impossible for Song Jiangmei to find evidence to accuse her, but that would be too troublesome. And what if Song Jiangmei was unwilling to admit defeat and kept causing trouble for Qiu Lingyan in the future?
After much deliberation, she decided that she still needed to confront Song Jiangmei directly, at least to make her understand that she was not a soft-hearted person, and that if Song Jiangmei did these things again, she would make sure that Song Jiangmei never had a peaceful day.
Song Jiangmei had never seen such a scene before. From Yujing to Heling, people who disliked her could form a long line down the street, but those women only dared to criticize her in secret, because they couldn't outright criticize her.
Zhu Jiayu was the first person to stand up to her and say, "If there's a next time, I won't let you get away with it."
Song Jiangmei glanced at her, then looked at Qiu Lingyan in front of her. She pursed her lips, unable to understand what was so good about Qiu Lingyan that made Zhu Jiayu protect her so much.
Doesn't she think Qiu Lingyan is stupid?
"That's all I have to say. How to handle things is up to Miss Song. I have other matters to attend to, Miss Song. Let's talk again next time." After saying this, Zhu Jiayu smiled sweetly at her and then walked towards Qiu Lingyan.
When Qiu Lingyan saw her return, she pouted and waited for her. The two walked together for a long time before she finally couldn't help but ask, "What were you doing going to see that woman?"
Zhu Jiayu laughed and said, "I only exchanged a few words with her. Don't worry, I won't be fooled by her."
Qiu Lingyan said something she didn't mean: "Who's worried about you?"
Zhu Jiayu had no experience dealing with young girls, but in her previous life she had a good relationship with the young master of the Imperial Censor's Mansion. Children should be... all coaxed in the same way, right?
Previously, whenever that young master would pester her about something, she would promise him a reward, such as sewing him a purse or making him some snacks, and then say a few sweet words, and he would stop bothering her.
Zhu Jiayu thought for a moment and said, "I see that the purse at your waist is a bit old. How about I make you a new one next time?"
Qiu Lingyan was indeed happy and for a moment forgot about Song Jiangmei, and quickly nodded and said yes.
She knew that her cousin's family ran an embroidery workshop and had seen her purses. In private, she often couldn't help but sigh that her cousin's embroidery skills were worlds apart from hers.
"If I remember correctly, Miss Zhu comes from a family with a long tradition in purse making. It just so happens that I also have a purse with a torn corner. I wonder if Miss Zhu would be willing to make me a new one?"
Behind them came a girl's melodious voice, but while her voice was pleasant, the words she spoke were not so pleasant.
“My family also owns several shops. If Miss Zhu’s embroidery skills are good, I will make the decision. From now on, all the orders for ready-made clothing and embroidery will be placed with your family’s embroidery workshop. How about that?”
Qiu Boyan and Qiu Mingyan stood not far behind them, silent. In such situations, they were practically invisible. No one cared about them, nor did anyone inquire about their opinions.
Qiu Lingyan's expression changed, and she immediately wanted to retort to the woman who had spoken. Her cousin had come to the Qiu residence as a guest, and was also a guest at the Wei residence today; she was not the embroidery worker the woman had described!
Zhu Jiayu squeezed her hand, signaling her not to speak yet, then turned around and looked the woman up and down.
Being stared at openly is uncomfortable enough, let alone being stared at by a beautiful young woman. Even without any malice, such staring is enough to make one feel inferior, as if "a gem like her is beside me."
Although Zhu Jiayu didn't say anything, Xue Baoshan felt that every look she gave was mocking her, mocking her inappropriate makeup and attire, mocking the flaws in her facial features, or mocking the color scheme of her dress today.
After a long while, she finally couldn't bear the scrutiny any longer and was about to speak when she heard Zhu Jiayu speak as well:
“Miss, currently, the prices for a single garment at our Zhu Family Embroidery Workshop range from eighty to three hundred taels of silver, while the prices for a single embroidered piece range from fifty to two hundred taels of silver. Based on the workshop's production rate, we can produce approximately three hundred garments and five hundred embroidered pieces per month. You want to book all of our workshop's orders for a year? Have you calculated how much that will cost? Are your parents aware of such a large sum of money?”
If these questions were posed to an accountant skilled in this field, he could have figured them out in no time. But the person standing in front of Zhu Jiayu was not an accountant, but a young girl similar to Qiu Lingyan who couldn't even understand the ledger. How could she possibly handle Zhu Jiayu's string of numbers?
Even if she couldn't calculate the exact amount, she could tell it would be quite substantial. Besides, she hadn't genuinely wanted to do business with Zhu Jiayu; she merely wanted to humiliate her. She hadn't expected to end up losing out and becoming the one who was humiliated instead.
Her face flushed red as she looked at Zhu Jiayu and pointed at her face, saying, "Zhu Jiayu, right? Hello, you're really something!"
Zhu Jiayu grasped her fingers, subtly exerting force to compel her to lower her hand, while still maintaining a radiant smile. Her eyes crinkled with laughter as she leaned closer to the girl.
"Although I don't know who pushed you out as a pawn, it's quite disappointing that the so-called noble lady of Heling has so little ability. If you want to fight me, you should go back and study the Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio that have been around for hundreds of years. Maybe then you won't lose so badly."
After speaking in a barely audible voice, she took a step back and straightened up: "Pointing at people with your finger is not a good lady's behavior. This young lady is behaving so badly in public. Could it be that the marriage is already arranged and there are no more concerns about it?"
To kill someone is to destroy their spirit.
What are girls this age most afraid of? Naturally, they are afraid of not being able to find a good marriage partner and wasting the rest of their lives on trivial and messy matters.
Upon hearing Zhu Jiayu's words, many people cast pitying glances at the girl in front of her. If Xue Baoshan couldn't come up with a strong rebuttal, the label of "tainted character" would likely stick to her for quite some time.
Finally, someone couldn't stand it anymore and stepped forward to help Xue Baoshan out of the predicament:
"Sister Xue is just young and impetuous. Miss Zhu, isn't it a bit inappropriate for you to speak like that? Besides, as far as I know, among all the people here, you are probably the least qualified to talk about this matter. It's a well-known rumor in Suiping City. Miss Zhu, do you think that no one will know about it once we get to Heling?"
Zhu Jiayu already knew what she wanted to say, but she pretended not to understand and said with a smile, "What rumors? This young lady might as well speak frankly so that everyone can know."
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