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Liu Yuan elegantly sipped his tea, setting down the cup before personally refilling the bowl of tea in front of Ye Xiaohan. "The tea here is quite good; it’s made from the spring water on the mountain, refreshing and invigorating. Miss Ye, do give it a try."
"No need," Ye Xiaohan replied bluntly. "I don't like tea. If you have nothing else, I’ll be heading home."
A hint of disappointment crossed Liu Yuan's face, as if he felt a deep regret.
But Ye Xiaohan was not easily swayed. After years of studying medicine, she had grown accustomed to both the dead and the living, having dealt with numerous patients suffering from psychological issues. She could see right through his feigned concern.
Without saying much more, she stood up to leave. Liu Yuan, caught off guard by her directness, quickly blocked her path. Instead of anger, there was a spark of interest in his eyes.
Could he be mentally unstable? Ye Xiaohan assessed the situation. Fortunately, they were in a public place, so she wasn't too worried about him doing anything rash.
Having been out for a while, she knew that if she didn’t return soon, Liu Bei would start to worry. Impatiently, she urged, "Liu Gongzi, if you have something to say, just say it."
Before Liu Yuan could respond, an attendant jumped in. "How dare you be rude! To be noticed by us is your fortune; others would give anything to be in your position. You truly don’t know how to appreciate it!"
"Enough! Step back!" Liu Yuan reprimanded the attendant and turned to Ye Xiaohan with an apologetic expression. "It’s my fault for not managing him properly. Miss Ye, please don’t hold it against him."
He paused for a moment before continuing with his intention. "Today’s invitation was not by chance; I specifically sought you out. I wonder if Miss Ye would consider marrying into the Liu family?"
Ye Xiaohan cupped her ear in confusion and asked, "Could you repeat that? What did you just say?"
Liu Yuan smiled and explained, "I happened to witness Miss Ye outsmarting Butcher Master earlier and was impressed by your wit. I wish to form a bond with you."
"I’m already married," Ye Xiaohan pointed out, realizing that this must have been why she felt someone watching her earlier; she had investigated but found nothing amiss.
Perhaps she had been too conspicuous lately and needed to tone it down to avoid unnecessary complications.
Liu Yuan continued, "I am well aware of your background and know that you did not willingly marry into that family. The Liu family is poor and cannot provide for you properly; instead, they burden you with their troubles. Liu Bei is just a simple villager whose only means of survival is hunting in the mountains—barely scraping by without even guaranteeing a full meal."
He spoke with genuine concern. "A man who cannot even care for his own wife is not worth your efforts."
Though Liu Yuan's words were factual, they sounded harsh to Ye Xiaohan's ears. She retorted, "Liu Bei has his shortcomings, but does that mean being with you would be any better?"
Liu Yuan smiled slightly. "As long as Miss Ye is willing, I can guarantee you a lifetime of wealth and honor—endless enjoyment at your disposal. If you wish to rent that shop, it would be no trouble at all for me. Just say the word, and I will have someone take care of it without requiring any effort from you."
He looked at Ye Xiaohan, seemingly convinced that with his good conditions, she had no reason to refuse him.
"Are you married? You are the son of the Governor; would your father agree to let you marry a woman like me?" Ye Xiaohan retorted.
Liu's smile faltered for a moment but quickly returned to calmness. "A man should have a beautiful wife and concubines. A beauty like Miss Ye should naturally be kept in a golden house."
Hmph, sweet words, yet he still wants to have both. Ye Xiaohan interrupted him, "Thank you for your kind words, Liu Gongzi. As the saying goes, I'd rather be a poor man's wife than a rich man's concubine. Even if I have my troubles in the Liu family, I would still be legally married and part of the Liu household. Please leave."
With that, she ignored him further and stood up to leave. Liu Yuan did not stop her; he merely watched her depart with interest, stroking his chin.
The attendant angrily said, "Young Master, you're just letting her go like that? This woman is so ungrateful! For you to take an interest in her is her good fortune from her past life. Even being a concubine in our house would be better than being in that Liu family!"
Liu Yuan gestured for him to stop and stood up. "Let's go back."
The attendant dared not oppose his master’s wishes and followed him reluctantly, cursing Ye Xiaohan under his breath. His young master was clearly enchanted by a vixen!
Ye Xiaohan, who was very dissatisfied with her appearance, had no idea that with her unfortunate looks, she had already risen to the status of a vixen. If she knew this, she wouldn't know whether to be angry or pleased.
When Liu Bei saw her return, he hurried over to greet her and poured a bowl of water into her hands. "Take a break; you must be exhausted from searching."
"Mm." Ye Xiaohan replied listlessly as she took a sip of water.
Noticing her poor mood, Liu Bei felt worried, fearing something had gone wrong outside. "Was it not successful? Did you not find a suitable shop? Don’t be anxious; finding a shop takes time. If we didn’t find one today, we can look again tomorrow."
