Before long, Su Nuanru and Huo Hanye returned to the Huo household.
Huo Yangshu and Old Mrs. He had been worried all along that the Su family might look down on their household. Only after seeing the tea leaves and pastries the Su family had sent back with them did they finally relax.
Su Nuanru gave the tea leaves to Old Mrs. He and the pastries to Huo Hehua.
Although the Su family had fallen on hard times, even a camel wasted away to nothing was still bigger than a horse. Everything in their household was of good quality, and these pastries had been bought in the county town. Huo Hehua looked at the exquisite pastries in her hands, then raised her eyes to Su Nuanru, her gaze filled with delight.
“Sister-in-law, are these for me?”
Remembering her mother’s instructions before they left, Su Nuanru smiled and nodded. “Yes. They were prepared especially for you.”
Huo Hehua was overjoyed. Not only had she never eaten such fine pastries, she had never even seen any before.
“Thank you, Sister-in-law.”
Su Nuanru said, “You’re welcome, Little Sister.”
The fact that her in-laws valued their daughter made Old Mrs. He happy as well, but she still said, “Hehua, you and your sister-in-law should split those pastries evenly.”
There was not a trace of reluctance on Huo Hehua’s face as she readily agreed. “All right.”
Su Nuanru refused. “There’s no need, Mother. I’ve already eaten. These pastries were bought for Hehua in the first place. Let her keep them for herself.”
Huo Hehua tried to offer some to Su Nuanru again, but Su Nuanru refused once more.
“They’re very easy to make. If we get the chance later, I’ll teach you.”
Huo Hehua looked astonished. “Sister-in-law, you know how to make pastries too?”
Su Nuanru nodded. “I know how to make a few kinds.”
Huo Hehua gazed at Su Nuanru with open admiration. “Sister-in-law, you’re amazing.”
When the Su family had suddenly moved back from the capital, all the village children had run over to see them, and she had gone too. The first time she saw her sister-in-law in the Su family’s courtyard, she had been struck by her beauty and thought she looked like a celestial maiden. She never would have imagined that this celestial maiden would one day become her sister-in-law. Her older brother had really struck it rich!
She glanced at her older brother, only to see that his eyes were practically glued to his wife.
After they talked for a while longer, Su Nuanru and Huo Hanye returned to their room to rest.
They had been outside just now, where there had been some things they could not ask about freely. Now that they were back in their room and only the two of them remained, Huo Hanye finally asked in detail about opening a shop.
“Wife, what kind of food are you planning to sell?”
Su Nuanru was best at making desserts. Back when she lived in the capital, she would make some whenever she had nothing else to do. Sometimes she made them for her father and mother, and sometimes for her friends, and everyone liked them very much. What she most wanted to open was a dessert shop. However, the three years she had spent in Qingshan Village in her previous life had given her a thorough understanding of the circumstances here. Desserts cost quite a lot to make and would be difficult to sell. So she planned to start with some simple flour-based foods and consider opening a dessert shop after she had saved enough money.
“Foods like stuffed steamed buns and noodles.”
Huo Hanye glanced at Su Nuanru. He knew she had grown up in the capital, and his father-in-law had once run a restaurant, so he had assumed she wanted to open an eating house. He had not expected her idea to be so down-to-earth. It seemed he had been worrying needlessly; she had already thought the business through carefully.
“Where will you sell them?”
Su Nuanru said, “By the wharf near the village.”
At the mention of that location, Huo Hanye frowned slightly.
The South Wharf had been the first wharf opened in the county town, as well as the largest. In the past, all the vessels traveling north and south had to pass through it. Qingshan Village had gathered around it in precisely that way. The villagers did not share a single surname, and their ancestors had come from all over. Because of wars and famine, they had come here to survive and formed a village together. According to the village elders, their village had once been extremely bustling.
But that had been decades ago.
This area lay on the border between two prefectures, and ninety percent of the land belonged to Lushui County, so the wharf was considered part of Lushui County as well. But as the wharf’s income grew, the neighboring prefecture became unwilling to leave it all to them and wanted a share. The dispute reached the imperial court. The late emperor had been mild-tempered, and to prevent further conflict, he simply closed the wharf. The two prefectures each opened another wharf within their own territory. Merchant ships passing through could choose which route to take.
