Peach Blossoms

The woman fell to the ground, grimacing in pain, and sat on the ground in a state of embarrassment. Then she raised her head, tears welling up in her eyes as she spoke: "Young master, why didn't you save me? Yan'er's hurt so badly!"

Su Chenyu looked at her as if she were an idiot: "So what if you fell? What does that have to do with me? And trying to throw yourself at me? It's such an old trick. I've seen it all before. You'd better go back and come up with something new!"

The woman's expression turned awkward, but she persisted: "Young master, what are you talking about? Yan'er doesn't understand."

Su Chenyu didn't hold back his scorn: "Did you leave your brain back in the womb or what? I said you were just trying to seduce me, weren't you? And here you are, still pretending!"

Tears began to flow down the woman's face as she choked out: "Young master, why are you insulting Yan'er like this? I didn't do it on purpose. Even though you're as handsome as a jade tree in the wind, I never meant to seduce you."

By now, quite a few nearby tourists had noticed the scene and were gathering around. Su Chenyu couldn't take it anymore: "I'm not wasting any more breath on you. You're like a toad on someone's foot—useless for biting but still disgusting! Cousin, Qibao, let's go!"

Qibao found the scene somewhat amusing, not expecting to witness such a real-life drama. Why do handsome men always attract so much trouble? she thought.

The three of them continued towards the school, leaving the woman still sitting on the ground, seething with anger.

"Stupid girl, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and help me stand!"

"Oh, Miss, I'm sorry. I'll help you up right away." The maid rushed to her side.

"What are you all staring at? Get lost!" Once back on her feet, the woman saw people pointing at her and snapped angrily.

The crowd immediately grew upset at her outburst.

"Tsk tsk... I saw it all clearly. That shameless girl threw herself at the young master, but he clearly didn't want her. If I were her, I'd be too embarrassed to even show my face now. How dare she yell at everyone?" A 15 or 16 year old girl in a fine yellow dress said, clearly annoyed.

"What business is it of yours? This is between me and him." The woman replied, both embarrassed and angry.

"Why isn't it my business? You're so revolting, you've dirtied my eyes. If you want to seduce men, take them inside your room and do whatever you want. Just don't act so shamelessly in public. Look, there are even children watching!" The girl in yellow said, shrugging.

"That's right! My son is too young!" A woman said, pulling a bewildered little boy by the hand: "When he grows up, I can't have him marry a woman who throws herself at other men."

"Who are you calling out? Who are you calling shameless?" The woman's face turned ashen with anger. She tried to rush at the girl in yellow, ignoring everything else.

"Miss! Don't do it. Let's just go back and change our clothes!" The maid said, grabbing tightly onto the woman's arm.

The woman, seeing herself restrained by the maid, quickly turned around and raised her hand, landing a hard slap...

"Slap..."

The sharp sound of the slap echoed.

"What good are you to me? I've been humiliated like this, and not only did you not help me get revenge, you tried to stop me. When we get back, I'm going to make my mother sell you!" The woman snarled, her face twisted with anger.

The maid clutched her swollen, red cheek. Tears streamed down her face as she dropped to her knees with a thud: "Miss." She sobbed: "I didn't mean it! Your dress was torn, and I panicked. I grabbed you because I was worried. Please don't sell me!"

After pleading, she started banging her head on the ground.

The young woman quickly checked her clothes. She found a tear on the side of her waist, revealing glimpses of skin. She covered it with her hand and shouted: "Go back!" Then she ran away without looking back.

The maid hurried up, wiped away her tears, and chased after her.

"Serves her right!" The onlookers laughed and mocked the girl. After the show was over, they dispersed.

Qibao and her friends were unaware of what happened. They were at the embroidery shop, watching the village girls stitch.

"Qibao, this is the first design I want them to work on—the Eight Immortals celebration. I wonder if it will turn out as I imagined. But it should be fine, I've marked the color combinations, and the girls' skills are decent. I expect it will be satisfactory." Madam Qian said.

"Qibao, I'm sure we can stitch this picture." Xu Hua'er said with a smile: "The girls are all confident we can do it!"

The others nodded firmly, showing their determination.

Qibao added: "It's great that everyone is so confident. Once we finish the embroidery and sell it, we'll all make money—maybe even more than our parents do!"

The girls' faces lit up with happy smiles. Their parents had already told them to focus on their stitching. Now, they don't have to do any chores at home. All they needed to do was take care of their hands and eyes, and their lives would only get better.

Jing Chen spoke up first: "Qibao, if you finish this embroidery, could I buy it? How about ten thousand taels?"

Qibao smiled: "Did you all hear that? We've barely started, and someone's already interested in buying it! We need to stay focused. Women can earn just as much as men and support their families too!"

There were around twenty or thirty girls, all looking forward to this opportunity. It was like they were singing a song of hope after being freed from slavery. One by one, they lowered their heads and began to stitch carefully.

"Are you really willing to pay ten thousand taels for this embroidery?" Qibao asked.

Jing Chen smiled and nodded: "Yes, I want to give it to my grandmother for her birthday."

"Great." Qibao replied: "Even though we're friends, we still need to follow business rules. I'll have Aunt Ru write you a receipt later. Just bring it back when you're ready to pick up the embroidery."

Jing Chen chuckled softly: "Sounds good. I'll do as you say."

When Su Chenyu heard his cousin's gentle tone, he shivered. Is this still my cousin? he wondered. Why is he speaking so softly?

Qibao, however, didn't notice anything unusual. She nodded readily and said: "Alright, since you're my first customer and a good friend, I'll give you a discount. How about nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine taels? It's a number that symbolizes longevity."

Su Chenyu laughed out loud: "Qibao, what kind of discount is that? It's just one tael less! You're so stingy..."

"I'll take it! I'll give you the silver right now." Jing Chen said softly.

"Cousin... you..." Su Chenyu was speechless.

Qibao smiled: "Don't rush to pay now. You can wait until you see the finished product. To celebrate, I'll make some good food for you when we get back."

Jing Chen nodded in agreement.

Madam Qian looked on with some suspicion. Qibao probably hadn't noticed, but as someone who had been through this before, she felt that Master Jing's look at Qibao was a bit... well... odd.