The wicked mother-in-law doesn't try to whitewash herself; she only abuses her awful children.

"Peach Blossom, why didn't you wait for me to come to the shop today?"

When Su Chengmin saw Gu Taohua walk out of the accounting room, he quickly went to greet her.

Gu Taohua glanced at Su Chengmin and said, "Commander Su is so busy, how could I dare to trouble you?"

After saying that, he walked away expressionlessly.

Su Chengmin felt as if a sledgehammer had struck his heart, leaving him feeling suffocated and unable to breathe.

Before he could react, Gu Taohua had already left the shop, so he hurriedly chased after her.

“Peach Blossom!”

“Peach Blossom!”

Su Chengmin shouted as he ran.

Gu Taohua continued walking forward as if she hadn't heard anything.

Su Chengmin was so anxious he felt like a cat was scratching at his heart.

"Peach Blossom, are you angry with me?" Su Chengmin finally caught up with Gu Taohua and asked.

Gu Taohua glanced at Su Chengmin, her almond-shaped eyes filled with anger.

Su Chengmin's heart skipped a beat.

Last night, she learned from Liu Yue'e that Su Shihang was going to ask the Emperor to grant Su Chengmin a marriage with his cousin, who was from a roundabout way, although she didn't take it to heart.

But I still get inexplicably angry.

She was angry that Su Chengmin hadn't proposed to the Gu family earlier and settled their marriage, allowing others to take advantage of the situation.

If he had come to the Gu family to propose marriage earlier, Su Shihang would have had no reason to ask the emperor for a marriage decree.

Gu Taohua said, "Why should I be angry with you?"

Su Chengmin pulled Gu Taohua into the alley next door.

Gu Taohua broke free and said, "Stop pulling and tugging. If your cousin sees this, it will ruin your good marriage."

Su Chengmin swore, "There is no cousin. That was my father's idea. I only love you. If you are willing, I will go to your house to propose marriage right away."

Gu Taohua snorted.

Seeing that Gu Taohua's anger had subsided, Su Chengmin continued to coax her gently.

He was really afraid that Gu Taohua would be so angry that she wouldn't want to marry him.

Lu Yin'er thought about it all night, figuring out how to marry Su Chengmin smoothly.

My aunt said that men need to be coaxed. The reason she won my uncle back from Min Baozhen was because she was submissive and humble, while Min Baozhen was more assertive. Comparing the two, the man ultimately chose her.

Lu Yin'er decided to follow her aunt's strategy of being humble and unassuming.

I made some snacks early in the morning and went to the Imperial Guard to find Su Chengmin.

She knew that the Imperial Guard's quarters weren't easy to get into, and even if she could get close, Su Chengmin wouldn't see her. She didn't plan to go in; she only needed to stand on the road Su Chengmin was bound to take to let him know that she cared about him, and that would be enough.

After standing there for a while, Su Chengmin's subordinate kindly told her that Su Chengmin was on leave and she wouldn't be able to wait for him today.

Curious, she asked her subordinate how he knew she was waiting for Su Chengmin.

“Our commander is young, promising, and handsome. Since you’ve come here, you must be here to see him,” the subordinate said.

Lu Yin'er blushed.

That subordinate was not telling the truth.

He knew that Lu Yin'er was waiting for Su Chengmin because he had seen her at the banquet the day before. He knew that this girl was Su Shihang's cousin whom he had asked the emperor to arrange for Su Chengmin to marry.

Seeing that Lu Yin'er was dressed in thin clothes in the late autumn weather, her subordinate felt sorry for her. This girl was Su Shihang's pawn.

“Young lady, I advise you not to wait any longer. Even if you wait until the seas dry up and the rocks crumble, our commander will never see you,” the subordinate said.

Lu Yin'er bit her lip and her eyes were red.

She wanted to ask her subordinate Su Chengmin which family the girl he admired belonged to, but ultimately she was too embarrassed to ask.

So he took the food, turned around, got into the carriage, and left.

