Chapter 87: Infiltrating the Society of Socialites (Part 4)
The prefect's wife, Mrs. Ji, had kind eyes and a plump figure. Su Luo followed the housekeeper and slowly approached her. After greeting her, she looked up and a look of surprise appeared on her face.
Ji was also a little surprised when he saw Su Luo, "You don't seem to be a member of Xiangyun Hall."
Su Luo stood up and handed the cloth to the maid beside Madam Ji, and said with a smile: "Madam, you have a good eye. I am not a clerk of Xiangyun Hall, but I just bought a piece of cloth from there."
"also?"
Just from this one word, we can tell that the wife of the prefect is a very careful person, not as easy to deal with as she appears to be. Su Luo pursed her lips and smiled, "Just now when I was buying cloth, I happened to meet Miss Ji Mei. Miss Ji Mei helped Madam choose a piece of cloth, and I happened to buy one as well. Who knew that halfway through, I found that the clerk brought me the wrong cloth, because that cloth was bought for my mother to make clothes, and I didn't want to keep her waiting for a long time, so I came here to exchange it directly. Madam, please forgive me."
Ji smiled slightly after hearing Su Luo's words, "Do you know Mei'er?"
Su Luo shook his head and said, "I heard it from the guy in the store."
Ji lowered her eyes and took a sip of tea before she slowly said, "In fact, the young lady does not have to come in person. Just send the cloth back to Xiangyun Hall, and the boss there will naturally exchange it for you, saving you the trouble of running back and forth."
Ji's attitude was a little cold. Su Luo bit her lower lip and said, "Actually..." She struggled for a while before asking, "I heard that Miss Ji Mei will come to have lunch with Madam. Is that true?"
Ji chuckled when she heard this, "The girl is a straightforward person."
Su Luo regained some confidence and adjusted his strategy. Instead of leaving in a hurry, he breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile: "Of course, my little trick can't be hidden from Madam. Yes, I deliberately changed the fabric just to come to your house and have a chance to say hello to Miss Jimei."
Ji's smile widened, as if she was approving. She pointed to the seat next to her and told the maid, "Bring tea."
"Thank you, ma'am, for your help." Su Luo sat down quickly with a happy look on his face.
Ji gently put down the teacup and stared at Su Luo, "I like straightforward people the most. If you insisted that you came here just to get the cloth back, I think you would have been sent away long ago."
Su Luo blushed, "I wonder how Madam knew that my motives were not pure?"
Ji laughed, "If all I had to do to get the cloth back was wait for the Xiangyuntang staff at the door, why would I lie and say I was from Xiangyuntang and come into the mansion to see me?"
"It turns out that the flaw was revealed from the beginning." Su Luo smiled awkwardly, "I thought I arranged it well."
"You are very interesting." Ji stood up. "You admit everything without making any excuses. Some people will persist to the end even if they are exposed."
Su Luo also stood up and said, "Isn't this another trick of mine to attract Madam's attention?"
Ji turned back with a smile, "Anyway, I'll take your advice and join us for dinner. As for what happened with Mei'er, I can't help you."
Su Luo thanked him quickly. Ji walked to the door and then walked back. "Now you can tell me why you were surprised when you saw me just now?"
Su Luo had expected that Ji would ask some questions, so he waved to the maid to bring the cloth over and tore open the outer packaging. "Originally, I wanted to take this opportunity to get to know Miss Ji Mei, and I still had to exchange the cloth back, but after seeing Madam, I don't think so anymore."
"Why?" Ji reached out and touched the material, a satisfied look on her face. "Do you want this one?"
Su Luo smiled and said, "Madam, do you really like this piece of material?"
"Very good." Ji unfolded a piece and put it on her hand. "Xiangyuntang's fabrics are very famous. I have always liked this color. It is very calm and elegant. The master likes it too."
"Since the prefect likes this color, I have nothing to say."
Perhaps this move of retreating to advance was too obvious, Ji put down the material in her hand and said, "Just tell me what you want to say. I've said before, I like straightforward people."
"Then I can only say that... Madam has a sincere affection for the prefect. Regardless of whether it is suitable for her or not, she must accommodate the prefect's preferences."
"It doesn't suit me?" Ji was a little surprised. "I know the color is a bit dark, but it's okay when I wear it..."
As they were talking, the butler came in with a confused look on his face, bringing a waiter from Xiangyun Hall. The waiter was stunned for a moment when he saw Su Luo, and Ji waved his hand, "Put down your things, and go back."
After she said that, the housekeeper stopped asking any more questions, and the waiter didn't dare to ask even more. After they left, Su Luo stepped forward and tore open the packaging of another piece of cloth, revealing a light green color.
"This one?" Ji stepped forward to take a look, his brows furrowed, "This color..."
“Liking and being suitable are two different things.”
Ji's complexion is very fair, and any color would suit her. However, her makeup and hairstyle are too old-fashioned. Combined with the dark clothes she wears, she looks several years older. The green color of the horse is very elegant. If she could change her makeup and hairstyle, Ji would look much younger than she does now.
