Carefree Farmwife: Training the Husband, Raising the Bun - Chapter 124

But now… his gaze dimmed. How could such an exceptional woman ever need his notice? Every move she made brimmed with confidence and audacity, traits rare even among men.

On the way back to the shop, Shen Changyun stayed silent. Ying Su paid him no mind. Today, she had deliberately shown him her ruthless, bloody side. After all, this was who she was.

Back at the shop, Shen Changyun immediately hitched up the ox cart and wheeled away. Before leaving, he asked her, “Are you really my second sister?” He simply couldn’t believe that five years could truly change a person so completely.

Ying Su’s face betrayed no emotion. She only replied, “Do you think there’s another me in this world?”

Hearing that, Shen Changyun flicked the reins and drove off.

That night, Li Dalang stayed at the shop to keep watch as usual. Liu Chuncao and Ying Su shared the ox cart home. On the way, Liu Chuncao hesitated again and again before finally speaking her mind, “Cuihua, your family has come looking for you. What do you plan to do? Will you take Huzi back with them?”

Ying Su gazed at the shadowy mountains in the distance and nodded. “Mm.”

Liu Chuncao’s heart clenched. Tentatively, she asked, “Then… our shop…”

“It’ll be the same as before, still a fifty-fifty split. You watch the shop, I’ll send the designs over each month.” Before Liu Chuncao could finish, Ying Su cut her off. She knew Liu Chuncao feared that once she reconnected with her family, she’d lean on their support and try to take the shop outright.

With Ying Su’s reassurance, Liu Chuncao finally felt at ease and spent the rest of the way chatting idly.

The little bun had been staying with Madam Li the past couple of days. The moment he saw Ying Su return, he was overjoyed. Madam Li didn’t ask anything, just laid out a full table of good food. Ying Su and Huzi ate there before heading home.

Back home, the little bun clung to Ying Su, peppering her with questions, “Mommy, did you see Grandpa and Grandma? Did they say they’re taking us back? When are we going to Grandpa and Grandma’s house?”

While stoking the fire to heat water, Ying Su answered him one by one, “They’re doing very well. In a couple of days, we’ll go back. Your uncle even said he’ll take you to play!” she added.

The little bun jumped with joy, bouncing around, then pestered her to tell him about Shen Changyun.

As they were talking, the sound of the courtyard gate came. Ying Su was still tending the fire, so Huzi ran to open it.

It was Feng Qiufang. Her eyes were still red. The moment she saw Ying Su, she nearly burst into tears. “Cuihua, you must help Aunt again! That flower of yours, Zhang’s family says it’s worthless. They insist Yin has to produce an identical flower, or else they want a hundred taels of silver!”

Ying Su frowned slightly and asked, “The ink orchid that Li Yin damaged, did you bring it back?”

Feng Qiufang wiped her tears. “That orchid broke. Yin-ge’er brought it back, but I tossed it outside.”

“Can you still find it? Bring the orchid here, and this matter will be easy to handle.” Ying Su thought back to how the Jianyang Butterfly Orchid’s roots had been damaged and yet the system repaired it. A mere break in this ink orchid should be salvageable.

“I’ll go find it right now. Cuihua, you’re not tricking me, are you? Can it really work? That flower’s ruined, what good will it do to bring it back?” Feng Qiufang muttered doubtfully, but still hurried out.

When she returned, Li Yin came along, holding the broken ink orchid. It had clearly been deliberately damaged, snapped clean through the middle.

Under Ying Su’s gaze, he placed the orchid on the table, looking embarrassed. “Sorry to trouble you. Mother said you have a way to save it.”

Ying Su nodded slightly, then turned to Feng Qiufang. “And my Jianyang Butterfly Orchid?”

“It’s still at the Zhangs’,” Feng Qiufang admitted.

Ying Su arched a brow. Feng Qiufang’s voice grew guilty as she stammered, “They said it wasn’t worth much. I thought… I thought…”

Ying Su’s black eyes locked onto her, deep and unyielding. Li Yin pulled his mother aside and asked, “Mother, what Butterfly Orchid?”

Shame flooding her face, Feng Qiufang pulled out a coarse cloth pouch of money, eyes lowered. “They said your orchid wasn’t worth anything. Later, when I was about to take it away, a maid from the Zhang household came out with ten taels of silver, saying her young lady liked it as a decoration for her courtyard. I figured, ten taels for a flower isn’t bad, so I sold it.”

When she finished, Ying Su let out a cold laugh. “And you thought you had the right to decide that?”

Feng Qiufang’s face went pale with humiliation. Were it not that she needed Ying Su’s help, she’d have retorted.

“I told you before, that orchid was worth at least three times more than the ink orchid. If it was worthless, then why did the Zhang family turn around and pay ten taels for it?” Ying Su’s voice was icy.

Clearly, the Zhangs had taken advantage of Feng Qiufang’s ignorance, using a cheap trick to swindle away the Jianyang Butterfly Orchid.

At that, Feng Qiufang finally realized she had been tricked. Furious, she cursed, “The Zhang family really has no decent people! First they duped my Yin-ge’er, now they fooled me! Tomorrow I’ll go confront them!”

Li Yin, ashamed, said, “Tomorrow I’ll go to the Zhangs and demand your orchid back.”

“How exactly did you damage this ink orchid that day?” Ying Su asked.

Li Yin flushed slightly, replying awkwardly, “That day, a classmate invited me to the Zhangs to admire their ink orchids. Over drinks, I had a little wine. When I returned from relieving myself, the two of them were gone. That’s when I found the orchid broken. Just as they came back, a maid pointed at me, saying she saw me break it…”

Such an obvious trap, it was clear that the Zhang family had set him up!

“How’s your relationship with the Zhang’s son?” Ying Su pressed.

“We’re classmates. We got along well enough.” Li Yin answered honestly. Gone was the confident young man she’d seen at the old house; now he looked like a wilted eggplant.

“Did you offend the Zhangs somehow?” She asked sharply.

Li Yin shook his head. He was always careful and tactful; there was no way he’d offend a wealthy family in town.

“Go home for now. Come back tomorrow for the orchid, I’ll go with you to the Zhangs.” Ying Su had no desire to say more.

They didn’t dare linger. As they left, Feng Qiufang couldn’t help glancing longingly at the money pouch on the table, after all, that was ten taels of silver, and it had just warmed her hands!

After they left, Ying Su heated water and had the little bun take a bath. Yesterday in Xiling Village, their home had been too simple for it. She was used to cleanliness, missing even one day’s bath left her uncomfortable.