The carriage clattered into the East Market Street. Lu Yin'er planned to visit Jufulai Restaurant.

She lived with her aunt, and although she had no worries about food and clothing, she couldn't afford to wear fine silks and satins. Her aunt didn't give her much money on a daily basis, and she often had to rely on embroidery to supplement her parents' income in the countryside.

She heard that Jufulai's cotton fabric was of good quality, cheap, and warm, so she wanted to buy some cotton fabric to sew clothes for her parents.

Turning a corner, I saw Su Chengmin and a girl standing in the alley talking.

The girl had her back to her, so it was impossible to tell which family she came from, while Su Chengmin had a bright smile on his face, a smile she had never seen before.

She always saw Su Chengmin with a cold expression.

Lu Yin'er felt as if her heart was being pricked by needles.

He ordered the carriage to stop.

Which girl could make Su Chengmin so happy?

Her eyes were fixed on Su Chengmin and the girl.

The girl seemed angry, but after a long time, her anger subsided. She turned around, punched Su Chengmin, and then smiled.

Lu Yin'er's eyes widened.

She knew that girl; Peach Blossom Dessert was named after her, and Jufulai was also from her family.

I heard that this girl is very capable. She came from Qinghewan to Shengjing to do business and has run her shop very successfully.

A few days ago, her feud with Princess Mingyue caused such a stir that everyone in Shengjing knew her name.

Valley peach blossoms.

Lu Yin'er clenched her fingers tightly.

She even met Gu Taohua at Jufulai. At the time, Gu Taohua was inspecting the shop. Seeing that she was interested in cotton fabric, she personally went up to her to explain the advantages of cotton fabric and gave her a discount.

If Gu Taohua weren't the girl Su Chengmin admired, she would think this girl was really nice.

She's beautiful, cheerful, and generous; it's no wonder men fall for her.

If she were to compete with Gu Taohua, could she win through normal means?

Gu Taohua is the Crown Prince's aunt in the common people's world. As the Crown Prince's guardian, Su Chengmin and Gu Taohua's relationship is not something that happened overnight, but rather three or four years ago.

Su Chengmin looked at Gu Taohua with eyes brimming with spring water, tender and affectionate.

Lu Yin'er almost vomited blood.

I arrived at Jufulai in a daze, my legs numb as I wandered between the containers.

"Girl, girl, you've dropped your handkerchief."

Lu Yin'er looked up and saw Gu Taohua and Su Chengmin standing behind her.

Gu Taohua came to inspect the shop, and Su Chengmin followed her. He noticed that Lu Yin'er's handkerchief had fallen to the ground, and she picked it up and handed it to her.

Lu Yin'er took the handkerchief.

Su Chengmin maintained a cold expression as if he didn't recognize the person in front of him.

Lu Yin'er saw disgust in his eyes, and jealousy burned within her. She glanced at Gu Taohua, then gave Su Chengmin a graceful curtsy and said, "Cousin, what a coincidence that we met here. I was going to make some of your favorite snacks to take to you, but your subordinates told me you were on leave. You shouldn't have said anything about being on leave, making me come all this way for nothing."

Su Chengmin's face turned ashen upon hearing this, and he said sternly, "Who is your cousin? Miss Lu, please don't make baseless accusations."

Su Chengmin was absolutely furious.

He finally managed to appease Gu Taohua and arranged to go to the Gu family to propose marriage.

But Lu Yin'er suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

He realized that Lu Yin'er was saying this on purpose, deliberately trying to make Gu Taohua misunderstand.

Lu Yin'er smiled gently and said, "Cousin, you're joking. My aunt is your stepmother. What else should I call you if not cousin? Cousin, what are you doing at Jufulai? Are you here to buy something too? In that case, cousin, why don't you help me pick out a few bolts of cotton cloth?"

After saying that, he lifted his eyelids to look at Gu Taohua.

He found it strange that Gu Taohua wasn't reacting at all. (End of Chapter)