Ming Shu patted Su Chuiyun’s head as if she actually believed what she said.
Su Chuiyun lowered her head, looking utterly heartbroken, and whimpered, “Sister, you’re doubting me.”
Even if Ming Shu truly had suspicions in her heart, she wouldn’t voice them. “Stop whimpering.”
Su Chuiyun grabbed Ming Shu’s pinky finger like a small child. “Sister suspects I wore that wedding dress for that woman.”
By “that woman,” Su Chuiyun didn’t even want to mention Song Xi’s name. Su Chuiyun thought to herself: If I did something wrong, the law should punish me, rather than making me transmigrate into a ‘crematorium’ novel.
Su Chuiyun was nearing despair, her face crumpled like a sad kitten. “Since Sister doesn’t like it, I’ll just throw the wedding dress away.”
Ultimately, Ming Shu didn’t say anything hurtful. Perhaps deep down, she hoped that what Su Chuiyun said was true.
“You can’t throw it away,” Ming Shu stopped her.
In the quaint bedroom, a beautiful canopy bed stood nearby. The air was filled with the faint, lingering fragrance of gardenias. Outside, a small kitten peeked in curiously, letting out a soft “mew.”
Su Chuiyun’s eyes flickered. “I’ll wear it for Sister then.”
As she spoke, Su Chuiyun began to unfasten her clothes, preparing to slip into the wedding dress. She nearly forgot she was currently “crippled” and almost stood up right in front of Ming Shu.
Ming Shu said, “Your credit card is overdrawn.”
Su Chuiyun: “?”
What on earth?
Ming Shu tossed the bills from three different credit card companies onto the table. “Just delivered to the mailbox at the door; they’re still warm. Shall I read them to you?”
Su Chuiyun felt numb. She prayed to God that the debt wasn’t from buying that damn wedding dress.
Ming Shu continued, “The wedding dress must have cost a fortune. You maxed out all your cards.”
Su Chuiyun: “……”
She covered her face with both hands. Su Chuiyun felt like she was in a dream. “I’m really in ‘ass debt’ [debt up to my ears]…”
Ming Shu didn’t hear clearly and frowned. “What ass?”
Chen Yue, standing to the side, and Bai Li, standing behind, wished they were deaf. They exchanged a glance, standing there awkwardly, unsure whether to stay or leave.
Su Chuiyun closed her eyes and reached out for the envelopes.
Ming Shu teased, “You can see them?”
Su Chuiyun, dead inside: “I regained my sight for love.”
Ming Shu didn’t believe her nonsense, but she didn’t read the text on the bills either. She stated a total amount and waited for Su Chuiyun to ask her for money. Ming Shu was willing to pay off the debt for her little sister in fact, she took great pleasure in spending money on Su Chuiyun.
As long as Su Chuiyun wanted something from her, Su Chuiyun wouldn’t leave her.
Having heard the amount of debt, Su Chuiyun let out a long sigh. “Bai Li, has the Taihu stone arrived in the courtyard?”
Bai Li snapped to attention. “The workers are already unloading. This batch of stones was ordered by several old clients. The price offered is very high, but…” Bai Li’s voice trailed off. “The master craftsman who trims the stones recently injured his hand. He won’t be able to work for a while.”
Taihu stones require manual trimming to bring out their aesthetic beauty. These stones are hard and lustrous, with interconnected holes, making them perfect for rockeries by gardens and ponds. There are also smaller ones for tabletops.
The batch in Su Chuiyun’s courtyard was large at least three to five meters high.
Su Chuiyun realized that the skills from her past life were finally going to be useful. Before transmigrating, she had spent two or three years apprenticing under a master in the Yixing region, learning the art of stone trimming and cutting.
“Let’s go take a look.” Su Chuiyun put down the wedding dress and prepared to stand up.
She took two steps back and ultimately sat back down in the wheelchair.
Ming Shu: “……”
Did my eyes just play tricks on me?
Su Chuiyun: “My legs are a bit better, but they still hurt. Sister, you should pity me.”
Ming Shu said, “Why work so hard? I can support you.”
Su Chuiyun thought her sugar-mamma sister was truly wonderful generous and beautiful. Currently, Ming Shu was dressed in white funeral attire with a black silk ribbon tied around her arm. As the saying goes, “if you want to look chic, wear mourning white” the cold, mournful vibe made one’s imagination run wild.
