Chapter 194: A Familiar Umbrella (First Update)

Chapter 194: A Familiar Umbrella (First Update)

Old Lady Qu asked again, and Xianjin remained silent.

When Old Lady Qu pressed harder, Xianjin turned her head to look at the sky outside the window, almost whistling if she knew how.

Old Lady Qu's back teeth itched with anger: She should have noticed this girl's rebelliousness when she was tilting her head and glaring at people in the ancestral hall of the old residence!

Out of options and feeling extremely frustrated, Old Lady Qu threw out a few words, "Since you came up with this idea, you can do it yourself. If you need money, take your receipts to your Uncle Erlang. If you need help—"

Recalling the circle of white muscles, Old Lady Qu glanced at Qiqiqi behind Xianjin, whose every hair seemed to exude cunning, and sneered, "If you need help, there’s no need to trouble anyone else; you’ve prepared everything well for yourself."

Xianjin humbly lowered her eyebrows, "Too kind, too kind."

Too kind, my foot!

She wasn't praising you!

Old Lady Qu took a deep breath, "When doing things, don’t hesitate or be indecisive, but always put the Chen family first. Don’t chase small profits at the cost of losing the big picture, and don’t damage our reputation for personal gain. Our Chen family is not just merchants; we also have a student preparing for the imperial exams. Think more from Erlang’s perspective. Make money, but maintain a good reputation."

Old Lady Qu feared that Xianjin might resort to risky tactics to make money, so she emphasized, "Most importantly, don’t get on bad terms with the government!"

Xianjin responded with a series of "mm-hmms" like a lullaby.

Seeing her like this, Old Lady Qu felt even angrier, and when she caught sight of Chen Cai, who was cowering behind her, she became even more furious.

"You!"

Old Lady Qu pointed at him.

Chen Cai bowed his head and took a step forward, acknowledging the call.

"You lead Xianjin in this project."

Old Lady Qu’s tone was firm, revealing that if Xianjin dared to refuse, she would stop the project even without the paper.

To her surprise, Xianjin nodded without hesitation, "I did need Uncle Erlang’s help."

Chen Cai looked terrified, as if he were a sacrificial pawn in a duel between two heroes.

Old Lady Qu breathed a sigh of relief but scrutinized Xianjin closely, wanting to say something harsh but fearing the consequences—she felt an inexplicable fear when facing Xianjin.

When a mouse escapes the cat’s grasp, what does the cat do? Does it bite the mouse dead or watch it run, wondering how far it will go? Naturally, the latter. Killing it instantly would rob the cat of the thrill of the hunt.

Old Lady Qu convinced herself with this reasoning and looked at Xianjin, who appeared meek and obedient, yet she felt a strange sensation—Who was the mouse, and who was the cat?

Shaking her head, Old Lady Qu reminded herself that she had eaten more salt than this girl had eaten rice. Even if fate had gone awry, she couldn’t possibly be the mouse!

After a moment of contemplation, Old Lady Qu left with a grim face, brushing aside her sleeves.

In late autumn, Xuancheng was shrouded in misty rain. When she arrived, it was sunny, but now it was pouring. As soon as she stepped out of Jixi Workshop, the heavy raindrops drenched her.

"Useless thing!" Old Lady Qu cursed the sky angrily.

Auntie Qu hurried to support her, apologizing to the heavens and chiding, "You’re letting anger cloud your judgment! You shouldn’t curse like that! Tsk tsk tsk!"

Then she gently advised, "Why bother getting so upset with her? Didn’t you thoroughly check her accounts? They’re cleaner and have more money than when the Sixth and Fifth Lords were around. She’s working hard for the Chen family; what’s wrong with that..."

Old Lady Qu struck her walking stick on the ground, "She’s disrespectful! No matter how bad the Fifth and Sixth Lords were, they never dared to glare at me. Look at her, negotiating and speaking coldly for the sake of the Third Lord. When has she ever shown any respect?"

Auntie Qu shrugged: The Fifth and Sixth Lords showed respect outwardly but secretly drained the Chen family’s resources; although Xianjin didn’t bow down, her accounts were spotless... It’s hard to judge!

Old Lady Qu stood in the corridor, watching the rain pour down, waiting for the little girl to return with an umbrella, and sighed, "And there’s the matter of Mang’er’s marriage. If it could work out, it would be wonderful. But now they’re worlds apart, and Mang’er has even hastily arranged a marriage elsewhere... What does this prove?"

Auntie Qu nodded: This one she understood—it proved that Mang’er and Jinjie didn’t get along!

But Old Lady Qu gave her an unexpected answer—“It proves that this girl has no destiny with the Chen family!”

Auntie Qu felt that Old Lady Qu’s love-hate relationship with Xianjin was quite extraordinary.

At first, they communicated through letters, meeting only twice a year, and everything went smoothly, with mutual respect.

But once Xianjin returned to Xuancheng and refused Old Lady Qu several times, Old Lady Qu developed a strong bias. This time, hearing about Xianjin’s paper-making competition, she even deliberately moved Li Sanshun away, leaving only Zhou Ergou to assist...

Today, their conflict reached its peak.

Old Lady Qu hadn’t endured such frustration in years—how dare someone turn their head to look at birds while she was talking!

Auntie Qu timidly advised, "Whether destined or not, she’s still part of the Chen family. The young girl doesn’t know better; since her mother died, she’s been like a changed person, leading the family business to new heights. Why bother getting so worked up over her? She isn’t angry, but you’re making yourself lose your appetite..."

Not half-dead.

Old Lady Qu was very sensitive about life and death at her age.

Auntie Qu quickly corrected herself, "You’re making yourself lose your appetite. Why bother?"

Old Lady Qu felt suffocated.

This suffocation was unspoken—without relying on this girl, she faced a severe lack of capable people!

Did she not know that Chen Cai was inadequate?

Did she not know that Qu Damao was unreliable?

Did she not know that the elders at Lantern Xuan Workshop had limited abilities and would remain at their current level?

What else could she do if she didn’t promote these people?!

One was the only son capable of taking over the family business!

One is her beloved nephew from her maternal family!

And there’s also the old retainer who has been with the Chen family for over twenty years!

If these were to change, the Chen family would no longer be the Chen family!

Madam Qu sighed deeply to the heavens, as if speaking to herself, "Now, to break this deadlock, we can only rely on Erlang."

Aunt Qu Erlang nodded in agreement, "Yes, yes! Once Erlang achieves success in the imperial examinations, even if the Chen family gives up this business, you will still be the esteemed matriarch with five pillars at your gate!"

Five pillars at the gate signify that the family has produced a high-ranking official, bringing great honor to the household.

As Aunt Qu Erlang comforted her, her gaze was drawn to the azure oiled paper umbrella suspended in the hallway beyond the gate, its handle adorned with a carving of a stately and sprawling Clivia.

Aunt Qu Erlang scratched the back of her head, thinking seriously, feeling as if her brain was about to grow out of her head.

How familiar this pattern is...