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Su Zhi looked at Liang Fu. She wasn’t very familiar with Miss Liang, but through their few interactions, she felt that Liang Fu was a gentle yet assertive woman. Not a bad person. Except for the somewhat unusual way she looked at Shen Zi’an, Su Zhi found herself liking this woman quite a bit.
“Why are you asking about this?”
Hearing Liang Fu’s question, Su Zhi neither confirmed nor denied it.
However, Liang Fu, upon hearing Su Zhi’s counter-question, realized that her guess was correct. The thriving business of Inn was indeed due to Su Zhi. She was truly astonished, but when she saw the charming doll in her hand, it was no longer surprising. Su Zhi was a clever and skillful person. At that moment, Liang Fu genuinely began to admire Su Zhi.
“Don’t worry, Sister Zhao,” Liang Fu reassured. “I don’t mean anything by asking. I just noticed the dishes at home taste even better than those at the Inn, and I remember that the Shopkeeper and steward, Zhang from the Qian family once bought your sweet and sour cakes. At that time, it was at the inn. I just thought that perhaps you went there to sell your recipes.”
Su Zhi nodded and said, “Please don’t tell anyone about this. I don’t have any new recipes to sell right now. If word gets out that I was the one selling recipes to the inn, it will only cause trouble.”
“Alright, Sister Zhao, you can rest assured. I was just asking out of curiosity. I won’t tell anyone,” Liang Fu promised. She looked at the pillow in her hand and then at the dolls, liking them more and more the longer she looked. Pressing her lips together, she raised her head and said to Su Zhi, “Sister Zhao, since you thought of selling your recipes, have you ever considered selling these dolls?”
Su Zhi looked at Liang Fu and noticed the sparkle in her eyes, indicating a strong interest in the idea. She realized that Miss Liang wasn’t just the typical refined lady who only engaged in embroidery and poetry. Instead, she was interested in business and quickly saw the potential in the dolls Su Zhi made. This revelation made Su Zhi like her even more. As a former career woman herself, Su Zhi had always appreciated women with a knack for business.
“Why, Miss Liang, do you have such plans?” Su Zhi asked with a smile. She had considered selling the dolls before but had found more lucrative opportunities and had not been as enthusiastic about the doll business. However, since Liang Fu brought it up, her interest was piqued again.
Liang Fu nodded and said, “To be honest, Sister Zhao, I do some small business on the side. I believe the dolls and pillows you make can be quite profitable. If you’re willing, we could go into business together.”
Su Zhi’s smile widened. “That sounds like an excellent idea. I am interested in exploring this opportunity with you.”
“How exactly would we work together? Please, explain,” Su Zhi said, curious about Liang Fu’s plan.
Having come to this world and become a farmer’s wife, Su Zhi had only minor dissatisfaction with the poverty she once experienced. She didn’t mind her new identity much. As long as her husband was a good man who loved and cherished her, she found being a village woman much preferable to being a noblewoman caught up in endless scheming and intrigue.
Her goal was simple: to be a landlady, living a leisurely life with her husband and children. Of course, more silver was always better. However, Su Zhi didn’t want to tie herself down completely for the sake of money. She preferred to find straightforward ways to earn it and thought it best to collaborate with others for more complex ventures. This way, she could provide the ideas and let others handle the execution, ensuring a steady income without much hassle.
Liang Fu’s suggestion seemed promising, and Su Zhi was interested in hearing more about how they could make it work.
Liang Fu, seeing Su Zhi’s interest, elaborated, “I was thinking we could divide the responsibilities. You continue to create these wonderful dolls and pillows, and I’ll handle the business side of things—finding buyers, managing sales, and dealing with the logistics. We could split the profits fairly. This way, you can focus on what you enjoy and are good at, without worrying about the business details.”
Su Zhi considered the proposal. It sounded like an excellent arrangement. She could continue her comfortable life while earning extra income from something
If Liang Fu could meet her expectations, Su Zhi wouldn’t refuse this money-making opportunity.
Liang Fu proposed, “Sister Zhao, you create the designs for these dolls, and I’ll find people to make and sell them. Then, we’ll split the profits evenly. How does that sound?”
“And what about the initial investment? Will you cover all the costs?” Su Zhi asked. She posed this question because recently, her expenses had been quite high. With plans to start a noodle business, she was keen on conserving her funds.
Liang Fu looked at Su Zhi and said, “Sister Zhao, are you not planning to contribute at all?”
Su Zhi met her gaze and replied, “I’ve put in the mental effort to create these designs. When you sell the dolls and pillows, you’ll be making money from my ideas. The initial costs for materials aren’t that high. Once you transport and sell them, the profit margin will be substantial. Besides, I can create other interesting products too. Even if others try to copy us, they’ll always be a step behind.”
Liang Fu considered Su Zhi’s words. It was true that Su Zhi’s creativity and continuous innovation were key to their potential success. With a thoughtful nod, she said, “Alright, Sister Zhao, I see your point. I’ll cover the initial costs. Let’s proceed with this plan and see how it goes.”
Su Zhi smiled, feeling more confident about this partnership. “Good, let’s make this a profitable venture together. I’ll start working on new designs right away.”
With the agreement in place, both women felt optimistic about the future of their collaboration.
Su Zhi had full confidence in her abilities.
Liang Fu’s eyes lit up. From Su Zhi’s expression and tone, she could tell that Su Zhi was sincere. Seeing the quality of Su Zhi’s dishes and the craftsmanship of the dolls, Liang Fu chose to trust her. Without Su Zhi’s designs, she couldn’t start this business. Even if she managed to get all the dolls currently made, that would be it. Trying to come up with new designs herself would likely not match Su Zhi’s creativity. She was sure of it.
