Chapter 46 The handsome young man Chen Junbo is jealous and his face turns black.
Luo Niangzi was extremely fast with her hands, and within two days she had completed ten flower crowns. Eight of them, the peony crowns, were for the flower sellers in the shop to wear, while the other two, the Hundred Flowers and Stars crowns, were made according to Li Yang's request.
Li Yang had only ordered one crown, intending to give it to Yu Ziyan as a thank-you gift. However, after being reminded by her daughter You Feng, Luo Yinhua made an identical crown for Li Yang as well, refusing to accept any money.
In the end, Li Yang happily carried the two floral crowns back to Lanxin Pavilion.
"Oh? You mean this was made by the woman you recently hired in your shop?"
Chen Junbo did not agree with Li Yang's decision to hire new people at the flower shop. According to Bi Fang's report, the flower shop should cut its burdens and clear its inventory to reduce costs. However, his wife would burst into tears at the mention of layoffs and was only thinking about increasing revenue. So he could only let her do as she pleased.
To his surprise, she even hired new people for the brothel. He shook his head inwardly, thinking, "She's so childish." But then he thought that the brothel wasn't worth much money, so he decided to let her do it for fun. If it came to a bad time, he could just find a way to bet some money on it when the gambling season was approaching.
He nodded and said, "This flower crown is indeed quite interesting. If that lady can make it, she can make one for each of the boat girls at Ruyi Boat. I'll have Mama Sang go to the flower shop to find you later."
The girls of Ruyi Pavilion? That painted boat isn't a small sampan; it has rooms upstairs and downstairs, with dozens or even hundreds of ladies. If each one had a flower crown, wouldn't she be making a fortune?
Li Yang hurriedly asked, "Are you making flower crowns? Do you need to make new ones regularly?"
"Alright, alright, one batch per month. Just tell Aunt Sang later." Chen Junbai saw that she was trying to take advantage of him and was treating him like a sucker. He flicked her nose in annoyance and went to his desk.
Hearing his quick agreement, Li Yang twitched his nose and jogged over to stand beside him.
Chen Junbo: "What are you doing?"
She bent down, cupped the man's face in her hands, and looked him up and down. Suddenly, the corners of her lips curled up. "Chen Junbo, what are you after for giving me such a big order?"
Seeing the sly glint in her eyes, Chen Junbo suddenly felt that it was worth being taken advantage of. He reached out and pulled her close, sitting her in his lap, and laughed, "What do you think I'm after?"
The two hugged and laughed for a while. Their eyes met and their gazes mingled, and she forgot the smile on her lips... Suddenly, she was startled, waved her hand to break free from the embrace, jumped up, and ran out of the main house with a red face.
Chen Junbo's arms suddenly felt empty. He stared at her running figure, his eyes gradually narrowing, savoring the sweet fragrance of the girl in the warm breeze.
He sat quietly for a while, then picked up the teapot on the table and drank the whole pot of cold tea. He then scooped up some cold water from the basin and splashed it on his face to finally calm down.
When he sat back down at his desk, his expression was calm, only his eyes were darting around, and he didn't even notice that he was holding the book upside down.
The warm jade in my arms suddenly vanished, leaving only the lingering fragrance in the breeze.
Two figures, a man and a woman, walked along East Street. The woman held a fan and waved it lightly. "General Manager Chen, you don't take this route back to Kangshan Street from Ruyi Pavilion, do you?"
The man walked forward with his head held high, his eyes fixed straight ahead, and he did not respond to any words.
The woman continued, "Mr. Chen, why do you think Madam Sang suddenly decided to go to the East Market Flower Bureau to order that flower crown?"
Still no one answered, but the woman's interest remained undiminished. "Mr. Chen, I've heard something interesting these past few days. They say that in the brothels of the East Market, the young men are all incredibly handsome, attracting the town's young ladies to linger there..."
