Sun Wuyou chewed on the juicy meat filling and grinned at her. “The Su family young man brought it—said it was to thank me. Look at this whole basketful. You can return his basket when you go back.”
Xie Yushu paused mid-bite and stared at the table full of pancakes, a little taken aback.
So that’s why he’d asked her which inn Sun Wuyou was staying at. She’d assumed he wanted to ask about his father’s condition—she hadn’t expected him to prepare so much food and bring it all the way here for her.
Sun Wuyou kept urging her to eat. “Xie Da, have some more—there’s plenty. Guizhi and I won’t be able to finish it all. That young man’s cooking is incredible—way better than our family cook.”
Guizhi, mouth stuffed full, nodded along. “Miss Xie, please have more. These pancakes are so good—I’m afraid Guizhi and I will eat too much and end up with stomachaches.”
The more Xie Yushu listened, the more unsettled she felt. A strange, hollow ache crept in. The pancake in her hand didn’t taste as good as before.
Why hadn’t he made any for her? Wasn’t he supposed to be thanking her? Didn’t he say he couldn’t repay her?
She took another angry bite, her emotions in turmoil.
Sun Wuyou, completely oblivious, pulled out the fifty wen and showed it to Xie Yushu. “And here’s the fifty wen he gave me. His family isn’t well off, and the food he brought far exceeds any consultation fee. Take this back to him when you return his basket.”
Xie Yushu knew Su Chi well enough to know that he would never accept the money back—Sun Wuyou had saved his father’s life, and no gesture of thanks was too much. “No need. It’s what you earned for treating his father. If you try to return it, he won’t take it.”
That comment made Sun Wuyou glance at Xie Yushu with interest.
How did she know the Su family young man’s temperament so well?
“By the way, what did you come to see me about?” Sun Wuyou finally remembered the actual reason. Xie Yushu wouldn’t just show up for no reason—there must be something.
Xie Yushu nodded. “I do have something to discuss with you.”
She’d gone to Qianwan Village early that morning to check on the kelp drying progress. The He family and Aunt Hong San had been tending to it diligently, producing about eleven or twelve jin of dried kelp.
Since Xie Yushu had started buying Aunt Hong San’s kelp at 20% above market price, she’d stopped selling to the middlemen who supplied restaurants and pharmacies. And now that Xie Yushu had recently raised the price to thirteen wen per jin—far better than before—she had no reason to deal with those black-hearted middlemen who’d sometimes try to drive the price down to seven or eight wen.
Aunt Hong San was now even more attentive to her kelp, knowing each jin would earn her thirteen copper coins. She worked steadily with He Chao, following Xie Yushu’s instructions without question.
From then on, whatever Xie Yushu said, she did.
The He family helped Aunt Hong San with the drying, and Xie Yushu paid them three wen per jin as helpers’ wages.
Since Aunt Hong San provided both the kelp and the skill, she received the full rate. The He family provided the space and labor for turning the kelp—helpers’ wages. Xie Yushu was clear about the distinction.
At first, the He family hadn’t wanted to accept the money. Xie Yushu had already saved their family—now she was giving them work and paying them too. He Chao’s father felt it was ungrateful to take both.
But He Chao had talked him around: if they did a good job for Miss Xie and refused payment, she’d feel uneasy and might go to someone else—and then they’d lose the chance to repay her kindness.
Though it was a bit of a stretch, his simple, honest father was convinced. He now worked diligently for Xie Yushu.
Xie Yushu bought kelp from Aunt Hong San at thirteen wen per jin and sold it for at least thirty wen.
In the past few days, several discerning, well-off travelers had split the twelve jin of kelp at He Chao’s stall, paying thirty-five wen per jin.
None of them haggled. They knew good quality when they saw it—these were the best dried kelp they’d ever come across. Scarcity drove the price, and since the stall only had this small batch, they grabbed it before anyone else discovered it.
They even politely asked He Chao when the next batch would be ready.
Twelve jin at thirty-five wen per jin came to four hundred and twenty wen—four qian and twenty wen.
After paying Aunt Hong San one hundred and fifty-six wen and the He family thirty-six wen, she had two hundred and twenty-eight wen left.
Adding that to the previous earnings, she’d made over three qian in just two sales over a short period.
Three qian wasn’t much, but she’d earned it with almost no effort.
She was satisfied with the profit. As she pocketed the silver, her thoughts churned.
By simply improving the drying technique, she could claim half the profit. The lure of such returns made her even more eager to rent a processing base.
And so, she’d come straight to Sun Wuyou after returning to town.
She wanted to borrow some money.
