Lin Yuhe and Lady Wu labored continuously in the kitchen until mid-afternoon. After a rushed lunch, they had the shop hand, A’Zhu, cart them and their supplies by ox cart to the abandoned military training grounds in the south of the city.
By the time they arrived, the grand stage was already swallowed by an immense crowd. Word from the Marquis’s estate had spread fast, bringing virtually the entire town flooding out; people were perched atop trees and scrambling onto high walls just to get a view.
Lady Wu stared in open shock. “Little Sister, you truly foretold this like a divine spirit!”
Yuhe chuckled softly. “Sister-in-law, just sit back and prepare to count the coins today!”
Once A’Zhu helped unload three massive wooden tubs of herbal tea, the two women set up a modest tea stall in an open patch nearby. At first, customers trickled in slowly, but within less than half an hour, business exploded.
While Yuhe and Lady Wu scooped cool tea into bamboo bowls, the shop hand stood beside them selling straw hats.
When Yuhe had first pitched this scheme at Lin Yuping’s home days ago, her brother and his wife had been utterly flabbergasted. Yet seeing her stubborn resolve, they couldn’t dissuade her and ultimately agreed to collaborate. They bought up every straw hat across several streets—nearly two hundred in total—purchasing them at five copper coins apiece to resell at ten.
The herbal tea went for five copper coins a bowl. Yuhe had harvested the honeysuckle herself on the hills, and the water was drawn straight from Lady Wu’s backyard well. Subtracting two coins for the bamboo bowl’s cost, every sale yielded a clean profit of three coppers.
Since everyone had come out to enjoy the festivities, the crowd was in high spirits. With the Marquis’s Old Dowager footing the bill for a free opera show, nobody grumbled over a mere few copper coins—especially when it came with a bamboo bowl to keep.
The three large tubs sold out in no time, forcing A’Zhu to cart back more. Lin Yuping remained at home, juggling the front shop, tending to their two young children, and boiling fresh batches of tea in the kitchen.
The cycle repeated continuously. A’Zhu returned three times to fetch fresh stock.
It wasn’t until around seven in the evening that the Old Dowager escorted her noble guests back to the estate for dinner. But the stage wasn’t taken down, as the performance was set to continue into the night.
That evening, Lin Yuping closed his shop early, brought his two children, and hurried over with torches to assist at the stall. Though nighttime business was slightly slower than during the day, they still sold another three tubs.
They pressed on through the following day, selling off the remaining straw hats by afternoon, only wrapping up as dusk began to settle.
This time, Lady Wu adamantly refused to accept Yuhe’s earnings—Lin Yuping even covered A’Zhu’s bonus out of his own pocket.
By the time Yuhe returned to the Xie household, sheer exhaustion weighed heavily on her bone-weary frame. Counting her earnings, she found that after deducting expenses, she had netted a solid three taels of silver. She handed one tael to Mrs. Cui, keeping the remaining two for herself.
The feeling of earning money independently was wonderful; it washed away all her troubles and restored her confidence.
Mrs. Cui marveled silently, wondering what sort of venture could yield so much silver in just two days. Yet seeing Yuhe far too tired to speak, she refrained from prying. After cooking dinner that evening, she had Little Yun carry a bowl up to Yuhe’s room.
The next morning, Yuhe slept in, rising only after breakfast was finished.
Ever since the day Xie Shuhuai had harshly scolded her over the woven straw hat, she had stopped initiating conversations with him.
After eating, Yuhe gathered discarded yellow cabbage leaves behind the house to feed the chickens.
Mrs. Cui was out in the courtyard airing out bedding. “Yuhe, go fetch the quilts from Shuhuai’s room and bring them out to dry in the sun.”
Knowing full well that Shuhuai disliked her entering his room, Yuhe had no desire to invite another sharp reprimand. She simply stood outside his wooden window and relayed, “Mother says to bring your quilts out to air in the sun.”
Listening from outside, she heard a faint rustling from within. Moments later, Shuhuai emerged carrying his bedding and draped it over the wooden fence.
Though a sting of grievance lingered in her heart, Yuhe couldn’t help but gaze at him with a trace of lingering affection as he stepped outside. Her eyes unconsciously followed his every move.
Catching her staring red-handed, Shuhuai met her gaze, prompting her to cast her eyes down in gloom and retreat back into her room.
These past two days had been far too exhausting. Carrying a child in her belly, Yuhe felt her body clearly signaling that it was reaching its limits.
Yuhe intended to rest properly over the next few days, not daring to overexert herself further. Apart from stoking the hearth fire while helping Mrs. Cui cook, she avoided doing any heavy chores.
