For four years, Xu Yijie returned home for a night for the first time. Before dawn, he urged the coachman to leave quickly, mainly because he didn't want the villagers to see him.
As soon as he left, Wu Caiwei arrived with two large bundles and picked up Xu Shuqin.
Father Xu and Mother Xu had clearly reached an agreement with Xu Yijie the night before. They watched them leave with reluctance but did not try to stop them.
By the time they settled down in the city, it was already dark. Shuqin was almost six years old and could understand many things. Wu Caiwei had an in-depth conversation with her. The little girl was a bit sad at first, but a child's sorrow comes and goes quickly. In a moment, she was immersed in the novelty of arriving in the prefectural city.
The next day, Wu Caiwei began looking for a broker to inquire about shops for rent, as she intended to start a business. After a day of searching with her daughter, she finally found a shop she liked. Just as she was about to finalize the deal, someone rushed over and pulled the broker aside. After whispering something, the broker said to her apologetically, "I'm truly sorry, but just now, this shop's contract has already been signed with someone else."
Wu Caiwei thought it was a coincidence and waved her hand indifferently, "It's alright, we'll just keep looking."
The broker said somewhat awkwardly, "Madam, something has just come up at my home, and I need to rush back to handle it. I'm afraid I won't be able to take on your business. I'm truly sorry."
"Since you have an urgent matter, please attend to it first. We can continue our search another day," Wu Caiwei said sincerely.
The broker bowed his fist in apology and turned to leave. After a moment's thought, he turned back, wanting to say something to her. He opened his mouth but ultimately left without a word.
Wu Caiwei watched his retreating back, feeling puzzled. If she wasn't mistaken, she saw sympathy in the broker's eyes just now, which led her to a bold speculation.
To verify her thoughts, she found another broker. As expected, when she was about to finalize the deal for a shop, the same thing happened.
She thought about it over and over. The only person targeting her was Xu Yijie's lover. Even though she had left the Xu family, she still wouldn't let her off, wanting to finish her off completely?
But the problem was, she had no idea who this person was, nor did she know where Xu Yijie lived.
After dark, she closed the courtyard gate and, with her daughter, climbed over the back wall. Avoiding people, they crept to the broker's house.
Seizing the moment when no one was around, she knocked on the door. The broker opened it and, seeing the mother and daughter, immediately peeked out. Seeing no one following, he breathed a sigh of relief and quickly invited them in.
The broker's wife was surprised to see a strange mother and daughter enter. Wu Caiwei didn't waste words. She directly placed ten taels of silver on the table and looked at him fixedly, "My daughter and I have come from the countryside to make a living in the city. It's not easy. We don't even know who we've offended. Please tell us."
The broker was in a dilemma, pacing back and forth. Finally, as if making a difficult decision, he took a leap of faith and said, "I'm telling you this because I see you and your daughter struggling to make a living. Once you leave here, I'll deny everything. When we were looking at shops today, the steward of the Zhou family approached me and told me not to take your business. As for how you offended the Zhou mansion, I don't know about that."
"We've just arrived in the city and know nothing about the Zhou mansion. Please enlighten me," Wu Caiwei said. Seeing his eagerness to distance himself, she knew the Zhou mansion was no ordinary family. It would be difficult to get information by asking around, so she decided to ask him everything.
"I can only tell you that the Zhou family is the richest in the city. Madam Zhou is even more formidable. It is said that she was a lady from an official family who married into the Zhou family after becoming a widow. Although Master Zhou manages the family business, Madam Zhou's status in the household is like this," he said, giving a thumbs-up.
After thinking for a moment, he continued, "I can only remind you this much. I advise you to leave. Go do business elsewhere. If you offend the Zhou family, no one in this city will dare to rent you a shop, and even if they do, your business won't prosper."
Wu Caiwei thanked him for his good intentions and, with her daughter, was led out the back door by the broker's wife.
Walking on the road, Xu Shuqin looked up at her mother and asked anxiously, "Mom, why is Madam Zhou targeting us? Are we going to have to move again?"
Wu Caiwei stroked her head and smiled, "This is a long story. You wouldn't understand it now. When you grow up, I will tell you everything. As for moving, don't worry. Mom will not give up easily. We don't know who will win yet."
Xu Shuqin's large eyes were full of confusion. She didn't quite understand what her mother meant and secretly vowed to eat well so that she could protect her mother when she grew up.
In the following days, Wu Caiwei took her daughter to crowded places to gather information. Although what she heard might not always be reliable, she gained a considerable understanding of the city's power dynamics from the bits and pieces of truth and falsehood.
For instance, she learned that the city's businesses were controlled by four major families. The Zhou family was the leader, but the Zhang, Liu, and Li families also held significant influence. The Zhang family, in particular, was always at odds with the Zhou family. Their animosity stemmed from the previous generation when Master Zhou had wronged Miss Zhang, leading to a complete estrangement between the two families.
The Zhang family, the richest in the city, constantly suppressed the Zhou family, willing to inflict damage on themselves to hurt their enemy. The other two families happily reaped the benefits.
With opponents like the Zhang family, the Zhou family was immensely bothered but powerless. The turning point came only after Master Zhou married Madam Zhou. With the support of the official family, the Zhou family quickly rose to become the richest. The Zhou family had intended to retaliate, but the Zhang family was not easily bullied either, as they also had officials in the court, though not as high-ranking as Madam Zhou's family.
From then on, although the two families appeared harmonious on the surface, in reality, they would ruthlessly strike at each other whenever an opportunity arose.
Wu Caiwei felt that she could find an opening here. However, before that, she wanted to meet Madam Zhou. After all, only by knowing oneself and the enemy could one achieve victory in every battle.
One day, Madam Zhou was traveling. As she returned, Wu Caiwei stopped her carriage not far from her mansion. Madam Zhou was resting with her eyes closed. The steward who returned with her recognized Wu Caiwei and, seeing her, couldn't help but frown and ask impatiently, "What are you doing here? Get out of the way."
Wu Caiwei sneered, "This is our first meeting, yet you recognize me. It seems you've been paying close attention to me. Why am I here? I don't believe you don't know."
Madam Zhou, with a guess in mind, lazily said, "Coachman, let's hurry. If she doesn't move, just drive right over her."