Chapter 189 Being Targeted for No Reason
The two young ladies went hand in hand to the main courtyard to tell Cheng Yingzhen that they were leaving. Mao Ya had already asked Su Xiaomei, who was packing up.
Cheng Yingzhen asked worriedly, "You two are young, and it would be inappropriate to take care of a younger one?"
"Aunt, I'm a very obedient little sister. It's okay."
Seeing that Sister Rong was fighting for the opportunity to go out and play for herself, Su Xiaomei happily gestured to her.
Yang Birong raised her eyebrows proudly, looking smug.
Seeing that her mother still couldn't bear to leave her little sister, Su Ruojin promised her, "Mom, I will go to Zhucui Pavilion and not go anywhere else. I will be back after playing for a while."
Only after her eldest daughter gave her guarantee did Cheng Yingzhen feel willing to let her six-year-old daughter go.
"Come back soon."
Seeing the three young ladies running out of the door happily, Cheng Yingzhen kept giving them instructions from behind, but the young ladies' backs soon disappeared from her sight. She sighed happily.
Mrs. Ding was sitting in the corridor doing needlework. Seeing her daughter's reluctant look, she said, "Just go out and play for a while. Look how nervous and worried you are."
Cheng Yingzhen turned and went up the corridor and sat next to her mother. "How can I not worry? Last year, Dalang went back to Pingjiang Prefecture to take the examination for the scholar and was almost robbed..." She didn't dare to continue.
Mrs. Ding put down her needlework and put her hand on the back of her daughter's hand. "Fortunately, Dalang is a lucky man. He was saved."
"Yes, thank God for blessing me." Cheng Yingzhen clasped her hands together and thanked God.
Ding looked up at the sky and sighed, "The world has been a bit uneasy lately."
His son encountered danger from bandits. Su Yanli told Cheng Yingzhen some things about why the banditry occurred. The emperor was in poor health and delegated power to his sons. The struggle for power among the princes led to the people below forming gangs and factions. The officialdom became corrupt and the people had a hard time.
Su Ruojin didn't know that her father had actually told his wife about the situation in the court. She happily got off the carriage with her sister and Yang Siniang. The maids Chunxiao, Qiuyue, Maoya, and Yang Siniang's maids Lamei and Juhua entered the Zhucui Pavilion together.
The young ladies came out to buy new but inexpensive things, so they chose on the first floor.
The two young ladies were sitting close to each other, heads pressed together, discussing the various types of pearl hairpins on the counter. This one was inlaid with kingfisher feathers, that one had eye-catching gems, and they thought each one was beautiful. Every time they stopped to admire, the waiter would quote the price of the pearl headdress.
"This five taels..."
"That ten taels..."
"This is a complicated work. It costs twenty taels."
…
When she heard that the price was over five taels, Yang Birong secretly made a face at Su Ruojin, looking as if it was very expensive.
If it were a few years ago, when the Su family had no business, these things would have been extremely expensive. Although she is rich now, Su Ruojin still thinks they are expensive and heavy to wear on her head, so it is really not worth it.
"How about we go and look at the silk and velvet flowers?"
Yang Birong pursed her lips, pointed at an exquisite and elegant hairpin and said, "I like this one."
This is a hairpin with extremely delicate workmanship. The top of the long golden stem has a pearl branch and gold-inlaid jade leaves. Between the branches and on the top of the branches, there are two pearl-inlaid plum blossoms, one large and one small. It is elegant and refined.
It's likable at first sight.
"This one costs thirty taels."
“So expensive?”
It looks really good, and it’s really expensive.
"Look, young lady. There are four or five pearls of different sizes on it. It has a gold base, and the leaves and petals are made of white jade. It's really not expensive!"
Yang Birong looked at Su Ruojin and asked her if it was worth the price. If it was, she would buy it.
Su Ruojin secretly estimated the price. The two water-drop pearls on the branches were really beautiful, and the two pearls in the plum blossom core were of medium size, and the quality was also good. As for the white jade, it was probably the leftover material from some large item and was carved into petals, which was a waste utilization, but the quality was indeed good. The whole hairpin would cost not thirty taels, but definitely twenty taels.
Just as she was about to raise two fingers, three or five young ladies came in, each with their servants, and filled the hall in an instant.
One of the leaders was a pretty and bright young lady who looked superior. When she was led up the stairs, she heard Yang Si Niang complaining about the high prices and snorted coldly, "If you can't afford it, don't come out and embarrass yourself."
Yang Si Niang was just about to pull Su Ruojin aside to discuss the price, but was stunned by the sudden sneer. She subconsciously retorted, "I don't know you," as if to say you were meddling in other people's business.
The pretty and bright young lady stood on the stairs, looking down at her with an expression as if to say, "How dare you not recognize me? I'll drag you out and beat you with a stick."