Chen Junbo suddenly stopped and looked at her. After a moment, he said seriously, "I suddenly remembered something. Mr. Zheng just asked me to organize a dinner party to thank you for the play script you wrote. I wonder when Miss Ziyan will be free?"
Ziyan was abruptly cut off by him, her face stiffening. She fanned herself with her handkerchief, creating a gust of wind that ruffled strands of her hair.
She had only taken a few steps when she seemed to have spotted something interesting and said with a coquettish smile, "Mr. Chen, look at how crowded this place is, is that the young mistress's brothel? It seems the handsome young man in that brothel truly lives up to his reputation."
After saying that, she glanced at the ashen face of the man beside her, then chuckled lightly behind her fan and strode towards the crowd.
Chen Junbo paused, his eyelashes closing to conceal his eyes that had been rolling upwards. He opened his eyes a moment later and quickly followed.
The East Market Flower Courtyard, though not usually deserted, was unlike today, packed with people three or four deep, like a bustling market. The young women, dressed in their finest attire, jostled and shoved each other, showing no trace of feminine modesty.
The two stood on the periphery, unable to see what was happening inside. A woman's voice rang out, "All the flowers are sold out today..." A wave of sighs and discontent erupted from the crowd, and some even turned and left.
"There are still some potted plants left in the store. If you are interested, you can come in and choose one. Hwarang can also explain to you."
As soon as the words were spoken, those who had initially dispersed from the crowd turned back and squeezed back into the store. A group of young women, chattering and shoving, pushed and shoved their way into the store, creating a surging tide of people.
Ziyan spotted Li Yang standing on a stool at the shop entrance at a glance, then glanced at General Manager Chen before quickly raising her fan to greet him, "Zhaozhao."
Hearing the sound, Li Yang looked over and saw the two of them. She grinned, revealing a perfect row of small, white teeth. Holding Xiao Lu's hand, she jumped off the stool with a 'bang,' squeezed past several women hurrying into the shop, and came to the two of them. "You're here!"
Chen Junbo grunted in response, and Ziyan, covering her face with her fan, chuckled. This Mr. Chen was truly amusing; he was probably seething with anger inside, yet he still tried to maintain a facade of politeness.
She took Li Yang's hand and said, "Just passing by, came to take a look. There are quite a few people at the flower market today. Congratulations, young mistress, on your great fortune."
Li Yang led the two inside and began to explain the changes that had occurred in recent days.
Wherever the ladies gather in the brothel, there is always a courtesan, with a fit physique, brightly dressed, wearing a flower crown, with a fair face, red lips, sword-like eyebrows and phoenix eyes, and a blooming peony covering his temples.
Each and every one of them, with their peach-pink and willow-green hues, broad shoulders and slender waists, rosy faces and red lips, was a dazzling sight.
Ziyan: "This dress is wonderfully designed. The ochre base with peach pink trim complements the white and pink peach blossom vine pattern on the collar perfectly."
Hearing her praise, Li Yang quickly pointed to Zhong Qian beside him and said, "It's all thanks to Manager Zhong. He deals with flowers and plants every day in this flower shop, and it really does have its benefits."
Zhong bowed repeatedly, saying "Not at all," but the young master's cold gaze was fixed on the top of his head.
As the crowd watched, a Hwarang twirled, and floral vines spread out from the hem of his robe, winding around his waist and connecting to his back, with petals scattering at the hem.
Ziyan: "What do you think, Mr. Chen?"
Under their gazes, Chen Junbo spoke coldly after a long pause, "A gentleman who lacks dignity will not command respect." With that, he turned and went upstairs.
Seeing his heavy steps and the wind blowing through his clothes, Li Yang smiled and pulled Zi Yan along, "Ignore him, Sister Zi Yan, let's go upstairs and have a cup of tea."
Chen Junbo had already taken his seat. He watched the two figures emerge from the stairwell, then lowered his eyelashes and drank his tea.
After the two were seated, he raised an eyebrow and sneered, "What does Miss Ziyan think of the upstairs decor?"
