Her Imperfection for Wifehood - Chapter 5

Chapter 5

The guests at the banquet hall were all from Shanghai’s prominent families. As soon as An Jing entered, she was surrounded by several bosses, exchanging pleasantries, discussing business.

An Xi couldn’t stand the flattery or the pretense, so he quickly slipped away: “Sis, you focus on your business. I’m going to wander around and see if there are any good girls waiting to be picked up.”

“Mind your manners.” An Jing knew she couldn’t control her adult younger brother anymore.

Mr. Qi, the owner of Rongxiang Advertising Company, walked toward An Jing with his wife and daughter: “Boss Jing, you came to the banquet alone? There’s no such thing as a feud that lasts overnight between siblings. You should give him a chance to reconcile.”

“Mr. Qi, Mrs. Qi, Miss Qi, a pleasure.”

An Jing greeted each one, then subtly glanced to her right, “Thank you for your concern, Mr. Qi, but my brother and I genuinely don’t have any lingering bad feelings. He’s just been playful since childhood, and now that he’s grown up, he dislikes following me even more. After all, there’s a real six-year generation gap between us.”

“Boss Jing, you jest. Boss Jing, you are young and accomplished, managing such a large family business single-handedly and making it thrive. May I ask how many women in all of Shanghai, or even the whole country, can compare with Boss Jing?”

“Mr. Qi, you flatter me.” With the deep-rooted feudal idea of male superiority, she couldn’t tell if his words were meant as sarcasm or praise.

“Wife, why don’t you take Ruyue somewhere else to walk around? Boss Jing and I have important matters to discuss.”

“Then my daughter and I won’t interrupt your business talk.” Mrs. Qi immediately understood. “Ruyue, let’s go somewhere else. Didn’t you want to talk to Miss Wei the Second?”

Qi Ruyue was full of curiosity about An Jing, but mostly admiration.

To her surprise, she was shooed away by her parents before she could say a word. Qi Ruyue pouted, politely curtsied to An Jing, and was pulled away by Mrs. Qi.

Only then did Mr. Qi say to An Jing: “Boss Jing, are you aware that a company called ‘Yinghua Spinning Mill’ has started grabbing market share in Shanghai’s Western-style clothing market these past few months? Their advertisements are plastered all over the concessions and beyond. Does Boss Jing have any strategy to deal with this?”

“Yinghua? Ha, it’s actually an enterprise set up by foreigners, isn’t it?” With such a grand operation, how could An Jing not know?

“State-owned enterprises are struggling. Only by cooperating with foreigners can one open up the market, gain funding, and distribution channels. It’s not easy for Boss Jing to maintain her hold here. If you want to stand firm in the fierce competition, you must assess the situation and plan ahead…” These few words from Mr. Qi were heartfelt.

“Allow me some time to consider it. I will give you a reply in a few days, Mr. Qi.” Patriotism is important, but she absolutely could not let An’s Cotton Textile and An’s Dyeing fall apart under her watch.

An’s factory and An’s mansion were both outside the concessions and were well-known.

The An family held concession passes and temporary residency permits, allowing family members to enter and exit the concessions openly at any time without fear of inspection. However, the cotton cloth produced by An’s factory was historically only sold outside the concessions, and it followed a strategy of small profits but quick turnover.

A few years ago, other joint-venture cotton mills attempted to take a share of the market outside the concessions. They underestimated An’s influence and the unity of the Chinese people.

Since being opened as a trading port, the number of wealthy Chinese and foreigners in Shanghai has increased, and so has the demand for Western-style clothing. If An’s were to stop progressing, relying on traditional machinery and fabrics, it would be difficult to survive.

There were two paths to survival for An’s: either invest heavily to upgrade the machinery and increase cotton cloth production to sell to more cities outside Shanghai, or seek cooperation with cotton mills in the Suzhou-Hangzhou area, introduce new technology, new talent, and new products to produce high-end silk and satin cloth.

Both paths had advantages and disadvantages.

The Performance and the Eruption

The banquet officially began. After Wei Zhengqing’s address, Mrs. Wei spoke, saying they had prepared a surprise performance for everyone. The seated guests applauded.

They guessed that the wealthy Wei family had either hired an opera troupe or brought in a circus.

Unexpectedly, the person who appeared was Wei Yinxia, holding a pipa: “Yinxia is not very talented, but I volunteered to play a piece, Xunyang Night Moons, at my father’s birthday banquet to entertain all the guests and wish my father happiness as boundless as the sea and longevity as great as the mountains.”

After Wei Yinxia spoke, the audience whispered.

Why would a rich young lady show her face to perform a program? She’s not a songstress or a dancer.

Others said it didn’t count as performing for money if she was singing, dancing, or playing music to celebrate her own father’s birthday.

Still others said, how could a concubine’s daughter, whose engagement to the An family had been broken off, even have the nerve to show her face?

The noises were mixed but clearly audible.

