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墨書 Inktalez
After disappointment came anger. The thought that someone of her noble status, who was even more beautiful than this woman, could be overshadowed by such an ugly person was infuriating.
This humiliation felt like a double blow.
"Are you Ye Xiaohan?" Liu Susu stood at the door, completely indifferent to any politeness towards Ye Xiaohan. She had no interest in this shabby courtyard and wouldn’t stay a moment longer than necessary, fearing it would dirty her shoes.
If it weren't for wanting to teach this woman a lesson, she wouldn't have approached at all.
Seeing Liu Susu's disdainful expression, Ye Xiaohan didn’t press the issue. She wasn't particularly interested in Liu Susu either; she just wanted to know her purpose: "Yes, I am Ye Xiaohan," she replied. "May I ask how you are addressed and what brings you here?"
"What am I here for?" Liu Susu shot her a sideways glance. "You really don’t know? Ye Xiaohan, don’t play innocent. Do you think you can get away with this? Let me tell you, that’s impossible!"
Ye Xiaohan didn’t understand Liu Susu’s meaning but wasn’t foolish enough to ask directly. Instead, she tried to draw out more information from Liu Susu: "Oh? And why do you think it’s impossible?"
Liu Susu sneered, "The Gu Family has been prominent officials in the court for generations. Although Gu Bei is currently in disgrace, once his name is cleared, he will still be a highly respected general!"
She looked at Ye Xiaohan with contempt. "And you? Just a peasant girl dreaming of becoming a general's wife—what a joke!"
So it was about Gu Bei's past romantic entanglements. Ye Xiaohan rolled her eyes internally, deciding to pin this debt on Gu Bei and gradually seek repayment later.
However, knowing that Liu Susu had no ulterior motives put Ye Xiaohan at ease. What she feared most was dealing with powerful figures who harbored ill intentions.
With Gu Bei's sensitive identity, even she couldn’t easily offend those in power. Otherwise, conducting business would become difficult; the incident with Liu Yuan was a prime example.
Moreover, Liu Yuan was only from a small town; now that they were in the capital, one wrong move could attract the attention of nobility or their relatives.
It was essential to be cautious; one misstep could lead to trouble.
As for this woman before her, since it was Gu Bei who had caused the issue, let him deal with it himself. She wasn’t Gu Bei’s caretaker and certainly didn’t intend to sort out his romantic mess!
"My lady, I believe you are mistaken. I have only met the Flying Dragon General by chance; there is no other relationship between us. I never intended to become any general's wife."
Ye Xiaohan found it strange; she had deliberately moved here to avoid any connection with the general's household. Why would anyone still link her to Gu Bei?
"I’m not sure where you heard such rumors," she continued, "but they are not true. If you don’t believe me, please tell me who spread these lies so I can confront them directly."
If only she could extract useful information from this noblewoman’s mouth.
Liu Susu sneered, "Don't pretend. If it were false, could it spread like wildfire in the city? I've heard it; everyone in the capital knows about your sordid affairs!"
Ye Xiaohan didn't want to stir up trouble, but that didn't mean she was afraid. Being slapped in the face in front of others was not something she would tolerate easily.
"This lady, your words are quite incorrect," Ye Xiaohan replied. "I assure you that there is nothing untoward between Gu Bei and me. Even if there were, we are both unmarried; what business is it of yours?"
She showed a hint of sarcasm and continued, "As for you, I wonder what position you hold to advise me? From your attire, it seems you are already married. Instead of tending to your own husband, you come here to meddle in another man's affairs. I wonder which rule permits that?"
"You!" Liu Susu was used to being pampered and rarely faced anyone standing up to her. She was accustomed to reprimanding others. Hearing Ye Xiaohan's barrage of questions left her both furious and flustered, unable to find a retort.
Ye Xiaohan didn't care how ugly Liu Susu's expression became; if she truly angered her, it wouldn't matter who she was!
"This lady, normally your family matters shouldn't concern an outsider like me. However, since you've gone out of your way to offer me advice, I shall reciprocate with a piece of advice."
Ye Xiaohan said, "I don't know how differently you ladies live, but the principles remain the same. Since you've married, you shouldn't be thinking about other men. Didn't your mother teach you to uphold the virtues of a wife when you got married?"
Someone had come looking for a fight; it would be unkind not to meet this unique request.
Liu Susu found herself at a loss for words against Ye Xiaohan's sharp tongue, pointing at her with a flushed face.
Ye Xiaohan pressed on, "Madam, you come from a prominent family and should understand etiquette better than someone like me. I wonder if your education includes a lesson on remembering the dignity of an Official Lady?"
"What nonsense are you spouting!" Liu Susu finally regained her composure and screamed at Ye Xiaohan while pointing at her. "You lowly woman dare to lecture me? Do you even know who I am?"
Ye Xiaohan coldly replied, "I don't know who you are and have no desire to find out. I only hope you can be mindful of your status and not ruin it over imaginary jealousy!"
She placed her hand on the door and added, "I have many matters to attend to at home and cannot chat idly with you any longer. If that's all the baseless accusations you have, please return early; your husband is likely waiting for you at home!"
With that, Ye Xiaohan leaned against the door, watching Liu Susu with a half-smile.
Liu Susu clutched her chest as if about to faint from anger, still unwilling to stop her tirade: "You have some nerve! Just wait; you'll regret this!"
"Sure," Ye Xiaohan said. "I sincerely look forward to it; you're welcome to visit again."
Liu Susu snapped back angrily, "Who do you think you are? I don't want to see you again!" She shouted at her attendants, "Are all of you blind? Prepare the carriage; we're going back!"
With that, Liu Susu angrily shoved away her maid and climbed into the carriage, leading her entourage away in a grand display.
Ye Xiaohan snorted, closed the door, and turned back.
The pampered young lady still wanted to argue with her; it was simply self-humiliation.
She needed to ask Gu Bei what his relationship with that woman was. His taste was terrible to be involved with someone so ill-tempered.
Thinking of Liu Susu's expression as if she were the rightful wife interrogating a third party, Ye Xiaohan felt a surge of anger directed at Gu Bei.
Innocent Gu Bei had unknowingly accumulated a romantic debt, waiting for someone to seek justice from him.
That said, Gu Bei wasn't someone she could just meet whenever she wanted. With progress on the shop's matters, Ye Xiaohan became busy and set this issue aside for the time being.
Ye Xiaohan called over Liu Yang and handed him some miscellaneous tasks. "I have a preliminary plan for the future of the shop. After observing things, I believe that location would definitely thrive as a dining establishment."
Those days of wandering around weren't in vain. Through observation and calculation, she concluded that a restaurant was the most suitable option. That area was in the bustling city center with heavy foot traffic, part of a commercial pedestrian street.
However, from her observations, there were plenty of other shops in that area, but few provided dining options for people to rest and eat. This meant significantly less competition.
Shops in busy areas were highly sought after and rarely changed owners. Therefore, her competitors would mainly be the existing food establishments, and there wouldn't be too many new ones added later.
"Having fewer competitors is great," Liu Yang pointed out the biggest issue here. "But sister-in-law, what about the Dye House behind that shop? The previous shop struggled because of that Dye House. As long as that Dye House doesn't move away, even if we don't sell food and do something else, business will still be poor."
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