The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

Liu Xu covered her face, the pain on her face, the pain on her forehead, and the pain in her heart all intertwined wildly. Suddenly, Liu Xu burst into laughter. The laughter echoed in the night, eerily unsettling. The servants behind her shuddered upon hearing the laughter and looked at Madam Liu cautiously with solemn expressions.

Madam Liu looked down at Liu Xu, letting her laugh, her face still full of coldness. Finally, after an unknown amount of time, Liu Xu's laughter stopped. Liu Xu looked at her mother, gritting her teeth, and said, word by word, "You will be punished! You worship Buddha every day, yet you have such a vicious heart. The Bodhisattva sees your actions every day. One day, you will be punished. Son... son... you only have eyes for your son. If the Bodhisattva has eyes, he will make sure your son can never have another son!"

As soon as Liu Xu finished speaking, she burst into laughter again, her expression filled with madness. Madam Liu frowned, but did not take her words to heart at all. She sneered and said, "Your brother married the eldest daughter of the Mei family, so naturally someone will bear him a son and give our Liu family a grandson. As for you, just do what you are supposed to do now."

After saying that, Madam Liu glanced at the servants and said, "Hurry up and help the young lady up. You've wasted so much time. Take these dishes to Young Master Mei's room. If they get cold, you'll be in for a beating."

After giving her instructions, Madam Liu turned and walked back in the original direction. Liu Xu's heart sank, but she could only be "supported" by the servants as she walked towards her altar.

In the wing room.

Young Master Mei leaned back on the couch, fiddling with the objects in his hands. The image of Liu Xu floated into his mind, and he couldn't help but stroke his chin. That eldest daughter of the Liu family was truly beautiful, more charming than any of his wives or concubines. Her smooth skin... if only he could touch it...

"Hehe..." Young Master Mei chuckled lewdly. Just then, a servant walked in from outside the door, his face beaming with joy. Young Master Mei was secretly delighted and immediately stood up, asking expectantly, "How was it?"

"They're here, they're here! Madam Liu is personally delivering the food, and she's on her way here," the servant said breathlessly.

"Good, that's great. Now we should think about how to get people..." Young Master Mei rubbed his hands together.

But as soon as he said it, the servant waved his hand and said, "Young Master, there's no need for you to think about how to get people. It's not just Madam Liu who's coming, but also the eldest daughter of the Liu family!"

Young Master Mei was taken aback, seemingly not expecting this outcome. The next moment, he burst into laughter, saying knowingly, "Ha! That Madam Liu is truly sensible, personally bringing that little beauty here."

Just then, once Miss Liu entered this room, regardless of Madam Liu's intentions in bringing her here, she wouldn't be leaving this room tonight.

His gaze narrowed, and Young Master Mei seemed to be pondering something. After a moment of contemplation, he instructed the servant beside him, "Be careful later."

"Yes, yes, young master, I will definitely help you keep that Miss Liu here." The servant said with a fawning smile. He knew what the young master liked, but that Miss Liu... hehe, she's probably going to suffer tonight.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door, and Young Master Mei's eyes lit up. "It must be the beauty."

Having said that, he immediately sat down on the couch, gave the servant a wink, and the servant immediately understood and quickly closed the door.

After a moment, there was a knock on the door. Young Master Mei asked lazily, "Who is it?"

“Young Master Mei, it’s me. I’ve had some food prepared and I’m bringing it to you personally…” Madam Liu’s voice rang out from outside the door, gentle and smiling.

"It's so late, I'm a little tired. Thank you for your kindness, Madam Liu," Young Master Mei said loudly, though he was actually quite eager to see the beautiful Liu Xu.

Outside the door, Madam Liu paused for a moment, but then a smile appeared on her face. "No matter what, you still need to eat something. It's just that Young Master Mei is tired, so I had someone bring the dishes over. It won't be a hassle for Young Master Mei to have a taste."

"Alright, Fusheng, go open the door." Young Master Mei instructed the servant, coughed lightly, straightened his expression, tidied his clothes, and sat upright on the couch.

The door opened, and Madam Liu greeted them with a smile, instructing the maid behind her, "Quickly, set out the dishes for Young Master Mei."

The maids filed in, while Liu Xu, who was being held up by the servants outside, bit her lip tightly. The moment she heard Young Master Mei's voice, she felt disgust. She struggled a few times, but to no avail.

"Please let me go, please." Liu Xu pleaded in a low voice to the two men holding her. She knew that once she stepped through this door, everything would be different. She was afraid of that outcome, and even if there was only the slightest hope, she would grasp it.

The two servants exchanged a glance, looking embarrassed. "Young Miss... I'm sorry, we... we were just following orders..."

They sympathized with the young lady, but they understood one thing: if they let her go and she escaped, they would be in deep trouble. The madam may seem gentle, but she never showed mercy when disciplining her servants, and they didn't dare to offend her.

"beg……"

"Xu'er, come in quickly."

Liu Xu had barely uttered a word when Madam Liu's voice came from inside the room. Liu Xu's heart skipped a beat, and the fear on her face intensified. She looked at the two servants holding her and shook her head repeatedly, but ultimately, they could not change her fate. The servants sighed and still sent the struggling Liu Xu inside.

"Let go! Let go!" When her pleas went unanswered, Liu Xu became desperate and struggled even more fiercely.

When Young Master Mei saw Liu Xu appear before him in this state, he frowned, immediately stood up and stepped forward. He thoroughly examined Liu Xu from head to toe, finally stopping at her forehead. "What happened? How did Miss Liu get hurt?"

As he spoke, he reached out, but instead of touching Liu Xu's injured forehead, he gently stroked her face, feeling her delicate skin. His expression was one of pure enjoyment, and his lewd manner made it seem as if no one around him existed.

Liu Xu turned her face away in disgust. Young Master Mei felt a pang of disappointment as his hands were now empty. After a moment of reflection, he frowned and asked, "Why are you keeping Miss Liu under your control like this?"

"It was just an accidental bump. My daughter is mischievous and has always been disobedient. Please don't take offense, Young Master Mei. Young Master Mei, the dishes are all set. Please let Xu'er stay here to dine with you. I will take my leave now." Madam Liu spoke gently. She saw that Young Master Mei's eyes lit up noticeably when he heard that Liu Xu would accompany him for the meal, and his smile deepened. She turned to Liu Xu and instructed her, "Serve Young Master Mei well. If you offend him, you'll be in for a beating."