Carefree Farmwife: Training the Husband, Raising the Bun - Chapter 55

That meal was enjoyed with great satisfaction. Everyone felt that the dishes made by Ying Su were so delicious, they almost wanted to swallow their own tongues.

Li Jinfeng kept shouting that from now on, she wanted to come over every day to eat.

Madam Li laughed and said, “While you still have time, you should learn some cooking skills from Ying Su. When you marry into your husband’s family, being able to cook good dishes will make you well-liked.”

Ying Su smiled and said, “Alright, Jinfeng, if you really want to learn, I’ll definitely teach you well.”

Li Jinfeng’s face flushed slightly, but she replied, “Of course I want to learn.”

Her demeanor clearly showed she wanted to marry and become a bride who pleased everyone.

The whole table of dishes was completely cleaned out in the end. Li Jinfeng and the two little ones were clutching their stomachs, saying they were stuffed, which made everyone laugh again.

Ying Su only felt warm all over, as if she were basking in sunlight. The laughter and joy before her were just like the countless times she had yearned for in her previous life.

Liu Chuncao helped Ying Su wash the dishes before leaving together with Madam Li.

The bed in the master bedroom was one Ying Su had built herself, modeled after a modern Simmons mattress. The bedding was newly hand-sewn by Madam Li. Lying on it, one could still faintly smell the scent of cotton.

The little bun was still too young. Although Ying Su had prepared a room for him, she didn’t plan on letting him sleep alone yet. She even prepared a study for the little bun to use when he grew older and needed to read.

The next day, after the little bun went to school, Ying Su went with Liu Chuncao and Li Dalang to Shili Town again.

The renovation sketch for the shop had already been drawn by Ying Su, and Li Dalang had found a carpenter, whom they were now negotiating with. This carpenter’s surname was Wang, commonly called Wang Limp, because of his bad leg. Although he could walk, he limped.

His woodworking skills were excellent, but because he was blunt and straightforward, he was difficult to get along with. Back when he worked in Shopkeeper Li’s store, he had been pushed out.

Ying Su smiled to herself, thinking, ‘Dalang really is poaching from his old employer’s corner! Even if these were people that Shopkeeper Li didn’t value, seeing it now would surely make him uncomfortable.’

He might even suspect that Li Dalang did it on purpose.

The workers for the renovation had also been arranged. Since it was a furniture store, Ying Su designed the renovations to be simple, elegant, and classy, highlighting natural wood.

As Ying Su and the others came and went, the furniture shop across the street soon noticed, and word quickly reached Shopkeeper Li’s ears.

Sure enough, here he came!

“So it was you who rented this shop. I was wondering who it was. Could it be that you’re using the fifty taels of silver I gave you to pay the rent?” Shopkeeper Li mocked with a cold smile.

Because Li Dalang had worked under him before, he still felt a bit submissive and stood there, red-faced, without replying. Ying Su sneered and said, “Yes, indeed! Thanks to your generosity with those fifty taels, otherwise how could we have afforded this shop? Is Shopkeeper Li here to congratulate us?”

Shopkeeper Li was choked by her words and snapped, “What a sharp tongue you have, woman! Truly annoying!”

At that moment, Liu Chuncao came over from the backyard and overheard. Seeing her former employer standing there, she immediately remembered how he had wronged Dalang last time. Anger surged up inside her.

She said bluntly, “Well, well, a rare guest! So it’s the old boss himself. I was just thinking I should thank you. If you hadn’t dismissed me and Dalang, we wouldn’t have opened this shop. Now that we’re neighbors across the street, we’ll rely on your care!”

Ying Su laughed and added, “Yes, Shopkeeper Li! If you need anything in the future, for the sake of the old friendship between you and my brother-in-law, I’ll even give you a discount!”

Shopkeeper Li’s face turned red with fury. He scoffed, “What good things could you possibly sell here? Tell me, didn’t you get this shop at an unusually cheap price? I’ll tell you the truth, this place is cursed! Four shopkeepers have come and gone, each one losing everything! Every one of them ended up ruined!”

Liu Chuncao and Li Dalang’s faces turned pale with shock.

Ying Su frowned slightly but kept her smile. “Well, then we won’t trouble you about it. Just wait and see if our shop becomes bustling with business or falls into ruin.”

Seeing their shaken expressions, Shopkeeper Li smirked smugly. “I’m not just scaring you. Ask around if you don’t believe me. You’ll see whether I’m telling the truth. I’ll be waiting to watch you lose everything!”

After he left, the atmosphere turned heavy. Li Dalang and Liu Chuncao both looked grim. They were deeply superstitious about feng shui and spirits.

If Shopkeeper Li dared to let them inquire, then it must mean what he said was true! If that was the case, they would definitely suffer ruin. Even though the money invested belonged to Ying Su, the profits were meant to be shared by both families. If it was destined to fail, what was the point of opening this shop at all?

Their joy and excitement about opening the shop instantly vanished without a trace. It felt like being splashed with icy water in the middle of winter, chilling their hearts.

Ying Su’s beautiful brows knit together. She stepped outside, chatted casually with the neighbors, and quickly found out the truth.

When she returned, she was completely at ease. Smiling, she said to Li Dalang and Liu Chuncao, “I’ve asked around! There’s no feng shui problem at all. It was just that the previous owners mismanaged their business. Don’t listen to Shopkeeper Li’s nonsense, he’s just trying to shake our confidence.”

Hearing this, Liu Chuncao’s face lit up. “Is that really true?”

Ying Su nodded with a smile. “Let’s just focus on preparing for the opening.”

Although Ying Su was reborn, she never believed in feng shui. To her, success depended on people. Still, it was true that the past four shopkeepers had all lost everything here, though she didn’t know if it was really just mismanagement.

An unsettled heart couldn’t accomplish anything. To calm the Dalang couple’s fears, she had no choice but to reassure them this way.

Once the shop opened and business prospered, their worries would naturally disappear.

Ying Su spent the next two days overseeing the renovations. The shop was decorated with exquisite care, warm and inviting, with only the signboard left to hang.

During this time, she also drew many design sketches for the furniture to be made. The shop needed its own distinctive style, and she planned to combine modern elements with classical ones.

Their target was the mid-to-high-end market: mid-range for ordinary wealthy households, and high-end for truly affluent families.

That day, when Ying Su laid out the designs, Li Dalang was so excited he couldn’t stop smiling. Even the usually quiet Wang Limp looked thrilled, and Shi Fei also showed great joy.

“These pieces need to be finished within ten days,” Ying Su said with a smile.

Li Dalang calculated and found the timeline reasonable. With Ying Su’s detailed drawings, the work wouldn’t be too difficult.

Making tables, chairs, and tea stands wasn’t hard. Beds were also manageable. The real challenge was Ying Su’s idea of creating modern-style mattresses—she wanted to build a brand as famous as Simmons.