Pei Ji’an laughed and said, "If you truly dislike this arranged marriage, big brother, I’ll find a way to cancel it tomorrow and find a more suitable one for you."
Pei Yuan replied, "Forget it, no need to trouble yourself. I don’t have any requirents, as long as grandmother and mother like it, it’s fine."
Pei Ji’an just smiled and said nothing. He wanted to help, but since others didn’t accept it, there was nothing he could do.
Back at Lixiang Courtyard, he discovered that Qu Fulan was still in the study looking at the account books.
It was said that Qu Fulan hurriedly finished her al and returned to the study to look at the account books again.
Going through account books is not an easy task. Without participating in the business and knowing the price of goods, one must have so skill to identify problems just from the account books.
For helping Qu Fulan with the account books, the four bodyguards by the Heir Pei’s side were not optimistic.
There are so many account books, it’s hard enough to finish reading them, let alone find problems within them.
Besides, those account books are not important. Shops that are profitable would naturally not let her touch them easily. Testing Qu Fulan with such shops was intentional, with two anings.
First, if she has no skills, it’s just right to let her retreat in defeat; second, to see what she intends to do in the future. If she wants to use business as a ans to deliver ssages to the Pei Family’s enemies or sothing, they can catch her in the act.
"How long do you think it will take her to finish those account books?"
The four bodyguards sat in a tree discussing, with a vantage point that could see everything in the study.
"The shopkeeper takes seven or eight days to organize them at the end of the month; she would need at least half a month to finish it."
"Perhaps she’s just pretending and not really focused on the account books. In the end, she might dismiss it by saying ’there are no problems at all.’
"Let’s make a bet on whether she can find any problems."
"That’s unreasonable. Since she claid to know business, she must at least find a few problems to report back to the master. Besides, those account books more or less have a few issues. Betting that she can’t find any issues would surely lose."
"That’s true. Let’s change the bet to whether she’s a ’spy,’ what do you say?"
This ti, no one objected.
In the end, two people thought Qu Fulan was a spy, and two did not, just perfectly divided.
Qu Fulan, after all, was just a weak woman. It wasn’t easy to discern the truth from the fake, and the wager was just about probability.
Qu Fulan didn’t know she had beco soone else’s bet. Her mind was fully on the account books, treating them as her only way out.
When Heir Pei entered, Qu Fulan quickly stood up to salute, but was stopped with a raised hand.
"Have you eaten?" Heir Pei asked.
"I ate before I ca back to continue reading," Qu Fulan replied.
"The account books can’t be finished in one sitting; why not leave it for the dayti?"
"Besides, I have nothing else to do. I thought finishing them early would give peace of mind. But I won’t read for too long either; most of it will be left for the day."
In ancient tis, there was no electricity, and lighting candles was a luxury for poor families. The Pei Mansion was wealthy but not wasteful.
Heir Pei had already sat down opposite her, noticing a pile of books beside her left hand, seemingly already sorted. He wasn’t interested in flipping through them but casually picked up an unread account book, giving her a glance when she spoke.
"The Pei Mansion can afford so oil money, but the lighting at night is never as comfortable as during the day."
Qu Fulan felt that this man was too sharp. With just one sentence, he directly saw through her intention. It seed she should be more straightforward in the future; being indirect was not appreciated.
It was a lesson from her boss in modern tis, advising against being roundabout with superiors, though it was permissible with peers.
"What you said is right, My Lord, I’ll rember it."
"How long will you be looking at these account books?" Heir Pei threw the book he was holding aside. He didn’t lack people to look at account books — the shops he owned had dedicated personnel managing them. Monthly summaries of profits or losses were clear to him.
These few shops were just a cover, not worth his effort, but the shopkeeper had long organized them, and he had already reviewed them.
"Three days, give three days, My Lord, and I will give you an explanation," Qu Fulan said earnestly when it ca to business.
Heir Pei was sowhat surprised by the ti she ntioned but, seeing her attitude, refrained from saying more.
"If so, I’ll wait for the good news." With that, he rose, "Working on account books at night is, after all, bad for the eyes. Use your discretion."
With that, he left without waiting for Qu Fulan to respond.
Qu Fulan didn’t dare to read for too long. After all, she wasn’t at her own ho, so she called it a night and planned to start early the next day.
However, the following day she was inford that everyone was going to Sunset Lake for a show.
The old lady, the second wife, Mr. Pei, and even Heir Pei were going, so she, as Heir Pei’s maid, naturally couldn’t be left out.
Qu Fulan ran into Hai Xia on her way out, who inford her of the outing’s purpose.
Hai Xia first expressed excitent upon seeing her and then explained the purpose of the trip.
"They say it’s to find a match for Mr. Pei," Hai Xia whispered, ensuring only Qu Fulan could hear.
Qu Fulan then realized that ancient tis weren’t completely blind when it ca to marriage. It was sowhat similar to modern tis where both parties had to look at each other first, and if unsatisfied, it could be politely declined.
But in reality, the chance of declining was very small. Take Mr. Pei’s marriage, for example, usually, both families had to be satisfied to reach the viewing stage.
Otherwise, it wouldn’t progress past the matchmaker’s level.
The Sunset Lake in Capital City is beautiful, especially at sunset when the beauty of the sunset is endless, hence its na.
The lakeside is surrounded by buildings where one can watch a show inside and enjoy the view outside, enjoying both. Therefore, with anything good happening, families of great houses choose to co here for leisure.
They had just arrived when the Qian Family, who were there for Mr. Pei’s match, walked in.
Mr. Pei was remarrying, and the family he was considering wasn’t of high status but was a scholarly family, making them a suitable match.
Given Mr. Pei’s status, finding an equally prestigious match is possible. But concerned that a prominent background might be unfavorable for Tuan, they chose a family of moderate standing, saving much trouble.
"Greetings, Old Lady." Mrs. Qian, leading her daughter, bowed to the old lady, while Miss Qian discreetly glanced around but did not find the person she wished to see.
The old lady naturally noticed all of this and, smiling, explained, "He encountered a few acquaintances on the way and is socializing, but will join us soon."
As she spoke, she observed the young lady in front of her. She seed sowhat different from the matchmaker’s description, but it didn’t matter much. The old lady warmly took Miss Qian’s hand and engaged in conversation.
As they talked, the young noblen who had just left to socialize began returning to their seats one after another.
Mr. Pei and Heir Pei were among them.
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