"I’m simply guessing. Regardless of the Mu family’s social status, it’s not our place to judge. Little Sister, you should refrain from making such comments in the future." Song Yalin advised seriously.
Song Ya Lan’s interest instantly faded. She humphed, "Who’re the Mu’s to be considered a significant family? Even in a small place like Lian’an Town, there are only a handful of families with any real status. I’ve never even heard of this Mu family. Who knows where they got the invitation to today’s show from." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂
Song Yalin stopped talking, she simply hung her head and continued to sip her tea, as if she had not heard her words.
Once Song Yalin had stopped talking, the rest of the room naturally followed suit. This left Song Ya Lan feeling somewhat outcast and indignant. She had said as much, yet, she held a trace of doubt in her heart.
After all, nobody knew the actual status of the Mu family. So far, all were just speculations. The man she had seen today had an aura of nobility around him, something that could not have arisen from a small and ordinary household.
For this reason, Song Ya Lan felt increasingly envious of Lady Mu and made it a point to belittle her with her comments, even though she was not present.
Having vented her bile, that man’s stunning beauty continued to linger in Ya Lan’s mind. What if, just what if, the Mu family was actually of acceptable standing?
Song Ya Lan’s eyes shone a little brighter as she suddenly suggested, "Since Second Aunt is friends with Lady Mu, and given that Lady Mu is now pregnant and may find it difficult to travel to the city, it’s natural that we consider visiting her one of these days. What do you think, Third Sister?"
Song Yalin looked at her with surprise, "You want to go?"
Just a moment ago, Song Ya Lan had been looking down on the Mu family, accusing them of trying to establish relations with the Song family because they were common folk. Now, she wanted to visit them?
Song Ya Lan smiled slightly and said, "Don’t you want to find out what the Mu family is really like, Third Sister? Whether they’re real or just pretending, we’ll know once we pay them a visit."
So, that’s her plan?
Song Yalin quietly asked, "Why are you interested in knowing all this?"
Why? Naturally, Song Ya Lan was interested because of that man. But she could not admit to that. She snorted and said, "If you don’t want to go, that’s fine. When the time comes, I’ll go to Second Aunt. She will definitely want to go!"
Song Yalin’s eyes flickered, but she remained silent.
Song Ya Lan hated it when she didn’t respond, her tone grew more acerbic, "I know that Third Sister thinks highly of herself. Only the Great Prince can catch your eye. That’s what you were trained for from a young age by Second Aunt. It’s understandable that ordinary people can’t catch your eye."
Song Yalin’s lips tightened and her expression didn’t change, but her eyes held a complex emotion that was difficult to discern.
——
Xin He didn’t overthink the drama between the Song sisters. After walking through storms in her life, she had no energy or desire to comment on the actions of these insignificant people.
Plainly put, they were not worth her attention.
Her only objective in engaging with the Song Family was to learn more about them. After all, it was important whether or not to trust Song Xi, and to what extent.
Everyone is out to protect their own interests. She found Song Xi’s sudden pledge of loyalty baffling and she weighed every action carefully.
Most importantly, she needed to know what role the Song family played in this whole conspiracy.
As for the girls brought up in seclusion, Xin He had no interest in them.
"Madam," Manager Jin greeted her with respect as she walked in again.
In front of others, he didn’t speak much. If she needed to keep a low profile, he certainly wouldn’t be the one to ruin it.
Now that the guests were gone, proper etiquette still needed to be followed.
Xin He nodded, "Let’s go upstairs."
"Yes."
As they entered the parlour, Manager Jin had the account books and some feedback from guests brought in, as well as some new designs for Xin He to inspect.
Watching all this, Xiao Chai discovered that there was far more for Xin He to manage than he had realized.
As she flipped through the account books, Xin He turned to him, "Do you know how to read account books?"
Shaking his head in confusion, Xiao Chai replied, "No."
Xin He smiled, "Look at it now, and I will teach you and Xiao Bei how to manage accounts when we return home. Or Manager Jin could teach you as well."
Xiao Chai spoke softly, "I would prefer it if you taught me, Madam."
Xin He wasn’t surprised, she just smiled and said, "Alright."
Xiao Chai was inherently introverted. Even though he had been in Lian’an Town for a long time now, he had rarely had conversations with the servants and maids around him. They considered him a man of few words. While he was in the academy, Xiao Bei had made quite a few friends, but Xiao Chai still only had Xiao Bei. However, he was much livelier in front of Xiao Bei.
Xin He could see that Xiao Chai was quite cautious with outsiders, likely due to a tough childhood. This made him sensitive and reluctant to interact with strangers.
Manager Jin asked curiously, "May I ask who this is..."
Xin He replied with a smile, "His name is Li Nan, a smart child. I plan to teach him things so he can help me in the future."
She always referred to Xiao Chai as Li Nan to outsiders.
Manager Jin nodded with a smile, considering him a lucky child noticed by their lady.
"This show seems to have fetched higher bids than the last two. The grand finale dress was even bid up to eight hundred taels." Xin He looked at today’s income and nodded satisfactorily.
"Now that our Winding Pavilion has become renowned, the elite of the Yu State were almost all present, which makes our brand more prestigious." Manager Jin smiled.
"Even so, we should refrain from arrogance, or someone will take our position," Xin He said seriously. "Now, let the workshop know, they can start preparing for the summer clothes and accessories."
"And the design..." Manager Jin waited for Xin He’s designs.
But Xin He just smirked, "I won’t provide designs this time. You simply instruct them to design themselves, incorporating patterns from the previous three designs. Those selected will receive a hefty reward."
Manager Jin’s eyes sparkled, and he understood Xin He’s intentions. He nodded, "As you say, Madam. I will pass your instructions."
If the large workshop keeps relying solely on Xin He’s drawings for inspiration, they will lose their creativity. It’s about time they learnt to rely on themselves.
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