Volume One, Chapter Five: Xie Fangying Causes Trouble Again

It was not until the sun had completely hidden behind the western mountains that the last of the cloud cakes were sold.

Shen Yurou counted the money by the light of a candle. After deducting the shop’s rent and the assistant’s wages, she had cleared a profit of nearly one guan.

Qiuyue chirped excitedly, "Wow, Miss! We made so much today! That’s wonderful! Truly wonderful!"

Shen Yurou offered a weary smile. For a shop as small as hers, one guan a day was the absolute limit of its earning potential. Yet, looking at the current expenses of the Xie household, she feared her dowry would not be enough to sustain them in the long run. She had to find a way.

Over dinner, she mentioned in passing that she wanted to expand the shop, but lacked sufficient funds. Her mother-in-law seemed not to hear, though her bowl and chopsticks clattered noisily. Shen Yurou fell silent. It seemed that even if she were to expand, she could not count on her mother-in-law’s support.

That night, Shen Yurou sat alone at the table, calculating her accounts by candlelight. The abacus clicked and clattered for a long while before finally falling silent. She sighed and rubbed her brow. She was short by eighty taels—not an insignificant sum, yet not an impossible one. She had truly come to understand the saying that a single copper coin can stump a hero.

She took out the seal engraved with the character "Ting." Her fingers lingered on the smooth, warm jade surface. She hesitated. Should she pawn it, or delay the shop expansion and continue to save?

Knock, knock, knock. A tapping at the door broke her thoughts.

"Sister-in-law, are you inside?" It was her sister-in-law, Xie Fangying.

Shen Yurou tucked the seal back into its box and rose to open the door. "It’s so late, Fangying, why aren’t you asleep yet?"

The young girl lowered her head, looking bashful. She pulled an exquisite jewelry box from behind her back. "Sister-in-law, you mentioned earlier that you wanted to expand the shop. These are some pieces of jewelry I don't often wear; see if you can put them to use."

A warmth spread through Shen Yurou’s heart. The girl had truly grown up and learned to share her burdens. But how could Shen Yurou bear to take Xie Fangying’s treasures? She pressed the box back into the girl’s arms. "Fangying, thank you, but there is no need. As for the shop, I will find a way myself."

Xie Fangying grew anxious. "Sister-in-law, please don’t be so formal with me! In the past, I was always the one causing trouble for you to fix. Now, I want to help you."

Seeing her earnest expression, Shen Yurou felt a pang in her heart. She improvised an excuse: "It’s not about being formal; I don’t need them yet because I haven’t found a suitable location. How about this: once I find a place, I’ll come and ask you for them. How does that sound?"

"Well, alright then," Xie Fangying said, her smile returning. "But Sister-in-law, have you found any leads on a shop? Do you need me to help you look?"

Shen Yurou smilingly ushered her toward the door. "Yes, yes, you help. But for now, you must go to sleep! It’s very late."

"Alright, Sister-in-law, I’m going to bed now. First thing tomorrow morning, I’ll help you find a shop!"

Xie Fangying skipped back to her room, joyful. Shen Yurou tucked the box containing the seal deep into her cabinet, thinking to herself that she would keep it for now—perhaps it would serve as Fangying’s dowry later. As for the expansion, it would have to wait.

The next morning, after paying her respects to her mother-in-law, Shen Yurou went to the shop. She had spent a busy morning pressing the floral patterns onto the cloud cakes when Qiuyue came running in, panicked.

"It’s bad, Miss, it’s bad! Miss Fangying, she—she’s caused trouble again!"

Shen Yurou remained calm; it had become an everyday occurrence. "Let’s go. We’ll go see together."

Following the servant who had come to report the incident, they took a carriage to the busiest main street in Yejing. The carriage stopped in front of a shopfront plastered with a "For Rent" sign. Shen Yurou realized at once that the girl had taken her offhand remark to heart.

They followed the servant inside. The room was empty. Xie Fangying sat at one end of the hall, while a woman dressed in fragrant cloud silk sat at the other.

"Fangying!" Shen Yurou called out softly.

"Sister-in-law!" Xie Fangying rushed toward her, sniffing back tears. "Sister-in-law, you’re here! Look, this woman wants a hundred taels of silver for this piece of junk! She’s a swindler! Let’s report her to the authorities, shall we?"

Shen Yurou looked where Xie Fangying pointed and saw the shattered jade bracelet on the floor. It was a deep, vibrant green, translucent and clearly of great value. One hundred taels was likely a low price for it.

The woman in the silk dress stood up, smoothed her hair, and spoke in a steady, unhurried voice: "This lady, you seem like someone with discernment. Asking for one hundred taels for this bracelet—that is not unreasonable, is it?"

"Indeed."

With the facts before her, Shen Yurou could not argue. But where was she to find one hundred taels?

Seeing Shen Yurou accept the situation, Xie Fangying panicked. She pointed at the woman and argued stiffly, "It was you who was fighting me for this shop! I only pushed you by accident and broke the bracelet. You are primarily responsible! How can you have the face to make me pay?"

The woman in the silk dress sat down gracefully and signaled to those behind her. Her servant stepped forward. "What? You break something and don’t want to pay? Shall we go talk to the magistrate, then?" She stood with hands on her hips, looking as if she were ready to drag them away.

Xie Fangying was intimidated and stepped back, her hand trembling as she gripped Shen Yurou’s. Shen Yurou felt a heavy weight in her chest. She pulled the trembling girl closer, bowed to the woman, and said, "She is young and ignorant; I hope you will show mercy. We will pay the one hundred taels, and we will yield this shop to you."

The woman nodded. "Then it is settled. In two days, I shall be here waiting for your one hundred taels."

As the scene concluded and the woman left, Xie Fangying hugged Shen Yurou and began to cry. "Sister-in-law, I’m sorry, I’ve caused you trouble again. I’m sorry!"

Shen Yurou could not blame her; the girl had only wanted to help. She patted Xie Fangying’s shoulder and forced a smile. "Don’t worry, I have the money."

Even as she said it, she knew she was still far short. The box with the seal was retrieved once more. Shen Yurou sighed; she could not hold onto it after all.

He Lieting had lingered in the eastern suburbs for two days. Due to the sensitivity of his status, the party had to depart on the third day. Before leaving, he rescinded the wanted notice and issued a supreme directive to the entire Shadow Guard: expand the search to the entirety of Yejing, and ensure all secret outposts were on high alert.

If she could not be found in the eastern suburbs, he would scour every corner of Yejing.