Farm Tough Girl

Chapter 140 - 140 143 The Exposed Boss_1

?Chapter 140: Chapter 143 The Exposed Boss_1 Chapter 140: Chapter 143 The Exposed Boss_1 She didn’t seem as calm and composed as she had on previous occasions.

“It doesn’t matter if I don’t see her, I’m just here to repay the money, Qingya.”

Qingya immediately took out a silver note of ten thousand taels and handed it to Liu’er, “This is the ten thousand taels silver note that Mr. Wu lent to our Lady last month for relief purposes. We promised to repay it within three months—”
Before Qingya could finish, Liu’er reached over and took it from her hand, checking it three times in front of Muniang as if she was afraid she had been shorted, “If the Lady remembers to repay, that’s good enough. Our master has always been warm-hearted, and whenever he sees anyone in a bit of trouble, he gives generously. It worries me sick. It’s a relief for us that the Lady could repay the money so promptly.”

The tone was soft but carried a barb, seemingly emphasizing that Wu Haoli lent her the money simply because he was generous, and that he would even give alms to a beggar.

Muniang frowned, “As a servant, you seem quite concerned about your master’s affairs.”

Her bland remark was a reminder to Liu’er of her place, not to overstep her boundaries.

Liu’er’s face turned pale as she put away the checked silver note, “It is the servant’s duty, but for you, Lady, as a married woman, it’s not good to be in contact with other men too much. You should be conscious of your own reputation, shouldn’t you?”

Liu’er’s words suddenly made Muniang see the light. No wonder Liu’er harbored such animosity toward her; could it be that she had feelings for Wu Haoli? But wasn’t she being too anxious? Muniang shook her head in dismay as any casual interaction Wu Haoli had with a woman seemed to make Liu’er wildly jealous.

What Muniang did not realize, however, was that she meant far more to Wu Haoli than just any other woman he casually interacted with, something Muniang did not know but Liu’er did. Having served in the Wu Family for so many years, she knew Wu Haoli well.

He was never a man of overflowing kindness, yet he had immediately rushed over the first time he heard about the trouble at Muniang’s Embroidery House, and even offered ten thousand taels of silver without hesitation. He should not even remember the face of someone he had merely conducted a few business exchanges with, so why go to such lengths for her?

Liu’er’s deep hostility toward Muniang stemmed from her many years of fruitless devotion to Wu Haoli, and just when she thought that there was no way he could possibly care about anything deeply, she discovered that he could indeed be so concerned about a woman.

“If there’s nothing else, Lady, please return home,” Liu’er said, her heart turbulent, her voice colder.

Muniang didn’t feel like bothering herself either. If a servant in her house dared to treat a visitor with such an attitude, she would have them pulled out and flogged in a minute, but it was not her place to do so here. Besides, Muniang was not one to bear such small grievances. She wouldn’t insist on vindication over such a trifle. Her retribution was reserved for those who crossed her bottom line.

Muniang simply nodded, turned around, and left without taking a single sip of tea.

As Liu’er escorted Muniang out of the mansion, they circled the Nine-Turn Corridor and passed a small lake with a pavilion on it, furnished with a soft couch. Muniang had visited this pleasant place before, and actually found resting there quite comfortable. She thought to herself about developing her own mountain behind her house one day and building a vacation villa there.

Because of her particular fondness for the little pavilion, Muniang gave it a few extra glances as she passed by the lake. But then, her gaze settled on the tiger skin on the couch inside the pavilion.

Why does that tiger skin look so familiar?

Muniang stopped in her tracks, staring intently at the tiger skin, feeling a sense of familiarity.

Seeing her pause, Liu’er’s tone was less than pleasant, “Shall we go?”

Muniang said, “I’ll take a look over there before leaving.” With that, she headed straight for Lakeheart Pavilion.

Liu’er, however, blocked her path abruptly, with a severe tone, “Our mansion has strict rules; it is not a marketplace where just anyone can come and go as they please.”

Muniang glared at her, “Your mansion? You think you can open a dye workshop just because you’ve been given some color? Mr. Wu and I are business partners after all, and in terms of status, you’re nothing more than a servant. Yet, time and again, you’ve been rude to me. Do you really think I’m good-natured?”

Liu’er’s face turned from green to white, as she had intended to wield the authority of the lady of the house, but now found herself humiliated instead, and in front of so many servants, no less. Where could she put her face?

Muniang didn’t even give her a glance, but strode towards the Lakeheart Pavilion, and directly picked up the tiger skin on the couch to take a close look. Her eyes darkened; this was indeed the very tiger skin from the tiger she and Er Liang had hunted on the mountain.

It was still in its original state, not even carved or processed, and the obvious arrow wounds were clearly visible—remnants of when they shot the tiger. It laid out in full, in its original state, on this couch, in Wu Haoli’s house.

In her mind, Muniang recalled a past event—the shopkeeper from Dongxing Building had wanted to buy this tiger skin because their eastern patron was in need of one.

“Where is your eastern patron, then? How come we never see him?”

“The young lady might not know, but our Dongxing Building has establishments all over the country. The one in Chatu Town is just one of them; our eastern patron resides in the Capital City.”

These were the words Shopkeeper Zhang had said to Muniang back then.

A thought struck Muniang, an answer emerging—could the eastern patron be Wu Haoli?!

Recalling the chance encounter at Dongxing Building, the extraordinary aura Wu Haoli exuded, and how he spared no concern for spending silver.

Muniang felt a sinking feeling in her heart—eight or nine times out of ten, this was the case.

He had known all along that she was the one selling food at Dongxing Building, yet she had never known that he was the hidden owner behind it.

Muniang tossed the tiger skin aside and turned to leave, her expression clearly not a pleasant one, feeling thoroughly deceived and spun around.

Seeing Muniang’s unwell expression, Liu’er also felt quite puzzled, but she didn’t dare to inquire further. After Muniang’s earlier admonition, she naturally didn’t dare to put on airs anymore.

It had been several days since Wu Haoli returned. He had been out of town for a while on business, and had just settled back in the house.

Liu’er was overjoyed and went straight to the study to attend to him. As Wu Haoli listened to Liu’er’s lackluster recounting of the household affairs, he finally ran out of patience, “Take care of these matters yourself; don’t keep asking me.”

Wu Haoli had handed over the entire Wu Mansion to her management, and to others, it looked as if he was grooming her to be the lady of the house. Indeed, Liu’er acted as such in public, but she knew in her heart that the lord simply had no interest in such trivialities. Should there be someone with better managerial skills than hers, he would naturally not have chosen her.

Seeing Wu Haoli’s lack of interest, Liu’er then remembered Muniang’s visit to repay the debt and brought it up, “Right, lord, Lady Qiao from the western village came by a few days ago and returned the ten thousand taels of silver.”

Wu Haoli’s eyes brightened, “She has been here?”