Farm Tough Girl
Chapter 409 - 409 410 Who is Jealous_1

Chapter 409: Chapter 410 Who is Jealous_1 Chapter 409: Chapter 410 Who is Jealous_1 “Qiao Muniang, you’re talking nonsense!” Mrs. Ji roared, outraged that Qiao Muniang would so publicly disgrace their family’s reputation. She truly didn’t regard the Qiao family at all!

Muniang smiled, “Whether I’m lying or not, everyone can go and check for themselves. I’m not interested in saying more. In any case, the face of the Qiao family has nothing to do with me; I am just an outsider.”

She then commanded the servant, “This person is causing trouble on purpose, throw her out directly. From now on, she’s on the blacklist, never allowed in again!”

“Yes!”

Upon hearing this, Qiao Lianhua started hopping mad, “Qiao Muniang, are you doing this on purpose? You just don’t like me, you just don’t want me to live a good life, right? You meddled in my affairs with Mr. Wu before, and now, as soon as I try to become an actress, you drive me away. Do you really think you’re untouchable?! That you can trample me underfoot? Are you jealous of me? That’s why you cut off all my opportunities, never leaving me any room to retreat. You’re afraid that once I rise, I’ll step over your head, right? You just enjoy feeling superior now, don’t you?!”

At these words, Muniang couldn’t help but laugh. Where did Qiao Lianhua get such confidence? What about her was there to be jealous of?

Saying that she sabotaged Lianhua’s marriage with Wu Haoli, could it be that Wu Haoli’s decisive rejection of Qiao Lianhua was her doing? As for now, just the thought of associating Lianhua’s mean face with the words “Little Dragon Girl” made Muniang feel like those words were sullied.

Muniang glared at Qiao Lianhua, her voice cold, “Look at yourself now, like a shrew. Who would think that I need to be jealous of you?”

The crowd couldn’t help but nod in agreement, mainly because their impression of Qiao Lianhua and her mother was so poor. Who would listen to Qiao Lianhua’s nonsense now? After all, Qiao Muniang was earning so much from her own shop; she was the one who should be envied.

“Drag her out, don’t waste everyone’s time,” Zhong Yulang said directly. The servant, following the order, didn’t dawdle and immediately dragged the mother and daughter out.

Mrs. Ji and Qiao Lianhua, of course, cursed loudly, but it was Zhong Yulang who said, “If they keep cursing, just report them to the officials and let the government officers take them away. We don’t have to deal with them.”

The servant repeated these words verbatim, and the mother and daughter dared not speak again, leaving sheepishly. They knew of Qiao Muniang’s relationship with Lord Lu.

Eventually, Muniang picked a few girls she fancied and took them upstairs to see how well they acted.

Muniang gave them a small segment of script from the first act, asking them to act with Zhong Yulang. Initially, they were all quite shy. Not to mention these ancient maidens, even in modern times, could girls remain calm in front of their admired idol?

Muniang simply said, “Your performance today will decide my choice. I will pick one of you to be the leading lady in the next play. The glory that Guo Yuehua enjoys today, can be your future glory. So you’d better set aside all the nonsense in your hearts and perform well.”

These words indeed gave the girls a shot of courage. They were all there because their families were poor. Who didn’t want to live a better life? That Cinderella dream was so close to them, why not seize it? Only a fool would not!

Seeing that everyone’s spirits had improved, Muniang nodded to Zhong Yulang, signaling him to act with them personally.

After watching them one by one, Muniang eventually chose the one called Chen Yuhua. She might be someone who paid extra attention to first impressions. The moment she first saw her, she felt she was the most suitable for Little Dragon Girl. Now, after a little test, she was indeed not bad.

Although her acting was a bit stiff, the character of Little Dragon Girl was indeed a very naive one—innocent, clean, particularly those eyes were exceptionally clear, showing the beauty of being detached from the world wonderfully.

“Chen Yuhua stays,” Muniang finally spoke amidst the expectant gazes of the crowd, inevitably causing some disappointment. But there was nothing that could be done about that.

Muniang laughed and said, “You all must be tired today as well, Zhong Yulang, give each girl who performed one diao of silver. We can’t have them leaving empty-handed after all their hard work.”

Those who were not selected felt some relief in their hearts. After all, one diao of silver was quite a significant amount, and those who came to audition were from families with real financial difficulties. Getting this money was a win for them.

“Thank you, Lady!” The other girls gratefully thanked her before turning to leave.

At the moment, Chen Yuhua still hadn’t recovered from her shock, staring blankly with wide eyes. She simply couldn’t believe that she had actually been selected!

“What’s the matter? Overjoyed? But your skills are indeed still lacking,” Muniang said softly with a smile. “There’s still some time before the play starts. From now on, you’ll stay here to practice rigorously. If you mess up on stage, I won’t let you off lightly.”

Chen Yuhua excitedly replied, “Thank you, Lady! Thank you, Lady!”

“Enough, go call over your parents, I want to inform them too.”

“Yes!”

Chen Yuhua’s parents naturally showered Muniang with endless gratitude, tears rimming their eyes, “We truly didn’t want to send her, but her brother contracted a serious illness, and our savings were drained in an instant. Just a few days ago, she wanted to sell herself as a maid to pay for her brother’s treatment. I couldn’t bear it, and just as we saw the notice for recruiting actresses, we thought of giving it a try without much hope, but we never expected it to actually happen. It’s truly a blessing from the heavens!”

Chen Yuhua’s father also pleaded with Muniang, “Our Yuhua has always been sensible and rarely disobeys. Madam, if you must discipline her, please be gentle. She has a delicate constitution. We have never been harsh with her since she was a child…” His voice then choked with emotion.

Muniang reassured them, “You need not worry too much. We don’t sign Servant’s Certificates here, and I’m not a cruel person. As long as Yuhua cooperates well with the acting, everything else can be negotiated.”

In her heart, she felt a sudden surge of emotion. No wonder such a pure girl was raised— it all depended on the parents. If she were in Mrs. Ji’s family, could such a girl emerge?

Muniang motioned to a servant, who brought over a bag of silver. She handed it directly to Chen Yuhua’s parents, “This ten taels is your daughter’s pay for accepting the role. Since you need it urgently, I’ll give you one month’s salary in advance. Take it for your immediate needs.”

Chen Yuhua’s parents’ eyes widened in disbelief, “Ten, ten, ten taels? And this is only for one month’s salary?”

Isn’t that too much?

Muniang smiled, “She’s worth the price. If she performs well in this play, she’ll earn much more than this later on. The key is to work hard.”

These words were directed at Chen Yuhua, who nodded gratefully.

Outside the door, Guo Yuehua’s fingernails were digging into the flesh, trembling with resentment!