Page 509

Unfortunately, Meng Chunyan lacked not only intelligence but also discernment, unable to distinguish between new and old carriages, she was simply delighted by the one adorned extravagantly, more so than Lin Yuan’s.

Having placed the pastries inside the carriage, Meng Chunyan suddenly remembered something and gossiped to Jin Lingling, "I heard that little village girl’s Rice Flower Fragrance wasn’t doing well a few days ago, and even had Five Stones Powder."

Jin Lingling sneered but didn’t speak, that was no longer news, their business was now booming tremendously.

Without delving deeper into why Jin Lingling remained silent, Meng Chunyan continued, "I heard they hired a doctor from Shande Hall. Doesn’t Shande Hall have ties with your Jin family?

How could you let them collude with that little village girl?

If it were me, I’d never let Doctor Hu show his face, and I’d make sure to ruin Rice Flower Fragrance completely! "

Jin Lingling cast her a disdainful look, deeming her foolish—she had become even more foolish. She was bringing up exactly what shouldn’t be mentioned; if the boss of the Shande Hall were willing to listen to her father, their second branch wouldn’t be so disregarded within the Jin family.

Tired of talking to this dimwit, Jin Lingling excused herself, claiming to be a bit tired, and climbed into her carriage and left.

Meng Chunyan watched her lavish, fresh carriage and boarded gleefully, "Such a sour face—she must be jealous my carriage is better than hers! Hehe, big brother has finally accomplished something."

Jin Lingling’s carriage sped away, passing by the Fuman Building just as a modestly luxurious carriage pulled up.

"So it’s an out-of-towner," Jin Lingling dropped the curtain in disappointment, she had thought it belonged to some wealthy lady or madam. It turned out to be just a foreigner. Never mind, she had wanted to try to drum up business for her family.

At the entrance of the Fuman Building, from that modestly luxurious carriage, two well-dressed maids with exquisite attire stepped down, one with a round face and the other with an oblong face, one stable and mature, and the other with lively, rolling eyes, obviously more active.

The composed maid, lifting the curtain, helped the person inside to step down, "Madam, please be careful."

Beneath the carriage curtain, a middle-aged woman with well-maintained complexion slowly alighted. Not mentioning her lavish skirt, just the small purple-gold hairpin on her head amounted to a month’s earnings for Rice Flower Fragrance.

With a fair and plump visage, and although she neared forty, she appeared only in her early thirties due to her excellent maintenance.

Glancing at the maid, Xia He, who was busily looking around with rolling eyes, she smiled gently, without a hint of rebuke, "Look at Xia He. Qiu Ju, you have the silver, right? After we finish, you two can go out and have fun, buy whatever you like, and don’t skimp on the money.

Remember to get something for Chun Yu and Dong Mei as well, or they’ll nag you when we return. "

Qiu Ju smiled faintly and nodded in agreement.

Xia He turned around with a grin, supporting the madam’s arm, and said coyly, "Madam dotes on us the most. But, we don’t need Madam’s silver; we’ll go ask for silver from the second young master later. The second young master has opened such large inns without a word, he must be loaded!"

Qiu Ju glanced at her reproachfully, murmuring, "You’re such a smart aleck! That stingy second young master won’t give you any silver willingly!"

The madam chuckled, lifting her head to survey the opulently decorated inn, nodding slightly, "This rascal, conducting business behind our backs, and to such an extent. If Hong De hadn’t told me, I would have had no clue. Come, let’s go in and settle the score with him."