Lu Xun and Chen Shi saw Li Cunyi off. The couple exchanged a glance, feeling somewhat sentimental.
Li Cunyi was a genuinely good person. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have agreed back then to let him adopt Lu Chengxiao as his godson. They just didn’t expect that in less than four years, things would come to this point.
Fortunately, the decision had already been made between Lu Xun and his wife. They only felt a bit melancholic seeing Li Cunyi’s expression before he left. But thinking about Qian Shi, that bit of sadness quickly dissipated, leaving only relief.
Lu Xun was curious about how his wife had instructed their eldest son to handle this matter. He hadn’t had the chance to ask while Li Cunyi was there, so he secretly sought out his eldest son to inquire.
Chen Shi pretended not to know, thinking that they still needed to inform Liu Yu about severing ties with the Li family, especially since Liu Yu was already aware of the incident in May. So, she went to Ruyi Embroidery Workshop across the street, pulled Liu Yu into her room, and privately explained the situation.
When Liu Yu first heard Qin Shi calling for someone and mentioning that people from the Li family had come, she was stunned to hear that the families were severing ties.
“Will Chengxiao and the second young master of the Li family still get along in the future?”
Chen Shi was delighted that Liu Yu was considering her son’s friendship with Li Zhongjue. Unable to contain her affection, she pinched Liu Yu’s face gently. “How silly can you be? If Chengxiao wants to stay friends with Zhongjue, that’s between them. But after what happened, if we don’t sever ties, his sister would be so ashamed she’d avoid you. Do you want her to call you sister-in-law in the future?”
Hearing this, Liu Yu shuddered, feeling a chill on her skin.
Seeing Liu Yu’s reaction, Chen Shi laughed. “Don’t worry, we won’t have to endure that. Everything is settled now. Men can continue their interactions, but the women of the households won’t need to. Just focus on your upcoming wedding and getting married into our family.”
This protective gesture deeply moved Liu Yu. She knew Chen Shi had been unaware of the situation and deduced that Lu Xun must have told her privately after returning from Fucheng. In just a few days, Chen Shi decisively severed all ties with the Li family. While it might have been partly due to the recent conflict, it was likely more for Liu Yu’s sake.
In her two lifetimes, Liu Yu had never truly experienced maternal care from her mother, Wang Shi. Aside from her aunt, Wei Shi, this was the first time Liu Yu felt protected by an elder woman as if she were her own mother. Overwhelmed with gratitude, Liu Yu impulsively hugged Chen Shi. “Thank you, Auntie.”
“Oh dear,” Chen Shi’s heart nearly melted at that.
Chen Shi also had a daughter, Lu Shuang, who was about the same age as Liu Yu and similarly affectionate. However, she had never been this close to her daughter-in-law, especially since she was very fond of Liu Yu, who was set to marry her beloved youngest son. The feeling was uniquely wonderful.
Chen Shi’s eyes crinkled with a smile, and thinking of Liu Yu’s background, her heart ached. Liu Yu was so easily moved, likely because she had never had anyone to protect her growing up.
Overflowing with affection, Chen Shi patted Liu Yu’s back and said with a smile, “No need to thank me. Soon, you’ll be calling me ‘mother,’ just like Shuang’er does.”
This brought tears to Liu Yu’s eyes.
She felt incredibly fortunate. Though she lacked a caring biological mother, fate had compensated her in another way.
~
Soon, the auspicious day chosen by Lu Xun arrived, and Lufeng Cloth Shop was rebranded as Lufeng Cloth Emporium.
They celebrated the occasion with firecrackers and a lion dance, just as Liu Yu had done when she first opened her business. Naturally, the Liu family provided the lion dance team, and the Zhou family, upon hearing the news, sent the firecrackers.
On the first day of the rebranding, six local shop owners with whom Lu Xun had negotiated came to collect goods, including Cui Erniang.
