Chapter 200 - 200 Her Thoughts on Him
200 Her Thoughts on Him
Su Wenlin took his handkerchief and wiped the sweat off his wife’s forehead.
Su Fengzhi earned plenty of money cooking in restaurants in his earlier years, so he got to know Lin Tongtong’s father.
Her family was well-off at that time and knew to open a shop. Su Fengzhi and Lin Tongtong’s father talked much about their children, so Lin Tongtong and Su Wenlin got engaged.
Later, Su Fengzhi developed nose and throat issues, so he had no choice but to return to Su Teng Village. The conditions in his home had worsened since then.
Initially, Lin Tongtong and Su Wenlin could have annulled their marriage, but the Lin family was kind. Lin Tongtong’s father decided to let his daughter marry Su Wenlin because he knew Su Wenlin was a good man.
Lin Tongtong had a good temperament and was dutiful to her mother-in-law when she married into the Su family. She was diligent and discerning.
Lin Tongtonh was also considerate of her husband. Although Su Wenlin’s living conditions were subpar last time, his family was harmonious and cared for each other.
Still, Su Wenlin felt he had let his wife down and that she had to suffer alongside him. Now that his father was better, the family could earn a living. They could also make charcoal to earn money, especially when winter would arrive.
Just the thought of that made Su Wenlin feel at ease. At that moment, he looked at his wife, and many emotions arose in his heart. The couple looked at each other emotionally.
Su Wenlin was not good at sweet-talking, so he said, “You’ll get better soon, and I will work hard too. I can’t let you do all the work, can I?”
Lin Tongtong said shyly, “We’re a family, so there’s no need to say such things. We’ll get better and work harder together.”
“Okay.”
In the afternoon, the family could relax a little. Madam Liu wanted to help watch Su Xuerui and let her daughter-in-law rest, but Lin Tongtong did not let her.
She said, “Mother-in-law, I didn’t do much just now, so I’m not tired. You, on the other hand, have been busy all noon. You should take a break since there might be many more customers tonight. We still have more work to do.”
Lin Tongtong was dutiful and insistent, so Madam Liu could not argue. Indeed, Madam Liu was tired, but she was thrilled about it as she had a smile on her face the entire time.
Su Wenlin felt sorry for his wife, so he took Su Xuerui from her and said, “You should take a break, Tongtong.”
Su Fengzhi and his wife felt proud when they saw their son and daughter-in-law caring for each other. Su Wenchi also saw this and was still willing to believe in love.
Everyone rested and would talk to each other when they were not busy. Madam Liu counted the money they had earned, and her smile became more prominent.
Counting money felt very satisfying, after all.
“Three hundred, five hundred… One thousand…” Her voice was soft, but the whole family could hear her.
They no longer felt tired when they heard the numbers going up. The whole family became energetic again, thrilled to hear such high numbers.
“We have earned one thousand six hundred and eighty-two coins for now,” Madam Liu said.
Everyone was delighted to hear that number.
“Mother, did you miscount?” Su Wenchi wanted to pinch himself to see if he was dreaming.
His mother said smilingly, “Yeah, you didn’t count how many lamb skewers you barbecued. You and your father were barbecuing meat for the entire afternoon. I couldn’t have miscounted. Here, watch.”
Su Wenchi chuckled and said, “I’m just in disbelief, that’s all.”
Su Fengzhi said, “That was only noon, and there’s still dinner time. More people will come by then. More people will come once word of our barbecued lamb skewers gets out.
“Still, we raised our own sheep, so we might not have enough when our business grows famous. Then we’ll have to buy more, which will cost a lot.” Su Fengzhi antic.i.p.ated these things because he had worked in a restaurant before.
Madam Liu did some mental calculations and said, “It’s good to cut costs. We need to spend money to buy sheep, but we won’t need to do that if we raise them ourselves. It’ll be okay because sheep typically eat gra.s.s. Considering how we dealt with sheep before, we know how hard it will be at the end of the year. At this rate, we can earn quite a lot.”
Su Wenlin said smilingly, “We can have a good New Year this year, so we won’t have to worry about being unable to sell sheep.”
He still remembered when his parents could not sleep well, but he was happy now.
After pondering, Su Fengzhi said, “The cost will be higher if we buy sheep in the future. Still, it will be a steady profit. Moreover, the weather is getting colder, and we can sell charcoal. That’s also an excellent way to earn a living.
“After all, charcoal is valuable. We can earn plenty of money if we sell our charcoal cheaper than others.” Su Fengzhi felt excited when he said that.
Su Wenchi said happily, “You’re right, Father. We still have charcoal to sell.”
Madam Liu interjected, “Binglan was the one who taught us how to make charcoal, so we must remember her favor.”
“Mother, how many times are you going to remind us? We’re not ungrateful people and will remember Binglan’s kindness.”
Lin Tongtong added, “Wenlin and I will also treat Binglan well, Mother-in-law.” She knew Madam Liu only said that for her to hear.
Lin Tongtong was not related to the Su family by blood, after all. She was the Su family’s daughter-in-law, and Madam Liu was concerned Lin Tongtong would have other thoughts.
Lin Tongtong understood her mother-in-law’s meaning, so she hurriedly tried to express her stance.
However, Madam Liu reached out to hold Lin Tongtong’s hand. She said, “You are a kind person, and I can rest a.s.sured. I also hope you and my son live well. Binglan is our family’s lucky star, and it would be good if both of you remember Binglan’s good deeds.”
Lin Tongtong’s heart was as clear as a mirror. “I understand, Mother-in-law. You’re doing this for our sake.”
…
Everyone rode the oxcart home together when they finished working in the evening. They chatted and laughed on the way home as they all had an excellent and fulfilling day.
When they reached home, Shen Qiuhua and Su Fengmao had already prepared dinner. Afterward, Shen Qiuhua brewed the medicine for her husband to soak his feet.
It was also time for Luo Jin’an to take his medicine as Shen Qiuhua prepared to brew it for him.
“Mother-in-law, you must be tired after such a busy day. I can brew the medicine myself.” Luo Jin’an was too embarra.s.sed to let Shen Qiuhua brew the medicine for him.
Shen Qiuhua insisted, “We’re a family, and I will treat you as my own. Besides, Binglan told us to remind you to drink your medicine. How will I explain myself to her should anything happen to you while she’s gone? She cares a lot for you, and she is my daughter. As her mother, I can see how she feels about you.”
Luo Jin’an’s expression changed as he wondered how his mother-in-law could see such a thing while he could not.
“Well, Binglan is the best,” he said.
Shen Qiuhua’s smile grew wider when she heard that. It was good enough for her that Luo Jin’an knew how good Su Binglan was to him.
Still, she was worried that her son-in-law would hold a grudge against Su Binglan for what she had done to him in the past.
Luo Jin’an returned home to rest after taking his medicine in the evening. He unlocked the door and entered the house. However, he could not get used to seeing how empty it was.
He let out a long sigh and thought, ‘She must be having an arduous journey to the capital.’
Luo Jin’an could not eat or rest well either. He had received news from Luo Ying that his wife had been busy along her way to the capital.
…
Su Binglan knew where her second brother was, so she rode straight there. It was already noon when she arrived at the capital.
Su Binglan said to Lin Zheng, “Get ready. We’re going to a camp in the valley.”