"It's just an invitation, what's so precious about it?"
"What do you know, child?" Mrs. Fang hurriedly scolded her daughter before her husband could lose his temper, and proceeded to explain to her in detail the wealth and power of Su Ning, the new upstart in Peiping.
Fang Qingqing's head spun as she listened.
Suddenly, she caught a key point:
"What? She's the one who intercepted our family's US dollars? Well then, to think she dared to mess with our Fang family. Father, why don't you find someone to teach her a good lesson?"
She said this as if it were a matter of course.
In her eyes, no matter how much power Su Ning had abroad, she was a stranger in Peiping and should keep her head down. If she reached out where she shouldn't, she deserved to be severely punished!
"..."
Fang Jingde's expression stiffened. After he found out, he also wanted to find someone to teach Su Ning a lesson and vent his anger. But upon deeper investigation, the situation became awkward.
Those US dollars had been diverted to fill a hole for the new police chief!
Since ancient times, commoners do not fight with officials.
Through a series of maneuvers, Jian Ren had long secured his position. If the Fang family clashed with him, it would be like throwing an egg against a rock—a suicidal move.
Thus, he flew into a rage out of humiliation:
"As a girl, what does it look like to talk about teaching people a lesson all the time? Why don't you learn from Zhenzhu and be a bit more gentle and submissive? That's what men like."
It was originally a casual remark, but seeing his daughter's unconvinced look,
he truly started to worry.
He had originally thought that since Qingqing was lively, generous, and a girl who had received a modern education, she might just hit it off with Miss Su.
That lady casually threw around thirty thousand US dollars.
Once his daughter formed a friendship with her, their family could definitely leverage that connection. The new machinery production line wouldn't be able to escape them, and they might even gain some extra benefits.
With his calculations falling through, he couldn't help but vent his anger on Mrs. Fang:
"I trusted you to educate Qingqing, and how did you teach her? Turning her into this arrogant and willful state, it's all your fault."
Hearing this, Mrs. Fang also grew anxious.
What did he mean by how she taught her? Normally, when their daughter made a mistake and she wanted to punish her, wasn't he the one who smilingly stepped up to protect her, saying that girls didn't need to be strictly disciplined and that it was fine as long as they were lively and cute?
Now he was blaming her?
A breath caught in her chest, making it painfully hard to breathe, but Mrs. Fang forcefully suppressed it. She first said to her daughter, "Your father is just overly concerned and anxious. He's afraid you might cause trouble outside and the family won't be able to help, which is why he said that. Do you understand?"
"I know."
Fang Qingqing wasn't truly brainless. Looking at her father's reaction, she understood a bit—that Miss Su Ning had considerable power, and their family couldn't deal with her...
She obediently lowered her head and apologized to her father.
In her heart, however, she muttered: If you don't have the ability to teach her a lesson, just admit it. Why scold me?
After comforting her daughter, Mrs. Fang went to smooth Fang Jingde's ruffled feathers:
"It was originally a happy occasion, so why be so furious? Don't bring bad luck. In my opinion, the fact that Miss Su gave us this invitation shows that she feels guilty about snatching our US dollars and wants to be on good terms with our family."
"Just the day before yesterday, Mrs. Wang from the municipal government was complaining, saying that Miss Su's threshold is too high. Her family didn't even get an inner-circle invitation and can only sit in the general guest area."
As Mrs. Fang spoke, she felt a sense of smugness in her heart.
Because Mrs. Wang's husband was capable, she was always flattered in their social circle and constantly acted high and mighty. But this time, she didn't get the invitation that Mrs. Fang had secured.
Hmph, let's see how she can still act so arrogant.
"Even the Wang family didn't get an invitation?" Fang Jingde asked in surprise. How could he still be angry? His heart felt as refreshing as taking a big gulp of ice-cold soda in the middle of summer.
"Since Miss Su is giving us so much face, we must take it seriously. There will definitely be many high officials and noble lords in the inner circle. It's a rare opportunity..." He paused, then added:
"How about we bring all the children from the family?"
By bringing all of them, he meant including the two illegitimate children born of concubines.
"Of course not."
Before Mrs. Fang could refuse, Fang Qingqing blurted out.
If her illegitimate younger brother and sister also went, how could it highlight her own precious status? So, she tried hard to persuade her father:
"Think about it, Father. Miss Su grew up abroad, where monogamy is the norm. Furthermore, she's an only daughter, so she definitely wouldn't like children born of concubines. Why attract the host's displeasure?"
"You have a point."
Fang Jingde pondered for a moment, nodded, and said regretfully:
"It's a pity your brother is still on a ship and won't make it to this funeral. If he were here, he and Miss Su would definitely have more common topics to talk about..."
Perhaps, it could even lead to a good marriage.
Mrs. Fang also thought of this and felt extremely frustrated, wishing her son could arrive home today. In her eyes, her Lin'er was handsome, elegant, and brimming with talent. Who wouldn't like him?
Wasn't that Su Zhenzhu a perfect example?
She became dead set on him after only a few meetings, shamelessly staying at their house. But how could a wild pheasant be a match for a phoenix? She thought with pity.
What a pity for her infatuation.
