When the topic of Su Ping and her family came up, Wang Wen was first angry and upset, but then he remembered the chaos their household had been in recently and felt greatly satisfied, unable to suppress a smile.
Su Chi was extremely curious and kept asking his father what exactly had happened.
Perhaps it was because Xie Yushu took such good care of him, keeping him happy every day — Su Chi’s eyes were clear and bright, without a single scheming thought, his gaze pure and unclouded by any shadow.
Even though he was married, had a wife, and had opened his own shop — already an independent adult — in front of his father, he was as innocent as a child. Wang Wen couldn’t help but stroke his head affectionately and carefully told him what had happened after Su Ping had returned to the village last time.
He said that a while back, the couple had made a scene at Su Chi’s bun shop, gained nothing, and were sent packing in disgrace. After returning to the village, they immediately started badmouthing Su Chi and Xie Yushu.
The couple couldn’t swallow their anger. They would grab anyone they saw and pour out their grievances, rambling on and on about Su Chi’s faults for ages.
They spoke with great animation, their spittle flying everywhere onto the faces of those they were talking to.
“How stingy! We’re his aunt and aunt’s husband. When we heard he’d opened a shop, we went to congratulate him. But not only did he not appreciate it — he wouldn’t even give us a sip of hot soup at the shop, and made us pay first. Tell me, what kind of nephew acts so heartless to his own family?”
“It’s one thing for him to be miserly with us — but his two younger sisters!” At this point, Cai Zhi wiped away nonexistent tears, as if truly heartbroken by Su Chi, and lamented, “He’s also cold-hearted. When he said he wouldn’t give, he wouldn’t give. Those are his sisters! What kind of ge’er has such a hard heart?”
The neighbor fulang who had been listening to their nonsense had heard enough and was rolling their eyes internally. Unable to hold back any longer, they snapped back irritably: “Didn’t your family cut off ties with Chi-ge’er’s family long ago? And now you’re putting on this act like everyone owes you something. If I had done something wrong and made people dislike me, I certainly wouldn’t show my face in front of them again — not like you two, falling all over yourselves trying to take advantage of others.”
Their qizhu tugged at their hand and urged them to go home, but couldn’t resist adding a word to the couple: “When you can’t take advantage of someone, you badmouth Chi-ge’er. His family has suffered enough these past few years. Now that they’ve finally got a shop and a new home in town, they still have to listen to their out-of-tune aunt and aunt’s husband spreading gossip about them.”
“Let’s go, let’s go. Why bother with them? The more you engage, the more they’ll carry on.”
Ever since Su Ping and Cai Zhi had been harshly scolded by the village chief that time, their mistreatment of Su Chi had been gradually dug up by others. More and more villagers came to know their true colors — especially their neighbors, who now looked at them with disgust.
Exposed without mercy by their neighbors, Su Ping felt guilty and flustered, her face alternating between red and white. But she still stiffened her neck and exploded: “How dare you talk to me like that! So now this is our fault!?”
They gained no sympathy from the villagers, who were unwilling to listen to their stirring of trouble and were thoroughly disgusted. So the two of them spent every day with their hands on their hips at home, cursing Su Chi and Wang Wen.
Wang Wen had cut off contact with them ever since he recovered, but not having contact didn’t mean he didn’t know what their household was up to.
His child was bullied and never told him about it. Knowing Su Chi was soft-hearted, even when those two scoundrels came looking for trouble, he never thought about revenge — at most, he just kept his distance from them.
Fortunately, Ye Youchun had come back that day and specifically told Wang Wen that Su Ping and her husband had gone to town to stir up trouble with Su Chi.
Wang Wen listened and said nothing at the time, just silently finished the food in his bowl.
That night, after the whole village was sound asleep, he picked up his hoe and went to the patch of land at the village head that belonged to Su Ping’s family.
The tender, cold-hardy vegetable seedlings that had been specially planted there had just sprouted, row after row of them. Wang Wen swung his hoe, carrying all his disgust and desire for revenge against Su Ping’s family, and smashed every edible grain and vegetable seedling in the field to pieces.
Just as he finished his destruction and was about to leave, a tall, dark figure carrying a hoe crept over.
Wang Wen and Ye Youchun stared at each other in the darkness.
“Uncle Wang?”
“Youchun?”
Wang Wen was the first to react, letting out a couple of carefree laughs. He showed no guilt at all for his sneaky act — on the contrary, he looked as if he’d encountered something delightful. He was just puzzled about why she had come too.
