mtlumby2d Chapter 262 Flowers Bloom in the South of the City, Time to Return—Shen Lezi
Chapter 262 Flowers Bloom in the South of the City, Time to Return—Shen Lezi
Autumn in Beiping seemed to pass by exceptionally quickly, enveloped in some kind of hidden sweetness, after that day at the horse farm.
Everyone in the Shen household noticed that the Second Miss Shen had been in a particularly good mood lately; her eyebrows were often curved in a smile, and she walked with a confident stride.
This good mood even overshadowed the complicated feelings of Shen's father and uncle after learning the details of the horse farm.
Of course, only on the surface.
Within a few days, Huo Xingzhou clearly felt that the "cooperation" with the Shen family was progressing, but with some unexpected "tests" along the way...
Shen's mother took it all in stride.
My daughter has grown up and has her own ideas, so I just need to be more careful in everything I do.
Whether things succeed or fail in the future, the Shen family will always be there to protect us.
Of course, not everyone is as immersed in the sweetness of first love as Shen Shuwan.
Shen Lezi, the eldest daughter of the Shen family, has recently felt that life has become a little... too "lively".
My sister's matter is one thing.
Seeing the lightheartedness that Shu Wan couldn't hide in her eyes and brows, she felt both gratified and vaguely worried.
Huo Xingzhou is an unfathomable man, and Bao'er is simple-minded. As her older sister, she can't help but take extra care of her.
But this wasn't the main reason she was upset.
The real annoyance came from another figure that was almost always in front of her.
It was probably because Huo Xingzhou, this more conspicuous "pig," had drawn most of the father's and uncle's attention, that their vigilance against another "pig" who had long coveted the Shen family's cabbage—Jiang Che—was unexpectedly neglected.
Jiang Che astutely seized this golden opportunity.
As a result, Shen Lezhi found that during this period, whether he was checking accounts in his study at home, inspecting his own shop, or even occasionally sitting in a teahouse, he would always "coincidentally" run into Jiang Che at the "just right" time and in the "just right" place.
The frequency and the variety of reasons made her almost suspect that this person had installed a pair of eyes on her.
Thinking about this, Shen Lezhi felt a headache coming on for no reason.
She put down the purple brush in her hand and gently pressed her temples with her fingertips.
The morning light shone through the window and fell on her slightly furrowed brow.
“Young Miss,” Butler Zhang knocked lightly on the door, his voice respectful, “the managers of ‘Jinyunxuan’ and ‘Changtaihao’ have arrived and are waiting in the front hall.”
"Please ask them to sit down and have some tea and snacks. I'll be right there." Shen Lezhi composed herself, closed the ledger she had been reading for a while, and her voice returned to its usual steady and clear tone.
"Yes." Uncle Zhang responded, but did not immediately leave. After hesitating for a moment, he added, "Miss, Patriarch Jiang... is also in the front hall."
He paused, then added, "They said they sent some freshly arrived pre-Qingming Longjing tea from the south, as well as... several foreign language booklets on machine maintenance, which have already been translated and annotated. They would like to invite you to take a look."
Shen Lezhi's fingers, which were pressed on her temples, paused slightly.
Again.
She closed her eyes briefly, deliberately ignoring the strange feeling in her heart. When she opened them again, her eyes were calm and undisturbed.
"I understand." She stood up, straightened the hem of her magnolia-colored cheongsam, and walked steadily toward the front hall.
Before even entering, one could hear the two shopkeepers exchanging pleasantries with a hint of ingratiation and caution, as well as Jiang Che's clear and gentle voice.
"...Manager Wang, you flatter me. These are just some basic insights. Machine maintenance is indeed important, especially for new equipment. If it is properly maintained, it can be used for several more years, and the savings will be pure profit."
Jiang Che's voice was neither too loud nor too soft, conveying a convincing composure.
Shen Lezhi continued walking into the front hall without stopping.
Inside the hall, the two shopkeepers quickly stood up and bowed, saying, "Young Miss."
Jiang Che also stood up, his gaze naturally falling on her.
