Casting Nets to Catch a Husband

Chapter 197: Yu’er, it’s mother. (Forewarning, Wang Shi is coming out)

As the New Year approached, both bustling cities and small towns had already started to feel the festive spirit.

This year in Changfeng Town, things were livelier than usual in the twelfth lunar month, thanks to the opening of a new goods warehouse, Xinfeng Warehouse, by the dock.

The small town was filled with shops selling all sorts of goods, but a warehouse was new to the locals of Changfeng Town and the surrounding villages. The warehouse area, previously a row of storage rooms by the dock, had been bought up two months ago. After renovations that included a new signboard and display shelves, the area saw a flurry of activity in late November as workers loaded in shipments. Yet no one knew what this transformed warehouse would be used for.

On an auspicious day in the twelfth lunar month, the mystery was finally unveiled with much excitement. Eight storage rooms, now completely renovated, were revealed to the public amid lively cheers. The locals watched as Lu Sanlang (Chengxiao), along with some unfamiliar young men, unveiled the sign for the new warehouse—four large characters reading “Xinfeng Warehouse.”

The opening promotions were well-organized, with Lu Chengxiao and his group inviting a lion dance troupe from the county. Two troupes performed throughout the town, bringing lively festivities to Xinfeng Warehouse and Changfeng Town’s main streets for the entire day.

Unlike Anyi County or Yuan Prefecture City, lion dancing wasn’t common in Changfeng Town. So on the sixth day of the twelfth month, nearly half the town’s residents came out to see the festivities. Everyone learned that a new warehouse had opened at the dock, co-owned by Lu’s third son and his brothers-in-law, who had already established a fabric and embroidery business in Yuan Prefecture City.

The prosperity of the Lu family and the rise of the third branch of the Lu family were topics of admiration among the townspeople. The unique offerings at Xinfeng Warehouse, however, quickly became the talk of the town.

Were Xinfeng Warehouse’s products especially unique? Yes, but not entirely because of novelty. Around sixty to seventy percent of the goods were items available in other stores around town.

And the remaining thirty to forty percent? Those were new, exotic items rarely seen in small towns—goods from all over, like seafood from Fujian, tea from Wuyi, mushrooms from Longquan, bamboo shoots from Tianmu, pickled eggs from Pinghu, dried meat from Jingjiang, ham from Jinhua, wine from Shaoxing, purple clay from Yixing, porcelain from Fuliang, combs from Changzhou, and umbrellas from Yuhang—too many to list.

In terms of quality and variety, Xinfeng Warehouse was unrivaled. For instance, town shops only had a few styles of porcelain cups and bowls, limited in variety and quality. But Xinfeng Warehouse offered dozens of designs in just one display area of half a warehouse.

The warehouse also had a wide selection of tea and sweets, much more varied than local shops.

Where would you enjoy shopping the most? Certainly, the place with unique, diverse items—Xinfeng Warehouse!

Xinfeng Warehouse sold both everyday essentials and specialty items from different regions. Whether it was something you needed or something unexpected, the warehouse had it all.

The most exciting news for the townspeople was Xinfeng Warehouse’s grand opening offer: a 20% discount on all items for the first three days, plus a free porcelain bowl with every five copper coins spent.

With a 20% discount, people couldn’t resist stocking up on cooking oil, salt, vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, wine, tea, and other New Year essentials. And with every 500 coins spent, they’d receive a free bowl—enough for some families to gather a whole new set of tableware.

Such a good deal was an opportunity for friends and family to shop together!

On the sixth day of the twelfth month, Changfeng Town’s dock was filled with the sound of drums, crowds, and people lining up to buy discounted goods. The seven storage rooms converted into shopping sections and one account room were packed with people browsing, while staff members took orders and handled transactions. Customers would view items at the counters, place orders, pay at the account room, then return to pick up their goods.

This method of handling payments was inspired by the bulk purchasing system used by city fabric shops. Thus, despite the warehouse’s large size, only two account staff managed the money, one of whom was Babao, who had been training with the Lu family’s accountant in Wushan County for six months, making management much simpler.

