The scenery of Meilin was extremely beautiful. Firstly, Mrs. Zhou was well - liked, and secondly, she had the intention to show off, so she sent out a large number of invitations. As a result, almost all the ladies and young mistresses in Lingle County came.
While Qi Jiao and Fang Yunxin were chatting, they had already spotted seven or eight familiar female guests.
What surprised Qi Jiao most was that Miss Guo had also come!
Guo Lingyi and Song Xiaoxiao walked side by side, surrounded by countless maids and servants.
After briefly explaining to Fang Yunxin, Qi Jiao stood up and stepped forward to greet them.
The two ladies entered the warm room. Servants on both sides helped them take off their cloaks, and the maids of the Zhou Mansion quickly served them hot hand - warmers and tea.
Guo Lingyi and Song Xiaoxiao first went to pay their respects to Fang Yunxin. Among them, Fang Yunxin had the highest status.
Fang Yunxin nodded with a smile and exchanged a few polite words with them.
"Mrs. Guo, you look so elegant. This is the first time I've seen you."
"Mrs. Song, thank you for the full - moon gift you sent to my daughter last time. It was very generous."
"I'm lazy and don't like to move around. You two may do as you please."
Guo and Song naturally understood what the county magistrate's wife meant. They bowed again and stepped aside.
Guo Lingyi soon spotted Qi Jiao. Her eyes lit up. "Jiaoniang!"
Qi Jiao showed a bright smile and curtsied to her. "When did you come back, Miss? How have you been?"
Guo Lingyi was very happy. She took Qi Jiao's hand and sat down. "I've been fine. I came back in the first ten days of this month, but I'm afraid of the cold and have been staying at home. I just came out for a stroll today."
Qi Jiao clapped her hands and laughed. "I was going to send you some New - Year goods. Now I don't have to go to the prefectural city. You must come to my shop when you have time."
Ziyun behind Guo Lingyi joked, "You little girl are always so smart. Miss is going to stay for a long time this time and won't leave until after the New Year. Look how eager you are!"
Qi Jiao gave Ziyun an affectionate look. "Good sister, don't forget to come to my shop."
"Even if I forget others, I won't forget you. Who doesn't know that our Jiaoniang is the female business genius in Lingle County!" Ziyun said with a smiling face, praising Qi Jiao again and again.
After chatting for a while, Guo Lingyi introduced Song Xiaoxiao to Qi Jiao. "This is my sister - in - law, the wife of my third brother. You haven't met her before, have you?"
Guo Lingyi knew the stupid things her younger brother Guo Sanlang had done. Fortunately, her sister - in - law was smart and capable enough to control Sanlang.
She introduced Jiaoniang to Song Xiaoxiao in the hope that Jiaoniang could let go of her grudge.
Little did she know that Qi Jiao and Song Xiaoxiao had already known each other, although they were just in a simple customer - merchant relationship.
Qi Jiao and Song Xiaoxiao looked at each other and smiled before saying a word.
Qi Jiao noticed that Song Xiaoxiao's waist had become a bit wider and she moved very carefully. There were even more people taking care of her than those taking care of Miss Guo.
She quickly guessed that Song Xiaoxiao should be pregnant. Presumably, the pregnancy was still in the early stage, so it hadn't been announced yet.
Seeing that Song Xiaoxiao didn't look as energetic as before, Qi Jiao felt really sorry for her. It was such a pity...
Guo Sanlang didn't deserve her.
Qi Jiao didn't know what to say. She just told Song Xiaoxiao to take good care of herself in the cold winter. "If there's anything you want to eat, I can go to your mansion to cook for you."
Song Xiaoxiao naturally welcomed it. She knew that Jiaoniang was now one of the most successful female merchants in Lingle County, making a fortune every day.
Jiaoniang's willingness to cook for her must be because of Sister Lingyi's face.
She had no relatives to rely on, not to mention that Guo San was in love with someone else.
The ones who had given her warmth were always the women around her. Now, there was an additional Jiaoniang.
Song Xiaoxiao lifted the corners of her lips slightly and thanked Qi Jiao. "As long as you have time, you can come to me anytime."
...
Just as the atmosphere was pleasant here, a affected female voice rang out. "Ladies, I've heard that there's a cook who doesn't focus on cooking but likes to sneak into the inner courtyard. Who knows if she has the intention to climb up the social ladder? One by one, you've all been bewitched by her! Just wait until she climbs into a man's bed. That'll be a sight to behold..."
Qi Jiao was just talking to Guo Lingyi and only heard the latter part. She didn't know that this malicious rumor was aimed at her.
