The girl glanced at her again and saw that the flower seller's praise was heartfelt, without a trace of mockery or contempt. She felt pleased and, seeing that Yu Zhi was dressed in shabby clothes, couldn't help but say, "Give me ten coins' worth."
Yu Zhi is beautiful with a delicate face. When she praises someone, her expression is sincere and her voice is gentle and soft. Standing there gracefully, she has more charm than all the flowers in spring.
If you can soften someone's heart by cursing them, how much more so if you want to praise them?
Yuzhi sold more than a dozen bouquets of flowers in a quarter of an hour, then left the street with a bamboo basket on her back.
He avoided troublesome playboys and the envious exclusion of his peers, finally stopping at a busy intersection.
"Fourth Miss? Fourth Miss?"
Wei Ping turned her head with a smile, her beautiful eyes sparkling. The shopkeeper of the silk shop, holding the good goods that had just arrived yesterday, immediately fell silent.
This is a bustling area within Lingnan Prefecture, and unexpectedly, she has encountered the beauty who has haunted her dreams here.
Miss Wei was in high spirits and moved forward, wanting to see more clearly.
The girl who was teasing her yesterday with red eyes and a soft, whiny tone, has changed out of her faded embroidered dress today and is now dressed in a simple linen outfit, her hair tied up with a wooden hairpin, looking plain and unadorned.
Without any glamorous adornments, her natural beauty shines through even more.
Upon seeing her, Wei Pingxi's gloomy mood, which had lasted all morning, immediately lifted.
The beautiful woman smiled at everyone she met, slowly and deliberately promoting the fresh flowers in her bamboo basket. Clusters of spring flowers surrounded this lovely girl, making Wei Pingxi's heart itch with desire.
"come over."
The silk shopkeeper stepped forward, holding his breath.
Wei Pingxi was in a good mood when she saw Yu Zhi. Seeing the shopkeeper treating her like an ancestor, she laughed and said, "Do you think I'd eat you?"
The shopkeeper, amused by her teasing, relaxed and smiled, saying, "It's my honor to be eaten by the Fourth Miss."
Anyone can say flattering things.
A cold glint flashed in Wei Pingxi's eyes before his gaze returned to Yu Zhi's face. A moment later, a bright and radiant smile returned to his lips.
"Let's see if she's pretty?"
Following her fingertip, the shopkeeper saw Yu Zhi's appearance and figure clearly and said, "She's pretty. But compared to the Fourth Miss, she's worlds apart."
"A world of difference?" Wei Pingxi scoffed. "Are you blind?"
She suddenly changed her tone, not in a scolding voice, but in a sarcastic and gruff manner.
The shopkeeper quickly freed one hand to slap himself in the face: "Hey, are you blind? You didn't even realize that this is the person the Fourth Miss has taken a liking to."
He speaks to people in a human language and to ghosts in a ghost language, so Wei Pingxi couldn't be bothered to argue with him.
"Make her a pomegranate-colored embroidered dress."
She lightly tapped her delicate hand: "Use the finest materials from your shop."
"yes."
The tailor in the shop specially went to buy a bouquet of flowers in order to get a closer look at Yu Zhi's measurements.
The flowers that were bought caught the eye of Miss Wei, who picked one up and pretended to ponder.
She didn't speak, and no one could guess what she was thinking.
The maids Emerald and Agate, who were standing beside their young mistress, eagerly looked at the alluring Miss Yu, only to be hit on the head with a folding fan.
"What are you looking at?" Wei Pingxi's eyes were smiling. "That's my person."
Jade and agate, who had been by her side since childhood, had long been adept at reading people's expressions. Seeing that she was in high spirits, they glanced at her and teased, "You haven't gotten your hands on it yet."
Miss Wei disagreed.
"Go and buy the remaining flowers from her bamboo basket."
"Yes, Fourth Miss."
After the jade man left, Agate asked, "Miss, aren't you going to scare that girl?"
"You're so timid, why are you scaring her?" Wei Pingxi turned around leisurely, then suddenly smiled brightly: "She's not mine yet. It's not too late to bully her after she becomes mine."
Upon hearing this, Agate looked out the window.
With a beaming smile, Miss Yu carefully arranged the remaining flowers and presented them to Jade, her lips seemingly moving as if she were thanking Jade.
What a wonderful girl.
...
Yu Zhi's flower sales went smoothly today. She sold all the flowers while they were still fresh. After putting away her money bag, she carried her empty bamboo basket home. Unbeknownst to her, a rich young man with shifty eyes was following behind her.
Once outside the silk shop, Wei Pingxi, leading Jade and Agate, cornered them in a narrow alley.
The young master was overjoyed to see such a beauty.
Before he could utter any more nonsense, the maidservant beside the beauty kicked him in the knee, sending him sprawling to his knees, covered in dust and dirt.
The fourth young lady is beautiful but cold-blooded, her smile hiding a knife: "You dare to touch anyone's people? Don't you want to die?"
