NFBE Chapter 500 Evening Beauty Workshop
Chapter 500 Evening Beauty Workshop
Xiao Tengtian's expression changed drastically, his eyes blazing with anger: "How dare you utter such treasonous words!"
He suddenly raised his hand, but stopped abruptly just as it was about to fall.
Xiao Huanyan looked up, her pale cheeks still wet with tears, yet she stubbornly met her father's hand.
“Father, please hit me if you want,” she said, her voice barely audible, “but my mind is made up.”
Xiao Tengtian's hand trembled, and he finally slammed it down hard.
"Fine, very well!" He laughed angrily. "Since you are so stubborn, from today onwards you will be confined to the courtyard. No one is allowed to let her out without my permission!"
After saying that, Xiao Tengtian turned and left, slamming the door shut with a deafening roar.
Xiao Huanyan stared blankly at the closed door, tears finally streaming down her face.
She slowly curled up, buried her face in the blankets, and wept silently.
Outside, Yu Wan heard the commotion and saw Xiao Tengtian rushing out angrily, so she quickly stepped aside.
After Xiao Tengtian walked away, Yu Wan hesitated for a moment, then asked Xizhu to wait outside while she turned around and quickly went back inside.
Xiao Huanyan's frail figure trembled slightly on the bed.
"Xiao Huanyan," Yu Wan called softly, sitting down on the edge of the bed and hesitantly placing her hand on Xiao Huanyan's shoulder.
Xiao Huanyan looked up and, through her teary eyes, saw Yu Wan's concerned gaze. Unable to hold back any longer, she threw herself into Yu Wan's arms and burst into tears.
"Why...why did he lie to me?"
Just now, there was only one door between them, and the father and daughter were both speaking quite loudly, so Yu Wan heard the gist of it.
She could probably understand Xiao Huanyan.
Xiao Huanyan couldn't accept it not because her father didn't support her, but because over the years, Xiao Tengtian had pretended to support her on the surface while secretly having You Shi create obstacles for her. This behavior made Xiao Huanyan even doubt the authenticity of their father-daughter relationship.
Yu Wan sighed inwardly, gently patted Xiao Huanyan's back, and whispered, "Cry it out, it will make you feel better."
The person leaning on her shoulder cried even more desperately.
After an unknown amount of time, the crying inside the house finally stopped, and Xiao Huanyan gradually calmed down.
She straightened up, wiped away her tears, and forced a smile: "I'm sorry you had to see this."
Noticing the wet patch on Yu Wan's shoulder, he felt a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I got your clothes wet. If you don't mind, you can change into one of my clothes."
"It must be new."
Yu Wan shook her head with amusement, "No need for that trouble, it's hot now, it'll dry in no time."
After this lighthearted banter, Xiao Huanyan's emotions finally calmed down completely.
Yu Wan handed her a handkerchief, "Wipe your tears."
Xiao Huanyan lowered her eyes and took the handkerchief. After a moment of silence, she suddenly said, "Yu Wan, I've made up my mind."
"what?"
"I'm leaving the Xiao family."
Yu Wan was startled: "You."
“I’m not acting on impulse.” Xiao Huanyan’s gaze was firm. “Over the years, I’ve lived in a cage they’ve woven for me, and I’ve never truly lived for myself. Now, I want to give it a try.”
Yu Wan stared into Xiao Huanyan's red eyes, and saw an unprecedented determination in them.
She paused for a moment, then said softly, "I wanted to invite you to start a workshop together, but not to cause you to fall out with your family. Xiao Huanyan, have you thought this through? Once you leave, there's no turning back. If you regret it later..."
Before Yu Wan could finish speaking, Xiao Huanyan said without hesitation, "I've thought it through very clearly."
She should have seen it all along.
What her father cared about was never her wishes, but rather the reputation of the Xiao family. Over the years, she had been nothing more than a carefully crafted ornament for them.
But she knew very well that she was unwilling to be just a decoration.
She wanted her father to see her abilities and acknowledge her ideas.
Since Xiao Huanyan had already made her decision, Yu Wan didn't try to persuade her anymore. She only asked her, "Your father probably won't let you leave the Xiao family."
Xiao Huanyan looked up and met Yu Wan's gaze, saying earnestly, "I'll have to trouble you with this."
……
No one outside the Xiao family knew what was happening. One day, the Second Miss Xiao, who was confined to the courtyard, suddenly disappeared. Xiao Tengtian only found a short note inside the house.
"Please give me a year, Father."
Xiao Tengtian stared blankly at the note, lost in thought, until the old butler called out several times, "Master? Master? Should we send someone to bring the Second Miss back?"
Xiao Tengtian suddenly came to his senses.
He clenched the note in his hand and shook his head. "No need to look for it."
The old butler was taken aback: "Master, this..."
Xiao Tengtian turned his back, his voice low and deep: "...There's no need to bring her back. Send people to protect her secretly, and don't let her find out."
Upon hearing this, the old butler smiled. After all, she was the master's most beloved daughter; how could the master truly bear to see the second young lady harboring such resentment?
With the loss of a second daughter in the Xiao family, the newly opened Wanyan Workshop on the outskirts of the city gained a new female owner named Xiao Erniang.
Three months later, exquisite glass products and a variety of colorful silk fabrics suddenly appeared on the market in Shengjing. What surprised people the most was that these items were half the price of what people had expected.
Glass and silk were originally only things that the very wealthy could afford, but nowadays even families with a little extra money can buy them if they grit their teeth.
On this day, before dawn, a long queue had already formed outside a shop in Shengjing City.
It was early winter, and the mornings were a bit chilly. The people queuing outside were all bundled up in thick coats, their breath steaming in the cold air as they spoke. Despite the freezing weather, their faces were filled with joy and excitement.
“Last time, my husband gave the glass cup I bought to Shangguan. I didn’t expect that this gift would be so appreciated by Shangguan. The document that had been delayed was approved the next day. This time, I heard that Wanyan Workshop has come up with a new design, so I came to queue up before dawn.”
A middle-aged man who looked like a manager rubbed his hands together and said to the person next to him.
The young man beside him nodded repeatedly: "That's right, this glass is half the price of the ones from the south, but the quality is better. My wife bought a piece of silk to make a dress the other day, and everyone praised it when she wore it. Even the lady of the wealthy family next door came to ask where she bought it."
The group was buzzing with discussion, all praising the high quality and low price of Wan Yan Workshop's goods.
Suddenly, the shop door creaked open, and the shop assistants carried out several large boxes. When they opened the lids, it drew gasps of amazement.
Inside the box were neatly stacked crystal-clear glasswares, which refracted a rainbow of colors in the morning light. Even more eye-catching were the bolts of shimmering silks beside them, their patterns being exotic styles never before seen in the capital.
"Gentlemen, thank you for your patience! These are all newly arrived goods today. This is Wanyan Workshop's newly created 'Floating Light Brocade,' which can change three colors under sunlight..."
Before the shopkeeper could finish speaking, the people in line shouted loudly:
"I want a set of glass tableware!"
"I want a glass ornament!"
"Give me ten bolts of that 'Floating Light Brocade'!"
The crowd jostled to get into the shop, where the three gilded characters "Wan Yan Ji" gleamed brightly above the entrance.
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