But she hadn’t figured out exactly how much she needed. Lately, her mind had been unsettled. She hadn’t even had the chance to properly inspect that large, abandoned compound she had her eye on—the rent wouldn’t be cheap, and buying it would be even more expensive.
This visit was just to give Sun Wuyou a heads-up.
She didn’t necessarily have to bring it up now, but Sun Wuyou had been spending money freely on herbs lately without much restraint. Mentioning it now would give her some awareness and let her set aside a little for Xie Yushu.
Sun Wuyou readily agreed—she was never short of money.
First, she and Xie Da were good friends. Second, Xie Da rarely asked for anything—how could she refuse?
And third, she wanted to see what kind of success the brilliant Xie Da would achieve.
When they’d finished eating, Xie Yushu took back the now-empty jar of lettuce salad and the small bamboo basket.
Su Chi was walking out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on his apron, when he saw Xie Yushu returning with his things. He realized she’d been with Doctor Sun. “Did you eat just now?” he asked.
Xie Yushu deliberately put on a pitiful look. “No, I—”
But before she could finish, Su Chi smiled and said, “That’s good. I saved some for you. I’ve even stir-fried two dishes. Go wash your hands and come eat.”
“Mm.” She replied with deliberate restraint, as if sparing words.
So he’d saved some for her after all.
Her earlier disappointment instantly melted away. She followed him inside, washed her hands, and eagerly helped him bring out the dishes.
That night, as she lay in bed, she draped her arm over her eyes, wide awake.
So much had happened lately. The more she tried to sort through her thoughts, the more tangled they became. Even someone as thick-skinned as she was could sense that something was off.
But she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what.
She went back and forth in her mind until she realized: the way she felt about Su Chi was different from how she felt about others.
Su Chi—he was special to her. Unique.
She’d thought she was just warm-hearted toward good people in general, but…
But Su Chi was different from everyone else.
That night, Xie Yushu was completely sleepless. She lay awake until dawn, watching the first rays of morning light seep through the old wooden window. She let out a resigned sigh.
—
These past few days, because he’d been caring for Wang Wen, Su Chi hadn’t set up his stall in town.
At least now he could see the light at the end of the tunnel—his father was recovering quickly under Doctor Sun’s medicine. That morning, Wang Wen had flushed complexion and drank a full bowl of porridge. He’d even urged Su Chi to get back to work, joking that he’d scare off all his customers if he stayed away any longer.
Su Chi was overjoyed at the thought that his father might soon be well enough to walk again. So he went back to town and set up his stall.
But when he arrived, he noticed Doctor Li’s clinic was closed.
The neatly arranged wooden shutters were tightly shut, with no red paper notice posted anywhere.
His regular customers, delighted to see his bun stall open again, flocked over. Within no time, several steamers’ worth of buns had sold out.
Su Chi was so busy rolling dough, adding filling, and pleating—his hands moving like lightning—that he didn’t even have time to wipe the fine sweat from his forehead and nose.
After the rush died down and most customers had left, he took a moment to breathe and caught snippets of conversation around him.
A few people buying buns were talking about the shuttered clinic.
“Look at that—our town’s only clinic is closed.”
A man carrying a vegetable basket leaned in: “What happened?”
The person who’d started the topic glanced around, lowering his voice as if sharing a secret: “I heard several families filed a joint complaint with the county officials. They said Doctor Li prescribed the wrong medicines and deliberately overcharged for expensive ones. The families banded together and submitted a petition. Doctor Li tried to flee, but the county guards caught her. She sold the clinic, sent her apprentices away, refunded the families’ medicine money, and now she’s in prison. I doubt she’ll be out for at least eight or ten years.”
The man spat in disgust. “Serves her right! Cheating people out of life-saving money—that’s the worst kind of scum. Good! Let her rot in there and never come back to harm anyone.”
Then he asked worriedly, “So will we have to go to the neighboring town for medicine now?”
The other shook his head. “No, I heard a county clinic will be taking over.”
They finished their chat, took their oil-paper-wrapped buns from Su Chi, and went home satisfied.
Su Chi fell into thought.
So much had happened in the few days he’d been away.
But it was for the best. That greedy Doctor Li being locked up was a blessing for everyone. He and his father could finally start a new chapter.
—
Xie Yushu yawned as she took in the clothes she’d washed the night before. She hadn’t slept a wink—she was exhausted and listless.
She had nothing much to do today, so she planned to eat something and then catch up on sleep.
But just as she’d barely stepped inside, a familiar voice called out from the gate.
She rushed out—and the sight of the visitor jolted her awake, the drowsiness vanishing.
Tian Fūlang was here again.