On the way back, Ye Xiaohan had been thinking of ways to earn ten taels of silver within three days but found nothing reliable. Feeling somewhat flustered, she said, "I did find a shop, but I don’t have enough money."
She then told Liu Bei about her agreement with the shopkeeper.
Upon hearing the reason, Liu Bei sighed in relief but realized that rent was also an issue. The Liu family really didn’t have anything valuable; all they had was this house.
A house? An idea sparked in Liu Bei's mind as he glanced at the still-dejected Ye Xiaohan and made a decision.
Ye Xiaohan's period of dejection was short-lived; soon she perked up again. Rather than blaming others, it was better to think of solutions.
On the morning of the twenty-first, Ye Xiaohan had just gotten out of bed when she opened the door to see a tall figure standing outside. She was almost startled. "Li Bei? What are you doing here so early?"
Li Bei pulled out a bag from his pocket and placed it in Ye Xiaohan's hands. "Here are ten taels of silver. Take it and pay the rent."
Silver? Ye Xiaohan opened the bag and saw exactly ten taels inside. "Where did you get this silver?"
"I..." Li Bei hesitated for a moment, but under Ye Xiaohan's persistent questioning, he finally told the truth. "There wasn't anything valuable at home, so I mortgaged the house. It was just enough—ten taels will do."
Ye Xiaohan was astonished. "You mortgaged the house? Just to let me start a business that might not even be profitable?"
Li Bei smiled lightly, though it seemed a bit stiff since he rarely smiled. "I believe you can do well. Even if you fail, it doesn't matter. As long as our family is together, we can live anywhere."
A wave of emotion washed over Ye Xiaohan, and she choked up for a moment, unable to speak. Not wanting to be seen, she lowered her head and murmured, "You're really... are you foolish? Such a fool."
Li Bei felt happy even after being scolded; he gently patted Ye Xiaohan's head without being noticed, feeling content.
With the ten taels of silver in hand, along with some she had saved earlier, Ye Xiaohan had enough for the rent. She immediately went to the street and rented the shop to avoid any delays.
Before long, the shop was tidied up and looked brand new.
Ye Xiaohan hired someone to make a sign that hung outside the shop: "Peach Blossom Studio." This would be the name of her business from now on.
Li Bei helped out with various tasks but felt something was off. "Xiao Han, are we really opening like this? Shouldn't we set off some firecrackers or something to bring in good luck? Usually, shops have a lively opening ceremony."
Ye Xiaohan was admiring her shop with satisfaction; this would be her first step in this era. Although it was just a small step, it represented significant progress for her.
"No need for that," she replied. "We're in the cosmetics business; making a mess would only annoy people. Didn't we place various flowers and plants at the entrance? That's perfect—fresh and natural, fitting our product positioning." She pointed at the entrance.
The flowers and plants were gathered by Li Bei's family from the mountains and fields without spending a single coin. Under Ye Xiaohan's arrangement, they looked quite pleasing to the eye.
Of course, those expensive flower arrangement classes weren't taken in vain. Ye Xiaohan smiled proudly.
"Sister-in-law, what are these things?" Li Yang and Li Qi were seeing such things for the first time and couldn't help but be curious. They had only seen Sister-in-law purchase peach blossoms and transform them into these strange items.
Ye Xiaohan tapped 6 Yang on the head and said, "Have you never seen blush before? You need to pay close attention so you can help your sweetheart choose the right colors in the future."
6 Yang looked puzzled. "I can recognize these few boxes of blush, but what's this long tube?"
Ye Xiaohan glanced at it and smiled mysteriously. "That's lipstick."
"Never heard of it," 6 Yang replied, pointing to a bottle of perfume. "And what about this? Sister-in-law, with all these things I've never even seen before, can you really sell them?"
6 Bei interrupted him, "Don't be silly. Xiao Han has her own ideas."
6 Yang stuck out his tongue and held onto 6 Qi, preventing her from moving around too much.
It seemed that due to 6 Yang's pessimistic remarks and the low-key opening of the shop, many people were unaware that it had just opened. Over the next few days, only a handful of passersby came in to take a look, only to leave in confusion shortly after.
Even with Ye Xiaohan explaining things nearby, most people were hesitant to try anything, outright refusing even the testers, and only a few common blushes were sold.
Those who witnessed this couldn't help but mock them coldly. Those who thought Ye Xiaohan was foolish for spending money on unwanted peach blossoms were particularly brazen, eagerly waiting for her shop to fail.
6 Bei was getting anxious; with the lease period approaching, if things continued like this, they wouldn't even be able to pay next month's rent.
"Don't worry," Ye Xiaohan said calmly, even taking the time to brew some Peach Blossom Tea and sipping it leisurely in the shop. "Trust me, I have a plan to ease your worries and ensure everything goes smoothly."
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