Ye Youchun also understood, and her usually silent face showed a rare hint of a smile.
She too had come under the moonlight to destroy Su Ping’s family’s crops. When she had returned that day, Xie Yushu had reminded her — the couple had eaten too well, and they needed to pay a price.
She had taken the words to heart and knew what to do.
Who would have thought — the two of them had ended up having the same idea.
The next day, when Su Ping saw that everything in her field had been completely destroyed, the furrows trampled into a mess, the good soil turned over in chunks with nowhere to even set foot, she immediately started cursing at the villagers who had gathered to watch the commotion. No one paid her any attention — they all whispered among themselves that she had finally gotten what she deserved after all her misdeeds.
Cai Zhi immediately broke down, collapsing onto the ground and wailing without any regard for dignity:
“Aiyo yo! Which black-hearted, heaven-cursed villain did this! Ruined all my seedlings and crops!”
“If I find out who did this, I’ll make them pay!”
“May you die a thousand deaths! How could you do something so despicable! Don’t let me catch you!”
“Are you trying to starve our whole family to death!”
The terrifying howls carried far and wide, echoing over the village for half the day.
Hearing his father vividly mimic Su Ping and Cai Zhi’s cursing, Su Chi couldn’t help but laugh.
He was soft-hearted, but not ungrateful. His father had gone out in the pitch-black night to destroy their fields, just to vent his anger on Su Chi’s behalf. He felt both touched and grateful.
Destroying someone’s crops was the kind of thing that invited heaven’s punishment. Su Chi could only silently beg that if there was to be punishment, let it fall on him alone, and not on his father.
Wang Wen also said that their family had very little winter food left. Apparently, in the past few days, they had gone to Bailian Town to ask Su Sheng for money from the Bai family, and had been driven out by the Bai household. Their days had been uneasy lately.
His tone throughout was one of “they had it coming.”
The candle flame in the room flickered. The father and son talked for a while longer, and only when Su Chi’s eyelids slowly began to droop did Wang Wen blow out the candle. They both fell into a deep sleep.
·
After six hours on the road, Xie Yushu and her companions finally arrived at Tang’an County that evening.
The steward’s employer had been thoughtful and had already arranged lodging for Xie Yushu and her party — they could move in directly.
They were given a large guest room with two beds, one for Xie Yushu and one for Ye Youchun.
Both of them were exhausted after the long journey. After a quick wash, they collapsed into bed and fell asleep.
The next morning, the shop servants brought up breakfast. After a simple meal, they took the visiting card the steward had given them, found the address written on it, and went to find the employer.
When they had arrived at Tang’an County last night, it was already completely dark. The county had been pitch black, with only a few yellow lanterns faintly visible hanging outside the street shops. Everything else was unclear.
But stepping out this morning, they saw just how bustling and prosperous the county was.
Tang’an County was on a scale much larger than Songwan Town — not just a little bit. The streets were wider, wide enough for two or three carriages to pass side by side. All kinds of shops lined the streets, one after another, a dizzying array. Xie Yushu and Ye Youchun could hardly take it all in.
The streets were crowded with people coming and going, shoulder to shoulder. Even in the dead of winter, plenty of people were willing to go out.
As she walked, Xie Yushu observed the passersby and marveled inwardly at how wealthy the people in the county were.
In winter, everyone was dressed in thick, warm clothes made of obviously good materials. Many young men and fulang wore light, warm rabbit fur or fox fur scarves around their necks, and their sleeves occasionally revealed expensive jade or silver bangles on their wrists — all of excellent quality, gleaming with a cold light under the pale winter sun.
In comparison, Songwan Town was practically a rural backwater.
If Tang’an County was already this prosperous, one could only imagine what Jiangzhou Prefecture must be like.
They found the Tang residence without difficulty and were let in without much trouble. Passing through elegant corridors that seemed utterly mismatched with a merchant’s temperament, they met the Tang family’s employer after she had finished her morning meal.
The employer’s surname was Tang, named Tang Zhiyi.
She was the eldest daughter of the Tang family of Jiangzhou Prefecture. The Tang family had been in business for generations, accumulating considerable wealth for their descendants.
