Casting Nets to Catch a Husband

Chapter 183: Worrying

When Lu Chengxiao’s group, accompanied by Master Quan, arrived at the street where the shop was located in Wushan County, it was exactly as Master Quan had said—the location was excellent, right on the county’s main street. Instead of going inside immediately, they first took a walk around the main streets of Wushan County.

After the walk, while Liu Yanan hadn’t quite grasped the situation, Liu Yu and the others had already guessed why the teahouse was struggling.

Master Quan had mentioned that the food was mediocre, and the tea was average, which was one reason. Another contributing factor was the shop’s poor choice of location. In every industry, businesses tend to cluster together. This street didn’t have any restaurants or teahouses; instead, it was filled with cosmetic shops, jewelry stores, and fabric or embroidery shops. This meant that most of the traffic here consisted of women, whereas teahouses were typically frequented by men.

Though not an absolute rule, people tend to gravitate to places with similar businesses. Streets filled with teahouses and restaurants tend to draw more customers looking for those services. Unless the teahouse had something uniquely special to offer, it would be difficult to succeed here. Given that both the food and tea were ordinary, and the shop was located on such a street, it wasn’t surprising that it struggled after two years.

Running a teahouse wasn’t the right fit for this location, but selling fabric or ready-made clothes would be more appropriate. After surveying the general environment, Liu Yu and the group visited the embroidery and fabric shops on the street, getting a clearer picture. Once they finished, they asked Master Quan to lead them to the teahouse.

The news that the teahouse was up for sale had just been released, and it was still in operation. It was around mid-morning, an ideal time for leisurely tea, yet the teahouse only had one table of customers. The shopkeeper and staff were so idle that they were dozing off. Hearing someone enter, the shopkeeper immediately perked up, recognizing Master Quan leading a group of people, and quickly came out from behind the counter. His eyes scanned Lu Chengxiao and Liu Yu’s group before settling on Master Quan’s face. “Master Quan, who are these people?”

As he spoke, he glanced again at Lu Chengxiao and Liu Yu. One couldn’t help but notice—they looked strikingly good and quite young.

Master Quan smiled and said, “These are the ones I mentioned to you this morning. They’re here to inspect the shop.”

Mindful that there were still customers in the teahouse, Master Quan kept his voice low. He introduced both sides, and it turned out the shopkeeper’s surname was Fang.

Shopkeeper Fang was also the owner of the teahouse. Upon hearing that these people were interested in taking over the business, a look of relief appeared on his face.

He had really reached his limit. The rent alone was a huge burden every month, and for him, keeping the business open even one more day was another day of struggle. He immediately invited the group to sit down and called for tea and snacks.

After some polite exchanges, Lu Chengxiao and the others started looking around the shop. The front hall was spacious, even slightly larger than their shop back in Anyi County.

Once the tea and snacks were served, Shopkeeper Fang enthusiastically invited them to sit and drink, but Lu Chengxiao was more interested in the shop’s layout. He asked Shopkeeper Fang, “Would it be convenient for you to show us the courtyard in the back?”

“Of course.”

With that, Shopkeeper Fang led the way. “Please, come inside.”

He personally guided them to the back. The front hall and the courtyard were only separated by a moon gate, and as Master Quan had mentioned, the entire courtyard had been renovated two years ago. It still looked quite comfortable now. The price had already been discussed with Master Quan in advance, and apart from the 50 taels transfer fee, which was essentially a sunk cost, everything else was satisfactory.

Shopkeeper Fang was observant and sensed that they were serious buyers. Casually, he asked what Lu Chengxiao planned to do with the shop once he took over.

When he heard they were planning to open a fabric or embroidery shop, Shopkeeper Fang raised his eyebrows and commented that this street was perfect for that kind of business. He then openly admitted that his own business failure was partly due to choosing the wrong location.

At this point, the conversation naturally shifted to bargaining. Whether it would be for an embroidery shop or a fabric store, they wouldn’t have much use for the current teahouse decorations or furniture. Aside from the back courtyard, which could be used as a staff rest area or storage, the front hall would require significant renovations.

Shopkeeper Fang had anticipated this since he knew they weren’t planning to run a teahouse, but he was firm on the 50 taels transfer fee, refusing to budge as he hoped to recover at least some of his investment.

After all, shops in prime locations within the county were hard to come by. The question now was how determined Lu Chengxiao’s group was to acquire this shop.

This was when Master Quan, acting as a middleman, stepped in. His job was to smooth things over between both parties and, naturally, help Lu Chengxiao negotiate a better price for the transfer fee. Being a local and fairly familiar with Shopkeeper Fang, as he had been a customer at the teahouse, Master Quan was able to leverage their relationship. After some back-and-forth, they managed to lower the price to 46 taels.

