Casting Nets to Catch a Husband

Chapter 136: Damn, I gave her face!

Early the next morning, the five of them had breakfast at the inn and headed straight for the fabric distribution center.

Most of the major fabric shops in Hongdu Prefecture were concentrated here, with dozens of large fabric shops and nearly a hundred small fabric stalls lining four long streets. They offered a variety of goods, and whether the goods were easy to sell depended entirely on one’s own judgment.

Today, the main decision-makers for selecting fabrics were Liu Yu and Lu Xun. Most of the time, they decided together. One was an experienced hand who had been selling fabric for over a decade, extremely knowledgeable about fabric quality. The other was sensitive to colors and patterns, with a natural talent for aesthetics.

With these two working together and not following Qian Hong, not acting as a subordinate, they could make decisions on their own. This made Lu Xun quite pleased with this shopping trip. What they both approved of was generally acceptable to Lu Chengzong and Lu Chengzhang. As for Liu Yanqing, he was only responsible for his own sister’s safety.

Before they knew it, it was already noon. They had almost gathered all the goods they planned to take, spending almost all their money. They didn’t linger and, armed with invoices from various fabric shops, went to arrange for a ship. Once the ship was ready, Liu Yanqing and the others stayed aboard while Lu Xun returned to inform the fabric shops where to send their goods, swiftly bringing people to the dock to verify and deliver the goods.

During the wait for the goods, Lu Chengzong bought some food and fruits near the dock, as well as several boxes of travel food, while the goods from the nine fabric shops arrived by late afternoon. Lu Xun ordered the boatman to set sail and return to Anyi County.

It was August 15th, originally a day for family reunions, but now they could only make do with a meal on the boat. However, they had vegetables, meat, and mooncakes, unlike previous years when they were alone for business. This time, the five of them were together, and it didn’t feel lonely.

The return journey went smoothly, and they didn’t stop in Yuanzhou. By the afternoon of the fourth day, they arrived at the dock in Anyi County.

Back on their turf, they informed their colleagues, pushed out a few carts, and soon finished unloading the goods. Along with their colleagues, Chen Shi and Lu Shuang’s mother and daughter came.

Originally, with the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching and none of their husbands or sons present, Chen Shi decided to bring Lu Shuang, Qin Shi, two grandsons, and a little maid to Anyi County. They also invited Zhou Qiongying, who managed the shop in Xifeng Town, and Wei Shi from the neighboring store to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival together.

After the festival, Zhou Qiongying returned to Xifeng Town to manage her own shop. This was the first time her husband and children were all away, so Chen Shi naturally worried. She stayed with her family and waited for Lu Xun and the others to return.

Sure enough, when Lu Chengzhang returned and reported the news, Chen Shi and Lu Shuang hurried to the dock.

Even Wei Shi heard that Liu Yu and the others had returned, so she entrusted the shop to Mrs. Zhang and Liu Datian’s wife for a while and followed to the dock.

But halfway there, she saw Chen Shi, Lu Shuang, and Liu Yu coming towards her. When she saw Wei Shi, Chen Shi smiled and said, “It’s all right, don’t worry. We don’t need to move the goods here. Let’s go back and talk first.”

True to her words, Liu Yu had other matters to attend to in the afternoon. As for Ruyi Embroidery, they needed to prepare the ordered goods and clear out the display cabinets for new merchandise. Naturally, it was a busy time.

Chen Shi had some time to spare, and with a cook hired specifically for the shop, she bought a lot of vegetables and planned for both families to have a Mid-Autumn Festival dinner together that evening.

Lu Chengzhang kept thinking about Zhou Qiongying and also about the family’s shop. Plus, they needed to send the goods back, so he refused to stay. Before leaving, he called his mother Chen Shi out of the kitchen and secretly complained bitterly about the Qian family to her, keeping Lu Xun unaware.

It wasn’t until then that Chen Shi learned about the many twists and turns in this procurement trip. She pulled Lu Chengzhang aside to ask for more details.

