Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 038

Chapter 38: Buy and Sell

On the tenth day of May, Zhang Lan came to the An’s residence in person and told An Zhi that she was willing to invest.

“Tailoring is a technical job, and I can’t do it alone.” Zhang Lan had been in the garment industry for over 20 years and knew the market inside and out. “No one in this business can get the hang of it without two or three years of training. So I have a suggestion. I have over a dozen apprentices who are still in contact with me. If Miss An thinks they’re up to the task, I won’t have to look for new hires.”

“Of course that’s good.” An Zhi had no objection. Since she was learning from Zhang Lan, she would naturally listen to Zhang Lan more.

“That’s fine, but they all have stable jobs now. If we want them to give up their current jobs, I’m afraid we need some sweet rewards.” After saying this, Zhang Lan looked up at An Zhi.

“Don’t worry, as long as they’re willing to come, I’ll double their salary for the first three months. After that, it all depends on their abilities.” An Zhi had already thought about it. “But there’s one thing I hope they come voluntarily. Sister Zhang, do you understand?”

An Zhi didn’t call Zhang “Shopkeeper” but called her “Sister”, which meant she treated Zhang Lan as her own.

Zhang Lan wasn’t used to it at first, but she felt very happy. “I understand.”

In order to reassure Zhang Lan, An Zhi signed the agreement with her on the same day.

In two days, her shop would be renovated, and when she had enough staff, she would be able to open for business.

Life was getting better little by little, except for some people who liked to make themselves bored.

An Zhi originally thought that Lin Shuyao would never come to her house again in this life, but Lin Shuyao came without even saying hello in advance.

When she arrived at the doorstep, she went to greet Meng Jie first, forcing An Zhi to go see her.

When An Zhi arrived at the main room, Lin Shuyao was covering her mouth and laughing softly, and Meng Jie, who was sitting at the top, was also smiling slightly.

“What’s so funny? Tell me about it.” After An Zhi entered the room, she first bowed and greeted Meng Jie before smiling.

When Lin Shuyao saw An Zhi, her eyes were quite intimate, as if they had no conflicts and were still good sisters. “We are talking about Lady Cheng from the Duke’s Mansion.”

“Oh, what happened to her?” An Zhi remembered Cheng Huan, who almost became her legitimate mother. She could only blame An Chengye for being blind.

“She’s engaged,” Lin Shuyao said. “You’ll never guess who she’s engaged to.” Before An Zhi could ask, she answered, “It’s the illegitimate son of the Minister of Works.”

“How could it be?” An Zhi was a little surprised. Wang Wenhao was a much worse person than her father. According to what she had heard, Duke Cheng doted on Cheng Huan very much, otherwise he would not have taken his widowed daughter home, and why would he let his daughter marry a man who was known to be unreliable?

An Zhi couldn’t help but feel sorry for Cheng Huan.

“I heard that Cheng Huan asked for it herself because she had met that Young Master Wang once and thought he was handsome and charming, and she fell in love with him.” Lin Shuyao became more and more excited as she spoke.

An Zhi didn’t believe this. Wang Wenhao was just an average-looking guy, and it was impossible for a woman like Cheng Huan, who was well-informed, to fall in love with him at first sight.

However, she and Cheng Huan had no friendship, so it would be inappropriate to ask too much, so she stopped asking.

Meng Jie spoke at the right time, “You two sisters haven’t seen each other for a long time. Zhi’er, take Young Lady Lin for a walk in the garden. I’m a little tired.”

An Zhi said yes and took Lin Shuyao out of the main house.

When they arrived at the garden and it was just her and Lin Shuyao, An Zhi asked directly, “Sister Lin, did you come here today specifically to tell me gossip about Lady Cheng?”

“Of course not.” Lin Shuyao had heard that An Zhi had made Pei Yu sign an indenture contract, and she wanted to verify its authenticity, so she came to the An family’s residence. If it weren’t for Pei Yu, she would never come to the An family again in her life. “Today, I have something very important to ask my sister. The rumors outside are really unpleasant.”

