Because the wharf was very close to Qingshan Village, quite a few villagers saw Huo Hanye and Su Nuanru return with the yamen officer. Some assumed the two of them had committed some offense and came over to ask about it. When they learned that the couple had not done anything wrong but had rented a shop at the South Wharf, everyone stared at them in shock.
“What possessed your family to rent a shop in this godforsaken place?”
Su Nuanru only smiled without saying anything.
Huo Hanye was not a talkative man, and he did not offer any explanation either.
After the two of them left, the villagers began discussing the matter behind their backs.
Huo Hanye had not yet had a chance to tell Huo Yangshu and Old Mrs. He about opening the shop. After returning home, the couple went to the main room.
“Father, Mother, my wife and I are planning to open a shop.”
The Huo family had farmed for their entire lives and had never considered going into business. Hearing Huo Hanye’s words, the whole family was extremely shocked.
Huo Yangshu, who was always taciturn, asked, “What kind of shop are you two planning to open?”
Huo Hanye was about to answer when Su Nuanru tugged at his sleeve, signaling him not to speak.
Huo Hanye closed his mouth.
“Father, we want to sell stuffed steamed buns, noodles, and other food.”
“Where will you open it?”
“At the South Wharf, near our village.”
Huo Yangshu turned to look at his son. His daughter-in-law had only recently come to the village and might not know what the wharf was like, but surely his son did. There was hardly anyone there at all. Opening a shop there would only lose them money. How could he have agreed to it?
One look from Huo Yangshu, and Huo Hanye understood what his father meant.
“Father, the South Wharf may be reopened.”
Huo Yangshu asked in surprise, “Is it really going to reopen?”
The Huo family’s ancestors had come here because of the South Wharf. Huo Yangshu vaguely remembered how lively the place had been when he was young, with boats and carriages constantly coming and going. But over time, fewer and fewer people came, until the place became utterly deserted. Sometimes, he could not even tell whether his memories of those days were a beautiful dream or something that had truly existed.
“It will most likely reopen.”
Huo Yangshu did not understand much about such matters. He was merely somewhat shocked, but his son had always been clever. He often went to the county town to work and had seen much more of the world than they had, so what he said was probably reliable.
Still, he had one question. “Opening a shop requires money. Where did you get it?”
Huo Hanye glanced at Su Nuanru and said, “We used my wife’s dowry.”
Huo Yangshu’s face immediately darkened. The usually mild and honest man raised his hand and slammed it heavily against the table.
“You disgraceful boy!”
Huo Hanye silently stood there and took the scolding.
Although Huo Yangshu was furious and Old Mrs. He’s expression was also somewhat unpleasant, Su Nuanru felt a little moved. Everyone in the Qian family had coveted her dowry, while the Huo family considered using her dowry utterly disgraceful.
Seeing that Huo Hanye was not defending himself, Su Nuanru hurriedly said, “Father, Mother, this was my idea. My husband didn’t want to use my dowry. I insisted on opening the shop, and he only agreed because I kept pestering him until he had no choice.”
Hearing this, Huo Yangshu and Old Mrs. He’s expressions eased somewhat.
Huo Hanye did not let Su Nuanru shoulder the blame alone. Instead, he said, “The decision to open the shop was made by my wife and me together. Farming doesn’t earn much money, and I’ve wanted to open a shop for a long time. In the future, I’ll repay my wife’s dowry several times over.”
Su Nuanru knew that Huo Hanye had never intended to open a shop at all. He was saying this to shoulder the responsibility himself. He truly was dependable.
Huo Yangshu fell silent after hearing his son’s words. The reason the family had no money was that he and his wife were in poor health and had to take medicine year-round. His son had to farm ten mu of land just to provide enough money for their medicine. Huo Hanye must have wanted to open the shop for the sake of the two of them.
After a long silence, Huo Yangshu asked, “Does your father-in-law know about this?”
Su Nuanru was just about to answer when Huo Hanye spoke first. “He knows. Yesterday, my wife and I went to Father-in-law’s home and told him about it.”
Su Nuanru gave Huo Hanye a deep look. She had always thought he was an upright man, but she had never expected him to lie repeatedly today.
After hearing his son’s words, Huo Yangshu’s anxious heart settled. His in-law had once done major business in the capital, and he had not objected. That meant the plan was feasible.
“Since the Su family agrees, go ahead and open the shop.”
“Father, the matter of the wharf reopening is only our guess. Let’s not tell anyone for now. If it ultimately doesn’t happen, people will blame us.”
Huo Yangshu looked at his wife, then at his daughter.
Old Mrs. He and Huo Hehua both nodded to show that they understood the importance of keeping it secret.
“Don’t worry. We won’t say anything.”
Seeing that no one in the Huo family objected, Su Nuanru finally felt at ease. She could now proceed with her business.
“A-Ru, see whether there’s anything your father and I can do. Just tell us if you need our help,” Old Mrs. He said.
“Sister-in-law, don’t forget me,” Huo Hehua added. “I have nothing to do at home anyway. I want to go help too.”
Su Nuanru looked at the people in front of her, and her eyes grew hot. She was not someone who liked to cry. When disaster had struck her family, she had not cried. In her previous life, even when she had suffered every kind of grievance in the Qian household, she had not cried. Yet in this life, she had cried several times because of the Huo family.
She had never considered divorcing Huo Hanye. Since Huo Hanye had not abandoned Hao Chunniang in her previous life, he probably would not abandon her in the future either. That meant the Huo family would become her family. There would be a great deal to do when the new shop opened, and she could not manage everything by herself. She needed other people’s help.
“All right. Then I won’t stand on ceremony with you.”
“What’s there to be polite about? We’re all family,” Old Mrs. He said.
