As soon as Huo Hanye left, Su Nuanru heard Huo Hehua’s voice from outside.
“Brother, how did you hurt your lip?”
Huo Hanye stopped and replied in a low voice, “Internal heat.”
Huo Hehua said, “Then remember to drink more water.”
“I know.”
Listening to the conversation between the siblings in the courtyard, Su Nuanru felt too ashamed to face anyone. She covered herself with the quilt and lay there for a while before finally going outside.
As soon as she stepped out, Huo Hehua looked over at her.
“Sister-in-law… Huh? Sister-in-law, why are your lips swollen too?”
Su Nuanru’s face flushed, and she did not dare meet Huo Hehua’s eyes.
“Could you have internal heat too, just like Brother?”
Su Nuanru lowered her head. “Yes. Internal heat.”
Old Mrs. He glanced at her daughter-in-law when she heard that. Her son’s lip did look as though it could be sore from internal heat, but her daughter-in-law’s swollen lips did not look like that at all. Recalling how her son had practically fled moments ago, then looking at her daughter-in-law’s flushed cheeks, she understood at once, as someone who had been through it herself.
Huo Hehua, completely oblivious, continued with concern, “Sister-in-law, remember to drink plenty of water today too.”
Old Mrs. He interrupted her daughter. “All right, go feed the chickens.”
“I know.”
When it was nearly time to prepare the meal, Su Nuanru saw Old Mrs. He heading toward the kitchen.
“Mother, I’ll cook.”
Old Mrs. He looked at her daughter-in-law with a broad smile. “No, no. Go rest. I’ll do it.”
“Mother, let me do it.”
“You’ve been busy with the shop all day and must be tired. Go and rest.”
No matter what Su Nuanru said that day, Old Mrs. He refused to let her enter the kitchen.
Su Nuanru truly could not understand Old Mrs. He’s strange behavior. Helpless, she could only help Huo Hehua feed the chickens.
She asked Huo Hehua quietly, “What’s wrong with Mother today?”
Huo Hehua thought for a moment. “Maybe Mother thinks you have internal heat, so she doesn’t want you doing any work.”
“Internal heat alone shouldn’t be enough for that.”
“I don’t think so either,” Huo Hehua muttered. “Who knows what Mother is thinking? I’ve had internal heat before, and I never saw her stop me from working.”
Su Nuanru’s hands paused. She immediately thought of something, and her face flushed again. Could Old Mrs. He have assumed that she and Huo Hanye had done that sort of thing early in the morning, and was making her rest because she was afraid Su Nuanru would tire herself out?
“Sister-in-law, why is your face so red?”
Su Nuanru raised a hand and fanned herself. “Maybe it’s too hot.”
Huo Hehua was confused. Was it hot? She thought the morning air felt rather cool.
Afraid Huo Hehua would ask more questions, Su Nuanru said she felt unwell as an excuse and returned to the room.
Huo Hehua grew even more puzzled. Why was everyone in the family acting so strangely today? After thinking about it for a while without reaching any conclusion, she simply stopped bothering and focused on feeding the chickens. The chickens in their household were truly productive. She got to eat an egg every day and could even save up a few copper coins.
After breakfast, Su Nuanru went to work at the shop. The stuffed-bun shop was basically ready. There were only three days left until the first day of the month, and her shop would soon be able to open.
While she was tidying up, a commotion suddenly arose outside. Su Nuanru went out to take a look and saw an yamen officer leading several people over.
Seeing them approach, Old Mrs. He’s heart tightened.
“A-Ru, what are these people here for? Could it have something to do with us?”
Su Nuanru thought about it. “It should have nothing to do with us. They’re probably here to inspect the shops.”
Seeing the yamen officer walking toward them with a smile, Su Nuanru’s heart stirred. Could it be that the news about the South Wharf opening had already been confirmed?
The yamen officer soon reached her.
“Young lady, you’re truly lucky. The wharf will open on the first day of next month. Shop rents have gone up fivefold, so you’ve made quite a bargain.”
“We never expected this place to open when we first rented it. We only thought we would sell some food to the neighbors nearby.”
The yamen officer was busy helping the merchants choose shops, so he did not say much more. He led the others onward to inspect the shops.
After they had gone some distance away, Old Mrs. He said excitedly, “A-Ru, from what that official said, does that mean the wharf is really going to open?”
Su Nuanru nodded. “Yes.”
Old Mrs. He had seen the wharf’s prosperity when she was young. Although their village was not as close to the wharf as Qingshan Village, quite a few people from the village had gone there to work. In those days, every household had been able to earn some silver, and life had been comfortable. The thought that such days might return and that their family’s circumstances could improve filled her with delight. She felt as though she had gained even more energy.
“That’s wonderful. Truly wonderful.”
“Mother, go tell Father this good news.”
“All right, all right. I’ll go now and give him something to celebrate.”
Su Nuanru stayed at the shop for a while longer. Once she saw there was nothing else to do, she returned home.