Although paying 46 taels for a bunch of nearly useless tables and chairs was frustrating, Lu Chengxiao and his group truly wanted the shop. He glanced at Liu Yu, Liu Yanping, and Liu Yanan, all of whom subtly nodded.

This gesture meant that they all agreed it was worth it.

Now, it was practically a done deal, but they still needed to meet the original landlord to finalize the contract.

Shopkeeper Fang was eager to help and mentioned that the landlord lived nearby. He asked Lu Chengxiao and his group to sit for a moment while he went to fetch the landlord.

While Master Quan drank tea in the hall, Lu Chengxiao and the others took another look around the shop and then stepped outside to observe the surrounding area. It was only then that they felt comfortable discussing things privately. Lu Chengxiao asked Liu Yu and Liu Yanping, “Do you have your eyes on this shop?”

This question wasn’t about assessing the shop’s value but rather asking if Liu Yu and Liu Yanping wanted to take the shop to open their own embroidery business.

The three siblings understood the question without needing further discussion and unanimously shook their heads.

Liu Yanping smiled and said, “The shop is excellent, but we’re not in a rush. We’ve just opened an embroidery shop in Yuanzhou, with two branch stores already. It might be better for you to take this one for now, and when another shop comes up, we can take that.”

Liu Yu smiled, clearly in agreement, while Liu Yan’an nodded, fully aware of how much Lu Chengxiao had helped them. It was fair to say that their family’s progress—from farming in the countryside to opening two embroidery shops in less than a year, along with partnering with Lu Chengxiao to start a weaving and dyeing workshop—was largely thanks to the Lu family’s assistance.

There would always be opportunities to acquire a shop, so they weren’t going to compete for this one.

Lu Chengxiao smiled and said, “Then I’ll take it.”

With a few simple words, the decision was made. Liu Yanqing asked Lu Chengxiao and Liu Yu, “Do you have enough money? If not, we can spare a few hundred taels.”

On their last trading venture, they had made a considerable profit. While both Lu Chengxiao and Liu Yu had invested most of their money in the shops in Yuanzhou and the fabric business, the Liu family, who had rented their shop from Lu Chengxiao, had more liquidity.

Lu Chengxiao smiled and replied, “I have enough for now. Your family just paid me a year’s rent for the shop. I have enough to cover both this shop and the renovations. As for the fabric, I’ll borrow some from my elder brother. Yuanzhou will soon generate income, and I can repay him then. But with the silk market coming up in March, our working capital might be a bit tight.”

At this point, the villages of Yangshan and Chenjia didn’t have any fabric they could borrow to make money, so they would have to rely on profits from Yuanzhou or trade some goods along the way to accumulate enough capital to buy raw silk.

Yes, raw silk. The weaving and dyeing workshop had already started, initially focusing on cotton cloth. According to Master He’s plan, there wouldn’t be much profit from those cloths within the first six months.

The silver that Lu Chengxiao and Liu Yanping had invested, along with their trust in the workshop’s management, meant they had handed everything over to be managed by others, except for Babao, who was there to help oversee things. Master He, seeing the full trust placed in him, felt immense pressure.

With dozens of workers and the costs of production, it would be a huge financial burden if they didn’t start making a profit soon. He was so concerned about it that he even began planning out the production schedule, focusing initially on the time-consuming indigo-dyed cloth, then moving on to other fabrics with shorter production cycles. By May, they’d be working with summer cloth, a specialty of Yuanzhou.

Master He had gone over these plans repeatedly, but still felt it wasn’t enough. Seeing the vast empty spaces in the workshop, he suggested to Lu Chengxiao and Liu Yanping that they shouldn’t limit themselves to cotton and summer cloth. They should also produce high-end fabrics like brocade and silk. In Master He’s words, he could dye those luxury materials too, and his craftsmanship would certainly satisfy their expectations.

There is one point to note: weaving cloth and silk are different crafts, and “silk” is just a general term. There are many nuances involved—brocade, satin, and other types of silk fabrics are all distinct and require different expertise. While the female workers can be recruited locally, they would likely need to search for skilled masters in the Zhejiang region.

Thus, a trip to Zhejiang in March was inevitable. In fact, if they wanted to earn enough capital beforehand, it would be best to set off by mid-February. Lu Chengxiao and his companions were already familiar with the route, and while chatting outside the teahouse, they began discussing plans for their next business trip.

Liu Yu listened from the side, and a worry she had been suppressing resurfaced. By the end of February, she, too, would need to head to Yangzhou. Liu Yu didn’t know exactly where Xuer was, but she knew that by late March, Xuer would be sold to the Liuxian Pavilion, and in May, her master, Xiao Yuniang, would be invited to perform for a wealthy merchant at the Prince of Huainan’s estate in Yangzhou.