It was their first collaboration and a great day for the store’s rebranding. Besides offering discounts to retail customers, Lu Xun also provided favorable terms to cloth and embroidery shops from nearby towns, giving different discounts based on their order sizes. The fabric from Lufeng was even more affordable than that from the large cloth store in Yuanzhou.
The prices were affordable, the travel expenses were saved, Lufeng’s fabric range was comprehensive, and the designs were appealing. Most importantly, sourcing goods was convenient!
The transformation of Lufeng Cloth Store was a success. Although it currently had only six customers, and given the local limitations, it was hard for a cloth store in the county to grow significantly, the Lu family’s supply issues were completely resolved. For the people of Anyi County, while several cloth shops were equally strong, Lufeng had the advantage of being larger and offering a greater variety. Now, as a cloth emporium, it was different.
A cloth emporium clearly set itself apart from a regular cloth shop. Many people would subconsciously regard Lufeng more highly just because of this distinction, thus choosing Lufeng.
By the end of August, Lufeng Cloth emporium and Ruyi Embroidery Workshop had become popular. When the people of Anyi County visited North Street, they would inevitably visit both shops since they were opposite each other. Upon visiting, they quickly realized that Ruyi Embroidery’s ready-made garments were made from fabrics available at Lufeng Cloth Store.
Families with modest means would check out the designs at Ruyi Embroidery, then buy fabric from Lufeng and make similar clothes themselves, without having to worry about how to match the fabrics. This way, they could save on labor costs while still having beautiful clothes. Other cloth shops couldn’t compete with this because the fabrics used by Ruyi Embroidery were always available at Lufeng, but not necessarily elsewhere.
Families with better financial conditions, after viewing the designs at Ruyi Embroidery, would either buy fabric from Lufeng and have Ruyi Embroidery custom-make the clothes or buy ready-made garments directly from Ruyi Embroidery.
Did this setup reduce business for either store? Did Ruyi Embroidery steal customers from Lufeng Cloth Store, or vice versa?
No, people who couldn’t afford ready-made garments would still buy fabric, while those who could afford them wouldn’t switch to making clothes themselves just because they could buy the same fabric. After all, self-made clothes could only imitate the material and color matching but not the precise craftsmanship.
In fact, this unique collaboration turned the two shops on North Street into must-visit spots for Anyi County residents. Lufeng Cloth emporium and Ruyi Embroidery Workshop captured the resources originally belonging to other cloth and embroidery shops in the county.
The difference wasn’t apparent until Liu Yu compared it to previous years. The daily sales of new autumn fabrics at Lu Xun and Lu Chengzong’s side were 20% to 30% higher than before.
In the blink of an eye, it was already September. As the weather grew colder, business at the embroidery workshop flourished.
On September 6th, a man in his late thirties came to Lufeng Cloth Store and sought out Lu Xun.
This man, surnamed Zhu, was a well-known middleman in Anyi County, and he was the one Babao had sought before going to Liangzhe.
Middleman Zhu explained his purpose, and Lu Xun learned that a suitable house had been found for Lu Chengxiao. Because of the transformation of the cloth store and Lu Shuang’s fondness for spending time with Liu Yu at the embroidery workshop, Chen Shi and the others had stayed in Anyi County.
Upon hearing that a suitable house had been found for Lu Chengxiao, the couple invited Liu Yu and a curious Lu Shuang to join them in viewing it.
Middleman Zhu accompanied them, smiling as he said, “The requirements of your third young master were a good location, preferably not too far from North Street, and a new and exquisite house with two or three courtyards. After searching for nearly a month, we finally found a suitable one a few days ago.”
As he led the way, he introduced the house: “The house is in the east of the city, not far from North Street. It has two courtyards and was built less than ten years ago. The third young master’s requirements for newness and exquisiteness are met. It also has a large backyard, making it spacious despite having only two courtyards. The house is separated from neighboring houses by alleys, making it quite ideal.”
Listening to this, Lu Xun and Chen Shi were intrigued. Lu Xun asked, “There aren’t many houses for sale in our county. Why is this one being sold?”
