Yan Qingqing first took A-Da to eat a bowl of fragrant wontons. It was a small noodle shop run by a middle-aged couple, mainly selling various kinds of noodles.
Because Yan Qingqing hadn't eaten breakfast, the food smelled especially delicious. Without any airs of a lady from a wealthy family, she plopped down at the table and called out, "Boss, two large bowls of wontons, please."
Ah Da swallowed hard as he said, "Madam, I've already had breakfast, you don't need to buy any for me."
Yan Qingqing hadn't missed his swallowing, and said with a smile, "How can that be? I'm not the kind of person who eats alone. Besides, I'm going to be shopping with all my might later. Please sit down."
Ah Da knew that Yan Qingqing didn't have many rules, so he had no choice but to sit opposite her.
Soon the proprietress brought out two bowls of fragrant wontons and smiled, inviting Yan Qingqing to enjoy them.
Yan Qingqing picked up her chopsticks, rinsed them in the water, and started eating. Seeing Yan Qingqing start eating, A-Da also began to eat heartily. It has to be said that the wontons were well-made and tasted very authentic.
The two bowls of wontons cost a total of thirty coins. After paying, Yan Qingqing took A-Da and wandered around aimlessly.
Whenever Yan Qingqing sees something unusual, she buys a few pieces for the children in her family as small gifts.
Yan Qingqing bought two small wooden toys for Li Xiangyang and Li Jinxiu, and rouge for Huiniang and Xinniang. To be honest, Yan Qingqing really didn't like these rouges, and they were ridiculously expensive. Thinking of this, Yan Qingqing had another idea, but now was not the time. She couldn't bite off more than she could chew, and being broke was not a pleasant experience.
Yan Qingqing strolled around the street for an hour, buying a bunch of trinkets. When they reached one end of the street, A-Da thought Yan Qingqing had finished shopping and asked, "Madam, shall we go back to the inn?"
Yan Qingqing glanced at him disdainfully and said, "We've only just started shopping. That bowl of wontons you ate this morning wasn't for nothing. You've been out there gathering information for the past two days. Where's the best jewelry shop in this prefecture?"
Ah Da thought for a moment and replied, "The Treasure Pavilion on Yongning Street."
Yan Qingqing waved her hand and said, "Let's go take a look."
Ah Da had a feeling that the hour they spent strolling around the streets was just an appetizer; his wife was now really going on a shopping spree.
Yan Qingqing followed A Da to Yongning Street and immediately felt that the level of the place had improved a lot.
Both sides were lined with all kinds of shops, selling everything from jewelry and ornaments to antiques, writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstones.
Although there weren't as many people on this street as on the previous one, a large portion of them had arrived by horse-drawn carriage or oxcart.
Yan Qingqing glanced at it and then led A'da straight to the Treasure Pavilion.
As soon as they stepped into the Treasure Pavilion, a young shop assistant warmly greeted them, saying with a smile, "Madam, please come in. This lady looks unfamiliar. Let me introduce you to our shop. We have all kinds of jewelry, including gold, silver, jade, pearls, and agate. Please see what kind you would like, Madam."
Yan Qingqing replied with a smile, "I am a merchant from out of town. I would like to see if you have any novel styles of headwear here."
The young shop assistant smiled and said, "Madam, you've come at the perfect time. We've just received a batch of new styles, and they all look excellent to me. You can take a look and see if there's anything you like."
After saying that, he led Yan Qingqing to the second floor, which was a place that specialized in selling jewelry.
The young shop assistant placed a tray in front of Yan Qingqing. Yan Qingqing immediately took a liking to a rose crystal twin lotus and peony jade phoenix hairpin. Holding it in her hand, Yan Qingqing asked, "How much is this hairpin?"
The young shop assistant smiled and said, "Madam, you have excellent taste. This is a brand new style that just arrived the day before yesterday. It's the only one of its kind in our shop. It costs three hundred taels of silver."
Yan Qingqing felt a pang of regret upon hearing this, but the style was truly beautiful and perfectly complemented her family's newly renovated rose and peony garden. Just as she was about to offer to buy it, she heard a charming voice say, "I'll take this hair ornament."
After saying that, she tried to snatch it from Yan Qingqing's hand, but Yan Qingqing naturally wouldn't let her succeed, so she turned around and dodged it.
The woman missed her target and almost fell to the ground. She glared at Yan Qingqing and said fiercely, "You're a widow who lost her husband, yet you buy such gaudy jewelry. Anyone who doesn't know better would think you're trying to seduce a man."
Yan Qingqing frowned upon hearing this. How did this person know she was a widow? Besides, what business was it of hers whether she seduced men or not?
The more Yan Qingqing looked at the woman, the more familiar she seemed. Suddenly, she realized that this was the woman who had glared at her fiercely at the business meeting yesterday. Why would this woman want to pick a fight with her when she had no grudge against her? Did she steal her business?
As expected, Yan Qingqing was right. In the past, there were women who participated in the Chamber of Commerce, but they were all inconspicuous people. Every year, this woman relied on her good looks to get a lot of orders for her family. But today, Yan Qingqing stole the limelight, resulting in today's orders being less than half of those in previous years. How could she be willing to accept this?
Yan Qingqing scoffed at her and said, "Why can't widows buy jewelry? At least I'm single, so it's not illegal for me to find a man and remarry. Unlike some people who have a man but still go out and seduce others, they would be drowned."
The woman's eyes reddened with anger at Yan Qingqing's words. She pointed at Yan Qingqing and said, "Don't talk nonsense. It's clear that you seduced men at the business meeting, which is why they signed the orders with you."
Yan Qingqing glanced at her and, sure enough, it was her own family that had stolen her business. But Yan Qingqing wasn't going to tolerate her bad habit. She slapped her hand away and said darkly, "I hate it when people point fingers at me. If you do it again, you can forget about having these hands. Also, you need to have evidence before you speak. Did you see me seducing a man? If you can't produce any evidence, I'll sue you for defamation."
The woman was so frightened by Yan Qingqing's sinister expression that she took a few steps back. Fortunately, the maid behind her caught her in time, preventing her from tumbling down the stairs.
The maid whispered a reminder: "Second Miss, the Eldest Miss told us to keep a low profile. Madam is looking for something to do with the Eldest Miss. You mustn't cause trouble for her."
When the woman heard that a mere maid dared to lecture her, she slapped the maid hard across the face and said viciously, "You lowly servant, how dare you lecture me? If it weren't for her, for the Chen family, would I be humiliated by a widow!"
The maid's lips were swollen, and she lowered her head, not daring to speak again, but the contempt in her eyes was impossible to hide.
More and more people gathered around, whispering amongst themselves. Yan Qingqing remained calm, treating it as if she had been bitten by a mad dog. But the woman couldn't take it anymore and ran out crying.
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