Casting Nets to Catch a Husband

Chapter 194: Rouge

In late April, Lu Chengxiao and Liu Yu returned to Yuanzhou with their group. Xiao Yuniang, now known as Gu Yuzhen, had not settled in Yuanzhou but chose the relatively less bustling Anyi County. Under the guise of being a recent widow, she rented a house there to establish a temporary residence.

This decision was made privately during their return trip on the boat after discussing it with Liu Yu. Given her status, she feared running into familiar faces in Yuanzhou, which would make it difficult to lead a peaceful life. In contrast, a smaller place felt much safer.

To avoid suspicion, Gu Yuzhen separated from Liu Yu and the others in Yuanzhou, hiring two different boats to go to Anyi County, and she did not ask Liu Yu and Lu Chengxiao for help in finding a house, instead contacting an intermediary directly.

Xu’er was now living with Liu Yu, completely becoming her little follower. Liu Yu had arranged everything for Xu’er in both their home and the embroidery workshop, leaving no time for Xu’er to be idle.

To her family, Liu Yu simplified the story she told Xu’er, saying she encountered Xu’er in Yangzhou and learned that her parents planned to sell her, and fearing she might end up in an undesirable situation, she bought her out of compassion.

When Chen Shi heard that her younger son and daughter-in-law had returned, she hurried from Xifeng Town to see Xu’er. After hearing Liu Yu recount how she came to acquire Xu’er, Chen Shi thought it was a good deed. Moreover, since they already had a Baobao in the household, she was open to accepting another girl, saying, “Just right, I’ll probably need to help your second brother and sister-in-law over the next couple of years. Having a maid is good; at least we can have hot water at home.”

The young couple was quite busy, and Chen Shi genuinely felt for them. But since her daughter-in-law was pregnant and the clothing store they opened was also bustling, Chen Shi could only help out there for now. Having a maid made her feel more at ease.

However, there was one thing: that girl named Xu’er looked to be about fourteen or fifteen, which made Chen Shi cautious.

Having lived this long, she had seen many things. While her younger son and daughter-in-law had a good relationship, Chen Shi didn’t distrust her son. Still, adding someone restless into the mix was never a good thing, and it could lead to trouble.

Chen Shi didn’t voice her concerns; she made several trips to the county over the following days and even stayed at Liu Yu’s house for two days, keeping a close watch. She saw that Xu’er was indeed well-behaved and seemed to have a kind temperament. Xu’er rarely approached Lu Chengxiao, showing she knew her place. This finally put Chen Shi’s mind at ease, and she returned to Xifeng Town feeling secure.

Lu Chengxiao had no idea about his mother’s hidden worries. Xu’er was completely unaware that she had been scrutinized. Liu Yu, however, noticed something was off on the third day but didn’t discuss it in detail with Lu Chengxiao. That night, she thought about it and laughed as she buried her face in Lu Chengxiao’s arms.

At the beginning of May, Liu Yanping and his group returned, and the dyeing workshop became busy, recruiting workers and acquiring weaving machines.

Unlike the previous batch of weavers, this new group was there to learn a trade. Skilled labor was valuable in this era, and it wouldn’t do to recruit workers only to lose them after training; the costs were too high.

Lu Chengxiao and the Liu brothers sat down together to discuss and carefully drafted a contract. Weavers who completed their training at the workshop were required to work for at least two years, after which they could choose to stay or leave.

By this time, Liu Yanqing had already resigned from his position as a constable and was fully managing affairs at the workshop.

May marked the time for harvesting hemp, and Lu Chengxiao visited both families’ shops. Alongside Liu Yanping and Liu Yanan, he got busy with the hemp collection.

This time, they were not harvesting hemp fabric but ramie.

The harvest for ramie was short, and it was clear that the three of them couldn’t handle it alone. Lu Chengxiao made a trip to Chenjia Village to enlist the help of his maternal cousins to assist with gathering ramie in various villages and towns. Naturally, the workshop would pay wages based on the amount collected.

Having just returned from the two Zhe provinces, Liu Zhang joined in the effort. However, Lin Huaigeng was too busy to come help this time, as he was focused on his engagement with his cousin, Zhou Ruyi, which Mrs. Zhou had finally agreed to.

Liu Zhang said with a smile, “Huaigeng will get engaged after the Dragon Boat Festival, and the wedding should be set before the end of the year. He asked me to bring the news and said he would come back to the county once this busy period is over.”

Lu Chengxiao chuckled, “At last, he got what he wanted.”

Liu Yanping and Liu Yanan both knew that Lin Huaigeng had feelings for his cousin and smiled, “This is great news! When the invitations are ready, we’ll send a generous gift along.”

That night, when talking to Liu Yu about Lin Huaigeng and Zhou Ruyi, she was also delighted.

From this point on, joyful events followed one after another. First, their sister-in-law, Qin, found a suitable shop for opening a clothing store. Next, Master He sent his son to notify them that the first batch of goods from the dyeing workshop was ready for market.

This first batch consisted of fine cotton fabric woven in March, with Master He expertly dyeing the fabric. He planned the dyeing schedule according to the weaving seasons. The longest process, dyeing blue fabric, took place in February, while the fine cotton woven in March and April didn’t take as long. He had calculated the timelines accurately, ensuring that the March batch would be ready to hit the market in mid-May, using lightweight and breathable materials, with floral designs specified by Liu Yu, perfectly timed for summer collections in the fabric and embroidery shops.

