Huo Hanye poured the water from the bucket into the large vat in the kitchen. After setting the bucket down, he walked toward the well. He rolled up his sleeves, about to scoop water from the bucket to wash his hands.
At that moment, a slender, fair hand reached the dipper before he did and settled on its handle. Their hands unexpectedly brushed against each other.
Looking at the two hands—one fair and one dark—resting together, Huo Hanye felt a sudden warmth in his chest.
Su Nuanru had not expected Huo Hanye to move so quickly either. When their hands touched, hers trembled, and the dipper nearly slipped from her grasp.
Quick as a flash, Huo Hanye caught her by the wrist.
Su Nuanru looked up at him.
“Hold it steady,” Huo Hanye said in a low voice.
Feeling the pressure on her wrist increase, Su Nuanru blushed. “I… I know. Please let go.”
Only then did Huo Hanye release her wrist.
Su Nuanru picked up the dipper, scooped up half a dipper of water, and looked at Huo Hanye.
Understanding what she meant, Huo Hanye felt a tingling sensation in his heart and held out his hands. “Sorry to trouble you, Wife.”
Su Nuanru pressed her lips together and said softly, “It’s no trouble.”
She was extremely grateful that Huo Hanye had agreed to let her open a shop. He had even taken the initiative to carry water for her just now. Compared with all he had done, this small task of hers was hardly worth mentioning.
As she spoke, she poured the water over Huo Hanye’s hands.
Huo Hanye carefully washed his hands.
Inside the house, Old Mrs. He grew puzzled when her son and daughter-in-law failed to come in for so long. She said to her daughter, “Go see why your brother and sister-in-law still haven’t come in, and tell them to come eat.”
Huo Hehua was already seated at the dining table, and from where she sat, she had a perfect view of what was happening in the courtyard. She gave Old Mrs. He a meaningful look.
Old Mrs. He turned around to look at the two figures in the courtyard. Seeing what her son and daughter-in-law were doing, she smiled in satisfaction. Then she turned to Huo Yangshu. He glanced toward the courtyard as well and smiled.
When a family lived in harmony, everything prospered. Nothing was more important than a family getting along peacefully.
Meanwhile, after lunch, Scholar Qian had returned early from the Hao household on the excuse that he needed to study. Hao Chunniang was extremely displeased. She had tried to persuade him to stay, but Scholar Qian had paid no attention to her and come home anyway.
Hao Chunniang stayed at her parents’ home until dusk before returning.
As soon as she entered the house, Old Mrs. Zhen said, “Chunniang, you’re finally back. Hurry and go cook. It’ll be dark soon if you don’t start now, and Wangzu has been hungry for ages.”
Hao Chunniang’s good mood from her visit to her parents’ home vanished instantly. She was speechless.
She had once been a general’s wife for half a year, waited on by others. No one had ever dared order her around day after day the way Old Mrs. Zhen did. Her temper flared at once, and she asked coldly, “If I didn’t come back, would none of you eat?”
Old Mrs. Zhen was already simmering with anger herself. A married daughter had actually stayed at her parents’ home for so long. The Hao family truly had no sense of propriety.
She restrained her temper and said, “Chunniang, your father has to teach his students, and Wangzu has to study. I’ve been working for most of the day myself. You’ve been away from home all day without doing a thing. What newlywed wife gets to live as comfortably as you do?”
Hao Chunniang thought that being a wife in the Huo household was more comfortable than being a wife in the Qian household. Whatever came to mind, she said aloud.
“The Huo family across the way never makes their new daughter-in-law do any work.”
At that, Old Mrs. Zhen gave a laugh. “Then you’re mistaken. The girl from the Su family across the way came home early after lunch and even made dinner.”
Hearing this, Hao Chunniang was so shocked that she temporarily forgot she had been arguing with Old Mrs. Zhen. She asked again, “Su Nuanru made dinner?”
“She did,” Old Mrs. Zhen replied. “I even saw her drawing water in the courtyard just now.”
Hao Chunniang glanced toward the house across the way, her eyes full of mockery.
Su Nuanru really was born to toil. In the past, after marrying into the Qian household, she had to work every day. Now that she had married into the Huo household, she still had to work. It seemed the Huo family did not like her very much after all. They did not even treat Su Nuanru as well as they had treated Hao Chunniang in her previous life.
Old Mrs. Zhen brought up the matter again. “It’s getting late. Hurry and go cook.”
Hao Chunniang still did not want to cook. She was just about to retort when Scholar Qian came out of the room.
“Mother, isn’t dinner ready yet?” Scholar Qian asked.
Old Mrs. Zhen spoke first. “Don’t be impatient. Your wife just got back, and she’s about to go to the kitchen to cook.”
Hao Chunniang was instantly speechless. When had she ever agreed to go cook?
