Chapter 258 Making a Living
Qin Xiaoning and Madam Wei agreed that at noon the next day, Madam Wei brought her daughter over to pay homage to her teacher.

It was made clear in the two sentences that Qin Xiaoning taught Miss Wei two hours of lessons every day, mainly teaching her piano.

Mrs. Wei was generous, especially since it involved her only daughter, and she immediately paid one hundred taels of silver.

That afternoon, Qin Xiaoning first tried to teach Miss Wei a lesson.

As a girl from a wealthy family, Miss Wei is naturally well versed in the art of playing the zither. However, as Mrs. Wei said, good female zither players are hard to find, so Miss Wei's skills are only mediocre and cannot be considered proficient. Compared with Qin Xiaoning, who was trained by a court zither player, the difference is almost like heaven and earth.

Fortunately, the little girl was not stupid and was eager to learn, so it was not difficult for Qin Xiaoning to teach her.

After the class was over, as soon as Miss Wei left, an acquaintance came to visit Qin Xiaoning.

It was none other than Mr. Li from Lantingxuan.

When he saw Qin Xiaoning, Boss Li forced a smile and said, "Ms. Lu has regained her female form, but she is much more pleasing to the eye than when she was dressed as a man."

Hearing the frivolity in his words, Qin Xiaoning's face immediately darkened: "Boss Li came to see me, I'm afraid it's not just to criticize me."

Seeing Qin Xiaoning was unhappy, Boss Li hurriedly said, "It was just a joke, Madam Lu, don't mind it."

Seeing that Qin Xiaoning still had a cold face, he laughed and said, "Mrs. Lu is really ungrateful and has no gratitude at all."

Qin Xiaoning was surprised when she heard this: "What does Boss Li mean by this?"

Boss Li snorted inaudibly: "If it weren't for my Lantingxuan taking your calligraphy and making it famous, you wouldn't have become so rich today. I didn't expect you to abandon my Lantingxuan and join Jixian Pavilion instead."

After hearing what he said, Qin Xiaoning laughed disdainfully: "Boss Li, you are just blaming me. I was the one who discussed the cooperation with you first, but we just didn't reach an agreement. Now that my calligraphy is selling well in Jixian Pavilion, you are feeling unbalanced. This is really beneath your dignity."

After being confronted by Qin Xiaoning, Boss Li's expression changed in an instant.

He laughed dryly twice, and then said, "I really admire your talent, why do we have to be so stiff?"

Qin Xiaoning smiled coldly: "Boss Li, why don't you be frank and tell me why you suddenly came to my humble abode today?"

"My wife is a straightforward person."

Seeing that his rival Jixianju was making money by using Qin Xiaoning's calligraphy, Boss Li was filled with jealousy. He couldn't help but have some sarcastic remarks with Qin Xiaoning. Seeing that she was not that kind of cowardly woman, he straightened his face and replied, "I still want to cooperate with you."

He glanced at Qin Xiaoning's face and continued, "For each set of calligraphy, I will give you 10% more dividends than Jixian Pavilion. Madam, you should sell all the calligraphy to Lantingxuan."

Qin Xiaoning smiled and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Boss Li. However, I have already signed a three-year contract with Boss Cai of Jixian Pavilion. If you want to cooperate with me, let's talk again in three years."

Boss Li frowned when he heard this: "A wise bird chooses a good tree. My Lantingxuan is the largest one compared to Jixian Pavilion. I have businesses in all the cities in Qianzhou. To be honest, I plan to expand my business to the capital next year. If you cooperate with me, it will be more promising than Jixian Pavilion." "Sorry, I really can't agree to you." Qin Xiaoning replied: "People should be honest. Since I have signed a contract with Jixian Pavilion, I can only wait until the expiration date before considering whether to switch to other calligraphy and painting buildings. Before that, I can't do anything treacherous."

Seeing Qin Xiaoning's refusal, Boss Li's eyes moved slightly, and he said, "Then, you will still fulfill the contract you promised to Jixian Pavilion. In addition, we can cooperate in other ways. I can stop selling your calligraphy in Shuwang and sell it in calligraphy and painting buildings in other cities in Qianzhou. In this way, it will not delay your cooperation with Jixian Pavilion, and you can earn more money. Isn't it the best of both worlds?"

It is good to make money, but Qin Xiaoning knows the importance of integrity.

Faced with the temptation proposed by Boss Li, she still rejected it. Seeing that the negotiation failed, the old man turned cold and said, "Forgive me for being frank, but you are so ungrateful, madam."

As the saying goes, even if the deal fails, the friendship remains. Seeing Boss Li's expression, Qin Xiaoning said to Song Zhi without any hesitation, "Send him out."

Boss Li is a greedy villain. After Qin Xiaoning said this to him, she couldn't help but feel angry and decided to take Songzhi out to relax.

It had been a while since I last visited Jiang Nu, so Qin Xiaoning went out with some gifts.

During the day, Jiang Nu was in the clinic, and Qin Xiaoning's house was only across the street from the Xuanji Clinic, so Qin Xiaoning and Song Zhi didn't hire a carriage and just walked over leisurely.

Jiang Nu was free, and when she saw Qin Xiaoning coming over, she warmly invited her in: "I've been busy all day, and I haven't had time to visit you since you moved into the new house."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but glance at Qin Xiaoning's belly: "I heard from Yuan'er that you haven't had morning sickness recently."

When Zhao Yuan was mentioned, Jiang Nu couldn't help but look embarrassed before Qin Xiaoning answered: "My husband and I have been busy with medicine and neglected to discipline our children. If Yuan Er offended you, please don't bother with him."

She was able to settle down smoothly in Shuwang, all thanks to the help of the Zhao family. This Jiang girl can be said to be Qin Xiaoning's benefactor. Zhao Yuan's repeated attempts to show goodwill did indeed trouble Qin Xiaoning.

"Madam, please don't say that." Qin Xiaoning said frankly, "When I first came here, you helped me and let me live in your house, but I didn't expect that."

She hesitated to speak, and finally let out a sigh: "I have already explained to your son the matter between me and him. He is a smart man, I believe he can figure it out."

At this time, Juxian entered the room with the curtain drawn. Judging from her appearance, she had come here on purpose because she heard that Qin Xiaoning was coming. However, when she saw someone, she pretended to be surprised and said, "What a coincidence, Madam Lu is here too?"

Qin Xiaoning smiled at her faintly: "I am free today, so I came to visit my wife."

"I haven't seen you for a while. You're pregnant, but you look good. Could it be because of the pregnancy-preserving medicine my master gave you?" There was a hint of unkindness in the girl's words.

Qin Xiaoning didn't argue with her and replied with a smile: "Maybe it's because I haven't had morning sickness recently."

Seeing this, Jiang Nu said to Juxian calmly, "Go check on the injured patient in the back. If he is awake, change the dressing for him."

After the people left, Jiang Nu sighed slightly: "I understand what this child is thinking, but emotional matters cannot be forced."

She paused and said, "My husband and I picked her up when we went up the mountain to collect herbs. I raised her and always treated her like a daughter. Yuan'er also treated her like a sister."