All five fabric shops of the Lu family and the two embroidery shops of the Liu family utilized materials from their own dyeing workshop in May of that year.

Meanwhile, the workshop was also bustling. Cheng Wenyin and her aunt each oversaw a group, teaching dozens of weavers. The workers Lu Chengxiao hired were already skilled in weaving, and they quickly transitioned to learning how to weave silk satin. Once the female workers were in place, cotton fabric production was paused, and preparations began for summer fabrics and various silk products.

Due to the variety of fabric designs, Liu Yu often had to oversee the selection. Throughout May, aside from her time at the embroidery workshop, she frequently needed to accompany Lu Chengxiao or her three brothers to the dyeing workshop. During this period, she also made a trip to Hongdu Prefecture, and naturally, after settling in Yuanzhou, she picked up Lu Xun and Lu Shuang.

This trip to Hongdu Prefecture was not only to procure summer silk fabrics for the fabric and embroidery shops but also to prepare for establishing a sample library for the dyeing workshop.

This was Liu Yu’s suggestion: to clear out a room dedicated to fabric samples. Any appealing fabric would have a small sample cut, which the embroiderers would then make into a fabric book for collection and display, serving as a reference for the dyeing workshop.

By the time the couple finally settled down, June had already arrived.

One day, Xu’er went out and returned with something for Liu Yu.

It was something entrusted to her by Gu Yuzhen.

Gu Yuzhen wanted to avoid drawing attention, but Liu Yu had never intended to cut off contact with her master. She had always asked Xu’er to keep an eye on Gu Yuzhen’s situation.

Whether the house was rented or where they had moved, Xu’er was adapting to her new life. Every ten days, she would quietly make a trip to Gu Yuzhen’s place, bringing along food and necessities that Liu Yu wanted to send.

Xu’er didn’t know who Gu Yuzhen was; she just knew that Liu Yu cared for her a lot. So, even when Liu Yu went to Hongdu Prefecture, she didn’t neglect to keep track of Gu Yuzhen’s situation.

Today, Gu Yuzhen had Xu’er bring back a large wooden box.

Xu’er placed the box on the table and said with a smile, “Madam Gu asked me to bring this back for you. She said she doesn’t have any other skills, just that she can make some cosmetics that are better than those sold on the market. She wants you to pick out what you like to use and also asked if this could be sold outside.”

Liu Yu opened the box to find neatly arranged bottles and jars, all made of white porcelain. She opened one box to look, and it appeared to be face cream. The texture seemed excellent, and if Xu’er hadn’t mentioned it, Liu Yu wouldn’t have guessed that it was made by Gu Yuzhen herself.

Bringing it to her nose to smell, she detected a familiar fragrance…

Liu Yu’s eyes sparkled.

In her previous life, there was a face cream her master often used that had this scent. Liu Yu had received several boxes of it, never expecting it would be something made by Gu Yuzhen herself. She took a bit and applied it to the back of her hand, gently spreading it out; it was indeed exactly the same.

If it was this, Liu Yu knew without needing to try that it was exceptional.

Her lips curled up into a smile, a hint of joy in her eyes. She began opening all the jars in the box, not caring that she had just bathed, as she started applying makeup on herself.

When Lu Chengxiao emerged from his bath, he was taken aback to see Liu Yu grooming herself in front of the mirror. “What’s the occasion today?”

It wasn’t his fault; Liu Yu rarely wore makeup aside from basic skincare. He had only seen her made up on their wedding day and the day the embroidery workshop opened.

Xu’er hadn’t realized Lu Chengxiao was there. Upon seeing him come out of the inner room, she quickly bowed and retreated without waiting for Liu Yu to respond. She even closed the door behind her and went directly back to the outer courtyard.

With an extra person in the house, Lu Chengxiao always paid attention. After his bath, hearing sounds from the outer room, he dressed properly and felt no embarrassment.

Liu Yu was in a good mood, finishing her last makeup touch. She turned around with a smile and said, “It’s not a special day, but these things were sent by Madam Gu.”

Pointing to the box of bottles and jars, she continued, “She made them herself and asked me if this could be sold in a shop.”

Lu Chengxiao had always known that Liu Yu was concerned about Gu Yuzhen’s situation, so it didn’t surprise him. After glancing at the items in the box, he seriously studied Liu Yu’s face for a while. Just looking wasn’t enough, so he gently lifted her chin and used his fingertip to test the texture on her cheek. His earnest expression made Liu Yu think he was about to give some commentary, but instead of that, she was met with his warm lips.

The lip balm she had just applied was left as remnants on his lips, and before she could say anything, he swept her off her feet and onto the bed.

Annoyed, Liu Yu punched Lu Chengxiao, but upon seeing the color on his lips, she couldn’t help but laugh. “Is the lip balm tasty?”

Lu Chengxiao’s voice was a bit husky. “I don’t know if the lip balm is good, but you look beautiful when you wear makeup. Show me again next time.”

“Are you sure it’s just to look?” Liu Yu asked, watching the color on his lips. She used her fingertip to gently rub the remnants of red off the corner of his mouth.

Lu Chengxiao swallowed hard, his gaze deepening. “Tasting is fine too.”

As the curtain fell, their conversation faded away. Not long after, Liu Yu’s voice turned into a different, more suppressed tone—now urgent, now gentle, deep and shallow, enchanting enough to send waves of tingling sensations throughout.

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