Although Su Nuanru had agreed to go to sleep, Huo Hanye’s glance just now had left her too unsettled to calm down. Her mind was filled with thoughts of Huo Hanye. For a while, she remembered the cold look he had given her when he saw her after her marriage in her previous life; then she recalled the things he had said and done today…
She forced herself to stop thinking about Huo Hanye and shifted her attention to the shop. She went over everything concerning its opening in her mind, and only then did she gradually begin to feel sleepy.
Huo Hanye also slept restlessly that night, taking a long time to fall asleep. When he woke in the morning, he felt the softness against his arm. Looking at the arm resting across his chest, white as jade, his eyes darkened slightly.
This had happened every morning for the past few days.
Before going to sleep, she always kept as far away from him as possible, huddling in the corner as though he were some kind of ferocious beast. But in the middle of the night, she would inch back over and hug him.
He closed his eyes and took a long while to calm himself before gently lifting Su Nuanru’s arm away. Remembering what she had asked him the previous night, he called softly, “Wife.”
Su Nuanru did not react at all.
Huo Hanye called again, “Wife.”
Su Nuanru kept her eyes closed. Her lips parted slightly as she made a sound. “Hmm?”
At that moment, her eyes were shut, her cheeks flushed, her black hair spread across the pillow, and her lips were rosy.
Looking at her like this, Huo Hanye’s eyes gradually grew darker, and he could not help leaning closer.
Just as his lips were about to touch hers, he came to his senses in time. He threw back the quilt and got out of bed.
Because Su Nuanru had gone to sleep late, she slept very deeply. In a daze, she seemed to hear someone calling her. She answered once, then fell back asleep. It was not until Huo Hanye pushed open the door that she woke fully.
Still bleary-eyed, she sat up in bed. Seeing Huo Hanye, she covered her mouth with a hand and yawned.
Fortunately, she had woken early today. Huo Hanye had not yet gone out to work in the fields, so she still had time to make breakfast.
“Go wash up and eat,” Huo Hanye said.
Su Nuanru paused while putting on her shoes and looked up at him. “What did you just say?”
“Breakfast is ready. Mother asked me to call you to wash up and eat.”
Su Nuanru’s expression changed. “What time is it?”
“About the middle of the chen hour.”
Su Nuanru glanced over Huo Hanye’s clothes. There was some dirt on them. “You already went out to work in the fields?”
“Mm. I just got back.”
Su Nuanru was immediately rather dejected. Not only had she failed to rise early today—she had gotten up late. She hurriedly put on her shoes and could not help complaining, “Why didn’t you wake me this morning?”
Huo Hanye did not defend himself.
Su Nuanru had no time to keep talking to him. She quickly put on her clothes and shoes and left the room.
When she saw Old Mrs. He, Su Nuanru felt even more embarrassed. “Mother, I’m sorry. I overslept again.”
Old Mrs. He smiled. “You didn’t get up late. I simply made breakfast early. Hanye said the two of you were going to the county town today. You should have slept a little longer.”
Su Nuanru still felt very embarrassed.
“I’ll definitely get up early tomorrow.”
Old Mrs. He smiled but said nothing.
After eating, Su Nuanru and Huo Hanye left the house. They had already walked two li, yet Su Nuanru had not said a single word to Huo Hanye.
Huo Hanye finally realized that she was angry.
“Are you angry?”
Su Nuanru stopped. She was just about to speak when she suddenly realized that she was actually angry with Huo Hanye. Wasn’t she most afraid of him? How had she started getting angry with him? This was very inappropriate.
She hurriedly suppressed those improper emotions and said gently, “No. I just feel very embarrassed. I shouldn’t be making Mother cook every day.”
“Today was my fault,” Huo Hanye said.
When Huo Hanye apologized, Su Nuanru instead felt somewhat ashamed. She had been the one unable to get up, so why was she blaming Huo Hanye? That was far too unreasonable. The people of the Huo family had treated her too well these past few days, making her lose sight of her own place.
After reflecting on her mistake, Su Nuanru said solemnly, “It wasn’t your fault. It was my own problem.”
Hearing her tone, Huo Hanye felt slightly uncomfortable. Just now, although she had seemed to be angry with him, she had felt lively and genuine. Now she seemed somewhat distant.
“Last night, I promised you I would wake you. I didn’t do it.”
Su Nuanru glanced at Huo Hanye. Seeing his serious expression, she knew that he truly believed he had done something wrong. She felt they could not continue discussing this matter. If they did, the two of them would simply go on apologizing to each other.
“Then can you wake me a little earlier tomorrow?”
Huo Hanye’s expression relaxed somewhat. “All right.”
Su Nuanru smiled. “Let’s go.”
Huo Hanye’s eyes softened. “Mm.”