Sure enough, the maidservants beside her came forward arrogantly, "How dare you talk to my wife like that?" She glanced at the maidservants beside her.
The old woman raised her hand and slapped him.
(⊙o⊙)Hey!
Su Ruojin was quick-witted and reached out to grab the arm that the old woman was swinging at. "My pretty young lady, Zhu Cui Pavilion is open for business. Everyone who comes in is a customer who wants to buy something. You come in and say you can't afford it. I wonder if you took some medicine that was wrong, or if you were beaten up by someone and you're taking it out on someone else?"
How could the maids and old women let it go when their master's authority was questioned? They actually attacked him together.
They learned from the age of eight to thirteen, getting up early every day to practice, and it was not in vain. Su Ruojin and Mao Ya subdued seven or eight maids and old women in no time. Some were stepped on, some were twisted with their backs.
"My pretty lady, I don't know how I have offended you. Why do you have to be so nosy when I'm just buying something?"
When the pretty young lady saw the servant being controlled, her bright little face turned gloomy and ferocious, "Su Ruojin, you are so bold, I am Luo Fangfei from Wuhou Mansion."
It turned out to be the family of Concubine Shu, the mother of the third prince, Prince of Qi, Zhao Jiong. The Luo family was promoted from Wubo Mansion to Wuhou Mansion three years ago. It was he who promoted Su Yanli to the position of Doctor of Taichang Temple by taking advantage of the fight between Prince of Wei and Prince of Yan.
"Are you Luo Fangfei?"
Luo Fangfei sneered, "You vixen, you finally know who I am?"
In the past year, there have been rumors in the capital that Wu Hou Mansion's daughter Luo Fangfei is going to marry Jin Wang Mansion, and her marriage partner is Pingyang County Prince - Zhao Lan.
What does this have to do with her? She hasn't seen Zhao Lan for a year and a half. When did she become a vixen?
"I seduced your crush? Who is he?"
"You..." Luo Fangfei never expected that the person opposite her would be so shameless as to say such words.
Yang Birong was also shocked by Su Ruojin's tough words, but she was happy to see the other party being humiliated. The anger she had suffered for no reason suddenly dissipated, and she looked at the group of people opposite her with a smug look on her face.
You can't beat him or scold him, but you still want to find trouble. You really overestimate your own abilities.
Su Ruojin sneered, "You, a daughter of a marquis, can even talk about a vixen, so it must be me who seduced your sweetheart, otherwise why would you pinch me as soon as we met, right!"
The master's face turned pale. The maids and old women subconsciously looked towards the stairs. Three or four young ladies followed Luo Fangfei and were about to go upstairs. They stared at one of them.
The young lady lowered her head slightly because she was stared at.
Su Ruojin and Yang Siniang looked at each other. Neither of them recognized this person. It was really strange as to when they became enemies.
In addition to this group of young ladies in the lobby of Zhucui Pavilion, there were many other people buying things. Everyone was shocked by the fierce jealousy between the young ladies. Are all the young ladies of this generation so straightforward and tough?
Even the common words like "fox spirit" and "seduction" have come out. Is there any follow-up? Who is the protagonist of the battle? They really want to know!
Someone in a certain place suddenly sneezed. Is anyone thinking of him?
Ah! Another one.
Mr. Shen joked, “Little Prince, it seems like someone is scolding you behind your back.”
Zhao Lan glanced over and saw the 19-year-old boy, who had long since grown from a green boy into a handsome young man. He was solemn and awe-inspiring, and looked very impressive.
Mr. Shen cupped his hands and didn't dare to joke anymore.
Luo Fangfei is not thirteen years old, she is fifteen this year. Logically, a family like the Luo family should have decided on a marriage partner long ago. So two to three years from meeting to getting married is just right.
If she hadn't decided on a marriage partner by the age of fifteen, then she would get married a year later. If she was still not married by the age of eighteen or nineteen, she would become a laughing stock in Bianjing. So when people were watching her, she realized that both her words and Su Ruojin's words were too vulgar, which would have a very bad influence on her marriage, so she turned around and walked upstairs.
When she turned around, the young lady with a gloomy look in her eyes and lowered her head sneered in her heart, "Yao Hanyan, just wait for me."
Seeing them rushing upstairs, Yang Si Niang pulled Su Ruojin.
"Let them be."
I will not offend others unless they offend me.
Who has nothing better to do than to eat?
Yang Si Niang was no longer in the mood to buy anything because of these people. "Or, let's not buy anything."
"Since you're here, why don't you buy something?" Su Ruojin held her back, "Just choose this."
"But thirty taels is a bit expensive." She only had eight taels of monthly salary, and she had to save it for several months. "My goal today was to buy hairpins, pearl flowers, or earrings worth about two taels. I'll buy two or three, and I won't buy anything over five taels."
