The Fortunate Lady and Her Mountain Man

Chapter 241: Chapter 241: Utterly Shameless

Aunt Lu looked at her, wanting to say something but stopping herself. She just shook her head.

"Ji Huan said the spots are all filled."

Tian Jiao couldn’t control her temper and snapped in frustration, "What do you mean, the spots are all filled? I bet she just thinks the money’s too little."

Widow Tian spent any spare money she had on scented powders and new clothes, so she wasn’t well-off. Tian Jiao had to beg for half a day before her mother finally gave her three taels of silver.

Tian Jiao had thought, ’Three taels is three taels. I’ll just have Aunt Lu tell Widow Xie a sob story and play the sympathy card. Getting a discount of two taels should be a piece of cake.’

She never expected to be dismissed with a simple "the spots are all filled" from Ji Huan.

Aunt Lu didn’t notice Tian Jiao’s outburst, as she herself was quite unhappy.

"Widow Xie is a capable woman now. Why would she want to bother with poor folks like us?"

Tian Jiao suppressed her anger and asked Aunt Lu for the three taels of silver back.

"Forget it, Aunt Lu. They look down on us, so we shouldn’t be so tactless as to force ourselves on them."

She sighed, mumbled a quick goodbye, and left.

Tian Jiao had stirred up Aunt Lu’s ambitions, only to abandon her halfway. But Aunt Lu didn’t blame Tian Jiao.

’Tian Jiao meant well,’ she thought. ’She wanted to help me get rich. I didn’t even have to put up any capital, and she promised to pay me a monthly wage after I learned how to make "Golden Partners." Where else could I find a deal that good?’

The person she blamed was Widow Xie.

’It was clearly Widow Xie being petty, looking down on my family, and not wanting me to get involved. That’s why she fobbed me off with that nonsense about the spots being full.’

In truth, Widow Xie had been wronged.

"Aunt Lu must resent me now. Wuan, aren’t there still two spots left? Why...?"

Although Aunt Lu wasn’t very eloquent and didn’t socialize much with the neighbors, she was an honest soul and a tremendously hard worker.

Back when they were making dehydrated vegetables, she had worked tirelessly. Ji Huan had even said privately that among all the people they hired, only Aunt Lu was the model of a diligent, focused worker.

That was why Widow Xie couldn’t understand why Ji Huan would refuse her.

Ji Huan didn’t deny it. From a manager’s perspective, Aunt Lu was indeed a qualified employee.

But her flaws were also very obvious.

She wasn’t very sharp, but she made up for it with her diligence. That would have been fine if she could just focus on her work, but unfortunately, people like her were the easiest to manipulate.

Once incited, joining the enemy’s camp was a minor issue; the real fear was that she would turn around and stab you in the back.

"Aunt Xie, do you remember that time Tian Jiao learned how to make dehydrated vegetables, sold them to the restaurant in town, and then had the owner come knocking to settle the score?"

Widow Xie nodded. Of course she remembered that, but she didn’t know what it had to do with Aunt Lu.

"Tian Jiao’s dehydrated vegetables were a failure, but her general process and method were correct. If someone hadn’t told her, how would she have known? And we were so careful to guard our secret from start to finish..."

"Are you suggesting that one of the people we hired to help..." Widow Xie was stunned. "Then how can you be so sure it was Aunt Lu?"

Ji Huan smiled. In truth, she hadn’t been certain at first either.

During the confrontation at the Jiang family’s gate, she had unintentionally met Aunt Lu’s gaze. Aunt Lu’s instinctive reaction to look away tipped Ji Huan off that something was amiss.

Later, at the housewarming banquet, everyone who had worked with them came except for her. Her guilty conscience couldn’t have been more obvious.

"It’s no wonder. Aunt Lu and Tian Jinlian live across from each other..."

Once Widow Xie understood this, she was both angry and exasperated.

"She’s just so muddle-headed!"

Widow Xie didn’t think Aunt Lu was the type to do something malicious; she felt she had just been duped by Tian Jiao.

But in Ji Huan’s eyes, an incompetent teammate like her was sometimes more terrifying than an actual enemy.

’If she can be used by others once, she can be used a second time. Take this time, for instance. There’s no guarantee that Tian Jiao isn’t the one pulling the strings.’

"If that’s the case, we’ll just have less to do with her from now on. I thought you refused her because you thought the money was too little."

