To focus on her embroidery and keep the scent of cooking away from the screen, she had specifically hired an elderly woman for meals.
The current screen was a little larger, and even with a hurried effort, it was only half-finished in fifteen days. It would still take about ten more days to complete.
One day, after finishing her meal as usual, she burned incense and washed her hands, preparing to resume her embroidery. Just as she picked up her needle, she heard a commotion outside the door. After a moment of thought, she put her things away and went to the entrance. There, she saw a woman, arrogant and overbearing, holding a whip and looking disdainfully at the courtyard.
"Is this the place?" she asked the man beside her, scrutinizing the house.
The man quickly nodded obsequiously, "It should be this place."
"What do you mean 'should be'? You're getting worse at your job. If she can embroider double-sided embroidery, she wouldn't be short of money. How could she possibly stay in such a dilapidated place?" Sun Wenlin severely doubted the truth of his words. In her eyes, someone who could embroider double-sided embroidery should be old, an elderly woman who had spent a lifetime as a craftswoman, at least living in a spacious courtyard with maids and servants attending to her.
"Are you looking for me?" In the city, she was likely the only one who could do double-sided embroidery. Although she asked, Wu Caiwei was very sure.
"I ask you, can you embroider double-sided embroidery? Was that small screen from Ruyi Fang embroidered by you?" Sun Wenlin saw that although the woman's clothing was very simple, her aura was exceptionally strong, making people dare not underestimate her, so she asked directly.
"Yes, what business do you have?" She had a feeling the other party was not here with good intentions, but Wu Caiwei was not one to shy away from trouble.
"So we haven't come to the wrong place. I won't beat around the bush with you. Make your price." Sun Wenlin looked at her with arrogant eyes, as if bestowing a favor.
"Miss, is this your first time conducting business outside? I don't understand what you're saying." Wu Caiwei was somewhat speechless with this woman who had suddenly barged in, truly not understanding what she wanted.
"Our Sun family is the wealthiest in the county, so I, a mere young lady, don't need to personally negotiate business with people. The fact that you can see me is already an honor. Tell me, how much silver will you sell your screen to me for?" Sun Wenlin looked at her impatiently, finding it difficult to speak with someone for the first time.
It was then that Wu Caiwei understood her identity. This was probably Sun Wenlin, the eldest legitimate daughter of the Sun family. However, she was right about one thing: the Sun family was indeed the wealthiest in the city. Seeing her, Wu Caiwei felt as if she saw piles of silver. Despite the other party's unpleasant attitude, she would not refuse money.
"The screen I'm currently embroidering is larger than the previous one, so it's worth at least a thousand taels of silver." Since the other party had asked her to name her price, Wu Caiwei seriously considered it. The market price for this screen would be at least five hundred taels. Seeing that the other party seemed like a fool, she doubled the price.
"What did you say? A thousand taels? Are you robbing me?" Sun Wenlin exploded upon hearing this. She had heard from someone that there was a woman in the city who could do double-sided embroidery. Her previous embroidery had been bought by a close friend, and although that screen was small, it was unique. Everyone had admired it, and she too wanted to buy one. Even if she didn't use it to show off, she could give it to an elder. To her surprise, the woman asked for a thousand taels right off the bat. If she really bought the embroidery at this price, her personal savings would be emptied, which she was unwilling to do.
"Hmph, and you call yourself the eldest daughter of the wealthiest family. Ruyi Fang said they would buy whatever I embroidered, so I have no worries about selling it. If you think the item is too expensive, Miss, you don't have to buy it." Wu Caiwei looked her up and down disdainfully.
Her expression provoked Sun Wenlin. In her life, no one had ever looked at her that way. She was unhappy, and naturally, she didn't want others to have a good time.
"You're too naive. Ruyi Fang is merely the largest embroidery shop in the city, what's so great about them? To tell you the truth, their owner used to be my fiancé, and I dumped him. He still put up with it. They have to be nice to us Sun family members." As she said this, her eyes were fixed on Wu Caiwei, and she was somewhat disappointed not to see a flustered expression on the other's face.
With nowhere to vent her anger, she quickly swung the whip in her hand while no one was paying attention. The whip, as if it had eyes, flew towards Wu Caiwei's face.
As the whip was about to strike Wu Caiwei's face, Sun Wenlin's smile deepened. Her appearance was rather ordinary, and the young ladies she associated with and the illegitimate daughters in her mansion had mocked her behind her back countless times. Although she was furious, she was helpless, as her face was given by her parents. To her surprise, a peasant girl was even prettier than herself, which she could not tolerate.
She couldn't do anything to her friends, but couldn't she teach this peasant girl a lesson?
The next moment, her smile froze on her face. She saw the other party extend her hand and grab her whip. No matter how hard she pulled, she couldn't get it back. Seeing Wu Sheng staring dumbfoundedly beside her, she became even more angry.
"Are you dead? Hurry up and help!" Hearing the other party's angry voice, Wu Sheng snapped back to his senses and rushed forward in a panic.
However, even with all their strength, the other party stood there motionless. "Are you even trying?"
"Miss, I really can't pull her away." Sun Wenlin heard the other party speaking breathlessly. When she looked back, she saw his neck and face flushed red. Knowing she had kicked a steel plate today, she felt a sense of defeat.
"This young lady is magnanimous and will let you off the hook this time. You won't be so lucky next time." To regain her composure, she quickly let go of her hand. Wu Sheng, unprepared, lost his balance due to the lack of resistance and stumbled forward.
He winced in pain. Seeing that his young lady had already left the courtyard, he ignored the pain and quickly got up to follow. As he reached the doorway, he couldn't resist looking back and glaring fiercely at Wu Caiwei.
Wu Caiwei touched her nose, somewhat speechless. It was truly an undeserved disaster. Did he have to buy it just because he wanted to? However, she could tell today that this Miss Sun was domineering and unreasonable, and probably wouldn't give up easily. But in the future, she would deal with it as it came.
A while later, Wu Caiwei returned to her room to continue her embroidery, wanting to finish the screen quickly. Unexpectedly, right after lunch, a group of people stormed into the courtyard, led, as before, by Miss Sun.
They entered the narrow alley with imposing momentum, attracting the attention of the surrounding residents. The onlookers dared not approach, standing at a distance and observing the situation through the open door. They whispered among themselves, trying to understand the cause of the incident, but no one knew how this elusive woman had offended the eldest daughter of the Sun family.