The streets along the Qinhuai River were particularly bustling at noon. This was a neighborhood near the docks, lined with shops and filled with the activity of loading and unloading goods. Behind a small shop bearing the name "Su's Cloth Emporium" was a large warehouse, with a side door for easy access. At this moment, an entire boatload of goods was being transported from the docks, creating a crowded scene with goods, porters, and shop assistants moving in and out.

Currently, the flooding in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River had caused severe disasters in various regions, and refugees were still gathering here. Once the gates of Jiangning City were closed, the situation might persist for a month or two. Closing the city gates would definitely harm the business of cloth merchants inside the city, but it was still necessary to prepare sufficient goods. Such situations had occurred in the past, so now it was just a matter of following established procedures.

The exterior of the warehouse looked like a large pharmacy. Huge shelves displayed some cloth boxes and stored various dyes. At this moment, some samples that needed careful storage were still being moved in, placed on the counter for the shopkeeper and the assistants in charge to inspect. However, besides Liao, the shopkeeper in charge of the shop and warehouse, Su Tan'er, the owner, was also behind the counter, examining the items one by one.

The early autumn air had just shed the summer heat, and the weather was still not cool. Su Tan'er was dressed in a simple matronly style today, with a white dress and sky-blue collar and cuffs. It was not elaborate, but simple and refreshing, without losing its elegance. While others were busy inside and outside the shop, she was also walking around inside the pharmacy-like counter, occasionally opening a newly delivered box to look at and smell, or pulling open the small drawers in the cabinets to see what was originally stored inside, giving one or two instructions from time to time.

"Cinnabar, madder, alum, Siberian iris, this is holly... there seems to be something wrong with these sage leaves, Shopkeeper Liao, come and take a look... Also, the gallnuts over there are moldy. Although they are only raw materials for matching numbers, the moldy ones still need to be replaced. Could it be due to water seepage? Find someone to fix that side this afternoon... Ah, Apricot, come here..."

"It will probably take another hour to unload everything. The boat won't wait for us, so tell them to continue unloading over there. Prepare the food at the Longqing Restaurant a little better, with meat. There's another boat arriving this afternoon, it will be a tiring day. See if we can finish unloading everything before midnight. Make sure there's enough tea, and also buy a load of jelly from the street entrance. Those who like it can drink it to quench their thirst."

The items being stored this time were diverse, including many raw materials for making dyes, already made dyes, silk, finished cloth, and even weaving machines. There were a lot of things, and they were all stuffed into this warehouse. Some even had to be diverted to other warehouses. Amidst the busyness of the porters and shop assistants, Su Tan'er and girls like Apricot blended in without any sense of incongruity. This was mainly because Su Tan'er was already familiar with these matters.

Even if she didn't come, Shopkeeper Liao could probably figure things out here on his own, but coming here would likely improve the welfare of these workers. If the time was tight and the task was heavy, sometimes completing it ahead of schedule could even earn them some reward money from her hands. She was never stingy in this regard when others needed to put in the effort.

After instructing Apricot to handle the food and drink matters and finishing the instructions for the counter, she went out the door and headed towards the docks, with Shopkeeper Liao and an assistant quickly following behind. This street was also a mix of people, although not as chaotic as the old dock, Haiqingfang, it was still a gathering place for all kinds of people. Behind the busy business, there were various interest entanglements, with gangs fighting over them. There would be major and minor fights every few days. However, Su Tan'er was already familiar with the atmosphere here. As she walked along, she even helped two assistants carrying boxes steady them. When the two assistants thanked her, she just smiled: "It's okay, hurry up and go."

The street was crowded with people and various shops. When she brushed past a young man in a hurry, Su Tan'er suddenly stopped. The man also looked back. In his hand, he was holding the pink and white sachet that was originally hanging on Su Tan'er's waist. At this moment, the seemingly weak woman was holding onto the other end of the sachet with one hand, refusing to let go. The next moment, the man suddenly yanked the sachet with force and was about to run, but was tackled to the ground by the assistant who had followed Shopkeeper Liao.

The crowd was in chaos for a moment. Su Tan'er's right hand was probably pinched by the rope of the sachet. At this moment, she was clenching her fist, watching this scene with her brows slightly furrowed. The young man got up and was about to continue running. After running two steps, he was suddenly punched to the ground by a burly man coming towards him.

Blood splattered out. Su Tan'er turned her head slightly and narrowed her eyes, then went to pick up the sachet and help the assistant up. She lowered her head, hung the sachet back on her waist, sighed, and walked quickly forward. The beating continued behind her: "Damn it! You're blind!"

Not far from here, by the river, there was a small tea stall with a shaded canopy. At this moment, a group of people was sitting and resting in the canopy. The leader was a thin middle-aged man with sharp eyes. Seeing her coming, he stood up with a smile and cupped his fist: "Miss Su."

"Uncle Jing Wu." Su Tan'er greeted with a smile, then looked back, "Thank you, Uncle Jing Wu, it's been a long time since I've encountered such a thing."

"Haha, I don't know which newcomer it is, not being bright enough to come out and混(hùn - get around). Since Miss Su has compassion, let's just let it go here, otherwise, he would have lost an arm."

