novelhk Chapter 139 Occupying the Factory
Chapter 139 Occupying the Factory
Miss Chestnut has always been quite arrogant and conceited. Just because she married into the Gu family and became their daughter-in-law, she felt she possessed immense power. This time, she didn't even bother to discuss it with her husband, Gu Wanfeng, before unilaterally taking over the factory. It's worth noting that Miss Chestnut had worked as a tutor for a period, so she had some experience in education. Therefore, she ostentatiously arranged for the factory's carpenters to work overtime to produce a large batch of brand-new tables and benches. Not only that, but even blackboards and erasers were provided. In this way, Miss Chestnut easily transformed the entire factory into a sizable tutoring center.
Gu Wanfeng, who was far away, knew nothing about this. It wasn't until he rushed back to the capital that he learned the shocking news from his butler—his young mistress had audaciously converted a perfectly good factory into a school!
Upon hearing this, Gu Wanfeng was furious. Without saying a word, he rushed to find Miss Chestnut to demand an explanation. As soon as he saw her, he angrily demanded, "Chestnut, who gave you the audacity to occupy my factory without permission? Didn't you know to discuss it with me beforehand? Did I agree to let you act so recklessly? How could you do such a despicable and shameless thing!"
Faced with Gu Wanfeng's barrage of questions, Miss Chestnut showed no sign of panic. Instead, she replied with a smile, "Oh, my husband, we are family, so why be so formal with family? Besides, this factory is our Gu family's property, our land. What's wrong with me using it to run a school?"
However, upon hearing this, Gu Wanfeng's anger did not diminish at all; in fact, it became even more gloomy. He widened his eyes and angrily retorted loudly, "Absolutely not! This factory is a site that I carefully prepared and specially reserved for Su Yuning. It is of extraordinary significance. No one but her can touch it! No one is allowed to use an inch of this land!"
Standing opposite Gu Wanfeng, the girl named Chestnut showed no sign of anger despite his fury. Instead, a faint smile appeared on her lips, as beautiful and charming as a spring flower. She replied with a smile, "But you clearly said before that this factory couldn't be used by Su Yuning, and didn't she already pay the rent and move out? Since the space is just sitting empty, why not use it to open a school? That way, she can educate students and earn tuition fees at the same time. Wouldn't that be a win-win situation?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Wanfeng's face turned ashen with anger. He opened his mouth to retort, but for a moment he couldn't find the right words. He could only glare hatefully at the chestnut girl, and finally sighed helplessly, "You..."
Just then, Miss Chestnut seemed to suddenly remember something important. She put away her smile, her expression became unusually serious, and she said solemnly, "Oh, right, there's something else I need to tell you in advance. My grandmother is planning to move into our Gu residence to live with us soon, so please be careful in your words and actions in front of her, make a good impression, and absolutely do not offend her or make her angry."
Upon hearing this, Gu Wanfeng frowned deeply and muttered impatiently, "Why did you bring her here? Wouldn't it be better if we lived separately from the elderly? It would be so much more comfortable to live a peaceful life. Why do you have to make such a fuss?"
When Miss Chestnut heard his complaint, her face didn't show any anger. She just smiled slightly and replied calmly, "This wasn't my idea, it was my in-laws'. If you have any objections, you can go and argue with them." After saying that, she smiled again, turned around and left, leaving Gu Wanfeng alone, sulking.
The renowned Ni Chang Ge in Beijing has recently launched a brand-new promotional activity: anyone who purchases fabric will receive a free piece of yarn! Even more enticing is the sheer scale of the offer: buy three get one free, buy five get two free, buy ten get five free – truly a case of the more you buy, the more you get! As soon as the news spread, it instantly sparked a shopping frenzy throughout Beijing.
In no time, young women in the prime of their youth, as well as married women, flocked to the Neon Fashion Pavilion to snap up bargains. After all, such a great deal doesn't happen every day, so who could miss it?
However, faced with the overwhelming popularity of Ni Chang Ge, other clothing stores were left speechless with frustration. If Ni Chang Ge had been giving away ordinary purses or handkerchiefs, they might have been able to devise countermeasures and offer similar gifts. But this time, they were giving away balls of yarn! They certainly didn't carry any of that! Helpless, these shopkeepers could only watch as Ni Chang Ge's store teemed with customers and its business flourished, secretly filled with envy and resentment.
Just then, a handsome figure appeared at the entrance of the Rainbow Pavilion. This man was none other than the elegant Young Master Ye Beichen. He smiled, and as his gaze swept across the crowd, he suddenly spotted a familiar figure—it was none other than the stunningly beautiful Princess Wan'er. Ye Beichen's lips curled into a smile as he stepped forward and asked, "Oh dear, isn't this the beautiful Princess Wan'er? You've come today for this ball of yarn, haven't you?"
Upon hearing this, Princess Wan'er frowned slightly, glared at Ye Beichen, and then put on a stern face, saying, "Hmph! I am Yu Ning's second sister-in-law. Since you are familiar with Yu Ning, shouldn't you address me as 'second sister-in-law' like she does?"
Ye Beichen was taken aback at first, then quickly realized what was happening. He bowed respectfully and said, "Second Sister-in-law is right. I apologize to you. Welcome to Ni Chang Pavilion! May I ask what brings you here?"
Princess Wan'er gently brushed her sleeves and said slowly, "I heard that Yu Ning has returned to her hometown to visit her family. Are you aware of this?"
