Chapter 146 [VIP]
Wang Ying and Lin Sui looked up and saw the woman standing at the shop entrance, clearly cursing them.
Even though she had never seen this person before, Wang Ying turned to Lin Sui and asked, "Do you recognize her?"
Lin Sui shook her head, "I don't know him."
Wang Ying stood up and stepped forward, saying, "Sister-in-law, is there some misunderstanding?"
"A misunderstanding?" The woman pointed at Wang Ying and said, "Is your husband dead?"
Wang Ying immediately flew into a rage and pointed her finger at her, yelling back, "Your husband is the one who's dead! My husband is doing well studying at the prefectural school, why are you cursing him?"
The woman paused for a moment, then said, "I must have mistaken you for someone else. That young man has passed away!"
Lin Sui nodded, instantly understanding what was going on. "Are you Manager Wei's wife?"
"You little slut, you even know he has a wife!"
Wang Ying frowned and shielded Lin Sui behind her, saying, "Watch your mouth, or I won't be polite if you start swearing again!"
"You're not being polite, so I'll be even more polite! Seducing a married man, daring to do such a shameful thing and not wanting anyone to talk about it?"
Lin Sui was furious. "What shameful thing did I do? It was clearly your husband who spoke rudely first, and I kicked him out. How did it become seducing him in your mouth?"
The foolish woman didn't believe it. "How could my husband possibly be interested in you? You're as skinny as a stick, and I don't even know if you'd be able to bear children."
These words struck a nerve with Lin Sui, and before he could speak, Wang Ying pushed him away.
"Get out! If you're so capable, then control your husband. If you cause trouble at our shop again, we'll report you to the authorities!"
The woman was pushed and stumbled, falling to the ground and throwing a tantrum, "Everyone come and see! This young widow is so shameless, seducing another man and then hitting him! What ice shop? I bet it's a brothel!"
Many people came over to watch the commotion, pointing and whispering about Wang Ying and Lin Sui.
Wang Ying grabbed a broom and rushed over, yelling, "If you keep talking nonsense, then control your husband! Why are you causing trouble at someone else's shop?!"
"Go ahead and hit me! My nephew is Marquis Wuping. If you hit him, you'll all be in big trouble!"
"I don't care what kind of monkey you are, if you dare to slander my brother, I'll kill you and make you pay with your life!"
"Ouch!" The woman was beaten and ran around covering her head. Two maids and servants stood in front of her and were hit by Wang Ying's broom several times before finally fleeing in panic.
After everyone left, the onlookers also dispersed. Lin Sui said anxiously, "Sister-in-law, have I gotten myself into trouble?"
"Ignore her, let's go inside."
Once inside, Wang Ying inquired about what had happened. Lin Sui recounted the entire incident from that day, then lowered her head and fidgeted with her fingers, saying, "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have thrown him out that day. If I had explained things to him properly, none of this would have happened..."
“You did a great job. You can’t reason with a lecher like that. If you speak nicely, he might even think you’re playing hard to get. A beating would be too lenient. If I were here, I would have given him a good beating!”
Lin Sui chuckled, but her mood immediately plummeted again. "She just said that my nephew is the Marquis of Wuping. Will we get into trouble for offending her?"
Wang Ying wasn't sure either. "Whatever, if it really comes down to it, I'll report it to the authorities. I refuse to believe that black can be turned into white!"
Lin Sui lowered her head guiltily. The last time her cousin was arrested by the government, they were all terrified. It had only been a short time since then, and now this had happened again. If this went on for too long, the shop's reputation would definitely be affected.
"Don't think too much about it. Business is slow these days, so close the shop and rest at home. We'll start selling vegetables again when the weather gets colder."
"Why……"
The shop was closed the next day, and Wang Ying took the opportunity to go to the new house to check on the interior decoration.
Before leaving, he gave Lin Sui two strings of cash, telling him to go shopping with Qingyun and buy a couple of outfits for autumn so he wouldn't overthink things at home.
Qingyun had also heard about what happened in the shop and comforted him, saying, "Don't listen to that woman's nonsense. We've done nothing wrong. Let those people gossip if they want to. Just treat it like a dog barking."
Lin Sui smiled slightly, but her mood was still heavy. She was worried that the woman would send her cousin, Marquis Wuping, to cause trouble.
It wasn't easy for my cousin and his wife to establish themselves in Fucheng, so they mustn't ruin their future because of me.
Qingyun shook his hand, "Alright, don't think about those things anymore. Come with me to buy some rouge and face powder for our wedding later."
"Um."
The two got ready and went out. The weather was nice today, with a clear autumn sky. Although it was still hot, the wind was no longer sticky. There were many women and men strolling around on the street.
The two strolled slowly along Zhengyang Street. Passing by a stall selling sweet soup, Chen Qingyun bought two bowls of sweet soup. The two sat on a small stool by the street, drinking the soup and watching the passersby.
"I'm getting married in just over two months, and I'm already feeling nervous. I wonder what it will be like after the wedding..."
Lin Sui said gently, "Uncle and Aunt Liu are both good people, and Young Master Liu cares about you very much. You will definitely have a happy marriage after you get married."
"What if it's all an illusion? What if things change after I marry into the family?"
"No, with your cousin and his wife here, they will definitely not let you suffer any injustice."
"That's true. If the Liu family dares to bully me, my brother might not dare to say anything, but my sister-in-law would definitely rush over with a kitchen knife."
Lin Sui nodded with a wry smile, recalling how his cousin-in-law had stood up for him yesterday and rushed out with a broom. He was truly blessed to have such a cousin-in-law who treated him like a younger brother.
