After being forced to leave the marriage, I became the wife of a top scholar.

Chapter 153: Evil people have their own trials and tribulations

Hai Shengyang didn't even lift his eyelids; the same maidservant answered Meng Zhan's question.

"Lord Meng, aren't you here to keep Miss company? Just do whatever she asks you to do, why are you asking so many questions?"

Meng Zhan was speechless, his face turning red.

Hai Shengyang then reprimanded the maid, "Chunru, you mustn't be rude."

"Lord Meng should ask more clearly, otherwise how can we guarantee our safety?"

Hai Shengyang gave Meng Zhan a way out, and Meng Zhan's expression softened.

Forget it, let this young lady do whatever she wants. He just asked an unnecessary question.

"Thank you for your understanding, Miss," Meng Zhan said with a forced smile.

A large group of people, followed by two luxurious carriages, was a rare sight in Huai'an County.

"Hey? Look? Isn't that the Meng family boy who came from our area?" Some of the passersby in Huai'an County had already recognized Meng Zhan.

They thought that after Meng Zhan brought his wife back and was ridiculed last time, they wouldn't be coming back for a while. They didn't expect Meng Zhan to be so shameless, bringing his wife back again so soon.
"No, I've seen this Lady Meng before. The daughter of the Liu family doesn't look like this. This woman clearly looks more noble."

Hearing this, the others all looked over, and many noticed that the person next to Meng Zhan was indeed no longer Liu Feifei.

One of the old men said with a hint of bitterness, "The Meng family is really something. It's hard for ordinary people to find a decent wife, but they change wives every six months. I wonder which high-ranking official this woman belongs to."

"Hey! Old man, you can't just say things like that."

"If Lord Meng hears this, he might have you thrown in jail."

Because Huai'an County is not very big, she had heard the gossip about her from the locals.

Unexpectedly, Meng Zhan's reputation was so bad that he got her into a lot of trouble.

Hai Shengyang instantly didn't want Meng Zhan to stay with her anymore, and immediately gave a look to the maid beside her.

Chunru understood and quickly walked a few steps to Meng Zhan's side.

Not only Hai Shengyang heard what those passersby said, but Meng Zhan also heard it. He was feeling frustrated, but when he saw Hai Shengyang's maid arrive, he forced a smile.

“Miss Hai, are you tired? Why don’t you hold on a little longer? Just two more shops ahead is the best cloth shop in Huai’an County. Why don’t we go to the shop and rest while we look around?” Meng Zhan said.

Chunru, however, remained cold-faced. She had been by Miss Hai's side for over a decade, and her mistress had never suffered such humiliation. Yet, after merely following this person for a short while, she had become the subject of gossip.

Not to mention that the young lady was angry, she also felt very embarrassed.

“Lord Meng, since the cloth shop is just ahead, there’s no need for you to lead the way,” Chunru said in a cold voice.

Meng Zhan twitched the corner of his mouth and looked at Hai Shengyang, who was looking at the street stalls and didn't even glance at him.

"Alright! I'll have someone follow Miss. If anything happens along the way, just have someone come find me." Meng Zhan was already tired of serving this troublesome woman.

Chunru gave a soft "hmm," and Meng Zhan then clasped his hands in farewell.

Chunru was surprised that Meng Zhan left so quickly, and hurriedly called out to him, "Lord Meng, I haven't finished speaking yet, why are you leaving already?"

Chunru's voice was quite loud, and those who were already watching the commotion all turned to look.

Meng Zhan glanced at Chunru with a strange look. Isn't it said that the maids of officials are taught manners from a young age? Is this the kind of maid the Hai family taught?
"I wonder if Miss Hai has any further instructions?" Meng Zhan practically spat out these words through gritted teeth, afraid that he might lose his temper and storm off.

Chunru spoke loudly, "Lord Meng, my young lady is new to this county town, so naturally she needs to find a place to stay. I wonder how Lord Meng has prepared it?"

Meng Zhan was taken aback. What was going on? He was already responsible for Miss Hai's safety, but now he was also in charge of her accommodation?

Do they really think of him as a servant?
Meng Zhan stood there awkwardly without saying a word, while the little maidservant grew impatient.

"Lord Meng, you haven't prepared a place for Miss to stay, have you?" The little maid almost screamed in surprise.

Meng Zhan was furious as he watched a little maid standing there imperiously criticizing him. "Of course I've prepared. I'll go to the best inn in Huai'an County in a bit and book two superior rooms."

"Please, Miss, have some respect and stop shouting." Meng Zhan whispered the last sentence in the little girl's ear.

But the little girl acted as if she hadn't heard him, "Lord Meng, how can our young lady stay at an inn?"

"With so many people coming and going at that inn, aren't you afraid someone might bump into the young lady?"

"Even if you're not that great, you should at least rent a courtyard for the young lady!"

Meng Zhan clenched his fists in anger; he really wanted to slap the little girl across the face.

"Okay! Okay! I'll go rent it right away!"

"Please, Miss, show some mercy," Meng Zhan said through gritted teeth.

Chunru nodded, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Lord Meng."

Meng Zhan immediately agreed. He didn't want to stay here any longer. He picked two men from the yamen runners to escort Miss Hai's carriage, and the group went to the brokerage firm to find a broker.

After the little girl's outburst, the onlookers finally understood what was going on.

