Many things in this world are : once money is involved, even the simplest matter can become complicated.
But Tie Hailan was just too enthusiastic.
Whatever He Su needed, without He Su having to ask, she would proactively bring it to her.
For instance, the deeds to several stores in Jun City, property titles, and business dealings in some smaller towns around – she gave them all to He Su. She even took He Su around her social circles to meet her connections.
Everybody knew that Tie Hailan was part of the Tie family, and at that time, the Tie family’s influence was at its peak—nobody dared to offend her. Thus, although He Su, a small-time merchant from a minor place, had a lowly status which was nothing to boast about, everyone welcomed her warmly out of respect for Tie Hailan’s presence.
However, what exactly changed the nature of all this?
Could it be that she had never seen He Su clearly? Or was it that He Su had been good before but, unbeknownst to her, gradually became this selfish, narrow-minded, and twisted version of herself?
Tie Hailan was utterly puzzled and at a loss.
She thought it over, but still couldn’t make heads or tails of it.
After Pei Yu died, the Sky Blue Building reopened.
The men in the building applied rouge, dressed in fine silks, and busied themselves flirting and making merry with the ladies.
Brother Liubao’s face lit up with joy, as, in recent days, his pockets had been bulging with earnings. Who doesn’t love money? He reveled in its metallic scent!
On this day, deep into the night, the lights were dim.
Inside the Sky Blue Building, Tie Hailan sat beside a table, surrounded by jars of wine, already drunk.
To her, this night was no different from the previous ones. After all, these past days, she had been living a life of inebriation and oblivion.
At that moment, at the adjacent table, a woman with a painted Young Servant in tow laughed boisterously, "How formidable was that Owner He before, huh? Her iron shop had suppressed mine to the point I couldn’t lift my head. But now, look at her—she’s too busy dealing with her own troubles!"
"Hehe, I think she’s nothing but a whore! She used to pretend to be all righteous, but she was filthy in secret, involved in many shady deals!"
Tie Hailan mindlessly downed another cup of wine.
At the same time, the woman spoke again, "That He Su made her fortune in the grain business, but back in the day, in Taihang Town, there wasn’t just one He family’s grain store, there was another! When the old owner of the He family died, that person became too ambitious, plotting to take over the He family’s assets. But afterward... guess what happened?"
"That person went out for business and got killed by mountain thieves and horse bandits! It wasn’t long after that I heard from people. It turns out it was He Su who did it! She didn’t just do that, she also climbed the social ladder..."
"There’s a big fool in Jun City who was deceived by her. He thought He Su was a good person. But that fool didn’t think, did he? When she was being chased by the horse bandits, He Su didn’t show up early or late, so why did she happen to appear right when things were most perilous for him, even taking a knife for him? Even in stories, you don’t get coincidences like that!
"But who can blame him for being naive? He Su really is something. After that incident, she became close friends with that fool. It was like a carp leaping over the dragon gate. Indeed, she expanded her business to Jun City and took over several shops there."