Ye Beichen nodded slightly in agreement and replied, "Yes, I do know something about this. She said she's been working too hard lately and no longer has the energy to run the factory, so she decided to sell everything in the factory."
Upon hearing this, Princess Wan'er's eyebrows shot up, and she retorted angrily, "It's not that simple! It's not like she said at all! That woman named Chestnut is utterly shameless! She deliberately sowed discord, causing Gu Wanfeng and Yu Ning to have a huge fight. It was because of this that Yu Ning, heartbroken, moved away from the city. And what's more, as far as I know, this Chestnut actually converted the original factory into a school, clearly trying to steal Yu Ning's business!"
Upon hearing this, Ye Beichen was also filled with indignation and said angrily, "Oh dear! I never expected that this Chestnut Girl would be such a despicable person! Humph, since that's the case, then I'll go and have a good talk with Gu Wanfeng and make sure to persuade him to leave that factory to Yu Ning for business!" After saying that, he made a move to leave.
However, at this moment, Princess Wan'er raised her hand and spoke up to stop her, saying, "Wait! Don't be impulsive. No matter what, Miss Chestnut and Gu Wanfeng are husband and wife. As the saying goes, husband and wife are of one mind. How could they possibly side with us instead of us?"
"What should we do? Are we just going to stand by and watch her be so arrogant and smug?" Ye Beichen asked loudly, his face full of anger.
Princess Wan'er gracefully moved to Ye Beichen's side, leaned close to his ear, and whispered, "Don't rush, I've come up with a brilliant idea. Let me tell you..." As Princess Wan'er spoke, Ye Beichen's tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and he nodded repeatedly in agreement.
At this moment, Ye Beichen seemed to suddenly remember something, turned to Princess Wan'er, and asked with a smile, "By the way, Second Sister-in-law, what color or material of yarn ball would you like? I'll have the shopkeeper fetch it for you right away."
Princess Wan'er gently shook her head and replied with a smile, "There's no need to rush. I haven't even learned how to knit a scarf yet! I should first learn the knitting techniques from the old lady in the shop. Once I've mastered them, it won't be too late for me to choose yarn balls and start crocheting myself."
Upon hearing this, Ye Beichen laughed heartily and said loudly, "Very well, very well. Then Second Sister-in-law, please stay in this shop a little longer. You can focus on learning from Auntie. I have some matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now. We can talk again another day when we have more time." With that, Ye Beichen waved his hand gracefully, turned around, and strode quickly away from the shop.
Meanwhile, at the bustling, crowded dock, Gu Wanfeng, dressed in coarse linen clothes and wearing a tattered straw hat, was sweating profusely as he worked alongside a group of workers loading and unloading goods.
They unloaded heavy crates of goods from the ship, either by shoulder or hand, or with the help of simple tools, and then neatly stacked them on the shore to await transport. The scorching sun beat down on everyone, and sweat soaked their clothes, but everyone was full of energy, and shouts and chants echoed throughout the dock.
Just then, the previously bustling and noisy scene suddenly fell silent, and a tall and imposing figure appeared before everyone without warning. This man had sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, a face as handsome as jade, and an extraordinary and aloof demeanor; it was none other than Ye Beichen. This sudden appearance truly surprised everyone present.
Gu Wanfeng was the first to react. He looked up, a delighted smile spreading across his face, then put down his work and hurried towards Ye Beichen. Reaching him, Gu Wanfeng couldn't help but smile and say, "Ye Beichen? What brings you here? What a rare guest!"
Looking at Gu Wanfeng's smiling face, Ye Beichen deliberately put on a stern face and asked in a feigned angry tone, "What's wrong? Can't I come here?"
Gu Wanfeng quickly waved his hand and explained, "No, of course not. You're very popular here!" As he spoke, he continued to smile happily.
Seeing this, Ye Beichen stopped teasing Gu Wanfeng and instead became serious, slowly saying, "I've come here today because I have something important to discuss with you, which is about our factory."
Hearing this, Gu Wanfeng's heart skipped a beat. He subconsciously touched his chin and asked nervously, "Oh? What's wrong? You didn't come here to stand up for Yu Ning, did you? Has she been complaining to you recently?"
Ye Beichen gently shook his head and replied, "Don't overthink it. I didn't come to you because of her. To be honest, my business has been expanding rapidly recently, and our existing warehouse is no longer sufficient. So, I'd like to rent a factory building in your factory specifically for storing fabrics. I wonder if that would be convenient?"
After hearing Ye Beichen's words, Gu Wanfeng frowned slightly, raised her hand to push up the bridge of her nose, and replied with a troubled expression, "Oh dear, this matter is probably a bit difficult to handle..."
"What's wrong? Aren't we still brothers? You won't even help me with this little thing?" Ye Beichen frowned, his face dark, and he questioned me with obvious anger in his tone.
"Oh dear, Brother Beichen, don't be angry. The key thing is... sigh, to be honest, my wife has long planned to use that factory to open a school, and everything is already ready, even the factory interior is almost finished. If I were to give you the land now, my wife would definitely cry her eyes out and never stop. So, I'm really sorry, brother, I truly can't help you this time." Gu Wanfeng spread his hands and shook his head repeatedly, his face full of bitterness and helplessness, explaining.
Hearing this, Ye Beichen's anger intensified. He glared at Gu Wanfeng with wide eyes and gritted his teeth, saying, "Fine, since that's how it is, then pretend I was never here today. Farewell!" With that, he flung his sleeves and turned away angrily without looking back.