Wanjin Lady

Chapter 301: Falling into a trap
Sun Lanzhi chuckled, her eyes sparkling and the gloom between her brows no longer visible. "Sister Wen always says something shocking. But what if there are only a few shops on the street and you can't go back? What if you go to the next shop and find that the dress in the previous shop is the most suitable one?"

"Oh, don't embarrass me. You know... I'm not good at persuading people." Wen Wan bowed her head, looking troubled. "For young girls like you, marriage is a huge matter, even a life-changing one. It's like taking your entire fortune to the gambling table, making a huge gamble. You can either lose everything or win big. But in reality, marriage is ultimately a game between two families, two genders, and two standpoints. There's a lot to learn here."

"For me, it doesn't matter who I choose. There aren't many men in this world you can trust anyway. I might as well rely on myself and put all my happiness and joy for the rest of my life on myself. That way, no matter what clothes I choose, I can make it fit me and look good on me."

Sun Lanzhi seemed to be thinking about something, but still looked confused.

As a girl, you should not discuss your marriage all the time, and you should not make shameless comments about suitable marriage partners.

But perhaps it was because when they first met, Wen Wan argued with An Baonian for the singing girl, and the two of them formed an inexplicable comradeship. Sun Lanzhi had a natural closeness and trust for Wen Wan.

"But what if he's the perfect one for me?"

Wen Wan smiled again and said, "I heard Miss Sun say that it was suitable, but she never mentioned the word 'delighted'. It seems that you are not in love with my brother, but just think that you two are suitable. In this case, Miss Sun should not feel sad about losing this dress."

"Furthermore, Miss Sun, you can ask yourself, can your current worry and anxiety solve this problem? If you can, then there's no need to worry. If not, then worrying won't help."

Sun Lanzhi's expression suddenly dawned on her, as if all the knots in her heart had been untied. A strange smile appeared on the corners of her mouth. She looked at Wen Wan with gentle eyes. "Sister Wen also said that she couldn't comfort people. Every time I listen to you speak, it's like a revelation, and something in my heart seems to calm down."

Wen Wan smiled and said, "As long as it can comfort Miss Sun."

Sun Lanzhi was reluctant to leave, "Is it true that after Master Wen is released... you will return to Ping County?"

"Well, there's still a lot of things to do at the winery over there, and we can't waste even a moment."

Sun Lanzhi's eyes flickered with longing. "Ah. I forgot Sister Wen is different from us. Sister Wen is a girl who stayed at home to marry into a family. She has to work hard for the family's future just like Daddy and the others do."

"It's okay. Bozhou isn't too far from Pingxian. If Miss Sun needs anything, we can send a letter via carrier pigeon."

"It's different after all."

Sun Lanzhi felt empty inside. Wen Wan's departure was even more upsetting to her than her own unhappy marriage. It would have been great if Sister Wen could have stayed in Bozhou forever.

"As the master, what do you mean by only accompanying Miss Sun?" The Wu family's wife came over and enthusiastically pulled her forward, "Come on, come on, play a few rounds of pitching pots with us!"

Wen Wan followed the Wu family lady, who whispered in her ear, "Miss Wen, last time you said... the court intends to tighten restrictions on private lending. Do you know the reason? Or... is there any news from Lord Wei?"

Wen Wan feigned just the right amount of surprise. "Madam Wu, you seem quite concerned about loans. Could it be that someone in your family is involved in this business?" Madam Wu didn't know how to answer, but Wen Wan conveniently offered her a way out. "However, to be fair, this kind of thing... is quite common. The young men are out there working hard; how could they know the difficulties of managing the household? All these favors, welcoming and sending off guests, and handling things inside and outside the home—none of them cost money. Are you suggesting we force the women to borrow money from banks or use their own dowries to cover it?"

Upon hearing this, the Wu family's wife was so moved that she burst into tears. She felt even more that Miss Wen was indeed as considerate as the legend said. She no longer had any defenses and confided in them everything about her family. Finally, she said, "Who says it's not true? My sons and daughters only know how to spend their money outside and ask for it. I'm not the God of Wealth, how can I get so much money? This court is really too lenient. Why do they care so much?"

As she spoke, Madam Wu began to complain about her husband again.

Wen Wan didn't want to hear other people's gossip, so she smiled and stopped them. "I only heard about this loan from the Marquis, so don't take it seriously. If you ladies are really concerned about this matter, I will ask the Marquis indirectly. If there are other ladies who need help, we can make an appointment to meet individually tomorrow. This is not the place to talk right now."

Yo.

Is the fish hooked again?
Unfortunately, she had important things to do today and had no time to go fishing.

Mrs. Wu's face was filled with gratitude. "Ms. Wen is truly considerate! When your Ruiguo syrup comes out... I'll buy it all for you!"

The young lady lowered her head in embarrassment. "Why is it so? Why is it so? Madam Wu is so polite."

There was no other way. Since the other party had already handed over his head, she couldn't get away without taking a blow...

As they spoke, eighteen dishes were served one after another. Wen Wan, as the host, greeted the guests and seated them. She even politely addressed Miss Xu, who had been rude and trying to trick her that day. "Ladies, what's so fun about pitching pots? Let's eat first. I'll teach you a trick you haven't played before!"

Wen Wan picked up a chopstick and knocked it on the edge of the porcelain bowl. The whole water pavilion made a crisp "thump" sound, and the ladies all looked at Wen Wan.

The young lady was talking and laughing, but her cheeks were flushed, and she was obviously drunk.

The young lady from the Xu family, seeing Wen Wan's good face, naturally took advantage of the situation and said a few nice words. She then pulled her companion and laughed at Wen Wan, "Miss Wen, you just punished yourself with three cups of wine. That wine is not as strong as your Ruiguo syrup. You can still stand steadily?"

"What are you talking about? Miss Wen runs a winery, so naturally she can drink a lot! Not to mention these three glasses of wine, even if she drank the entire jar of wine, she wouldn't be drunk!"

Wen Wan pretended to shake her body and spoke with a lisp. She begged for mercy again and again: "Sisters, please let me go. Although my family runs a winery, it doesn't mean I can drink a lot. Just like this Sister Luo, her family runs a clothing store. Doesn't that mean she must be dexterous and can sew clothes?"

Miss Luo spat at her, "Don't expose my shortcomings when you criticize me! Everyone knows I'm notoriously clumsy. You'd better tell me about your game!"

"I've asked the shopkeeper to bottle the syrup and serve the wine. Everyone's got a full glass in front of them. Everyone, come to the table, and let's play a game of grabbing numbers. One, two, three, four, call out the numbers. The last person or the one who calls out the numbers at the same time must drink a penalty drink."