Having broadly grasped the state of the various branches of Fuman Building, although not in great detail, it was certainly better than being completely in the dark. Moreover, many details were clearly not clear to Xia Zheng either; it seemed she could only understand fully after meeting with the Shopkeepers of the branches.
The day to meet with each Shopkeeper was set for noon, two days later. That day, Lin Yuan had Lin Yi drive the carriage to town early. She needed to swing by the tofu workshop first and then go check on Rice Flower Fragrance.
Loudmouth had agreed to help out at Rice Flower Fragrance. She hadn’t had the chance to inform the people at the shop yet—it was the perfect time to stop by and let them know.
Hearing that her older sister was going to town to inspect the shops, Lin Wei quickly got up. She had run out of embroidery silk, and it was the perfect opportunity to accompany her sister and pick some new silk at Mo Sanniang’s fabric shop.
Having not seen Lan Hua for several days since their last encounter, Lin Yuan thought about who could be so loose-lipped, constantly spouting nonsense in the shop. Thus, she didn’t have Shopkeeper Zhou announce her arrival when she entered.
Pretending to browse, Lin Wei went off on her own while Lin Yuan slipped into the back courtyard alone. Just as she reached the kitchen doorway, she heard a buzz of chatter from inside, clearly from the same person.
Lin Yuan frowned, feeling that this woman’s talent for talking was even greater than Little River’s mother and Lady Ma whom she had seen in the village, not to mention even Lan Hua would have to concede defeat.
Lin Yuan did not rush in but leaned quietly against the door frame outside to listen. Her figure was quite petite. Although she had grown taller these days, she had not put on much weight, so no one noticed her eavesdropping.
"You lot, take a look at the tofu I’ve scooped up—haha, isn’t it smooth and tender? Lan Hua, come and feel it, isn’t it as silky as your little cheek? Haha, don’t be shy! With skin as thin as a sheet of paper, how will you ever find a man? Look at that lass from the fabric shop next door, the way she eyes men, like a wildcat that’s seen meat, practically throwing herself at them, begging to be fondled. Oh my, that’s what being a real woman is about! With just a glance, she can hook a man’s soul, now that’s real skill!"
The woman speaking was a middle-aged woman, not too old but not young either. It was somewhat appropriate to talk in front of the married women, but Lan Hua, a young unmarried girl, was also present, and the woman seemed to have no consideration of propriety.
The several women listening around her didn’t engage in conversation, merely letting out a dry laugh before lowering their heads to continue with their work.
Glancing sideways, Lin Yuan saw the woman holding the tofu-pressing frame in one hand while carelessly tossing the spoon used for scooping tofu curd onto the stove with the other. The spoon clinked against the stove surface but didn’t settle securely; instead, it clattered to the ground with a clang.
As if unaware, the woman kicked it aside with her foot and cursed under her breath, "Damned little turtle, can’t even stay put, this worthless spoon!"
After cursing, she set the tofu-pressing frame aside on the shelf and turned around, not forgetting to firmly scoop up a large chunk of tofu and stuff it into her mouth.
Lan Hua caught her in the act and frowned, "Sister-in-law, why are you stealing bites again? That piece of tofu isn’t whole anymore; how can we send it to Fuman Building ?"
But the woman just waved her hand nonchalantly and winked at her, pretending to be very close, "I won’t do it again next time, next time for sure. Good sister, don’t be mad. I’ll take you to the male brothel for a bit of fun one of these days, to make amends, okay?"