"Buy them if you like them." Su Ruojin said with a smile, "At most, you can tell your mother that you bought these for your dowry."
"You're going to die!" Yang Birong was shy and patted Su Ruojin, "I don't even have a marriage partner right now, what nonsense are you talking about? You don't have any shame."
Thirteen years old, a thousand years later, is indeed the age when a girl finishes elementary school and enters junior high school. However, in the Dayin Dynasty, in ordinary families, the marriage of a young lady would be arranged when she is twelve or thirteen years old, and then she would be prepared for marriage in two or three years. If she is later than eighteen years old, she would be called an old maid.
An eighteen-year-old girl! Su Ruojin felt terrified just thinking about it.
I don’t want to think about it anymore.
He called the waiter over and said, "One price, twenty taels of silver. Do you want to sell it? If you want to sell it, we will take it away. If not, we will go to other houses to look for it."
The waiter was embarrassed, "Young lady, please add some more. Thirty taels, you paid back ten taels in one click. We don't have such a big profit!"
Su Ruojin pulled Yang Birong and was about to walk out.
Seeing that they were about to leave, the waiter hurriedly called out, "Young lady, how about you choose something else first, and then buy one, so that I can apply to the shopkeeper."
"Just pick any one?"
The waiter was stunned for a moment and said, "You can't choose cheap hair ties or silk flowers. You can only choose gold, silver or pearls." As long as it is tied with these, the starting price is two taels.
"Okay." Su Ruojin was also straightforward. She walked to the pair of pearl flowers and pointed at them. "This is it."
The simple little box held a pair of pearl flowers, with a five-pointed snow-white jade base and a medium-sized pearl in the center. The workmanship was exquisite and small, making people love it. "Boss, I want this pair of pearl flowers."
The waiter was stunned. This was today's promotional item, and the price was two taels of silver.
Although it is also the starting price, but as we all know, promotional products are all about volume. If there is no volume, there is no money to be made.
"My...lady, please choose something else." The waiter didn't expect that he, who often set traps, would be cheated by others.
“I just love it.”
As soon as Su Ruojin came in, she took a liking to him at first sight and waited for the opportunity to make a move.
"I came here at the request of my second brother."
The waiter had no choice but to go to the shopkeeper crying to apply. In the end, Su Yang and his partner bought two pieces for twenty-two taels, and they both chose the pearl hairpin they liked.
Su Ruojin got a pair of pearl hairpins and put them on Su Xiaomei's double buns, one on each side. The pearls were round and exquisite, matching the slightly plump Su Xiaomei, and they complemented each other very beautifully.
"My little sister is so beautiful."
Su Xiaomei really likes the way her elder sister dresses her up, and she flirts with him, "Thank you, elder sister. Elder sister, aren't you going to buy anything?"
"Now when I go out I dress like a young master, so I don't need these."
Hearing this, Yang Birong was envious. "My mother won't let me go out. She keeps me at home embroidering and looking at account books all day. If I hadn't come to see you today, I wouldn't have been able to leave the house."
Su Ruojin glanced at her and said, "Compared to other young ladies, your mother asked you to check the shop and let you learn how to run it. This is already very good."
On the left, several girls from Lord Xue’s family are confined at home to learn needlework. How can this be explained?
"That's true." Yang Si Niang stopped wasting time and left Zhucui Pavilion happily. She pulled the two sisters from the Su family to go shopping again.
Su Ruojin reminded: "Hey, hey, the money in someone's pocket... just now he was crying that he would have to eat dirt this month."
Hmm…
Yang Birong pouted, "I spent twenty taels, and you only spent two taels. But as for making money, you make two thousand... ten thousand taels a year, and I can only make two hundred taels a year..." She pouted sadly, "Ajin, you are so rich, why are you so frugal?"
Su Ruojin reached out and tapped her forehead, "Does your mother also earn as much as I do in a year?"
"That belongs to my mother, not me. Everything you earn is yours."
"Tsk!" Su Ruojin sneered at her, "What I earned belongs to my family, I can't just use it casually."
"You're lying." Yang Si Niang didn't believe it. "Even your father's salary, salary increase, and land are controlled by you. How dare you say you can't use them casually?"
Su Ruojin shrugged her shoulders and said, "You'll understand when you become the mistress of the house."
Yang Birong snorted, "Why are you the same as my mother, saying that I will know when I become the head of the family. How boring."
"Haha..." Su Ruojin laughed unkindly. The little girl was so interesting and carefree. It was great!
After leaving Zhucui Pavilion, while the Second Lady and the others were getting in the car, Qiuyue whispered to Mangzhong who was driving, "Investigate the five young ladies who just went in and see whose family the young lady in pink is from."
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