However, for the first three days of the opening, the two account staff could barely keep up. Lu Chengxiao, his brother, and a few others had to jump in and assist, everyone working non-stop wherever needed.

Lu Xun, who had recently returned from Yuan Prefecture, stood among the crowd outside the warehouse, grinning as his eyes crinkled with joy. Recognized by a few townspeople, he was showered with congratulations.

After several rounds around the warehouse, Lu Xun finally headed home in a hurry.

In September, Zhou Qiongying had given birth to a chubby baby boy. With Lu Chengzhang and his wife busy managing two stores, and the baby being particularly fussy, Zhou Qiongying had managed to nurse him for three months. When business picked up, Chen Shi had to bring her grandson back to Changfeng Town, hiring a local woman who had recently given birth to help nurse him.

Holding her plump grandson, Chen Shi’s eyes lit up when Lu Xun entered. Listening to Lu Xun animatedly recount the lively warehouse opening, her smile never faded.

Her most beloved youngest son had really made her proud.

~

By the time word of the new warehouse in town spread to the surrounding villages of Changfeng Town, several days had passed.

The lives of villagers were different from those in the county or the prefecture city. For the farmers, every penny mattered, and a new store in town was merely something to hear about… and then quickly forget.

Most villagers only went to town on market days, when they needed to buy something urgently or had items to sell.

For Wang Shi, who used to frequent the town on market days, times had become harder over the past year. Her family’s main workers were no longer around: Liu Yu had been taken back by his family, and the third son’s family had severed ties and moved away. It was rumored they’d left their child with her family and gone to make a living together. Only Liu Kangsheng, Liu Dalang and Liu Erlang were left.

Liu Erlang was still hardworking, but Liu Dalang’s personality had changed drastically. He had become sullen and gloomy, with a disturbing, sinister smile that seemed to linger like a lurking snake.

Wu Shi often dressed up and went out, visiting her family or her brother. Seeing this, Lin Shi, who used to be diligent, decided to stop working as well.

With fewer people making money and doing work, the amount of money Wang received dwindled, even as chores increased. Naturally, her days were no longer as comfortable as they used to be.

~

On the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth lunar month, with only a few days left before the New Year, Wang finally needed to go to the market. She had saved up a basket of eggs over the past two weeks to sell and earn some money to buy New Year’s supplies.

She knew she should leave early, preferably at dawn, to secure a good spot at the market. This way, she’d be able to sell her eggs quickly.

But no one was there to make breakfast at home. Wu Shi had been gone for days, Lin Shi refused to cook, and Liu Yan, who was about to be married, didn’t cook either. That left Wang Shi to handle it all herself.

In the dark kitchen, she expertly reached for a bundle of twigs beside the stove, broke them up, and stuffed them into the firewood hole. She grabbed a handful of dried pine needles to ignite the fire, which glowed a warm yellow in the dark, crackling. Wang Shi sat in front of the stove, lost in thought.

At that moment, she felt like an old ox or a grinding mill donkey, endlessly toiling around the stove and the fields, with a future that she could already see—one of working tirelessly until she died.

Her hands paused as she lowered her head, staring blankly for a moment. A loud crack from the fire snapped her out of it; she remembered she hadn’t added water to the pot. She quickly scooped a ladle of water from the jar and poured it in. As the iron pot hissed, she stared off again, mechanically ladling water into the pot, one scoop at a time.

The sun was just starting to rise when breakfast was finally ready. As she set the table, the Liu family members began to wake up, washing up before breakfast.

Wang Shi had no time to sit and enjoy a proper meal. She hurriedly took a few bites in the kitchen, then grabbed her full basket of eggs and headed out the door.

For this last major market before the New Year, Wang Shi arrived far too late. The market was so crowded that not only were all the good spots taken, but there wasn’t even a small space along the street where she could squeeze in.

