Chapter 66

When Auntie Song entered the main hall and saw Su Yunting seated at the head, her back instinctively bent a little lower. She had already come in slightly stooped, but at the sight of him she bowed even further.

Every time she faced the young master, she could never explain why, but the force of his presence always unsettled her, making her heart clench with unease.

Su Yunting looked at her and said directly, “In this house, the laundry has always been handled by you. It doesn’t matter who washed things before. But from now on, no one else is to touch these items again. You must handle them yourself.”

As an experienced servant, Auntie Song immediately understood the meaning behind those words. She quickly replied, “Young Master, rest assured. I will never again allow anyone else to touch anything from the main house. From now on, I will even stagger laundry times so that these clothes are not washed together with the girls’.”

Seeing that she understood, Su Yunting said no more.

To Qiu Yurou, with her modern soul, such intimate traces ought to be cleaned by oneself. But Su Yunting, who was wholly a man of his time, knew that these things should still be left to a trusted servant, someone close enough to manage such matters discreetly.

His wife was cautious toward people she already knew to be untrustworthy, but toward others, her guard was often three parts too soft.

Su Yunting thought this was simply her natural kindness. In his mind, her lack of vigilance was nothing to worry about. With him present, he could make up for whatever she overlooked.

Auntie Song went to the inner chamber, lifted the basket containing the laundry, and at once confirmed her suspicions.

Carrying the basket to the washing area, she found the place empty as the maids had already finished cleaning the young girls’ clothes earlier.

She drew water and began sorting: bedsheets, undergarments, handkerchiefs.

When her eyes fell upon the crimson mark on the bedsheet, she froze. She truly hadn’t expected this; her master and mistress, so affectionate as a couple, had nonetheless abided strictly by propriety until now!

When she had first entered the Su household, she noticed right away how loving this young couple was. But because of their mourning period, they had been living separately.

At the time, Auntie Song thought it must be because they had moved to the county and circumstances forced them apart.

Now she realized…no, this pair really did hold fast to propriety. They were not ordinary in their restraint!

—-

On the way to the workshop, Qiu Yurou tried not to dwell on what Auntie Song might think while washing the clothes.

She walked with her younger sister at a leisurely pace. The two boys who had joined them yesterday had already been examined by a physician in town, so today Su Chao immediately set them to work.

Of Qiu Yurou’s two apprentices, Ping’an was naturally gifted; most of the workshop’s seasoning blends were left to him. Su Chao, by contrast, had naturally fallen into management.

Every day, Qiu Yurou took one apprentice home to personally teach cooking. She spent far more energy on Su Chao than on both Ping’an and the others combined. But talent wasn’t something effort alone could replace.

So Qiu Yurou adjusted Su Chao’s training. If he couldn’t produce delicious dishes himself, then at least he needed the ability to recognize them.

At present, she focused his learning on tasting and judging.

Each day upon arriving at the workshop, the first thing she did was hear Su Chao’s report on the flavors of that day’s finished dishes. She would then taste them herself and point out the differences.

After checking flavor and hygiene, she went to look in on the two new boys. Finding nothing more pressing, she left the workshop to the others.

Accounting for the suppliers was something she had long since entrusted to her apprentices and to Su Dani. During purchases, Dani was always at the front, while the two boys rotated helping her.

Today, Su Chao arranged for one of the Sujia Village boys to help pack goods for customers. Seeing he managed well enough, Su Chao ran to Qiu Yurou and asked, “Master, once these two boys are trained, when we open the restaurant, won’t we still be short on hands?”

“Have your father bring in more,” Qiu Yurou answered casually. “There’s no shortage of willing people in the village.”

Su Chao studied her expression curiously. “You’re… not in a hurry anymore?”

For the first time in years since crossing into this life, Yurou had allowed herself to sleep in. Suddenly, she realized something.

Back at the Qiu family house, she had worked every day only to avoid being scolded. After marriage, she had kept working because if she didn’t, there would be no food to eat.

But now, why was she still wound tight like a spring? That was foolish.

Money wasn’t something earned in a single day, nor was a business built in a day. They lacked neither food nor clothing anymore. There was no need to rush.

So she told him, “Why hurry? If there aren’t enough hands, we’ll train more. Once we have enough, then we’ll open the restaurant.”

Su Chao frowned. “But Senior Brother blames himself all the time. He says because his skills weren’t ready, he delayed us this long. He’s always angry at himself. Now his cooking has finally caught up, but you’re saying there’s no rush!”

Qiu Yurou was startled. “Ping’an feels that much pressure?”

Su Chao nodded hard.

Qiu Yurou sighed. That child… she had once told him, “Once your skills are polished, we can open the restaurant.” He had taken it to heart and carried the burden ever since, believing the delay was entirely his fault.

But back when they had just opened the workshop and funds were scarce, Qiu Yurou never believed rapid expansion was wise. Opening a restaurant was something she had never intended to hurry.

Now that they had both; the money and the skills, success or failure of a restaurant would not shake their foundation. And yet, Ping’an still carried the guilt as though it were his personal failing.

“It’s my fault,” Qiu Yurou admitted softly. “I didn’t explain clearly and left him carrying this burden all this time. Very well, I’ll apologize to him and make it right.”

To outsiders, Qiu Yurou seemed both open-minded and indulgent; whether toward her younger siblings or her apprentices.

