Chapter 89: A Taste of Sweetness
Jiang Yihuan threw herself into Xiao Yanci’s arms, crying softly.
After crying for a short while, she heard someone approaching, and quickly withdrew from his embrace, shyly stealing glances at Xiao Yanci across from her.
Xiao Yanci smelled the fragrance from her presence, but as soon as he touched it, it was gone. The old doorkeeper really lacked awareness.
"Brother Xiao, thank you. Luckily, you were here; otherwise, I really wouldn’t know what to do." Jiang Yihuan said, "Consider this silver note as a loan from you, and I will repay you in the future."
"What’s mine is yours, don’t be so formal with me."
"With the silver you lent me, I don’t have to work at the embroidery workshop for now. I’ve heard the steward there often bullies young women; I’m actually quite scared. If it weren’t absolutely necessary, I wouldn’t choose such a desperate solution. Although ten taels of silver are far from enough to clear our debts, at least repaying some will pacify them for a while. Then, mother and I can work hard on embroidery to earn more money."
"Leave the money worries to me, I will find a solution. Don’t take risks and do anything dangerous. If you encounter bad people, being so young and beautiful, nobody would be able to help you."
The old doorkeeper reminded Xiao Yanci to go inside, otherwise, the teacher would look for him and find him missing. Xiao Yanci gave Jiang Yihuan some words of advice, glancing back frequently, and reluctantly entered the academy.
Watching Xiao Yanci go inside, the reluctance and deep affection vanished from Jiang Yihuan’s face. She bowed to the old doorkeeper and elegantly lifted her skirt as she left the place.
Only ten taels of silver...
Ten taels of silver could rent a shop space, but after renting the place, money is needed for other things as well. These ten taels are not enough; I’ll have to find other men to help.
Jiang Yihuan thought about the Su Family opening a shop in the city. She couldn’t understand why she didn’t want to be surpassed by Su Yaoguang. Previously, when her mother squared off against Zhang Zhaodi, she didn’t pay much attention. In terms of looks, figure, offspring, and earning ability, how could Zhang Zhaodi compare to her mother? Her mother didn’t need to bother with her. In Jiang Yihuan’s opinion, such a woman wasn’t worthy of being a competitor.
However, the Su Family kept improving, even managing to open a shop in the city in a short amount of time. Her inherent competitiveness was stirred. Villagers praised Su Yaoguang, unlike before when everyone praised her and her mother. It didn’t sit well with Jiang Yihuan, who was used to being complimented since childhood.
Su Yaoguang looked at the shop’s decor, praising the craftsmen’s skills endlessly: "Master Liu, you are indeed an expert. These alterations fit perfectly with my vision."
"As long as you like it. Well then, dear owners, since we’ve delivered the goods, we’ll take our leave. If you have any other requests in the future, do not hesitate to contact me!"
"Okay, thank you very much." Zhang Zhaodi escorted Master Liu out.
Chun E came in from outside, gazing at the newly renovated store with admiration: "This store was already large, but your renovations made it look much more elegant."
"The second floor is a lounge for the ladies, where they can try various new products. The first floor is the selling area, with skincare, hair treatments, and various perfumes and creams displayed by type in different zones, allowing customers to freely choose their preferred scents." Su Yaoguang explained, "At that time, we’ll split responsibilities, each person handling one area."
"When do you plan to open?" Chun E asked, "I must come with a generous gift, and conveniently attend the opening banquet."
"In three days, we’ll prepare a bit more." Su Yaoguang said, "Recently, we’ve been contacting the boss of raw materials for the flowers. Once we finalize the deal for the production materials, we will open immediately."
"What is that small room for?"
"That’s a little clinic I’ve set up for Jing’er. If anyone wants to consult Jing’er, they can be led there without interruption or disturbing others."
"Over there is a tea room. We’ll invite a few skilled tea masters who excel in brewing. The ladies upstairs are distinguished guests, so they must be served with quality tea and snacks. As for the casual visitors downstairs, they come and go frequently; we can’t accommodate them all."
"The back is our living quarters. The backyard is large, we’ll divide it in half—one part for growing vegetables and fruits, which will save on grocery costs. The other part for cultivating flowers, turning the area into a floral paradise. This way we can provide some flower materials ourselves, while also beautifying our shop. See the decorations on the walls? Those can be used to grow flowers, filling the shop with blossoms."
"This place is so wonderful, I almost want to stay." Chun E said, "However, I came because of something important. Do you remember my cousin?"
"Yes, the one who was supposed to marry, but had a last-minute change in plans."
"Exactly, that’s her. That man changed his mind, deeming her face blemished, and she became a laughingstock. You gave her a bottle of scar removal face cream last time, now her skin is as tender as tofu, and people are proposing so much they are almost breaking down her family’s door." Chun E said, handing over the items she brought. "This is from my aunt, a token of appreciation. Rest assured, it’s just a small gesture from our family, not silver. I know you don’t lack silver now, if we gave silver it would feel impersonal."
Su Yaoguang, hearing this, opened the cloth package to find a pair of exquisitely crafted embroidered shoes.
"These are just too beautiful!" Zhang Zhaodi nearby exclaimed, "With this embroidery and shoe design, they must cost at least ten taels of silver."
"That expensive?" Beside her, Zhang Pandi was surprised.
"The embroidery on these shoes is so lifelike, it’s naturally not cheap. Plus, look at the pearls embedded on them; each shoe has eighteen pearls, making thirty-six pearls in total, how could they not be?"
Seeing everyone marveling, Chun E felt proud as a middle person. Though she was unaware of the gift her aunt had prepared, her aunt’s family wasn’t short on silver, and she knew they wouldn’t send something too humble, which is why she willingly came.
"The pearls are small, just a few years old, and not worth much." Chun E said, "But for a young girl casually wearing them, it’s fine. If they were too big, I’d worry about you getting robbed."
"These shoes are too beautiful." Su Yaoguang said, unable to put them down. "Please thank my aunt for me, she truly went overboard. If your cousin finds the face cream effective, bring her another bottle so she can try it too."
Chun E did not reject the request and agreed to pass it on.
"My aunt’s family is in the porcelain business; you need a lot of porcelain bottles. If you’re interested, I can introduce you, and you might get a discount, even the lowest price."
"That would be perfect, thank you, Sister Chun’e."