novelraw Chapter 556 - 555: Female Manager
Chapter 556 - 555: Female Manager
After going around the second floor, Zhu Yu discovered that the scent was very faint and did not come from any clothing or embroidered shoes being sold on this floor. It was as if it was simply lingering in the air, left behind by someone or something that had stayed here before.
Just as Zhu Yu was about to tell Lu Qing of her discovery, there was a movement near the stairs, and a slender figure gracefully descended from the third floor.
As soon as she appeared, not only Zhu Yu and Lu Qing, but also the other two or three customers on this floor, who were choosing their favorite clothes, were drawn to her, and they all paused their actions and looked over there simultaneously.
A petite yet elegantly curved woman slowly walked down from the third floor.
The woman had her hair styled in a loose bun, with an unusual layer of light gauze covering it.
Zhu Yu had seen such gauze at Yunyin Pavilion, knowing that it was called "Feiyun Cover," something musicians and dancing girls liked to wear on their high buns to create a beauty reminiscent of clouds veiling mountains.
Especially since the hairstyle was already loose and drooping, the gauze over it seemed like heavenly clouds ready to descend to the earth, giving it a peculiar charm.
At this time of year, the daytime weather was still decent, but you could feel a slight chill in the morning and evening. Even under the bright sun, people watching the bustle on the streets wore two or three layers of clothing.
Yet this woman wore a form-fitting long dress cut from smooth, glossy, and very thin aqua-blue silk, with a simple white overcoat made of silk gauze that resembled a faint water mist surrounding her, making her appear even more ethereal.
In her hand, the woman held a round fan, also with a semi-transparent background, embroidered with some flowers and birds, gently fanning herself before her.
Judging by her demeanor and posture, this person was undoubtedly Gu Lingyun, the female manager of the Headdress and Shoes Workshop.
Zhu Yu was initially afraid that her staring might be noticed due to her sudden behavior, but she quickly realized that the other customers here also seemed very interested in this beautiful female manager, stopping their actions to gaze at Gu Lingyun.
Since this was the case, she no longer had previous concerns and simply paused what she was doing, curiously sizing up the other person.
She had heard of Gu Lingyun, rumored to be a very capable character. The Headdress and Shoes Workshop was managed solely by her, growing from an unknown entity into one of the top fabric workshops and clothing stores in the Capital.
The public often talked about her and Liu Yueyao together because, regardless of the Headdress and Shoes Workshop or Yunyin Pavilion, outsiders had never seen the so-called behind-the-scenes owners; it was always these two female managers running the business.
Both women were also known for their beautiful appearances and adept social skills, independently managing everything and skillfully directing their staff, making the business thrive vibrantly.
Secretly, men would even refer to both as the "Twin Beauties of the Capital."
For Zhu Yu, she had become quite familiar with Liu Yueyao recently, and she had only heard of rumors about Gu Lingyun and Lu Zhang before, along with some poems that seemed to hint at their names.
This was the first time she had seen her in person.
But even from just a few glances at a distance, she realized Gu Lingyun and Liu Yueyao were not the same kind of person.
Liu Yueyao, as the proprietress of Yunyin Pavilion, although she displayed great worldly wisdom, gracefully handling the operations inside and out, and smoothly dealing with even the most troublesome drunkards among the patrons.
However, if one paid attention to her eyes, it wouldn’t be hard to notice that her eyes always held a cold indifference, and her worldly smile was merely for business; in reality, she was straightforward yet emotionally detached.
Looking again at Gu Lingyun, who descended slowly with lotus-like steps and glanced around with sparkling eyes, her gaze sweeping over people as if she held deep affection, her eyes seemingly containing little hooks.
She appeared always to be keenly displaying her charm, like a sentimental and soft-as-water woman; yet, for reasons she couldn’t articulate, Zhu Yu sensed an inexplicable aura of mischief from her harmless smile.
It gave a somewhat uncomfortable feeling after seeing her.
Gu Lingyun walked down from the third floor, her gaze sweeping over the few people on the second floor, finally settling on Zhu Yu and Lu Qing.
Seeing Gu Lingyun walking towards them, Zhu Yu couldn’t help feeling a bit nervous. After all, this visit felt like "venturing deep into enemy territory," and being discovered so soon would be quite inconvenient.
She pretended to pick up two intricately embroidered handkerchiefs from a nearby table, lifting them in front of Lu Qing as if asking for his opinion on the patterns, seizing the chance to look at Lu Qing, seeking his cue on how to proceed.
Lu Qing blinked at her calmly, nonchalantly pointing at one of the handkerchiefs in her hand, expressing a preference for that pattern.
Gu Lingyun approached the two of them, quickly sizing them up. Seeing that although they were dressed simply, they wandered around the high-priced Headdress and Shoes Workshop with ease and comfort, she couldn’t help feeling curious.
"You two distinguished guests look very unfamiliar," she approached with a cheery grin, "Our Headdress and Shoes Workshop has been in the Capital for some time, yet I don’t recall seeing the two of you before."
As she got closer, Zhu Yu again caught a whiff of the faint scent from before. She didn’t show it, acting as if she hadn’t noticed anything.
Lu Qing gave her a quizzical look, "We are indeed not from the Capital. May I ask who this lady is...?"
Gu Lingyun laughed, covering her mouth with her fan, "Oh, so you two distinguished guests aren’t from the Capital, no wonder you don’t recognize me.
This humble woman is named Gu Lingyun, the manager of the Headdress and Shoes Workshop."
Hearing this, Lu Qing and Zhu Yu exchanged a surprised glance in tacit understanding.
"I never expected such a beautiful shop to be managed by such a young and lovely lady!" Zhu Yu sincerely exclaimed, "Manager Gu, we are a couple from Liangzhou, here to celebrate the birthday of a distant relative in the Capital on behalf of our parents-in-law.
On the journey, we didn’t wear good clothes to avoid attracting attention; even those we brought turned out to be unusable because the Capital is much colder than our place.
When passing by the entrance earlier, we saw that your store was displaying a fabric called Flowing Clouds, which was quite eye-catching.
Although the shop assistant said it was not for sale, we thought that such a store that has Flowing Clouds must have other equally fine materials available, so we came in to take a look."