"It's not a big deal, if he loses an arm, it will be difficult to do other things in the future..."

This middle-aged man named Jing Wu was one of the gang leaders in this dock area. He had a life-saving friendship with Geng the Bodyguard, and therefore Geng the Bodyguard had already informed him about Su Tan'er's affairs. Here, Jing Wu waved his hand, and the beating stopped. After Su Tan'er thanked him, she went all the way to a cargo ship by the dock. Juan'er was on the ship at this moment, taking a small notebook and checking some things. Among the three maids, Juan'er's mind was the calmest and most meticulous, so she was usually assigned to handle these detailed matters.

In the afternoon, white clouds drifted by leisurely. After a boatload of goods was unloaded, Apricot had also called for the food to come. The porters and cloth shop assistants gathered in the canopies by the river to eat. Apricot walked around with a pot of tea. As the head maid, her position in the Su Mansion was not much different from that of Shopkeeper Liao. This was also a symbolic round. Juan'er and Su Tan'er sat at a table not far away, doing some sorting with a small booklet. The food they were preparing to eat was similar to what the others were eating, not much different. Lunches weren't fixed in this era, but for the others who did physical labor, it was naturally better to have more meals.

The matter of someone stealing Su Tan'er's sachet and then being beaten like that had already spread among the crowd. Juan'er was also asking: "Miss, did someone steal something from you earlier?"

"Yes, he was beaten by Master Jing Wu's men." Su Tan'er responded simply, and Juan'er nodded with an "oh."

On the other side, the topic was obviously much more complicated.

Some porters were not very clear about Su Tan'er's identity, and there were also new assistants in the cloth shop. At this moment, they were whispering among the crowd, obviously unable to understand why such a delicate woman would come here to manage these things. Such a woman was obviously an amateur when it came to business, but then again, the food and drinks prepared were really sumptuous.

These doubts appeared in bits and pieces, and then, of course, someone would explain.

"Our young lady is not simple, what do you know..."

"She's going to manage the entire Su family in the future."

"Can't tell, right? Of course you can't tell..."

"Don't look at the young lady's delicate appearance, not fierce at all, but she manages things in a very organized way..."

"Her awesomeness is hidden in her heart, even if she doesn't get angry with you, doesn't say a harsh word to you, you still have to listen to her. If she really gets angry, those young masters of the Su family don't even dare to breathe loudly in front of her..."

"How is it, didn't expect it? You'll know after you've been here for a long time. The young lady is just a lady from a prestigious family, but she thinks about things much more than you do..."

Soon after, the second large ship docked, and everyone moved into action again. Apricot was helping to be responsible for controlling the overall situation and ensuring that there were no problems, which she was good at. Juan'er ran to the ship again to first check some valuable things to ensure that there were no problems. Su Tan'er sat at the table in the shaded canopy, turning her head to look at the large ship, looking at the situation at the dock. On the other side, at the place where Jing Wu and his men were gathered, some people were looking over here while chatting, some familiar and some unfamiliar.

"What can this woman do coming over here..."

"This woman is not ordinary..."

"Damn, she's really beautiful. It's a pity that such a beautiful girl shows her face in public to do business..."

"Stop talking nonsense, she does business better than you."

"Can't tell."

"If I could marry her as my wife, ******... tsk... hey, are you saying she really won't marry anyone? Women should get married, be a good wife and mother..."

"You're stupid, didn't you see that she's dressed like a married woman? When she came here before, she was dressed as a man, but even dressed up, she looked handsome..."

"Married?"

"That's right, I heard she recruited a live-in son-in-law, a scholar."

"A spineless man."

"The Su family is rich, didn't you just say you wanted to marry her as your wife? Can you marry such a woman without becoming a live-in son-in-law?"

"But he's a scholar, he's suppressed after becoming a live-in son-in-law. I'm different..."

"Tch, this woman is really amazing, her awesomeness is in her heart. She doesn't lose her temper with you, doesn't say a harsh word to you, and you still have to listen to her. You're just a little stronger, you still want to suppress people..."

The dock was unusually busy inside and out. The shopkeepers and managers of each shop would be watching nearby or simply going over to help. Among all these people, the nineteen-year-old Su Tan'er was probably the most alternative and eye-catching. Young and beautiful, kind to people, making people like her and making people wonder. Behind the seemingly approachable figure, there was also an unspeakable sense of proportion and distance. Appearance, family background, and talent often made many people unable to help but feel inferior.

After all, it was not good for her to show her face in public for too long. After watching in the shaded canopy by the river for a while, she got up and walked towards Su's shop, then seemed to have discovered something, frowned and smiled, and jogged across the street. Although she was approachable before, she always seemed calm. Only now did she have the appearance of a young girl. When she arrived at the street, she met a passerby, the man showing a slightly surprised expression, then smiled. Everyone saw Su Tan'er smile and bow to him, then they talked by the roadside.

From the attitude and expression of that bow, it should be from a woman to her husband or lover, because that feeling was intimate and casual.

************

Recommending a book: If I am not arrogant, how can I transcend reincarnation? If I am not mad, how dare I shatter the void?

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