Cheng Ruyi couldn't help but look down at her own figure, then at the other woman, silently estimating. It seemed that the difference in height and build between them was indeed quite obvious. She was taller and larger than the average woman, and not thin, while the other woman was quite petite and frail...
If she hadn't witnessed the kite girl's agile movements with her own eyes, she would have almost doubted whether she had really bullied her.
Upon hearing this, Tang Wuyou sighed and said gently, "Zhiyuan, get up first. This isn't your fault. We're small, and this Madam Cheng... never mind. It's just a pity about the coral. Alas, it seems it's not meant for you, sir."
"Madam!" Upon hearing her mistress's words, Zhiyuan immediately became indignant. "This was something you painstakingly transported back from Wanze, thousands of miles away, using a great deal of manpower and resources. How can you just let it go so easily?"
After she finished speaking, the girl glared at Cheng Ruyi.
Alright, it seems it's time for her to take the stage. Cheng Ruyi straightened her clothes, then stood up and said to Tang Wuyou, "Madam Zhou, may I borrow this coral for a look?"
Tang Wuyou frowned when she saw that Cheng Ruyi's expression remained calm. She had sent people to investigate and knew that this Cheng lady had only started to make some money in the past year because of her cooperation with the Zhou family. Before that, the Cheng family had always been just ordinary people in the county town. How could they possibly have any knowledge of rare treasures like coral? It seemed that she was just trying to bluff and struggle in vain.
Thinking of this, she nodded generously and replied, "Of course."
Cheng Ruyi stepped forward and carefully examined the red coral that was broken into several pieces on the table. Of course, she herself couldn't tell the difference between real and fake, but she had a cheat code!
Any plant or animal that has grown for more than a hundred years will inevitably produce a trace of spiritual energy, such as a hundred-year-old ginseng or lingzhi mushroom. This is the conclusion she has drawn from her recent frequent experiments using the Qi Observation Technique. However, the red coral in front of her did not have a trace of spiritual energy flowing through it, so it was obviously not genuine.
Thankfully, Madam Zhou didn't use any truly priceless treasures to frame her, which makes things much easier to resolve.
“Madam Zhou, I’ve heard that corals are animals that live in the deep sea, but these broken cross-sections don’t look like the internal structure of an animal. It seems a bit strange. If you don’t mind, it would be best to have a professional examine them.”
Upon hearing Ruyi's words, Zhiyuan immediately retorted sternly, "What do you mean by that! Do you think our Zhou family would buy counterfeit goods? You, Madam Cheng, who would have thought that while you cooperate with our Zhou family on the surface, you would slander us like this behind our backs!"
“Miss Paper Kite, what you’re saying completely misrepresents my good intentions! What I meant was that your lady is too kind-hearted and too naive, so she is very likely to be deliberately deceived by a despicable and shameless unscrupulous merchant. After all, coral is rare, and ordinary people can hardly distinguish between the real and the fake.” Cheng Ruyi spoke with a sincere, innocent, and righteous expression.
Paper Kite was slightly thrown off balance by Ruyi's unconventional words, but she quickly recovered: "If it's hard to tell the truth from the falsehood, how can you tell? Why should we believe you!"
Upon hearing this, Cheng Ruyi sighed deeply, then covered her chest with her right hand and said with a sorrowful expression, "Speaking of which, the anniversary of my late husband's death is just around the corner. He loved reading all sorts of travelogues and miscellaneous books. A few days ago, when I was sorting through his belongings to prepare for a memorial service, I accidentally came across some descriptions of coral characteristics in a book..."
Sorry, Comrade Shenyun, I have to use you as a shield again!
Tang Wuyou and Zhiyuan were both surprised that Cheng Ruyi would suddenly bring up her deceased husband at this time. They couldn't help but feel a little guilty, so they looked away, afraid of making eye contact with her.
Ruyi glanced at the two of them and continued in a low voice, "Besides, I only suggested that we find a professional expert to appraise it. I never said that the coral was a fake. Madam Zhou, I have been cooperating with your Zhou family for so long and I absolutely trust your family's character. I see that you are young and simple-minded, and I am worried that you will be deliberately framed by someone with ulterior motives. It is really out of my sincere good intentions!"
Tang Wuyou: "...Madam Cheng is so kind."
After she finished speaking, she turned to look at the kite and then said loudly to everyone, "I will send someone to handle the aftermath of this matter. Let's leave it at that for today."
“Yes… Madam.” Although Zhiyuan was somewhat unwilling, she still obediently answered with a pout.
Upon seeing this, Cheng Ruyi knew that the matter was over, so she resumed her indifferent demeanor, picked up her teacup, and continued to leisurely sip her tea.
After observing for so long, Tang Wuyou finally understood Cheng Niangzi's personality a little better, and couldn't help but sigh, "Cheng Niangzi is indeed very... special. No wonder the master looks at you differently."
"Cough cough! Cough cough!" Cheng Ruyi was startled by these words and almost spat out the tea in her mouth!
“Madam Zhou, please forgive my bluntness, but what you said could easily be misunderstood. In fact, rather than saying that Mr. Zhou looks at me differently, it would be more appropriate to say that he appreciates my business acumen.”
