Chapter 48

Li Hehua took a deep breath, clenched her teeth, closed her eyes, and said, “Zhang Tieshan, I won’t marry you because… I already have someone I like.”

That one sentence made Zhang Tieshan’s heart sink rapidly. His expression darkened, and under his sleeves, his fists clenched tightly. He stared at Li Hehua for a long while before managing to speak in a calm voice. “You… you really have someone you like?”

Li Hehua didn’t dare meet his intense, dark gaze. She looked at her hands and pretended to speak casually. “Yes, I like someone. So I can’t accept you. Don’t come here anymore.”

After speaking, the person before her stayed silent for a long time.

Unable to help herself, Li Hehua glanced up—only to find Zhang Tieshan staring at her unblinking, lips pressed tightly together, as if scrutinizing her for the truth.

Li Hehua quickly looked away. “You should go. I have things to do.”

But Zhang Tieshan didn’t move. Instead, he said firmly, “I don’t believe you. You don’t have anyone you like.”

He was sure of it. Over the past several days, she had only been doing business and caring for Shulin. She hadn’t even interacted with any other man, let alone spent time with one. So, he couldn’t believe what she said. It must be an excuse to reject him.

Seeing that he still didn’t believe her, Li Hehua frowned slightly and insisted, “I really do like someone. Why would I lie to you?”

Zhang Tieshan pressed on, “Then who is it? If you don’t say, I’ll assume you’re lying.”

Li Hehua grew anxious. Why is this man so difficult?! Any normal person would leave after hearing that. Why did he have to push for answers? And the worst part was… she really was lying. She didn’t even know who she liked—how could she name someone?

She finally said, “Zhang Tieshan, who I like is my personal matter. Why should I tell you?”

But Zhang Tieshan’s lips tightened. “I won’t believe you unless you tell me.”

Unbelievable!

From the way he looked, it was clear he wouldn’t let this go unless she gave him a name. Without it, today’s effort would be wasted. If she truly wanted him to give up, she’d have to come up with someone credible.

But who could she say?

The only men she knew were mostly customers who came to eat at her stall. She couldn’t just name one of them—that would be absurd. Zhang Tieshan would see through it in an instant. She needed someone she interacted with regularly, someone credible, and above suspicion.

As she rapidly ran through the list of acquaintances in her mind, she realized there was only one person who could work: Gu Zhijin, Shulin’s teacher.

Because of Shulin, she interacted with Gu Zhijin often. They were familiar with each other, and he was a respectable, scholarly man—mild, well-mannered, and undeniably likable. If she claimed to like him, Zhang Tieshan probably wouldn’t question it.

But… it didn’t feel quite right. Gu Zhijin was her child’s teacher. Using him as a shield like this felt disrespectful. If the rumor reached his ears, it would be terribly awkward.

Still, after weighing the pros and cons, Li Hehua decided to go with it. Zhang Tieshan wasn’t the type to gossip. He likely wouldn’t spread it. And if by some chance Gu Zhijin did hear about it, she’d just explain and apologize.

Resolved, Li Hehua looked Zhang Tieshan in the eyes. “Fine. Since you don’t believe me, I’ll tell you. But please don’t tell anyone else. The person I like… is Gu Zhijin.”

Now that the first lie was out, the rest came easier. She even put on a bashful, sweet expression and said, “I liked him from the moment I arrived in town. Back then, he often came to my stall to buy food. He’s such a kind man.”

Then she added with a trace of bittersweet emotion, “But I know Gu Zhijin is too good. I’m not worthy of him. So I’ve kept my feelings to myself. Even though we likely won’t ever be together, I’ll continue to admire him silently and won’t marry anyone else. That’s why I’m turning you down. I hope you understand. You’re a good man. Please find someone who loves you.”

Li Hehua almost believed it herself. She had perfectly portrayed the sweetness and pain of a secret crush. If this were a stage, she might’ve won an award. Surely Zhang Tieshan would believe her now.

And he did.

But instead of relief, his heart plummeted into an abyss. It was as if a needle had pierced straight through, sharp and unrelenting. His throat tightened—he couldn’t get a single word out.

