Xu Su Ying heard the whole story of Mrs. Zhu’s "extortion" from her daughter and couldn’t help but scoff.

"The nerve of some people!"

My daughter didn’t hold their funny looks against them or resent them for pointing and staring. She didn’t even complain when that couple’s shouting disturbed her business time and again. They should be grateful! And they still have the gall to ask for a handout? Pah!

"Didn’t she say she was going to thank me for chewing her out and setting her straight? I’m going over there right now to ask her for a ten-tael thank-you fee."

Chen Wanqing didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "That’s just how Mrs. Zhu is. It’s not worth getting worked up over her. Mother, it’s time for lunch. Let’s go eat."

She changed the subject. "What brings you here? Weren’t you busy this morning?"

At the mention of that, Xu Su Ying completely forgot about Mrs. Zhu.

Her eyes lit up with excitement. If she had a tail, it would be wagging high enough to touch the sky.

"Let me tell you a secret," she whispered. "I landed a huge deal this morning! Just the deposit alone was ten taels. If I finish this entire job, I’ll have earned enough to buy a house outright."

Chen Wanqing was stunned. "What kind of deal did you land?"

Xu Su Ying eagerly recounted the events to her daughter.

Apparently, a wealthy, imposing lady had come to her door that day. The woman was from the Prefecture, decked out in gold and silver, with a ruby on her forehead the size of a quail’s egg. She carried herself with an air of superiority, looking every bit the part of the wealthy elite.

This lady was impressed with her skills and wanted to have her brought to her home early on the day of Mrs. Wang’s birthday to do her makeup.

Unfortunately, her schedule for that day was already completely booked; she couldn’t possibly squeeze in another appointment. Even though the lady offered a generous amount of silver, Xu Su Ying was unwilling to break her prior commitments and ruin her own reputation.

The lady, however, was truly taken with her artistry. Left with no other choice, she accepted Xu Su Ying’s proposal: to buy a complete makeup and styling set from her for five taels of silver.

After a trial application, the lady was even more impressed with her skills. She offered another ten taels of silver for Xu Su Ying to design two more looks for her: one for socializing with other prominent families, and another for her husband’s private enjoyment.

Later, the lady learned from Mrs. Ying that Xu Su Ying was also the one who had drawn the designs for many of the uniquely styled garments at the tailor shop.

Intrigued, the lady privately commissioned Xu Su Ying to design several outfits exclusively for her. It didn’t matter if they were for banquets or for wearing in the privacy of her bedchambers, and there was no limit on the number of designs. For every design she liked, she would still pay five taels of silver.

’Five taels plus five taels plus five taels...’ Xu Su Ying thought that if she played her cards right, she could earn a hundred taels all at once.

’But scarcity creates value; too much of a good thing and it becomes worthless.’ So, she only planned on earning thirty taels from this lady. With that sum of silver, she could finally buy their house.

Combined with the money she had earned from other clients, it would be enough for them to live very comfortably in Qingshui County.

Chen Wanqing was genuinely thrilled to hear the news.

Overcome with joy, the mother and daughter skipped lunch. They just bought a packet of pastries on the way and ate them as they headed for the broker’s office.

The most prominent broker in Qingshui County was a man named Sun.

He was a man of plain appearance, but he was experienced, reliable, and well-acquainted with people at the government office.

His family had been brokers in Qingshui County for generations. Now that the business had grown, they didn’t just handle property rentals and sales; they also managed commercial trade and warehousing for merchants.

If it weren’t for Chen Song being a constable at the county government, it would have been quite difficult for Chen Wanqing and her mother to get an appointment with him.

When the mother and daughter arrived at the office, Sun was in the middle of wolfing down a bowl of noodles.

In his line of work, you never knew when a client might walk in. You had to fill your stomach whenever you had a spare moment, because once things got busy, you wouldn’t even have time for a sip of water.

And sure enough, before he could even finish his noodles, Sun saw the mother-daughter pair walk in.

His eyes lit up instantly. He stopped eating, set down his bowl, wiped his mouth with a cloth, and hurried over to greet them.

"Well, well! If it isn’t Mrs. Xu and the young miss! To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Xu Su Ying replied, "We’re here to bring you some business, of course. Have you had any luck finding an empty courtyard in the area around the Weaving Workshop, like I asked you about before? If you’ve found a suitable one, could you take us to see it now?"

It was Sun who had found the shop for Qingxiang House. The location wasn’t the absolute best, but all things considered, it offered excellent value.

Furthermore, the businesses on either side were honest establishments run by decent people, making them good neighbors indeed.