“Oh, what’s the matter?” An Zhi didn’t think Lin Shuyao really came to care about her. She walked to the pavilion and sat down.

“There are rumors outside that you forced Pei Yu to sign a contract and become your lover.” Lin Shuyao kept staring at An Zhi’s face while speaking.

An Zhi laughed heartily. “That’s it? Sister Lin, do you think it’s true? I did get Pei Yu to sign the indenture, but he humiliated me, and I still wanted him to be my lover. Am I the one who’s cheap, or is the person who spread this rumor cheap?”

Faced with someone like Lin Shuyao who spread rumors and caused trouble, An Zhi didn’t show any etiquette or civility at all, because there was no need to do so.

Lin Shuyao was embarrassed for a moment. This was something no one else was saying, but she had deliberately used it to trick An Zhi. “It’s the people who spread the rumors who are wrong. But I really can’t understand it. Logically, my sister should hate Pei Yu, so why does she let him hang around under her nose every day?”

Lin Shuyao had been An Zhi’s best friend and knew how obsessed An Zhi had been with Pei Yu in the past. Now that An Zhi said she hated Pei Yu, she believed it, but she also believed that An Zhi could not let go of Pei Yu.

“Because I want to torture him.” An Zhi said it frankly, not afraid that Lin Shuyao would go out and spread rumors.

Hearing this, Lin Shuyao’s brows furrowed rapidly, but soon returned to normal. She became even more unconvinced by An Zhi’s words. If she really wanted to torture someone, she wouldn’t just let him do ordinary work without giving him any trouble. “Sister An, why bother? If you keep Pei Yu by your side, others will only say that you’re still in love with your ex, and it will affect your engagement.”

“So, according to what Sister Lin said, what should I do?” An Zhi looked at Lin Shuyao with a smile. From the moment Lin Shuyao mentioned Pei Yu, she understood what Lin Shuyao meant. “Pei Yu is now my family’s servant. This is a fact that cannot be changed.”

“How about… Sister An sell him to me?” Lin Shuyao bit her lip lightly when she said this. Although she was discussing marriage, what if? If she could have another chance with Pei Yu, how could she let it go?

An Zhi didn’t understand Lin Shuyao’s feelings for Pei Yu before, but after her rebirth, she understood a lot. Lin Shuyao was really infatuated with Pei Yu and even came to beg her for Pei Yu.

“Okay, since Sister Lin has spoken, I can’t continue to steal someone else’s love.” An Zhi was willing to help Lin Shuyao. “I used a tragic experience to buy Pei Yu for ten years. If you want him, you can buy him for 100,000 taels.”

“One hundred thousand taels?” Lin Shuyao stared at An Zhi in disbelief. “Even buying a literate maid would only cost ten taels of silver.”

“Look at what Sister Lin said. Can Pei Yu be treated like those ordinary maids and servants?” An Zhi had put so much effort into forcing Pei Yu to this point. If she didn’t ask for more, she would really think she was just playing around. “Pei Yu is a talented scholar. He looks better than the top prostitute in the Chu House. Although he is a useless scholar and can’t do anything, he just wants this price. I didn’t want to sell him originally, after all, the Pei family has been eyeing him, but Sister Lin likes him so much, I don’t want to make you miss him so much, so I am willing to sell him to you. What’s the matter, Sister Lin, do you think Pei Yu is not worth this price?”

“You?” Lin Shuyao couldn’t sit still anymore. She had been so bold to come to the An family today, but now An Zhi had pointed out her feelings so openly. She was ashamed and angry. “What are you talking about? When did I ever fall in love with Pei Yu? I just felt sorry for him.”

“I don’t need your pity.”

At this time, Pei Yu, who had arrived at some point, suddenly walked over with a cold face and had spoken.

Lin Shuyao’s face changed instantly, turning blue, then white, and finally red.