Wei Yinxia ignored everyone and played her music. Out of about a hundred guests, very few were listening attentively, and An Jing was one of them.

An Xi leaned closer: “Sis, whose pipa playing is better, Miss Wei the Second’s or Hong Ying’s from the Xianle Gate?”

“Haven’t you heard both?”

“Heard what? I’ve only been there twice, and I didn’t see her once.” He had only learned after returning to China that An Jing was obsessed with listening to music, and her favorite was the pipa music played by Hong Ying at Xianle Gate. “I think Miss Wei the Second plays better.”

“Oh, right, that Miss Qi was dragged over by her mother to talk to me. We chatted a little about personal interests. She said she could play the piano, was initially forced to learn by her parents, and often fought them and skipped lessons, but later she grew to like it herself…”

“Shut up.”

Suddenly, a pipa string snapped, and the harsh discord brought the entire hall to silence.

A broken string.

It has always been regarded as an ominous sign by the world.

As expected, in front of everyone, Mrs. Wei went up, scolded her, and dragged Wei Yinxia away: “It’s the master’s birthday today. Are you cursing your father to have a short life by breaking the string?”

Once out of the banquet hall, Mrs. Wei threw the pipa on the ground: “You jinx!”

Wei Yinxia tried to argue: “The broken string was unexpected. I told you I hadn’t touched the instrument in a long time, but you insisted I…”

“Slap!”

Mrs. Wei slapped Wei Yinxia’s face: “How dare you talk back after making a mistake? You’re trying to shift the blame onto me, aren’t you? What are you? Don’t think that just because you live in the Wei family, you’ve really become a young lady of the Wei family. You’re just a cheap, unwanted wretch, and I can make you live on the streets tonight!”

Wei Yinxia covered her face, her eyes filled with defiance, but her mouth softened: “Yinxia wouldn’t dare. It was Yinxia who spoke and acted wrongly, upsetting Father and Madam. I beg Madam for forgiveness.”

Mrs. Wei raised her hand again, ready to strike, when An Jing’s deep voice sounded from behind: “Are Mrs. Wei and Miss Wei the Second done talking?”

“I am disciplining my own maid. This is a family matter, and I ask Boss Jing to excuse us. If you need anything, you can find my daughter Lan Yin and my son-in-law. They will be good hosts and try their best to meet Boss Jing’s needs.”

Mrs. Wei was used to being haughty and was in a fit of anger. How could she tolerate an outsider especially a woman and a junior telling her what to do?

An Jing smiled with a hint of coldness, her sharp gaze aimed at Mrs. Wei.

Maid? Daughter?

One was called earth, the other heaven in the manner of address.

“Unfortunately, neither of them can meet my needs.” She moved forward instead of backing away, twirling two identical, thin mutton-fat white jade rings on her right index finger with her left thumb and forefinger as she walked towards the two.

“May I ask Miss Wei the Second, where did the tea you sent me last time come from? It was much to my brother’s and my liking.”

In such an embarrassing situation, Wei Yinxia turned her face away and said nothing. She couldn’t tell if An Jing was genuinely trying to help her out of a tight spot or using the opportunity to humiliate her again.

“Miss Wei the Second refuses to say?” An Jing’s expression changed. “The tea Mr. Wei specially asked you to send to me—surely you wouldn’t be unwilling to share its source? If you don’t tell me, I’ll have to go find…”

“Boss Jing, the front hall is crowded, and we need to get back to our duties.” Mrs. Wei didn’t want to cause more trouble and decided to stop.

She interrupted An Jing and pressured Wei Yinxia, “Are you mute? Why are you standing there like a pillar? Hurry up and tell Boss Jing what kind of tea the master asked you to send!” As she spoke, she pinched Wei Yinxia’s arm.

An Jing: “Such a grand and important banquet can’t do without Mrs. Wei’s efforts. You go ahead and be busy. Miss Wei the Second and I just have a couple of quick things to discuss.”

Wei Yinxia remained silent.

Mrs. Wei was helpless. Before leaving, she glared at her fiercely: “In front of Boss Jing, know what to say and what not to say. Mind your tongue.”

Once the noisy person left, the world became quiet.

Pulling away Wei Yinxia’s hand covering her face, An Jing looked at the redness and swelling on her cheek. A strange emotion welled up inside her: “Does that woman often treat you like this?”

The moment her hand was pulled away, tears gushed out.

Wei Yinxia looked up at An Jing through teary eyes: “Boss Jing, are you pitying me?”

“There are many people in the shantytowns who are worse off and more pitiful than you.” An Jing didn’t admit that she felt even a little sympathy for her plight.

Wei Yinxia’s heart sank.

Sure enough, she thought, she just came out here to watch the show, just to humiliate me again.

Bending down to pick up the broken pipa, she got pricked by a splinter.