A gentle, soft voice, yet a ruthless indifference that kills without hesitation.
The wealthy young man saw into her eyes and felt a sudden, overwhelming sense of loss, as if he had fallen from the warmth of spring into the depths of winter.
...
Yu Zhi, panting, walked to the corner and waited before daring to peek out.
Once she confirmed that no one was following her, she felt relieved, thinking to herself that she was just being paranoid and too timid.
Today was a good day; I met a generous buyer and made a profit of 500 coins.
If I finish work early, I can take the bamboo baskets my mother wove to the shop to sell.
After selling the bamboo baskets, I can earn another thirty coins by copying books for people in the afternoon.
She was already calculating her options, and mustered up her courage to go to the pharmacy to ask an experienced doctor to come to her home for a consultation. Full of anticipation, she headed straight for Liushui Lane.
Flowing Water Alley.
Yu's mother fell headfirst into the deep pit in front of her house, crying out to heaven and earth in vain.
Nobody paid her any attention; most people were just there to laugh at her.
The alley is dark and damp all year round, and the road is narrow, so Yu's mother rarely goes out.
This time, she was tricked out by her neighbor under the pretext that "Yuzhi was being bullied." She went out with a cane and was unprepared when she was pushed into a pit.
How wicked people can be, corruption and malice will breed in places where the sun doesn't shine.
The people of Liushui Lane adhere to the principle of "it's better to mind your own business than to do something else." They are too lazy to even live a productive life, so naturally they have no time to meddle in other people's affairs.
The old woman held a grudge against Yu Zhi for not agreeing to become her daughter-in-law, so she deliberately dug a pit in front of the Yu family's door.
The blind woman fell into the pit and couldn't climb out; she had twisted her ankle when she fell in.
The old woman was a widow who, relying on her son, bullied the orphaned mother and child without any mercy.
She stood outside the pit, gloating as she watched people make a fool of themselves. With her hands on her hips, she said, "Serves you right! You blind old hag, always dreaming that your daughter will marry into a wealthy family. You wish! You're blind, yet you dare to look down on my Zhuzi. Bah! Let's see who will dare to marry your daughter now."
From a great distance, Yu Zhi heard the old woman's shrill curses. When she heard the word "blind old woman," her face turned pale, and she hurriedly ran home.
"Hey, girl!"
The old doctor, carrying his medicine box, called out, but no one answered.
"Mother!"
When Yuzhi arrived at her doorstep, she saw her mother fall into a deep pit. Enraged, she glared at the shrew.
The shrew lived up to her name; when glared at, she felt guilty, but the more guilty she felt, the more arrogant she became.
"What are you glaring at me for? What are you glaring at me for? You unwanted vixen!"
Yu Zhi's eyes reddened with anger, but many people around her stood by and watched.
"Zhizhi, Zhizhi..."
Yu's mother let out a groan as excruciating pain struck, leaving her too weak to argue with the shrew.
Furthermore, if they were to actually engage in a verbal battle, she wouldn't be a match for the shrew.
The mother and daughter were outnumbered and outmatched. Some people even took the opportunity to harass Yu Zhi, demanding that she call him "my lover" before they would help pull her mother out of the pit.
Yu Zhi bit her lower lip until it bled, and without a sound, she searched for a bamboo pole and tried her best to rescue her mother.
The shrewish woman fanned the flames, inciting the local thugs to touch Yu Zhi's fair face and straight, slender legs.
Just as things were getting lively, Yu's mother, who was in the deep pit, let out a wail and cursed in a heart-wrenching and reckless manner.
The blind man, who was usually the most good-natured, suddenly went mad, and the crowd lost interest in watching any longer.
Since no one is there to lend a hand, let this mother and daughter spend the night with the stars and moon in front of their house!
People who are unhappy with their lives always want to see others be even more unhappy.
Finally, the kind-hearted old doctor who arrived took pity on her and helped pull Yu's mother out of the pit.
"Mother, Mother!"
Yu Zhi's legs went weak and she knelt down with a thud. The mother and daughter hugged each other and cried.
The old doctor has seen many pitiful people at his age, but who in this world isn't pitiful when they're busy making a living?
He's here to earn money from consultations.
He treated Yu's mother's ankle injury first, and when he finished looking at her eyes, his heart sank.
He can't cure this eye disease.
"Doctor, how is my mother's condition?" Yu Zhi asked, wiping away her tears and her eyes red.
"this……"
If they had hired a doctor with no conscience, he might have taken the opportunity to extort money from the mother and daughter.
The old doctor thought Yu Zhi was beautiful and about the same age as his youngest daughter, and felt sorry for the blind woman.
He sighed, "Instead of wasting money on this, I should move out of here and find another place to live."
As soon as he finished speaking, the last glimmer of hope in Yu Zhi's eyes vanished.
Those bright willow-leaf eyes of hers during the day are now as dim as they were during the day.