The next day, Su Ning learned from the newspaper what Half-Immortal Su and the others had done.
Late last night, several ghost encounters had occurred.
The ghosts encountered were all different: there was a female ghost in a red dress, a ghost wearing the official uniform of the previous dynasty, and a water ghost.
The only commonality was that all the people who encountered the ghosts were wearing clothes made from the fabric Su Ning had distributed, which had the word "mourning" sewn on it!
According to the people who encountered the ghosts, those ghosts treated them as their own kind. They either asked how to get to the underworld or asked if they wanted to go grab the gold and silver paper money sent at the Su family intersection tomorrow.
As soon as the newspaper reported this, sales exploded.
It sparked numerous discussions among the public.
Someone swore that he had asked a certain master, and the master told him that Miss Su was too sincere, and the scale of the funeral was so large that it formed a ritual, causing these fabrics to be tainted with yin energy.
It was fine to wear them normally.
But yesterday happened to be a time of extreme yin, so it was easy for ghosts to mistake them for their own, blurring the line between yin and yang!
Didn't this all add up?
Poor people felt it was okay. The master also said that days of extreme yin were rare, and as long as they avoided them, they should still wear the clothes.
Otherwise, the cold would make their bones ache.
For those wealthy people who valued their lives and did not lack clothes, it was a different story.
Every household underwent another major cleanup.
The masters and mistresses all gave strict orders: let alone clothes, even rags made from the Fang family's fabric were to be thrown far away, lest they attract unclean things.
Seeing the newspaper, even Su Ning was shocked. The action and imagination of Half-Immortal Su and Su Chen were truly impressive.
Also, the water ghost and official uniform ghost were one thing.
Who played this female ghost?
Su Ning guessed for a while but couldn't figure it out. It was a pity she couldn't ask openly. Lin Sen, trying to figure out his boss's thoughts, brought up the Fang family's situation.
"...Previously, some people gambled that once the storm passed, the Fang family could turn things around, so they spent money to buy a lot of the fabric you gave away at a low price. Now, it's all stuck in their hands."
To save time, the word "mourning" was painted on.
Although the area was large, if they carefully cut off a part, it could still be used to make clothes, but the common people were unwilling to waste it.
That's why some people thought of buying the fabric at the bottom—and ended up buying halfway up the mountain.
Noticing the curve of Su Ning's lips, Lin Sen knew she was happy to hear this, so he continued to talk about the Fang family's bad luck.
The fabric store went completely from having few customers to being completely ignored.
Even the sparse small business was gone.
"Heavenly justice cycles, and retribution is unerring."
Su Ning's tone was full of pity, but the smile in her eyes was extremely obvious:
"The Fang family didn't accumulate virtue on ordinary days, and now, they have suffered an unexpected disaster. There have never been so many ghost sightings before."
Hearing this, Lin Sen's expression was odd for a moment.
Is this retribution surnamed Su?
Su 'One of the Fang Family's Retributions' Ning suddenly received a system reward. This was quite ordinary; having money attracted hatred, and the reward reminders hadn't stopped coming every day.
It was just that the person was quite special.
[Level 1 plot character, Fang Lin].
At this moment, Su Ning only had one thought: I finally waited for you, luckily I didn't forget. Wait, she thought of something and suddenly questioned Lin Sen with a cold face:
"Fang Lin is back, did you know?"
She entrusted Lin Sen with such a big matter as keeping an eye on the Fang family, but when Fang Lin, the main person, came back, Lin Sen didn't notice at all?
If it weren't for the system's reminder, Su Ning might have been kept in the dark all along.
The enemy was in the dark, and she was in the light.
If Fang Lin made a move, wouldn't she just be waiting to take a beating?
At this thought, Su Ning's gaze toward Lin Sen became increasingly cold.
Hearing the question, Lin Sen was also stunned.
Various thoughts tangled up in his mind: What, Fang Lin is back? How did he not know? Finally, it settled on—does Miss Su have another source of information?
The unknown competitor made Lin Sen sober up quickly.
He didn't retort at all and lowered his head to admit his mistake.
Even though he was sure he had sent no less than twenty people to watch the Fang family tightly...
"Ding, detected that the host is rich and unkind, wrongfully accusing Level 1 plot character Lin Sen, reward one hundred thousand."
Su Ning said without changing her expression:
"It's never too late to mend the fold after a sheep is lost. Since you already know your mistake, I won't punish you. If you make such a mistake again, the punishment will be doubled!"
"Thank you, Miss, for your leniency."
Lin Sen reached out and wiped off his cold sweat.
............
Actually, it really wasn't Lin Sen's dereliction of duty.
Who would have thought that Eldest Young Master Fang Lin, whom everyone in the Fang family praised for his brilliant talent, would not only have his luggage swindled but also be kicked off the train by the ticket inspector.
Fortunately, he wasn't far from Beijing.
After walking for two days, he was dirty and smelly all over, looking like a beggar. The people watching the Fang family thought he was a beggar coming to the door to ask for food.
Seeing the Fang family welcome him in, they even muttered in their hearts.
Who would have thought the Fang family was quite kind-hearted?
