Yingzi was scheming against Lian’s store, and as for the man she was threatening, Lian Manman furrowed her brows. Listening to that sowhat languid, drawn-out tone, it was none other than today’s groom, Wang Youhuai!
When did these two begin their secret dealings?
Even when Lian’s was still the longstanding shop, Lian Manman’s family had received word that soone in the village was plotting against their store, and Yingzi’s family was among them. However, their vigilant defense, coupled with the backing from Scholar Wang’s Family, Wu Family, and others in Jinyang Town and Thirty Mile Camp, as well as the newly established relations with the Shen Family, left the plotters with no opportunity to act.
Recently, there had been no such rumours, and Lian Manman thought those families had seen the error of their ways and abandoned such thoughts. She hadn’t expected Yingzi’s family to still harbor their intent, even resorting to blackmailing Wang Youhuai to achieve their ends.
From the aning behind Yingzi’s words, this request seed to be sothing she had made to Wang Youhuai long ago. Lian Manman carefully recollected, certain that neither Wang Youhuai himself, nor any steward, servant, or other mber of Wang Family, had ever hinted at or taken any action detrintal to Lian’s.
On the contrary, there was a burgeoning rapport between Scholar Wang’s Family and hers on equal footing.
It seed that Yingzi noticed Wang Youhuai had not taken care of the store matter on his wedding day, which made her anxious, so she approached Wang Youhuai with a threat.
Given that this concerned her own family’s store, Lian Manman couldn’t hesitate, attentively eavesdropping. She wanted to know whether Wang Youhuai would agree to Yingzi’s request, and if so, what ans he would employ.
"Didn’t I tell you, once I’m through with today, I’ll talk to Lian Laosi. When their old store’s lease is up, you can open your store there and you’ll be able to take at least half of Lian Laosi’s business. If his family earns fifty taels in a month, yours will earn twenty-five taels. My sweet, if you manage to outdo them, then the full fifty taels will be yours alone," Wang Youhuai’s voice droned lazily.
"To wait for their lease to end, wouldn’t that be until the end of the year? That’s months from now, my father’s eyes are already red with impatience... When you took her, what did you say to her? You promised to get the Lian Family to give up their shop to us... You kept saying to wait, and now that their new shop is built up, you said you’d give the old one... And now we have to wait again, wait for their lease to be up. Tell , you..." Yingzi whined impatiently, her tone filled with anxious reproach. "You said you weren’t afraid of Lian Laosi’s family, what’s so great about them, aren’t they just like our family. Just because that Huahua married into the Song Family, Shen Family pays attention to them, stopping by for a look at so countryside novelty, and you’re scared of a re farr, Eldest Young Master Huai, you’re spineless!"
"My sweet, don’t worry, I’ll talk to Lian Laosi right away, and get him to imdiately hand over the old store to you... As for whether I’m man enough, you know best, darling..."
The noises from the room that followed beca muffled and gradually took on a more indecent tone. Especially Yingzi, who stopped ntioning the store and only emitted sounds imrsed in desire.
Lian Manman couldn’t listen any longer and slipped away from the corner door, gently closing it behind her.
In Thirty Mile Camp, more than eighty percent of the population is surnad Wang, and Scholar Wang held a position of crucial importance locally and even in the wider county. Particularly in Thirty Mile Camp, for example, when the land near Scholar Wang’s family’s property was up for sale, as long as Scholar Wang’s Family didn’t refuse to buy, no other family dared to purchase that land.
If Scholar Wang’s Family intended to accomplish sothing in Thirty Mile Camp, then the matter could almost be guaranteed to succeed.
As the eldest son of Scholar Wang, if Wang Youhuai indeed made a proposal to Lian Shouxin, asking him to relinquish the old shop premises, and Lian Shouxin refused, it would be an insult to Young Master Wang’s face.
In Thirty Mile Camp, Lian Manman did not wish to cross Scholar Wang’s Family.
But if Lian Shouxin agreed to Wang Youhuai’s request and let Yingzi’s family open a breakfast shop in that old space, it would inevitably siphon off so of Lian’s custors. Should Yingzi’s family employ any foul thods, it could pose an even greater threat to Lian’s.
Lian Shouxin must not agree to Wang Youhuai’s proposal.
But what should she do? As Lian Manman walked back, she rapidly pondered over the situation. It seed she had to find Wang Youheng. The influence of a cousin surely outweighed soone like Yingzi... what exactly was Yingzi to Wang Youhuai?
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