Lin Gao Qiming

Chapter 2850: New Turbulence at Wan Zi Pavilion

It is quite ironic that the bag in Zhou Suniang's hand, which was said to be carefully sewn with "Jiaolong" (crocodile) skin, was worth as much as an ordinary naturalized migrant worker's annual income. The mirror, powder case, comb, lipstick, eyebrow pencil... each item in the bag was enough to cover the expenses of an ordinary family for a month or several months, except for the money.

The Qu family kept accounts in all the shops where they did business. If they could not keep accounts, they would have their own stewards to be responsible for the accounts. As the "masters", they never carried any money.

The money she spent on the way from her residence to the subway was saved from her two yuan pocket money every month. Two yuan a month was almost the monthly income of a junior employee in the local area, but in a wealthy family like the Qu family, these two yuan of pocket money were really not enough.

However, the two yuan she had calculated for her expenses was stolen when she boarded the train at the subway station. Zhou Suniang usually went out with a large crowd of servants, maids, and male servants. Lingao was a very peaceful and prosperous place, which made her less defensive. Moreover, the clothes she wore were too "showy".

Fortunately, a conductor passed by at this time and realized that he had to get off at Bairendong. Moreover, Bairendong was not far from Wanzi Pavilion, so there was no need to call a taxi.

She was relieved when she heard the news. Everything would be fine once she got to Wan Zi Pavilion. She could just borrow one or two yuan from the counter.

Zhou Suniang got off the train at Bairen East. She was familiar with the streetscape here and quickly recognized the direction to Wanzi Pavilion.

It’s actually less than half a mile from the station to the store, but for a “liberated foot” like Zhou Suniang who just stopped walking halfway, this distance is still quite strenuous to walk.

Bairendong is also a busy station. Except for the time she took the subway with her master and his wife when she was in Lingao not long ago, this was her first time to take the subway by herself, and it was also her first time to come to Bairendong Station.

The square in front of the red brick station building was bustling with people, and vendors with "Franchise" on their chests were hawking food and sundries. Zhou Suniang had come to Bairen many times in the past, but she usually passed by in a hurry in a horse-drawn carriage or rickshaw. She liked the bustling market in front of her, but she also felt vaguely scared - after all, her money had just been stolen.

She stood at the exit of Bairen East Metro Station, feeling mixed emotions. Her hand unconsciously touched her purse, where she had carefully calculated the one yuan or so, but now there was only cold air. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her anxiety, but the noise in the square made her even more irritable.

Her eyes wandered among the crowd, trying to find a sense of familiarity, but all she saw were unfamiliar faces. The cries of vendors, the laughter of children, and the conversations of pedestrians intertwined to form a lively market scene. Zhou Suniang felt as if she had been drawn into a huge whirlpool, being irresistibly pushed into an unknown situation.

She moved involuntarily towards the Wanzi Pavilion, and each step seemed particularly heavy. Her "liberated feet" seemed a bit out of place in this era, and each step seemed to be saying goodbye to her past. Although her clothes were gorgeous, they stood out in the crowd and attracted many curious eyes.

An inexplicable fear surged in Zhou Suniang's heart. She quickened her pace, but her steps became increasingly unstable, as if she might fall at any time.

On the west side of the square, there was a door-shaped frame, where pickpockets and thieves caught at the station and the surrounding area were chained up. After being sentenced by the magistrates' court, they were whipped in public in the square and then chained here for public display. Men and women, with different faces. They were squatting or sitting under the frame, with different expressions. Zhou Suniang felt that these people were no different from wild animals.

She tried to quicken her pace and leave this noisy and crowded place.

Finally, Wan Zi Pavilion was not far from Bairen East Station. Not far along the street, I saw its facade. It was sandwiched between two big shops and was inconspicuous. Even the sign of "Wan Zi Pavilion" would be overlooked if people were not careful.

The moment the spring door was pushed open, she felt a cool breeze, and the heat and uneasiness in her body and mind immediately faded away, and her steps steadied.

"Zhou Suniang is here?" He Xiaoyue was surprised.

"Yes, it's her!" Guo Xier nodded repeatedly.

"But she didn't make an appointment, and she didn't order any clothes for the past two months..." He Xiaoyue said, "Is she here to take a break?"

The wealthy families who had done business with each other did have the habit of stopping by Wanzi Pavilion to rest for a while and have a cup of tea when they were tired from shopping.

"I'm telling you, this is a serious matter!" Guo Xier lowered her voice and whispered in her ear.

"She ran away?!" He Xiaoyue had been a women's cadre for a long time. Although she had changed her profession now, she had seen wives and concubines of wealthy families run away many times. As a women's cadre, she had also participated in the aftermath. After entering Wan Zi Pavilion, she had heard of similar things. For example, the Qu family where Zhou Suniang was, someone ran away not long ago, and it caused a lot of uproar.

