Casting Nets to Catch a Husband

Chapter 185: I treat you well, and you start crying?

Transforming her rebirth into a dream and preparing to go to Liuxian Pavilion to save someone, Liu Yu almost laid the truth of her past life bare before Lu Chengxiao. As long as he made a few connections…

In that moment, her courage and impulsiveness faded. Liu Yu clenched her teeth unconsciously, her heart tightened, and she dared not think deeply.

As she had said, she had thought about it many times—whether to tell her eldest brother, second brother, or even the third brother. But in the end, she chose not to hide the truth from Lu Chengxiao.

Liu Yu knew that besides saving someone, she had another unresolved issue.

The past life she experienced hadn’t been wiped away by her rebirth; it remained a deep, unerasable mark on her life.

A great lie weighed on her heart, day after day, and Liu Yu feared that one day she might be crushed under its weight, unable to breathe.

Yet, after voicing it, she was still somewhat afraid.

She lifted her eyes to look at Lu Chengxiao, forcing herself to say softly, “So, my dream might not be just a simple dream.”

Liu Yu was conflicted. Before saying this, she sought refuge in the darkness of night, but now she found herself desperately wanting to see Lu Chengxiao’s reaction, fearful yet eager to see.

Her heartbeat seemed to freeze in time, and the next moment, she was pulled into Lu Chengxiao’s embrace again. Through the blanket, he held her tightly, gently patting her back. “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid, it was just a dream, and it’s already over.”

Lu Chengxiao’s heart ached terribly. He had never known that before Liu Yu was sold, she had dreamt of being sold, only to realize the warning signs.

In a state of complete defenselessness, she had that dream, and then she witnessed it unfold piece by piece. He could only imagine how terrified she must have been, feeling helpless and seeing no way out.

He gently patted her back, soothing her in a low voice, “Yu’er, don’t be scared. It’s all over now. You have me, your aunt, your three brothers, and my parents and siblings. You won’t be harmed again. And besides, it was really just a dream. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself; it could all be a coincidence.”

Liu Yu, who had been tense and fearful, never expected that Lu Chengxiao would simply consider the dream a coincidence, and all her anxiety vanished in an instant. She looked up at him, stunned.

Although he couldn’t clearly see her expression, her obvious reaction was unmistakable, and he could easily guess how she looked. He chuckled and reassured her, “I once read in a book that sometimes dreams are reflections of reality. Whatever happens in this world, it leaves some trace. Your foster father and stepbrother planned to sell you, and there must have been things they couldn’t completely hide. While you might not have noticed consciously, your subconscious sensed the danger, and that turned into a dream.”

Liu Yu: “…”

This was not the reaction she had anticipated.

Despite giving such obvious hints, Lu Chengxiao hadn’t connected the dots between the two dreams she mentioned. Instead, he explained to her, based on something he’d read, how dreams could form, trying to ease her concerns.

Seeing her dazed expression, Lu Chengxiao laughed softly. He held her and gently kissed her forehead. “Don’t be scared. I didn’t expect your recent unease to be because of a dream. I’ll speak to your second brother tomorrow, and I won’t be going to Zhejiang this time. I’ll accompany you to Yangzhou to see if there’s any truth to your dream. If there are indeed two women needing rescue, we’ll do our best to save them. How does that sound? Though, I do think it might just be a dream, and there may not be any Liuxian Pavilion or two women waiting for your help.”

As he spoke, even he found it amusing and couldn’t help pinching her nose playfully. “How could you be so kind-hearted, letting a dream scare you like this?”

His tone was both affectionate and teasing.

Liu Yu was taken aback, “You don’t believe me?”

Lu Chengxiao’s lips curved slightly, “Whether I believe it or not doesn’t matter. As long as it brings you peace of mind, that’s what counts. I was really worried seeing you so unsettled. Let’s go to Yangzhou and take a look. If those two people really exist, then maybe some celestial being knew our Yu’er has a kind heart and gave you this dream so you could save them. If they don’t exist, then we’ll just treat it as a trip together. Either way, it’ll be fine.”

Liu Yu realized that Lu Chengxiao truly hadn’t made the connection to the thing she feared. Thinking it through, she understood—who would ever imagine that someone could be reborn? Not making that connection was actually the normal reaction.

To Lu Chengxiao, her dream of being sold matched what really happened, except she was saved by her aunt’s family as soon as she arrived in Anyi County. Just like he said, the dream was a reflection of reality.

