The Fang family was finished.
Their shops were still there, the old mansion was intact, and not a single silver dollar was missing from their recent bank deposit, but everyone knew it well—the Fang family was finished.
Su Ning's stroke of genius had utterly turned the Fang family's fabrics into a laughingstock among Peiping's upper-class circles. Even if someone truly adored the material, they wouldn't risk wearing it and being mocked by others.
After all, the market never lacked beautiful and expensive fabrics.
Having lost the patronage of these wealthy clients, and only able to do the business of an ordinary small fabric shop, what advantage could the Fang family possibly have? Their downfall was merely a matter of an instant.
Some couldn't help but sigh at Su Ning's ruthlessness:
"This woman is as ruthless as a wolf and strikes like lightning. She either doesn't act at all, or when she does, she goes straight for the kill."
"Like father, like daughter, and vice versa. Although we have never met Mr. Su Huai, one can imagine his brilliance just by looking at his daughter."
The upper echelons of Peiping all deeply agreed.
Interestingly, even though Su Ning's image had clearly become one of a ruthless and cold-blooded figure, the number of people trying to curry favor with her had actually increased.
The reasoning was simple: chaotic times were approaching. People like Su Ning were precisely the ones who could protect themselves, and perhaps even stir up the winds and clouds in this troubled era.
People naturally seek advantages and avoid harm, so they were more than happy to get close to a "villain" like Su Ning.
…………
Su Ning was in a very good mood. While reviewing her rewards, she sighed to the system, "Accomplishing everything in one stroke. A family like the Fangs, packed with plot-relevant characters, really saves me a lot of trouble."
If she had to deal with them one by one, how exhausting would that be?
The system deeply agreed: "As the human saying goes, when the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact. With the great tree of the Fang family fallen, the plot characters who depended on it naturally harbor deep hatred for the host."
It was worth noting that the Fang family was the family of the second male lead.
From the masters to the servants, there were a full fifteen plot characters!
Now, these people were all cursing Su Ning, deeply hating her for being a heartless rich person who ruined their peace.
After the joy came the worry. She looked at the system balance interface and sighed heavily, sighing so much that the system trembled and couldn't help but speak up:
"You're still more than halfway away from ten million. Good opportunities like the Fang family are rare. If the host works hard to find more ways to spend money, you'll definitely be able to spend the majority of it before the spending mission activates."
"I'm trying very hard," Su Ning waved her hand weakly. "But money keeps hitting me like a hurricane; no matter how I spend it, I can't keep up with the speed at which I earn it."
That was exactly what annoyed her—spending money in the Republican era wasn't that easy. Priceless jewelry and accessories were something you could only come across by chance, not seek out.
Large plots of land and commercial properties also required searching.
In short, everything took time.
And as it happened, she didn't lack money; she lacked time!
"Oh God, please grant me an opportunity to spend a massive amount of money."
As soon as she finished speaking, there was a knock on the door.
The visitor was Lin Sen. This capable assistant brought Su Ning good news, arriving just like a timely rain—
Beile Jin Feng had just called. The mansion Su Ning had asked him to look for had some leads. He revealed that it was a massive estate comparable to a prince's mansion, exquisitely beautiful.
Hearing this, Su Ning thought it was exactly what she needed—a pillow handed to someone dozing off.
She quickly started calculating.
Such a mansion would be worth at least two hundred thousand silver dollars, not including the land, the servants, and the original owner's generations of collections.
After buying it, she would use the excuse of renovating it.
She would use Taihu stones, white marble, gold dust, and jade carvings—whatever materials were the most precious, she would use them.
Then there was the hiring of workers. She had to make it a massive undertaking—anyway, Peiping had no shortage of poor people looking for work. By doing this, she was actually doing a good deed.
Well, to maintain her persona as a heartless rich person, she had to properly "torment" these workers: clocking in for work, personal hygiene inspections, deducting wages, working all night on a 007 schedule...
In any case, adding it all up, Su Ning figured she could easily spend at least five hundred thousand silver dollars on the mansion alone. She could even tear it down and rebuild it, then tear it down and rebuild it again... endlessly.
With this in mind, Su Ning decisively replied:
"Tell Uncle Jin that I appreciate his trouble. I will visit the Jin residence this afternoon, and we can discuss the details then."
She couldn't agree too readily.
Not only would it make her seem desperate, but it might also make people suspect there was something wrong with her head.
…………
Upon receiving the reply, Jin Feng had a servant give Lin Sen a premium red envelope and said politely:
"Thank you for making the trip, Assistant Lin. Take this for some tea."
Because he managed matters big and small around Su Ning and was very capable, yet too young to be called a butler, people outside just called him Assistant Lin.
"You're too polite."
Lin Sen nodded and naturally accepted the red envelope. It felt quite heavy in his hand, so he knew what was inside—not fiat currency, but at least ten silver dollars.
When he stepped outside and checked, sure enough.
Sixteen silver dollars, a good omen for smooth sailing.
After seeing the guest off, Jin Feng had just sat down to take a sip of tea when a young man darted out from the adjacent room and asked anxiously:
"Father, how did it go? Did Sister Su agree?"
It was no wonder he was so anxious.
The people selling the mansion were his wife's maiden family. Speaking of which, it was a bitter and tearful story. With the previous dynasty gone, the nobles and aristocrats were no longer worth much. Families like the Jins were in the minority.
Most nobles were like his in-laws.
Their lives grew increasingly impoverished, pawning things left and right, until finally, they even had to sell their ancestral mansion for cash.
"What are you panicking for?"
Jin Feng frowned and scolded him. "I don't see you caring this much about our own family's affairs, but you're certainly devoted to your in-laws. You're a better son to them than their own."
"Well, Nianniang cries about this every day. When she cries, your eldest grandson cries too. Children have delicate throats; he's about to cry himself hoarse. I can't bear it."
The youngest son and the eldest grandson were the old man's lifeblood.
At the mention of his eldest grandson, Jin Feng reigned in his temper and said seriously:
"Alright, your Niece Su has already agreed to come visit this afternoon, which means she does have some intention of buying..." Seeing his eldest son's face light up with joy, he couldn't help but warn him:
"When the time comes, you are not allowed to interrupt casually, and tell your wife to stay quietly in her room. Don't let her wander in front of Niece Su."
"Ah, why is that?"
The Jin family's eldest son was confused.
In his view, having someone on the side to help persuade would make it more likely for the mansion to fetch a good price.
His wife was a woman, and women found it easier to talk to other women.
"Letting your wife come out to pour out her grievances and plead is nothing more than trying to get more money. But what would Niece Su think of that? Even if it's not meant as coercion, it becomes coercion."
Jin Feng snorted coldly:
"I am willing to put my old face on the line to make this connection, that's fine."
"But to damage the relationship between our family and Niece Su for the sake of your in-laws is absolutely out of the question!"
In short, the weight of this honorary niece, Su Ning, in his heart was far heavier than that of his eldest son's in-laws.
"I understand."
The eldest son wasn't stupid. Hearing this, he nodded and earnestly committed it to memory.
Jin Feng felt satisfied. At crucial moments, his son still sided with their own family. So he continued his earnest teachings:
"This Niece Su of mine, don't be fooled by her young age. Just from the Fang family incident, you can see her methods and ruthlessness. She is no ordinary person."
"Such a person can only be befriended; she must never be offended."
…………
Dusk.
Having finished the day's funeral arrangements, Su Ning set out to visit the Jin residence. As usual, a long string of people followed behind her, a grand procession that made onlookers mutter:
"Just how many guilty secrets must someone have to be this cautious?"
