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Time passed quickly. The weather remained oppressively hot, with many places drying up completely. Fortunately, anticipating the drought early on, many households switched to planting sweet potatoes with wheat as a backup. People lived frugally, often hungry but not starving, and thankfully, Su Zhi hadn’t witnessed the desperate scenes of stripping tree bark and eating roots she had feared.
One day, Su Zhi visited Liu Siniang. They sat together and chatted for a while, eventually discussing the weather.
“It’s a good thing everyone listened to your advice and switched to planting sweet potatoes,” remarked Liu Siniang. “If we’d relied on those rice paddies, they’d be dried up by now. We wouldn’t stand a chance of harvesting any grain, and starvation would be inevitable. Some might even consider fleeing.”
Liu Siniang was sewing a man’s jacket, obviously for Li Shi. Her needlework was exquisite, her hands moving like butterflies fluttering up and down, every stitch fine and delicate. She talked while she worked, her hands never pausing, but her eyes glanced at Su Zhi briefly, filled with gratitude. She couldn’t help but think that without Su Zhi’s help, she would still be living a hard life, far from the comforts she enjoyed now.
Meanwhile, Su Zhi held a small green shoe in her hand, embroidering tiny flowers on it. It was a shoe she was making for Yueyue, who loved beauty so much that even her shoes couldn’t escape being adorned with flowers. Su Zhi was happy to indulge her. In fact, even her own shoes were always embroidered with flowers. Living in the countryside, she preferred to live with a touch of refinement.
“We’re all neighbors here. We can’t just watch everyone starve,” Su Zhi remarked. “When the time comes, if they want to sell, we can use the sweet potatoes for making noodles. It’ll help us earn some extra silver.”
Su Zhi replied modestly, “I don’t think I’ve done anything particularly great.”
Liu Siniang chuckled and said, “You just don’t like to take credit. If it weren’t for helping our neighbors, why would you need so many sweet potatoes? The ones from our two families alone would have been enough for a while. Even if it wasn’t, we could buy more from elsewhere. There’s no need for the whole village’s sweet potatoes.”
Liu Siniang thought Su Zhi was a good person. She found Su Zhi much more lovable now than when she was younger. As a child, Su Zhi had been somewhat proud and delicate, making her hard to approach. But over the years, Zhao Xiaomei had transformed into a gentle and capable woman. It seemed like she had been influenced after going to the nuns’ convent. If only she had followed suit back then, perhaps her parents wouldn’t have died, and she wouldn’t have suffered so much herself.
Liu Siniang spoke her mind openly, feeling close enough to Su Zhi to do so. Their relationship was indeed very intimate.
As Su Zhi listened to Liu Siniang reminisce about the past Zhao Xiaomei, she couldn’t help but feel a wave of emotions. She wondered what had ultimately led the original Zhao Xiaomei to fall ill like that, and what kind of person she had been in the end. But regardless of who she had been, Su Zhi now inhabited her body.
“You’re fortunate. Look at how much Brother Shitou cares for you now. Your days will only get better,” she remarked.
Su Zhi looked at Liu Siniang’s face and felt comforted. Liu Siniang had changed significantly from a few months ago. Her once gaunt, pale face had filled out, though she was still a bit thin, she looked healthier now, with normal skin tone, rosy lips, bright eyes, and even her hands, while calloused, had regained some whiteness in her fingers. Su Zhi felt proud that she had helped Liu Siniang escape from the Zhao family, feeling she had indeed done a good deed.
Liu Siniang blushed at Su Zhi’s words, lowering her head slightly and replied, “You’re right. Things will only get better. I sometimes feel like I’m dreaming these days.”
Su Zhi chuckled, finding the sight of a woman immersed in happiness quite charming. Liu Siniang had always been attractive with her well-defined features, but now, she was truly enchanting. Su Zhi imagined herself being cared for by Shen Zi’an, feeling that she, too, would be very happy.
“This isn’t just dreaming about having enough to eat. If you feel like you’re dreaming now, imagine what it would be like if you were wearing gold and silver, with a house full of horses and carriages, and maidservants helping with chores. You’d feel like you’ve ascended to heaven,” Su Zhi teased.
Liu Siniang glanced at Su Zhi and said, “If that’s the case, then it really would feel like heaven. Those kinds of good days, I couldn’t even dream of.”
In her heart, Liu Siniang thought, “Even if I were offered a maid’s position, they wouldn’t want me. They’d think I’m not fit for it. I dare not imagine such a day.” She looked at Su Zhi thinking, Su Zhi is certainly someone who could employ a maid. With her abilities, now that her family even has a gatekeeper, getting maids and servants would be completely normal for her.” In her mind, she envisioned Su Zhi surrounded by two maids, feeling that Su Zhi was no less than the ladies and madams in the city.