But Ji Huan said, "The low amount of money is also a reason. We charge a set price, and that’s what people pay. If we break the rules because we feel sorry for someone, it’s not fair to everyone else. It could even cause a public outcry."

Widow Xie thought that made sense and didn’t say any more.

Tian Jiao went to see Widow Tian again. She was relieved to see no unsavory characters when she entered, but she still couldn’t help but complain to her mother.

"The village is only so big, you need to be more careful! If any rumors get started because of you, how am I supposed to show my face in public?!"

Widow Tian sat down, crossing her legs. She waved the cattail fan in her hand lazily and scoffed, "Pathetic."

"So now you think I’m an embarrassment to you? When we were fleeing the famine, where did you think your food and water came from?"

Tian Jiao said, flustered and annoyed, "Why are you bringing that up? We have a good life now, but you insist on... Ugh, forget it. Mother, I need you to do me a favor."

"What is it now?"

"Well..."

Widow Xie never imagined Widow Tian would dare to show up at her door.

She rejected her outright before she could even finish speaking, leaving no room for negotiation.

Widow Tian shot her a sidelong glance, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Xie Qiuming, don’t be so shameless when I’m trying to be nice. You really think you’re hot stuff now, don’t you? That recipe for the ’Golden Partners’ isn’t even yours to begin with. Mrs. Wei left it to you, right? What right do you have to hog it all for yourself?"

Widow Xie immediately spat back at her.

"Tian Jinlian, you shameless bitch! Don’t you dare mention Ji Huan’s mother! Think about the things you’ve done! Are you even worthy? When you first came to Dafeng Village, your life was as hard as it could be. No one wanted anything to do with you, so you deliberately got close to Ji Huan’s mother. Ji Huan’s mother was a kind, simple soul. You wanted to learn embroidery, so she taught you. You couldn’t carry water, so she had Ji Laoer help you. And what did you do in return? You hussy! You tried to seduce Ji Laoer behind her back! It’s a good thing Ji Laoer was an upright man who only had eyes for his wife. That’s the only reason he didn’t fall for a tramp like you!"

Widow Tian hadn’t expected her to bring up the past after all these years.

"You... I’m talking about business!"

"Business, my ass! The flesh trade is more your line of work! Putting on powder and rouge all day, striking poses... even if you offered yourself up, no one would spare you a glance! Have you no shame? I’m embarrassed for you!"

Widow Xie gave her no chance to change the subject, continuing to point her finger and curse at her.

"Let me tell you the truth. Ji Laoer not only looked down on you, he thought you were filthy. Otherwise, he never would have forbidden Ji Huan’s mother from seeing you again!"

Her buttons pushed, Widow Tian’s face turned pale, then livid.

"What nonsense are you spewing?! I think you were the one who coveted Ji Laoer! Don’t you dare try to pin all this shit on me!"

Widow Xie let out a sharp laugh.

"Speaking of pinning shit on people, how could I ever compare to you? When Ji Huan’s mother grew distant, you started slandering her behind her back. You saw she was close with me, so you said I was having an affair. More than half of the gossip about me started with you, didn’t it? I don’t care what they say about me, but are you any better? Is there anyone in this village who doesn’t know what kind of person you are? If you’re desperate for a man, just admit it! No one would say a thing if you remarried openly. But of all the things you shouldn’t have done, you never, ever should have tried to seduce Ji Laoer!"

The last people Widow Tian wanted to talk about were Ji Lianbai and Mrs. Wei, but Widow Xie wouldn’t let it go.

She finally snapped and said viciously, "No matter how good that Mrs. Wei was, she still died young! Ji Laoer didn’t know what was good for him. He deserved to be jinxed to death by that mother and daughter!"

"Even in death, Ji Laoer and Ji Huan’s mother are husband and wife in the underworld! All you can do is be jealous!"

"You!"

The two women glared at each other like angry roosters, on the verge of coming to blows.

Just then, someone happened to pass by the gate. Seeing these two, who had long since stopped speaking to each other, together again, the passerby found it odd and called out a greeting.

Only then did Widow Tian remember she was standing at the entrance to the Hu Family’s home.

If anyone passing by had overheard what was just said and spread it around, she really wouldn’t be able to show her face in public anymore.

Her mind raced. Not daring to continue the fight, she turned and fled from the Hu Family’s courtyard.

Widow Xie spat hatefully at her retreating back. "Shameless hussy!"

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