Shi Yui sighed and said, "Exactly! You are his wise helpmate. Our Shi family’s business will have to rely on both of you in the future!"
Gu Fangzi’s eyes sparkled, that’s right, what’s Sang Wan worth? Even if she manages the household, she can only wander within the inner courtyard. How much does this frog in the well know about the vast world out there? Could she assist her cousin in business?
Once her period of mourning is over, she could join hands with her cousin and take charge of the Shi family’s business affairs. They could turn the tables and stir up storms of change—how much better that would be compared to fussing over trivial matters in the inner courtyard every day! By that ti, her cousin would naturally know who is the best choice to marry!
As long as she firmly grasps her cousin in her hands, what can Sang Wan do, even if she’s capable? Turning a wife into a concubine, how hard could that be?
"Big cousin, saying that, how would Fangzi dare to accept such praise! You are just teasing Fangzi!" Gu Fangzi’s frown disappeared as she replied modestly with a smile.
"If you don’t dare to accept, who else dares?" Shi Yui laughed and couldn’t help but sigh again, "It’s really a pity, just as I return, you encounter such an incident! Otherwise, how joyful we would be right now! Tomorrow, we will eat crabs at Qiufang Pavilion, it’s such a pity that you can’t go!"
Shi Yui’s words hit right where Gu Fangzi felt, and she couldn’t help but sigh, "Indeed, the heavens do not always fulfill our wishes, who knew such a thing would happen!"
"Didn’t I tell you? This is called ’many a slip ’twixt the cup and the lip’!" Shi Yui gently patted her hand, consoling her in a soft voice: "Half a year will pass quickly! It will be fine then!"
Gratefully, Gu Fangzi smiled and nodded, then casually laughed, "This season is indeed the best ti for eating crabs. Was it cousin who especially invited you?"
"No," said Shi Yui, "it was the Sang family girl!" Saying that, she humd, "Such a miser, it was only after I pressured her that she reluctantly agreed to host the feast! But she does have so conscience, willing to invite us for crabs! Today, I saw the crabs sent from the manor – they’re indeed large, each as big as a bowl’s mouth, probably weighing half a pound each!" She lanted again about Gu Fangzi being unable to attend.
However, Gu Fangzi’s countenance changed to show various shades of gloom and brightness, and she casually asked with a laugh, "She really is thoughtful! But how did big cousin know that they were sent from the manor? Our family’s manor?"
"Yes! I saw and heard it myself, how could it not be true? Oh, she sure knows how to play her abacus!" Shi Yui said resentfully, "Taking things from the manor to curry favors! Yesterday, the way she fooled mother into being so happy, mother endlessly praised her for her filial piety!"
Gu Fangzi’s heart sank completely, and she forced a smile, "But you cannot say that either. After all, it was she who ordered them! Besides, these items sent from the manor also have to be accounted for; where else would the money for managing the manor co from?"
After hearing this, Shi Yui laughed and said, "You indeed understand! You’re even speaking up for her!"
Gu Fangzi gave a dry laugh without saying anything, but her heart turned even colder.
She knew very well that the Shi family had three large manors and five smaller ones in the Qingzhou area. Among the three large manors, two were fertile fields and one was mountain forests—none of them produced crabs. Even the five smaller manors didn’t produce crabs, at least not as large as the ones Shi Yui described.
Only the private villa of Shi Fengju yielded a rich supply of crabs; she recalled in the past she even accompanied him there. Needless to say, this banquet, ostensibly under Sang Wan’s na, was actually Shi Fengju helping her!
He actually helped her! He even thought of such a trivial matter! Does she not have money? Could she not prepare herself?
Gu Fangzi’s heart soured and tightened as she recalled how Shi Fengju treated her yesterday, and her sense of injustice and anger deepened.
She really didn’t misjudge; a man’s heart is the least reliable! Even if they are childhood sweethearts, even if they were mutually in love, it can’t compare with her who stays by his side every day. In the end, he has changed his heart! He has been bewitched by that vixen!
Despite being heartbroken, Gu Fangzi did not lose hope; instead, her fighting spirit soared even higher. She believed that if he could change once, he could change back! As long as she put her heart into it!
"By the way, how is living in the banana garden, big cousin? Is it well arranged and decorated?" Gu Fangzi smiled, "My sister is one of the most delicate and cultured people, elegant and fastidious. With her help in decoration, I trust it must be both refined and comfortable!"
Shi Yui scoffed, "Don’t ntion her! How dare I let her do anything? Ask her anything, and she’d co up with all kinds of excuses, insisting on Fengju taking care of it; it makes feel sorry for Fengju! She doesn’t know how to be considerate to her own husband at all!" Shi Yui then ranted about how much trouble it was for Fengju to arrange and tidy up the banana garden, and how even choosing a few potted plants was done by her brother Fengju!
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