The inquiring woman quickly replied, "There’s no need for apologies, and thank you for the trouble. We will inquire with soone else." Saying this, she bowed to Lady Zhao in gratitude, then turned to look for others to ask.
Another woman suggested, "We should just ask a monk from the temple; eating out is always a bit more expensive than at ho. If we hurry back now, we will certainly miss the alti. We don’t dine out every day, so eating out occasionally is still affordable."
The older of the inquiring won sighed, "If only my husband had skilled craftsn under him or had the talent himself, would we be afraid of spending a little silver? If he had taken on that job, even dining out every day would not be a problem for us to afford."
Wong Qiao was about to turn around and leave with Lady Zhao but was stopped by Xiao Cui coming forward to call her.
Lady Zhao had been paying attention to the two won during their questioning. Could it be that they were looking to eat vegetarian food? Although the two won were dressed fairly well, in Lady Zhao’s eyes, their attire did not match her own. Moreover, the two won were only accompanied by one old woman servant, which clearly indicated they were not from a very wealthy family.
She couldn’t help but take a closer look at the two won, when she overheard their conversation about craftsn and jobs. A thought flashed through Lady Zhao’s mind: good craftsn, skilled labor—wasn’t that exactly what her Ah Qiao was best at? The woman’s husband might not have such skills, but Ah Qiao in her family did.
Lady Zhao hurriedly instructed Xiao Cui to call Wong Qiao back, and without waiting to speak with Wong Qiao, she quickly walked a few steps to catch up with the two won.
The two won were puzzled when Lady Zhao called out to them. Hadn’t she just said she didn’t know a mont ago? Why was she hurrying over now?
eting the gaze of the two won and feeling sowhat embarrassed, Lady Zhao half-kneeled to show her respect and asked with an apologetic smile, "I overheard you two ladies ntioning looking for skilled craftsn, which is why I took the liberty to ask you a few questions."
The older woman replied, "Yes, that’s the situation. May I know your intentions?"
Lady Zhao’s mind raced. From the woman’s attire and her previous comnts, it seed her household was well-off, and her husband must be so sort of workshop head. However, Wong Qiao held the position of chief manager at the Qi Family Construction Business, so taking up jobs in the capital would be plausible. But if she were to work under another workshop head, it might be unseemly. It would be best for Ah Qiao to take on this job herself.
With a smile, Lady Zhao asked, "May I ask, ladies, where such craftsn are needed? And what kind of job is it?"
The two won exchanged glances, "Why do you ask this?"
With a placating smile, Lady Zhao replied, "We ca from Hezhou, and my son has worked in the construction industry. He’s also proficient with machinery and does outstanding work, his craftsmanship is truly exquisite. So, we ca to the bustling capital to see if there are more opportunities."
The woman sized Lady Zhao up once more, glanced at Xiuqin and Xiao Cui behind her, and at Wong Qiao not too far away, then shook her head and said, "Madam, you must have misunderstood; there is no such thing."
With that, she pulled her companion and turned to leave.
Lady Zhao hastily caught up again, bowing repeatedly, "Ladies, please look, if the business was taken by your lord husband, I naturally wouldn’t ask further. Since your lord husband does not plan to do it, I kindly ask that you introduce my Ah Qiao. Whether the deal goes through or not, we will certainly not forget your kindness."
Wong Qiao had been standing not far away waiting for Lady Zhao, thinking she was discussing lunch with those two won. However, what happened next seed not to be what he had anticipated; one of the won appeared reluctant to speak with his mother, while his mother was persistently pestering her.
Wong Qiao stepped forward to see what the matter was. As he drew closer, he just caught Lady Zhao’s words, and he was both shocked and annoyed. He quickly approached, bowed to the two won, and said, "Sorry for troubling you, ladies. There is nothing amiss here, I sincerely apologize. I apologize on behalf of my mother to you both, please proceed as you wish."
Xiuqin dared not co forward to stop Lady Zhao, and besides, she could also discern the elder sister-in-law’s intention. If her cousin could find a good opportunity in the capital, it would naturally be much better than returning to their hotown in Hezhou. She moved closer to Lady Zhao to show her support.
Lady Zhao’s face changed, and she scolded Wong Qiao, "What are you doing? The ladies have a good recomndation for you, and if you can secure so work in the capital, we won’t have to return to the countryside. This is a great opportunity."
"Mother." Wong Qiao simply didn’t know what to say. He was living at his uncle’s house, eating and using what belonged to his uncle. But his mother, what was this?
Seeing the disagreent between mother and son, the two won were even less inclined to involve themselves and turned to leave, only to be stopped again by Lady Zhao. Lady Zhao repeatedly smiled apologetically and said, "My son Ah Qiao truly has a talent for construction. If your master has a good reference, he might also earn the favor of the employer. Wouldn’t it be beneficial to your master’s interests first if our family cos into business later?"
"Mother, it’s getting late, let’s go," Wong Qiao frowned. He had been forced by his mother to leave the Qi Family Construction Business. If he secured another project elsewhere imdiately after leaving his uncle, and didn’t even leave the capital, how could he face his uncle and Ye Zi in the future?
Lady Zhao once again brushed off Wong Qiao’s hand from her sleeve, furiously saying, "What do you an by this? With your good skills, you have finally freed yourself from the Qi family, no longer under anyone else’s control, yet you do not seize this opportunity, not understanding how to bring glory to the Wong na. How will you face your deceased father?"
Wong Qiao opened his mouth, then glanced at the people around them; so had already started looking their way.
In the end, he couldn’t bring himself to say the words that would embarrass Lady Zhao.
He was disheartened to discover that he really couldn’t understand his mother anymore. How could a person, with what kind of personality and cognition, turn the unreasonable into reasonable, and do it with such rightful conviction? The mother he rembered shouldn’t be like this.
By now, Lady Zhao was already speaking with the two won again, "Ladies, I won’t trouble you and your master for nothing. For such a good recomndation, we will definitely express our gratitude appropriately."
The woman’s face showed difficulty, then she glanced around, leaned closer to Lady Zhao and whispered, "This matter really isn’t sothing those of our status can casually discuss. The business is under the control of His Highness Prince Fu, and my husband is also frequently contracting for construction work; that’s how I heard of it."
"His Highness Prince Fu?" Lady Zhao’s eyes widened in surprise, and she quickly tugged on the woman’s sleeve, moving toward a less crowded area.
The woman stood her ground, a smug look crossing her face, "It is not about having construction work under Prince Fu, but rather finding a chief manager with vision and skill to oversee his enterprise. Sister, think about it, the chief manager under Prince Fu, it’s not an easy position to hold. The pay is high, and there are bonuses too. It requires genuine craftsmanship, really not sothing our humble kind of artisans could refer."
"Tell more, please continue," Lady Zhao perked up at the ntion of Prince Fu’s chief manager. For a chief manager under a prince compared to one from the Qi family, weren’t they on entirely different levels? One in the heavens and the other on the earth, wasn’t that true?
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