Su Chao, spoiled by her kindness, had long lost the cautiousness he’d had when he first became her apprentice. So when he heard that Qiu Yurou wanted to apologize to Ping’an, he didn’t think much of it and simply replied with an easy, “Mm, okay.”

But no sooner had he spoken than his senior brother asked sharply, “What exactly are you agreeing to?”

The tone was one Su Chao had never heard before; it sent a chill down his spine. When he looked up and saw his senior brother’s stern face, his heart started pounding for no reason.

“M–Master said she wanted to apologize to you, I…”

Ping’an cut him off coldly, “A master is like a mother. Who are you to think our master should be apologizing to me?”

Only then did Su Chao realize what he’d done wrong. In his mind, he instantly pictured his father raising a whip at him.

He almost dropped to his knees from fright and stammered, “Master, I was wrong!”

Qiu Yurou couldn’t help laughing at her usually sharp-minded but occasionally clueless apprentice. She said gently, “Your senior brother’s just teasing you. Go on, get back to work.”

Su Chao glanced at his senior brother and when their eyes met, he immediately knew that Ping’an had not been joking at all. Worse, he realized that if he went to his master again, things would probably get much worse for him.

He quickly looked away, nodded to Qiu Yurou, and muttered, “Got it,” before slipping away to the front room to work.

Qiu Yurou turned to Ping’an with a smile.

“Why did you scare him like that? It really was my fault for not explaining clearly, and you’ve been carrying that burden for so long…”

Before she could finish, Ping’an quickly interrupted, “It’s not because I was worried about delaying the restaurant plans. I just wanted to accomplish something as soon as possible.”

Ever since Su Yunting woke up, Ping’an had been quietly worried about one thing.

His master’s maternal family wasn’t influential, while Master’s husband, Su Yunting was a promising young scholar with a bright future. For now, Yunting still remembered his wife’s kindness and stayed considerate of her side of the family. But what about later?

Especially after their recent trip back home to pay respects to Yunting’s late parents; Ping’an saw clearly that his master’s family had no powerful relatives, while Yunting’s old classmates and friends were already gathering around him. It was obvious that Yunting was destined to enter officialdom.

The brighter Su Yunting’s prospects became, the more glaring his wife’s lack of family backing would appear.

So Ping’an’s only thought was to help his master build a solid career as soon as possible to give her a measure of independence and support.

Qiu Yurou, however, had no idea that his ambition was entirely for her sake.

Seeing her disciple’s drive, she didn’t discourage him.

“It’s a good thing to want to build something for yourself. Let’s start by training those two boys. Once they’re skilled, see who’s got talent in the kitchen. Keep that one close to help you, and when things are running smoothly, we’ll look for a place to open our restaurant.”

Ping’an obediently agreed to everything she said.

When the workday at the pastry workshop was nearly done, Qiu Yurou asked which apprentice would accompany her home.

Su Chao, hearing that Ping’an would be the one going, felt a huge wave of relief, like he’d just escaped disaster.

On the way home, they bought the meat and vegetables that her little sister had asked for.

It was almost funny, ever since they’d moved to the county, the food at home couldn’t compare at all to what they ate at the workshop.

Now that their period of mourning was over, they didn’t have to stay vegetarian every day. Her sister immediately listed off several dishes she’d once dreamed of eating.

Ping’an no longer needed Qiu Yurou’s guidance to cook, so once they got home, she could relax.

When Qiu Yurou returned to her room, she found Su Yunting reading.

He set his book down, smiled at her, and said warmly, “You’re back.”

Then he stood up and naturally wrapped his arms around her, asking softly, “Are you tired?”

Qiu Yurou replied, “It was just a short walk, and I wasn’t doing any work. How could I be—”

Before she could finish, her words were cut off by his kiss.

After tasting the sweetness of his beloved, Su Yunting held her tightly and murmured, “If only it were already night.”

Qiu Yurou, breathless from his kisses, lightly hit him in mock annoyance. “It’s not even noon yet! Can’t you think about anything else?”

Su Yunting just chuckled. “You’re right. There’s still the lunch break.”

Flustered, Qiu Yurou pushed at him, but he only drew her closer. “Alright, alright, I’m just teasing you.”

She didn’t believe him for a second. “You can take your nap in your own room at noon.”

He sighed and agreed with a simple, “Alright,” but inwardly thought that once lunch was over, he’d have that room turned into a sitting room.

—–

It was summer, and the heat made everyone drowsy. Not long after lunch, the house grew quiet as each person went back to their room to rest.

Qiu Yurou noticed that Su Yunting actually kept his word and went to his own room for his nap, which put her at ease.

She lay down on her bed. After the morning’s busy work, the lingering fatigue in her body had mostly faded.

Still, after several hectic days back at Sujia Village and the intense activity last night and that morning, she truly needed some time alone to rest.

When she heard movement in the courtyard, Qiu Yurou woke up but didn’t feel like getting up.

Life in the old days had its inconveniences, but at least there were no industrial fumes or pollution. Even in summer, the heat was bearable except for a few especially hot days.

By the time she woke from her nap, she was only lightly sweating. She picked up her fan, waved it a few times, and the heat quickly faded.

Half-drowsy, she kept fanning herself as the sounds outside grew louder.

Just as she started wondering what they were up to, she heard Yun Che’s voice calling out to Su Yunting, “Elder Brother, the table’s easy enough to move, where do you want to put the bed?”