Su Chuiyun: “Sister, let me struggle a bit. If I can’t make money, I’ll…” sell the original host’s antiques.
Ming Shu finished the sentence for her, “…pay it back with your ass?”
Su Chuiyun: “.” Is she ever going to let that go?
Ming Shu couldn’t help but tease Su Chuiyun more. Seeing the girl’s face turn bright red as if it were on fire, Ming Shu suddenly scooped her out of the wheelchair and into her arms.
“Sister, that wedding dress has nothing to do with Song Xi. Truly.”
“Mhm, I believe you.”
“You really believe me?”
“Do you want the truth?”
In the past, Ming Shu would never have joked with Su Chuiyun like this. But looking at the girl in her arms anxious to the point of tears, soft and sweet, she couldn’t help but feel her heart soften.
Su Chuiyun: “Forget I asked.”
She shrank into a ball timidly. If she had ears on her head, they would surely be drooping right now.
In the Courtyard
The workers had just finished unloading and were using claw hammers to pry open the wooden crates, revealing the strangely shaped Taihu stones inside. There were white, green, and black varieties. The stones, eroded by waves over time, had formed ridges and perforations, perfectly meeting the aesthetic standards of “thin, wrinkled, transparent, and leaky.”
As the group arrived, the workers froze.
Who comes to inspect goods while being carried?! Is this how “decent” families inspect stock?
Su Chuiyun coughed twice and asked Ming Shu to put her down.
“Your legs…”
“I can stand” The words were on the tip of her tongue, but Su Chuiyun quickly turned “frail.” “I can’t stand. I need the wheelchair. My legs hurt. They hurt even more after Sister scolded me.”
Ming Shu rubbed her head, and as she set her down, she gave her rear a playful pat.
Su Chuiyun: “……” That’s not where you’re supposed to touch!
Su Chuiyun picked a stone. “This one.”
The worker was skeptical. “The shape of this one isn’t great. It’s too thin and lacks form. I’m afraid the client won’t like it.” He was already prepared to sell it at a discount.
“What’s the current price?”
The worker cited a modest figure and sighed. “The cost is mostly shipping. This stone was just dug up as an extra.”
Newly quarried stones need manual trimming and hole-punching. Su Chuiyun composed herself and ran her hands along the stone. “Cut here.”
If it were anyone else, the worker would have started cursing, but this was Su Chuiyun. He had to call her “Little Boss Su.”
A heavy slab of stone hit the ground, and the rock suddenly took on the silhouette of a coiled dragon.
“Another cut here.”
After a few more strokes, the dark gray stone looked like a dragon perched on a cliff, about to dive into an abyss. The holes in the stone perfectly aligned with the dragon’s head, body, and tail.
A previously worthless stone, through these precise cuts, instantly saw its value skyrocket dozens of times over. Once a specialized master polished the cut marks, it would look like a masterpiece of nature.
With dust on her face, a glowing Su Chuiyun asked Ming Shu, “Sister, I can pay back the money now.”
Ming Shu hadn’t expected Su Chuiyun to actually have such talent. She had always thought that Su Chuiyun’s blindness had dealt an irreversible blow to her, ending her career. She never imagined Su Chuiyun could determine the internal form of a stone through touch alone.
In work mode, Su Chuiyun shed her clingy, spoiled act and became steady and confident. Her smoky-gray eyes seemed to sparkle with light.
Ming Shu’s heart skipped a beat. She pressed her hand firmly against her chest.
“Ming Shu,” Su Chuiyun washed a small pebble in her palm and handed it to her. “This little one is perfect for a desk.”
In the hazy sunlight, Ming Shu reached out to wipe the dust off Su Chuiyun’s cheek. Her soft, gloved fingers brushed against Su Chuiyun’s skin, allowing the latter to smell the faint scent of leather and feel the delicate touch of the goatskin.
Su Chuiyun’s face flushed red once again.
“Our A-Yun is truly amazing,” Ming Shu praised softly. “No need to pay back the ‘ass debt’ anymore.”
Su Chuiyun: “!” Why are you still mentioning the ass?!
Ming Shu leaned forward slightly, tucking a long strand of hair behind her ear, and whispered into Su Chuiyun’s ear:
“But Sister wants to spend money on you, A-Yun. Can’t you tell?”