Casting Nets to Catch a Husband

Chapter 186: Hear

A fabric emporium? Qian Hong didn’t believe it. What kind of resources does the Lu family have? How could they possibly open a fabric emporium in Yuanzhou City in such a short time?

This is Yuanzhou City, not the small town of Anyi County. There’s a fundamental difference between a fabric emporium and a fabric shop; you can’t just call yourself a fabric emporium just because you sell cloth. You need the grandeur and strength of a real fabric shop!

He didn’t bother going to his own fabric shop; instead, he hurriedly changed direction towards Gongchen Street.

Before he even reached Gongchen Street, he could already hear the bustle of a new store opening. When he got to Gongchen Street, Qian Hong stopped from a distance. He saw two adjacent stores, with high-hanging signs reading “Lufeng Fabric Shop” and “Ruyi Embroidery Shop,” and he was rooted to the spot.

Last time, he had asked his sister, who told him that the Lu family’s daughter-in-law had opened an embroidery shop, seemingly named “Ruyi Embroidery Shop.”

The two-story shop was newly decorated, and there was a lively lion dance at the entrance. There were at least six or seven carriages parked in front, and Qian Hong’s head buzzed. He stood there for a long while before turning around. Originally, he was supposed to head to his own shop, but he gritted his teeth and headed towards the Li family instead.

Qian Shi had just sent off a matchmaker who came to deliver a reply, and then she heard a servant say that her maternal uncle had arrived. She quickly went out to greet him with a smile, saying, “Big Brother, I just happened to need your advice on something. I was thinking of coming to find you and Sister-in-law, and here you are. What a coincidence.”

Qian Shi was in high spirits. After she finished speaking, she noticed that her brother’s expression was a bit off. Her smile faltered, and she asked, “Big Brother, what happened? Who upset you so early in the morning?”

Qian Hong remained silent, and Qian Shi quickly invited him to the flower hall to sit.

The servants at home were quite perceptive. When Qian Shi invited him in, they had already prepared tea. As soon as Qian Hong sat down, the tea was served.

Qian Shi always treated her brother with respect, so she didn’t rely on the servants; she personally took the teacup from the tray and handed it to Qian Hong.

Qian Hong was in a foul mood and asked, “Did you know that the Lu family has opened a fabric shop in Yuanzhou?”

Qian Shi froze, holding the teacup, and looked at Qian Hong in surprise, “What did you say? The Lu family opened a fabric shop?”

From her expression, Qian Hong could tell that his sister knew nothing about it. He sighed, nodded, and said, “On Gongchen Street, it opened today. It seems that the Lu family truly has no intention of maintaining ties with you anymore; they didn’t even bother to inform you.”

Upon hearing “Gongchen Street,” Qian Shi was stunned, her face alternating between pale and flushed, even forgetting to hand over the tea.

Seeing her more distressed than himself, Qian Hong shook his head, took the teacup from her hand, but had no intention of drinking it, and placed it aside. The two siblings sat there in silence.

Qian Shi leaned against the table, moving to another chair, her eyes vacant and her jaw clenched tightly, saying nothing. It took her a while to recover from the news and ask Qian Hong, “Big Brother, are you sure you saw it right? Is it really a fabric shop opened by the Lu family?”

Gongchen Street—that’s a prime location. Their Li family also has a silk shop, but it’s nothing compared to Gongchen Street.

The rent on Gongchen Street is expensive, but that’s secondary. No matter how expensive, with the high foot traffic, they could still afford it. The problem was getting a spot; no one was willing to give up a shop there. Even if someone couldn’t keep up and wanted to transfer, by the time word got out, it would already be snatched up by someone else.

In Yuanzhou City, there’s never a shortage of people with more connections than them. Competing for a spot on Gongchen Street requires not just money but also connections, and neither the Li family nor the Qian family had that kind of influence.

Qian Shi’s reaction was just like Qian Hong’s at first—she couldn’t believe that the Lu family had opened a fabric shop on Gongchen Street. She stared intently at Qian Hong, waiting for his confirmation.