But soon, everyone's eyes were on her.
Qi Jiao also saw the person who slandered her - Mrs. Zhu, the second wife of the Shu family.
So it was her. It was no wonder.
At the birthday banquet of the old lady Shu, Mrs. Zhu had had a feud with her.
Later, when Pei Jin was betrothed to Fu Chengyi, Mrs. Zhu, coveting the wealth of the Fu family, went to the courtyard of the eldest wife, Mrs. Fu, and wanted to introduce her niece as Fu Chengyi's wife. She also said a lot of things to belittle A Jin.
How could Mrs. Fu agree?
Mrs. Zhu then lowered her stance and said that her niece was willing to be a concubine. She asked Mrs. Fu, for the sake of their sister - in - law relationship, to let Fu Chengyi take her niece as a concubine.
Mrs. Fu was so angry that she laughed. She retorted Mrs. Zhu with just a few words.
Mrs. Zhu's beautiful dream was shattered. Being in a bad mood, she tried to make trouble for Qi Jiao.
She thought that the root cause of all this was Qi Jiao.
If there hadn't been Qi Jiao, how could a fisherman's daughter marry into the Fu family? It was a joke!
Her niece was at least a gentlewoman from an official family with a noble status. Her niece was even willing to be a concubine for the Fu family... Since they didn't appreciate her kindness, don't blame her for being rude.
So she instigated Mrs. Pan to damage the business of Zhuoxiangguan. It was so annoying that Mrs. Pan was so stupid that she didn't even affect Qi Jiao's business in the slightest.
She tried to steal a chicken but lost the rice instead. The chess piece of Mrs. Pan was useless.
Unexpectedly, County Lieutenant Zhou had promoted Qi Jiao's husband, and Mrs. Zhou also thought highly of Qi Jiao. She even invited Qi Jiao to the plum - blossom banquet.
Seeing that Mrs. Fang, Mrs. Song, Miss Guo, and several young ladies from the eldest branch of the Shu family were all surrounding Qi Jiao, looking so prosperous,
The anger in Mrs. Zhu's chest flared up immediately.
After saying these sarcastic words, Mrs. Zhu felt very satisfied.
How could she allow others to sleep soundly beside her couch?
As long as there was suspicion in her mind, even if Qi Jiao had done nothing wrong, she would never get a good result.
She wanted to see if those ladies would still speak up for Qi Jiao!
Mrs. Zhu stood in the crowd, looking disdainful and mocking. She sized Qi Jiao up and down as if she was looking at a prostitute who had seduced her husband.
How could Qi Jiao not be angry after being insulted like this?
But before she could speak, Song Xiaoxiao was the first to speak up.
Song Xiaoxiao let out a sneer. "I wondered which old hag was talking nonsense. Oh, blame my poor eyesight. It turns out to be Mrs. Shu. What? It was me who asked Jiaoniang to come to my mansion to adjust my diet. Do you have any opinions on me?"
Being called an old hag by Song Xiaoxiao, Mrs. Zhu's face instantly turned as red as pig liver.
She pointed at Song Xiaoxiao but couldn't say a word. "You... You..."
Guo Lingyi was smiling, but the words she said were sharper than knives. "I introduced Jiaoniang to Xiaoxiao. Does Mrs. Zhu think that I'm trying to introduce someone to my own younger brother? You really can't tell right from wrong and just blurt out anything. Maybe you've gone crazy. Ziyun, go and call a doctor for Mrs. Zhu - "
Ziyun answered crisply and lifted her feet to walk out.
Mrs. Zhu was so angry that she almost fainted.
Fang Yunxin's face showed no emotion. She glanced at Mrs. Zhu indifferently.
She didn't say anything, but that glance made Mrs. Zhu, who was about to retort, feel as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.
Later, when Mrs. Fu, the eldest wife of the Shu family, heard what had happened, she was extremely disgusted with Mrs. Zhu.
But for the sake of the Shu family's reputation, she had to step forward to smooth things over.
Who asked Mrs. Zhu to be her sister - in - law?
She was really unlucky!
Mrs. Fu gritted her teeth in hatred, but on the surface, she forced a smile. "Sister - in - law, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't talk nonsense. The cook you mentioned must be someone else. Jiaoniang has such a noble character. You can't wrong her!"
Mrs. Fu stared at Mrs. Zhu with a solemn look in her eyes.
Even though Mrs. Zhu was stupid and bad, she finally realized at this moment that Jiaoniang was not someone she could easily frame.
Mrs. Zhu didn't have the face to stay any longer. She grabbed her handkerchief and scurried away.