Su Luo expressed his opinion without hesitation. Ji touched her hair unconsciously, and the corners of her slightly raised lips slowly calmed down. "You mean... I'm old now?"
Su Luo did not comment. "How about this, Madam, keep both pieces of cloth and make two sets of the same clothes to see which one turns out better?"
"No need." Ji raised her hand to signal the maid to put away the brown material, then returned to her seat and picked up the teacup.
Seeing this, Su Luo picked up her cloth and said with a smile, "That's fine. Luo'er is not good at speaking, so please forgive me if I have offended you. Miss Ji Mei, I won't wait for you. We are doing business together in the city, and we will definitely have a chance to get to know each other in the future."
Ji's expression did not change, and she did not try to persuade Su Luo to stay. It was not until Su Luo had walked a long way out of the hall that a maid of about seventeen or eighteen years old caught up with her and asked, "Miss, Madam, please leave your name."
"My name is Su Luo." Su Luo asked the girl's name with a smile, and the girl smiled back, "My name is Bi Hen."
Su Luo was slightly surprised. "This name is quite nice. I thought girls had to be called Xiaojuan or Xiaocui."
Bi Hen pursed her lips and smiled, "The girl is quite direct in her words, but what she said just now was a bit too direct. Aren't you afraid that the Madam will blame you?"
"Tell me the truth." Su Luo walked out slowly holding the cloth, and Bi Hen followed Su Luo's footsteps unintentionally. "Sister Bi Hen, don't you think Madam's dress is a little old-fashioned? When you comb Madam's hair in the future, you might as well change her hairstyle."
Bi Hen smiled and said, "Go slowly, girl. I have to go back."
Su Luo nodded and walked along the path in the mansion straight towards the gate.
After returning to her home, Su finally had time to ask Su Luo about what happened today. Su Luo briefly told her without hiding anything. Su said worriedly, "How could you talk to the prefect's wife like that? Women hate it most when people say they are old."
"Only the really old ones would be afraid of that." Su Luo was very confident . "I think the wife of the prefect is not like ordinary people. She is very smart and knows what is right. Didn't she send someone to ask for my name at the end?"
"Maybe they want to cause trouble for you in the future." Su said jokingly, and then she took the cloth that Su Luo brought back and kneaded it gently in her hands, "It's really good. I haven't seen such good cloth before when I was in the Su Mansion."
"It happened more than ten years ago. Times will change." Su Luo spread the material and compared it with Su's body. "I don't know if the wife of the prefect will mention me to Miss Ji Mei."
Su grabbed Su Luo's hand and said, "Why do you have to go to so much trouble to find Miss Ji Mei? Isn't it the same to wait for Master Qin to come back and ask him for help?"
"Of course it's different. We're doing a women's business. How can a man like him help? Even if he helps, it's just to inform his business friends. Those wealthy ladies and ladies may not take it to heart. The most important thing for doing this kind of business is connections. It's better to do it yourself so that you have more confidence, otherwise it will go bankrupt after a few months of operation. Then you won't be able to cry."
"You are the only one who has a lot of reasons." Su rolled up the cloth again, "This material is still not worth buying. How can I have the chance to wear such expensive clothes? I'd better return it tomorrow."
Su Luo rubbed her temples. It seemed that she could not stop her mother's austerity and simplicity. "Your daughter is rich now, so she can let you wear nice clothes. Besides... women dress up to please themselves."
After Su Luo said this, she jumped away. Su Shi didn't say anything special after hearing this, but she really didn't send the cloth back the next day, which made Su Luo secretly happy.
Bao Zixing was also a competitive person. He took the opportunity of renovating the house to rush to each courtyard, and he rushed to Su's courtyard the most often. Su Luo found an excuse to take a look and saw that the windows of Su's house were bigger, the roof was re-tiled, and there were two ingeniously designed flower beds in the yard, which made Su Luo cry out that it was unfair.
However, it would be fine if she just cried out in secret about the injustice. Su Luo was afraid that Su was too thin-skinned to stand her joke. If Su was afraid to take a step because of her, she would be a sinner.
Su Luo was not worried about Bao Zixing, because Bao's face was getting rosier and rosier every day, and he was also aggressive, so Su Luo didn't need to worry about him. Su Luo was worried about Zhou Chongwen and BMW. They had been gone for many days and there was no news. Su Luo suspected that they were recruiting workers on Mars. Su was also very worried. She asked Su Luo to go to the small town near Nanjing to ask more than once, but Su Luo said, "How could these two living people get lost? Even if they encountered any trouble, they would handle it themselves, so Su didn't need to worry, but let her have time to make clothes with the material she bought that day and make preparations early."
When Su asked what they were preparing, Su Luo said excitedly, "I ran into Bihen, the maid of the prefect's wife, on the street yesterday. She said that the rich ladies in Nanjing are planning a charity sale, and the proceeds will be donated to the establishment of official schools in the counties of Yingtian Prefecture."
