Their appearance is their future. No matter what gets hurt, their faces must remain untouched. Therefore, Yi Ling naturally knew that even though Qiaoqiao was covered in wounds at the moment, what mattered most to her was her swollen face from being slapped.
Qiaoqiao glowered at her, but she didn’t want to expose their animosity in public. She thanked her, "Thank you, sister Yi Ling."
The atmosphere suddenly felt a bit turbulent. Everyone glanced at each other, understanding what was going on, and without lingering, they each dispersed.
Not long later, Yi Ling’s little maid did bring the hibiscus jade face cream. After the maid left, Qiaoqiao threw it on the ground and shouted, "Don’t I have good things here?! Why would I yearn for yours?!"
Xiao Xia, the little maid who served Qiaoqiao, was taken aback. She said sadly, "Why would you waste such a good ointment, miss? It is quite rare, only available in Jiangnan. Even money can’t easily buy it. Besides, it will certainly heal your face quickly..."
Qiaoqiao shot her a look, "What do you know? Do you think Yi Ling hopes for my well-being? She most likely put poison in this ointment, hoping to ruin my face so I can’t compete with her!"
Xiao Xia didn’t dare speak, lowering her head deeply.
——
The drama from last night gradually spread out. The news of Sun Yaowen getting beaten up at Hua Manlou elicited a chuckle from almost everyone because, after all, Sun Yaowen’s notorious reputation was well known. Who would truly sympathize with him? Most people seemed to enjoy his misfortune.
However, after this incident, more people began to wonder about the mysterious owner behind Hua Manlou. They had the means to revitalize a dying business and dare to openly oppose the Sun Family.
There was a lot of speculation outside, but no one knew who the owners really were. They could only guess about the affluent families in Lian’an Town who might potentially be the owners. The ones who truly knew, like shopkeeper Wu Zhanggui and Madam Chen, they weren’t going to say anything out of fear.
However, these speculations gradually reached Xin He’s ears.
"With so many people outside speculating, it has inadvertently put madam at the center of attention. Fortunately, madam was wise to not reveal her identity earlier, otherwise, wouldn’t living in Lian’an Town be as troublesome as it was in the capital city?" Shulan murmured.
Xin He laughed, "Now you have learned to be smart. This is the main reason I hid my identity. When I was in the capital city, trouble followed me everywhere because I exposed myself too early, allowing our enemies to attack us while we remained open. Now that we are in the shadows, we have the initiative, making things a lot easier."
"Madam is indeed thoughtful. If I had madam’s brains, I would be overjoyed." Shulan stuck out her tongue and awkwardly joked.
Her words weren’t flattery, she had truly observed and learned from Xin He’s clever tactics and strategies. This ability to think ahead was something she herself could hardly achieve in her lifetime.
"What’s the situation with Sun Yaowen?"
"He? He’s still bedridden, saying his injury is serious and can’t get out of bed." Shulan said, then added slightly worriedly, "Will the Sun family come to cause trouble for Hua Manlou?"
"Do you think Grandpa Sun is the same no-brain loser like Sun Yaowen? - You must remember, the Yihong Courtyard is a property of the Sun Family. Sun Yaowen represents the Sun Family in public. When Yihong Courtyard was declining and Hua Manlou was thriving, Sun Yaowen picked a fight with Hua Manlou. To put it bluntly, that’s breaking the scene against the family. This will lose face for the Sun family. If Grandpa Sun still stands up for Sun Yaowen, it means the Sun family is ready to lose face."
Shulan nodded, somewhat understanding but not entirely sure, "That’s true. But what if... Grandpa Sun won’t let it go out of desperation?"
Hua Manlou was still a newly opened business, its footing not yet stable. They weren’t ready for a head-on collision with a big family like the Sun family. Because even if they won, they might suffer losses.
Xin He grinned, "That’s why we need to add more fuel to the fire."
Shulan widened her eyes, not quite understanding, "Add more fuel? The fire is burning on us?"
Xin He’s eyes sparkled with deep cunning, "Is it? Then we just need to turn it, and make it burn someone else. Then we’ll be much safer."
Shulan was still confused. Xin He then said, "Go call Little Firewood."
Xin He was intentionally cultivating Little Firewood, so she would let him do things from time to time as training. After all, she wanted him to help manage the business in the future, and training could improve his abilities and cunning.
Little Firewood came quickly, still panting slightly as he had run all the way. He saluted Xin He, "I’m at your service, madam."
Xin He smiled, "What are you running for? I’m not in a rush." 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖
Little Firewood ducked his head down, "I’m happy to do things for madam."
"Even if I don’t give you tasks, I won’t think poorly of you." Xin He countered with a laugh. This child was always wary, fearing that she might send him away. He liked to seize any opportunity to prove his capabilities.
Little Firewood looked up at her, his clear and innocent eyes lacking their usual guarded alertness. At this moment, he looked like any other ten-year-old child, innately naive and obedient.
Xin He felt satisfied, patting his head, "I have a task for you. Do it well, and I’ll reward you with an osmanthus cake when you return."
Little Firewood’s eyes twinkled with joy. He nodded, "OK!"
"Spread these words out without attracting attention...." Xin He lowered her voice.
Little Firewood was indeed efficient and reliable. By the end of the morning, rumors already spread throughout Lian’an Town.
"The Sun family is really shameless. They couldn’t compete with other businesses, so they went to Hua Manlou to make trouble. What’s the difference between them and bandits? No wonder Hua Manlou had to call in bouncers to drive them away."
"Exactly! If I were them, I wouldn’t swallow this either. I heard that miss Qiaoqiao didn’t provoke Young Master Sun at all. She was constantly speaking gently and didn’t even dare to let out a breath. Who knew that Young Master Sun would suddenly lose his temper, lash out at her and even threaten to smash Hua Manlou!"
"Tsk, tsk, can’t they just admit they lost in business competition? Do they have to resort to such despicable methods?"
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