Liu Yu instinctively glanced at Lu Chengxiao. Recently, both of them had been extremely busy with their businesses, constantly traveling, and spending little time together.

No, Liu Yu inwardly denied her own thoughts. It wasn’t that she hadn’t had the chance to tell him; she was simply afraid to speak and unsure of how to explain. The events of her previous life were like a freshly scabbed wound to her. Beneath that scar lay a deep, hidden pain she didn’t want to reveal.

Many times, she had considered avoiding the issue altogether—waiting until Lu Chengxiao left Anyi County, then asking her elder brother to accompany her to Yangzhou. Her elder brother loved her and wouldn’t pry into matters she didn’t want to discuss, and she had other excuses she could use to placate her family.

But was this really the right way?

She could offer excuses to others, but could she really deceive Lu Chengxiao?

Liu Yu didn’t want to.

Her thoughts were in turmoil until Shopkeeper Fang returned with the landlord, and after some negotiations, Master Quan acted as a mediator. The transfer contract was finalized with Shopkeeper Fang, and they also signed a five-year lease agreement with the original landlord. Yet Liu Yu’s heart was still in disarray.

With the business deal completed, Shopkeeper Fang smiled and suggested treating Lu Chengxiao and the others to a meal. But Lu Chengxiao, not wanting him to host, smiled and said, “Fate brought us together today, so let me host. I invite you, Lord Wei, Shopkeeper Fang, and Master Quan to join me.”

Lord Wei, the original landlord, was not someone who enjoyed socializing and politely declined with a smile, taking his contract and silver before departing.

Seeing the time and noting the presence of female companions in Lu Chengxiao’s group, Master Quan also declined with a smile, saying, “It’s getting late, and you’ve traveled between two counties today. How about we meet again when we have more time? After all, Brother Lu will be doing business in Wushan County from now on, so we’ll have plenty of chances to gather.”

This actually suited Lu Chengxiao’s intentions, as he had already noticed that Liu Yu seemed unwell but had to maintain appearances.

Shopkeeper Fang, hearing Master Quan’s words, also remembered that Liu Yu had been rather quiet throughout the meeting. He laughed and echoed Master Quan’s words, agreeing to meet again in a few days when they would hand over the shop.

After bidding farewell to Master Quan and Shopkeeper Fang, Lu Chengxiao paid Master Quan his intermediary fee, thanked him repeatedly, and asked him to keep an eye out for another suitable shop. Only then did they part ways and head to the docks to hire a boat.

On the way, Lu Chengxiao held Liu Yu’s hand, lagging behind Liu Yanping and Liu Yan’an by a few steps. He then softly asked her, “Yu’er, what’s wrong? You seemed off earlier. Are you tired?”

Liu Yu, aware of her inner restlessness, hadn’t realized it showed so clearly. She forced a smile and nodded, “I’m a bit tired.”

Liu Yu was strong-willed and rarely admitted to being tired in front of Lu Chengxiao, so this was the first time he had seen her this exhausted. Feeling concerned, he figured she must have been very busy at the embroidery shop lately. Regretting that he hadn’t considered this earlier and brought her along on this trip, he looked around and said, “How about we stay at an inn here tonight and rest?”

Liu Yu quickly shook her head, “No need, let’s go home. I’ll rest better at home.”

It wasn’t physical exhaustion that plagued her; it was the weight of her thoughts.

Lu Chengxiao gently squeezed her hand and said, “Alright, rest on the boat for a bit.”

When they arrived at the dock, they found a boat with a resting cabin. After informing Liu Yanping and Liu Yan’an, Lu Chengxiao took Liu Yu into the cabin to rest.

The cabin had been used by many travelers before, so he didn’t take off his outer garments. Instead, he leaned against the wall and pulled Liu Yu into his arms, letting her rest against him.

Liu Yu pressed her face against Lu Chengxiao’s chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart. It was like a lost person finding a safe harbor, and gradually, her turmoil began to calm. She held onto him tightly, clinging even closer.

Lu Chengxiao chuckled softly.

The two hadn’t seen each other much in recent days. As he held her close, he gently kissed the top of her head.

Liu Yu’s heart fluttered. “Chengxiao?”

Lu Chengxiao responded with a soft “Hmm?”

In that moment, the courage Liu Yu had mustered faded away.

Sensing her hesitation, Lu Chengxiao asked gently, “What’s wrong?”

Not knowing where to begin, Liu Yu shook her head, “It’s nothing, I just missed you.”

She knew she needed to be honest with Lu Chengxiao. Even if she couldn’t tell him about her previous life, she at least had to be open about her trip to Yangzhou. But how to explain it still required more thought.

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