CHAPTER 402: CHAPTER 402: CATCHING THE INSIDER

Shen Wanqing slowly raised her head, her eyes devoid of any emotion.

She remained quiet, neither competing nor fighting, yet how did the person getting angry turn out to be Pei Yu?

And then she closed her eyes to rest.

However, the flirtatious banter beside her became increasingly brazen.

Shen Wanqing slowly opened her eyes, and upon opening them, she saw Pei Yu’s eyes deeply staring at her.

In those eyes, even a flash of pride passed by.

Just as Pei Yu was about to speak, Shen Wanqing opened her mouth.

"Stop the carriage."

The coachman halted the carriage, and Shen Wanqing poured some water from her water pouch to wash her face, then started applying the bottles and jars provided by Pei Shu’er.

Her actions were smooth, even Liu Dahong was drawn in by her movements.

Shen Wanqing’s actions seemed like skincare, but since when was skincare so complicated? Isn’t a small amount of application enough?

Yet Shen Wanqing did it differently, her movements were elegant and gentle, neither rushed nor slow.

Her face showed no wrinkles, and her skin was fair and translucent, making even this newly-ranked woman self-conscious.

She became increasingly interested in what Shen Wanqing was applying.

That face cream was quite something.

However, Pei Yu’s expression grew even more gloomy.

"Shen Wanqing, do you have any regard for me?"

Shen Wanqing’s actions didn’t stop, and she calmly looked at Pei Yu.

"Master, if you have any orders, just say them. I’ll listen to whatever you say."

Pei Yu was thoroughly incensed.

Liu Dahong, however, was fixated on those skincare products, thinking if she had them, wouldn’t she be even more beautiful?

After sending off Pei Yu and Shen Wanqing, a carriage full of soap was loaded.

Pei Shu’er and Tang Zan also went to Su County, and Tang Zan went to the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion.

She first visited Mrs. Hu to inquire about the Heavenly Snow Lotus and the Thousand-year-old Ganoderma, willing to purchase at a high price if available.

Mrs. Hu smiled and said, "You should return to Pei’s and wait for my news. I’ll have the master keep an eye out."

Pei Shu’er smiled and thanked her, sharing a few intimate words with Mrs. Hu, and also gave her a bottle of Scar Removal Cream.

Mrs. Hu looked at the Scar Removal Cream and sighed again.

"Your Scar Removal Cream is truly miraculous, my scars have been fading, and I believe it won’t be long before it returns to how it was before."

Saying this, she exposed her arm, which only showed shallow marks.

After speaking, Mrs. Hu smiled and looked at Pei Shu’er.

"My circle of lady friends has been urging me to inquire if there’s more of that Scar Removal Cream. They want to buy it."

Pei Shu’er shook her head, "There is none left for sale, but I have a few bottles with me. Why not give them to you, so you can use them as gifts?"

Pei Shu’er immediately took out five bottles from her bag.

Mrs. Hu was momentarily stunned upon hearing this.

"How can this be, you keep them, I won’t take them."

Pei Shu’er looked gently at Mrs. Hu, speaking in a most endearing manner.

"Shu’er doesn’t have siblings here and truly regards you as a confidante. If you insist on refusing, it would be treating me as an outsider."

Seeing Pei Shu’er’s sincerity, Mrs. Hu accepted them, but when Pei Shu’er was about to leave, she gave her a piece of silk.

"Take it to make yourself some garments to wear."

Pei Shu’er accepted with a smile, realizing that not accepting it would seem overly distant.

"Shu’er thanks sister for her kind intentions."

Later on, she could use this piece of silk to make a suitable dress for Mrs. Hu.

Arriving near Pei’s, Pei Shu’er noticed that the business of Pei’s Pastries had declined, with foot traffic reduced by nearly a third.

Even the sales of beauty soap and regular soap had decreased.

Meanwhile, the business at Zhang’s Pastries across the street from Pei’s had improved several times over.

Pei Shu’er sent Lai Fu to investigate, and if necessary, to buy some of their food to have a look.

When Lai Fu returned in a frantic state, it had already been half an hour.

His cheeks were a little red, and his eyes carried anger.

When he saw Pei Shu’er, his frustration turned into grievance.

"Young Madam, Zhang’s is really going too far, you wouldn’t believe it, they’ve actually imitated our pastries."

This wasn’t particularly surprising, as most nearby pastry shops had been imitating their pastries.

But because the taste never matched theirs, they naturally didn’t sell well.

Pei Shu’er took a sip of tea, "Let me see their pastries."

When Lai Fu brought out the pastries, Pei Shu’er’s brow furrowed slightly.

The appearance of these pastries was almost identical to theirs.

Lai Fu handed a piece of egg cake to Pei Shu’er.

"Young Madam, have a taste."

Pei Shu’er took a bite and her movements slowed down.

The taste was also exactly the same.

Pei Shu’er’s expression grew deep.

Lai Fu furiously said from the side, "That Zhang’s is really unfair, our egg cake sells for five copper coins, but they sell it for four, and the peach blossom cake too, both are cheaper than ours."

Pei Shu’er said, "Gather everyone, let’s hold a meeting to catch the traitor."

When everyone saw Pei Shu’er there, their eyes were filled with joy.

Business had been getting worse each day, but with the owner here, maybe the business would improve.

Pei Shu’er smiled and said, "I’m here today to give everyone a bonus. You’ve all done an excellent job recently."

Everyone was stunned, thinking she came to solve business problems.

After saying this, Pei Shu’er gave each person an ounce of silver.

Currently, Pei’s had a total of 30 people, and Pei Shu’er went to each one, personally handing the silver over.

Though business was bad, the owner not only didn’t blame them, she even came to give them bonuses, personally at that.

She appeared so gentle.

When receiving the ounce of silver, everyone felt very happy.

Including the monthly salary, their monthly income amounted to four ounces of silver.

Even in the Capital, that was considered a high income.

When Pei Shu’er handed the silver coin to Liu Dafeng’s rough hands,

Liu Dafeng looked up at her, her eyes reddening, then quickly lowered her head.

She murmured, "Thank you, owner."

Pei Shu’er didn’t linger, continuing to distribute to others.

After everyone had been given their share, Pei Shu’er dismissed the rest.

However, Lai Fu looked at Pei Shu’er in astonishment.

"Young Madam, I thought this meeting was to catch the traitor."

Pei Shu’er nodded, "Yes, it was to catch the traitor."

Lai Fu was even more puzzled, giving out money didn’t seem directly related to catching a traitor.

But as their Young Madam was always full of insights, Lai Fu didn’t question further.

Pei Shu’er went back to sleep, and Tang Zan also returned from the Heavenly Mechanism Pavilion, having been gathering information on the whereabouts of the Heavenly Snow Lotus and Thousand-year-old Ganoderma.

Just as the two were about to sleep, Pei Shu’er’s room door was knocked on.