The two continued toward the county town. When they reached the market town, Huo Hanye took Su Nuanru to the entrance and found a horse-drawn carriage bound for the county town. After roughly an hour of traveling and waiting, they finally arrived.
There were twenty or thirty shops near the South Wharf. At its busiest, every one of them had been rented out, with not a single shop vacant. Now, most had stood empty for years. No one came to rent them, and only occasionally would someone take one. After opening for two or three months, they could not even pay the rent, and nothing more came of it.
When the yamen officer saw someone coming to rent a shop, he enthusiastically introduced the properties to them, afraid they might change their minds.
Su Nuanru was utterly shocked when she heard that the monthly rent was only one qian of silver. In her previous life, she had later inquired about rents near the South Wharf. They were at least five taels of silver a year, while larger shops in better locations cost seven or eight taels.
She knew that the rent was certainly very cheap at present, but she had not expected it to be this cheap. One qian of silver sounded like a great deal, but once the wharf opened, merchants traveling north and south would all have to pass through here. The money to be made would only increase.
Before her rebirth, the wharf had still been extremely busy, even three years after the reopening. The wharf would have no shortage of customers. It would be better to rent the shop for three years first—a guaranteed profit with no risk.
“How much would it cost to rent one for three years?”
At this, the yamen officer smiled and pointed to the ledger in his hand. “It’s written right here. One qian a month; one tael for a year; three taels for three years.”
Su Nuanru looked at the ledger. It did indeed state that the shop she wanted cost one tael a year, or three taels for three years. Looking at the cheap rent, she touched the five taels of silver in her purse. “I want to rent it for five years.”
The yamen officer looked troubled. “It’s not that I don’t want to rent it to you, but a shop can only be rented for three years at most in a single contract.”
Su Nuanru felt somewhat regretful. Once the wharf opened on the first day of next month, the rent would no longer be this price. Still, in three years, she should have the means to open a pastry shop in the county town. Thinking of that, she no longer felt quite so regretful.
“Then I’ll rent it for three years.”
The yamen officer prepared to process the paperwork for Su Nuanru.
Su Nuanru glanced at the adjoining shop marked on the plan and handed all five taels of silver to the yamen officer.
Looking at the five taels in front of him, the yamen officer said, “Didn’t I just tell you? You can only rent a shop for three years at most.”
“I’m renting two shops. One for three years, and the other for two.”
She had roughly calculated that if she sold stuffed steamed buns and noodles, she would not need much capital. At the start, all she needed was a pot, some tableware, flour and vegetables, along with a few tables, chairs, and stools. Aside from these five taels of silver, she still had some spare money—enough to open the shop.
Since she had two taels left, she might as well rent another shop. Once the wharf opened, she could make money there regardless of what she did with it. Even if she did not use it herself, she could sublet it and make a profit.
At this, the yamen officer grinned from ear to ear. After all these years, a fool with money had finally appeared.
Huo Hanye glanced at Su Nuanru.
While the yamen officer went to prepare the documents, Su Nuanru explained in a low voice, “I thought the prices were low right now, so I wanted to rent another shop.”
Huo Hanye nodded. “Mm. The annual rent for a shop at the North Wharf is four to six taels. Rents at the South Wharf will be higher still in the future. Since the price is low now, it’s indeed a good opportunity.”
Seeing that Huo Hanye did not object, Su Nuanru breathed a sigh of relief. She had not expected that Huo Hanye would not only have gone to the North Wharf yesterday, but would also have asked about all these matters in detail.
She had originally thought that she would have to make every decision about opening the shop on her own. She had not expected that someone would investigate everything for her. The road ahead suddenly seemed much less uncertain.
She wanted to say something, but at that moment the yamen officer came over with the documents. Su Nuanru stopped speaking and went to sign the contracts.
After the paperwork was completed, a yamen officer took them to the wharf to show them which shops they had rented, then handed over the keys.
Huo Hanye went to see the yamen officer off, leaving Su Nuanru alone inside the shop. She looked around at the empty, dust-covered space. Her eyes grew hot, and tears slid down her cheeks.
In her previous life, she had always wanted to open a shop. In this life, she had finally achieved her wish.
When Huo Hanye returned after seeing the yamen officer off, he saw Su Nuanru walking around the shop alone. Her eyes were red, but she wore a smile on her face. He did not approach her, instead remaining by the doorway.
After a while, Su Nuanru’s emotions had settled somewhat. Only then did she notice that Huo Hanye had returned at some point. She raised a hand to wipe away the tears on her face and walked toward him.
“Thank you.”
She was thanking him for supporting her. Thanking him for helping her.
There was a trace of puzzlement in Huo Hanye’s eyes.
Su Nuanru did not explain. “Let’s go back.”
“All right.”