Feng Xueniang took in every reaction from her daughter and son-in-law. Although the two of them still seemed somewhat unfamiliar with each other, it was not as though they had no affection between them at all. Matters of the heart could not be rushed. They would just have to take things slowly.
After a while, the meal was ready. Huo Hanye had already chopped a great deal of firewood—enough to last the Su family a little under half a month.
“Hanye, stop chopping wood. Go wash your hands and eat,” Feng Xueniang called.
“All right.”
Huo Hanye bent down and carried all the firewood to the kitchen, then went to the well to wash his hands and splash his face. He was just thinking of using the handkerchief Su Nuanru had handed him earlier to wipe his face when he hesitated, reluctant to use it. In the end, he raised his sleeve and wiped the water from his face instead. He did not go to the main room, but went to the kitchen to help first. Although Feng Xueniang told him there was no need, he still did not leave.
Huo Hanye noticed that Su Nuanru’s fingers had reddened slightly from the heat of carrying the soup. He reached out and took the bowl from her hands.
“I’ll do it.”
Su Nuanru hesitated. The bowl really was too hot, and she had already carried several of them. She could barely keep holding them. In the end, she let go.
“Thank you.”
Huo Hanye paused and glanced at Su Nuanru.
Su Nuanru could not understand what he meant.
“For a small matter like this, you don’t need to thank me in the future.”
“Oh. All right.”
As though he could not feel the heat, Huo Hanye carried a bowl in each hand and walked toward the main room. Su Nuanru carried the bamboo basket filled with steamed buns there as well.
Once everyone had taken their seats, Su Fusheng said, “Hanye, I just told you there was no need to help. Why are you being so polite?”
“Father-in-law, we’re all family. This is what I should be doing.”
Although Su Fusheng had said he did not need his son-in-law to do any work, he was delighted that Huo Hanye had actually helped. Those words also filled him with comfort. He truly had not misjudged the man.
During the meal, Su Fusheng and Huo Hanye, father-in-law and son-in-law, both drank some wine. Huo Hanye was usually a man of few words, but today, no matter what Su Fusheng said, Huo Hanye responded. Although Huo Hanye had never left this small place, whenever Su Fusheng spoke to him about the outside world, he was able to follow the conversation and even asked a few questions. The two of them talked with great enjoyment.
The two men drank an entire jar of wine, yet after the meal, both their faces looked perfectly normal. Their eyes were clear, as though they had not been drinking at all.
Su Nuanru was rather surprised by this. Her father had always done business outside and often drank at social gatherings, so naturally he had an excellent tolerance for alcohol. But she had not expected Huo Hanye, who rarely drank, to hold his liquor so well either.
She had already intended to bring something up, so since everyone was still clear-headed, she decided to say it now.
“Father, I want to open a shop.”
At that, everyone turned their eyes toward Su Nuanru, and the warmth around the table gave way to silence.
Everyone knew that Su Fusheng had originally made his living in business, but after his business failed, he had returned to the village in disgrace. Doing business had become a sore spot for him. No one in the Su family dared mention it in front of him, and the villagers gradually stopped bringing it up as they learned that he disliked hearing about it.
Su Fusheng frowned and asked again, “What did you just say?”
Su Nuanru could tell that her father was displeased. He had always doted on her, had never once lost his temper with her, and rarely criticized her. She was a little afraid to see him like this, but she was even more afraid of falling into the despair of her previous life.
She never again wanted to be like she had been in her previous life, having to ask her husband and mother-in-law for money even to buy a single vegetable. She did not want to keep living at the mercy of other people’s moods, did not want to exist merely as someone else’s dependent, and did not want to live with the threat of being abandoned at any moment. She wanted to grow strong on her own and become the master of her own life.
That way, even if she were abandoned again in the future, she would still be able to live well and have the ability to care for her parents and younger brother.
Su Nuanru did not notice that Huo Hanye, sitting beside her, was watching her with a grave expression.
This was not a spur-of-the-moment idea. Ever since her rebirth, she had been considering it. She had thought it over many times and had decided that she must do it.
Su Nuanru rose to her feet and said firmly, “I said I want to open a small restaurant.”
Su Fusheng’s expression darkened. “I don’t agree!”
Su Nuanru pressed her lips together. She had expected her father to refuse, but she had not expected him to reject her outright without even being willing to hear her reasons, leaving her not the slightest opportunity.
The atmosphere in the room turned cold.
At that moment, Huo Hanye suddenly stood and came to Su Nuanru’s side.
“Father-in-law, this was my idea as well.”
Su Nuanru froze and looked at Huo Hanye.
She had never discussed this with him, yet he had voluntarily taken responsibility for it.
Because her father had done business, she had been influenced by it from childhood and had also considered going into business herself. In her previous life, she had mentioned it to Scholar Qian, but the moment she had merely hinted at the idea, Scholar Qian had rejected it. He had been furious and scolded her several times. He had even told Tongsheng Qian and Old Mrs. Zhen, and the whole family had joined in berating her, as though doing business were some utterly disgraceful thing. She had also brought it up when she returned to her parents’ home, but her father had been just as opposed to it. After that, she had never mentioned it again and had given up on the idea of going into business.
