“Take with warm water, preferably half an hour after a meal. I have two bottles of this medicine in reserve. If Second Master accidentally loses or breaks one, you can use these two bottles in an emergency.”

“Also, if you lose a large quantity, please inform me in advance so I can prepare and make new pills. After these pills are finished, the dosage of some of the herbs will need to be adjusted. I will give Second Master new pills in half a month.”

After hearing Su Yujin’s remark, He Yanxiu took note of everything and nodded, “Okay.”

It just so happened that he would need to go to the mountains for a few days in the coming days, and these pills were easy to carry and take, making them very useful.

Chen Shi came to Su Yujin after breakfast that day.

Since the clothes from Linglong Pavilion had been made and delivered to her, she brought Su Yujin and the clothes she had made for He Yanxiu.

“Please, Madam, come in.”

A servant could have delivered these things, but Chen Shi came in person.

“Originally, I came to see if the clothes fit you. If not, I’ll let the people at Linglong Pavilion know immediately. Also, my Yímǔ asked me to come here to tell Miss Su that the Chuan Chuan Xiang business is booming, so you can be assured.”

Chen Shi smiled. “Yímǔ has already started looking for a shop these days, preparing to open a second Chuan Chuan Xiang shop.”

Hedong Prefecture wasn’t small, so it could easily support two shops.

“Manager Kang is truly decisive,” Su Yujin chuckled.

“That’s right, she’s always been one ready to take risks,” Chen Shi joked.

“I heard my mother say that my Yímǔ has been like this since she was little. If she wants to do something, she’ll do it. If she doesn’t want to do it, no matter how you force her, it’s useless. She also said that because of this, my waì pó and waì gōng couldn’t do anything with my Yímǔ, so they just let her do what she wanted. In the end, they just raised her as a boy.”

Su Yujin had heard some of these stories about Kang Shi from Chen Shi before.

Because Kang Shi was quick-witted and straightforward, a typical masculine persona, the Kang family treated her like a son. They even considered having her take charge of household affairs, marrying a son-in-law, and inheriting the family business.

While Kang Shi ultimately inherited the family business, she didn’t do so by marrying a son-in-law. Instead, she managed the business single-handedly, managing it as effectively as any other merchant family and even surpassing many men her age.

If a woman remained unmarried for a long time, gossip would inevitably circulate. There were also many harsh comments about Kang Shi’s unmarried status.

Some said she was doomed to a life of loneliness.

Others said she had a habit of polishing mirrors and disliked men, which was why she refused to marry. She feared her husband’s family would find out and abandon her, so she chose to remain alone, free to do as she pleased.

Some even said that Kang Shi was an outside mistress, but that the man was married with children, and his wife was powerful. Moreover, her mother’s family was influential, so the man didn’t dare divorce her, so he just kept Kang Shi as an outside mistress…

However, Kang Shi seemed unconcerned, continuing to go about her business as usual, as if those people had never said anything.

Knowing this, Su Yujin’s admiration for Kang Shi grew even more, and she felt that she had found an excellent partner this time, a treasure trove bestowed upon her by heaven.

But since it was a treasure trove, it needed to be carefully protected.

“Manager Kang is so absorbed in her business, so busy and exhausted. She needs to take good care of herself and not overwork herself. It’s been getting a bit cold these past few days, so Madam, you should remind her to put on more clothes.” Su Yujin smiled. “By the way, I have a few recipes for medicinal foods that are perfect for cooling and nourishing the body in spring. Madam, take them back and make some healthy dishes for yourself or for Manager Kang. It will definitely be helpful.”

Over time, Chen Shi and Su Yujin had grown close. Without further ado, she accepted the recipes and thanked her.

They chatted for a while, leaving behind the clothes Linglong Pavilion had made. Chen Shi also gave Su Yujin a purse she had embroidered herself.

The purse featured a pattern of mandarin ducks.

In Chen Shi’s view, Su Yujin, though a concubine, possessed the demeanor of a principal wife and was even kinder and intelligent. She naturally hoped for a good future for Su Yujin.

Becoming He Yanxiu’s principal wife was probably out of the question. After all, Su Yujin’s background made it difficult for the He family, no matter how open-minded, to accept her as his principal wife. However, if she could become He Yanxiu’s favored concubine, with children to support her, and with He Yanxiu’s love and affection, she imagined a happy and fulfilling life for Su Yujin.

The mandarin duck purse was a thoughtful gesture from Chen Shi, a blessing for Su Yujin.

Upon receiving it, Su Yujin didn’t dwell on the mandarin duck pattern. She simply admired Chen Shi’s embroidery, admiring the craftsmanship. The mandarin ducks playing in the water were vividly embroidered, and the base color was her favorite, azure blue.

Most importantly, Chen had added a little agarwood to the purse, which had an elegant, light, and soothing scent.

“Put this purse by my pillow later.”

After all, it was a gift from Chen Shi, and Su Yujin didn’t want to wear it out every day. Putting it by her pillow, she could smell its delicate fragrance every day, and it would show her respect and not be considered disrespectful.

“Also, I made these two coats for the Second Master. Pack them up and I’ll take them to him after dinner.”

Su Yujin had just finished speaking when Qingkui hurried over from the small kitchen. “Miss, the duck and pickled radish you asked for have been prepared. Do you want to start cooking now?”

She looked up at the sky and checked the time, then stepped forward. “Let’s go.”

To make suan luobo lao ya tang, it needed to be simmered over a low flame for an hour. To have it ready by mealtime, she had to get started right away.

After Su Yujin left, Ai Cao followed her instructions and packed the clothes for the Second Master.

He Yanxiu entered the room and glanced up. “Where’s your young lady?”

“Second Master,” Ai Cao hurriedly put down the unpacked clothes. “The young lady went to the kitchen. It seems she’s going to make suan luobo lao ya tang.”

So, she was going to make something delicious.

Just hearing about the dishes that Su Yujin was going to make, He Yanxiu’s throat rolled, and he actually swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

When he lowered his eyes and saw the dark blue clothes in Ai Cao’s hand, which were clearly men’s clothes, his eyebrows raised slightly, “This is…”

“Madam Qu invited the young lady to make clothes together in Linglong Pavilion. The young lady saw that these pieces of cloth had beautiful patterns, so she made two sets for the Second Master. The young lady said before that she would deliver them to the Second Master in person after dinner.”

Ai Cao answered truthfully.

Su Yujin made clothes for him?

He Yanxiu’s eyes swept over the clothes.

It looked like they were the same size as his own, so he could wear them.

But…

He Yanxiu’s eyes fell on the purse next to the clothes.

Little Theatre

He Yanxiu: In my opinion, as long as you work hard, you can achieve success.

Su Yujin: Second Master, what you said is wrong. Look at the author. He has been writing for so many years and is still a flop.

Author:…

(End of this chapter)

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In chinese put pretty easy to understand what he is doing.