"I guess everyone misses the young lady, mistaking you for her. If our young lady were present, she'd probably be around your age," Ren Jiajia thought to herself, though only a moment passed before she quickly covered for her own family. Su Dan Novel Network.
Wu Caiwei had achieved her goal. Knowing the other woman was stubbornly defiant, her heart filled with a thousand thoughts but her mouth refusing to admit them, she saw no point in engaging further. After all, she had said what she wanted to say, and the other woman had understood.
Ren Jiajia, however, clearly didn't want to let the woman opposite her go. She had finally managed to get out, only to run into her again. By sheer coincidence, they were sitting here together. If she let her leave today, she didn't know when she'd have another chance to talk properly. She had heard that the other woman was a busy person, constantly expanding her shops.
After a moment's thought, she continued, "I heard Miss Li was born in a village in Lan Cheng. Why haven't your parents come with you?"
This question, more than anything, made Wu Caiwei's expression turn sad. She seemed troubled. "Every family has its own difficulties. Madam Liu, you wouldn't understand. I am the daughter of the main wife, and I don't get along with them."
Although the other woman didn't explicitly say it, Ren Jiajia immediately understood. The Liu family's situation was similar. If Li Shiyun were standing here, as the stepmother, she wouldn't show much care for this ungrateful stepdaughter. Realizing she had touched upon a sensitive topic, Ren Jiajia glanced at Wu Caiwei with a hint of guilt.
"It's fine. In my eyes, they are strangers anyway. Without them, I can live a better life. Now I have a house, shops, and the ability to earn money. If they knew, they would surely regret it." Wu Caiwei's words were a mixture of truth and falsehood. What she didn't mention was that, given what Liu Baishi had done to her, they wouldn't just regret it; they would be terrified.
But Ren Jiajia clearly didn't equate Wu Caiwei's experiences with her own. She had heard that apart from having a similar name to Li Shiyun, this woman was vastly different in personality and appearance. She simply felt that the woman before her had a certain fated connection with her family. Although she always smiled, spoke amiably, and possessed a refined demeanor and shrewdness, for some reason, Ren Jiajia felt uneasy, sensing that the woman before her was exceptionally dangerous.
Though she didn't know where this feeling came from, Ren Jiajia trusted her intuition. Throughout her life, her intuition had helped her avoid many disasters and led her to marry into the Liu family, bearing Liu Baishi a daughter. However, she could understand it now. Their families' businesses had become rivals; it was a life-or-death struggle. She used to want to see her, but now that she had, she felt it was nothing special. It seemed best to limit contact with her in the future.
With that, she proposed to leave. Although her desire to distance herself was well hidden, Wu Caiwei still sensed it. However, she had no intention of getting closer. With her own capabilities, frankly speaking, if she wanted revenge on the Liu family, they would have no choice but to endure it.
Back at the Liu residence, Ren Jiajia gulped down several cups of tea before she felt somewhat calm. As she was leaving, Li Siqin had glanced at her, making her heart pound with fear, and she felt uneasy even in the carriage. It wasn't until she returned home that she felt a little better. It seemed her past feelings were correct; that woman was like a venomous snake, not to be approached.
Hearing that a shop in the southern part of the city was for sale, and in a good location, Wu Caiwei took a shortcut to save time. As she walked down a dilapidated alley, she heard yelling.
The nearby residents were accustomed to such noises and didn't even bother to look. Wu Caiwei wasn't one to meddle in other people's affairs, but she hadn't found what she was looking for yet. Based on past experience, their encounters were always peculiar. So, she always went to see any commotion.
Although the houses here were low and dilapidated, even emitting an unpleasant odor, she shamelessly walked into a courtyard amidst the strange glances of the onlookers.
She saw a middle-aged woman with her hands on her hips, scolding a man: "Don't you think that just because your parents are dead, we, your elder brother and sister-in-law, will continue to support your studies? Look at you, acting as if you're some celestial scholar. For so many years, you've never helped with household chores. We work day and night, eating less than others, wearing ragged clothes, and even our children are thin and weak. All the money was used by your parents for your studies. Why? We are your elder brother and sister-in-law, not your parents. We have no obligation to support you forever..."
Before she could say more, a honest and upright man beside her quickly stepped forward, grabbed her hand, and chided, "Stop talking. Can't you see everyone is watching? Aren't you ashamed?"
"I'm ashamed? Zhang Dahe, have you no conscience? If it weren't for me, you wouldn't even have food to eat. And now you're protecting your brother. Fine, ask your brother to cook for you, ask your brother to help you raise your children. I'm done serving you!" With that, she turned to leave.
Zhang Dahe immediately grabbed her hand, glancing awkwardly at the onlookers. He whispered, "So many people are watching. Let's talk about this behind closed doors. I know I misspoke. You've had a difficult time all these years, you can do whatever you want. But arguing in front of so many people affects our family's reputation."
The middle-aged woman immediately burst into tears. Her face revealed helplessness. She glared indignantly at her younger brother, Zhang Changhe, standing not far away, and stamped her foot in anger. Then she walked forward, intending to close the door.
Wu Caiwei immediately stepped forward, pointed at Zhang Changhe, who was standing aside with his head down and an unusually calm expression, and smiled, "I'm looking for him."
The middle-aged woman looked at her younger brother with a strange gaze, then at Wu Caiwei. Although Wu Caiwei appeared older than her younger brother, it was easy to guess their relationship when a woman was looking for a man.
Other families would thoroughly vet such a woman and inquire about her background. But for their family, having a woman interested in him was good enough. They wished he would find someone and get married soon, then move out, no longer bothering them and disrupting their lives.
Zhang Changhe also heard the commotion. He looked up at Wu Caiwei standing not far away and immediately showed a look of surprise. This was the first time he had shown any emotional fluctuation since Wu Caiwei had been observing him.
"You're here." Listening to his tone, it was as if he were addressing a long-time friend. The middle-aged woman, certain they were old acquaintances, breathed a sigh of relief.
The onlookers at the entrance were full of curiosity. As far as they knew, Zhang Changhe was lazy and good-for-nothing. He merely muddled through his lessons at the academy and had been expelled by the tutor multiple times. If his parents hadn't protected him, he would have no chance to study.
Who in this alley would be like him? Thus, no one would marry their daughters to him, fearing they would suffer hardship with him. For years, he had been supported by his elder brother and sister-in-law. Unexpectedly, a strange woman appeared today, and judging by their demeanor, their relationship seemed quite close. How could they not be curious? They wondered which shortsighted woman had fallen for him.