With the warmer weather, Mrs. Cui’s health had improved considerably. Unlike during the harsh winter months, when she had been bedridden, she was now able to move about freely.
Unable to sit still, Little Yun took their dog, Momo, to the trees behind the house to climb and pick wild fruit when she saw Yuhe resting.
Just as Yuhe was drifting off into a hazy sleep, the sound of Little Yun crying echoed from behind the house.
Mrs. Cui rushed out of the courtyard at a quick jog, with Yuhe following close on her heels. Approaching the corner of the yard, Yuhe caught the sharp exchange of an argument between Mrs. Cui and a neighbor.
Hurrying around to the back, Yuhe found old Granny Xu shoving Mrs. Cui. Beside them, Momo bared his teeth, barking fiercely at the old woman.
“Stop right there!” Yuhe yelled out.
Seeing Yuhe arrive, Little Yun looked at her as if she were a savior. She cried out in heartbreak, “Auntie, Sister Tao stole my apricots! When I wouldn’t let her, she hit me! And her grandmother pushed my Grandmother!”
Granny Xu looked up to see Yuhe. Unfazed, she sneered, “Children squabbling is just play—who takes that seriously? Come, Tao’er, let’s go. This family is full of shameless rogues; don’t let them try to frame us for money.”
Seeing the grandmother and granddaughter turning to leave, Mrs. Cui hesitated to press the matter. But Yuhe stepped forward with open arms, blocking their path.
“Don’t you dare leave,” Yuhe said coldly.
Granny Xu snapped back, “What do you think you’re doing?”
Yuhe pulled Little Yun to her side and asked gently, “Yun’er, where did she hit you?”
Little Yun wiped her cheek, revealing two clear, faint pink marks left on her skin.
Faced with such visual proof, Granny Xu showed no intention of making her granddaughter apologize. Instead, she maintained her arrogant posture without the slightest remorse.
A surge of anger flared within Yuhe. Turning to the child, she encouraged her, “Yun’er, hit her back.”
Accustomed to enduring injustice, Little Yun shook her head in fear.
Yuhe offered a steady, guiding counsel: “If you don’t want to strike back, I won’t force you. But you must understand that if you let this go, you will only ever be bullied whenever you face Sister Tao in the future. She dared to hit you right outside your own front door today—imagine what she’ll do elsewhere.”
The words struck Mrs. Cui like a sudden epiphany; she realized Yuhe was speaking to her as well. In Hongye Village, no matter how cautious and meek her family remained, the villagers never truly respected the Xie household. The granddaughter raised under her timid care had grown equally faint-hearted, leaving her with no defense against bullies.
Overcome with guilt, Mrs. Cui finally spoke up, “Yun’er, Tao’er swollen your cheek with that hit. Listen to your Auntie and give it right back to her.”
Granny Xu pulled her granddaughter behind her back, sneering bitterly, “Girl from the Lin family, you’re an outsider here—what business is this of yours? Even Xie Shuhuai doesn’t want you anymore; what are you putting on a show for?”
“Whether Xie Shuhuai wants me or not is between him and me. What does that have to do with you?” Yuhe shot back without missing a beat. “Unless you’re planning to marry him yourself? Though I suspect you’d have to wait in line behind your own daughter. As far as I know, three months ago, your daughter was still thrusting kerchiefs into Xie Shuhuai’s hands.”
“You…”
Granny Xu’s hand trembled with rage. Guilt crept over her, dampening her resolve to escalate the shouting match. Her daughter was currently in marriage negotiations with the village chief’s youngest son. Fearing local gossip might ruin the match, her aggressive demeanor deflated significantly.
Realizing the two women were not to be pushed around today, Granny Xu clutched Tao’er tightly in her arms. The little girl, no longer as domineering as before, shrank back in fear.
Spurred on by Yuhe’s encouraging glance, Mrs. Cui stepped forward and pulled Granny Xu aside, giving Little Yun the chance to finally muster her courage and strike back.
Tao’er burst into loud, wailing tears. Seeing that she was outmatched by Yuhe and Mrs. Cui, Granny Xu had no choice but to drag the crying child away.
Mrs. Cui remained uneasy. “Yuhe, that old woman Xu will likely bring her family back to cause trouble.”
“Mother, she won’t dare,” Yuhe replied calmly.
As the three of them turned around, they found Xie Shuhuai standing right before them.
Seeing her uncle, Little Yun immediately threw herself into his arms and asked nervously, “Uncle, will you blame Yun’er for hitting someone?”