After being reborn, I stole the female lead's cheat ability and raised the empress.

Chapter 70 Leaving the Marquis's Mansion

The crowd immediately fell silent.

What a joke! Who would be willing to give something to someone they're not related to?

A woman who looked like a rich young lady said, "This old lady is so pitiful, why don't you give her to her?"

Ah Li smiled and said, "This young lady is kind-hearted and feels indignant on behalf of the old lady. Why don't you pay the hundred taels of silver yourself?"

"You!" the young lady exclaimed in exasperation.

"Didn't you say it yourself, Miss? The old lady is pitiful~ Do you mean you want to use my money to satisfy your kindness?" Ali said sarcastically. "Besides, I'm running a business, not a charity. Everyone knows that my products are of high quality, cheap, and stylish. If you still want me to give them away for free, I might as well close down now."

The young lady was so angry that her face turned red. Although she was caught in the middle, she still had her pride, so she could only instruct her servants to pay the money quickly and leave this troublesome place.

As for his parting words, "You just wait! I won't let this go," Ali didn't care at all, and smilingly handed the packaged items to the old lady.

“Grandma, I run a business, and there’s no reason for me to lose money. If you only bring one or two taels of silver next time, please go to the discount section over there. The quality here is good, but the prices are also high. You really don’t need to compete with the rich and powerful.”

The old woman's face flushed red and then turned pale, but Ali made the best of a gesture, smiling and bowing to invite her out, so she couldn't make a scene.

They could only leave in anger.

Hei Yue looked at the rich girl and muttered, "Why are all these rich people so ill-tempered?"

To be honest, in the two months they've been doing business with their master, they've seen so many different kinds of people; it's like a grotesque painting of ghosts.

Sigh, it's just their subconscious at work! Ali chuckled lightly, indicating that she was used to it: "They can do whatever they want because they have money and power. Maybe they think their family is good enough that they don't need to care about other people's opinions anymore."

Bai Yue shook her head again: "How come there are always one or two morally corrupt people in the family of an honest official?"

Ali chuckled softly, "An honest official is very busy. He has many children in his household, how can he have time to look after them every day? Besides, those who curry favor with high-ranking officials can not only curry favor with the officials themselves, but also with their wives and daughters. With so many sycophants, it's natural that they become lawless. So it's common for upright people to turn out badly."

As they were talking, the manager stepped forward to apologize, and Ali said to him, "You did a good job. If we sold it to her to appease her, there's no guarantee that many people wouldn't follow suit, and then our business would be ruined. So it was the right thing to do not sell it to her."

"..."

He offended at least two families at once. His employer must be comforting him. What a kind person his employer is!

He must work even harder for his employer!

"Well said!"

A woman in the shop couldn't help but applaud, "What the owner said has cleared up my doubts."

Ali's eyes widened suddenly:

Sister Zhao!

She couldn't help but tear up.

"Master? Was my wording or behavior inappropriate?"

“It’s nothing,” she said, pushing aside the employee beside her. “Sister Zhao…Miss Zhao, what do you need to buy?”

The woman chuckled, "I am so honored to be received by my master personally."

“Miss Zhao and I hit it off immediately. It is my honor to serve Miss Zhao… Please don’t call me boss anymore, just call me Ali.”

This Miss Zhao, whose name is Zhao Jihua, was her best friend in her past life, and the only one who spared no effort and saved her from dire straits countless times.

Sister Zhao, it's so good to see you again!

However, Zhao Jihua's brows and eyes were now filled with an unyielding sorrow. She wandered aimlessly, when suddenly she saw a beautiful butterfly-shaped hairpin. Her eyes lit up, and she quickly picked it up to admire it, then held it up to her head a couple of times: "Master, what do you think of this hairpin for me?"

Ali smiled slightly: "It's very good. This butterfly hairpin symbolizes freedom, warmth, and steadfastness. It suits you very well."

Zhao Jihua's eyes dimmed. She silently put down the butterfly hairpin and picked up a peony hairpin instead: "Let's forget about it. This butterfly hairpin has a meaning that will displease Father."

Ali pressed her hand down, picked up the butterfly hairpin again, and put it on her: "You are his daughter, but not just his daughter, you are yourself. Don't just be a continuation of their lives, remember to be yourself."

"Be myself...?"

Ali nodded firmly: "Yes, be yourself. Ask yourself what you want."

“I want…” Zhao Jihua smiled and changed the subject: “Let’s not talk about this, Miss Xia. I recently met an annoying person who is always sticking to me like a leech.”

"Then let's tear off this dog-skin plaster!"

"But this plaster is a bit... I'm afraid he'll throw mud at me."

"Then lie down and keep extorting him until he's afraid of you."

"Miss Xia shouldn't be feeling wronged in this situation, right?"

"Of course! If someone throws mud at me, I'll smash them to death with mud!"

"Hahaha," Zhao Jihua covered her mouth and smiled, "Ali, you're so funny. I like you as a friend. You're also the first real friend I've ever made. You... won't find me boring, will you?"

"will not."

"This is my token. You can use it to find me in the future. I look forward to seeing you soon."

Zhao Jihua didn't expect that, as soon as she said it would be soon, they would actually meet very soon.

……

After everyone left, Xing Beiluo asked, "Ali'er, when do you plan to open your business empire?"

"I'm going to leave to avoid the disaster in a couple of days, probably until October."

"Why are you hiding from disaster? Who wants to get you? I'll go and wipe her out!"

"No need!"

"Are you being polite with me now?"

"It involves family matters, so it's not convenient for you to get involved. Besides, I'd like to try my hand at making glass. It's exquisite and profitable!"

"Okay—that's when the academy starts!"

Oh! I forgot, she's still a baby who needs to go to school.

"It's okay, I can just make another one next to the academy later."

"Are you planning to open this shop wherever you go?"

Ali smiled slightly: "Of course!"

……