Carefree Farmwife: Training the Husband, Raising the Bun - Chapter 59

Before Ying Su could even answer, the little bun quickly snatched the washbasin from her hands.

“Baby, can you carry that?” Ying Su hurriedly asked.

The little bun was already carrying the basin outside, his voice loud and clear, “I can!”

Huzi imitated the way Ying Su usually washed his feet. He followed every step carefully and seriously, managing to do it quite well. After enjoying this warm moment, Ying Su checked the little bun’s schoolwork and gave him some arithmetic problems to solve.

Before bed, Ying Su, as always, told him a story. The little bun loved the tales from Journey to the West. Tonight’s story was about Sun Wukong battling the White Bone Spirit three times. The little bun listened with rapt attention, and the more he heard, the more energetic he became. When the story ended, he begged Ying Su to keep going.

“It’s already very late. You have to go to school tomorrow. If you can’t wake up, you’ll just laze in bed,” Ying Su refused decisively.

The little bun had no choice but to let out a disappointed “Oh…” before obediently going to sleep.

Once he was asleep, Ying Su sat there in a daze. In her past life, she had never raised a child. Even her own growing up had been filled with stumbles. She had no idea how to properly educate the little bun. All she knew was that as long as she was around, she would never let him be wronged, never let him go hungry, and never let him go without clothes.

But… she still worried. With her reckless way of raising him, what kind of person would the little bun grow up to be?

The next morning, after breakfast, the little bun went off to school with Dazhuang. Ying Su and the Dalang couple went to town again. The furniture shop was gradually finding its rhythm. Though business wasn’t as booming as on opening day, customers still came in every day.

Because their furniture was fresh and stylish, their reputation spread across Shili Town. Even some wealthy families from Fengyang County came by, wanting to order complete sets of furniture.

When Ying Su and the others arrived at the shop, they had just gotten off the ox cart and were about to open the door when a basin of dirty water was suddenly thrown from across the street. Luckily, Ying Su reacted quickly and dodged, but Li Dalang and Liu Chuncao weren’t so lucky, they were splashed head to toe, dripping wet.

“Oh my, this whole big doorway and you just had to stand right here? My old eyes must be failing me, I didn’t even see you there…” A middle-aged man’s smug voice rang out. It was none other than Li Dalang’s former boss, Shopkeeper Li of the carpentry shop across the street. He was holding a wooden basin, speaking words of apology, but his face showed no hint of regret.

Ying Su frowned, her brows carrying a trace of coldness.

Liu Chuncao wiped the dirty water off her face and spat right in front of Shopkeeper Li. “You still know your old eyes are failing? You didn’t see the few of us standing here? Sounds more like you’re blind!”

Li Dalang quickly pulled her back, not wanting to stir up trouble. After all, Shopkeeper Li had once been his employer. Now that their own shop was directly across the street from his, stealing some of his business, Dalang felt uneasy.

Over the past month since their shop opened, Shopkeeper Li had picked quarrels more than once. At first, he thought their shop would fail just like the few before it, bankrupt in less than a month. But contrary to his expectations, not only had they not lost money, they had more and more customers every day, doing far better than his own shop. Even some of his old regulars had gone across the street.

With this comparison, how could Shopkeeper Li not be furious? He grew more and more displeased with Li Dalang, Liu Chuncao, and Ying Su. Many of his long-time customers now demanded furniture as fine and stylish as the pieces at Weixuan’s shop, or else they would take their business there.

“How dare you talk like that, you wretched woman? You dare curse me blind? People like you, ungrateful and stealing from your master, yet your eyes still work. Heaven is unfair! Sooner or later, lightning will strike you!”

In the past, Shopkeeper Li’s pride wouldn’t have allowed him to stoop to such arguments. But seeing the Lis prosper made him boil inside. He wanted nothing more than to drive them off the street so they wouldn’t compete with him.

“Who stole from you? With the shabby junk in your shop, our pieces are refined, beautiful, and one of a kind. You dare say we stole from you? Don’t make me laugh. Maybe it’s you who’s been copying our designs!” Liu Chuncao raised her voice, sharp and shrill, carrying across the whole street. Other shopkeepers poked their heads out to watch the scene.

Seeing people gather, Ying Su’s presence became even stronger. Before Shopkeeper Li could speak, she added coldly, “Ungrateful? You dare use that word? Weren’t you the one who falsely accused Dalang back then, shielding that old scoundrel Liu Laosi? If not for the magistrate proving Dalang’s innocence, you would have ruined him. And then you threw us out of your shop in disdain. Now we’ve opened our own shop, and you’re just jealous, aren’t you?”

Her words hit hard, making Shopkeeper Li’s face flush red. Humiliated and furious, he glared at Liu Chuncao and Dalang, veins bulging on his forehead.

Dalang, seeing his expression, quickly pulled Liu Chuncao into their shop. “Enough, don’t say more. Do you still want to open for business?”

Though still muttering curses, Liu Chuncao got busy with opening the shop, seeing the time was already late. Ying Su also went inside, carrying new design drawings for the month to discuss with Wang Guaizi and Shi Fei.

Shopkeeper Li, however, stood frozen in place, glaring viciously at the Weixuan Shop’s signboard. He clutched the wooden basin tightly, a dark malice flashing in his eyes.

A nervous shop assistant approached cautiously. “Shopkeeper… should we open too?”

Shoving the basin into the assistant’s hands, Shopkeeper Li roared, “Open! Do you want to starve if we don’t open?”

But throughout the entire day, barely any customers came to his shop, while across the street, Weixuan’s shop was filled with business. Several of the visitors were even his own former regulars.

The shop assistants grew more anxious. With no customers, their shopkeeper’s face was dark all day, and they had to tread carefully.

One bold assistant finally said, “Shopkeeper, we can’t go on like this. All our business is being stolen by them. We need a plan.”

Shopkeeper Li glared at him. “Then think of one and show me!”

The assistant forced a smile. “Well… there is one way. Whatever they sell, we’ll sell too.”