Su Zhi smiled and said, “You’ll definitely have them in the future. We were just talking about those sweet potatoes earlier, remember? When we turn them into noodles, they’ll fetch a good price. If you and Brother Shitou work with us, we’ll surely make a fortune. Getting a few maids won’t be a big deal then. Brother Shitou cares so much for you; once we have money, he won’t let you do any more chores. Just wait for a life of ease.”
Su Zhi wasn’t just joking around. She had once overheard Li Shi and Shen Zi’an discussing how they would hire someone to serve Liu Siniang once they had enough money. She had been impressed by Brother Shitou’s kindness towards Liu Siniang. In this era, especially among rural men, having such ambitions and considerations for their wives to have maidservants was a lofty ideal.
Su Zhi had recognized Li Shi’s foresight, partly why she wanted to collaborate with him.
She had the ability to make a fortune, but she didn’t want to do it alone. She wanted to prosper together with those who treated her family well, ideally ensuring everyone in Riverside Village who had been good to her family could benefit. This way, envy would be avoided, and it would also benefit the community. Assuming nothing unexpected happened, she wanted to grow old here, so it was essential to maintain good relationships.
Liu Siniang is someone Su Zhi considers like a sister, and if there’s prosperity to be had, they would share it together.
“He really does treat me well,” Liu Siniang replied.
Su Zhi’s words made Liu Siniang blush again. Even though she had been married to Li Shi for several months, she still blushed whenever someone mentioned him treating her well.
“As for the noodles, those sweet potatoes are nearly ripe. Do you think we should start setting up the workshop and find some help?” Liu Siniang changed the subject, trying to divert the conversation from Li Shi, her face flushed.
Su Zhi nodded, saying, “We definitely need to hire people. We’ll start by inviting Li Qing’s wife and the others first. As we get more proficient, we can bring in more villagers. I’m sure as long as we pay well, our neighbors will be willing to work.”
Liu Siniang agreed, “Let’s send word to Li Qing’s wife and the others first. I saw them yesterday, and they were worried about the weather too. Li Qing mentioned they don’t have much grain left at home. They have other sources of income to buy food, but she’s concerned about her family back at her parents’ house. If we share this news with her, it’ll surely give them some reassurance.”
Liu Siniang felt indebted to Li Qing’s wife for her significant help in the past. Hearing her worries, she wanted to ease her burden.
“Let’s go talk to them now,” Liu Siniang suggested.
Su Zhi thought about how the noodle workshop was definitely going to open soon, with Qian Dahu and the magistrate involved. It was a sure thing now. By preparing people in advance, they would be ready. Despite the dry weather not yet reaching the point of scraping bark and roots, their stored grain was only just supporting them. If she told Li Qing’s wife and the others about the opportunity for work and decent pay, it would give them hope and ease their worries in this weather.
Liu Siniang heard Su Zhi’s words and a faint smile appeared on her face. Setting down the clothes in her hands, she picked up a small basket and stood up.
Rural women were capable and industrious. When visiting others, they often carried some work with them. Like Liu Siniang and Su Zhi, they usually carried a small basket containing embroidery or unfinished shoes, or sometimes yarn.
After locking the door, the two headed towards the west bank of the river.
Just past the small bridge, they noticed several people running anxiously in one direction. On closer inspection, Li Zheng was among them. The two wondered if something serious had happened again.
Arriving at Li Qing’s door, they found it open. Just as they were about to enter, Li Qing came out with Shugen’s Wife and Wang Xiuyun.
“Sisters, where are you all rushing to? What’s causing all this commotion?”
Su Zhi saw these three people rushing out anxiously and thought about Li Zheng and the others from earlier. Could something serious have really happened?
Seeing Su Zhi and Liu Siniang approach, Li Qing’s Wife hurried over to greet them.
While locking the door, Li Qing’s Wife said, “Sisters, let Wang Xiuyun explain. It’s a major issue.”
Su Zhi looked at Wang Xiuyun, thinking she lived at the far west end of the village. Could something have happened in that part of the village?
Recently, Wang Xiuyun had developed a good relationship with Su Zhi and the others because she often fetched water from Fuyuan. She treated Su Zhi well, and being from the same village made them closer. Now seeing Su Zhi, Wang Xiuyun came over and pulled her close.
“This is quite a serious matter. If it escalates, it could be disastrous. Many people from the village have fled. Didn’t you see them? A crowd dressed in rags, looking thin and desperate like beggars. It’s truly unsettling.”