Farm Tough Girl
Chapter 287 - 287 288 Where Did the Confidence Come From_1

Chapter 287: Chapter 288 Where Did the Confidence Come From_1 Chapter 287: Chapter 288 Where Did the Confidence Come From_1 Muniang was inwardly scornful, yet her expression remained controlled as she said, “Are you talking about Mr. Chen? His wealth is truly extraordinary. We only have business dealings with him. To put it nicely, we’re partners, but in fact, our Yuyang Embroidery House is under Mr. Chen’s care. Otherwise, how could our reputation be as good as it is today? If you ask me, your Qingmei being favored by Mr. Chen is really the fortune of several lifetimes. Not to mention Mr. Chen is not old, but what’s crucial is his enormous wealth. Tsk tsk, it’s really not something one can look down upon.”

While Muniang spoke, she surreptitiously gauged Mrs. Liang’s expression, and sure enough, Mrs. Liang’s eyes were gleaming brightly, “Really?”

Muniang curled her lip, “Why would I lie to you? If Mr. Chen hadn’t personally tasked me with this, why would I bother making the trip here?”

Mrs. Liang was elated. From the sounds of it, Mr. Chen’s family was several notches above the Qiao Muniang’s. That meant if Qingmei could marry into such a family, they would surpass the Qiao family. If Qingmei truly became Mr. Chen’s favorite, even Qiao Muniang would have to treat them with great respect to avoid offending Mr. Chen, wouldn’t she?

Mrs. Liang’s mental calculations were clicking rapidly, and her expression became increasingly radiant. The thought of her family possibly striking it rich, and the lofty Qiao Muniang having to flatter her, filled her with deep satisfaction.

Muniang could tell by her look that Mrs. Liang was already daydreaming, and she rolled her eyes in exasperation before saying, “Mr. Chen mentioned that Qingmei is still young, and taking her as a bride now could lead to gossip. It would be better to wait a couple of years until she is older. However, he also said that the child is too thin, that she looks malnourished, and is covered in injuries. As her mother, you should take better care of her. Otherwise, if Mr. Chen loses interest in the future, it might be over for you.”

How could Mrs. Liang disagree? Now that Qingmei was like a money tree, why would she think about mistreating her?

Mrs. Liang immediately put on a sycophantic smile, “Don’t worry, if Mr. Chen says Qingmei is too skinny, then I’ll spoil her with good food and drink every day, making sure to fatten her up. As for the injuries, they’ll heal over time and soon won’t be noticeable. Otherwise, I’ll personally take her to see a doctor to make sure she doesn’t develop any lasting problems. I absolutely need to assure Mr. Chen.”

Only then did Muniang smile, “Mrs. Wang, having such an understanding is the right attitude. Who would quarrel with money? Raise the child well, and once you send her to Mr. Chen and she becomes his new favorite, your Wang family will surely rise to the heavens.”

Mrs. Liang nodded repeatedly, “Exactly, exactly!” She laughed so wide her mouth could hardly close.

“Now that I’ve delivered the message, I won’t stay any longer,” Muniang said, preparing to rise.

Yet, Mrs. Liang suddenly asked, “Did Mr. Chen not mention giving some silver to nourish Qingmei’s health?” Although he gave a Jade Pendant, it served as a token of engagement and couldn’t be sold. Otherwise, how would they explain to Mr. Chen later?

Having a treasure in hand that you could only stare at was one thing; surely, it would be better to have some silver to live more lavishly.

Muniang sneered internally. Mrs. Liang really was insatiable. The marriage was set for two years later, and being given a keepsake was already a significant honor. Yet, she had the audacity to reach out for money, thinking she mattered so much!

Muniang’s face cooled, “I have not heard of any betrothal that includes childcare support. Are you not supposed to spend your own money to nourish your daughter?”

Mrs. Liang also felt a bit embarrassed and said with an awkward smile, “It just occurred to me that since Mr. Chen is so sympathetic towards Qingmei, he should have thought about giving some Silver Coin for Qingmei to get medical treatment and nourish her health, right?”

Muniang scoffed, “Others don’t have your shrewd mind, only thinking that when a daughter is ill, it’s the mother’s responsibility to take her to the doctor. Little did I know that a mother can neglect her duties and even has to ask others for money for medical expenses.”

The obvious sarcasm burned Mrs. Liang’s cheeks red.

“Our family is not in good condition; otherwise, we would have taken Qingmei to see the doctor long ago,” Mrs. Liang said stiffly.

Muniang snorted coldly. Their family was not in good condition? Hadn’t the Wang family, just a few days ago, when Wang Shitou was caught stealing someone else’s Jade Pendant, without hesitation sold off three acres of land to compensate? And now, they begrudge even less than thirty wen of Silver Coin for their own daughter’s treatment!

Testing the waters, Mrs. Liang suggested, “Muniang, how about you first put forward some Silver Coin to properly nourish Qingmei’s health? Once Qingmei catches Mr. Chen’s eye, you will surely benefit from it too. We are neighbours after all, familiar with each other. In the future, Qingmei will surely speak well of you in front of Mr. Chen.”

Ha! They hadn’t even managed to push out the daughter yet, and already they were assuming such a lofty attitude. Muniang clenched her teeth to suppress the urge to curse and spoke in a calm voice, “My business dealings with Mr. Chen don’t require anyone to speak on my behalf. As it stands, Mr. Chen favors your daughter, and it will be your family who benefits. I am merely a messenger. If you’re thinking about counting on me to foot the bill, forget it. If you’re too stingy to spare even this small amount of money, then leave Qingmei thin and sick. After all, whether or not Mr. Chen favors her has nothing to do with me.”

With that statement, Muniang made clear she was washing her hands of the matter. Mrs. Liang was so angered she felt her teeth itch. Qiao Muniang, with her sharp tongue, truly spared no one.

Muniang ignored Mrs. Liang’s grinding teeth, stood up, and said, “If there’s nothing else, then I’ll take my leave. As for whether you want to properly care for Qingmei’s health, that’s up to you.” With that, she turned and left.

Mrs. Liang stamped her foot in rage. Once Muniang had left, she cursed, “Shameless little wretch, just wait until our Qingmei enters the Chen Family’s door. We’ll see how arrogant you can be then. We’ll have Mr. Chen run your Embroidery House into the ground!”

Muniang and Qingya hadn’t gone far, just to a corner of the courtyard wall outside, and overheard every word of Mrs. Liang’s rant. They looked at each other and smiled, barely holding back their laughter, then quickly hurried away.

It was only after they had left the Wang family far behind that Qingya could no longer contain herself and burst into laughter, holding her stomach, “Lady, where does Mrs. Liang get her confidence? Always so wildly imaginative, even thinking about having Mr. Chen ruin our Embroidery House? If that were true, wouldn’t our master have Mr. Chen killed?”

Muniang scolded her with a glance, “Don’t blabber, be careful not to be overheard.”

Qingya immediately clamped her mouth shut, looked around cautiously to make sure no one was nearby, and finally relaxed.