She Holds the World After Being Reborn
Chapter 316 - 315: No Mercy for the Elderly, An Ugly Way to Eat

Chapter 316: Chapter 315: No Mercy for the Elderly, An Ugly Way to Eat

But Yan Wanqing didn’t say it, she felt that this matter was very strange.

And just at this critical juncture, the twin brother who had been missing for eighteen years appeared.

It all felt tinged with the scent of a conspiracy.

Watching Huai Yu’s joyous demeanor, Yan Wanqing ultimately swallowed all the suspicions she harbored, as she was in the Northern Border, and she would never let anyone harm Huai Yu.

She wanted to see just what vile and despicable tricks these evil spirits and demons would resort to.

"You’re not in a rush to go back today?" Yan Wanqing asked.

Huai Yu revealed a bitter smile, "I heard they came to see you, they’d probably prefer it if I didn’t go back."

"So true." Wu Zhen was a living embodiment of authenticity.

"You’ve been sitting in this teahouse all afternoon, don’t you plan to visit other places?"

Yan Wanqing shook her head and squinted at the tailor shop across the street, "Let’s wait a bit longer."

"Who are you waiting for?" Huai Yu was also sharp-witted.

"Do you remember that girl from my household named Shen Shuyun?" Yan Wanqing, propping up her cheek, said softly, "She can no longer hide her fox’s tail."

Huai Yu arched an eyebrow and moved closer to the window, following Yan Wanqing’s gaze towards the tailor shop, where she could vaguely see a woman inside, donned in a goose-yellow dress, whose dress and adornment seemed to match that of noble ladies.

She curled her lips, "Are all the jewels on her from you?"

"Not all of them, but you should recognize a few pieces, that pearl hairpin was a gift from your mother." Yan Wanqing huffed, a hint of coldness flashing in her eyes, "I had her organize them, but I didn’t expect she’d end up wearing them herself."

But she only dared to wear these jewels when she went out, as soon as she returned to the Marquis Residence, she’d take them off completely.

Shen Shuyun was holding a piece of clothing, discussing with the tailor how to alter it, and as they talked, they walked towards the back room. Before leaving, Shen Shuyun glanced towards the door twice.

The two moved so quickly that they even forgot to take the piece of clothing they were supposed to alter, leaving it on the table.

"Such a poorly executed smokescreen." Huai Yu clicked her tongue, "Let’s go down."

"No need." It was drizzling outside, the roads muddy, and Yan Wanqing did not want to wet her shoes in the slightest.

"Aren’t you curious to see who she’s actually meeting?" Huai Yu froze, "My dear Commandery Princess, with you just across the street, just a street’s width away, you don’t want to go over?!"

Yan Wanqing shook her head earnestly.

"Anyway, Hong Wu and Piji will find out the truth, why should I go and see for myself?" She had to give her subordinates something to do; otherwise, Hong Wu and the others would always complain that she did everything and left them with nothing to do.

Yan Wanqing had been reflecting calmly on herself lately.

How to be a boss that satisfies her subordinates.

Huai Yu was profoundly shocked by her words, unreasonably yet reasonably so.

The two of them looked at each other, large eyes meeting small eyes, wordless. Just then, a sedan chair stopped at the door of the tailor shop, and Yan Wanqing leaned forward, "Someone’s coming."

Huai Yu followed her gaze and when she saw the woman alighting from the sedan chair, disdain filled her eyes, "Indeed, it’s an old acquaintance."

"Who?" Seeing her expression, Yan Wanqing became interested.

Huai Yu saw the face and felt a strong dislike and aversion.

"Huai Xin’s sister, Huai Xinmei."

"Judging by your expression, you don’t like her very much." Yan Wanqing watched as Huai Xinmei entered the tailor shop with the help of her maid, dressed in white, making her palm-sized face seem even more pure and innocent, "She’s a lot better looking than her pig of a brother."

"Don’t let her appearance deceive you; she has a dirty heart." Huai Yu pointed to the area over her chest, "She’ll stop at nothing to achieve her goals."

"I thought her trip to the mountains to pray would keep her quiet for a while. I didn’t expect her to come back so soon, truly bad luck." Huai Yu obviously detested Huai Xinmei to the core, finding her presence nauseating.

Yan Wanqing grew increasingly curious about what exactly Huai Xinmei had done.

In front of the tailor shop, the mistress and servant stood for a while.

