"Have some tea?" Miss Hua was slightly surprised, not expecting Lin Zhiqing to suddenly make such a request.
Lin Zhiqing suppressed her inner thoughts and offered a very sufficient reason:
"We'll draft a contract shortly. Today, I'll be hosting. Let's celebrate at the Sifang Pavilion in the East Market. If Miss Bai is interested in ready-to-wear clothing, I can also take this opportunity to get to know her better."
These words were spoken very eloquently, leaving Miss Hua with no room to refuse. It also seemed like she had the same intention.
The two hit it off immediately. Lin Zhiqing headed to the largest restaurant in the East Market, Sifang Pavilion, while Miss Hua went to the Ministry of Works Assistant Minister Bai's residence to pick up Miss Bai.
Half an hour later, the banquet was ready. Aunt Mu looked at the exquisite dishes on the table with some heartache.
In the past, she would have had to save up her monthly wages for nearly half a year, without eating or drinking, to step into Sifang Pavilion.
However, Lin Zhiqing still held the same idea: you can't catch a wolf without sacrificing your child; money is never saved.
The two did not wait long. In less than fifteen minutes, the carriage from the Academician's Mansion stopped at the base of Sifang Pavilion.
"Cousin, that Miss Lin is completely different from what the rumors say. You'll know when you meet her." As Miss Hua's loud voice carried over, Lin Zhiqing stood up to greet them.
Miss Bai was accompanied by several maids. Although Miss Hua was supporting her, the maids still kept a close eye on Miss Bai, constantly offering reminders.
"Miss, be careful of the threshold."
"There's a flower pot to Miss's left, don't bump into it. Hurry and move it."
"The screen is just half a step away, be careful."
Miss Hua listened with some annoyance: "Don't you see I'm here? Would I let my cousin fall?"
The maids instantly fell silent and huddled in a corner, not speaking.
"They're looking out for me. You're quite capable, bossing them around." Miss Bai's right lip curled upwards, her smile not entirely genuine, clearly mocking Miss Hua for meddling.
Ironically, Miss Hua, though eloquent in business matters, was quite obtuse in other areas and completely missed the sarcasm in Miss Bai's words:
"They chatter as soon as they come over, it's really headache-inducing. I didn't see you bring so many maids last time at the Spring Banquet."
Complete obtuseness, that's a good thing.
Aunt Mu saw them approach and raised her hand to help move their stools a bit to facilitate Miss Bai's seating.
Lin Zhiqing saw her intention and gently shook her head.
For someone with a disability, some well-intentioned help would only make her feel different from others, thus harming her self-esteem.
After being stopped, Aunt Mu did not offer further assistance.
Miss Hua helped Miss Bai to the table and then sat down on her own.
Miss Bai, accustomed to being reminded and assisted, paused. She first frowned, then fumbled her way to a seat.
The maids saw this scene and exchanged incredulous glances.
Normally, their young lady would scold them if anything displeased her. Today, with no one to help her sit, she hadn't said a word!
They didn't know that Miss Bai was feeling a strange sensation at the moment.
Although she couldn't see, her hearing was excellent. Soon after sitting down, she heard Miss Hua eating.
She didn't ask what she wanted to eat, nor did she carefully pour her tea and water. Why was she so detestable?
If she didn't genuinely like ready-to-wear clothing, she wouldn't have followed her to a place like this.
Despite her words, a long-lost sense of joy appeared in Miss Bai's heart, the reason for which she herself couldn't explain.
With this sense of joy, she picked up her chopsticks and, using her sense of smell, reached for the plate in front of her.
Then, she accurately picked up a chopstick of shredded bamboo shoots and, as she put it in her mouth, her brows relaxed.
Lin Zhiqing saw all of this. She gave Aunt Mu a look, and Aunt Mu nodded and quietly walked to the window.
While Miss Hua was introducing their identities, Aunt Mu seized the opportunity and pulled up the bamboo curtain on the window frame.
Without the obstruction of the bamboo curtain, sunlight streamed in unobstructed, immediately falling on Miss Bai's face.
Miss Bai felt discomfort, her brows furrowed, and she instinctively raised her hand to shield herself.
Seeing this, a maid from the corner quickly stepped forward and lowered the bamboo curtain.
"Miss, are you alright?" another maid asked with concern.
"I'm fine." Miss Bai opened her eyes, but they were unfocused and her gaze was vacant.
If one looked closely, the skin around her eyes was shriveled, and her eyeballs were sunken.
Miss Hua, still eating a piece of pastry, said, "It's just a beam of light. Do you need to make such a fuss?"
"You're not me, so of course you wouldn't make a fuss." Miss Bai was clearly a little displeased, but remembering that only her cousin treated her like a normal person, her tone softened slightly.
In just a couple of sentences, the two began to bicker again.
Only Lin Zhiqing watched Miss Bai silently, having developed some suspicions.
Completely blind people indeed wouldn't make a fuss about sunlight.
This is because the visual cortex of a blind person's brain is dormant and cannot receive or process visual information.
The areas of the brain originally responsible for processing visual information are reallocated to process other sensory information, such as hearing and touch.
With these thoughts in mind, Lin Zhiqing spoke up, interrupting the bickering Miss Hua and Miss Bai:
"I met Miss Bai once at the Spring Banquet. I didn't expect she would also be interested in studying ready-to-wear clothing."
"Did we meet?" Miss Bai's attitude towards Lin Zhiqing was much colder: "Sorry, I don't remember."
"Your ready-to-wear clothing caused such a stir at the Spring Banquet. You only allow others to praise it, but I'm not allowed to study it?"
Her words were barbed.
Lin Zhiqing suppressed Miss Hua, who was about to speak in her defense, and said, "I didn't mean that. I just wanted to ask if Miss Bai is more interested in wedding dresses or ruqun."
Sensing the subtle actions between Lin Zhiqing and Miss Hua, Miss Bai put down her chopsticks: "Your question is quite peculiar. Are you trying to flatter me by understanding my preferences?"
These words were indeed unpleasant. Before Lin Zhiqing could speak, Miss Hua couldn't help but slam the table: "Cousin, if anyone else heard you were interested in ready-to-wear clothing, they would have eagerly made several outfits and sent them to you."
"You clearly know Miss Lin isn't that kind of person, so why are you always so harsh with your words?"
Lin Zhiqing tugged at Miss Hua's sleeve, shaking her head and signaling her to stop talking.
After all, Miss Hua was not entirely wrong. She did indeed want to flatter her to achieve her own goals.
If she could cure her eyes, could she then gain access to the Left Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Works, thereby breaking the deadlock of being unable to rent a shop?
However, the more she spoke now, the unhappier Miss Bai would become, because Miss Hua was siding with her, placing herself in opposition to Miss Bai.
Ironically, Miss Hua didn't notice the problem: "Don't pull me. I'm speaking the truth."
Upon hearing this, Miss Bai let out a cold laugh: "If that's the case, I won't disturb you any longer."
Saying this, she stood up and took a few steps towards the door. Just as she was about to bump into the screen, she stopped and, with her maid supporting her, left without looking back.
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