The next day, Shu Rui and Lu Ling ate breakfast in the courtyard. They wondered if the Lu family would come—at most, it would be Mrs. Liu and Lu Yu, as Lu Ling’s father had to go to the government office.
Even if he didn’t, a scholar would not come to see Shu Rui alone.
Shu Rui wasn’t afraid, but his mood was different from the first meeting—more complex, more cautious.
“Just take care at the dojo. I can handle it.”
Lu Ling agreed. He would return soon after work, and if anything happened, Danqing would be at the shop today to inform him. Shu Rui wouldn’t be alone.
After finishing breakfast, Lu Ling went to the dojo. On the street, he coincidentally ran into his father heading to the office.
The prefecture office and dojo were in the same direction, though the office was more central, the dojo farther north.
Seeing Lu Ling, his father flicked his sleeve and snorted—a form of greeting. He looked bruised and black-eyed from a sleepless night, while Lu Ling was full of energy and health—a stark contrast.
His father’s mood worsened; the scoundrel had turned the household upside down without remorse.
They walked in the same direction, not together but not apart. Lu Ling quickened his pace, trying to distance himself, but his father matched his speed, though in his long official robe he could only jog to keep up, looking slightly comical.
Lu Ling slowed. “I’ll give some money to set up livestock and a carriage for the household,” he said, to avoid awkward encounters in the future.
Lu Ling’s father, already tired, still walked with hands behind his back, feigning ease. Hearing Lu Ling, he thought the boy had some guilt, knew when to lower his head, but still needed to be taught a lesson. “No need for your money. We’ll handle it. Walking to work feels better for my body.”
It was early autumn, the weather crisp. Words could be exchanged now, but soon winter would come, and the early morning cold would make walking to the office far from comfortable.
“You’ve got money? Have you received a salary yet?”
His father’s eyes widened, ready to scold, when a tall, strong man approached, calling out “Xiao Lu.” It was Lin Tian, head of the Zhang’s dojo.
After exchanging greetings, Lin Tian noticed Lu Ling’s father and politely asked about him. He learned that Lu Ling’s father was an office clerk at the prefecture—an unexpected surprise.
In front of outsiders, Lu Ling’s father concealed his emotions, acting the elder, and exchanged a few words with Lin Tian before entering the office, secretly glancing at Lu Ling.
“I didn’t know your father held the office clerk position.”
“He just arrived recently,” Lu Ling replied, keeping the family matters brief.
Lin Tian noticed that Lu Ling didn’t like to talk much and politely didn’t press further. He thought to himself that Lu Ling’s modest nature was remarkable, especially compared with some people at the dojo who couldn’t stop broadcasting that their master’s father held an official position.
Back at the inn, Lu Ling had only just left when Qing, neatly dressed and spry, arrived early as usual.
Shu Rui had him keep an eye on the drinks business while he went to find Carpenter Tong. He arranged for the woodwork needed in the inn. Tong had been waiting for work from Shu Rui; once they agreed on the terms and signed the contract, Tong brought the timber to start on the west-side shared room.
As for smaller wooden items, Shu Rui could make them himself at any hour. Buying single pieces meant paying only for materials, not labor, which made the process quicker and more flexible.
After finishing the woodwork arrangements, Shu Rui didn’t idle. He went to Yang Chunhua’s shop to select bed linens, blankets, and curtains for the rooms. If suitable items weren’t available there, he could either ask her to source them or look elsewhere.
It was early autumn; thin quilts were sufficient for now, but in a couple of months, cotton quilts would be needed. Planning ahead was essential, otherwise buying them later would be too rushed.
Shu Rui decided that the four rooms on the inn’s second floor could each follow a theme: plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum. The upper rooms would be plum and orchid, the lower rooms bamboo and chrysanthemum. Having a general style in mind made it easier to select furnishings.
“These patterns are common, so finding good or average quality isn’t hard. Sheets, pillowcases, and blankets come in two qualities ready-made. If they don’t have them, we can choose fabrics to make them. The sooner you decide, the sooner I can tell my embroidery girls to prepare. When Carpenter Tong finishes the woodwork, all your items will be ready.”
Yang Chunhua brought a pile of fabrics from her storeroom, explaining them carefully to Shu Rui so he wouldn’t be shortchanged.
Shu Rui planned to use mid-quality fabrics for the upper rooms, lower-quality for the lower rooms, and the shared room would have the cheapest fabrics. The reasoning was simple: each room’s setup differed, so the price reflected the quality.
“I don’t want overly complicated patterns. Keep the fabrics plain, with only subtle embroidery to distinguish them. The inn must stay clean, so use darker colors for covers—less chance of showing dirt.”