Furthermore, Su Zhi was Shen Zi’an’s wife, and Shen Zi’an was Liang Fu’s benefactor. She wouldn’t treat her benefactor’s wife unfairly.
Investing some initial capital to start a promising business, while also benefiting her benefactor’s family, seemed like a very good deal to Liang Fu.
“It’s settled then,” Liang Fu said. “I’ll go back and make preparations. Once everything is ready, I’ll come back to find you, Sister Zhao. We’ll sign a contract and then I’ll take the designs for the dolls.”
Su Zhi smiled, pleased with the arrangement. “That sounds perfect. I’ll get to work on more designs and be ready when you come back.”
With their agreement in place, both women felt optimistic about their future collaboration, confident that they were on the path to a profitable venture.
Liang Fu agreed to Su Zhi’s terms, thinking that even if the venture didn’t turn a profit, the loss wouldn’t be significant—it would be a way to repay a debt of gratitude. Besides, she was confident that it would be profitable. The dolls were so charming that she herself was fond of them, so others would surely be too. Liang Fu initially planned to sell the dolls to the women and children of wealthy families, believing it would be easy to make money from them. When Su Zhi suggested the same strategy, Liang Fu was pleasantly surprised by their common idea.
As they prepared to partner in making money, the bond between the two women grew stronger. When Shen Zhu entered the room, she saw Liang Fu and Su Zhi sitting closely together on the kang (a traditional heated bed). Each held a doll, their legs touching beneath their skirts as they whispered and laughed, looking as close as sisters.
Shen Zhu felt a pang of jealousy. In such a short time, how had Liang Fu become so close to her fourth sister-in-law? She had tried hard to curry favor with Liang Fu, but Liang Fu had always maintained a polite but distant demeanor. Despite her gentle smiles, Liang Fu’s high-born airs made Shen Zhu feel inferior in her presence. But now, seeing this newfound intimacy between Liang Fu and Su Zhi, she couldn’t understand what had changed.
Shen Zhu approached them, forcing a smile. “Sister Liang, Sister-in-law, what are you two discussing so happily?”
Shen Zhu asked as she walked over and sat down at the edge of the kang, her eyes filled with eager anticipation.
Liang Fu and Su Zhi naturally wouldn’t tell Shen Zhu about their previous conversation. Their voices had been soft the whole time, especially as they discussed the latter part.
Liang Fu stood up, smiling, and said, “Zhao Sister was just telling me about how she plans to design this garden. I think it sounds great and was just about to go take a look. Sister Shen, would you like to come along?”
Seeing Liang Fu stand up and speak like this, Su Zhi also rose and said, “The garden haven’t been sorted out yet, but we can still go take a look. When you come back in a few months, you’ll see how much it has changed. Let’s go, let’s take a walk in the garden. The weather today is nice, and the sun isn’t too harsh yet.”
Seeing the two heading out, Shen Zhu, who had just sat down, had no choice but to stand up again. She felt a bit uncomfortable inside. They were leaving just as she arrived; it was obvious they didn’t want to sit with her and talk.
Seeing Shen Zhu also heading outside without noticing the dolls on the kang, Su Zhi chuckled inwardly. Shen Zhu’s attention was entirely focused on the two of them as soon as she entered. She hadn’t noticed the toys, which was perfectly fine; if she saw them and expressed interest, Su Zhi couldn’t bear to refuse her.
In the main hall, the gazes of Shen Zi’an and the others turned towards them. Liang Fu smiled and told Qian Guang that they were going to take a walk in the garden. She genuinely wanted to stroll around; she had been staying in the town these days and hadn’t had much chance to explore. She was also curious about Su Zhi’s home. Buying such a large piece of land, she wondered how they would renovate it. Just seeing the trees and paths in the front had already made her think the garden might turn out quite nice.
Upon hearing this, Qian Guang stood up too, saying, “I’ll come along too.”
Shen Zi’an stood up, and naturally, Shen Youfu and Shen Zhang shi also rose to their feet.
At this moment, Su Zhi turned to Shen Zhu and said, “Zhu’er, your condition has improved somewhat, but you still need to take good care of yourself. I heard that skin conditions shouldn’t be exposed to dampness or too much sunlight. Moreover, there will be a lot of people and dust in the garden. It’s better for you not to go.”
Before Shen Zhu could say anything, Su Zhi turned to Shen Youfu and mentioned that his health had just improved, and he also needed proper rest. She asked Shen Zi’an to take them home and not to let them stay here and tire themselves out.
Qian Guang smiled and glanced at Su Zhi, agreeing that Shen Youfu should take care of his health and that they didn’t need to be taken care of. He insisted that they should go home and rest. He even joked that if they didn’t leave, he would feel guilty and wouldn’t dare to visit Shen Ziju in the future.
Upon hearing this, Shen Youfu knew he couldn’t obstruct his youngest son’s path, so he bid farewell. Shen Zhu had no choice but to accompany them home.
Shen Youfu wasn’t aware of Shen Zhu’s thoughts, but Shen Zhang shi understood them. However, Su Zhi had just mentioned that it was for Shen Zhu’s own good not to accompany them, and Liang Fu had also expressed concern for Shen Zhu’s well-being. Shen Zhang shi couldn’t say anything; she could only go over and console her somewhat reluctant daughter.