Lu Chengzhang said, “How would I know? Dad didn’t tell me much. If he wants to discuss this, he should talk to the head of the Li family. If they don’t want to help, so be it. But to blame us and say we arrived late and he partnered with someone else before we did—how ridiculous! It was clever of Third Sister to quietly have Yanqing ask around. Turns out, when we thought we waited half a month, he had arrived three days earlier! He conspired with someone to take the fabric at the inn. What a cheat!”

Lu Chengzhang was furious with the Qian family and knew his mother had a completely different temperament from his father. She wouldn’t let that scoundrel off lightly. He ranted to Chen Shi about the Qian family’s helpers and Qian Hong’s actions vividly and passionately, then gritted his teeth and stomped his feet.

“Dad said he won’t pursue it further or talk to the Li family’s head. But I don’t have that kind of patience. I had to tell you about this, Mom, and see if you can endure it.”

Could Chen Shi endure it?

Absolutely not!

Upon hearing Lu Chengzhang’s account, her face darkened, and half of her good mood vanished. She said with a stern expression, “I understand now. You did well in handling this. Your father is too soft-hearted. If something like this happens again and he remains silent, you should tell me. I’ll get to the bottom of it.”

Heh! Lu Chengzhang smiled. He had been holding in his anger for days, and now it had dissipated in an instant.

“I knew you wouldn’t stand for this, Mom.”

Whenever he did something questionable, he was always afraid of Chen Shi’s reaction. But in cases like this, telling her the outcome would certainly be satisfying!

“Well, I’ll go back now, Mom.”

“Alright, go ahead. Qiongying has been tired these past few days. Don’t skimp on things and hire an assistant for the shop. A little wages won’t bankrupt you, won’t it?”

As Chen Shi aimed her remarks at Lu Chengzhang, his mood dampened, and he nodded repeatedly in agreement as he prepared to leave. However, just as he was about to slip away, Chen Shi stopped him.

“Wait a moment. There are plenty of good dishes in the kitchen today. If you and Qiongying don’t come over to eat, take a food box and bring some dishes back for your wife to avoid her having to rush around at the last minute.”

“Hey, that’s a good idea. Thanks, Mom.” Lu Chengzhang laughed happily and went into the kitchen to help the cook portion out the food.

Meanwhile, Chen Shi, after watching Lu Chengzhang enter the kitchen, didn’t hurry back to her tasks. Instead, she walked to the front of the shop, where Lu Xun was busy with Lu Chengzong. Thinking it wasn’t the right time to talk, she took a deep breath and held back.

No rush. There would be time later to ask after dinner.

After mentally reassuring herself, she returned to the kitchen and busied herself with the cook, her daughter, and daughter-in-law.

By the time dinner was over and both shops had closed for the night, the two families gathered together. Liu Chunshan’s and Liu Datian’s wife lived in the shop, and Chen Shi had been running back and forth to Wei Shi’s place these past few days. So, she invited them over to eat at a large table together.

Dinner lasted until late evening, and after asking Qin Shi and the little maid, Liu Yu took the little maid, who had been sticking to her all day, back to the Ruyi Embroidery to stay for the night.

On the Lu family’s side, everyone washed up and returned to their rooms. Chen Shi waited until then to finally seize the opportunity to ask Lu Xun about the Qian family’s matter.

Lu Xun understood from the beginning that it was Lu Chengzhang who had complained. He couldn’t help but smile. “I wasn’t planning to hide it from you. This is something that can be told to anyone, but I certainly had to tell you.”

“Chengzhang only knows what he needed to know.”

“Oh… Is there something he shouldn’t know?”

“Don’t worry, don’t worry.” Lu Xun closed the doors and windows, took off his shoes, patted the bed, and when Chen Shi joined him, he whispered the whole story to her.

Chen Shi was furious. “Bah, to scheme against my son and still act wronged? She’s really given our family a slap in the face!”

