Chapter 226: How to Strive (Make-Up Update)

Chapter 226: How to Strive (Make-Up Update)

"Pfft-pfft-pfft—pfft-pfft-pfft—pfft-pfft-pfft—"

Bai Dalang's words sounded like flatulence to Xianjin.

Xianjin wasn't particularly interested in engaging with him.

It wasn't that she was afraid of losing the argument; it's just that you don't bark back at a dog, do you?

Xianjin calmly sat down opposite Bai Dalang, meeting his gaze head-on. She waited for a long time but didn't see Heng Wuniang take her seat.

When Xianjin turned her head, she saw Heng Wuniang with a composed expression, her aura glowing, suddenly exuding a domineering presence.

Heng Wuniang was somewhat at a loss when facing bare-chested men and street thugs due to lack of experience in such confrontations.

But this kind of verbal sparring was right up Heng Wuniang's alley.

In the Heng family, where everyone fought tooth and nail, she had emerged as a seasoned warrior, even if she had come from the mire.

Heng Wuniang casually lifted her skirt, sat down gracefully, smoothed out the wrinkles on her clothes with her little finger, then slowly raised her eyes, smiling slightly. "Drowning in the pond? When did Bai Dalang gain the authority to make decisions for my Heng family? Instead of worrying about my upbringing, why not worry about whether your Bai family will still have daughters to send off once the new governor arrives?"

Heng Wuniang chuckled softly. "Your Bai family's silver is probably stained with the blood of Bai women, isn't it?"

This remark infuriated Bai Dalang.

What did she mean by that!

Was she implying that their Bai family's success was entirely due to women!?

Yes, he didn't deny that women played a significant role in the Bai family's rise. The original patriarch of the Bai family was a son-in-law who married into the family. After his wife died during childbirth and her parents passed away, he took the money back to his hometown, changed the children's surnames, and remarried a poor woman, having several more children. His wife essentially provided the Bai family with their initial capital.

The subsequent women were even more crucial.

Nothing was easier than using marriage alliances to build connections.

The Bai family moved from their hometown to Xuancheng and established themselves there by marrying off a concubine's daughter to the previous Magistrate of Xuancheng. The daughter was fourteen, while the magistrate was fifty-eight. He had lost three previous wives, and this concubine's daughter also died within a few years. The Bai family later discovered that the magistrate had peculiar tastes, often causing women's screams behind closed doors. They used this information to negotiate with the magistrate, eventually agreeing that he would help the Bai family find a shop and cover the rent in exchange for them not pursuing the cause of death. Thus, the Bai family finally settled in Xuancheng, at the cost of their daughter's life.

Bai Dalang stood up with a loud thud, cursing, "You filthy woman, we do business cleanly. Watch your mouth!"

Well, the highest-level business warfare often involves the most basic verbal abuse...

Xianjin caught a glimpse of a dark green figure flashing past the corridor.

She turned her head and gave Heng Wuniang a meaningful look.

Heng Wuniang quickly shifted her posture, shrugging her shoulders, covering her right face with her right hand, and leaning her left cheek against her left shoulder, appearing weak and frail like a delicate flower in a storm.

"...If you must speak, Bai Shao, there's no need to scare me with your gestures..." Heng Wuniang's voice was soft yet resilient. "Chen's and Heng Kee working together for mutual benefit should be a good thing, but in your mouth, it becomes an alliance of scoundrels..."

Heng Wuniang didn't cry; crying would mean defeat, proving that women are weak and incapable of handling important matters.

Her tone was firm, but her demeanor was gentle and reserved.

Xianjin nodded inwardly: only someone like Heng Wuniang, a seasoned local lady, could pull off this performance. She herself, being as straightforward as a coffin board, would never manage it.

Bai Dalang rushed forward, intending to strike.

"In my hall, show some respect."

A hoarse voice stopped Bai Dalang.

An old man with a goatee stepped out from behind a screen, his eyes scanning Bai Dalang. Dressed in a fourth-grade official's robe embroidered with clouds and geese, wearing a black hat and a round-collar robe, he entered the hall and sat down, looking first at Xianjin.

Two young ladies.

He immediately identified the famous Madam He.

Tall and slender, with fair skin and a high nose, her eyes were long and slightly tilted upward.

She reminded him of someone, but he couldn't quite place it.

Old Master Bai hurriedly pulled his eldest son back, bowing deeply with a flattering smile. "My son's behavior was inappropriate. Please forgive him, Sir Wang, please forgive him!"

Wang Xuezheng nodded perfunctorily, then turned to Xianjin, raising his chin slightly. "...Madam He of 'Floating White' and 'Xuantian'? I've visited your shops. 'Xuantian' is excellent, reasonably priced, and several students have praised it before me."

Xianjin bowed, speaking steadily and calmly. "We're honored by the praise. Paper is meant to be used. 'Floating White' may have raised the price of Xuan paper, so we opened another store to fulfill our true duty as paper merchants."

Duty means responsibility.

Wang Xuezheng smiled, turning to glance at Heng Wuniang beside Xianjin. "Your Chen's seems to be led by a group of ladies."

Xianjin smiled. "This is the eldest lady of Heng Kee, now managing its finances. Governor Xiong informed us that Chen's has been selected for the paper supply for the literary examinations. Good business should be shared. Nothing is more important than promoting Xuan paper—Chen's is not short-sighted or narrow-minded."

Old Master Bai twitched his lips, feeling that she was indirectly insulting him.

Wang Xuezheng nodded, smiling warmly.

She bowed gracefully, neither humble nor arrogant, unlike the usual subservient behavior of merchants before officials.

She referred to herself as a commoner, but there was no hint of self-deprecation.

It was even more fitting.

Wang Xuezheng narrowed his eyes, suppressing his doubts, and gestured for everyone to sit down. After they were seated and served tea, he spoke after a moment of contemplation. "...Today, as Madam He said, we are here to discuss the internal affairs of the autumn literary examinations. The court has ordered that the paper for the spring and autumn examinations in the two provinces and thirteen administrative regions be handled locally. This matter is neither big nor small. We are all prominent paper merchants in Xuancheng. Who will handle it and how? We need to decide today."

The father and son of the Bai family exchanged a glance.

Bai Dalang glared fiercely at Xianjin: This deal was supposed to be in their pocket! Zhao'er had already spoken to Assistant Prefect! With no Prefect in Yingtian Prefecture, they should have been following the Assistant Prefect's orders!

Now look at this!

A wild card appears out of nowhere!

What was supposed to be a mere formality, that old bear actually let He Xianjin, that bitch, take the stage!

Wait a moment.

Bai Dalang's gaze lingered on Xianjin's chest and slender waist.

Their own Zhao'er has been working hard on her backside every day on the bed for the Bai family to have this opportunity;

Why is Chen's here?

Could it be that this woman uses the same tactics as their Zhao'er?

That's why the old bear is so protective of her...