The newcomer was dressed in a red dress, with a slender figure, almond-shaped eyes, and a small mouth; she had a delicate and refined appearance.
She only had three or five silver hairpins stuck in her hair, and was piled with various colored velvet flowers, which made her look very ostentatious.
If this person hadn't been calling Chen Ancheng and Yue "Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law," she almost wouldn't have been able to suppress her disdain.
This face clearly indicates a mean-spirited person; it's a waste of such a handsome face. And the way he speaks is so sarcastic and insinuating.
Chen An frowned. "Why are you here?"
The person who came was none other than his younger sister, Chen Xianghua.
When Chen Xianghua was young, her relationship with her brother was good. He also doted on his little sister, always saving the best food and drinks for her, and even protecting her when she was scolded by their mother.
But ever since their father passed away, Zhao Shi has become increasingly biased, and the relationship between the siblings has become more and more strained.
Zhao didn't value him, and Chen Xianghua, in order to get married, had to please Zhao, so she naturally followed suit and made things difficult for him at every turn.
After Chen Xianghua got married, they had no further contact. They bumped into each other twice in town, but she pretended not to know her.
Occasionally when she returned to her parents' home, she would never look at them properly, and would even speak very harshly to them.
He had long since lost all affection for this younger sister.
Chen Xianghua ignored Chen An's dissatisfaction, withdrew her gaze from looking around, and smiled ingratiatingly:
"Second brother, what are you saying? I'm your own sister, of course I came to congratulate you on your opening!"
Hmph! If her eldest brother hadn't gone to find her, she wouldn't have known that her good-for-nothing second brother and spineless second sister-in-law were so capable!
Her mother and older brother weren't good people either. They didn't even tell her about such a big thing as severing ties with her. She knew all too well what kind of person her older brother was.
Saying that her second brother and sister-in-law made their mother suffer, and that she, as a daughter, should be filial, is all false!
Actually, he just felt jealous and resentful because his second brother had become successful and he couldn't benefit from it, so he wanted to use dirty tricks to get back at his second brother!
But not wanting to get his hands dirty, he asked her to be his knife. He wondered if she was unclear about something.
She didn't believe it yesterday. She thought the second wife and her husband were both incompetent and couldn't possibly have any ability. She thought her eldest brother was just bragging!
As a result, she was completely stunned. Such a prime location shop, and she didn't even have a man!
Looking at the clothes and appearance of Chen Ancheng and his family, there was no trace of their former poverty.
Now you can't disbelieve it anymore.
Cheng Yue raised an eyebrow when she saw that her hands were empty and said, "Congratulations? You didn't come empty-handed, did you?"
"Wasn't your husband Zeng Youcai a wealthy man from Huai Shu Town? How come he came to congratulate you without bringing a gift? Tsk tsk, where will you put your faces if word gets out?"
Huai Shu Town is the neighboring town to them, both belonging to Guangyun County, and the Zeng family is considered to have some money.
Of course, he only has a little money, but he has a problem: he likes to show off and he loves to flaunt his wealth.
In the past, seeing their arrogant demeanor, one might have mistaken them for fighting cocks that had come to life.
Chen Xianghua glared at Cheng Yue. This second sister-in-law was really different. She used to be so timid and didn't dare to breathe loudly, but now she actually dared to mock her.
Most importantly, her face was so smooth and radiant, white and tender. No matter how much face powder she used to maintain that condition, Cheng Yue actually outshone her!
The shop had been open for a while, and people started to come in. Not wanting to be laughed at, Chen Xianghua gritted her teeth and took out a small piece of silver from her purse, slapping it on the table.
"Who said I came empty-handed? I was just worried you wouldn't like the gifts I brought. It would have been much better to just give me money!"
The two shops in town haven't been doing well lately; they only earn a dozen or so taels of silver a month combined.
She only came today to test the waters, but she didn't expect Cheng Yue to trick her out of a tael of silver. How hateful!
It hurts so much! But she can't show it!
Cheng Yue watched as Chen Xianghua's face gradually contorted, then casually accepted the money, praising her with a forced smile, "As expected of the Zeng family's lady, you're so generous!"
Liang Hongyu understood that things weren't going well together, so she quickly urged, "Cheng Yue, don't delay, go and weigh out a pound of mung bean cakes for me."
"Madam, would you like to buy some? This mung bean cake is delicious! Oh, wait, the mung bean cake is the cheapest one; it's not appropriate for a wealthy lady like you. You should buy something more expensive!"
Cheng Yue smiled slightly; Liang Hongyu really knew how to cooperate with her.
"Xiaotong, go weigh out some mung bean cakes for your Aunt Liang, and remember to weigh an extra pound!"
After calling out to Chen Tong, Cheng Yue turned to Chen Xianghua and said, "Mrs. Zeng, you're not going to not buy it, are you?"
"How could that be? It's just pastries, I want to see how delicious they are!"
Chen Xianghua was caught in a dilemma; she had no choice but to buy it!
Cheng Yue gestured to Chen An to let him go and attend to the customers without worry, while she followed Chen Xianghua.
If someone hadn't told her she opened a shop, how would she have known about it from the next town? And why did she have to come over right on the opening day? She wanted to see what Chen Xianghua was up to.
Chen Tong wrapped up Liang Hongyu's mung bean cakes and handed them over, smiling as he said, "Aunt Liang, here's two jin (1 kg), please take it."
Liang Hongyu handed the money to Chen Tong, beaming from ear to ear, "Oh my, I really got a good deal, I saved another fifty coins!"
Cheng Yue nodded in the direction of Xing Laiwang with her chin and said with a smile, "This is to thank you. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to find such a capable young man!"
Liang Hongyu glanced at the two brothers bustling about and said happily, "What a coincidence! You're so lucky! I'll be going now, we'll talk again another day!"
It just opened, so there weren't that many customers yet; otherwise, she would have left long ago. Before leaving, she looked at Chen Xianghua, who was lost in thought, and suggested:
"Madam, these pastries are really delicious, you should buy more! But don't buy this mung bean cake, it's too cheap and doesn't suit your status!"
Hmph! She couldn't stand seeing a woman like that. Her man's cousin was such a pretentious and affected person, yet she still dared to covet her man. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got!
When she gets back, she won't give him a single piece of mung bean cake!
As soon as Liang Hongyu left, Cheng Yue smiled. She wondered what Chen Xianghua had done to offend Liang Hongyu, and why she was still so upset!
Chen Xianghua finally came to her senses. She had heard Liang Hongyu's words clearly: a pound and a half of mung bean cake cost fifty coins?! And that was the cheapest one in the shop. How much would the more expensive ones cost?!
Unconvinced, Chen Xianghua pointed to the shelf next to her and asked, "How much is this?"
Cheng Yue glanced at it and smiled, "Madam Zeng has excellent taste. This is the best and most expensive pastry in our shop, three hundred coins per pound."
Chen Xianghua felt like vomiting blood, and said angrily, "It's just a piece of lousy pastry, how can it be so expensive? You're robbing me!"
Cheng Yue covered her mouth in surprise and said, "Mrs. Zeng, you can't afford it, can you? Even if you can't afford it, you can't just say things like that!"
"All the prominent figures in our county have bought quite a few pastries, even the county magistrate has placed an order. Could it be that Madam Zeng is questioning them...?"
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