Chapter 12: A Thief Suddenly Breaks In

When Su Fu and the others came out, Su Wan had already stored everything into her space. The shopkeeper, who had just risen from beneath the counter, was startled to see that the little girl who was standing beside the counter moments ago was now at the door.

She was greeting the people in the carriage.

It seemed that all the goods had already been loaded onto the cart.

He shook his head, thinking he was probably just too tired lately—his thoughts were fuzzy, and he kept forgetting what had just happened a moment before.

Still, when he saw the extra silver notes in the cabinet, he smiled. As long as the money was correct, all was well.

After collecting the medicine from the pharmacy, the group headed to the tailor’s shop, where each of them had two sets of clothes made. They also bought some fabric and food before hurrying home.

The fabric was meant as a gift for Xia Xian’s parents. The Xia family had taken good care of the Su family. After the elderly couple was injured, they frequently came by to help with chores and visit them. They had also been incredibly kind to the two children.

Now that things were starting to improve for them, it was only right not to forget the kindness they’d received.

Money would run out eventually. With a scholar now part of the household, there would only be more expenses.

Once the spring planting was done, Su Mingshan would have to go back to hunting in the mountains. That brought in a few taels of silver each month.

But relying on that long-term wasn’t a solid plan. So, Su Wan suggested that Su Fu rent a shop in town and start a small business.

“Mother, now that we have some money on hand, why don’t we rent a shop in town and do a bit of business?” Su Wan said sweetly.

Su Wan didn’t expect that her mother had already been thinking the same thing. As soon as she said it, Su Fu agreed right away and even praised her: “Wanwan, you’re so smart. It’s not ideal for us to keep living at your uncle’s place forever.”

Mainly, the house was too small. Building a bigger one wasn’t an easy task either.

Plus, her daughter was growing up, and she needed to plan for her future.

“What kind of business do you want to start, Mother?”

“I know how to make tofu. How about opening a tofu shop?”

“No, that’s too exhausting.”

“Why don’t you just open a general store, Mother? You’d just need to sit and collect money—it’d be much easier.”

“A general store, huh? That’s actually a good idea.”

After they returned home, mother and daughter sat under the osmanthus tree in the courtyard, discussing the matter.

Eventually, they agreed: they would open a general store.

Xia Xian returned to her parents’ home and didn’t come back until evening. At dinner, Su Fu mentioned the idea of renting a shop.

“That’s a great idea. You always have to plan for the future,” Xia Xian said approvingly.

A divorced woman already faces many obstacles—without some silver at hand, when the time came for Su Wan to marry, the road would be full of hardship.

Now that they had capital, why not start a small business and lay a proper foundation for the future?

The elderly couple knew that Xia Xian was a woman with her own mind, so when she spoke decisively, they nodded in agreement. Their only concern was that Su Fu, as a woman, might be bullied while managing the shop alone.

“Don’t worry! Once that master comes, Wanwan will have a teacher to protect her. Once I learn martial arts, I can protect Mother too!” Su Wan’s crisp and childish voice rang clearly in everyone’s ears.

Su Mingshan added, “Wanwan makes a good point. When that master arrives, he’ll look after her. Once Wanwan finishes learning, her brother can protect her even better.”

With skills and money, even her future in-laws wouldn’t dare to treat her lightly.

“Alright then. Let’s settle it. Tomorrow we’ll go to town to secure a shop.”
 The Ning family incident made the Su family feel a real sense of urgency. They understood that remaining stagnant would only lead to being exploited.

In this life, her family had grown and awakened in ways that made Su Wan deeply gratified.

She had thought it would take a lot of persuasion, but to her surprise, they agreed so easily.

That night, once everyone had gone to sleep, gentle streams of spiritual energy flowed from Su Wan’s palm, entering each person’s forehead and deepening their sleep.

Only after doing this did Su Wan feel at ease enough to bring out the pill furnace and lay out the medicinal ingredients on the floor.

Beforehand, she had also arranged a spiritual energy gathering array around her to ensure there was enough aura for assistance—guaranteeing everything would go smoothly.

Once all preparations were complete, she began channeling her spiritual energy to draw out the earth fire. Recalling the steps and techniques from her past life, she carefully fused the ingredients into the furnace.

Su Wan shut her eyes tightly, fully focused, controlling the spiritual energy and guiding the earth fire to evenly heat the furnace. As the fire grew hotter, the herbs inside began undergoing wondrous changes.

Under the searing flames, the herbs quickly dehydrated, their leaves curling and releasing a faint fragrance. Su Wan didn’t dare let her guard down. She adjusted the heat with extreme care, adding new herbs based on the changes she observed.

From the initial refining to tempering, then blending—it was all done meticulously.

As the refining deepened, the need for spiritual energy grew stronger. She had to manage both the energy flow and the fire control simultaneously.

But just at this critical moment, Su Wan’s keen ears picked up faint footsteps outside the courtyard.

Someone was coming.

Not just one person—several.

“Look! There really is a carriage here. That Ning brat wasn’t lying.”

“Big bro, there’s a whole jar of white rice. Looks like this is the richest household in Qinghe Village.”

“Alright, now that we’re here, take everything. If they resist, kill them all.”

“Be careful, though. That Ning brat said they’re hunters— the head of the house has brute strength.”

Low voices came from the direction of the kitchen. With a creak, the inner door leading to the main hall was pushed open.

The five thieves were startled when they saw a little girl sitting cross-legged on the ground.

“Holy crap, there’s a kid here?”

“What’s she doing?”

“Big bro, look! A jade cabbage sculpture! And a jade Buddha too! Damn, this family is loaded!”

“Well, what are you waiting for? Take everything valuable!”

With the order given, the five robbers’ fear was overtaken by greed. They rushed forward to grab the treasures on the ground—only to find they wouldn’t budge at all.

They looked at the little girl again, who was still sitting with eyes closed, and felt more and more uneasy.

“What is this little girl doing? This is just… creepy,” one of them muttered, shivering.

The five waited a bit, and when Su Wan still didn’t open her eyes, killing intent began to rise.

“Big bro, there’s a medicinal smell in the air… could she be refining medicine?”

A five-year-old girl, sitting cross-legged, refining medicine? The thought was just too strange.

“Then kill her first,” the leader ordered. It was too bizarre, and it made them uneasy.

The one called Qiangzi raised his blade and swung it down toward Su Wan’s back.

“What are you waiting for, Qiangzi? Just kill her already!” the leader urged, his anxiety growing.

“I… I can’t move…” Qiangzi’s voice trembled with shock.

“B-B-Big bro, this girl is seriously weird. L-Let’s just leave, alright?” one of the younger men said, his voice shaking.

But how could they give up with such treasures in front of them?

“Don’t panic. Since that creepy girl won’t move, let’s check the inner rooms. She’s got family, doesn’t she?”