Scholar Qian looked at her with a trace of impatience. “Hurry up. I’m hungry.”
Hao Chunniang dared to argue with Old Mrs. Zhen, but she was more wary of Scholar Qian. He was the legitimate son of the Marquis’s Residence and would inherit it in the future. She still needed to rely on him to become the Marchioness.
“Chunniang, go cook,” Old Mrs. Zhen said.
Hao Chunniang suppressed her temper. “I know. I’ll go do it now.”
She would endure it a little longer. Once she became pregnant, she would stop working!
After dinner, Huo Hanye and Su Nuanru returned to their room.
Huo Hanye took ten copper coins from inside his robe and handed them to Su Nuanru.
Su Nuanru stared at the copper coins in front of her, then looked at Huo Hanye in confusion. Why had he suddenly given her copper coins?
“Today I went to the North Wharf to unload cargo for someone,” Huo Hanye said. “I earned twenty copper coins in all. Father and Mother take care of all the household expenses, so I gave Mother ten copper coins. These ten are for you to spend as you please.”
Spend as you please…
How long had it been since Su Nuanru had heard that phrase? Ever since returning to the village, she had treated every copper coin as though it were two, carefully budgeting for food, clothing, and everything else. She no longer had any money to spare.
“I know it isn’t much,” Huo Hanye continued. “I’ll give you more once I earn more in the future.”
From someone else, those words might have sounded like an empty promise. But Huo Hanye really could fulfill it.
Su Nuanru’s eyes reddened, and she said in a thick voice, “You don’t have to give me any. I have money.”
“Your money is yours. This is money I’m giving you.”
As he spoke, Huo Hanye placed the copper coins on the table.
“I didn’t go to the wharf this afternoon because I didn’t trust what you said. I just wanted to ask around a little more. I was worried someone had set you up and that your money would be wasted.”
Tears suddenly slipped from Su Nuanru’s eyes. Since the room had no lamp lit, Huo Hanye did not see them.
The feeling of having someone take her words seriously was simply too wonderful. In her previous life, she had always wanted to go into business, but her father had disapproved, and Scholar Qian had firmly opposed it. Even though she wanted to do it herself, she had been unable to.
Things were different now. Someone was standing in front of her, exploring the unknown road ahead on her behalf. She seemed to have someone to rely on now—and the confidence to move forward.
She raised a hand and wiped away her tears, choking slightly as she said, “I didn’t think that.”
Although Huo Hanye had not seen her cry, he could hear that something was wrong with her voice. His heart tightened.
“Are you crying?” he asked.
“No,” Su Nuanru said.
Huo Hanye paused, then said, “If I said anything wrong, just tell me.”
Su Nuanru shook her head. “No, I’m really fine. I’m very happy that you did this. I was afraid I might have made the wrong decision too.”
Huo Hanye stared at her for a moment. “Go ahead and do it without worry. Your judgment and Father-in-law’s are probably correct.”
Su Nuanru looked up at him. “What if we judged wrongly?”
“That’s fine too. If we’re wrong, we can choose another place and open the shop there.”
Huo Hanye had not told her to give up on doing business. Instead, he had encouraged her to change locations. It felt wonderful.
“Good,” Su Nuanru said. “Then can you come with me to the county town tomorrow to rent the shop?”
“Mm.”
After washing up, the two of them went to bed.
Su Nuanru thought of something and said, “Can you wake me when you get up tomorrow morning?”
“The county office doesn’t open until the chen hour,” Huo Hanye replied. “There’s no point in going too early. We’ll go after breakfast.”
“No. I want to get up early and make breakfast.”
“Mother gets up early. Since she doesn’t go work in the fields, she’s always made breakfast.”
“I just got married into this family. I should be the one making the meals.”
Huo Hanye did not really understand these matters himself. He did not say anything more and agreed.
“All right. Go to sleep.”
At those words, Su Nuanru glanced at Huo Hanye. They had been married for three days, but Huo Hanye had never touched her. She simply did not know why he refrained from touching her. Did he really have some physical problem, as the rumors in her previous life claimed, or was there some other reason?
Sensing Su Nuanru’s gaze, Huo Hanye turned his head toward her.
“Wife, is there something else you want to say?” he asked.
The bed was not particularly large. If either of them turned over, they could touch the other. Looking at the intense, forceful look in Huo Hanye’s eyes, Su Nuanru’s heart gave a sudden leap.
He had been so easygoing just now that she had nearly forgotten this was what his true temperament was like.
“No… nothing.”
Huo Hanye did not speak for a moment. He looked deeply at Su Nuanru and said, “Mm. Go to sleep.”
Su Nuanru hurriedly turned her head away and closed her eyes. “All right.”
She felt that if she had taken even a little longer to answer, something unpredictable might have happened.