"Niang niang, what are you doing lagging behind?" Tao Shi saw Lin Jiner following Huang Niang in the back, whispering and not catching up, extremely unhappy, turned her head around with a scowl on her face, staring at Huang Niang with a look as if she was afraid Huang Niang would coax Lin Jiner away too.

  This petty, childish, and overprotective mother of mine! Lin Jinrong smiled and ran towards Tao Shi with Lin Shen: "Auntie said she would make two pairs of shoes for me!" Huang Yiniang's shoe-making skills were top-notch, especially when it came to women's shoes - they were truly exquisite and comfortable, not a single stitch was wasted.

  These four girls are so clever. What's the big deal about two pairs of shoes? Huang Niangniang completely overturned her previous impression of the four girls this morning, she touched her earlobe and generously said: "I also want to give my respects to the madam with two pairs, I wonder if the madam will grant me this favor?"

  Tao snorted, his nostrils pointing upwards: "I have plenty of shoes." The socks and shoes made by the yellow weasel had a stinky smell, she was annoyed that he wanted them.

  Lin Jinyong turned back to smile at Huang Niang, and they both understood each other's intentions. Given their respective identities and positions, the two could never be close confidants, but rather just business partners exchanging what they needed. In the process of mutual probing, a slight misstep would lead to an immediate breakup, so both were being very cautious. This was only the beginning, and whether they could cooperate in the long run remained to be seen.

  "Be careful around her, she's not a good person. Don't get too close to her or you'll end up getting hurt. And don't tell her anything!" Tao said in a low voice, scolding Lin Jingrong.

  Lin Jinrong smiled and nodded in agreement with whatever Tao Shi said. Her goal was to make Tao Shi feel more at ease, so why would she argue with him?

  Taoshi said a few words, seeing her good attitude, and put this matter aside, and whispered to Wu Shi: "In the past few days, Fengtang really took people alone that time?"

  Wu smiled with curved eyebrows: "Yes." She leaned in close to Tao's ear and whispered, "I exchanged grain and silk for a lot of beeswax, musk, and red flowers. The goods had just arrived in Qingzhou for less than a day before they were resold. The price was negotiated very well, your older brother was extremely satisfied. I'm only telling you this because I'm afraid if others find out, they'll laugh at us."

  The Tao family lived in Qingzhou, nearly a hundred miles away from Pingzhou. It was very close to the Da Rong Kingdom and the customs station set up by the imperial court. Although there had been no war between the two countries for many years, trade exchanges were frequent. However, the officially designated customs stations were subject to various restrictions and could not meet each other's needs. As a result, private markets were secretly established among the people, where transactions took place not only for goods outside of official markets but also for items that were explicitly prohibited by the authorities from being privately traded. Many people made fortunes this way.

  Human nature is born to pursue profit, and the people of Pingzhou and Qingzhou have taken advantage of the timing, location, and human harmony. They will not let go of this opportunity to make money, whether they are from families that pass down poetry and books, or have official positions, or engage in commerce as their main occupation. Everyone has mustered up the courage to take risks and secretly do it. However, personality and talent are innate, some people are suited for one profession, while others are suited for another. This money seems to come easily and quickly, but in reality, it's not that easy to earn.

  Ordinary people doing this business, apart from having a strong stomach and being able to eat bitterness, look accurately, also need to find the upper and lower households, and have someone supporting them behind their backs, it's extremely difficult; however, for official families and literary families, they don't need to appear in person, just invest money, secretly find a reliable and capable person to take charge, make money and maintain dignity. But the master of the house cannot be completely ignorant, otherwise, he will be deceived and won't even know it, losing the family is only a matter of time. Tao Fengtang will become the master of the Tao family in the future, so he must personally run to understand this process thoroughly, if he does well, Wu Shi will naturally be extremely delighted.

  Although it's said that a scholar doing business is unprofessional and unbecoming, the Tao family was relatively lively, so she didn't have a rigid mindset like the Lin family. She thought her future son-in-law and nephew had great prospects and whispered: "This is good, don't be too rigid, better than some people who are sour and dull in their studies, eating away at their inheritance." This was actually a criticism of the men in the Lin family. The two women exchanged knowing smiles, laughing quietly. Huang's mother-in-law felt embarrassed, thinking they were doing it on purpose to mock her, so she slowed down even more, keeping a distance from them.

  Lin Jinrong was close to the two of them, and they treated her like a naive little girl who didn't understand things, so she actually heard clearly, every word entering her ears, every word falling into her heart, and her eyes suddenly lit up. Since her rebirth, the first few days were spent in a daze of sadness, anger, and sorrow, and after the sadness passed, she was deeply thinking about how she ended up in that miserable situation.

