"Who are you fooling? Our boss only has sons, no daughters," the waiter sneered.
"This is the Bai family's property, do you think it belongs to the Zheng family?" Wu Caiwei didn't want to bother, but found this person too annoying.
The waiter, not unaware of the ins and outs of the Zheng and Bai families, guessed that this woman should be the Bai family's young lady who was residing with the Zheng family.
"So it's the young miss. I misspoke. Please overlook my rudeness, young miss, and don't hold it against a lowly person like me," the waiter immediately changed his tune and said obsequiously.
"So you know who I am. Call your uncle, the shopkeeper, and leave this establishment. You are no longer needed here," Wu Caiwei said casually, flicking the deed in her hand.
The shopkeeper had actually been paying attention to the situation. Because he was related to the Zheng family, he received a considerable amount of money each month regardless of the business's performance. He wasn't very involved in the business matters and only appeared if there were major issues.
He had seen the whole sequence of events today. In private, they all thought the young master and miss of the Bai family were fools, having their fortune swindled away without any reaction. When he heard she was that young lady of the Bai family, he thought she would be easy to fool and planned to have his employee send her away. He hadn't expected her to be so formidable.
"Please calm down, miss. My employee misspoke. We have managed this shop for so long; we may not have merit, but we have put in the effort. You can't just dismiss us like this," the shopkeeper was unwilling to leave the shop. Where else could he find such an easy and well-paying job?
"This shop is originally my Bai family's property, let alone the fact that the deed is in my hands. Auntie also said I can manage it as I please. Stop wasting words and pack your belongings to leave, or I will find people to throw you out," Wu Caiwei appeared to be keeping everyone at a distance, instructing her servants to buy new locks, as she intended to secure the shop later.
Seeing there was no room for negotiation, the shopkeeper and the waiter sheepishly went to the back to pack their things.
The shopkeeper, unwilling to accept this, went to the Zheng family to find Bai Jinxiu.
After hearing the shopkeeper's complaint, Bai Jinxiu felt the situation was beyond her control and prepared to have a good talk with Wu Caiwei.
Wu Caiwei heard about her intention and sighed, saying, "I think it would be better if Auntie returned the Bai family's assets to me. Putting aside other matters, when I went to this shop today, they actually claimed their owner was the Zheng family. Anyone not in the know would think the Zheng family intended to usurp our Bai family's assets. Returning the assets to me would also help clear the Zheng family's name."
"Such a thing happened? We'll discuss the assets later. You are young and easily deceived. With me, an elder, watching over things, the Bai family's decades of foundation won't be destroyed," Bai Jinxiu felt a headache whenever the Bai family's assets were mentioned.
"Since you're letting me practice, Auntie should not interfere. Whether it's a profit or a loss in the future is my business," Wu Caiwei said with some anger. Her words sounded noble, but she still wanted to seize the assets.
Bai Jinxiu returned without success. Seeing a rift forming between her and her niece was not a good sign. She said some words about how everything she did was for Wu Caiwei's own good, but seeing her unappreciative, she felt like she was punching cotton, utterly powerless.
Wu Caiwei sold all the fabric in the shop at a low price and prepared to sell rouge. During this period, Bai Jinxiu still tried to interfere, but Wu Caiwei always silenced her with sharp retorts.
With the recipes and experience from her previous lives, the business, as expected, became exceptionally popular. The shopkeepers and employees she hired were all loyal to her.
Bai Jinxiu, who was constantly watching her, naturally knew she was making a fortune. She had been jealous, envious, and wanted a share, but all attempts failed. Instead, Wu Caiwei relentlessly demanded the family assets from her.
As the Chinese New Year approached, the academy went on holiday, and Zheng Yiming returned home. He frequently "coincidentally" met Wu Caiwei, giving her small trinkets bought from the streets. However, Wu Caiwei was not Bai Xue; not only was she not moved, but she found it all too childish.
Zheng Yiming clearly felt his cousin had changed. Previously, she would be delighted and shy every time she saw him, but now, she was stingy even with a glance.
"How is it? Did you get the recipe?" Bai Jinxiu anxiously asked her son.
Zheng Yiming was silent for a moment and then shook his head.
"You two were childhood sweethearts, and she listened to you the most. You should try to coax her," Bai Jinxiu said with frustration.
"I want to cultivate a good relationship with her, but she doesn't give me the opportunity. Every time we meet, she leaves after saying a few words," Zheng Yiming felt wronged. He liked his cousin, and he used to feel she liked him too, but now he felt they were drifting further apart.
"It seems there's only one option left. I originally wanted to find a wife with a higher status for you to help you ascend, but to overcome the crisis in our household, your marriage must be sacrificed," Bai Jinxiu looked at her son apologetically.
"Didn't Mother always tell me to marry my cousin? Was that all a lie?" Zheng Yiming was surprised by his mother's idea.
"What help can she, an orphan without parents, offer you? I said that before to make her devoted to you so I could get my hands on the money," Bai Jinxiu said helplessly, seeing his conflicted expression and knowing he had developed feelings. "Aren't we preparing to propose now?"
Zheng Yiming, who always obeyed his mother, no longer hesitated and left everything to her.
Wu Caiwei found the matchmaker's flattery of Zheng Yiming in front of her somewhat speechless. He was willing to marry her after she earned a mere two taels of silver; their affection was truly cheap.
"Miss Bai, you missed this village, but there won't be another shop like it. What do you think? Shall we finalize this matter?" the matchmaker asked with a smile, anticipating the matchmaking fee and feeling exceptionally pleased.
"Not really," Wu Caiwei said listlessly.
"Ah, did I hear correctly? You disagree? As far as I know, you and young master Zheng are childhood sweethearts, and your aunt will be your mother-in-law. It looks like a good marriage," the matchmaker was extremely surprised.
"I'm not marrying, so why so many questions?" Wu Caiwei was not polite to her at all. Just by the fact that the matchmaker had praised the Zheng family's many virtues but not mentioned their biggest hidden danger, she knew the matchmaker wasn't very competent.
The matchmaker was unwilling to give up and continued to persuade her. Finally, Wu Caiwei lost her patience and had someone chase her out.
It was the first time the matchmaker had been so humiliated. She said hatefully, "Someone like you, who doesn't know what's good for her, I wonder which family would dare to marry you."
"You don't need to worry about that. Our young lady has talent, beauty, and wealth. There are plenty of good men queuing up for her," Lishui was a stubborn character who wouldn't tolerate anyone speaking ill of her mistress.