Compared with Scholar Qian, Huo Hanye’s support warmed her heart beyond measure.
At that moment, Huo Hanye’s figure suddenly seemed much taller in her eyes, and even his cold face no longer seemed quite so frightening.
Hearing that it had been his son-in-law’s idea, Su Fusheng was not as forceful as he had been with his daughter. After all, his son-in-law was an outsider, and it would not be appropriate to disregard his feelings too openly. Keeping his temper, he said tactfully, “Hanye, doing business isn’t as simple as you think.”
“I know, Father-in-law. But my parents are in poor health and need to take medicine year-round, so the family needs money. They can’t do heavy labor, nor can they cultivate much land. I thought we might as well try doing business.”
Su Nuanru was even more astonished. This was the first time she had mentioned going into business in front of Huo Hanye, yet he had even thought of a reason for her. If she did not have the memories of her previous life, she would have suspected that Huo Hanye had wanted to go into business all along. He thought astonishingly quickly on his feet.
If this had been only his daughter’s idea, Su Fusheng would certainly have continued to stop her. But since his son-in-law also agreed, it was now a matter for the Huo family. As the other family’s in-law, he could not very well stop them if the Huo family wanted to go into business. He could only offer a warning.
“You’ve never done business before. You don’t know how deep the waters are.”
“My wife and I only want to open a small restaurant. It’ll be enough if we can make a little money to support the family. We aren’t planning to make the business very large. Besides, with you here, Father-in-law, you’ll surely be able to help guide us.”
Hearing his son-in-law’s flattery, Su Fusheng tugged at the corner of his mouth and said self-deprecatingly, “I’m a failure myself. What could I possibly teach you?”
“You’re being too modest, Father-in-law. You’ve done major business before. Guiding us would only take a few words.”
Those words reminded Su Fusheng of when he had first started doing business. Back then, the family’s shop had also begun as a street stall. Gradually, they had rented a small shop, and only after saving some money over several years had they been able to open a restaurant. Later, it was precisely because the business had grown so large that they had fallen victim to the powerful and influential.
At the memory of those past events, Conflicting emotions crossed Su Fusheng’s face.
“I’m tired. I’m going to bed. I won’t keep you company.”
Watching her father’s retreating back, Su Nuanru could not help calling out, “Father…”
But Su Fusheng did not turn around. He went back to his room.
Su Nuanru was deeply disappointed. In truth, she did not merely want to open a shop herself; she also wanted her father to pull himself together. In her previous life, even when she followed Scholar Qian to the capital, her father had still been unable to recover. He had even grown more and more despondent. The family’s money was nearly gone, their circumstances were becoming increasingly strained, and life was growing harder by the day. Her father clearly had great ability, and he still had hope of making a comeback.
Feng Xueniang let out a long sigh. “Don’t blame your father for refusing. You know how difficult things were for our family back then. Your father was frightened. He only wants to live a peaceful life.”
“Mother, how can we live peacefully without money to protect us? My younger brother will need money for the imperial examinations in the future as well.”
Feng Xueniang lowered her eyes, and her tone grew heavier. “Your mother is frightened too. If he can’t take the examinations, then let him give them up. At least he’ll still be alive.”
Su Nuanru’s expression changed, and she said no more.
Back when her father’s conflict with the powerful families had been at its worst, she and her younger brother had once been kidnapped. Their captors had starved them for three days and three nights, nearly causing her brother to lose his life. It was also because of this incident that her father had completely lost his fighting spirit and taken the entire family back to the village.
On the way back, Huo Hanye looked at Su Nuanru. “Do you still want to open the shop?”
Su Nuanru stopped and raised her eyes to meet his. “I do.”
Looking at the determined woman before him, Huo Hanye felt as though a feather had lightly brushed across his heart. He had always thought she was a woman as soft and yielding as water. He had assumed that after her parents refused her, she would abandon the idea of doing business. He had not expected her to look so gentle and delicate, yet to be so firm in her convictions.
“All right. If you want to do it, then go ahead.”
Huo Hanye agreed so readily that Su Nuanru was somewhat taken aback. “Aren’t you angry that I didn’t tell you beforehand?”
He was indeed somewhat uncomfortable about it, but Huo Hanye calmly analyzed the situation. “You want to go into business so the family can have another source of income. If you had told me beforehand, I would have agreed as well. I don’t understand business matters, so this is something I should listen to you about.”
Su Nuanru had not expected Huo Hanye to think that way. Compared with him, she had handled the matter rather poorly. They were already married; for something this important, she should have discussed it with him beforehand.
“I’m sorry.”
“If you feel sorry, then just tell me in advance the next time something comes up.”
“All right. I’ll remember.”
“Let’s go back.”
“Mm.”