If she had named someone else, he might still have doubted it. But she said Gu Zhijin—someone he couldn’t argue with. That made the truth even harder to bear. His face turned ashen.

She really did have someone she liked. He thought she had just made it up. But no, she had fallen for Shulin’s teacher. Gu Zhijin was respectable, refined, gentle, and came from a good family. Compared to him, Zhang Tieshan was just a rough peasant. Given the choice, most women would choose Gu Zhijin without hesitation.

He never expected… it would be Gu Zhijin.

Li Hehua could tell that using Gu Zhijin had worked—Zhang Tieshan believed her. But seeing the look on his face made her feel a pang of guilt. Her heart felt strangely heavy. Still, what she had done was right. The sooner he gave up, the better—for both of them.

“Zhang Tieshan, go home. Don’t come anymore. When Shulin’s on break, you can come pick him up. If… if someday you don’t want Shulin staying with me, just… just tell me.” Her voice faltered near the end. She rubbed her eyes and turned to head back inside. Better to walk away first.

But as she turned, Zhang Tieshan finally spoke, his voice hoarse, “Since… since you never planned to be with him, could you consider someone else instead?”

—someone like him?

Li Hehua paused in her steps, then shook her head with all her might before hurrying into the house, leaving Zhang Tieshan standing alone in the courtyard, his face gray with sorrow. He stood there for a long, long time before finally leaving.

Li Hehua watched his retreating figure and took a deep breath.

There shouldn’t be any entanglements from now on. That was for the best. Matters of the heart didn’t suit her anyway. Better to focus on earning money. At the very least, she had to become strong enough that no one dared to bully her—even if she was just a single woman on her own.

The next day, Zhang Tieshan didn’t show up, just as expected. Li Hehua smiled and put everything behind her, turning her attention fully to running the stall.

But the incident from yesterday had made one thing clear: street vending wasn’t a long-term solution. Yesterday’s trouble didn’t escalate only because Zhang Tieshan had been there. Without him around, the neighboring stall owners likely held even more resentment toward her. Her business was simply doing too well—not something easily overlooked.

Without Zhang Tieshan’s protection going forward, who knew if they’d try to cause more trouble behind her back? Conflict was bound to happen sooner or later.

And beyond that, there just weren’t enough tables. Many customers had already started complaining about the lack of seating. She couldn’t add more tables unless she found a bigger space. But even if she moved to a new location, there was no guarantee she wouldn’t face the same kind of envy and hostility again.

The reality was: there were too many problems with running a street stall.

The best solution would be to open a proper shop.

That had always been her goal, but shops weren’t easy to find. Even if she found one, she’d need money to buy or rent it. Her savings had been limited, so she had decided to stall for time—keep running her stall while saving more. That’s why she hadn’t pursued it seriously yet.

But now, with the rising conflicts and her growing customer base, it was clear she had to start looking for a storefront right away.

The first step: find a suitable location.

After closing the stall that day, Li Hehua began searching the town’s main streets, checking every shop along both sides, one by one. But even after scouring until nightfall, she didn’t find a single vacant storefront for rent. Disappointed, she decided to try a different street the next day.

Several days passed, and still nothing. Some vacant places weren’t available for rent at all, while others had already been spoken for. Not one was open for negotiation.

Li Hehua grew discouraged. Finding a suitable shop in this town wasn’t going to be easy. All this running around wasn’t just fruitless—it was eating into her work hours. She now had to prep food late into the night and barely had the energy to get up each morning.

Clearly, this method wasn’t working. She needed a new approach. Then an idea struck her: many of her loyal customers came from well-off families or ran businesses themselves. Maybe they, or their relatives, might have useful information.

She could ask her customers for leads.

That night, she took out a large sheet of white paper Shulin used for drawing and wrote a rental request with a brush: she was looking to rent a shop, and anyone who helped successfully would be rewarded generously.

The next morning, she posted the notice in the most visible spot on her stall. Any customer who stopped by would see it. For those who couldn’t read, she repeated the message aloud and asked her regulars to keep an eye out.