"You want to go?" Su said in disbelief, "When I asked you to donate some money to the village, it was like asking you to die."
Su Luo blushed, "I didn't have money at that time, and didn't I donate to the official school in Kaifeng later?"
"That was donated by Chongwen. You felt uneasy, so you split the money with him." Su saw it clearly. "Donating to the official school is a good thing, but what does it have to do with you going to Chongwen?"
"The key is that the specific date has not been decided yet. What if I am out looking for someone and miss the charity sale?"
"You can donate money anytime you want. You don't have to go to the charity sale."
"I just have to go!" Su Luo pulled her hair. "All the wealthy ladies in the city will go to this charity sale. It's definitely a good opportunity to invite the governor's wife to be the host."
Su was stunned for a while, then she understood, "So this is what you wanted."
"The prefect's wife remembers me. Bihen said that the wife mentioned my name to Miss Ji Mei twice. Miss Ji Mei also remembered me and asked about our house. She said that she would invite me to the sale even if there was no fixed date."
Su said nothing, just took a deep breath.
"The charity sale may be held in the next two days, and we can go find them after it's over, okay? Or maybe they will be back tomorrow, and there's no need to worry at all. Or maybe there are too many people who have signed up, and they can't handle all of them, so that's the delay..." Su's sudden silence made Su Luo a little uneasy, so she had to keep talking to cover up.
"But if anything happens to them, will you be at ease?"
"No... nothing will happen." Su Luo's voice was a little soft, unlike his usual full-bodied voice.
"Then it's up to you." After saying this, Su went back to her room, and the lights in the room went out soon.
In fact, it was not too late. Su Luo looked at Su's door and suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. Was she wrong? Probably not, right? Zhou Chongwen and BMW, two people of that age, just stayed outside for a few more days. It was not worth making such a fuss. It was the right thing to do to stay in Nanjing and find an opportunity to participate in the charity sale .
Three days later, Zhou Chongwen and his friends still hadn't returned, and even Bao Zixing was a little uneasy. She had first seen Ni Duan at the charity sale, and had heard about him on the streets, so it was probably in the next few days. Su Luo was even more unwilling to leave at this time. Although no one invited her, she was full of confidence, and she would sneak into the charity sale even if she had to.
Seeing that Su Luo was determined to stay, Su quietly packed her luggage, took a maid with her, and prepared to travel thousands of miles to find her son-in-law. When she was about to leave early in the morning, she was discovered by Bao Zixing. No one knew how the two communicated, but in the end, the maid stayed and Bao Zixing followed.
When Su Luo woke up and found out, she almost thought her mother had eloped with Bao Zixing. After listening to the explanation from the maid, she realized where the two had gone. She was very troubled. Then she thought that since Su had Bao Zixing by her side, nothing serious would happen. It might be a good time to promote their relationship, so she didn't worry too much. But after breakfast, a young man came to the door and asked if there was a human trafficker named Zhou Chongwen here.
Su Luo was startled and said that we have Zhou Chongwen here, but no human traffickers. The man said yes, it was him, and he was now working part-time as a human trafficker.
It turned out that Zhou Chongwen and BMW went to Jiangning County under the jurisdiction of Yingtian Prefecture, which was not far from Nanjing City. It would take half a day to get there if they walked fast or more than half a day if they walked slowly. When they arrived at Jiangning County, they started recruiting. Because the salary was good and the number of people to be recruited was small, they completed all the work from registration to interview in two days. When they were about to bring the new employees back, they were reported as human traffickers and were arrested.
Su Luo said that this was not right. Both of them knew that they had to find local people to act as guarantors when recruiting workers from other places, and they must have contacted each other in advance. How could there be such a misunderstanding?
The visitor said that Jiangning County has been cracking down hard recently, and would rather catch the wrong person than let him go. A few days ago, people were arrested all over the street, and everyone looked like a bad guy. Your two friends were unlucky and were caught. He also said that you should find a way to save your two friends. Now they can’t get any help from heaven or earth. If they want to appeal, they have to queue up. Su Luo asked how many people they were in the queue. The visitor said he didn’t know. Anyway, the prison in Jiangning County was full, and the two brothers were squeezed in the last cell. He came to deliver a letter or to visit the prisoner. He was ordered to do so in a critical situation. He said that he would get one or two taels of silver if he came to deliver the letter.
Su Luo was very anxious, and immediately asked the station leader to chase Bao Zixing and Su. They had just left for a while, and he knew that he should be able to catch up with them in the general direction. If they caught up, he asked them to meet in Jiangning, and asked Wu Yong to keep an eye on the housework, and he took some extra money and was about to set off. When they were on the street, they were caught up by the maid at home. The maid panted and handed Su Luo an envelope, saying that someone had delivered it to Su Luo's door just after he left.
It was another letter, or to be more precise, an invitation, with a bright red cover and neat small characters. The inviter was the wife of the prefect, asking Su Luo to attend the charity bazaar on time tomorrow night.