Upon hearing this, Ziyan turned around, her gaze slowly sweeping over the scholar in the elegant seat, finally settling on the calligraphy and paintings covering the wall. She saw that every single one was Zheng Qingbo's work, recognizing the subtle meaning within. Her lips remained slightly curved in a smile, but her eyes had grown colder and colder.
So this is Chen Junbo, he was waiting for her here all along. What a... vengeful and ruthless killer.
Once her expression softened slightly, she nodded and said, "Young Madam's ingenuity is truly admirable. Downstairs, vibrant and fragrant, is a paradise on earth; upstairs, elegant and refined, is like a secluded haven. One world, two realms, both deeply resonate with me. Mr. Chen, what do you think?"
What's wrong with you all today?
Even someone as clueless as Li Yang could tell that the two were exchanging barbs.
Her almond-shaped eyes were full of confusion as she looked back and forth between the two men, which softened Chen Junbo's heart. "In a few days, Mr. Zheng will be hosting a banquet to thank Ziyan for the play script she wrote, and he asked me to invite you to come along."
Ziyan suddenly interrupted, "I didn't agree to that, so how did that banquet come about?"
Piecing together their words, Li Yang seemed to understand why the two disliked each other today.
She glanced at Ziyan and saw her displeased expression, then smiled and said, "Why won't you agree, Sister Ziyan? The script is so well-written, and you won't even let people praise it? If you ask me, Mr. Zheng wants to host a banquet to thank you, so why not be generous and go ahead? We want to see what he's up to."
Ziyan's expression softened slightly after hearing what he said, though she remained stubborn, "What good could he possibly do? He's just flattering people, why would I need his flattery? If he were truly a man, why would he..."
Seemingly realizing she had misspoke, she stopped talking, picked up the teacup on the table and put it in her mouth, but her lips were not wet before putting the teacup back in its place.
After a moment, she changed the subject and said, "Young Madam, I see that quite a few people come to your shop to drink tea. Are you planning to turn it into a teahouse?"
Li Yang blinked. "That's a good idea, but the flower shop is in serious financial trouble. I'm afraid the teahouse's income won't be enough to solve our immediate problem in the short term."
After a short while, the group left the flower shop. Ziyan said she was going to visit Baohua Tower before bidding farewell to the two and leaving.
Li Yang: "Chen Junbo, don't you like the fact that the Flower Bureau is so prosperous today?"
Chen Junbo: "No."
Hearing his listlessness, Li Yang persisted, "Then why did you come into the store with such a sour face today? If you don't like seeing me, don't come to the flower shop. I can go home by myself."
Seeing that the young lady seemed to be angry, President Chen completely changed his previous disdain, put his arm around her shoulder, and coaxed her in a low voice, "Don't be angry, I don't dislike seeing you."
Li Yang broke free. "What are you doing? We're on the street." She took a step back and asked again, "Then why were you being so sarcastic today?"
Chen Junbo sighed deeply, "Do you think I should also get some brightly colored clothes made?"
Li Yang: "What?"
Chen Junbo: "I see all the staff in your shop are dressed up in fancy clothes. Do you like that kind of thing?"
So that's what it was about?! Li Yang felt relieved. Luckily, this person didn't pursue the matter of not telling her about the flower seller the other day. Then, disregarding everything, she burst into laughter in the street to cover her guilt. "Chen Junbai, what are you thinking! They're wearing red and green to attract customers. Why are you dressed in such bright colors? Who are you trying to impress?"
"Chen Junbo, are you upset about this?"
"Chen Junbo, say something!"
"Chen Junbo, are you jealous?"
Seeing her like this, Chen Junbo's face darkened, and he refused to say another word. He turned and walked away.
"Chen Junbo, don't run away!"
"Sigh, Chen Junbo..."
The young lady's sweet voice urged him on, making him hurry along. It was as if jealousy and resentment were swirling around her brows, and she vanished without a trace.
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