Chapter 144 She is even more lowly than Yao Qingling
"Because of your existence, Zhou was transformed from the daughter-in-law of the Wang family into the daughter of a criminal, and then into a remnant of a criminal. She could have lived a life of being waited on in the shadows, but you dragged her down all the way, sending her to the Ministry of Agriculture, turning her from a good person into a lowly one."
"After suffering such a huge loss, how could she not be wary of you?"
Yao Qingling understood what Lin Shiyuan meant.
For Zhou Zhining, this was like being bitten by a snake once; she not only resented her but also had to be wary of her.
She was afraid Yao Qingling would discover that she hadn't performed hard labor at the Ministry of Agriculture, so she found a substitute. If an investigation were to be conducted, the Ministry of Agriculture could find her name and prove that she had performed the labor.
"That means she's already left the Ministry of Agriculture..." Qingling said thoughtfully. "I'm afraid she found a substitute not only to guard against me, but also because she wants to hide and do something that no one will know about."
Qingling thought of the business that Huibafang had recently lost.
Is she the shop owner who remains undetected?
...
Jin Mantang.
Wearing a veil, Zhou Zhining finished talking with several managers and breathed a sigh of relief.
Jin Mantang earns a fortune every day.
Zhiyue, who was standing nearby, immediately served her some tea to soothe her throat, saying, "Miss, you're really amazing. With just one move, you snatched all the business from all directions."
Zhou Zhining glanced at her, removed her veil, and smiled.
What is Yao Qingling so proud of? It's just opening a shop, why does she think she's done something extraordinary?
She only moved her fingers slightly, and Hui Bafang was already overwhelmed.
“If I didn’t look down on those ordinary people, I could have shut her down right now,” Zhou Zhining said slowly.
It wasn't that she didn't want Yao Qingling's shop to go bankrupt immediately, but rather that she genuinely looked down on those ordinary people.
They were dressed in filthy and tattered clothes, spoke loudly and rudely, and smelled terrible. Serving these people was more unbearable than killing her.
She watched as Yao Qingling served those dirty and poor people with a forced smile, only to find out later that she might even have to pay them out of her own pocket.
It's quite interesting to think about; isn't this just like cutting meat with a dull knife?
Then slowly torture Yao Qingling, watch her waste her time and money, and in the end, find that nothing is left...
Her glory was all an illusion; how painful that must have been.
In the end, Yao Qingling could only admit that the reason she was able to live so well before was not because she was capable, but because of Zhan Xingzhuo.
When she finally realized this, Zhan Xingzhuo no longer wanted her. How much regret and heartbreak she must have felt then...
Zhou Zhining felt happy just thinking about that day.
She held a handkerchief and gently wiped the water stains from the corners of her lips.
Zhiyun said, "That's right. You used to be a talented woman, but now you've only used your brain a little. Yao Qingling can't even compare to one of your fingers."
Zhou Zhining chuckled softly, then her eyes flickered and her expression suddenly turned cold.
She turned to look at Zhiyun: "Why are you in the shop? Is there no one watching Hongying?"
Zhou Zhining told Zhan Xingzhuo that Hongying was ill-mannered and needed to be trained, lest he be embarrassed by his maid when he returned to the capital. Without a word, Zhan Xingzhuo left her with him.
But how could Zhou Zhining genuinely want to train Hongying?
Seeing her eyes, which were just like Yao Qingling's, filled her with hatred and made her want to gouge out her eyes!
A mere maid who only knows how to climb into bed dares to compete with her and even wants to be the mistress of the house. Doesn't she know her place?
She was even more lowly than Yao Qingling.
Zhou Zhining naturally couldn't personally train him, so she sent Zhiyun instead.
Following Zhou Zhining's instructions, Zhiyun taught Hongying three etiquette rules every day: walking, sitting, and eating.
They had to walk back and forth with a basin of water balanced on their heads, without moving their heads even slightly, or it would break; if it broke, they would have to replace it with another basin and stand on their heads as punishment.
However, the young ladies in the manor only need one book to learn this etiquette.
As for sitting, you can't slouch; your back should be straight, but you should exude a relaxed and elegant air. If you sit for an hour without moving, not only will your whole body be stiff, but your back will also ache so much that you won't be able to sleep at night.
Then there's the eating. Several empty bowls are placed on the table, and she's expected to savor the food, but without any excitement; she must maintain a serene smile. After eating like this for half an hour, her mouth is just chewing, and her jaw is already aching unbearably, not to mention having to maintain an elegant posture.
Training etiquette can also be a form of hidden punishment.
Those who are well-versed in etiquette cannot find fault with it; with a simple "it's for your own good," they can only tolerate it.
Zhou Zhining was not training Hongying, but rather torturing her.
Hongying was able to endure it all; she had persevered for so many days. When Zhou Zhining returned to Hengwu Villa, Hongying would put on a show for her, demonstrating the results of her day's learning.
Zhiyun smiled smugly and replied, "She broke a water basin today, and I made her stand for two hours as punishment. Someone is watching her, and I thought there was nothing else to do, so I came to the shop to see if I could help you, Miss."
Zhiyun also had no intention of training Hongying.
Being cooped up in the villa, surrounded by servants every day, was meaningless; Hongying was just a maid, and teaching her manners wouldn't bring her any future.
On the contrary, Zhiyue accompanied the girl to the shop every day, where she not only learned skills but also managed to sneak a little something if anything good came into the shop.
When Zhou Zhining heard that Hongying was being punished by standing, she nodded and gave a mocking smile: "She's quite tolerant... After all, she's a beggar from a poor place. She can endure anything for a bite to eat."
When she said this, she never considered that the reason why Los Angeles became the "poor place" she described was because of the man-made flood.
—It was a group of people, including her father, who embezzled countless amounts of silver, turning that place into a wasteland of bones. Hongying wasn't a beggar; she was the illegitimate daughter of a local gentry, and could be called a young lady.
Zhou Zhining made a few condescending sarcastic remarks and then said nothing more.
She asked the wet nurse to bring her son over.
Xiao'er has reached school age. He was previously taught by Zhan Xingzhuo, but a suitable school has not yet been found for him.
The child's mother became a slave, and a slave who could not be seen in public for the time being. Which school would accept Xiao'er?
Zhou Zhining considered changing Xiao'er's name and identity, and sending him to the Tao family's clan school.
I mentioned it to Tao Weixian once, but he didn't agree immediately, saying he had to go back and ask, so it's been delayed until now.
Zhou Zhining realized that Tao Weixian didn't like Xiao'er.
Only Zhan Xingzhuo liked Xiao'er.
Thinking of this, Zhou Zhining began to miss Zhan Xingzhuo again.
He's been back in Luoyang for a month now, when will he be back...?
Zhou Zhining was absentmindedly teaching her son to practice calligraphy, resting her chin on her hand, when suddenly someone knocked urgently on the door.
Zhiyun went to open the door, where the old woman who guarded Hongying at the villa stood.
When the old woman saw Zhiyun, she cried out in alarm, "Miss Zhiyun, something terrible has happened! Miss Hongying has run away!"
Zhiyun: "What nonsense are you talking about? How could she have run away!"
She was so frightened that she didn't dare to turn around and look at Zhou Zhining.
Have you looked for it?
The old woman took out a piece of paper with writing on it: "Miss Zhiyun, look, she left a note and ran away, otherwise would I have rushed here in such a hurry!"
Before Zhiyun could even take the paper, Zhou Zhining snatched it away.
The note read: “Miss Zhou, I miss Second Master. I’m going back to Luozhou to serve him. Don’t look for me.”
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