Chapter 413: The terrible banquet

“Madam Wang must be joking!” Lian Fang Zhou blinked and smiled playfully. “Doesn’t Madam Wang know? Hua Jin Tao is from our Dafang village. You giving her to me as a slave, is this to make the Hua family hate me? Besides, how could a concubine with such thin and tender flesh be a slave? Our family can’t afford her!”

Madam Wang was shocked. She had blurted out those words in a hurry, she hadn’t thought of this.

Quickly, she laughed and said: “It’s me who made a mistake. I forgot about this, please don’t blame me, Miss Lian!”

“It’s nothing,” Lian Fang Zhou smiled. “So, Madam Wang didn’t mean it?”

“Naturally!” Madam Wang said, her smile strained.

Lian Fang Zhou lowered her head and casually fiddled with the handkerchief in her hands, smiling.

This Madam Wang was a gossip but since she didn’t want to speak, Lian Fang Zhou was happy to accompany her!

Anyways, she could afford it.

After that incident, Lian Fang Zhou had paid more attention to the Wang family’s Silk and Satin shop and, either intentionally or intentionally, had learned a lot about their family’s situation.

Neither of the Wang couple was any good. Madam Wang obeyed her husband but only her husband. Otherwise, she was greedy and small minded. Boss Wang was also a villain who used any method to increase his business.

With these kinds of temperaments, coupled with the resentment in her heart, it would be strange if Lian Fang Zhou could have a good face towards this Madam Wang.

Seeing that Lian Fang Zhou refused to play along, Madam Wang started to feel a headache.

As the saying goes, it was hard to hit a smiling face. As soon as she arrived, Madam Wang had offered her many good things and even people, but it was all done in vain. How could this not make her annoyed?

Seeing that there was nothing else she could offer, Madam Wang simply went straight to the point and smiled: “Miss Lian, it is the truth that I came to visit today to reconcile with Miss Lian. Miss Lian just said that last year’s matter is over and you don’t care anymore, so this is a reconciliation, right?”

“It was over when it was over. Now that it’s over, how can we talk about reconciliation or not? Madam Wang, you really think too much!”

Madam Wang only heard that Lian Fang Zhou agreed to reconcile. Clapping her hands, she said with smile: “Miss Lian is truly a magnanimous person, which is admirable! Tomorrow, our family will hold a special banquet for Miss Lian at the Li Hua Pavilion. I wonder if Miss Lian is willing to come?”

Lian Fang Zhou looked at Madam Wang strangely: “This is— I’m very surprised!”

“It’s no surprise!” Madam Wang said earnestly, “There is no other meaning. I just wish to make friends with Miss Lian. At noon tomorrow, I will ask Miss Lian to give me face!”

After thinking about it for a moment, Lian Fang Zhou nodded. “Alright, since this is the case, I will definitely go tomorrow.”

“Wonderful!” Madam Wang let out a secret sigh of relief. Finally! She had not come in vain!

Now that her goal was achieved, she didn’t want to stay any longer. Standing up, she smiled and said: “Since Miss Lian has agreed, I will see you tomorrow! Miss Lian must come, so I will leave first.”

“Madam Wang, walk slowly.” Lian Fang Zhou nodded, getting up as well.

She didn’t forget the gifts that Madam Wang brought. She swept her eyes over the boxes and smiled politely. “For these things, I must ask Madam Wang to have her servant girls come and get them.”

“Miss Lian is really…” Madam Wang smiled helplessly but in the end, she still called her servants in to take them away.

When Ah Jian came back that evening, Lian Fang Zhou told him everything.

Ah Jian was also very surprised. Raising his eyebrows, he said: “It’s been almost a year but they still have the face to come out and talk about it. If they say it’s just an apology, it’s too ridiculous!” After a while, he added: “Boss Wang owns a satin and silk shop… could this be about your cotton?”

“There is an 80% chance.” Lian Fang Zhou agreed. Other than this, she couldn’t think of another reason.

Frowning, Ah Jian glanced at her: “And you promised to go to the banquet tomorrow?” For such an occasion, it was difficult for him to stay by her side openly. He mulled over the issue and then smiled: “Then, tomorrow I will drive the cart for you.”

Lian Fang Zhou considered this and smiled: “In broad daylight, I’m not afraid they will try anything. They invited me to a banquet, will they dare to play? There can’t be such a stupid person, right?”

She wanted Ah Jian to stay and look after the cotton harvest.

“So you say,” Ah Jian said, his eyes deep as he looked at her, “but I don’t want to take risks. I don’t want to take even one ten thousandths of a risk. That Boss Wang, he is not a good person!”

Most importantly, he had a criminal record.

Lian Fang Zhou was surprised and couldn’t help but feel moved. She finally nodded and forced a smile: “Alright, then you will accompany me tomorrow.”

Only then did Ah Jian reveal a smile.

Two days later, Lian Fang Zhou arrived at the banquet as scheduled.

The donkey cart stopped at the door of the restaurant and Ah Jian whispered softly, “Don’t worry. I will be watching secretly. No matter what happens, don’t panic.”

“With you here, I won’t worry!” Lian Fang Zhou assured him and went in.

Ah Jian watched her go inside and up the stairs. Smiling, he went to find a place to park the donkey cart.

The restaurant clerk led Lian Fang Zhou to a private room reserved by Boss Wang and his wife, who were already waiting inside.

Seeing Lian Fang Zhou arrive as promised, the couple let out a sigh of relief.

Boss Wang glanced at his wife.

Standing quickly, Madam Wang got up and walked to Lian Fang Zhou, taking her by the hand and leading her to her seat. With a warm smile, she said: “Miss Lian is here! We were still guessing about when Miss Lian would arrive, where have you been?”

Lian Fang Zhou was really not used to Madam Wang’s intimacy and felt very awkward. It was easy to see that Madam Wang also felt uncomfortable.

Using the excuse of fixing her hair, she pulled her hand out of Madam Wang’s grasp and smiled: “Boss Wang and Madam Wang are in the same mood, how could I be late?”

“Hehe, as you said, as you said!” Boss Wang laughed, “My friend! Miss Lian, please take a seat!” Although he did not reach out to pull her like Madam Wang, his tone was even more familiar than his wife’s.

Lian Fang Zhou’s brows were slightly furrowed as she frowned. Laughing, she said: “Boss Wang must be joking, how dare a little girl call the two of your ‘friends’?”

There was a burst of hearty laughter and a meaningful smile. “Miss Lian is really courageous and talented! So many people have planted cotton but only Miss Lian has produced such great results! Hehe, this cotton is really good stuff. Ah! I’m afraid I will have to ask Miss Lian to take care of the business in the future!”

Lian Fang Zhou smiled: “Boss Wang is joking again! I only know how to farm, what do I know of business? But since Boss Wang has said so, I will naturally go to Boss Wang to buy fabric in the future.”

Seeing that Lian Fang Zhou had deliberately misunderstood his words, Boss Wang recalled what his wife had said earlier and exchanged a glance with her.