Qian Hong was equally troubled. He was well aware of the incident from before, where he had completely offended Lu Xun. Back then, Qian Hong hadn’t thought much of it. The Lu family just ran a small shop in a county town, and without the business connections to purchase goods, they would rarely cross paths. Offending them wasn’t a big deal to him, and he had no qualms about making things difficult for them.

But now, in such a short period, the Lu family had managed to open a shop in Yuanzhou City, and not just anywhere, but on the prime location of Gongchen Street. They opened two stores, both in a two-story building with a backyard.

The shops on Gongchen Street were among the best in Yuanzhou City. Qian Hong usually could only look on with envy. And now, the very people he had once looked down on, who had relied on him in the past, and whom he had recently sabotaged regarding their supply chain, were now above him. They had opened a fabric shop on the best street in Yuanzhou.

Thinking about his own fabric stall, and then picturing the grandeur of the Lu family’s two-story shop, Qian Hong felt a sharp pang on his face, and an even deeper discomfort in his heart. But there was nothing he could do about it. He had made things difficult for the Lu family, so now he had to swallow this bitter pill.

The power dynamics had been reversed. If he didn’t want to lose face, he’d have to take a detour whenever he passed by Gongchen Street. If he happened to run into Lu Xun, the wisest thing would be to cover his face with his sleeve and avoid him. Who wouldn’t be upset in this situation?

“Yes, I went and saw it. It’s definitely the Lufeng sign, and the Ruyi Embroidery Shop, owned by Lu Xun’s daughter-in-law, is also there. The two stores are connected, located where the Shengji Silver Shop and the spice store used to be. I don’t know what kind of connections they had, but they managed to squeeze those two out and make space for the Lu family.”

As soon as Qian Hong mentioned the Shengji Silver Shop and the spice store, Qian Shi knew exactly where he was talking about. And because she knew, she felt even more suffocated, unable to breathe from the frustration.

Seeing her like that, Qian Hong didn’t say much more and added, “It’s nothing. I just saw it this morning and thought I’d come over to let you know. After all, they’re running a fabric emporium, and I’m running a fabric shop. Each of us will do business based on our own abilities; there’s no need to interact.”

But Qian Shi’s lips were pale—things weren’t that simple.

Yuanzhou City is big, but the most bustling streets are only a few. Would she have to avoid Gongchen Street for the rest of her life? Yes, even if she did go, she would have to avoid walking past the Lu family’s two shops to avoid embarrassment.

It’s clear that the siblings had the same mindset.

They sat across from each other, both looking utterly defeated.

Qian Hong also felt the oppressive atmosphere, so he changed the topic and asked Qian Shi, “By the way, you mentioned earlier that there was something you wanted to discuss with me and your sister-in-law?”

Qian Shi’s expression stiffened, and she felt even more frustrated.

Qian Hong looked at her, puzzled. Qian Shi awkwardly said, “It’s nothing. Yunbi seemed to have found a suitable match, and I wanted to hear your and sister-in-law’s opinion.”

In fact, Qian Shi had been looking for a suitable match for Li Yunbi for almost half a year. She had high standards, and although matchmakers had visited more than ten times, none of the candidates had met her expectations. This time, she had finally found someone she was satisfied with—a family that also ran a business, owning a carriage and wagon shop on Miaohou Street. They had solid assets, and the candidate was an only son.

Qian Shi had been completely satisfied with this match. Even if Qian Hong hadn’t come by today, she had planned to discuss it with her brother and sister-in-law soon to get their opinion.

But who would have thought that, halfway through, she would hear the news about the Lu family opening a fabric and embroidery shop on Gongchen Street? Suddenly, the once-appealing prospect of the carriage shop owner’s only son no longer seemed so enticing.

For more than half a year, she had been holding onto a grudge, wanting to find a good match for her daughter. She never expected the Lu family to rise so quickly, even to the point where the rural girl Lu Chengxiao married had managed to open an embroidery shop on Gongchen Street. How could Qian Shi face this?

