The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

"Is Miss Yan going to give this to the eldest young master of the Liu family?"

"That's not right, Shengshi Lieyan and Liu's Embroidery Shop are rivals, how could Miss Yan..."

"If it were really given to Young Master Liu, I wonder if he would accept it? I heard that since Shengshi Lieyan opened, Liu's Embroidery Shop has had almost no business."

"Quick, look! Young Master Liu's expression seems a bit off..."

At this moment, Liu Zhan's face was indeed rather unpleasant. No, it wasn't just unpleasant; there was even a hint of panic in his expression. For some reason, under Miss Yan's gaze, Liu Zhan felt his scalp tingle and subconsciously wanted to look away.

However, with so many people present, if he were to actually avoid it, everyone would probably laugh at him, Liu Zhan.

"Young Master Liu, would you be willing to accept this gift from me?" An Mi's lips curled up slightly, her voice as gentle as water, flowing slowly from under her veil. Anyone who didn't know better might have thought that this Miss Yan's shy tone indicated that she was interested in Liu Zhan!

However, the King of Donglin, who was standing quietly in the corner, had a flicker in his eyes. From his angle, he could see An Mi's indescribably strange gaze, which aroused his curiosity even more.

Liu Zhan's gaze fell on the embroidered handkerchief in Miss Yan's hand. The handkerchief was folded neatly in a square shape, and at first glance, one could only see what appeared to be flames dancing on it.

When Liu Zhan thought of the wedding gift that Miss Yan had given him last time, he always felt a bit resistant to the things Miss Yan gave him, but... should he not accept them?

No, he couldn't refuse!

"Miss Yan, may I ask why you are giving me this gift? I cannot accept a gift without having done something for it, can I?" Liu Zhan said with a smile, pulling himself out of his thoughts.

An Mi chuckled, "That's true. One shouldn't accept a gift without merit. But Young Master Liu must have done a great service to our Shengshi Lieyan. If you don't accept the gift, there are some things I'm afraid I won't be able to say."

Liu Zhan was startled and suddenly realized that Miss Yan was trying to please him.

What does it mean to openly show him goodwill?

I must have been too worried and misunderstood. How could Miss Yan not know about the widow's village? However, her first reaction was not anger, but... seeking a solution.

Hehe, this Miss Yan is quite a shrewd woman. She knows that at this time, she should ask Liu's Embroidery Shop for help. Even if she can just borrow a few of their embroiderers, it can alleviate the current problem, right?

With this thought in mind, Liu Zhan's expression relaxed, and when he glanced at the folded embroidered handkerchief again, he was no longer so afraid.

However… thinking of Shengshi Lieyan’s disdain for him these days, Liu Zhan frowned and said meaningfully, “Miss Yan, I cannot accept either your gift or your unspeakable words.”

An Mi's lips curled into a sarcastic smile, but she said calmly, "I can bear it, I can bear it. If the eldest young master of the Liu family can't bear it, then who can?"

To some, this was undoubtedly a great compliment to Liu Zhan. Even Liu Zhan himself felt quite smug at this moment, subtly raising his chin with an air of superiority. "In that case, I'd be embarrassed if Liu Zhan didn't accept it."

After saying that, Liu Zhan reached out and took the embroidered handkerchief from the other person's hand, and said politely, "Thank you very much, Miss Yan."

An Mi nodded in satisfaction, a flash of coldness crossing her eyes. "Young Master Liu, aren't you going to open it and take a look?"

Liu Zhan was slightly taken aback. Thinking back to what Miss Yan had said a few days ago, Liu Zhan became cautious. That day, he did not open it and regretted it in the end. This time... Liu Zhan frowned, as if he was struggling with something. After a moment of silence, as if he had made a decision, he said loudly, "Since it is something that Miss Yan embroidered herself, Liu Zhan should naturally open it and take a look."

An Mi smiled slightly. "Open it?" She was waiting for him to open it!

"Young Master Liu, please!" An Mi said calmly.

Without hesitation, Liu Zhan unfolded the embroidered handkerchief in his hand, and a lifelike scene appeared before everyone. What kind of painting was it? Flames were burning fiercely on the white brocade, as if they were about to burn the entire handkerchief to ashes. The scenery surrounded by the fire was indistinct, resembling houses... or something else entirely.

But the flames on this embroidered handkerchief felt exceptionally real, as if the fire were right in front of you, making you feel like you were there. Everyone who saw this embroidery praised it, saying that it truly lived up to the reputation of the owner of Shengshi Lieyan, whose embroidery skills were truly first-class.

However, unlike the praise from others, Liu Zhan, who was holding the embroidered handkerchief, froze completely. When he came to his senses, he threw the handkerchief away as if it were a hot potato.

How could this be? That scene... was just like what happened last night... Miss Yan, what was her intention in giving him such an embroidery?

Was she telling him that she knew she set the fire? Or perhaps, that she knew about those people… no, he didn't kill them, it was someone else… But… Liu Zhan's mind was in complete turmoil at this moment, and his face had already turned ashen.

Did she know? And how did she find out?

Yes, she had no reason to know that he started the fire, did she?

Liu Zhan took a deep breath, trying to appear calm, but his series of reactions had already been seen through An Mi's eyes.

Hmph, feeling guilty now? Liu Zhan, you'll get what's coming to you later!

Squatting down, An Mi picked up the embroidered handkerchief that had been thrown on the ground, patted off the dust, and frowned slightly. "Young Master Liu, don't you like it? Why did you throw it away? Alas, last night, I dreamt of a fire that couldn't be burned out. This morning, the maid who serves me said that dreaming of fire is a good omen. So, I thought of embroidering the scene from my dream last night. Now, I'm giving it to Young Master Liu just to wish him good luck and for the Liu family to prosper and flourish!"

Upon hearing her words, Liu Zhan's brows furrowed even more deeply. He looked at the woman in white gauze and white robes with scrutiny and inquiry in his eyes. A dream? Was it merely a dream?

No, he naturally wouldn't believe it was a dream, but... why was Miss Yan doing this? Was she testing him? Did she only suspect what he did?

Upon realizing this, Liu Zhan was startled and cried out in alarm. If it was truly a test, then his reaction just now was undoubtedly abnormal!

He took the embroidered handkerchief from Miss Yan's hand again and chuckled, "How could I not like it? I like it very much, very much."

"Oh, do you like it? I'm so glad you do! I was really worried that Young Master Liu wouldn't like this gift! Now that I hear you say so, I'm much more relieved. Everyone here, please bear witness that Young Master Liu is very pleased with this gift." An Mi raised an eyebrow, her clear and melodious voice echoing throughout the hall.