This slight negligence led to a mistake, and later he suffered a huge burst of anger from Assistant Lin. His salary was deducted for a month, and he had nowhere to cry. He secretly decided that in the future, if a fly flew past the Fang family, he would pull it down to inspect it!
Here, Fang Lin frowned as he listened to his parents and sister crying and complaining.
Having studied abroad for many years, his manners and behavior were very Westernized. Coupled with his relatively handsome features, he should have been an extremely conspicuous young talent in the crowd.
However, he had suffered for two days after all.
The corners of his eyes and brows carried a bit of irritable gloom, which was even more obvious now.
Opposite him, Mrs. Fang cried and complained about Su Ning helping her relative, unreasonably attacking their family, and causing their business to almost collapse, as well as Su Zhenzhu's fickleness and unreasonableness.
"Brother, what should we do? Say something!"
Fang Qingqing said anxiously.
"Alright, I just came back to the country and haven't even figured out what happened. You have to give me some time," Fang Lin said helplessly, rubbing his temples:
"I am powerless in business—" He raised his hand to stop his family's questioning and said calmly:
"That relative of the Su family was too ruthless. The reputation of the family's fabric has been completely ruined. No matter how much we struggle, it's impossible to return to the past."
Hearing this, Fang Jingde shed tears of old age:
"The fabric store was handed to me by your grandfather. Before he died, he held my hand and made me swear to pass it down... I... am ashamed to face our ancestors."
He cried, and Mrs. Fang and Fang Qingqing also cried.
The room was suddenly filled with loud crying.
The servants outside were used to it and didn't go to persuade them. With this free time, they might as well consider how to find their next job.
"Alright, stop crying."
Fang Lin's brain hurt from the crying. How did he not know his parents and sister could cry so much before?
"The business can't be saved, but the family's business was getting worse and worse anyway. The domestic weaving technology is too poor, and the workers are stupid. Even if we buy machines back, we can't catch up with the efficiency of foreign factories."
"It's not that bad, is it?"
Fang Jingde wanted to say that in terms of enduring hardship, the family's workers were still okay.
"You don't understand."
Fang Lin impatiently interrupted his father.
He thought of the large factories he saw abroad, the towering chimneys, the assembly lines running all night, and the superior management system.
The country was so backward that it would take at least a hundred years to catch up!
"Okay, Lin'er, you are more knowledgeable than us, but the business is gone, and the family doesn't know what to do in the future. Moreover, that Su Ning is fierce and malicious, and she will probably continue to attack the family."
Mrs. Fang was full of worries.
She carefully observed her son's face and probed:
"How about we go talk to Su Zhenzhu, plead our case, and get your wedding sorted out?"
That way, they wouldn't have to be afraid of Su Ning anymore.
As for Su Zhenzhu denying the engagement earlier, that was just because she was angry and their son wasn't present. Now that Lin'er was back, handsome and talented as ever...
Were they really worried Su Zhenzhu wouldn't agree?
Unexpectedly, upon hearing Mrs. Fang's words, Fang Lin reacted violently, losing his temper and raising his voice:
"I won't marry Su Zhenzhu. There are absolutely no feelings between us. In my heart, this engagement has never been valid, not to mention I already have..."
He swallowed the second half of his sentence.
He absolutely could not speak that sacred name in his heart in such a setting.
It would be a defilement to her!
Even so, just thinking of her softened Fang Lin's mood. He reined in his temper and said calmly:
"Our family doesn't need to fear that Su Ning. Since returning to the country, I've accepted a government appointment. I will soon become a member of the mayor's secretariat."
"If she knows what's good for her, she'll quit while she's ahead."
Hearing this, the Fang family was overjoyed.
Fang Jingde swept away his previous gloom, his face glowing red as he repeatedly praised him. How could being a merchant compare to being an official? His son was truly promising.
"Brother, why didn't you tell us such great news earlier? You made us worry for nothing."
Fang Qingqing's tone was reproachful, but her eyes darted around as she thought of something:
"Commoners don't fight with officials. No matter how successful a merchant is, they're still just a commoner. Brother, now that you're a secretary to the mayor, can you teach that Su Ning a lesson?"
"Teach her a lesson? ... Don't even think about it."
Fang Lin affectionately flicked his sister's forehead. Seeing her wince, he explained:
"I've only just joined the secretariat. This is exactly the time I need to be careful with my conduct. How could I just casually target someone? Wouldn't that give people something to use against me?"
"Besides, it's better to resolve enmity than to forge it. This Su Ning has considerable wealth and influence. It would be best if we could meet and turn an enemy into a friend. As for anything else, we can talk about it after your brother gets promoted."
Fang Jingde quickly glared at his daughter.
"Don't come up with reckless ideas. If you ruin your brother's future, I won't forgive you."
He then turned back to discuss with his son when they should go meet Su Ning. Fang Qingqing, however, didn't take the warning to heart. Her brother was so amazing, becoming the mayor's secretary right after returning to the country. In a few years, he might even be the mayor himself.
A gentleman's revenge is a dish best served cold.
The Su family, hmph!
