Chapter 33: Return to Qinghe Town
Qinghe Town was bustling by the time Su Yanyue arrived with a neatly folded shopping list and two small baskets in hand. She had tied her hair into a clean, low bun and wore a simple jade-green robe that accentuated her slim waist and tall frame—modest but elegant. Behind her trailed the triplets, holding hands in a chain as she'd strictly instructed them not to scatter.
"Remember," she said, glancing over her shoulder, "we're not here to buy candied hawthorn or wrestle chickens."
"No promises," Su Lin mumbled, already eyeing a passing sugar vendor.
"We're here to make Auntie's business look fancy," Su Rui added dutifully.
"And buy stickers," Su Zhi whispered, holding up a drawing of a phoenix he'd made, which was mostly shaped like a fat pigeon.
Yanyue took a deep breath as they passed the gate into the main shopping street. Stalls lined the road—spices, ribbons, paper goods, and an entire row of ink sellers under colorful parasols.
This wasn't just a personal errand anymore.
It was business.
First stop: the paper merchant.
"Back again, Miss Su?" the old paper master said, eyes crinkling as he greeted her.
Yanyue nodded and handed him a folded sample of her phoenix packaging. "Can you make more of this? Pale green, pressed feather texture, and this fragrance if possible."
The merchant whistled low. "This is good stuff. You made this?"
"I designed it. Looking to order in batches of fifty—maybe more, if my sales hold."
The man tapped his chin. "I'll need time and a bit extra silver if you want the fragrance. Osmanthus is expensive this month."
She nodded. "I expected that."
Behind her, Su Rui leaned toward Su Zhi. "This is the 'bargaining' stage Auntie told us about."
"I thought bargaining included swords," Su Lin whispered.
Next came a stop at the ink stall. There, Yanyue tested calligraphy brushes and gold-accented ink for stamping her packaging.
"Looks too rich," she murmured, rejecting one.
"This is just right," she decided, selecting a matte black ink with gold flecks—tasteful, elegant, and subtle.
"You have the eye of a merchant," the shopkeeper remarked.
She smiled. "I'm just learning. But I like quality."
"Good. That's rare in a world full of noise."
---
As they prepared to leave, a shout rose from behind a ribbon cart.
"Thief! Stop that child!"
Yanyue turned just in time to see Su Lin sprinting by, giggling like a lunatic—with a hat on his head that had clearly not been his a moment ago.
"It's a marketing experiment!" he yelled over his shoulder.
Yanyue groaned.
Moments later, the triplets were lined up in front of her, heads bowed.
"I asked you to behave."
"I just wanted to see if noble hats helped with pricing," Su Lin muttered.
"We are studying market reactions," Su Rui added.
Su Zhi just held up the pigeon-phoenix drawing again. "I made this for the hat."
Despite herself, Yanyue laughed. "You're lucky I haven't sold you three as novelty tea mascots."
---
By late afternoon, their baskets were filled with samples, paper rolls, twine, a jar of scent oil, and a small pouch of silver remaining.
As they walked toward the outskirts of town, Yu Shiming appeared, leaning against a carriage waiting at the side path.
"Running a tea empire, are we?" he asked, raising a brow.
Yanyue blinked in surprise. "How did you—?"
"You left a tea tin labeled 'Royal Exclusive' in the kitchen," he replied dryly. "The boys also told the butcher they're building a branch in the palace."
She sighed. "I need a bigger storage room."
He smiled faintly. "And perhaps a leash for your marketing department."