  As the saying goes, there is a reason for everything. Why do others not bully anyone else but only her? Why did she treat the Lu family with kindness and sincerity, yet end up being the first one to be abandoned? After much thought, aside from many other reasons, there is one fundamental reason: it's because she herself has no ability, always relying on others for everything, and always asking others for help. So in other people's eyes, her kindness becomes worthless. For example, if you have a treasure trove of gold and silver jewels, would you be impressed by someone giving you a single copper coin? Of course not.

  If you want others to look up to you, you must have the ability and weight! You can't rely on others or ask for help from others, only then can you speak with confidence, be your own master, and make others rely on you and seek help from you. First of all, you need to have money, but also know how to keep it safe. Last time her dowry was almost used up, she failed to keep it safe, but this time she definitely won't let the problem happen again, no matter what, she won't be easily fooled or deceived and take out the money casually anymore.

  The only problem to be solved is that a lot of money is needed, but where does the money come from? The Lin family's decline has been going on for some time, and the dowry is limited. As a dignified lady whose every move is restricted and cannot easily show her face, it is not easy for her to make a lot of money. This problem had been troubling her for many days, but at this moment, when Tao Shi and Wu Shi mentioned this sentence, she suddenly felt enlightened, as if she had finally found a way out of the thorny situation.

  Although she still doesn't know what to do next, at least she has a direction now and is no longer sitting around in a daze, unable to find a way out like a trapped beast. She can take her time, she knows many things that others don't, she knows what will happen in the future, and there are still many loved ones around her who care for her. As long as she seizes the opportunity and handles it properly... Lin Jingrong was just about to unfold her thoughts when she suddenly heard someone calling out from the side of the road: "Auntie!"

  Lin Jiner glanced sideways and saw Wu Xiang, who should have been with Lu Yun and others, coming out from behind a row of maple trees, smiling and greeting Wu Shi, and also paying respects to Tao Shi and Lin Jiner.

  "Wu Ergou, how did you end up here?" Lin Jinyong's mood was great, and his smile was especially radiant.

  Wu Xiang smiled and said, "I was playing chess with Brother Lu in the pavilion behind." Before he had even finished speaking, a slender and tall youth wearing a pale green robe made of bamboo leaves quietly emerged from behind the maple tree. His calm eyes scanned the crowd in a large circle, and he bowed with the elegance of flowing clouds and water, saying, "Junior nephew Lu Xian pays his respects to both aunts." The morning breeze blew against his pale green robe with a soft rustling sound as he stood up straight, lightly brushing off his robe. His posture was like bamboo or pine, truly elegant yet robust to the extreme.

  A string that had been relaxed to the extreme was suddenly pulled tight by someone, so tight that it almost snapped, Lin Jingrong's hands and feet turned icy cold, her smile frozen on her face, until she forgot to breathe. She didn't even notice how Tao Shi, Wu Shi, and Lu Jian greeted her afterwards, nor did she hear them.

  Her mind was in a mess, thinking of how Lu Xuan could be here?! Their first meeting shouldn't have been like this! At this time, he should be in the Harmony Hall of Old Lady Lin, under Lin Yuzhen's guidance, performing his elegant demeanor and refined courtesy in front of those colorful ladies! Could it be that due to her rebirth, some things had also deviated? Then what kind of deviation would this be? Good or bad? Would other things also deviate?

  In front of this bright autumn morning, with a gentle breeze, the smiling youth and that snowy dusk, with a frozen earth and a somber gaze, are intertwined, making it impossible to distinguish what is real and what is an illusion, leaving her unable to cry or laugh. She wants to ask him why, but she can't, as the last shred of rationality holds her back.

  Her eyes were a mixture of shock, anger and sadness, frozen to the extreme, but to others, it seemed like she was staring at Lu Xuan, mesmerized.

  So, Lu Ershao's talent and style are the best. A piece of fragrant honey is placed there, can't bees and butterflies see or smell the sweet fragrance? Huang Niangniang smiled complacently, Tao Shi and Wu Shi furrowed their brows, Wu Xiang still smiled lightly, while Lu Jian hung his head with a blank expression.

  Cry out loud

  The new book will be updated in advance at 12:00 on December 1st, and I hope to get everyone's support. Pink tickets (this is the best, one vote equals 20 points), recommended votes (this is for rushing into the new book list). The requirements are not high, as long as it can be hung on the list, haha. Thank you everyone.

  [bookid=1911369,bookname="National Color and Prosperity"][bookid=1736421,bookname="Joyful Gate"][bookid=1421817,bookname="Leftover Woman is Not Virtuous"][bookid=1296881,bookname="Flower Shadow Repeatedly"][bookid=1589709,bookname="Heavenly Clothes are Enchanting"]