Carefree Farmwife: Training the Husband, Raising the Bun - Chapter 98

Inside the shop, Bai Chuyu let his eyes wander. The entire layout and decoration were exquisitely refined, more so even than the high-end shops he had seen in Jiangnan. 

The furniture, though the same tables, chairs, beds, and cabinets as anywhere else, carried a design unlike anything he had ever encountered.

He turned back toward Ying Su, his fair and jade-like face touched with a thoughtful expression. A subtle gleam flickered in his gentle dark eyes. This woman is certainly no ordinary village widow.

He sat down in a chair, poured himself a cup of tea, and said in a smooth, measured tone, “I still have matters to attend to in Jiangnan. I cannot remain in Shili Town for long. It’s best we finalize the matter of the glass mirrors quickly. Bring out the formula soon. I’ve already arranged the people needed.”

Ying Su nodded. “Second Young Master Bai truly is a man of action in business. I can provide the formula anytime. But where does Second Young Master plan to set up the workshop? And in which regions do you intend to sell these mirrors?”

“Rarity is value. The workshop will be in Jiangnan, but the mirrors will first be sold in the capital. The capital is full of nobles and wealthy families, such items will be in great demand,” Bai Chuyu said with quiet confidence.

“That will do. I can give you the formula now. But Jiangnan is far, and it’s inconvenient for a woman like me to travel there. It would be better if you found trustworthy men to learn the process from me here. A formula is just words, better to ensure no trouble arises once you take it back to Jiangnan.”

Bai Chuyu nodded with a faint smile. “Miss Shen thinks of everything. Truly meticulous.” His smile deepened, carrying a mysterious undertone.

“Cuihua, are we really going to send Shi Yuan to the yamen?” Li Dalang asked. He hadn’t heard what Ying Su and the noble youth had been discussing, but he could clearly see the ease and familiarity between them. Doubts stirred in his heart. Could Cuihua have some sort of relationship with this young master?

A sudden thought flashed in his usually slow mind. Could it be that Huzi is Cuihua and this young master’s child?

Realizing what he was thinking, Li Dalang spat inwardly at himself. Nonsense! Cuihua is just a village woman, how could she possibly be tied to a noble? Foolish thoughts!

“This matter, brother-in-law, you may handle as you see fit,” Ying Su said lightly.

Bai Chuyu glanced up at Li Dalang, dark-skinned, timid-eyed, just a plain farmer with nothing remarkable about him. His gaze shifted back to Ying Su. So she married into such a household, only to be widowed?

Bai Chuyu thought it a pity, but then turned his mind back to business, continuing the discussion with Ying Su.

In the end, Li Dalang didn’t hand Shi Yuan over to the officials. He simply dismissed him from the shop. Ying Su showed no reaction at the news, as if the matter held no importance. Seeing her unbothered by his decision, Li Dalang finally felt at ease.

For the next several days, Ying Su rose early and returned late, sometimes even sleeping at the shop in town. On the very afternoon when Second Young Master Bai had come to see her, he had already set up a workshop in Shili Town, complete with workers and supplies.

Ying Su was constantly on her feet, teaching the workers every detail of glass refining while at the same time producing her own batch of glass and mirrors. She and Bai Chuyu had agreed that once he and his men returned to Jiangnan, the workshop in Shili Town would belong to her.

At first, Bai Chuyu had opposed the idea. Ying Su argued at length before he reluctantly agreed, though only on the condition that Weixuan’s shop would owe him ten percent of its profits. For all that he was the illustrious Second Young Master of the Bai family, the foremost merchant clan of Jiangnan, standing at the very top of the pyramid, he was still shrewd and calculating, intent on profit.

Despite his ethereal looks, free of any trace of vulgarity, in truth he was nothing but a hard bargainer. Fortunately, Ying Su was not easily swayed, never yielding or compromising. In the end, Bai Chuyu got nothing more than a single set of custom furniture out of her.

On the tenth day of the seventh month, under a clear summer sky, Weixuan’s shop opened its doors once again. After careful renovation, no trace of the fire remained.

Across the street, Shopkeeper Li sat on a small stool at his doorway, cracking melon seeds while keeping an eye on them. There should be some good entertainment today, he thought smugly.

“Master, have some tea,” a clerk said, hurrying over with a steaming cup.

Shopkeeper Li, pleased by the recent prosperity of his shop, accepted the cup and clapped the clerk’s shoulder.

“Not bad, not bad! You do have a lot of clever ideas. That scheme of yours last time really brought us business. Keep it up!”

The clerk grinned proudly. “It’s only right. As people of this shop, we must look out for its interests.”

Manager Li handed back the empty cup, grabbed another handful of seeds, and said with a laugh, “Then let’s sit back and enjoy the show today!”

Neither of them had any idea that Shi Yuan had already been exposed.

At Weixuan’s door, Li Dalang set off a string of firecrackers, a loud celebration to mark the reopening. But when the noise faded, the street was still silent. No customers came. People had stopped to watch the firecrackers, but once they finished, the crowd quickly dispersed.

Liu Chuncao grew restless, anxiety twisting her gut. She nudged Li Dalang with her elbow. “Why hasn’t anyone come to look at the furniture?”

Li Dalang frowned. “Maybe folks just don’t need any right now. Furniture isn’t something you buy every day.”

But after half a day of waiting with not a single inquiry, Liu Chuncao was distraught. “Dalang, even if no one wants to buy, surely someone should at least come take a look. Why won’t anyone even enter the door?”

Across the way, Manager Li was delighted. He spat out a seed husk and chuckled loudly.

“So you’ve reopened? Didn’t I say before this shop’s feng shui is cursed? No matter what business you do here, you’re bound to lose everything. You didn’t believe me then, but now, see? I was right!”

His tone was full of gloating mockery.

“Bah! You’re the one doomed to lose everything! Li Mao, don’t you dare curse us from over there! Don’t pretend to be so righteous, you know well enough the shady tricks you’ve pulled. Aren’t you afraid your conscience will keep you awake at night?” Liu Chuncao snapped, too angry to care for politeness. She didn’t even call him “Shopkeeper Li,” just spat out his name.

As she finished speaking, Ying Su emerged from the shop. She turned to Shi Fei and Wang Guaizi and ordered,

“Move those two wardrobes and place them on either side of the doorway.”

Each wardrobe was inlaid with a gleaming mercury-backed mirror, reflecting faces with crystal clarity. They were, in fact, wardrobes with full-length dressing mirrors, something common in her past life.