Snapping back to reality, Mrs. Fang's eyes flickered, and she said to her daughter:
"Your brother can't come back for now, and you are the only one in the family who is around the same age as Miss Su. Mother knows that Qingqing is the best at making friends. You must socialize well with Miss Su, and later you can introduce her to your brother."
Fang Qingqing understood implicitly:
"Leave this matter to me. I definitely won't let Brother miss out on a good marriage, hehe."
"You child, you have no filter on your mouth. What good marriage or not?" Mrs. Fang said, not meaning a word of it. "It's not the previous dynasty anymore. It's perfectly normal for men and women to make friends."
"You mustn't speak nonsense in front of Miss Su."
—It wouldn't be good to arouse her vigilance.
"I know, I know." Fang Qingqing waved her hand dismissively. Suddenly thinking of something, she said excitedly, "Then what about Su Zhenzhu? That woman is the most vain of all; she definitely won't be willing to give up."
Su Zhenzhu was indeed a problem.
Fang Jingde felt a bit of a headache. He had originally thought of making her a concubine for his son, but now this idea wouldn't work. A young miss of a wealthy family like Su Ning surely had a big temper.
How could she be willing to let her husband take a concubine who he once had a marriage arrangement with—at least not for the first three or four years.
Sigh, it was truly wronging his son.
Growing up abroad, having a domineering personality, and showing her face in public to socialize with men—who knows, her body might not even be clean anymore.
In this regard, she was inferior to Zhenzhu's docility and feminine virtue.
If the two of them could be combined into one, it would be perfect: having money to help her husband, while also being gentle and careful...
Fang Jingde thought regretfully.
Unfortunately, you couldn't have both. So, he could only abandon that child Zhenzhu:
"Your brother's future is important," he said dismissively. "As for Zhenzhu, well, they did have a marriage agreement after all. We'll just find a job for her father and brother in one of our shops as compensation."
He paused slightly. "And tell her that in a few years, after Miss Su and Lin'er have a child, we will let her enter the mansion to be Lin'er's bedmaid."
"That should be about enough."
"Hmph, that's letting Su Zhenzhu and the Su family off too cheaply." Fang Qingqing scoffed coldly, but she was secretly pleased. A bedmaid wasn't even considered a concubine; she was just a lowly servant girl who warmed the bed.
What kind of lowly thing was that?
Just thinking of Su Zhenzhu's down-and-out, miserable appearance made her feel exceptionally vindicated.
...
Meanwhile, Su Ning had no idea about the Fang family's delusions. Even if she knew, she wouldn't care. They were just leaping clowns; there was no need to fuss over them—she could simply crush them.
She was currently conducting a final review of all the funeral arrangements with the system, which was a massive undertaking.
"Skipping the initial passing and encoffining really saves a lot of trouble."
Su Ning yawned, sounding relieved.
What was brought back for Su Huaishan were ashes, not a corpse, which naturally cut out many procedures... It was a true lifesaver. She had absolutely no desire to dress a dead body in burial clothes.
Now, all she had to do was place the ashes in the coffin.
Even so, things like sending funeral notices to friends and family, setting up a mourning hall, and arranging a venue for condolences still had to be done. To this end, Su Ning specifically rented a five-courtyard mansion in a prime location.
If it were not for the fact that the owner was out of Peiping and time was too tight.
Su Ning would have just bought it outright.
Missing out on such a prime opportunity to spend money left her feeling a little regretful.
"Hmm, let me see. The most important thing tomorrow is receiving condolences from all the various factions in Peiping... I still have to say, Host, you are far too bold."
The System sighed. The funeral notices Su Ning sent out included almost every famous and powerful figure from all walks of life in Peiping. These people actually gave her face, too, with most of them saying they would attend.
Those who were genuinely tied up and could not make it even sent their servants over to offer their apologies.
That was exactly why it said Su Ning was bold.
If even one of these people grew suspicious, it would cause Su Ning no end of trouble. Yet she was still thinking about earning Rich and Heartless rewards from them...
In a scene like this, there would be no shortage of key plot characters.
"The more you fear, the easier it is to make mistakes. The more composed you are, the more normal it seems. If I am throwing such a grand funeral for my own father but am too afraid to invite the rich and powerful, wouldn't that make it obvious that something is wrong?"
Su Ning raised an eyebrow, casually tapping her fingers against the table and making a steady thumping sound:
"As for wanting to earn rewards, that is out of my hands. I will not have the time tomorrow to deliberately act rich and heartless. If I am simply so wealthy that it shocks those plot characters, and they grow sour and resentful behind my back, what does that have to do with me?"
Who told you to set such a bizarre standard for being rich and heartless!
The Rich and Heartless System was left utterly speechless.
Su Ning smiled in satisfaction. She shifted her gaze to the table, where a piece of paper lay. It was something Half-Immortal Su had specially delivered this morning, claiming he had expended years of his cultivation to calculate it specifically for her...
The fourth day of the twelfth lunar month.
The day's pillar is highly auspicious, avoiding all evil clashes. It is suitable for burial, indicates prosperity and success for descendants, and ensures peace and safety for the household.
She had not expected tomorrow to actually be such a good day. Hopefully, everything goes smoothly, Su Ning thought.
