Lu Xuan had given it serious thought:

“I wanted to see what kind of woman he likes.”

She had initially thought it would be someone like Ji Ya, but the change was completely unexpected. If Tang Hongen’s affections could shift from Ji Ya to Liu Fen, why couldn’t they shift to her?

“So what have you figured out?”

Song’s Second Sister-in-law recalled her recent encounter with Liu Fen. She wasn’t very tall and was quite slim, not particularly fair-skinned, but her face had a healthy glow. With light makeup, you could see the fine lines around her eyes.

Overall, she was an attractive woman. With a daughter in university and given that rural women married and had children early, Liu Fen must be close to 40.

She looked around 35, not at all like a rural woman. If one didn’t know her background, they would surely think she was from the city.

Honestly speaking, her appearance wasn’t bad.

But age was undeniable – a woman who had given birth couldn’t compare to a young lady. She must be at least 10 years older than Lu Xuan. Age wasn’t something that could be hidden with makeup and dress. How could she compare to Lu Xuan? Lu Xuan had striking features, at thirty she looked only twenty-seven or twenty-eight. Lu Xuan’s work required her to dress maturely, but if she styled herself to look younger and more energetic, with her face and skin, she wouldn’t look over 25!

Tang Hongen must be blind to choose that divorced shopkeeper over Lu Xuan.

Song’s Second Sister-in-law felt Tang Hongen was being deliberately difficult.

He always acted respectfully in front of the Old Master, but if he were truly respectful, why wouldn’t he marry Lu Xuan, who had connections to the Song family?

That way, even after the Old Master passed, the two families could maintain their close relationship, and Tang Hongen wouldn’t be ungrateful for the Old Master’s patronage!

While Song’s Second Sister-in-law thought this way, Lu Xuan disagreed:

“Master Song has indeed helped him greatly, but the Song family doesn’t have any suitable daughters for him to marry. If he married someone from the third generation, people in our circle would mock them. How could Master Song do such a thing? Sister, you always think that because we’re cousins, he should simply marry me… But leaving aside his increasingly high position, very few people can force him to do anything now, unless Master Song specifically orders it. But why would Master Song do that? I’m not a Song, and neither are you. You married into the Song family and became one of them, but I’m just your cousin – in Master Song’s eyes, I’m still an outsider.”

Lu Xuan’s thinking was very clear.

She spoke the truth, though the truth wasn’t as pleasant as fiction.

Lu Xuan wanted to say that even Master Song’s children trembled like quails before him, so they couldn’t influence their father’s decisions, let alone try to control Tang Hongen through him.

Her cousin looked down on Liu Fen for being a shopkeeper, but Liu Fen was who Tang Hongen liked.

Lu Xuan needed to figure out why Tang Hongen liked Liu Fen, rather than arrogantly trying to humiliate Liu Fen – would that make Tang Hongen like her?

No, he would only dislike her more.

Song’s Second Sister-in-law was momentarily speechless at her cousin’s words. After a while, she looked at Lu Xuan with deep affection:

“Xuan, you’ve been wronged. You’re right – even if you were my real sister, you still wouldn’t compare to the Song family’s actual daughters. Look at Song Nanzhen – what abilities does she have? She spends all year lounging at her parents’ home, neither respecting her in-laws nor taking care of her husband, yet the Huo family in Shanghai doesn’t dare say a word! What’s her backing? Is it because she’s capable or beautiful that the Huo family can’t let her go? It’s just because her surname is Song!”

Song’s Second Sister-in-law was fuming as she spoke. A married daughter was like spilled water, and it was rare to see someone like her sister-in-law Song Nanzhen clinging so tightly to her maiden family.

But Song’s Second Sister-in-law didn’t dare openly confront Song Nanzhen – the Old Master still had a soft spot for her.

Song Nanzhen had no real abilities; her only talent was being born a Song daughter.

How pitiful that her beautiful and capable cousin, just because her surname was Lu, had to scheme so much just to marry a divorced man, even lowering herself to approach the woman Tang Hongen favored!

While Song’s Second Sister-in-law was lost in her thoughts, Lu Xuan had her plans.

This was her fourth visit to Liu Fen’s clothing store. She’d heard Liu Fen had three stores, spending mornings at the Xiushui Street and Xidan locations, and afternoons at the new Gulou store. Lu Xuan always came in the afternoon, ensuring she would meet Liu Fen.

Liu Fen didn’t know who she was, and Lu Xuan preferred it that way. Through these interactions, she could understand what kind of person Liu Fen was.

What qualities did Liu Fen have that she didn’t?

Those qualities might be what Tang Hongen liked.

As Lu Xuan had said, she wasn’t a Song, so she wasn’t eligible for an arranged marriage with Tang Hongen.

She needed to make Tang Hongen like her for him to want to marry her.

Lu Xuan had to use Song Nanzhen to pacify her cousin, knowing the strained relationship between sister-in-law and sister-in-law:

“I remember Song Nanzhen tried to arrange a marriage for him before, but that didn’t work out either. Sister, you know Song Nanzhen’s personality – she expects everything she does to succeed. This time she’s not rushing, isn’t that suspicious? Perhaps she’s waiting for us to make fools of ourselves, trying to catch our mistakes. We can’t let Song Nanzhen have her way!”

Song’s Second Sister-in-law gripped the car seat tightly. “You’re right, Song Nanzhen might be thinking that way. She had already returned to Shanghai but rushed back to Beijing, not worried about the Old Master’s criticism – she must have come back for this… Song Nanzhen is so devious, wanting to use us as pioneers?”

That was close – in her anger and anxiety for Lu Xuan, she had almost fallen for Song Nanzhen’s trap!

Song’s Second Sister-in-law’s attention was diverted, filled with anger toward her sister-in-law, forgetting to ask Lu Xuan what she had discovered about why Tang Hongen preferred that divorced shopkeeper.

Min Xiaoju climbed up from the back seat of the car.

Mayor Tang had asked her to help, worried that Liu Fen might be bullied or taken advantage of.

Min Xiaoju had eaten many meals at Liu Fen’s home. Besides doing some manual labor, she couldn’t help much, yet Liu Fen’s family never complained about how much she ate.

She couldn’t just eat without doing anything in return. Min Xiaoju moved slowly, but when Liu Fen came out with the day’s earnings, Min Xiaoju quickened her pace, reaching Liu Fen’s side in a few steps. If anyone had ill intentions now, Min Xiaoju would show them what all that eating had trained her for!

Though she appeared simple, she was observant. She might not spot someone with ulterior motives around Liu Fen the first time, but after several encounters, she could figure it out.

Min Xiaoju hadn’t recognized Lu Xuan on her first visit.

But Lu Xuan had come four times, appearing interested in ‘Blue Phoenix’ clothing while constantly engaging Liu Fen in conversation, her attention focused on Liu Fen, drawing her into discussions.

Min Xiaoju had already grown wary of Lu Xuan, and today when Lu Xuan came with Song Second Madam, Min Xiaoju recognized the latter.

Coming and going with Second Madam Song, could she be that “cousin” who remained unmarried for Mayor Tang?

Seemed her surname was Lu.

On the way back, Min Xiaoju maintained her simple demeanor, “Liu Fen, those who came to the store by car today were from the Song family.”