To show her sincerity, Ruyi looked directly into Tang Wuyou's eyes and spoke in a firm and earnest tone: "Ever since I met Master Zhou, we've only ever talked about one thing every time we meet: how to make more money! Although it's a bit boastful, I'm quite knowledgeable about various ways to make money. Speaking of which, Madam Zhou should have been to Lingyun Pavilion. I wonder what you thought of it?"
"Ah? Yes...it does have some meaning." Tang Wuyou knew that the other party would not admit it easily, so he planned to listen carefully to see how she would try to explain herself. However, he didn't expect that the more he listened, the stranger it seemed. Now he was suddenly asked a question. This Cheng Niangzi was really hard to understand.
Cheng Ruyi was naturally unaware of Tang Wuyou's inner thoughts at that moment, but she had a clear conscience and spoke frankly and naturally, saying things casually and truthfully, "You also think it's interesting, right? That's my idea and creativity. Actually, besides cooperating with your Zhou family, our Cheng family also runs two shops. The things we sell there aren't worth much, but they're all quite interesting. If Madam Zhou has time, you might as well take a look!"
As the topic drifted further and further away, Tang Wuyou's expression grew increasingly grim. However, her furrowed brows and glaring gaze did not appear frightening at all; instead, she seemed rather pitiful, as if she had suffered a great injustice.
Ruyi couldn't help but sigh to herself: Ah, beautiful women really do make people's hearts soften.
"Well... what I really mean is, right now I only have one thought in my mind, which is to protect my family and try my best to survive in this world."
“Madam Zhou, I am just an ordinary citizen, without money, power, or influence. I struggle on the edge of life every day. Whether it was the lockdown last year, the Lantern Festival incident at the beginning of this year, or the drought, heavy snow, or bandits, each of these things was a matter of life and death for me. I had to muster my strength and do my best to get through these difficulties. I simply didn’t have the extra time or energy to focus on other things.”
"Besides, there are so many things in this world worth our attention. Delicious food and beautiful scenery can also make people feel happy and fulfilled! Friendship and family are equally precious. There's also pursuing our hobbies, improving our self-worth, realizing our dreams, and so on. The world is so vast, and I yearn for it!"
Tang Wuyou was somewhat dazed at this moment. Looking at the woman speaking eloquently before her, she felt a mixture of envy and trepidation, though she found the woman arrogant and presumptuous.
And for some reason, the unfamiliar figure of Madam Cheng was slowly merging with another familiar figure.
She tried hard to suppress the surging emotions within her, but couldn't help asking, "It's strange, you don't resemble my sister at all, so why do I suddenly think of her when I look at you...?"
Cheng Ruyi also noticed that Madam Zhou's mood seemed a bit off, especially the way she looked at her, which suddenly became serious.
So, he was thinking about his older sister...
Ruyi actually knew a little about this matter. For example, Zhou Yantang's first wife was named Tang Wushuang, who was the older sister of the second young lady of the Tang family in front of her.
Unfortunately, the lady died in childbirth while giving birth to her youngest daughter. Not long after, Zhou Yantang married his deceased wife's younger sister, Tang Wuyou, as his second wife.
This incident caused quite a stir at the time, with almost everyone in the county discussing it. Many people thought it was a wonderful thing and considered Zhou Yantang to be a person of great loyalty and righteousness.
Although she didn't know exactly what happened back then, it seems that Mrs. Zhou and her sister had a very deep relationship.
Tang Wuyou was no longer in the mood to pay attention to Cheng Ruyi, so he simply sent her away.
Fifteen minutes later, Ruyi finally met the person she was truly looking for at the Zhou family. Ah, the secluded courtyards are truly difficult to navigate!
Fortunately, the Zhou family was small enough that Madam Zhou didn't need to engage in any power struggles within the household. Even if she wanted to, there were no targets for her to fight. Therefore, her methods were rather basic, and even a novice like Ruyi could barely handle them.
Although the matter has been dealt with, it doesn't mean that things will end there.
"Master Zhou is truly blessed! It's amazing how I was invited by Madam Zhou to sit at her place for a while by some strange coincidence. Madam Zhou is not only beautiful and kind-hearted, but also warm and generous. With such a wife, what more could a husband ask for!"
Zhou Yin's feelings were also very complicated at this moment. Looking at Cheng Ruyi's forced smile, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty.
"Ahem, Wuyou is young, so her personality is naturally quite naive, but she doesn't actually have any bad intentions. Please be more understanding and don't take it to heart."
Wow! What classic lines from a scumbag! I never thought she'd hear them with her own ears. What a terrible thing to do. She must have been too gossipy and went to his house to pry into his life, and this is the retribution she got!
Cheng Ruyi was angered by Zhou Yin's attitude and couldn't help but question him: "Master Zhou, based on your understanding of your wife, you should have been able to foresee that such a thing would happen, yet you chose to let it happen. It's clear that you were happy to see it happen!"
“That’s not what I meant…” Zhou Yin couldn’t help but try to explain, but was interrupted by Ruyi.
"Mr. Zhou, please let me finish. I have always respected you as my business partner, and I hope to receive the same respect from you. I hope this will not happen again."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yin stared intently at Cheng Ruyi for a while before letting out a soft sigh. He then turned to look at the swirling snowflakes outside the window, seemingly lost in thought.
After a while, he suddenly spoke up: "Would you like to hear a story...?"
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