HLnovel Chapter 136 My Frail and Sickly Older Sister
Chapter 136 My Frail and Sickly Older Sister
On the opening day of Jilan Xiaozhu, it rained and the storefront was damaged. Even though Xue Lan later hired someone to install a brand new gate and chose a sunny day to reopen it.
Manager Tong from the neighboring cloth shop was still worried.
So Xue Lan watched as Manager Tong directed his shop assistants to completely rearrange the layout of Ji Lan Xiao Zhu, claiming it was a good feng shui arrangement to attract wealth. Afterwards, twelve strings of firecrackers were set off in front of the door, and Xue Lan personally led the waiters hired by Xue Tong from the restaurant behind the house to make a scene.
Xue Tong watched the back of the slender middle-aged man in front of her: [Appearances can be deceiving; he looks quite refined.]
Xue Lan interrupted her: "You must not speak ill of others behind their backs."
Xue Tong said "Oh," and then went to the shop to look at the jewelry that Xue Lan had made.
About fifteen minutes later, a young lady from an official family, dressed in a light blue dress, entered Xue Lan's shop.
Xue Lan got up from behind the counter, thinking that Manager Tong was really capable, as he actually managed to attract a customer.
The young lady who arrived was dressed in a light blue palace gown and wore a veiled hat. Her face was not visible under the light veil.
The maid behind her, dressed in a pretty and lively pale yellow dress, came up carrying a scroll and unfurled it on the counter.
"Young lady, I overheard that shopkeeper outside saying that you can make all sorts of intricate gold items here?"
The young lady from the official family asked a question, her voice like a clear spring flowing gently over pebbles.
Xue Lan nodded, reached out and found the blueprint on the counter, then asked, "Does Miss have any requests?"
The maid standing in front was clearly curious about Xue Lan's actions just now, so she took a step forward.
Only then did I see Xue Lan's grayish-white eyes.
"Oh dear!" The maid looked to be no more than thirteen or fourteen years old. When she suddenly saw Xue Lan's eyes, she screamed in fright and backed away.
"Your eyes... yours..."
"Don't be afraid, young lady. Xue Lan's eye condition is due to an eye disease."
The young lady of the official family shielded her maid behind her and slowly lifted the light veil covering her veil.
Xue Tong saw an extremely gentle face, like a pale jasmine flower, with willow-leaf eyebrows and delicate eyes, exuding a gentle charm reminiscent of the water towns of Jiangnan.
The young lady gazed at Xue Lan's pale eyes with her affectionate gaze, staring for a long time.
Xue Lan's face flushed slightly: "Miss, could you please stop staring at me?"
The young lady bowed to Xue Lan and said, "I was a bit rude; I was just curious."
"I had only ever heard of people's eyesight deteriorating and developing white spots in their eyes as they get older, but this is the first time I've ever seen such a young girl."
Xue Tong saw the young lady from the official family tap lightly twice on the counter: "You didn't see my drawings before, so how can you be so sure you can make it?"
“Yes! My young lady’s blueprints are quite complicated.” The little girl behind her had also overcome her fear and spoke up for her mistress.
Xue Lan smiled faintly: "Miss, please speak freely. There is no gold or silver jewelry that Xue Lan cannot make."
"Alright! Then I'll hand over this little crown to Miss Xue."
Xue Lan slowly bowed: "Did you bring your own gold materials, Miss?"
The young lady glanced at the maid behind her: "Liu Yan."
A woman named Liu Yan took out a delicate little box from her sleeve and opened it in front of Xue Lan.
Xue Tong stepped forward and took a look; they were two neatly arranged gold bars.
“Sister, it’s real gold,” Xue Tong said.
Xue Lan nodded and fumbled to take out the contract and steelyard from the counter.
"Xiao Tong, after weighing this young lady, write down the contract."
"Your little shop has a very comprehensive set of rules."
Xue Lan replied with a smile, "These are all distinguished guests, so Xue Lan naturally has to do her best."
After everything was settled, Xue Lan stamped her seal with a large red seal on the unsigned section of the contract.
The girl had Xue Tong tear off the bottom half of the contract, which just happened to tear the vermilion seal in two, and then handed it to Liu Yan in front of her.
"The fuse will serve as proof. Miss can send someone with the fuse to collect the item in half a month. At that time, you can pay Xue Lan for her work."
Although the girl before her was blind, she spoke clearly and logically, with neither servility nor arrogance. The young lady gave her an appreciative look and then left with the maid named Liu Yan.
Watching the two figures disappear at the shop entrance, Xue Tong looked at Xue Lan with an expression of utmost admiration.
Xue Lan felt the girl's burning gaze and smiled gently, "What are you thinking about now?"
Xue Tong spoke very honestly: "I'm wondering, is there anything in this world that could stump Lord Wolf?"
Xue Lan was about to say the word "cooking" when Xue Tong interrupted her: "Cooking doesn't count!"
"Then thank you for the compliment, System Master." Xue Lan patted Xue Tong's head.
"We won't be taking any more custom orders today. You stay in front of the shop and sell these hairpins."
But I...
"Social anxiety won't work either. You don't want to starve to death with me in the capital of the Great Shun Dynasty, do you?"
Xue Tong, with a droopy face, was forced to stay in the shop to serve the constant stream of customers.
As the year drew to a close, the young, beautiful, and elegant female guests were all beaming with joy, forcing Xue Tong to pull out a set of books from her system space: "How to Appropriately Compliment Someone's Beauty," and then put them to use on the spot.
When Xue Lan came out from the backyard to remind the little girl it was time to eat, she heard Xue Tong rapidly praising how the silver crown on a middle-aged woman's head complemented her complexion and how elegant and noble her demeanor was.
Xue Lan: So this is what social anxiety is like, how amazing!
Finally, the middle-aged beauty happily bought the silver crown and even gave Xue Tong a tip before leaving. She asked Xue Tong if she would like to become her personal maid, treating her like her own daughter.
Xue Tong's expression froze instantly.
A wealthy woman wants to be her sugar daddy. Should she agree or not?
"Thank you for your kindness, Madam, but my elder sister suffers from an eye ailment, and Xiaotong needs to stay and take care of her."
After speaking, the little girl pointed to Xue Lan, who had just come out of the backyard: "My older sister is frail and sickly."
Upon hearing this, Xue Lan coughed a few times, clutching her chest, and then groped her way forward. As she walked, she called out, "Xiao Tong, is it dark outside? Are there guests?"
The middle-aged woman looked at Xue Lan and Xue Tong with a hint of pity in her eyes, and gave Xue Tong some loose silver before leaving.
"You are a good boy."
After the middle-aged woman left, Xue Tong, who had been given the "good kid" card, looked at Xue Lan, who was still coughing incessantly.
"Alright, she's gone. My frail and sickly sister."
However, Xue Lan did not stop coughing. The girl covered her mouth with a handkerchief, and Xue Tong saw bright red bloodstains on the light-colored handkerchief, which gradually spread.
"Oh no!" Xue Tong slapped her forehead. She'd forgotten that once this person acted out the role, it became real!