Xiao San's gaze lingered on Qiao Qing's for a long time, his face filled with amazement.
The moment Xiao San saw Qiao Qing, his eyes lit up, and he secretly exclaimed, "This woman is truly a beauty! She is so much prettier than my master's concubines and maids!"
"Is this Qiaoqing?" Xiao San composed himself and asked with a smile.
"Mmm." Qiaoqing nodded shyly, her big eyes blinking as she looked at Xiao San, as if conveying affection through her gaze.
"Greetings to my younger sister." Xiao San stepped forward, straightened his clothes, and bowed to Qiao Qing, his eyes scanning her from head to toe.
Qiaoqing quickly returned the greeting, "Greetings to Young Master Xiao." Her eyes were filled with affection as she gazed at Xiao San without blinking.
Xiao San sensed Qiao Qing's affection for him. He straightened up, took out a glittering gold hairpin from his pocket, walked up to Qiao Qing, handed the hairpin to her, and said softly, "Sister, this is a gift I bought especially for you. I hope you won't find it offensive."
Qiaoqing blushed instantly. She shyly accepted the hairpin and said softly, "Thank you, Young Master Xiao."
Xiao San's lips curled up slightly, revealing a subtle hint of calculation.
Taking this opportunity, Xiao San leaned closer to Qiao Qing and whispered to her, "Little sister, you must remember to get along well with Miss Lin. If you can win her over, it will be of great benefit to us."
Qiaoqing frowned and asked in confusion, "What are the benefits?"
“She has new stock, and we can make it according to her instructions,” Xiao San explained. “That way, our business will be better.”
“But we left the manor today…” Qiaoqing hesitated. Facing her father and brothers, she did not tell Xiao San about her departure.
Xiao San paused for a moment, then quickly asked, "Is your indenture still in Miss Lin's hands?"
"Yes." Qiaoqing nodded.
Xiao San smiled and said, "Then you should go back to your job. In the future, you should try to coax her and get her to hand over the indenture so that she doesn't resell it. Even if she does sell it, she should sell it to our Prime Minister's residence."
Qiaoqing beamed with joy upon hearing this. To be a servant in the Prime Minister's mansion was incredibly prestigious. She quickly nodded and replied, "Yes, Brother Xiao, I'll remember."
Qiaoqing secretly calculated in her heart that Miss Lin did not seem too difficult to deal with. As long as she put in a little effort, she should be able to win her over. Tomorrow, she would go back to the Lin family and say a few nice words to Miss Lin, and she would surely be able to get things done.
Mrs. Ma was busy in the kitchen, and soon an enticing aroma of food wafted out. Mrs. Ma brought the cooked food to the table, where Xiao San was sitting with the Duan family father and son, drinking and chatting.
With a broad smile, Xiao San said to the Duan family father and son, "After the New Year, we will open another shop. We will definitely make a lot of money then. Your family will be able to buy a three-courtyard mansion in the capital, have a large number of servants, and live a life of luxury and wealth."
These words made the eyes of the four members of the Duan family light up; this was something they had never even dared to dream of.
"Is it possible?" Duan Dayi asked expectantly.
"Yes, yes, yes, believe me and you'll definitely be able to do it, Father-in-law," Xiao San confidently patted his chest and assured him.
Duan Gang quickly raised his glass, toasted Xiao San, and said with a smile, "Good brother-in-law, then let's get rich together!"
Xiao San downed his drink in one gulp and then laughed loudly, "That's a must! We not only want to get promoted and make a fortune, but we also want to become one-of-a-kind tycoons, haha!"
Madam Ma and Qiaoqing sat quietly at a small table in the corner of the hall, eating their meal in silence.
When they heard Xiao San say he wanted to open another shop to make money, the mother and daughter's eyes suddenly lit up, and an overwhelming joy welled up in their hearts.
Ma stopped eating and turned to look at Xiao San, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
She thought to herself, "If my son-in-law helps us, our family will really be able to open a shop, and our lives will definitely get better and better in the future."
Qiaoqing was overjoyed, her face beaming with a bright smile, proud of the wealthy life she was about to live.
At that moment, an idea popped into her mind: "Miss Lin's future will not be as good as mine. If one day she is implicated by that person and is not executed but sold into slavery, then I will definitely buy Lin Yajun and make her wash my smelly socks."
The next morning, Madam Ma got up early. She was in a very good mood because she had an important thing to do that day—to hire a few more servants for the household.
From then on, she was a grandmother who had someone to take care of her.
Madam Ma was so pleased with herself that she walked with a spring in her step. She went out and summoned a matchmaker to bring people to choose servants. Among the group, she first carefully selected two old women and two maids. The two old women looked shrewd and capable, while the two maids were young, honest, and obedient.
Among the many maids, Madam Ma paid special attention to a plump maid named Xiao Feng. She felt that Xiao Feng suited her taste perfectly, so she decided to buy her and give her to Duan Gang as a concubine.
"I'll take this one too." Madam Ma bought another maid.
Ma said to Duan Gang, "Gang, you're getting married soon, so take this maidservant with you first. Our hard times are finally coming to an end, and we should enjoy life from now on!"
"Thank you, Mother." Duan Gang was overjoyed to hear his mother's words. He wished he could skip going to the shop today and just stay home and be a groom instead.
Duan Gang looked at Xiao Feng in front of him, his heart filled with joy.
He whispered to Xiaofeng, "Xiaofeng, stay home and wait for me to come back. I will bring you back some beautiful jewelry."
Xiao Feng lowered her head shyly and replied softly, "Yes, sir." Then, she obediently bowed to Duan Gang.
Seeing this, Madam Ma's eyes lit up and she immediately made arrangements, "Xiao Feng, help your master go back to his room to change his clothes."
Duan Gang pulled Xiao Feng into the east wing room without waiting. Soon, a series of continuous noises came from inside.
Ma listened for a while from outside the window, a satisfied smile appearing on her lips. Duan Dayi sat in a corner of the yard, lost in thought, feeling as if he were dreaming that his home had suddenly become better.
As he listened to his son taking in concubines, a thought flashed through his mind: "Once the family's situation improves, I'll also take in a few concubines to enjoy myself. If I don't enjoy myself now, I'll be too old."
There was a reason why Madam Ma bought a maidservant for her son to be his concubine.
She harbored resentment towards her sister's family because they had previously looked down on her family for being poor and were unwilling to marry their daughter to Duan Gang.
"Hmph, didn't you all look down on my son for being poor before? Well then, I'll buy him a few more concubines and see how smug you'll be then!" Madam Ma thought to herself, a vengeful smile appearing on her face.
Madam Ma walked into the courtyard, put her hands on her hips, and ordered the four servants around, "You, you go make breakfast, you go serve the young lady, you go do the laundry."
"Yes, Grandma." The old woman and maid who had been bought immediately got to work. They didn't have any assigned tasks; they did whatever was needed.
"Hmm, hahaha." Madam Ma nodded and laughed triumphantly. She was so happy that a servant would call her "Grandma" one day.
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