Frankly speaking, Wu Caiwei felt quite sympathetic towards her, wondering what she had gone through all these years, killing people so readily. At the same time, she felt a slight discomfort. After all, these were two human lives, and perhaps they didn't deserve to die. Such matters should be decided by the authorities.
Once was a coincidence, but it couldn't always be a coincidence, could it? Those with a sharp mind had already realized that these two cases were definitely connected to Wu Caiwei.
What others could think of, the county magistrate could also think of. Wu Caiwei's home and shop were searched thoroughly, but nothing was found.
Despite this, Wu Caiwei clearly felt that from then on, wherever she went, she was being followed. She knew this but didn't expose it, as there was nothing for her to hide.
Of course, it wasn't all trouble. The benefit was that merchants were generally superstitious, believing Wu Caiwei to be somewhat enigmatic. Between money and life, life was naturally more important. The surroundings instantly quieted down, and no one bothered her anymore.
While things were going smoothly for Wu Caiwei, who continued to run her shop, Zhou Tianpeng was in trouble. Although the Zhou family was one of the top households in the county town, doing business truly required talent.
Last time, due to his negligence, the roof was not inspected regularly. A heavy downpour caused a lot of fabric to get soaked by the rainwater, and it was still piled up in the warehouse, resulting in considerable losses.
Now, a renowned medical clinic had opened in the prefectural city, producing many medicinal pills. Other medical clinics had already received their stock, but when his family's clinic sent a steward to negotiate, they were consistently ignored. He didn't know what to do.
At this moment, he unknowingly thought how wonderful it would be if Shiyun were here. She would surely give him a good idea and help him smoothly resolve the crisis. This budding thought just appeared, and he quickly suppressed it. After all, from their marriage until recently, he had lived under her shadow, believing he could fare better without her. To admit defeat now would be to slap himself in the face.
Although he was engaged to Hong Lingxiang, his mother pestered him daily, and his two younger sisters constantly spoke highly of Hong Lingxiang to him. This caused a rebellious streak in him, though he was skilled at disguise and didn't show it.
His rebellion manifested as packing his bags the next day and heading out, preparing to go to the prefectural city himself to find the manager of that medical clinic for a proper discussion.
Before meeting, he naturally inquired thoroughly. He heard people say her name was Wu Caiwei, she had two children, had only recently emerged a few months ago, and she was very mysterious. Those who offended her met with bad ends.
After hearing about the strange events that had befallen her, Zhou Tianpeng resolved to be very polite when he met her. Even if the business deal didn't work out, he absolutely could not offend her. Compared to his life and fortune, everything else was insignificant.
He heard that the manager of this medical clinic would visit the clinic every afternoon and sometimes see patients, though her schedule was not fixed. Fearing he might miss the opportunity, he waited outside the clinic early after lunch.
Watching the people coming and going from the clinic, he felt envious. So many people at this hour, it was evident how good their business was. If his own business were this good, he could wake up from dreams with a smile.
As the sun gradually set, the person he was waiting for had still not appeared. Would she not come today? he muttered to himself.
Suddenly, a carriage appeared at the entrance of the medical clinic. This carriage caught his attention mainly because Shiyun and Ziyuan emerged from it.
He hadn't expected to meet them here, and the carriage was quite luxuriously decorated. At least his own carriage couldn't compare to theirs, which made him feel a little unbalanced. He had initially thought that upon meeting again, they would surely be in dire straits, but judging from Shiyun's attire and appearance, she was clearly better off than when she was at the Zhou mansion.
The astute Wu Caiwei, upon feeling someone looking at her, immediately turned her head towards the gaze. Seeing that it was Zhou Tianpeng, she raised her eyebrows in surprise.
She hadn't intended to acknowledge him, but he was sitting under the shade of a tree opposite, drinking tea, with servants fanning him and glancing towards her clinic from time to time, clearly coming for her and having waited for a long time.
"What wind has blown Master Zhou here? What, have you taken a fancy to this medical clinic?" Wu Caiwei asked, looking at him with amusement.
"This is none of your business. A woman, shouldn't you be embroidering in the back courtyard instead of inquiring about men's affairs?" Zhou Tianpeng looked at her with disdain.
"What's wrong with women? When it comes to doing business, you are truly inferior to me. Since you don't want me to ask, then don't regret it." Wu Caiwei pulled her son, who seemed to want to speak but hesitated, and walked into the medical clinic. Su Dan Novel Network
Zhou Tianpeng let out a cold snort, dismissing her words.
The owner of the nearby teahouse couldn't stand it and walked over to him, asking with confusion, "Sir, I see you and the manager of the clinic opposite clearly know each other. She has already gone into the clinic, why are you still sitting here foolishly?"
"Who did you say? The woman who was just speaking to me is the manager of the clinic?" Zhou Tianpeng asked, bewildered, looking at him with hopeful eyes, wishing he would give a negative answer, but to his disappointment, he did not.
"I've been running this teahouse for so long, it's impossible for me not to recognize the manager. The woman who just spoke to you is the manager, Wu Caiwei, and the man beside her is her son, Wu Ziyuan." The owner was also a bit confused. This customer had paid him a large sum to help identify the manager. Seeing their tone of conversation, they were clearly acquaintances, so how could he not know that this clinic was opened by her?
Zhou Tianpeng stood stunned for a moment. He remembered Shiyun's meaningful words from earlier, and his face instantly turned red. He hadn't expected to be proven wrong so quickly.
After hesitating for a while, as if he had made a firm decision, he strode into the medical clinic with renewed vigor and, amidst the crowd, immediately spotted his son - Ziyuan.
"Are you doing well?" Although he hadn't paid much attention to his two children for years due to his dislike for Shiyun, he couldn't help but ask.
Ziyuan froze. This was the first time in many years that his father had looked at him with such care. His eyes moistened, and he quickly lowered his head to hide his emotions, nodding firmly, "Mother treats me very well."
"That's good. Where is your mother?" He knew his question was somewhat redundant. No matter what, they were her children, so who else would she be good to?
Wu Ziyuan pointed towards the inner room. Zhou Tianpeng immediately stood up, opened the door, and saw Wu Caiwei sitting at the table, diligently calculating accounts.
"You're here. Sit down. Does your face hurt?" Wu Caiwei looked at him with a teasing gaze.