He wore a bamboo-green long robe today, which made him look even more handsome and upright, but the light blue circles under his eyes seemed to be darker than a few days ago.
He was holding a blue-covered thread-bound book and several kraft paper bags. When he saw Shen Lezhi, a warm smile immediately appeared in his eyes.
The smile dispelled the usual aloofness between his brows, making him appear exceptionally...pleasing to the eye.
"Le Zi".
He called out, his voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible lightness, "Did I disturb your business? I just finished translating and annotating these few booklets, and I thought you might need them, so I brought them over on the way."
Drop by?
The Shen residence and the Jiang residence are located in the south and north respectively; the road is quite long.
Shen Lezhi thought to herself that she was annoyed, but seeing the dark circles under his eyes, she didn't say anything.
The bluish tinge stood out starkly against his pale skin, revealing an undeniable weariness.
I heard that the Jiang family also has a few tricky business deals to deal with recently, which is why he's running back and forth between the two places...
She suppressed a slightly inappropriate thought, but her face still held a polite and distant smile: "Thank you for your trouble, Patriarch Jiang."
After saying that, she turned to the two shopkeepers and said, "I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. Let's begin."
She walked to the head seat and sat down, her gaze sweeping over Jiang Che: "If Patriarch Jiang has nothing else to do, please make yourself at home. The managers and I need to discuss some trivial matters in the shop, so we're afraid we might be neglecting you."
This is a clear order to send the guests away.
The two shopkeepers kept their eyes down, not daring to say a word.
Jiang Che seemed not to understand, and instead sat down in the seat below Shen Lezhi.
He gently placed the booklets and paper bag on the coffee table beside him, his demeanor composed.
"Le Zi, you guys are busy, don't worry about me. I also have some accounts to sort out, so I'll borrow your place to take care of them."
After saying that, he actually took out a small sandalwood abacus and an account book from his briefcase and started fiddling with them, looking very focused, as if this were his Jiang family's study.
However, this "refusing to leave" and even taking the initiative left Shen Lezhi with a lump in her throat, unable to vent her anger.
The front hall fell silent for a moment.
The two shopkeepers exchanged glances, then secretly glanced at the young lady's expression.
Shen Lezhi's fingers tightened slightly as she held the teacup, feeling the warmth of the porcelain.
She looked at Jiang Che's lowered eyes and his slender fingers that were rapidly moving the abacus beads, his fingertips flying so fast that there was almost only the faint sound of the beads colliding.
She remembered that a long time ago, the arrogant young master of the Jiang family had no interest in these "money-grubbing things".
When did that boy, who couldn't even use an abacus properly, transform into the Jiang family head before us, with his skillful finger movements, calm demeanor, and ability to easily see through the intricacies of accounts...?
Shen Lezhi abruptly cut off her thoughts, took a deep breath, and forced herself to shift her attention away from the "noise source."
She looked at the two shopkeepers, her voice still steady: "Shopkeeper Wang, first tell me the sales details of various silks at 'Jinyunxuan' last month, especially the new batch of Huzhou crepe..."
She began to focus on the important matters, and the two managers also got into the zone, giving detailed reports.
In the front hall, only Shen Lezhi's cold questioning voice, the shopkeeper's cautious reply, and... remained.
The almost inaudible, yet persistent, rhythmic and rapid tinkling of the abacus beads lingered nearby.
Jiang Che lowered his eyes, seemingly engrossed in his accounts.
Only occasionally, during the pauses in Shen Lezhi's speech, he would quickly raise his eyes, his gaze sweeping over her calm profile before quickly lowering them again, a barely perceptible, triumphant smile curving his lips.
He knew she was wary of him because of Shen Er's matter and had built up her defenses against him.
She can't be blamed for this.
The undeserved disaster that the Shen family suffered because of the Jiang family is something that he can never make up for, no matter what he does.
But she was the moonlight he had quietly cherished in his heart since his youth.
He didn't dare to ask for too much. Even just like now, finding an excuse to listen to her voice from a polite distance, and occasionally glancing at her profile, would be enough.
At least, she was where he could see her.
That's enough.