She let out an irritated “tsk.” She didn’t welcome him at all.
Nothing good ever came from his visits.
Tian Fūlang, as familiar as ever, launched right in: “Miss Xie, I’ve heard things.”
Xie Yushu raised an eyebrow. “Heard what?”
“You found a good doctor for Chi-ge’er and cured his father’s illness.”
No wonder Tian Fūlang was so worked up—Su Chi had been giving his father medicine for over a year with no improvement. Then this Zhai family daughter casually found a doctor who cured him in no time. Wasn’t that amazing?
One person told another, and soon the whole village had heard.
Xie Yushu narrowed her eyes, confused. “Who told you that?”
Neither she nor Su Chi would spread this around—someone else must have.
Tian Fūlang, seeing her displeasure, waved his hand. “What’s wrong with that? This is life-saving—a wonderful thing. Everyone who’s heard about it is praising your skill.”
Xie Yushu understood—it must have been the cart driver that day.
It was nothing, really. They’d just found the right diagnosis and prescribed the right medicine. The villagers were always making things sound mystical.
These days, the villagers had all noticed: Su Chi’s aunt Su Ping and her family—the ones who’d been giving him trouble—had been scolded by the village chief and stopped coming around. His sick father was getting better. Things were looking up for the Su family.
When people put it together, they realized Xie Yushu had been behind all of it. Word spread that she was quite capable.
The more Tian Fūlang looked at Xie Yushu, the more he felt his judgment was sound.
He truly admired Miss Xie—she was exceptionally good-looking and clearly talented.
The more he thought about it, the more determined he became. He’d been brushed off twice before, but today he’d come again, this time with a new approach.
He wouldn’t make the same mistake—no more asking her to marry into other men’s families. Instead, he’d find a match she actually wanted. Someone she liked.
She wasn’t an ordinary woman—other men weren’t worthy of her, and there was no question of her marrying in.
If he could make a match for her, his reputation would shine.
Tian Fūlang spoke plainly: “Miss, tell me—is there any young man in this village you fancy?”
Xie Yushu choked on her words. Here we go again.
“Not just in the village—town’s fine too. Trust your Uncle Tian’s silver tongue—I guarantee I can bring you whoever you like.”
Xie Yushu gave his “silver tongue” a skeptical look.
Where exactly was the “silver” in that? He hadn’t even been able to convince her.
Still, she called him “Uncle” sweetly, and he beamed, responding with pleased “ah-ah” sounds.
She said, “No need to trouble yourself, Uncle. I’m penniless right now—how could I ask someone to suffer with me?”
This man had changed tactics—no longer trying to convince her to marry into a family, now he was offering to find her a match. Xie Yushu found it amusing.
Tian Fūlang wasn’t in a hurry to leave. He helped himself to two low stools from the yard, pulled her down to sit, and pulled out a small pouch of freshly roasted melon seeds from his pocket. He cracked them as he rattled off the situation of every unmarried young man in the village.
Besides the two families she’d already turned down, he listed the unmarried men of Qingluo Village like he was reciting his own family history. He even went on to mention eligible young men from neighboring villages and town.
Xie Yushu grew drowsy listening. She grabbed a handful of seeds and crunched on them, her mind drifting. She didn’t take in a single word—he sounded like an annoying mosquito buzzing in her ear.
She just wanted him to finish so she could send him off.
Tian Fūlang cracked seeds nonstop, his mouth never resting. His throat was going dry. Seeing Xie Yushu completely unresponsive—zoning out as if his words were white noise—he choked on his own enthusiasm.
He said earnestly, “Child, I’m trying to find you a match. At least give me some reaction!”
“I’m worried about you—you don’t have a husband to look after you! How can a woman manage without someone to keep her fed and clothed?”
“Other women your age have children old enough to bring them lunch in the fields—how are you not concerned?”
He grew frustrated, talking until his mouth was parched. How could she not listen to reason, good or bad?
The yard was quiet. Xie Yushu said nothing, just kept crunching on seeds. He sighed and shook his head.
He stood to leave. “Fine, I’m wasting my time. Miss, do take finding a husband seriously. Don’t wait until all the good ones are taken before you start to worry.”
They were all from the same village—they’d run into each other. Besides, the Zhai daughter’s parents were gone. Apart from her aunt, she had no family left. It was pitiful.
He looked at her—she had so much going for her, and he knew she’d go far. But she just wouldn’t listen to his nagging.
Just as he turned to leave, an ox-cart came rattling toward them from up the road.
Tian Fūlang suddenly remembered something and smacked his forehead excitedly—he’d left someone out.
“How about him?”
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