After searching for a spot without success, a woman selling vegetables glanced at the basket of eggs in Wang Shi’s hand and said, “Selling something, huh? You’re too late!”

Wang Shi felt embarrassed and replied, “Got delayed by things at home. Big sister, could you make a little room for me?”

The woman barely had enough space for her own goods and wasn’t willing to share, but she suggested, “Why don’t you check by the dock? There might still be some space there.”

Wang Shi was taken aback. “Are there people by the dock?”

The woman laughed. “You didn’t know? They opened a big warehouse by the dock, with lots of goods for sale—especially New Year’s items. It’s as busy as it is here, and I’m sure there are people selling things there too.”

Wang Shi hadn’t known about this. She hadn’t been to town in a long time, and even if others in her village knew, no one would have told her.

After thanking the woman, Wang Shi walked to the dock with her basket of eggs.

When she arrived, she was amazed at how different the area looked. There really was a new warehouse, and business was booming. Plenty of people had set up stalls nearby as well.

She took a good look at the warehouse. All the prime spots around it were taken, but she found a small spot across from the warehouse and set up her egg stall.

Customers leaving the warehouse often stopped by nearby stalls to pick up vegetables, and Wang managed to sell sixteen eggs in an hour. She was pleased and was just about to shout out to attract more customers when she saw a man and a woman walking together from a distance. The call she was about to make got stuck in her throat.

~

On the twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, it was the wedding day of Lin Huaigeng and Zhou Ruyi. With Zhang Xiaofu and Madam Wei managing the two embroidery shops, there was no need to produce new designs during this period, leaving Liu Yu with a rare chance to relax. Zhang Xiaofu encouraged her to pack up and return to Changfeng Town early for the New Year, not only to attend Lin Huaigeng and Zhou Ruyi’s wedding but also to spend time with Lu Chengxiao.

As Zhang Xiaofu teased her, “Spare your family’s horse from getting too tired.”

How close were the young couple? With Liu Yu in the county and Lu Chengxiao usually in Changfeng Town managing the newly opened Xinfeng Warehouse, he truly did ride back and forth every day.

Their horse, though in its prime, had begun to think early retirement was in sight due to Lu Chengxiao’s frequent business trips. But starting from the twelfth lunar month, Lu Chengxiao was riding it relentlessly.

Liu’s brothers found it amusing. On the twenty-third, they settled the accounts for both embroidery shops with Liu Yu, discussing how to distribute the year-end bonuses and organize the holidays. They calculated Liu Yu’s share of the profits in advance and, on the twenty-fourth, sent her back to Changfeng Town with Lu Chengxiao.

On the twenty-fifth, Liu Yu visited the warehouse her husband and brothers had opened for the first time. Amidst the bustling crowd, Lu Chengxiao held her hand, his eyes shining with pride as he led her to see his new venture.

He’d been here so often lately that even before they reached the entrance, people recognized him and greeted him with cheerful shouts: “Master Lu!”

The onlookers’ gazes soon shifted to Liu Yu, curious about the famous Lady Lu they’d heard so much about—not only known for her generous dowry but also rumored to be exceptionally beautiful. Finally seeing her in person, the crowd outside the warehouse looked on with admiration.

Some keen-eyed onlookers even noticed the couple’s intertwined hands under their wide sleeves, and a few asked with smiles, “Is this Madam Lu?”

Lu Chengxiao and Liu Yu exchanged a smile, nodded, and greeted the crowd with friendly small talk before heading inside.

Just then, someone rushed toward them from behind, brimming with emotion.

Being trained in martial arts, Lu Chengxiao was instinctively alert. Even before the person reached them, he was already shielding Liu Yu and moving her out of the way. He hadn’t yet seen who it was when he heard an excited, trembling cry, mixed with sobs: “Yu’er, Yu’er…”

Liu Yu’s body stiffened at once. She looked up to see Wang, her eyes brimming with tears. “Yu’er, it’s your mother.”

Sansukini: As a mom, I feel really sad for Wang Shi after reading this chapter.

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