In Lu Chengxiao’s eyes, the dream she had in March last year and the one this year were two completely unrelated dreams—simple, pure dreams.

Yet, he was still willing to set aside his business and travel to Yangzhou with her because of a dream.

If there really was a Liuxian Pavilion in Yangzhou, and two people she needed to save, he would think it was the heavens recognizing her kind nature, sending her a dream to guide her to help them.

In his heart, she was someone so kind-hearted that she would extend a helping hand even to people in her dreams.

To Lu Chengxiao, she was good in every way. He never associated anything dirty, bad, or unpleasant with her.

Liu Yu’s eyes grew warm, and tears began to fall.

Her stiff back finally relaxed. This time, she didn’t hold back or hide. She let those warm tears soak into Lu Chengxiao’s shoulder. Crying softly, she said, “Lu Chengxiao, why are you so good to me?”

Having been together for some time, Lu Chengxiao had become familiar with the different ways Liu Yu addressed him. Usually, she called him Chengxiao. When he was more playful with her at night, she would call him “husband,” or soften her tone and call him “Chengxiao” again. But when her emotions were stirred—whether in annoyance or affection—she would instinctively call him by his full name, Lu Chengxiao.

His lips lifted into a smile, and he teased her, his tone playful, “I treat you well, and you start crying?”

Liu Yu had already dried her tears on his shoulder. She slipped her hands out from under the blanket he had wrapped around her, hugged his waist, and snuggled close without the slightest embarrassment. “Haven’t you heard of tears of joy? It’s normal to cry when you’re happy.”

Her voice was soft, with a hint of a smile, carrying a touch of coquettishness.

Lu Chengxiao laughed heartily, holding Liu Yu in his arms as if he was embracing the whole world, feeling both happy and content.

“Alright, alright.” He lay down with her, pinched her nose, and said with a smile, “Sleep now. Tomorrow, we need to head to Yuanzhou. Tonight, I’m here with you, so I guarantee there won’t be any bad dreams. And if there are dreams, they’ll definitely be sweet ones.”

Liu Yu’s lips curled into a smile. She quickly pecked him on the lips, then, without giving him a chance to kiss her back, snuggled into his arms and found a comfortable position to sleep.

All the worries and pressure she had been carrying seemed to dissolve in their laughter and tears. The sound of Lu Chengxiao’s steady heartbeat brought her a sense of security.

That night, she really did sleep soundly, without any dreams, until morning.

~

Early the next morning, Lu Chengxiao got up and went to the street to buy Liu Yu’s favorite wontons. After setting them down, he quietly returned to the bedroom. Seeing that Liu Yu was still sound asleep, he lightly traced her eyebrows with his fingers but didn’t wake her. He tiptoed to the study instead.

He laid out paper and ink, writing a letter to Shopkeeper Yan, recommending Liu Yu’s third brother to work as a shop assistant. In the letter, he mentioned that this was his brother-in-law and requested Shopkeeper Yan to guide him kindly.

After the ink had dried, he folded the letter and placed it in an envelope. Estimating that the wontons were no longer too hot but fearing they might get cold if he waited any longer, he went back to wake Liu Yu.

The way he woke her up was somewhat… intimate, almost leading to him being pulled back into bed.

When Liu Yu emerged from the side room after freshening up, her cheeks were still flushed, her eyes shining brightly, and even her lips seemed a bit more rosy than usual.

Lu Chengxiao, wearing a wide smile, watched her come out, his grin growing brighter. Clearly, he was in a very good mood. Liu Yu bit her lip, shot him a glare, and then blushed as she stepped out. After just a few steps, she felt him take her hand, holding it firmly in his.

Liu Yu’s lips curved into a smile.

~

At the hour of Chen (around 7-9 am), they arrived at the embroidery workshop. The seamstresses were already there, and there were more than thirty packages of goods ready. The workshop regularly shipped to embroidery shops in various towns, so the workers were skilled at packing. The thirty or so packages were neatly stacked in the back room, which was used as a storage area.

The ship had been booked in advance, and Liu Yanan hired a few carts to transport everything in one trip, taking it all to the dock and loading it onto the boat.

On the morning of February 4th, they boarded the ship heading to Yuanzhou City and arrived by the evening of February 5th.

Wei Shi, Liu Yu, Lu Shuang, and Wen Shi spent most of the night arranging the ready-to-wear garments, and finally completed the display.

