The Flourishing Era of Female Merchants

The more An Yuefeng thought about it, the more satisfied he became. Seeing the surprised and envious looks from the guests around him, he felt even happier. It was truly a blessing for the An family that Xinhe could find such a good marriage.

As astute as Madam Liu was, she noticed the subtle change in An Yuefeng's eyes after he glanced behind her. She understood what An Yuefeng was thinking. How could she not see it?

Ha! When the Liu family proposes marriage, the betrothal gifts must be substantial. Besides, once An Xinhe is married, her embroidery skills far surpass anything that betrothal gifts can offer.

An Yuefeng, who made his fortune in an embroidery workshop, hadn't even realized his daughter's abilities. Instead, the Liu family benefited from his efforts. Thinking of something, Madam Liu frowned, cleared her mind, and said with a smile, "Master An, you are too kind. Today, I have come to propose marriage to your An family on behalf of Zhan'er. Such an important matter should have been handled by my husband, but as you know, he went to the capital three months ago and is still tied up with matters. So, I hope you will not take offense at my coming as a woman."

"Madam Liu, what are you saying? Since this is a marriage proposal, we're family now. How can we talk like family?" Yu Fangfei warmly stepped forward, affectionately taking Madam Liu's hand, which further shortened the distance between the two families.

As he spoke, he glanced at Jin Qiaoyu in the corner, his meaning clear: becoming family with the Liu family was no easy feat!

"Yes, yes, it seems that neither Master An nor Madam An will object to this marriage," Madam Liu said.

An Yuefeng was taken aback for a moment, then laughed heartily, “Young Master Liu is a man of great talent and a rare business genius. He will surely lead the Liu family to even greater prosperity in the future. Xinhe is fortunate to be able to marry Young Master Liu and be a virtuous wife. Isn’t that her blessing? In addition, this young couple is a perfect match, a match made in heaven. How could we possibly object?”

An Yuefeng's flattery truly delighted Madam Liu, while Liu Zhan felt immensely pleased with himself.

When Madam Liu heard the words "virtuous wife," her smile turned icy. She had already had people collect past opinions about An Xinhe, and what she found was far from satisfactory.

Arrogant and rude, domineering and domineering—a woman, a woman who is to marry into the Liu family, the richest family in the world, naturally cannot be like this. If it weren't for her embroidery skills that made her itch with desire, An Xinhe would never have been able to enter the Liu family's gate. Not to mention being a wife, she wouldn't even allow her to be a concubine.

But in the end, it was all because of her skills... Oh well, Madam Liu had already planned it all out. Once An Xinhe married into the Liu family, she wouldn't be able to control her old personality anymore. A daughter-in-law of the Liu family had to be presentable to be worthy of her son and worthy of the status of the young mistress of the Liu family.

"Where is Xinhe? Why hasn't she come out yet?" Madam Liu asked, glancing around the hall but not seeing An Xinhe.

As fate would have it, just then, An Xinhe, surrounded by her maids, arrived at the door. Hearing Madam Liu mention her, she was overjoyed, especially when she saw the man she loved. Remembering that his purpose in coming today was to propose to her, she couldn't hide her happiness. Completely forgetting her mother and sister's instructions to be more reserved, she lifted her skirt and ran to Liu Zhan, gazing at his handsome face with eyes sparkling with infatuation. "Young Master Liu, you've come in person! Xinhe is so happy, Xinhe..."

"Xinhe!" Madam An's expression changed slightly, and she secretly scolded Xinhe for being so blind. She gave Xinhe a wink, and Madam An's tone softened a bit. "Xinhe, why don't you come and pay your respects to Madam Liu?"

Under Madam An's glare, An Xinhe finally came to her senses, realizing her earlier lapse in composure. She quickly straightened herself up, regained her feigned elegance, walked up to Madam Liu, and curtsied, saying, "Xinhe greets Madam Liu."

Madam Liu twitched the corners of her mouth, concealing the displeasure in her eyes. She took a jade bracelet off her wrist, handed it to An Xinhe, and patted it lightly, saying, "Well, you are indeed a pretty girl. Take this as a gift for our first meeting today."

An Xinhe accepted it and quickly put it on her wrist, her joy evident in her expression.

An Mi looked at the bracelet, a hint of irony appearing in her eyes. She was familiar with this bracelet; in her past life, it was a gift from Madam Liu! Today, it was on An Xinhe's wrist. Wasn't this exactly what she wanted to see?

She wanted to see more than just that!

"Congratulations, Xinhe! Congratulations, Madam Liu! Young Master Liu! Xianglan greets Madam Liu and Young Master Liu!" Feng Xianglan, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up. Her elegance in every gesture was clearly unmatched by An Xinhe.

Madam Liu turned around and saw Feng Xianglan. She remembered that Feng Xianglan's embroidery from yesterday was of excellent quality. She also liked Feng Xianglan's appearance and demeanor. She also remembered that Feng Xianglan had made an appointment with An Xinhe yesterday. She thought to herself that with so many guests at the An residence today, it would be perfect to let An Xinhe and Feng Xianglan compete. Her goal was to find more virtuous wives for Liu Zhan. If Feng Xianglan won, she wouldn't mind letting this woman become Zhan'er's concubine.

Thinking this, Madam Liu smiled and said, "Madam An, I do remember. Does everyone still remember yesterday's agreement?"

After Madam Liu stepped in, smiles appeared on almost everyone's face. Feng Xianglan was about to bring up the matter when Madam Liu brought it up first, which was exactly what she wanted. Thinking about the snacks she had prepared last night, if An Xinhe ate them, she probably wouldn't have to wait much longer!

An Xinhe, don't blame her for using such ruthless methods. It's just that she got in her way and became a threat to her. She will never let herself suffer the slightest grievance because of the previous bet.

Madam An and An Xinlian both smiled mysteriously. Madam An glanced at An Xinlian, who then looked at An Mi. An Xinlian then gave Madam An a reassuring look, which put Madam An at ease. She then said in a voice that everyone could hear, "I haven't forgotten, I haven't forgotten, how could I forget? Today is a joyous occasion, and it's good to bring some joy to everyone. In addition, I'd like to let everyone witness Xianglan's embroidery skills."

After saying this, Madam An's gaze swept over Jin Qiaoyu and finally settled on Feng Xianglan. "Xianglan, don't let us down, and don't let your mother down either."

"Hehe, sister, Xianglan never disappoints, so you don't need to worry about that." How could Jin Qiaoyu not hear the disdain in Yu Fangfei's tone? Ever since she decided to follow An Yuefeng to Rongjin City, she had already decided that the competition between her and Yu Fangfei would inevitably come to a conclusion. When she married into the Feng family, she was the principal wife. Even though she had been driven out of the Feng family and fallen into poverty in recent years, she was still arrogant and superior at heart.