Huai Xinmei stood inside the shop for a moment before her maid started calling out at the door.

"Is anyone there? It’s broad daylight—where are the people? Shopkeeper, have you stopped doing business or what?" The maid was petite, with fine features that were somewhat aged, creating a jarring contrast.

Huai Xinmei sighed, "Xiaomian, perhaps the shopkeeper is busy with something."

The shopkeeper parted the curtains from the inner door and hurried forward, nodding and bowing, as soon as she saw the young lady from the Marquis Residence.

The maid called Xiaomian stepped right in front of her, her tone harsh: "Do you no longer wish to run your store? The garment we picked up before heading to the mountain—what did you fix on it? There’s still a huge hole!"

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper replied, "That can’t be! This old servant truly mended the garment sincerely—it took me three full days."

She had labored over the repairs by lamp light purely because she recognized that Huai Xinmei’s status was not to be trifled with.

Otherwise, who would take her business?

The pay was meager, and the demands were many.

Once Xiaomian heard the shopkeeper’s evasion, she drew out the garment and slammed it onto the shopkeeper’s face: "Take a look for yourself!"

The shopkeeper turned the garment over and inspected the repaired spot only to find a tear next to it: "This... this is a new rip; the one I mended is beside it."

Her skills were excellent—she made repairs virtually undetectable. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to run her shop for so many years. Many people loved to bring their clothing for her to mend, even noble ladies and madams willing to entrust her with their expensive garments. Over the years, she had never made a mistake.

"Look at that, you’re an old woman spouting nonsense. Clearly, you took the silver coins without mending anything and now you’re trying to push the blame onto us," Xiaomian berated fiercely. "Do you know who our young miss is? Believe it or not, I can have your shop smashed to pieces!"

As soon as the shopkeeper heard this, she panicked and turned to the silent Huai Xinmei: "Please have mercy, young miss. This old servant runs a small business, and this hole honestly is a new one. Didn’t you say last time that the old servant did a good job when you came to pick up the garment?"

Huai Xinmei glanced at the shopkeeper.

Then she sighed and tugged at Xiaomian, "Xiaomian, we mustn’t be so rude to our elders."

Xiaomian snorted coldly, "The servant knows the young miss is kind-hearted, but right and wrong must be made clear. If it isn’t mended, it isn’t mended. This garment was brought specially from the Capital City for the young miss by the young master, and it’s the only one in the Northern Border. With the Summer Sacrifice approaching, the young miss needs to wear it!"

The more Xiaomian spoke, the more frantic she became, her face turning red: "What is the young miss going to wear then! The eldest young master of the City Lord Residence will also be attending—if he sees the young miss, who knows what he will think of her."

As she spoke more and more outrageously, the elderly shopkeeper, a genuine and simple woman, was baffled.

This maid was causing an unreasonable fuss, and the old woman, advanced in years, now doubted whether she had mended it at all or if she was just becoming senile.

"Perhaps... it’s just that I, the young miss, am not fortunate enough; let’s leave it," Huai Xinmei sighed, her expression sorrowful.

But Xiaomian glared viciously at the shopkeeper: "You say what should be done! If our young miss’s marriage prospects with the City Lord Residence’s eldest young master are delayed because of this, what punishment befits you!"

"What if this old servant mends it again? Just give me a little time; I promise it will be done before the Summer Sacrifice, and the hole will not be visible!" the shopkeeper assured.

Xiaomian, however, snatched the garment from her hands: "You think you’re up to the task? After mending it like this, you still want to fix it? I’m telling you, it’s not possible—just give us a refund! For wasting our young miss’s time, tenfold compensation is not too much to ask! Hurry up and pay up; we’ll find someone else to mend it!"

"Tenfold compensation?" the shopkeeper staggered backward: "How much is that..."

"You took ten silver coins from us for the mending. Tenfold, that makes a hundred silver coins," Xiaomian said, eyeing the shop with greed in her eyes.

Huai Xinmei stood to the side feigning sadness, remaining silent.

One hundred silver coins was a sky-high price for a tailor shop.

The shopkeeper felt a wave of dizziness and was about to faint when a hand reached out and supported her.

Then a voice was heard.

"Mad with greed, aren’t you? Not even sparing an old woman past her fifties, your greed is truly ugly to witness!" Shen Shuyun emerged from the inner door, scolding as she spoke.