Middleman Zhu understood their concern and laughed. “The owner did well in business a few years ago and moved to Yuanzhou City. This house was left for their daughter and son-in-law. Now that their business is flourishing, they want to bring their daughter and son-in-law to Yuanzhou, so they’re selling this house and asked me to find a buyer.”
In other words, this house brought prosperity to its residents, with no bad history.
Lu Xun felt more assured. Middleman Zhu added, “However, the current owners won’t move out until mid to late October. Is that acceptable?”
Lu Chengxiao wasn’t in a hurry to move in, so Lu Xun replied, “As long as the house is good, that’s not an issue.”
Middleman Zhu felt relieved and confidently assured, “I’ve seen the house, and it’s indeed good. You just have to see it yourself, and you’ll definitely be satisfied.”
The house they were shown was indeed not far from North Street, about a quarter of an hour’s walk.
“Here it is.”
Lu Xun was familiar with this area, as it was home to several well-off families. The Wang family’s house was also nearby, just a quarter of an hour’s walk away.
Most houses in this area had three or four courtyards, so a two-courtyard house wasn’t particularly prominent, but the location was excellent—quiet, safe, and free from disturbances.
The house was still occupied. Middleman Zhu knocked on the door, and a middle-aged woman answered. Seeing Middleman Zhu, she realized they were the prospective buyers. Upon recognizing Lu Xun, she smiled, “So it’s the owner of Lufeng.”
After some pleasantries, she invited them in and offered tea, but Chen Shi declined politely, suggesting they first look at the house.
The woman, smiling, led them on a tour: “This house was newly built ten years ago with solid materials and has been well-maintained. There’s a well in the backyard, making it convenient for water.”
As Middleman Zhu had described, it was a spacious two-courtyard house. The front courtyard had a main hall with five rooms and seven beams, each side having three rooms and one wing room. The second courtyard had five main rooms, with five side rooms on each side. From the corridor to the backyard, there was a beautifully maintained garden and a stable.
The high walls allowed carriages to enter through the back gate, and there was a well within the house, ensuring easy access to water.
Although it was technically a two-courtyard house, its size rivaled that of a small three-courtyard house.
After the tour, Chen Shi was genuinely impressed and looked at Liu Yu, asking for her opinion in a low voice.
Liu Yu also liked it and nodded slightly.
The next step was to discuss the price. The woman had already informed Middleman Zhu of the price. The house was excellent and not cheap. Ordinary two-courtyard houses in the county cost two to three hundred taels, but this one was priced at 420 taels.
With an additional 100 taels, one could buy a three-courtyard house.
However, Lu Xun knew that this house was in a good location, spacious, and relatively new. The price of 420 taels wasn’t too high, so he looked to Liu Yu for her opinion.
Liu Yu liked the house, especially since most two-courtyard houses didn’t have stables. This house had enough space for a three-courtyard house but instead had a garden and a stable, which suited Liu Yu perfectly.
So she nodded.
Lu Xun and Chen Shi were also inclined to buy it. Seeing Liu Yu nod, they negotiated with Middleman Zhu and the owner’s daughter, reducing the price to 400 taels.
Regarding the furniture, the owner’s daughter asked if they wanted to keep it, offering it for 30 taels as depreciation.
Lu Xun looked at Chen Shi, who shook her head. Since it was a new home for the young couple, it wouldn’t be appropriate to use old furniture. Chen Shi planned to gift a new set for the main hall and gradually furnish the rest. Liu Yu also had furniture in her dowry, and Longfeng Town wasn’t short of furniture. Once they took possession of the house in mid to late October, they could gradually move everything in.
So Chen Shi smiled and said to the owner’s daughter, “It’s a new home for the young couple, so we’ll get new furniture. We won’t need the old ones.”
The owner’s daughter didn’t mind and said they’d move the old furniture out before handing over the house.
Both parties agreed. Since Liu Yu liked the house, Lu Xun paid a deposit of 50 taels and signed a contract, securing the house. They would pay the remaining balance and complete the paperwork once Lu Chengxiao returned.
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