Meng Zhan treated this young lady with great respect. She didn't seem to be Meng Zhan's new lover. So who was this person that Meng Zhan would lower himself to treat her so respectfully?

People began to speculate, but the slander against Hai Shengyang has lessened somewhat.

The maid Chunru returned to Hai Shengyang's side and slowly lowered her head. "You did very well!" Hai Shengyang said softly, and Chunru raised her head again.

“Miss, that’s how it should be. Otherwise, this mess would have been dumped on you. You’ve been wronged.”

Hai Shengyang smiled and said, "You're right. Meng Zhan thinks he can just leech off me? He's really overestimating himself."

“I’m not one of those naive backyard girls who’ve never seen the world.”

The maids echoed and praised Hai Shengyang, which swept away all the resentment she had felt from the criticism she had just received.

"Let's go! Let's get down to business." Hai Shengyang said, leading the maids forward. Soon they arrived at the cloth shop that Meng Zhan had mentioned earlier.

"Miss, this fabric shop is so small, it doesn't look like it has anything good."

Chunru frowned as she looked at the storefront in front of her.

Hai Shengyang chuckled, "What do you think Huaiyang County is? It's not the capital, so naturally the quality of this stuff is a bit inferior."

"Miss, why didn't we buy it in the capital back then, so we wouldn't have to buy these low-class things?"

"Chunru!" Hai Shengyang glared at Chunru, and Chunru dared not say anything more.

Whether he said it or not, it didn't matter. In Hai Shengyang's mind, the Lin family, who had lived in Huai'an County for more than 20 years, was no longer the Lin family of the capital.

She felt that this was enough to make the Lin family happy, and there was no need to spend more money.

You have to understand that for these young ladies, they receive a monthly allowance and can't just buy whatever they want, so they naturally have to think carefully before spending money.

In short, the current goods in the Lin family's shop match those in Huai'an County, so she doesn't need to put in too much effort.

Hai Shengyang entered the cloth shop with his maids. The shop owner had never seen Hai Shengyang before, but seeing their expensive clothes, he knew that a big customer had arrived, so he hurriedly and warmly greeted them.

The maid Chunru was not polite to the shopkeeper.

"Shopkeeper, show us your best fabrics."

After Chunru finished speaking, the shopkeeper immediately ordered the shop assistant to fetch the fabric. "Miss, we'll get you the best material right away. Would you like to take a look at some others? We've also received many new patterns. See if there's anything you like?"

Hai Shengyang smiled slightly, "Of course, since you're here, come and take a look."

The shopkeeper led Hai Shengyang to look at the fabrics in the shop, but Hai Shengyang only glanced at each one without touching them, and then curled his lip in disapproval.

This is definitely something from the countryside; the pattern is really rough.

Just as they were looking at a piece of fabric with disdain, Bai Qinglian walked in from the doorway.

"Shopkeeper! I heard you've received some new materials. Bring them out for me to see!"

The shopkeeper recognized Bai Qinglian; she was one of his regular customers. Ever since Bai Qinglian married into the Huang family, she would visit every few days, so the shopkeeper naturally treated her with great hospitality.

Just as the shopkeeper was about to greet her, the shop assistant brought out the best fabrics in the shop.

Unexpectedly, it turned out to be a piece of Shu brocade.

It's true that Shu brocade varies in quality, but Hai Shengyang could tell at a glance that while this piece of Shu brocade wasn't the best, it was still quite good, and the price shouldn't be too high, making it a suitable gift.

But Bai Qinglian, who was standing to the side, thought that this was a new flower pattern that the shop had just received, and she took a liking to it at first glance.

"This material is quite good, shopkeeper, I'll take it." Bai Qinglian said, ready to place her order.

Hai Shengyang turned around and looked at Bai Qinglian, and the maid Chunru naturally stepped forward as well.

"Madam, I'm sorry, but my young lady took a liking to this piece of fabric first."

"I'm afraid the lady cannot accept this!"

Bai Qinglian never expected that anyone in Huai'an County would dare to snatch the thing she had her eye on. She turned her head in surprise to look at the woman standing to the side.

The woman wore a blue dress with silver patterns and a double-flowered gold hairpin, giving her an air of nobility.

Especially her eyes, which were like those of a high and mighty king, looked at her as if she were an ant on the ground.

That arrogant gaze immediately ignited Bai Qinglian's competitive spirit.

"Shopkeeper, I asked for this cloth first, so naturally you should give it to me first!" Bai Qinglian said to the shopkeeper, slightly raising her chin.

The shopkeeper knew that Bai Qinglian had a bad temper and didn't want to offend her.

The shopkeeper looked at Hai Shengyang with a troubled expression.

Chunru said, "Shopkeeper, our young lady wanted to see the fabric first. You should have some principles when doing business."

The shopkeeper was caught in a dilemma, unsure whether to advance or retreat, but he still made a choice.

"Miss, although you were the one who chose it first, it was this lady who placed the order first. Why don't you take a look at something else?"

The shopkeeper's palms started sweating after he finished speaking, but Bai Qinglian nodded with satisfaction when she saw that the shopkeeper was on her side.

Then she looked at Hai Shengyang provocatively, thinking that he was just a nouveau riche who had appeared out of nowhere, and what kind of foundation he could have to compete with her!

(End of this chapter)