The Huo family did not understand business matters, so they all listened to Su Nuanru. She explained what needed to be done.
Opening the shop required tables, chairs, benches, dishes, and other utensils. Someone also had to clean the place.
Huo Yangshu knew how to do all the carpentry himself, but there was a great deal to make and very little time, so he found several other villagers who knew the trade and had them work together. Huo Hanye took care of all the farmwork.
Old Mrs. He and Huo Hehua were responsible for cleaning the shop.
Su Nuanru did not intend to sit idle either. She would oversee everything, buy the dishes and utensils they needed, and try making buns and noodles.
The Huo family got to work as soon as they had decided what to do. After lunch and a short rest, they headed to the wharf.
Huo Hanye went to work in the fields, while Su Nuanru took the Huo family to the wharf.
Su Nuanru explained the general layout of the shop to Huo Yangshu, along with the tables, chairs, and benches they would need. Huo Yangshu measured the room and roughly determined the dimensions of the furniture. The doors and windows were old as well, so new ones had to be made.
They worked on this shop first. As for the other one, they would deal with it after finishing here.
Once Huo Yangshu had taken the measurements, he went home.
Su Nuanru and the others stayed behind to clean the shop.
Looking at the enormous shop, Huo Hehua asked uncertainly, “Sister-in-law, is this shop really going to belong to our family?”
Su Nuanru nodded. “Yes.”
“Our family is really going into business?”
“That’s right. We’ve already rented the shop, so of course we have to sell something.”
Huo Hehua gazed at Su Nuanru with admiration. “Sister-in-law, you’re amazing.”
Su Nuanru smiled. She had not even done anything yet, but Huo Hehua already admired her.
“Wait until we’ve actually earned money before you say that.”
“Sister-in-law, you’ll definitely make money.”
“You have that much confidence in me?”
“Of course. My mother said that you came from the capital and that you’re capable.”
Su Nuanru froze for a moment. In her previous life, the words she had heard most often were that the Su family was useless and had been driven out of the capital. The Huo family, however, thought that because they had once lived in the capital, they must be capable.
Sure enough, when people did not like you, everything you did was wrong in their eyes. When people liked you, everything you did was right.
The shop was quite large, and no one had used it for a long time, so it was especially dirty and difficult to clean. When she saw that the sun was about to set, Su Nuanru felt aches all over her back and waist. Seeing Old Mrs. He still working, she went over and said, “Mother, let’s continue tomorrow. We still have seven or eight days before the shop opens.”
Old Mrs. He smiled. “It’s fine. I’m not tired. If you’re tired, go home and rest.”
She considered herself of little use: she was frail, had to take medicine year-round, and could not do heavy work. At most, she cooked, fed the chickens, and handled a few household chores each day. Now that she finally had a chance to be of some use, she felt as though she had endless energy.
Looking at the sweat on Old Mrs. He’s face, Su Nuanru felt that she could not let her continue. Old Mrs. He’s health was already poor. In her previous life, when Huo Hanye went off to war, she had become so ill that she could not even get out of bed. If she overworked herself now, it would not be worth it.
Su Nuanru knew that urging such an honest person directly would not work, so she took a more roundabout approach.
“Mother, I’m hungry. I want to eat those egg pancakes you made yesterday. Let’s go home.”
Only then did Old Mrs. He finally stop what she was doing.
“All right. Mother will make them for you.”
Since they would be returning the next day, they did not take the cleaning tools with them. They locked the door and returned to the village.
It was evening, and quite a few villagers were outside chatting. When they saw the women approaching, everyone looked them up and down.
Second Aunt Liu asked, “Hanye’s mother, where have you all been?”
Old Mrs. He did not mention the matter of their family opening a shop. Instead, she said, “We just went over to the wharf for a look.”
“I heard your family rented two shops at the wharf. Is that true?”
The news had already spread throughout the village. When everyone heard Second Aunt Liu ask, they all pricked up their ears to listen.
Since the matter had been brought up, Old Mrs. He no longer tried to hide it. “It’s true.”
Second Aunt Liu looked disapproving. “You’re being foolish. The wharf has been deserted for so many years. What made you think of opening a shop there?”
Old Mrs. He was not good with words and did not know what to say. She stammered, “Hanye wanted to open one, so we did.”
“Hanye wants to open it?”
“That’s right.”
Nearby, Old Mrs. Zhen looked Su Nuanru up and down, her eyes filled with disdain.
“Did Hanye really want to open it himself? Couldn’t it have been someone else putting the idea in his head?”
Everyone’s eyes turned toward Su Nuanru.
As Su Nuanru looked at Old Mrs. Zhen, the painful memories of her previous life came rushing back. Her fists clenched tightly beneath her sleeves. In her previous life, Old Mrs. Zhen had been her mother-in-law, so she had merely endured it whenever the older woman criticized her. But now they had no relationship at all, and Old Mrs. Zhen still dared to humiliate her in public.
The anger she had suppressed for years erupted at that moment. Since Old Mrs. Zhen looked down on her so much, she could not blame Su Nuanru for showing her no mercy.
“My husband is a decisive and responsible man. He won’t change his mind just because someone else says a few words. Only men without any ability listen to other people in everything.”
Everyone in the village knew that Scholar Qian had been in love with Su Nuanru, but Old Mrs. Zhen had meddled and arranged for him to marry Hao Chunniang. The incapable man Su Nuanru was referring to was obviously Scholar Qian.
Su Nuanru had not been back in the village for long and spent nearly every day at home, rarely going out. Everyone had assumed she was a beautiful but gentle-tempered young woman. No one had expected her words to be so sharp.
Their gazes shifted between the two women as they watched the spectacle unfold.