If she were still a female cadre, He Xiaoyue would naturally think that she "ran well", "ran brilliantly", and "ran so hard that the men screamed", but now she is a designer of Wanzi Pavilion, and her first concern is "business".

It's not a problem for Zhou Suniang to run away, but if she is related to Wan Zi Pavilion, the Qu family will not be able to do business in the future. This is a great loss for her. After all, the women of the Qu family particularly approve of her designs and are currently her biggest customers. At the beginning, An Jiu helped Lian Jie to run away, which angered the Qu family and caused her father's Ruihexiang to lose a big customer. He Xiaoyue still remembers this. "Yeah! It's very likely." Guo Xier said, "She came alone and looked like she had walked a lot. She must be very tired!"

She looked at He Xiaoyue: "What should we do now?!"

Zhou Suniang really escaped and came here to ask them for help. They should help her. The Senate actually secretly encouraged such "escapees". After all, this was also part of the "New Life Movement".

But from a business perspective, if Wan Zi Pavilion really gets involved, the business consequences will be very serious. Not only will they lose the Qu family as a major customer, but they will also affect a large number of related major customers. This is also the main reason why Wu Xinsheng was transferred away.

"If she really escapes, we still have to help her." He Xiaoyue said hesitantly, "Otherwise, the leader will be unhappy."

"Yeah, that's what I think. If there's any business loss, then there's no loss." Guo Xier suddenly made up her mind.

"Maybe she didn't run away." He Xiaoyue said, "Let's invite her to the lounge first and feel out her reaction."

The two of them came to the VIP room together and saw Zhou Suniang leaning on the sofa, her face was haggard, and she looked like she had aged a few years. He Xiaoyue was secretly surprised, could it be that she had suffered a lot of injustice at home?
However, unlike Sister Lian who ran away, who looked like she was scared and uneasy, Zhou Suniang was full of worries, with her beautiful eyes full of eager flames. As for what this worry was, it was probably related to men.

Before He Xiaoyue could speak, Zhou Suniang said, "Miss He, I want to find Wu Xinsheng."

He Xiaoyue was dumbfounded and thought, as expected!

The Senate always supports the pursuit of free love between men and women, but the man Zhou Suniang is obsessed with is Wu Xinsheng, which is beyond the expectations of Guo and He. Wu Xinsheng is not good-looking, and he is an "old man" in his early thirties, and he is missing an arm.

What did Zhou Suniang see in such a man? For a moment, He Xiaoyue felt sorry for Mr. Qu.

"He has been transferred..." Guo Xier said quickly, "Last time, the last time you asked him, he had already been transferred - to the Nansha Textile Factory in Xiangshan to be the manager."

He Xiaoyue couldn't help but glare at Guo Xier, thinking why are you speaking so clearly!
Sure enough, Zhou Suniang took out a letter from her purse: "I wrote a letter to the Nansha factory. They wrote back to me. They said that Master Wu sent the workers back to Lingao for training at the end of last month..."

He Xiaoyue saw that the envelope was indeed stamped with the stamp of Nansha Demonstration Textile Factory, and secretly groaned in her heart, thinking that your factory is just as nosy! What does it have to do with you!

In order to see her, Zhou Suniang risked her life to run out alone... He Xiaoyue felt more and more that it was not worth it for her.

"But he didn't come to our place." He Xiaoyue said, "He is no longer a member of Wan Zi Pavilion. Even if he returns to Lingao, he will not come to Wan Zi Pavilion."

"Isn't his residence right here?!"

"Well, he used to work here and lived in the dormitory of Wanzi Pavilion. He is not a local anymore, so how could he come back to live here?" He Xiaoyue tried hard to distance herself from Wu Xinsheng.

Zhou Suniang's eager eyes dimmed for a moment, then lit up again in an instant: "He has been working here for so long, if he returns to Lingao, he will definitely come back to visit. Their factory said that they will send someone to Wanzi Pavilion for training when they return to Lingao this time!" As she spoke, regardless of whether the other party was willing or not, she took out a letter from her bag, "If he comes, please give him this letter!"

He Xiaoyue secretly groaned, why did this happen again! Just as she was about to refuse, the female clerk outside ran in in a panic.

"What, what..."

"how……"

Before he finished speaking, there was a sudden loud noise outside. Guo and He were both startled. They didn't care about Zhou Suniang for a moment. They walked to the door and looked outside. They saw a group of people standing in the hallway and making a lot of noise. Three or two shop assistants were trying hard to cope with the noise.

He Xiaoyue had a bad feeling in her heart. Suddenly, she heard a commotion in the corridor. Suddenly, the door was pushed open and another female salesperson came running in: "Designer He, Designer Guo, something bad has happened, someone is…"