From then on, ships traveling north and south had to take a detour, greatly increasing transportation costs.
Afraid that Su Nuanru, having only just arrived, did not understand the situation here, Huo Hanye tactfully reminded her, “Although the South Wharf is very large, it’s been abandoned ever since the county opened the North Wharf. Cargo ships from outside don’t pass through here. Only some vessels from within the county dock here, and there usually aren’t many people around.”
“I know.”
Huo Hanye was puzzled. If she knew that, why did she still want to go there?
Su Nuanru felt that what she was about to say was somewhat secret, so she instinctively moved closer to Huo Hanye and lowered her voice. “A few days ago, when I went to the county town with Mother to buy some things, I heard people talking about the wharf north of the county town. They said it’s become somewhat overcrowded and can’t quite handle the demand anymore. I was wondering whether the South Wharf might be reopened. If it is, this place will certainly become lively again. So I want to take advantage of the low prices now and rent a shop there in advance.”
In her previous life, Su Nuanru had thought the same thing. She had even made a special trip to the North Wharf to take a look. It had been packed, and many ships could not dock and unload their cargo immediately; they had to wait for a long time, delaying transportation. When she returned home and mentioned it to her father, he had also said that the southern wharf might be reopened. She had not expected it to actually happen a month later. The wharf, which had been abandoned for decades, had become bustling again, and all the shops nearby had been rented out. She had regretted not renting one in advance. If she had, any business she opened there would have made money.
Now that such a good opportunity had presented itself, she naturally did not want to miss it.
Faint wisps of fragrance drifted into his nose. Huo Hanye’s thoughts began to wander, and he stared straight at Su Nuanru, forgetting to speak for a moment.
Su Nuanru misunderstood Huo Hanye’s reaction, assuming he thought her decision was too rash and did not agree with her plan. She pressed her lips together and continued, “I really didn’t make this decision on impulse. I went to see the North Wharf myself. It’s very overcrowded there, so there’s a good chance the imperial court will reopen the South Wharf.”
Thinking of what her father had said before, Su Nuanru moved her stool a little closer to Huo Hanye’s in an effort to convince him, then leaned toward him again.
Looking at the beautiful face so close to his, Huo Hanye felt as though he had forgotten how to breathe.
Su Nuanru said, “My father said that the new emperor has a different temperament from the late emperor. The new emperor is decisive and ruthless. To reduce the cost of transporting goods, there’s a very high chance he’ll reopen the South Wharf.”
The two of them were extremely close now, close enough for Huo Hanye to see Su Nuanru’s eyelashes clearly. When she spoke, the warmth of her breath seemed to brush across his cheek.
Huo Hanye’s hand tightened slightly. After giving Su Nuanru a deep look, he turned his gaze away.
Su Nuanru grew even more confused. What kind of reaction was this? Did Huo Hanye dislike her? She glanced at the distance between them and finally noticed that they seemed to be sitting far too close. She moved her stool a little to the side.
Seeing Su Nuanru’s small movement, Huo Hanye cleared his throat lightly and said, “There isn’t any spare money in the household right now. If you want to open a shop, I’m afraid you’ll have to wait.”
Su Nuanru looked at Huo Hanye. She was not sure whether he was telling the truth or deliberately using money as an excuse to brush her off. Before she could probe him, Huo Hanye spoke again.
“Since you want to sell simple foods, Wife, why not start by setting up a stall? That would require less money. Once you’ve earned some, you can open a shop.”
Hearing this, Su Nuanru’s uneasy heart finally settled. Huo Hanye had not been brushing her off. His silence just now had been because he was seriously considering her proposal, and he had even offered her a reasonable suggestion.
However, she had no intention of setting up a stall. A stall had no fixed location, and every day she would have to push a cart around. She would be exposed to the wind and sun and would have a very hard time. Besides, after the South Wharf was reopened, she had gone there to take a look. Shops were much closer to the wharf, and when a merchant ship docked, the first place people would pass was the row of shops. A stall would be slightly farther from the wharf, and people would have to pass through row after row of shops to reach it. Naturally, its business would not be as good as a shop’s.
“You don’t need to worry about the money. I have some here.”