Wei Yinxia squatted on the ground, pressing her fingertip to stop the blood from flowing: “The music has been heard, the show has been seen. Boss Jing now has her answer as to whether I am favored or not. Boss Jing is a person of noble status and must not be neglected. Please return to the banquet hall to continue your meal.”

An answer?

Yes, An Jing had said something similar casually on the way home when Wei Yinxia sprained her ankle.

“It is good for people to know their place, and Miss Wei the Second is very clever.” An Jing didn’t leave. She nudged the pipa with her toe and asked, “Is this zither important?”

Important?

Wei Yinxia asked herself again in her heart.

This instrument was neither expensive nor new.

But its strings had been stained with her blood, and its body had been dampened by her tears.

It was better that it was broken.

Better.

“In this world, nothing is important to me. After all, even I am so cheap.” Wei Yinxia abandoned the instrument, stood up, and left.

An Jing’s chest felt tight. Like letting out a breath, she kicked the broken instrument aside. This was the second time she had been rebuffed by the young woman’s forceful retort, so she attributed the tightness in her chest to this.

The Threat and the Fire

The banquet ended, and An Xi said goodbye to the newly acquainted Miss Qi with a smile.

On the other side, Wei Zhengqing stood with a cigarette between his fingers, speaking to An Jing: “What are your thoughts on my previous proposal, Boss Jing?”

“What proposal? I’ve been busy lately and a bit forgetful.” An Jing pretended to be confused.

Indeed, before An Xi returned to China, Wei Zhengqing had approached her privately about cooperation. She hadn’t agreed, but he had unilaterally stated a two-month consideration period.

“An’s Cotton Textile’s internal slogan remains ‘Chinese people wear Chinese fabric,’ selling ordinary cotton cloth at low prices in the old city district. What we need to do, joining forces, is to sell the high-end printed and dyed fabrics produced by your factory under a new brand and slogan in my department store, increasing the price by 20%, catering to the aristocracy and foreigners.”

“Not doing business with foreigners is An’s principle and cannot be changed. There are countless foreign businesses, and I’m afraid they can’t even wear all the clothes their own companies produce. An’s will not enter that messy situation.”

“Is Boss Jing unconcerned about being kicked out of the board of directors?”

“Those who have different values don’t seek common ground.”

“It is often said that a wise person submits to circumstances. Having integrity is a good thing, but if it’s misplaced, the consequences can be unpredictable…” Wei Zhengqing gave up on persuading her. “Since Boss Jing is set in her ways, there’s nothing more for me to say. I’ll offer one last kind reminder to Boss Jing: A great tree catches the wind; be careful not to attract disaster.”

Though he called it a kind reminder, An Jing heard naked threats within it.

Over the years, Wei Zhengqing had collaborated with foreign merchants, going against An’s philosophy. He used the banner of open mutual benefit and dual prosperity to rally the chamber of commerce directors, constantly trying to find fault with An’s.

This old fox had probably secretly defected to the foreigners and was selling out the country for glory.

An’s had weathered nearly twenty years of storms.

She didn’t believe that a mere Wei Zhengqing had the power to turn the tables, so her refusal was more forceful: “An’s foundation is solid; it won’t be blown over by a gust of wind from overseas.”

However, the day after she rejected Wei Zhengqing’s proposal, a fire broke out at An’s Cotton Textile Factory No. 2. Fortunately, the fire was put out in time, and there were no casualties in the factory.

A close call.

An Jing personally went to Factory No. 2: “Has the cause of the accident been determined?”

Factory Director He stammered: “We checked. We asked everyone. We didn’t find any suspicious individuals. It should… it should have been a malfunction caused by aging machinery. Boss Jing, everyone heard that a new company called Yinghua Spinning Mill introduced the most advanced roving and fine spinning machines from abroad…”

An Jing stood up from her chair: “Reassure the workers, and then notify everyone to check all the facilities and equipment in factories No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3 within three days, and give me an assessment report.”

Factory Director He was overjoyed and repeatedly agreed: “Yes, yes, I will notify everyone immediately and guarantee the report will be completed on time.”

Although new machinery was expensive and required a large investment, its efficiency and safety factor were also much higher. An Jing had considered this issue; otherwise, she wouldn’t have given an equally suggestive response immediately after Factory Director He’s hint, just to stabilize morale.

While this path to survival could be solved with money, it was not a long-term solution.

However, a large part of An’s popularity was due to employing nearly a thousand workers from the old city district, providing them with a livelihood.

If she took the second path, it would inevitably mean survival of the fittest, eliminating many old workers who couldn’t keep up with the technology.

Making a choice was not easy. This was why she had delayed and delayed, until today.

After dealing with the factory accident, dusk had settled outside. Even though there were few pedestrians on the street and little noise, An Jing felt a rare sense of irritation in her heart.

She commanded: “Lu Cheng, closely monitor old Mr. Wei’s movements recently, especially who he meets. You go and keep an eye on him personally.”

“Yes.”

“Leave the car. I’m going to see Elder Qiang. You don’t need to follow.”

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