Lu Xun urged, “Lower your voice.”

“I’m not speaking loudly.”

Gritting her teeth, Chen Shi didn’t want anyone else to hear about matters involving her youngest son.

Lu Xun explained, “I’m not entirely clear on what happened with the Li family, but when I went to deliver the festival gift that day, I couldn’t even get inside.”

He recounted his visit to the Li family, which made Chen Shi snort in disgust. “No need to doubt it. If Li Cunyi hasn’t returned yet, it’s Qian Shi’s doing. Who else could influence her elder brother?”

She remembered the incident of the Li family’s servant returning the courtesy on the first day of the Mid-Autumn Festival and sneered, “I was wondering why the Li family’s return gift this Mid-Autumn was different from previous years. At the time, I didn’t think much of it, but it turns out there’s something to it. She schemes against us on one hand, while maintaining a lukewarm relationship on the other. What kind of game is she playing? Does she think everyone is a fool?”

As she spoke, her anger rose, and she grabbed a piece of flesh on Lu Xun’s waist and twisted it hard. “It’s because of you, soft-hearted fool, that she dares to do this!”

Lu Xun yelped in pain, and when Chen Shi let go, he sucked in air through clenched teeth.

Giving him a sideways glance, Chen Shi said, “I didn’t use that much force. Don’t pretend with me.”

Lu Xun awkwardly replied, “I’m not pretending. My waist is sensitive, and it hurts. Please don’t be angry. I just think it’s unnecessary. We know what kind of person she is. We can just distance ourselves in the future. There’s no need to escalate things.”

“Who wants to fight with her?” Chen Shi sneered coldly. “She’s full of twists and turns, just wanting us to voluntarily distance ourselves, while still being able to trip us up and make us realize how capable she is. Li Cunyi’s face-saving skills alone are enough to deceive.”

“Bah, what a cunning plan. Have they forgotten that if it weren’t for Chengxiao saving Li Cunyi back then, she’d be a widow now? What arrogance! I won’t concede to her. If she wants to play dirty, let her stew in her own juices!”

Upon hearing this, Lu Xun hurried to pat Chen Shi’s back to calm her down. “Don’t be like that, take it easy. Just see how Zhongjue handles it and leave some dignity for that girl from the Li family.”

Mentioning Li Yunbi made Chen Shi feel even more nauseous. What kind of person is she? A young girl giving that kind of drug to a man—don’t even say it was the maid’s doing. If she didn’t have such intentions, the maid couldn’t have tied her up and forced her. Chen Shi was only relieved that things didn’t go her way; otherwise, the third son’s marriage would have surely been ruined.

Thinking of the behavior of Qian Shi and her daughter, Chen Shi felt nothing but disgust and had no desire for such in-laws.

Moreover, she had already set her sights on Liu Yu, and the third son was also determined. If the Li family ruined this, Chen Si would have felt like killing someone, her expression turning as cold as ice. “Someone who can do such things, what dignity does she have?”

Lu Xun realized from her expression that this was serious and tried to console Chen Shi. “I think Chengxiao understands too. To avoid suspicion in the future, he won’t go to the Li family anymore. Let’s drop this matter. A girl’s reputation is like half of her life. If we start a fuss, they’ll claim there’s a real issue, harass us, and how would you handle it? By then, Chengxiao will be covered in dust, unable to shake off the dirt.”

Chen Shi sneered, “I have my ways. Don’t worry. I won’t resort to dirty tricks, nor will I tarnish Li Yunbi’s reputation. But Qian Shi has no clue how to raise a daughter and still wants to disgust our family. There’s no room for that. This relationship must be broken off, and I’ll make Li Cunyi come apologize and cut off the relationship. Otherwise, when Yu’er and Chengxiao get married, they’ll still have to pay respects to them in Yuanzhou according to tradition. They can’t afford the gifts from my son and daughter-in-law!”

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