Tang Zhiyi had originally been a scholar studying for the imperial examinations, but for some reason, she had switched paths midway and gone into business instead. Her family initially disagreed, but she took the small sum of money her father had saved for her, came to Tang’an County to strike out on her own, and opened “Shanhai Xing” — a business specializing in wholesale dried goods. The business flourished, and she bought a large residence in Tang’an County, firmly establishing herself.
Xie Yushu had originally assumed this person would be a shrewd, profit-driven businesswoman. But upon meeting her, she found that Boss Tang was very young — not much older than herself — tall, with proper, upright features. She had an elegant, easygoing demeanor, and a scholarly air about her eyes and brows.
Tang Zhiyi’s pupils also widened slightly when she saw Xie Yushu.
This Boss Xie was so young — and that face…
Even she, who had seen countless beautiful people in her life, had never seen a woman as striking as this.
She looked up and saw that the woman before her had a relaxed expression, her brows and eyes at ease, carrying a languid yet confident air. Her features were almost impossibly beautiful — a pair of amorous, captivating peach blossom eyes, their corners slightly upturned, yet tempered by a hint of heroic vigor between her brows.
Not ostentatious, not frivolous — instead, it added an aura that made others hesitate to approach casually.
The two of them hit it off as soon as they sat down. The order volume, details, pricing, and delivery timelines that hadn’t been settled with the steward at the ferry were all clearly discussed here.
Xie Yushu also asked Boss Tang how she had learned that she had good goods — after all, Tang’an County was quite far from Songwan Town, yet the steward had managed to find her precisely.
Tang Zhiyi, seeing that Xie Yushu spoke with courtesy, was generous and proper in demeanor, and quoted prices with neither arrogance nor humility — showing great confidence in her products — found herself liking her even more.
She explained that this was her line of work, and she had an especially keen nose for good products appearing on the market. When she saw dried kelp of such quality appearing in Jiangzhou Prefecture, she naturally sent someone to investigate.
Upon inquiring, she learned that in a small town like Songwan, a boss had emerged out of nowhere who specialized in this business. She became interested and sent her steward to find that boss and discuss things thoroughly — the profit margins here were greater than they had imagined.
Xie Yushu understood immediately upon hearing this.
The initial batch of over six hundred catties had been sold to Zhong Shangren, who would have resold them to others. They must have changed hands several times before ending up with Tang Zhiyi.
Ye Youchun didn’t interrupt, sitting quietly beside them and listening to the two of them talk business.
As they spoke, the thick door curtain of the main hall moved, and someone entered.
The person wore a silver-gray thick satin padded jacket, with elegant orchids embroidered on the cuffs. The waist was neatly fitted, and the collar was trimmed with a ring of soft white rabbit fur, setting off a delicate chin and fair complexion. He moved silently, with a light, ethereal air — like a white plum blossom falling in the snow.
This was Tang Zhiyi’s fulang, Jiang Wanxue.
He had heard that his qizhu was meeting an important guest today, so he had been busy in the kitchen early on, personally making several plates of jasmine honey-filled glutinous rice cakes, bringing them over while still hot.
Jasmine flowers weren’t easy to find at this time of year. He had had the kitchen staff finely grind the last small bag of dried jasmine, mix it with fine tree honey, and knead it for a long time to get just this small ball of filling.
The glutinous rice cakes had just come out of the steamer, wisps of steam rising, their sweet fragrance spreading through the room. The top was drizzled with a layer of amber-colored osmanthus honey, glistening brightly, mingling with the aroma of tea on the table — a comforting scent.
Jiang Wanxue had also made lotus root starch, thickened to a creamy consistency, sprinkled with dried osmanthus flowers collected in autumn by the servants, ground to the size of sesame seeds. Golden and warm orange intertwined, dotting the surface in a starry pattern, carrying a faint, pleasant osmanthus fragrance.
“Some small snacks — please help yourselves. My fulang’s skills are passable.” Tang Zhiyi pushed the plates toward them, her tone casual.
Her hand naturally rested on Jiang Wanxue’s wrist, gently guiding him to sit beside her.
Jiang Wanxue didn’t speak either, obediently following his qizhu’s (wife) lead and sitting at her side. He pushed the dishes toward the two guests, the corners of his mouth curving slightly in greeting.
They had no overtly intimate gestures, nor any lingering exchanges of glances — yet in those simple few movements, their perfect understanding and suitability for each other were unmistakable.
Ye Youchun, the big simpleton, just kept her head down and ate. But Xie Yushu saw clearly.
These two were deeply in love.
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