The customers were kind and readily agreed to help.

Li Hehua prayed silently that someone would bring good news soon. In the meantime, she had to earn as much as she could—renovating a shop and expanding her business would take serious funds.

But days passed with no word. Li Hehua was growing increasingly disappointed.

One evening, just as she was about to close for the day, the elderly gentleman who often came to eat at her stall arrived again.

Li Hehua quickly put down what she was doing and greeted him warmly. “Laoyezi, you’re here late today. If you’d come any later, I would’ve packed up already. What would you like to eat? I’ll make it for you.”

The old man found a seat and said, “I’ll have a bowl of noodles.”

Li Hehua nodded and swiftly prepared the noodles herself, then brought them over. “Your noodles are ready. Enjoy. Let me know if you need anything.”

She was about to go clean up when the old man called her back.

“You’re looking for a shop to open a restaurant?”

Li Hehua’s heart skipped. She sat beside him. “Yes, to tell you the truth, my stall’s too small now. I can’t fit any more tables, so I’m hoping to open a shop where I can serve more people and expand the menu.” She sighed. “But I haven’t found a suitable place. If you hear of anything, please let me know. I’ll thank you properly.”

The old man stroked his beard and chuckled. “Well, I came here today with news. I might have just the place you’re looking for.”

Li Hehua’s eyes lit up. “Please tell me, Laoyezi—I’ve been anxious about this.”

He didn’t keep her waiting. “My cousin’s son used to run a small tavern here in town. It wasn’t very big, but it had a great location. Unfortunately, he couldn’t hire a good chef and didn’t know how to manage it himself, so the business failed after two years. Now, he’s planning to move to the city to join his brother and start something new. He wants to sell the tavern to raise capital.”

At first, Li Hehua’s heart raced. A tavern sounded perfect—a huge boost for her plans. But then, reality set in. She couldn’t afford to buy anything. Her savings were only enough for rent, not a purchase. Even a small tavern was far beyond her means.

Disheartened, she said, “Thank you for thinking of me, Laoyezi. But honestly, I only have enough to rent a shop—I can’t afford to buy. Is your cousin’s son only selling, not renting?”

The old man shook his head. “He’s set on selling. He needs the money.”

Li Hehua slumped. “Then I can’t do it. I really can’t afford it.”

The old man sighed too. He had truly hoped she could take over the place. Her food deserved a better setting. That little stall simply didn’t do it justice.

“We’re not strangers,” he said. “I wouldn’t lie to you. That tavern is a great deal—two stories, a backyard, everything fully equipped. It’s right on the main street with excellent foot traffic. If my cousin’s son had a good chef and a manager, he wouldn’t be giving it up.”

He added, “And the price is really good. It’s not a big tavern, and since he’s eager to sell, he’s only asking 240 taels for the whole thing.”

Two hundred and forty taels!

That was cheap—for a tavern. But for her, it was an unreachable dream. She didn’t even have a hundred taels, let alone two hundred and forty.

To be honest, just hearing the description of the tavern made her heart itch. If she could buy it, she absolutely would. This was an incredible opportunity—she might never come across something like it again.

Deep down, Li Hehua had always wanted a shop she owned, not just rented. But she had forced herself to settle due to lack of funds.

Now, someone had brought the perfect opportunity to her—but she had to pass it up because she didn’t have the money.

She wanted to cry. But no matter how she calculated, she was too far short. She couldn’t earn it quickly enough, and she had no one to borrow from either.

She sighed deeply and said weakly, “Laoyezi, I really want to buy it. But I just don’t have the money. So… I can only let it go.”

The old man felt just as regretful. He believed she’d do amazing business if she took it. If his family’s business was still under his control, he’d have lent her the money himself. But now, it was his son and daughter-in-law who ran things, and they were tight on cash due to recent inventory purchases. They’d never agree to such a loan.

“Then think on it some more,” he said. “If it really doesn’t work out, then it just means you and that tavern weren’t meant to be.”

Li Hehua forced a bitter smile.