Jiang Jiuniang naturally wouldn't be the one to suffer such a great injustice, and laughed, "Don't worry, even if our business isn't fully established yet, we still need people to carry goods. We're currently in the silk and tea business, and the demand is huge. We'll definitely be going out next month."
This put Chen Feier at ease, after all, it was indeed a little unsettling to have someone give you money just by lying down.
"That's good, Mrs. Lu, thank you so much."
Chen Feier smiled from the bottom of her heart, feeling that this was the happiest moment since her father and brother's accident.
When the business was finished, the waiter started serving the dishes.
Jiang Jiuniang invited her to eat, and then said, "Alright, now that we've finished discussing official business, let's talk about personal matters."
Chen Feier paused, looking at her with some confusion.
As Jiang Jiuniang served her food, she said, "Mr. Kang was the first teacher of my children. We've known each other since we were in Jingzhou, and our two families have a very close relationship."
Chen Feier's body stiffened. So, she really did come for Kang Chengzhi?
"But don't be nervous, young lady. What we were talking about before was business. It has nothing to do with the relationship between my family and Mr. Kang. I am a person who keeps public and private matters separate and will not mix them up."
In other words, even if she didn't end up with Mr. Kang, their collaboration could still continue.
And I didn't offer her such good cooperation terms just because of Mr. Kang.
Chen Feier nodded to indicate that she understood, and then said, "It's impossible for him and me."
She was originally a free-spirited and unrestrained woman, but this was the first time she had shown such a girlish side for a man. Her face was filled with sorrow and hidden sadness. She had too many concerns; romantic love was not her whole world.
Jiang Jiuniang raised her hand to interrupt her, saying, "I'm not here today to force you to agree to be with him. This is a major life event for you, and it's your decision. I brought this up with you on behalf of Old Madam Kang, just so you can see your own heart clearly and make a choice that suits you."
Jiang Jiuniang set out the dishes for her and then started preparing her own, saying as she did so, "When I met Mr. Kang, he ran a private school in Daling County. After I settled in Jingzhou, the first time I went to the city, I saw his private school recruiting students. At that time, he was sickly and looked like he wouldn't live more than three years. It was precisely because of his health that he missed the imperial examination path."
"Although he was sickly and spoke weakly, many people wanted to sign up for him. The people loved him and said he was a very good teacher. I was dressed in tattered clothes when I went up to talk to him. He didn't mind my poor clothes, nor did he think there was anything wrong with me, a woman, showing myself in public like that. He patiently answered all my questions, and then I signed up all the children in my family."
"After that, the children also enjoyed listening to his lectures. He was a very upright and humorous person, and his lectures were very interesting. When the children came back and told us about it, we never expected that such a complicated course could be explained in such an interesting and simple way."
"After spending more time together, I started treating his illness. My family arranged a marriage for him, but the girl had someone she liked, so the marriage fell through. After that, he was never around any disreputable women until he met you, Miss Chen."
“I have never seen Mr. Kang care so much about any woman. Miss Chen must be very good. No matter what the reason is for your rejection of Mr. Kang, I hope you can give him a chance to make sure he has something to say. That way, he won’t have any regrets, right?”
Jiang Jiuniang looked at her and noticed that she had no appetite at all despite the abundance of delicious food in front of her, which meant she was preoccupied with something.
“Madam, thank you for telling me so much, but I am just an ordinary person, and my family is in such a situation, I... am not good enough for him.”
Now that she's working with Jiang Jiuniang, her brothers and sisters in the group have a good place to go, which puts her mind at ease for the time being.
But her mother was the only one left at home, and she couldn't let her mother live alone.
She had considered finding a husband for herself before, but after meeting Kang Chengzhi, she changed her mind. Kang Chengzhi was an official and the pillar of the family, and she couldn't be so selfish.
At worst, I'll just stay single for life and stay with my mother. That's fine too.
Jiang Jiuniang disagreed with her saying such things, saying, "Miss Chen, you are mistaken. You can say that you are not suitable for each other, that you have different views, or that you cannot be together because of some insurmountable factors, but I don't want to hear you say that you are not good enough for him."
“There’s never been any question of whether you’re a good match or not. Mr. Kang is certainly outstanding, having passed the imperial examination at a young age and becoming an official in the court. But where are you lacking? As a young woman, in an era that placed many restrictions on women, you were able to establish yourself in the capital and support so many people on your own. You are more outstanding than many men. How can you say you’re not a good match?”
Jiang Jiuniang has seen many insecure girls like this. They are clearly very outstanding, but they always like to self-hype and can't hold their heads up in front of men. Over time, even the best relationships will break down.
Chen Feier was stunned for a moment, feeling that what Jiang Jiuniang said seemed to make a lot of sense, but she also felt that something was wrong.
She said weakly, "But he is an official, and I am just a commoner..."
"Who didn't start as a commoner? Aren't commoners human? Wasn't Mr. Kang a commoner before he passed the imperial examinations? Didn't my family also come from humble beginnings? So what? Girl, your thinking is wrong. A girl as bright and beautiful as you should be confident and outgoing, instead of doubting yourself because of your background and circumstances. You should believe that you are the best, the only one, and that you deserve respect and to be liked."
Jiang Jiuniang spoke these words with genuine emotion, thinking that she could save as many as she could. Girls of this era, even those as independent and strong as Chen Feier, still couldn't help but feel inferior, let alone other girls.
Saving these girls is a long and arduous journey.
Originally, because of the emperor's inhuman behavior, Jiang Jiuniang felt listless and uninterested in doing anything. But now it seems that there are too many interesting things to do.
She hasn't truly realized her great dream of gender equality, hasn't built her own chain of medical schools in this world, and hasn't gone overseas to see how things have developed. There's no need for her to be an eyesore to the dog emperor all day long in this small capital.
Chen Feier felt extremely excited. Her idol was indeed her idol; a few words from her could instantly brighten her mood. Things that had puzzled her before were now clear to her without Jiang Jiuniang having to say anything more.
"I see!"
She nodded emphatically, genuinely happy. Today's trip was worth it!
Seeing that she was genuinely happy, Jiang Jiuniang finally felt relieved and took out a stack of papers from her sleeve and handed them to her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com