When Qian Hong asked if she had settled on a family, Qian Shi immediately changed her response, saying, “Not yet. I’m just anxious and wanted to ask if you and sister-in-law know of any suitable families. Yunbi is someone I’ve doted on since she was young, and I just want to find her a family with a solid background so I can be at ease.”

Hearing this, Qian Hong said, “I’m not good at this sort of thing, but when I go home tonight, I’ll mention it to your sister-in-law and ask her to keep an eye out.”

Qian Shi forced a smile and nodded.

Qian Hong didn’t stay any longer and prepared to head back to his own shop.

Qian Shi accompanied Qian Hong to the door. Just as he was about to leave, Qian Hong remembered something and asked, “By the way, has there been any word from your husband? It’s almost March; he should be heading to the Zhejiang region soon, right?”

Qian Shi was momentarily taken aback, unsure how to respond. She lowered her eyes and mumbled, “I don’t know. Maybe.”

“Maybe?” Qian Hong was surprised.

Qian Shi felt a bit embarrassed and said, “There hasn’t been any letter.”

Qian Hong frowned. “Are you still at odds with your husband?”

Clearing her throat awkwardly, Qian Shi indeed was still not on good terms with him. Li Cunyi hadn’t even spent the New Year at home. He had been away for almost half a year and had only sent a few letters to Li Zhongjue, barely mentioning her at all.

It was a shameful matter, and Qian Shi didn’t want to dwell on it. She said, “I have it under control.”

Qian Hong sighed when he heard this. He spoke softly, “Last year, when it came to the issue with the Lu family, you said you had it under control, and look how that turned out. You’re too proud, too concerned about appearances. That’s not always a good thing. With your husband, if you need to soften your stance, you should. Apologize if necessary, say a few kind words. Being stubborn like this only hurts your marriage.”

At her age, Qian Shi felt quite embarrassed to be lectured by her elder brother on how to get along with her own husband. She glanced at the nearby gatekeeper and nodded vaguely, “I understand.”

Knowing how much she valued her dignity and noticing the servants nearby, Qian Hong refrained from saying more. He waved her off and went on his way.

Qian Shi returned to her room but couldn’t sit still. She felt increasingly restless and eventually decided she needed to see Gongchen Street for herself. She considered sending a servant but worried about being recognized by the Lu family and losing face. In the end, she dug out a veiled hat, put it on, and, not daring to use the family carriage, walked to Gongchen Street alone. She lingered at the corner, furtively observing the two new stores.

Seeing it from afar was one thing, but when she saw the lively scene of the fabric shop and embroidery store’s grand opening, Qian Shi felt even worse. She returned home, threw the veiled hat aside, and went straight to her bedroom to lie down.

But she couldn’t even rest. Within fifteen minutes, she got up, called her personal maid, and quietly instructed her, “Go to Madam Liu the matchmaker, and tell her this match won’t work out after all. Have her keep looking.”

The maid was confused. That morning, Qian Shi had given the matchmaker a generous red packet, looking so pleased. The maid had thought the match for the young lady was finally settled. How did it suddenly fall apart?

But she didn’t ask any questions, simply nodded and prepared to visit Madam Liu. Just as she was about to leave, Qian Shi called her back. “Wait, go to my chest and take out five taels of silver. Wrap it in a red envelope and tell Madam Liu to put in more effort.”

As she spoke, she pulled a key from her sleeve and handed it to the maid.

The extra effort was, of course, to find a better match.

Ten taels in the morning, and now another five—Qian Shi had already given away fifteen taels for a marriage that hadn’t even been finalized.

The maid nodded repeatedly, took the key, retrieved the five taels of silver in Qian Shi’s presence, and asked if there were any other instructions. Seeing Qian Shi wave her off, she went on her way.

Once she was alone, Qian Shi slumped down, leaning against the headboard.

She was holding onto a single thought: she couldn’t let Yunbi’s match be outdone by the Lu family, whom she had once looked down on in every possible way.

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