On February 6th, they began recruiting staff, and on February 7th, they prepared for the opening. Since Wen Shi, Lu Shuang, and Liu Yu were all staying there, there was no rush for the new recruits to start immediately, so it wouldn’t delay the opening.

Of all the people helping out this time, the one most delighted by Lu Shuang’s presence was undoubtedly Yang Cunxu. Yet, he could only secretly revel in his happiness, not daring to show it too obviously.

He would come around every day, though he mostly lingered at the cloth shop, not wanting to make his presence too noticeable around Lu Shuang. Even just being a little closer to her made him very happy.

The cloth shop and the embroidery workshop were scheduled to open on the same day. Yang Cunxu had practically been camped out there since February 6th, naturally helping out with everything. He took care of the events, arranging lion dances, drum music, and firecrackers. The excitement was such that Lu Xun and Wei Shi, who didn’t know the inside story, were puzzled and assumed that Yang Cunxu and Lu Chengxiao were just very close friends.

Indeed, Lu Chengxiao believed that this was simply Yang Cunxu’s nature. Even if Lu Shuang hadn’t been involved, Yang Cunxu would have still gone all out for the opening of his friend’s new shop in Yuanzhou.

But this time, there was something a bit different about his behavior.

On February 8th, the fronts of Lufeng Cloth Shop and Ruyi Embroidery Workshop, as well as the main streets of Yuanzhou City, were buzzing with activity. There were three teams of lion dancers—one team performing outside the two shops and two teams parading down the bustling main streets of the city. Following the lion dancers were people holding signs advertising the grand opening discounts of Lufeng Cloth Shop and Ruyi Embroidery Workshop, chanting slogans and spreading the word along their route.

Liu Yu didn’t replicate the opening strategy used in Anyi County for Ruyi Embroidery Workshop because they didn’t have the same connections. In Yuanzhou, the only influential family they knew was the Yangs.

Madam Yang was very sociable, but the Lu and Liu families were careful to maintain clear boundaries with the Yang family. Other than the interactions between Lu Chengxiao and Yang Cunxu, they were mindful of keeping a respectful distance and certainly didn’t plan on using the Yangs’ connections for this event.

But even without asking for help, Yang Cunxu prepared a big surprise on his own.

As the son of a government official, he had his own circle of friends beyond Lu Chengxiao. On February 7th, he sent his servant to invite his friends, asking them to tell their mothers and sisters to come support the new shops by buying fabric and clothes.

Yang Cunxu was naturally sociable, and with his father’s status in Yuanzhou—especially with connections to the provincial capital—the local magistrate even treated him with respect. None of his friends dared to ignore his request. Besides, their mothers and sisters often visited embroidery shops for fun, so of course, they would come support Yang Cunxu’s friends.

Many of them took it seriously, even giving their family members money to buy clothes and fabric to show their support.

Another key figure was Madam Yang.

Although Yang Cunxu hadn’t yet confessed his feelings for Lu Shuang, he made sure to do what was necessary. Madam Yang quite liked both Liu Yu and Lu Shuang, commenting that she had a good feeling about them. So, when Yang Cunxu mentioned the upcoming store openings to his mother on the evening of February 7th, she was very willing to help.

Madam Yang had already inquired about Liu Yu’s plans when she purchased the shop before the New Year and had expressed her intention to show support. Now, she certainly wouldn’t miss the occasion. She put aside all other matters, confirmed the opening time, and even prepared congratulatory gifts in advance.

Thus, without Liu Yu doing anything, the grand opening of Ruyi Embroidery Workshop in Anyi County was miraculously replicated once again.

Qian Hong had just finished breakfast at home and was leisurely heading to his cloth shop when he heard loud drum music in the distance. He looked up to see a lion dance team, and eight men holding signs, shouting in unison.

Qian Hong guessed that a new shop must have opened, but before he could get closer, he heard the booming voices of the men, “Buy fabric from Lufeng Cloth Shop! Grand opening! Discounts for three days! Gifts with purchases!”

He stumbled, hardly believing his ears as he looked towards the lion dance team, almost thinking he’d misheard.

He grabbed a passerby, “Brother, what shop just opened over there?”

The man, who had been watching the lively scene, smiled at Qian Hong and said, “Not just one shop, but two—one’s a cloth shop, the other an embroidery shop.”

Qian Hong felt his head buzzing and asked, “Do you know where they’re located?”

The man replied with a smile, “Gongchen Street, right in the busiest part of town.”

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