As the three maids talked, they burst into laughter again.
They were unaware of the ins and outs of this matter. Seeing their long - time foe finally "banished to the border", they felt genuinely relaxed and carefree, without a single ounce of guilt.
Among everyone in the Li family, they were the happiest at this moment.
Hearing their laughter outside the window, Li Wanming's mood became rather complicated.
On one hand, she thought that with the misfortune befalling the Sun family, it was inappropriate for them to be so merry. On the other hand, she also believed that since the He family and Sun Miaoqing had bullied them for years, it was already kind of Chuntao and the others to just laugh a bit without adding insult to injury when the Sun family was in trouble.
She couldn't possibly forbid Chuntao from laughing...
Not long after, Chuntao walked in. Seeing Li Wanming sitting by the window, she cheerfully asked, "Miss, are you awake? Do you want to take a stroll in the yard? The second miss is teaching everyone how to practice martial arts in the front yard. Do you want to go and watch?"
Li Wanming stared at her for a while and softly said, "Chuntao, Sun Miaoqing is dead. Are you sad?"
Chuntao rolled her eyes and thought for a moment. "Not really," she replied.
"She was a living being..." Li Wanming hesitated.
Chuntao looked at her curiously. "I know she was a living being, but what does it matter to me? Didn't she die of illness?"
Li Wanming was left speechless.
Indeed, what did this have to do with Chuntao?
The rainy night on Banshi Mountain, the power struggle at the Guo family, and the difficult situation at the Princess - Dowager's mansion... Chuntao knew nothing about these.
Li Wanming pondered for a moment and slowly said, "What if... she was killed?"
"Killed?"
Chuntao was greatly shocked and rushed over. "Did the Guo family find the murderer? Is the Sun family going to avenge her?"
Li Wanming stared blankly. "I... I was just speculating."
Chuntao patted her chest and let out a sigh of relief. "You scared me. I thought something terrible had happened in the inner courtyard of the Guo mansion."
She opened the wardrobe and the trunks in the room and began to tidy up Li Wanming's winter clothes.
"Even if she was killed, it should be the Sun family's business. Let the Sun family find someone to avenge her. She has her parents and husband. It's not our place to interfere."
After hearing this, Li Wanming lowered her head and fell into deep thought.
Chuntao was right.
She was actually not very familiar with Sun Miaoqing. Although they were relatives, they were not even within the five - generation kinship.
The Sun family didn't seem to care about Sun Miaoqing's death. Who was she to feel sad and nostalgic?
If she continued to be immersed in such emotions, it would only worry those around her.
She had to pull herself together.
——————————
For several days in a row, Chuntao stayed with Li Wanming in the academy and didn't go to the old liquor store.
When asked, she said that Miss Xiao Yingchu was taking care of the old store and there was nothing for her to worry about. It was useless for her to go back.
Li Wanming knew that she just hadn't seen her little companions Qiuying and Xiahe for a long time and wanted to spend more time with them chatting and playing, so she let it go.
Anyway, Xiao Yingchu was really reliable. Whether it was accounting, purchasing, management, or sales, she handled everything in an orderly manner, which made people feel extremely at ease.
Moreover, she knew her limits well. She would report to Li Wanming every five days, clearly explaining the store's expenditures, revenues, and business conditions.
Li Wanming felt that it was even more worry - free than when Chuntao was in the old store.
Xiao Yingchu came to the old Li family liquor store a few months ago.
At that time, in order to compete with the Imperial College, Li Wanming arranged many girls studying in the academy to work in different stores.
As a student in the academy, Xiao Yingchu naturally had to make such a choice.
However, she said that she didn't want to go to the inn, pawnshop, or paper - making shop. Instead, she wanted to go to the Li family liquor store.
Her reason was quite convincing: among all the courses in the academy, her favorite was brewing. Instead of learning in the academy, it would be better to learn in the old Li family liquor store.
Moreover, it was the place where Li Wanming started her business. She wanted to see how this remarkable woman in the capital city got her start.
After hearing this, Li Wanming waved her hand repeatedly. "No, I'm not a remarkable woman. I'm just a little woman trying to make some money. I have no objection to you going to the liquor store. But the liquor store is different from the academy. The work there is very hard. I don't know if you can handle it..."
Xiao Yingchu nodded. "Miss Chuntao and Miss Caiwei are both women. If they can do it, I can too."
"Compare yourself with them? They have received my special training and can work like half a man." Li Wanming said with a smile.
However, because of the incident with Fang Zhi back then, Li Wanming felt a bit guilty towards Xiao Yingchu. Seeing that she wanted to learn brewing, she thought for a while and then agreed.
"Alright. Working in the liquor store for a while will build up your strength. Since you want to go, then go."
Even if she was a princess of the royal mansion, now she was a student in Li Wanming's academy.
The academy was originally established to enable women to have the ability to make a living in the world. Now that a student had a clear idea of where to work, how could she, as a teacher, refuse?
Just like that, Xiao Yingchu went to the old store.
At first, Li Wanming didn't think much of it.
She thought that a delicate young lady like Xiao Yingchu would cry and run back within three days. Who would have thought that Xiao Yingchu would grit her teeth and persevere.
According to Chuntao, Xiao Yingchu learned things very quickly. She could remember everything after just one explanation.
Moreover, Xiao Yingchu was very hard - working and diligent, without any trace of the delicacy of a princess of the royal mansion.
"When the steamer just boiled, I didn't even dare to lift the lid, but she lifted it without hesitation. The rice inside was so hot, but she dared to scoop it up..." Chuntao said.
Brewing was a tough job.
Li Wanming also hired some male workers, but when making the yeast, someone had to stay by the boiler all the time. Inevitably, there were times when the owner or the shopkeeper had to step in.
"When making the yeast, it takes several days of boiling. Miss Xiao always let me go to sleep first and she would watch. Twice I slept soundly and Miss Xiao didn't wake me up. She just stayed by the stove all night..."
Chuntao was very satisfied with Xiao Yingchu and sang her praises.
"Goodness me! She's not like a young lady from a wealthy family at all. She's even more capable than Shopkeeper Qiu from Xinghualou in Fujian!"
Shopkeeper Qiu was the manager of the largest restaurant in Fujian. It was said that she started from a small tea shed and painstakingly managed the business to its current scale.
In Chuntao's mind, Shopkeeper Qiu was the most capable woman in the world.
"No! Miss Xiao is even more capable than Shopkeeper Qiu!"
Chuntao stared with wide eyes. "She can write, paint, compose poems, and play the piano... Miss, have you seen the wine labels I brought you? The orchid on it was painted by Miss Xiao!"
Chuntao admired Xiao Yingchu whole - heartedly.