Chapter 114: The Rain Stops
The following day, when the rain stopped, Zhang Pandi laughed and said, "Yaoguang really does have a blessed tongue. She wished for the rain to stop and it really did."
Jia Chunni, who was beside her, asked, "Now that the rain has stopped, does that mean we don’t have to worry about the rising grain prices anymore?"
"Not necessarily." Wang Huanzhi looked at the sky outside. "Looking at the sky, it seems the rain has only stopped temporarily; more might be on the way. We’ll just have to take it one step at a time."
Su Yaoguang entered with the craftsmen.
"Second Aunt, Third Aunt, this is Master Tang. I’ve hired him to help expand a few rooms to use as storage, and to repair all our rooms. Please keep an eye on them for me. If Master Tang needs anything or requires a helping hand, please assist him."
"Alright, Master Tang, just let us know if you need anything from us." Zhang Pandi led the master craftsmen into the backyard. "This way, please."
Master Tang said, "The young mistress has explained her requirements, and I know what to do now. I’ll have a look first and bring my apprentices over to start the work in the afternoon."
"We conduct business in the front yard, so please use the back door."
"Of course."
Zhang Yingdi asked Su Yaoguang, "Yaoguang, this house is rented, and you’re doing all this renovation and expansion. What if the landlord later decides not to rent it to us, and we can’t move elsewhere? Wouldn’t that be a waste?"
"Don’t worry, Aunt. I anticipated that problem long ago, so I bought the house." Su Yaoguang produced the deed from her pocket. "I discussed it with the landlord and changed the deed before starting the construction."
"That’s wonderful," Jia Chunni said happily. "This is Aunt and Cousin’s house now. We don’t have to worry about having no roots."
"I’ll go check on how Jing’er is doing." Su Yaoguang stashed the deed safely and went into the medicine bath room.
At this time, Jiang Jing was explaining some precautions to Wang Chunhua, saying, "Judging from your pulse, the humidity in your body has improved a lot. Have you noticed that your sleep has gotten better recently?"
"Indeed, sister healer. Not only am I sleeping better, but I also don’t feel breathless after walking a few steps. And look at my skin; feel it—it’s really like tofu. My aunt says the money spent was worth it, and she wants me to bring my cousin over. My cousin doesn’t need to lose weight, but her skin is rough and needs some care so that she can find a good match next year." Wang Chunhua said excitedly.
"How much weight has she lost?" Su Yaoguang asked Jiang Jing.
"So far, around eight pounds," Jiang Jing replied. "I’ve recently changed her prescription to focus on regulation, so the weight loss will be slower during this period."
"Sister Chunhua, are you satisfied?" Su Yaoguang asked Wang Chunhua.
"Very satisfied, extremely satisfied. My family is very happy seeing my changes," Wang Chunhua replied. "Tomorrow I will bring two of my cousins over, so please save some space for me."
"I’ll be visiting a client tomorrow, but the others will be at the shop. Don’t worry; everyone here is skilled."
After chatting with Wang Chunhua for a bit, Su Yaoguang left to manage the shop when Zhang Yingdi came in to take over from Jiang Jing in giving Wang Chunhua a massage.
Wang Chunhua’s endorsement was effective. With the rain stopped today, many customers arrived steadily at the shop. Meanwhile, across the street, after the rat incident, their business plummeted.
Of course, Zhong Lanhua didn’t remain idle. She took the opportunity to renovate her store, making significant efforts recently. It seemed she planned a major undertaking.
"Uncle, where’s my mom?" Su Yaoguang asked.
"She’s gone out to buy some things," Wang Huanzhi replied. "With the rain pouring down recently, she wanted to buy some thicker clothes just in case."
"Oh, why didn’t I think of that? My mom is indeed meticulous."
Zhang Zhaodi entered the shop, complaining.
Seeing her return, Su Yaoguang quickly approached, "Mom, what happened?"
"I ran into a thief who snatched my money pouch. I chased him a long way, and just when I caught up, there were several of them. Luckily, a fellow passerby stepped in to help, so I didn’t lose out," Zhang Zhaodi recounted. "The thieves these days are really brazen; it’s infuriating."
"Are you hurt?"
"I’m not," Zhang Zhaodi said. "But that gentleman who helped me got hurt, so I took him to a clinic to get his wounds bandaged."
"We should thank that benefactor," Zhang Yingdi suggested. "Why not send him a little token of gratitude?"
"No need—I wanted to give him a token, but he declined," Zhang Zhaodi said. "That gentleman was genuinely helpful and not after material gains."
In the following days, the Taoyao Square’s backyard was bustling with construction, while the front yard was busy hosting customers. To enhance the customer experience, they made earplugs out of cotton to block their ears. Although it couldn’t completely block out the noise, lighting sleeping incense in the room allowed customers to enjoy skincare services while taking a peaceful nap.
To speed up the progress, Su Yaoguang asked Master Tang to find more craftsmen to ensure that the work could be completed as soon as possible. After all, no one knew when it might rain again, and since they were running a business, continuous construction would impact their operations. Finishing early would allow for a quieter environment.
Zhang Zhaodi frequently went out these days. Sensing something amiss, Su Yaoguang asked her about it, and she said she’d made a new good friend, with whom she enjoyed conversing, so she often went to see her.
"Mom, why not invite this aunt to our home as a guest? Introduce us to your new friend. If she visits our shop, we can offer her a discount."
Jia Chunni nodded repeatedly, "Yes, Aunt."
"Her family is poor, barely managing their livelihood, so how could she afford such expenses? But I’ll ask her; if she has the time, I’ll invite her over."
Jiang Jing entered with large bags of herbal medicine, telling Su Yaoguang, "Someone across the street is making a marriage proposal—quite the grand spectacle, with a matchmaker and wedding gifts."
Upon hearing the commotion across the street, Su Yaoguang was intrigued. She moved to the door and saw a decent-looking young man with a matchmaker at the entrance of Fenghua Pavilion.
"Oh my, Mr. Qian, why are you here?"
Qian Yongqiang gestured to the scene behind him, "I said I would come to propose to Sister Huan’er. Auntie, where is Sister Huan’er?"
Jiang Yihuan was returning with Xiao Yanci from outside.
"Huan’er, I’ve come to propose to you." Qian Yongqiang said, looking intensely at Jiang Yihuan.
Jiang Yihuan’s expression drastically changed as she pulled Qian Yongqiang to a corner, teary-eyed, and said, "Brother Qian, why didn’t you discuss this with me?"
She would have to be a fool to get married at this time.
Once a woman marries, would other men still find her desirable?
Her current value lay in her unattainability. Once she was attained, she would be no more than an ornament in some man’s backyard.