She felt increasingly determined not to cause him any trouble, and that she had to find a way to resolve the matter herself.
After finishing their sweet soup, the two continued strolling. When they arrived at the cosmetics shop, Qingyun bought a box of rouge and a box of face powder, spending a total of over two hundred coins. The rouge box was made of ceramic and had a painting of a beautiful woman on it, making it look exquisite and pretty.
Ancient cosmetics were not much different from modern ones; they were used to cover up blemishes on the face. However, the powder was particularly white, and the rouge was particularly red. Ordinary people rarely wore them, only on formal occasions.
Moreover, rouge and face powder are not exclusive to women; men can also apply them. It is said that even the emperor would apply them and dress up in his finest attire during court sacrifices.
After leaving the shop, the two went to a clothing store. Lin Sui had grown quite a bit taller in the past six months since she came to the prefectural city, and the sleeves and trouser legs of her previous clothes were too short. It was a good time to buy two new outfits to wear alternately.
The clothes he looked at were all dark-colored and made of rough fabric, and a set of clothes cost only a little over two hundred coins.
"Shopkeeper, please let me try this on."
Qingyun said, "This color is too old-fashioned and doesn't suit you. The sky-blue one next to you looks better."
Lin Sui shook her head, "I'll take this outfit." She thought that if she dressed more simply, she might avoid trouble.
The shopkeeper found a set of clothes that fit him and handed it to him, saying, "Young master, go in and try it on."
Lin Sui took the clothes into the house and came out a short while later wearing an earthy yellow dress, which made her look drab and her complexion was not as good as before.
"Oh dear, this color is awful; it makes you look seven or eight years older."
Lin Sui looked at herself in the bronze mirror and seemed quite satisfied. "I'll take this one. Do you have any more of the same one? I'd like another set."
After leaving the clothing store, Lin Sui first took Qing Yun home, then made an excuse to go check out the new house and went out alone.
He first went to the Wei family's incense and candle shop, intending to apologize to Manager Wei and ask him and his wife to talk things out and stop spreading rumors at their shop.
When they arrived, there was only one young shop assistant in the shop. Yesterday, Wei Changgui's wife had scratched his face all over his home and he couldn't leave the house.
Unable to find anyone, Lin Sui bit her lip, deciding to go directly to Marquis Wuping. She had met him once at Qingfeng Temple; she wondered if he remembered her. She would explain the situation clearly, and if anyone was to blame, she would blame herself, rather than cause trouble for her cousin and sister-in-law.
It was quite remarkable that he, being unfamiliar with the area, inquired everywhere and actually managed to find his way to the Marquis of Wuping's residence.
Lin Sui stood at the door, looking at the tall plaque. She took a deep breath, mustered her courage, and stepped forward to knock on the door.
After waiting a while, a person peeked out from the side gate. "Who are you looking for?"
Lin Sui immediately tensed up and stammered, "I, I, I'm looking for Marquis Wuping, I, I have something important to discuss!"
The doorman looked him up and down and asked, "Do you have a visiting card?"
"No……"
"Then please leave."
Lin Sui quickly stepped forward to block the door and said, "I really have something important to discuss with the Marquis. Please go in and inform him."
The doorman said, "Hey, don't stick your foot in, you'll get it pinched!"
Lin Sui had no choice but to kneel down and kowtow, pleading, "Please!"
The gatekeeper was an honest man, and he was so frightened by the man kneeling that he quickly dodged away. "Get up quickly. The Marquis is not at home right now. If you really want to find him, go to the military camp in the west and ask. Maybe you can find him there."
Thank you!
"No need to thank me, no need to thank me." The gatekeeper quickly closed the door, thinking to himself that he wondered what relationship this young man had with the Marquis, as no young man had ever come to see the Marquis before...
Upon receiving the news, Lin Sui headed towards the military camp in the west of the city. The military camp was very far from the city center; it usually took her 25 minutes to ride a horse, but Lin Sui walked for an hour to get there.
Exhausted and hot, his cheeks were flushed. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and mustered his courage to step forward, saying, "I'm looking for Marquis Wuping. Could you please pass on a message for me, sir?"
The guards, seeing he was a young man, didn't chase him away but instead teased him, "What do you want with our lord?"
"It's something very important."
"Hey, how important is it? Have barbarians come from beyond the pass, or is there a bandit problem outside the city?"
Lin Sui stammered and couldn't say anything, only asking them to help inform the Marquis of Wuping that she absolutely had to see him.
The crowd quickly caught the attention of Commander Tian. He chased away a few sly soldiers and, after inquiring about Lin Sui's purpose, said, "Wait here for a while. I'll go in and give you a message. Whether the Marquis will see you or not, you don't know."
"Thank you, sir!"
Old Tian ran into the military camp with a face full of excitement. Li Mu was discussing matters with several subordinates when he was suddenly disturbed by a knock on the door. He frowned and let them in.
"My lord, someone is looking for you outside."
"I'm busy."
Old Tian winked and said, "It's a young man."
The old soldiers and thugs nearby immediately perked up their ears upon hearing this, "What young man? How old is he? What does he look like?"
Li Mu was also completely confused. "What young man?"
Tian Baihu said, "He's not very old, but he's quite handsome. He specifically asked to see you, saying he has something very important to say."
The crowd erupted in uproar, "The Marquis is so dishonest! He's hiding his lover from everyone!"
"Let's go, let's go take a look!"
"Stop talking nonsense. You guys stay here, I'm going to go check it out."
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