Chapter 161 - Chapter 161: New Arrangements

Chapter 161: New Arrangements

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Su Wen collapsed onto her chair. With trembling hands, she picked up the cup of chrysanthemum tea she had brewed and took a sip to calm her nerves, immense regret over her actions weighing on her mind.

She should not have pushed his buttons again.

Hadn’t she told herself that she would latch onto his golden thigh?

Just great! Not only had she failed to latch onto him, but she also managed to offend him. With the male lead’s black-bellied, narrow-minded ways, he was probably cooking up a scheme against her in his heart!

Su Wen sprung to her feet and paced back and forth, frantically thinking of how to salvage the situation. She had to be someone with a brain problem! It had felt great doing what she did, but hadn’t she signed her death warrant in the process?

Su Wen wracked her brain, trying to devise a solution, but nothing came to mind. She smacked her forehead with her fist and muttered, “Whatever. I’ll think of something eventually. He’s a man. He wouldn’t be as calculative as a woman, would he? Besides, I’m the head of the house. He’s a live-in son-in-law. He has to do as I say and follow my cues.”

Having said as much, Su Wen felt re-energized.

“That’s right. This is how things should be.” Su Wen gave herself a thumbs up for successfully holding onto her position as head of the household.

“Big Sister, what’s wrong?”

“I’m fine.” Su Wen mulled over a few things before calling her sisters over, seating them under a pomegranate tree to discuss matters.

There was a certain seriousness to her demeanor, one not lost on her younger sisters, who instinctively emulated her, placing their hands on their laps while sitting straight.

Although they did not know what their older sister was thinking, it did not stop them from praising her.

“Cough, cough…” Su Wen cleared her throat and said, “The Sun family has been causing trouble for us lately, so much so that we haven’t been able to do business and earn any money. I’m afraid we have run out of food.”

When they heard their eldest sister wanted to start a business to earn money, their eyes lit up, and they stared at Su Wen eagerly.

Even the most honest Su Xiu became excited when Su Wen mentioned ‘business.’ She had never conducted business before, so she had not known they could make money this way. After selling sleeves and steamed cakes, she had tasted the fruits of their labor. Even if businesses were a little risky, the rewards were worth the while.

Toiling like an ox on the open fields only earned them a few credits – it was never enough to feed the whole family, let alone send them to school.

“Big Sister, are we making more steamed cakes?” Su Qing could not help but ask. “I won’t go to Master’s place anymore. Please teach me how to make steamed cakes!” Su Qing felt that selling steamed cakes was a more lucrative business than learning how to become a tailor. Plenty of tailors were around, and they never managed to earn much. On the other hand, no one in town, except Su Wen, knew how to make steamed cakes.

“I’ll make the steamed cakes. You have a different task more suited to you.” Su Wen valued Su Qing’s skill with needle and thread and did not want her to give up.

“What do you mean?” Su Qing looked like an eggplant trapped in hoarfrost.

“Why can’t I make the steamed cakes?”

“Your task is more important than making steamed cakes, that’s why!” Su Wen turned to Su Xiu and was nearly blinded by her zeal.

“Cough, cough…” She looked away, uncomfortable. She could not bear to dash Su Xiu’s hopes. Exploiting her made Su Wen feel like a villain.

“Big Sister, there’s still me. I can do anything.” Su Xiu expressed her endless enthusiasm. “Give me a task! If I don’t succeed, I can always tend to the fields to earn a few credits. Our family still has to do our part tilling the fields.”

No matter how lazy a family was, some still had to work the fields to earn credits.

Recently, no one in Su Wen’s family had stepped up to the plate. As time passed, word spread, and people would talk behind their backs.

“Don’t worry. I’ll settle the groundwork.” When Su Wen first returned, she had arranged for Su Xiu to do farm work to earn credits for the family. She did not expect her to earn much, but it was also the case that she had not wanted to stand out too much and attract gossip. Now that she had spent time with her sisters, she could not bear to send them to do hard labor.

After all the hard work Su Xiu had become very tanned and skinny. Su Wen wanted Su Xiu to look after herself and rest at home..