She had not yet reached the Huo residence when she saw someone in the distance clearing a patch of ground by the entrance. It had originally been covered in weeds, with nothing planted there. She remembered that in her previous life, the Huo family had not planted anything by the entrance either.
When she drew closer, she saw that it was Huo Hanye and Huo Hehua.
Huo Hehua spotted Su Nuanru first and called out from a distance, “Sister-in-law!”
“Hehua.”
People in the village all liked to grow their own vegetables. Since most families had fairly spacious homes, many of them cleared a plot inside their courtyards for vegetable gardens, and the Huo family was no exception. Some households, however, did not have enough space and had to clear plots by their entrances instead. The Huo family’s courtyard was large enough that, logically speaking, they had no need to make another vegetable garden outside.
Su Nuanru asked in confusion, “Why did you think of clearing this patch?”
Hearing that Su Nuanru had returned, Old Mrs. He came out of the courtyard with a smile.
“Our family is going to sell stuffed steamed buns now, so we’ll need quite a lot of vegetables. Since we have an empty patch here, we might as well plant some more. Every bit we can save helps. Hanye happened to be free, so I asked him to turn over the soil.”
Su Nuanru looked at Huo Hanye. “Do you need my help?”
“No.”
“I was just telling your father the news that the wharf is opening,” Old Mrs. He said. “I was about to go to the shop and look for you, but I didn’t expect you to come home. Is there anything else that needs doing over there?”
“There isn’t much left to do at the shop. This afternoon, I’ll tidy up the empty shop next door.”
She had originally planned to deal with the other shop only after this one opened, but there seemed to be quite a lot of people at the wharf. Leaving the shop empty would be too wasteful. As for subletting it, she no longer wanted to do that. Subletting would bring in only rent, whereas she could make money by running practically any business there herself. After Huo Hanye’s suggestion yesterday, she felt that the shop would be most suitable for her father. However, she did not know when he would come around, so she would clean it up first.
“All right. I’ll go help your father in the courtyard.”
As they were talking, Hao Chunniang returned. Her expression was gloomy, and it was obvious at a glance that she was in a bad mood. When she saw Su Nuanru, her expression darkened even further. She shot Su Nuanru a glare, then headed toward the Qian residence.
Su Nuanru found Hao Chunniang inexplicable. After her rebirth, Hao Chunniang had taken her husband and married Scholar Qian as she had wished. The two of them had hardly interacted in this life, and Su Nuanru had never offended her. Why, then, did Hao Chunniang have such intense hostility toward her?
“Just look at that attitude of hers,” Huo Hehua said. “Is there something wrong with her?”
“Hehua, say a little less,” Old Mrs. He admonished.
Huo Hehua fell silent.
Old Mrs. He returned home.
Huo Hehua immediately muttered to Su Nuanru, “I just can’t stand that way she acts as though she’s better than everyone else. She even has the nerve to glare at you. Who does she think she is?”
Su Nuanru glanced at Huo Hehua. Through their interactions over the past few days, she had realized that she had misunderstood Huo Hehua. She was simply a straightforward, hardworking girl. Yet whenever Hao Chunniang was involved, Huo Hehua’s hot temper emerged. It seemed that Huo Hehua was not simply bad-tempered; she merely detested Hao Chunniang.
“I can’t stand her either,” Su Nuanru said quietly.
Huo Hehua’s eyes lit up. She began whispering to Su Nuanru about all the things Hao Chunniang had done and said to her before. The more she talked, the angrier she became, and she could not help cursing Hao Chunniang a few times. Su Nuanru chimed in from the side, recounting the things Hao Chunniang had done to her after she came to the village. The two of them gathered together and complained about Hao Chunniang’s faults, and their moods improved considerably.
Nearby, Huo Hanye straightened from turning over the soil and glanced at Su Nuanru.
Did she dislike Hao Chunniang simply for who she was, or was it because Hao Chunniang had married Scholar Qian?
After they finished discussing the past, Huo Hehua brought up what she had heard that morning.
“I heard she’s saved enough silver and is going to open a shop at the wharf too. I hope she doesn’t choose the one next to ours. It would be awful having to see her every day.”
“It probably won’t be such a coincidence,” Su Nuanru said. “I just saw an yamen officer bringing other merchants to inspect the shop next to ours.”
“That’s good. I don’t want to see her every day.”
Su Nuanru was about to say something when she looked up and saw Huo Hanye standing bare-chested in the vegetable garden, bent over as he swung the hoe in his hands. It was not even hot today. If he wanted to work, he could simply work—why had he suddenly taken off his clothes?
Huo Hanye noticed Su Nuanru watching him. He straightened and faced her.
Su Nuanru had initially been looking at Huo Hanye’s face, but as she continued looking, her eyes slipped downward beyond her control. The moment she saw his chest, she remembered how it had felt that morning and instinctively swallowed.
Huo Hanye followed her gaze, narrowing his eyes slightly. He took two steps toward Su Nuanru, moving to the spot nearest her, then raised his hoe and continued working.