Su Xiaoqi proactively tilted her head up to kiss Shen Yun’s chin and lips, her heart finally at ease.
However, there were still some issues she wanted to discuss with him.
“Husband, Fang Gu has come twice. The first time she didn’t find us, but she left that pouch, which you already returned. This was the second time. I heard everything she said outside. I was very angry and very sad by what she said.”
The anger was naturally directed at Fang Gu, while the sadness was for Shen Yun in her heart. Shen Yun had only seen Su Xiaoqi’s nonchalant demeanor before, and he had also felt hurt, wondering if Su Xiaoqi didn’t care about him. She hadn’t shown even a trace of jealousy over such matters. He had felt deeply disappointed. But now, hearing Xiaoqi say that, he realized she wasn’t without jealousy; she simply concealed it better than most.
“Silly wife,” Shen Yun said, his heart aching for Su Xiaoqi. He mused, if a man were to come looking for him, spewing all sorts of nonsense, regardless of whether those matters were true or false, he would certainly feel upset and want to kill that man.
“We’ve dealt with this one, but what if it happens again?” Su Xiaoqi wanted to ensure this wouldn’t happen a second time.
Shen Yun replied, “This is the first and last time.”
“But, but you are so handsome, and you will become a high official in the future. When they see you, it will be like flies spotting rotten meat…”
Su Xiaoqi gritted her teeth, deliberately speaking harshly to vent her dissatisfaction with Shen Yun.
“They wouldn’t dare. This was an exception, and it was my failing,” Shen Yun said. He had finally managed to get Su Xiaoqi to open up to him completely. How could he bear for her to shut herself off again? He quickly raised his hands to swear, making a promise.
Su Xiaoqi smiled sweetly and rewarded him with a kiss. Shen Yun seized the opportunity to deepen the kiss. A blazing fire seemed to be burning in his heart. He eagerly awaited the results of the imperial examinations, after which he could…
Su Xiaoqi’s heart was temporarily stable, but there was still a lingering unease. After all, her own origins and the path Shen Yun was about to take made her lack confidence. She even wished she hadn’t transmigrated. If she hadn’t, she wouldn’t know what would happen in the future and wouldn’t have to be afraid of anything.
Shen Yun held her hand and said warmly, “There is a venerable monk at Ganquan Temple. I will take you to see him later.”
“Hmm?” Su Xiaoqi was puzzled. She didn’t know Shen Yun could see her inner turmoil and found his words somewhat nonsensical. However, Shen Yun seemed to have grasped the crux of the issue. His little wife could actually see his future. No wonder her attitude towards him had always been so peculiar. Her heart was settled for now, but he suspected she might waver again if any future complications arose. Therefore, he wanted to resolve her inner demons. Perhaps Master Yuanwu, a renowned monk at Ganquan Temple, could help.
After they talked for a while, they had never felt so close to each other. After their heartfelt exchange, both of them had laid their burdens down and slept soundly through the night.
The next day, they woke up early. It was the day Du Yiyi had mentioned for the new shop’s opening. Although Su Xiaoqi didn’t plan to appear at such an event, she still wanted to witness the excitement. Shen Yun happened to have nothing to do, so he accompanied her.
Both shops were scheduled to open on this day, but at different times. According to Feng Shui and geographical considerations, each shop had its own auspicious hour. The first to open was Chen Jin Ji. This shop had already conducted a trial run for three days before its official opening, and its business had been exceptionally booming. Coupled with the grand membership recharge promotion today, long queues had formed outside the shop early in the morning. Such a bustling scene provided a good warm-up for the relatively quiet early summer.
It was impossible to drive the carriage any closer, so they had to disembark three streets away and walk. In the open space in front, a lion dance troupe, hired for the occasion, was performing with great fanfare. Cheers erupted from all directions. Su Xiaoqi watched as the vibrantly colored lions somersaulted through the air, leaping as high as seven or eight tables. She marveled at the performance, finding it thrilling and terrifying. Su Xiaoqi watched with bated breath, fearing that at any moment, they might lose their balance and fall. After several heart-stopping moments, she saw that they could always catch each other steadily. Only then did Su Xiaoqi feel relieved. Following this lively performance, there was also gong and drum music, creating an extremely successful atmosphere. When the shopkeeper announced that Chen Jin Ji was officially open, thunderous applause erupted from the crowd. Afterward, Su Xiaoqi saw Xiao Xique, Xiao Liu, and Xiao Jiu leading a group of young male and female shop assistants into the crowd. They were distributing snow crisp pastries to the onlookers. This was the recipe she had given to Xiao Xique last time, and the plan stated that they should give it away for free today.
The excitement continued wave after wave, the crowd surging and moving, creating a lively scene. After watching for a while and confirming that the business here was doing very well, Su Xiaoqi and Shen Yun proceeded to the other establishment, the supermarket. The two streets were not far apart and were located in good areas. As the shops had not yet opened, the road was still easy to navigate. The couple decided not to take the carriage and walked hand in hand.
After walking only one street, someone blocked their path. “Heh, who do I think it is? It’s you, pretty boy. You rely on your fair complexion to hook up with everyone and then abandon them. Have some shame!” The abusive words were extremely crude and direct, cursing Shen Yun to his face as a scumbag and a heartbreaker. Su Xiaoqi couldn’t ignore it and looked up at the person blocking their way. Ahead stood a group of over a dozen people, with one person positioned in the center. He wore an exquisite lake silk long gown, the fabric gaudily embroidered with several types of flowers, dazzling the eyes. Su Xiaoqi narrowed her eyes, observing that he was quite handsome, with fair skin and a good complexion, but his eyebrows were slightly askew, being upturned brows, lower at the ends and higher in the middle, like an arched bridge. When he stood smiling, he also raised his eyebrows, making people feel uncomfortable just by looking at him. Su Xiaoqi frowned almost imperceptibly, but that person noticed. He raised his hand, and the household guards behind him saw the signal and surrounded them.
“What do you want?” Shen Yun stepped forward calmly, shielding Su Xiaoqi behind him. Zhang Yu and Zhang Lei, who were following not far behind, exchanged glances and slowly drew closer, warily observing the group of ten people ahead. After a brief assessment, they seemed to gain confidence and nodded to each other. The wealthy young man in front glanced at Shen Yun, then tilted his head to look at Su Xiaoqi. He was not tall, standing before Su Xiaoqi, he was only about a head taller. Yet, he deliberately lowered his head, as if in a superior posture. Su Xiaoqi, unfazed, kept her head turned, looking directly at him. The wealthy young man spoke with an indecent tone, “Yo ho, you’ve got a pretty face. No wonder you’ve overshadowed my beloved.” Hearing him say that, Su Xiaoqi had a rough idea of who he was. At the same time, she remembered something very important.