Yang Chunhua agreed. “Simple designs save effort and money. A single pattern, well executed, is more refined than multiple complicated ones. If you find a suitable pattern, my embroidery team can make two samples. Once you’re satisfied with the workmanship, we can make the rest.”
Shu Rui admitted that while he could do basic stitching, he wasn’t skilled in embroidery patterns. He could only judge quality, not design.
“I don’t have any specific patterns in mind right now—just plum, orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum as themes.”
“I happen to have two embroidery pattern books. You can look through them—if you find something you like, we’ll use it. If not, we can have an embroiderer create a new pattern, though that costs more.”
Shu Rui asked, “How much does it cost for an embroiderer to design a new pattern?”
Yang Chunhua explained: “Famous embroiderers charge a lot—someone like Lady Ding in the city would ask a hundred or more strings of coins for a single pattern. Ordinary families wouldn’t use her services. Regular embroiderers charge a few hundred coins, sometimes as little as a hundred or so. Patterns without special technique are easy to copy, so they aren’t valuable.”
Shu Rui liked the idea of giving the inn a unique touch with custom patterns, though it would raise costs. He didn’t decide immediately. “I’ll look through the books first. If I find a suitable design, we’ll use it. Otherwise, we’ll follow your suggestion and have an embroiderer create one.”
After selecting fabrics, he considered the bedding. Common fillings included hemp, reed, straw, thatch, and cotton. Hemp was the least warm—he had once stayed at a dilapidated inn using hemp quilts and had shivered despite wrapping himself tightly. Eventually, he had to pull his cotton clothes from his trunk to sleep.
Shu Rui wanted his inn to appear respectable and not skimp on comfort. He planned to use reed quilts in the shared room, cotton in the upper and lower rooms, straw mats for the bed base, straw mats in the lower rooms, and old cotton mats in the upper rooms. Silk, satin, or animal furs were unnecessary; he only wanted guests to stay warm without extravagance.
Shu Rui spent most of the day at Yang Chunhua’s shop, selecting fabrics, paying a deposit of two strings of coins. Even though the shop was nearby, he felt it proper to secure the items with a deposit.
Back at the inn, he entered through the front door to find Qing carrying a tray with osmanthus-filled dumplings.
“I was just about to call you to Yang Chunhua’s shop. A Lady Liu came looking for you. Seeing you weren’t here, she was about to leave, but she brought a basket of fruit. I thought she might have business, so I had her wait.”
Shu Rui responded and followed Qing inside.
“Shu Ge’er,” Lady Liu said, slightly uneasy. She hadn’t visited the inn for two days. In Chaoxi Prefecture, besides the Lu family, she only knew Shu Rui. Usually, when she was bored at home, she would stop by to watch him cook and chat, so they had a friendly rapport.
After yesterday’s events, visiting today felt awkward. Seeing Shu Rui, she felt sympathy and some guilt. Overnight, relationships had shifted dramatically.
Though hesitant, she brought fruit and insisted on visiting. Seeing Shu Rui, she awkwardly stood by the stool Qing offered, more like a child who had erred than an elder.
“Madam, you’ve come.”
Shu Rui noticed her unease and felt a new, more complex emotion, but still greeted her warmly.
“Qing has poured you tea.”
“I bought some fresh fruit at the market. Didn’t want to trouble you while you were busy, but I thought you might like some,” she said, handing him the basket. Inside were two bunches of large grapes and some longans, carefully selected.
Shu Rui accepted them. “Madam, no need for such expensive fruit. I was just selecting fabrics next door—nothing urgent.”
Lu Ling hadn’t formally brought anyone to visit the family yet, so Lady Liu couldn’t probe, and she used the opportunity to speak.
“Are you making autumn clothes? I’m free, so I could help you make two sets.”
“Not making clothes. The inn’s renovations are nearly done. Today I finalized the carpenter for the woodwork and took the chance to select bedding, so the construction won’t be delayed.”
Shu Rui appreciated her effort—bringing fruit and offering to make clothes—he felt touched. “Lu Ling even showed me yesterday the new clothes you made with him. I was pleased but worried about your eyes straining with embroidery.”
“I did a lot in my youth, so my eyes were a bit overworked. Now I do less, so it’s fine,” she replied.
Knowing that Lu Ling liked her embroidery made her happy, even if Shu Rui’s words were always flattering. If Lu Ling hadn’t mentioned it, she wouldn’t have known.
To make her comfortable, Shu Rui said, “I heard your embroidery is excellent. Yesterday, I saw the pine tree on his clothes—so vivid! If you have time, you could help me choose a pattern.”
He placed the two pattern books from Yang Chunhua on the table for her. “I’ve chosen plain fabrics for the quilts and want to embroider patterns of plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum. Your eye for design will be helpful.”
Lady Liu’s interest was piqued.