Chapter Summaries

Su Qiao was summoned to meet Feng Han and worried that he had called her grandfather back after previously letting him go. She entered the hall and found Old Master Su unharmed, but Feng Han’s reason for summoning them remained unclear.

• 444 told Su Qiao he could not scan Feng Han, then checked his system defenses.
• Su Qiao followed two palace maids, changed into one maid’s clothes, and wondered why Feng Han had summoned her grandfather again.
• A palace maid brought Su Qiao to the outer hall, where Feng Han was drinking tea with Old Master Su.
• Feng Han invited Su Qiao into the inner hall and told her she did not need to perform formalities.
• Su Qiao tried to sit beside Old Master Su.

Su Qiao joined Feng Han on the brick bed to taste pastries while her grandfather worried about the impropriety. Feng Han ordered food for Su Dehong, but his reaction to two palace maids left the room tense as Su Qiao continued issuing requests.

• Feng Han invited Su Qiao to sit with him, and he insisted that she could do so despite Su Dehong's alarm.
• Su Qiao climbed onto the brick bed, tasted the Ruyi Cakes and Peach Blossom Cakes, and invited her grandfather to eat.
• Feng Han noticed that Su Dehong had only cold tea and ordered pastries for him.
• Feng Han redirected Yuan Liu to have an eunuch fetch the food, causing the palace maids to kneel and beg for mercy.
• Su Qiao asked for the palace maids to bring several more plates of pastries and millet porridge, while the eunuchs and guards watched tensely.

Su Qiao’s casual complaint led Feng Han to spare two palace maids, though she suspected they had broken one of his rules. She stayed to eat pastries and millet porridge with him, ending the chapter by criticizing the water in his tea.

• Su Qiao ate heartily and challenged Feng Han over whether he could afford to give her more food.
• Feng Han dismissed the two palace maids from the front courtyard and had them thank Su Qiao for pleading on their behalf.
• Su Qiao wondered whether Feng Han had overheard her complaint about palace maids serving in the temple.
• Four little eunuchs brought pastries and millet porridge, and Su Qiao began eating while Feng Han watched.
• Feng Han handed Su Qiao his teacup when she seemed to choke, and she drank from it before telling him the tea was fine but the water was not.

Su Qiao challenged Feng Han about why he was questioning her instead of pursuing his enemy, while he pressed her about her knowledge of tea and water. She suspected that a prince or The King was behind the attempt against him, and the chapter left their confrontation unresolved.

• Little Six wondered whether Feng Han was treating Su Qiao like a daughter, while Su Dehong resigned himself to whatever might happen.
• Feng Han questioned Su Qiao about how she could judge his tea and the water used to brew it.
• Su Qiao dismissed her knowledge as common sense and accused Feng Han of taking his anger out on an innocent commoner because he could not catch his enemy.
• Yuan Wu and Yuan Liu rebuked Su Qiao, and Su Dehong knelt to ask Feng Han to forgive his granddaughter.
• Feng Han kept his attention on Su Qiao as she concluded that she had guessed correctly and considered whether a prince or The King was trying to deal with him.

Su Qiao confronted Feng Han over threatening her family despite having promised to let them go. Feng Han was amused by her defiance, leaving their dispute unresolved.

• Su Dehong urged Su Qiao to kneel and apologize to Feng Han.
• Su Qiao admitted she had overheard Feng Han promise to let them go and accused him of breaking his word after she had helped him.
• Feng Han threatened that her defiance could get her family killed, but Su Qiao said she was confident she could escape and would pursue anyone who harmed her loved ones.
• Feng Han laughed at Su Qiao's boldness and remarked that she did not seem like someone raised in the countryside.

Feng Han reassured Su Dehong that he had summoned him only because he wanted to see Su Qiao and receive her thanks for the medicine. The White Tiger then rushed into the hall, and Su Qiao hid behind Feng Han to avoid it.

• Su Dehong trembled in fear until Feng Han told him to stand, and Yuan Liu helped him back to his chair.
• Su Qiao asked Feng Han why he had summoned her grandfather, noting that Su Dehong had been unconscious and the mine collapse was not his responsibility.
• Feng Han explained that he had wanted to see Su Qiao after she declined his gifts and failed to thank him in person for the medicine.
• Su Qiao formally thanked Feng Han and prepared to leave, but he reminded her that she owed the White Tiger roast meat and pig's trotters.
• The White Tiger charged into the hall, and Su Qiao leaped behind Feng Han to hide from it.

Su Qiao avoided White Tiger’s enthusiastic pouncing at Feng Han’s residence and promised to make him two meals of roasted meat before leaving with Old Master Su. They returned home by carriage, where Su Qiao reassured her family that her grandfather only needed to rest.

• Su Qiao refused to let White Tiger pounce on her, and Feng Han ordered the keepers to take him away and clean his teeth.
• Su Qiao coaxed White Tiger into leaving by promising him roasted meat, then agreed to make him two meals after Feng Han pointed out she had promised twice.
• Su Qiao helped Old Master Su leave Feng Han’s residence, and Yuan Wu arranged a carriage to take them home.
• Su Qiao’s family stopped cutting bamboo shoots to greet them, and Su Qiao said Old Master Su needed to rest.

Su Qiao reassured her family that Old Master Su was all right after his meeting at Guyin Temple, then prepared to sell her homemade tooth powder in town. The chapter ended with Su Yihe worrying that the price was too high as they set up their stall.

• Su Qiao and the others helped Old Master Su settle onto the heated brick bed, and he agreed to rest another day before harvesting wheat.
• Madam Liu asked Su Qiao to call her when more bamboo shoots were ready to harvest, and Su Qiao agreed.
• Su Qiao finished making tooth powder from medicinal herbs and salt.
• Su Qiao, Little Haozi, and Su Yihe walked to town with baskets and winnowing trays.
• Su Qiao bought porcelain bottles and prepared the tooth powder for sale while Su Yihe urged her to lower the price.

Su Qiao had Little Haozi hawk her toothbrushes and tooth powder in the street, promising him a chicken leg if he did well. His lively sales pitch drew a crowd, and the chapter ended when someone asked whether the goods were really as effective as he claimed.

• Little Haozi asked Su Qiao if selling the goods would earn him a chicken leg, and she promised one if he did a good job hawking them.
• Su Qiao arranged the toothbrushes and tooth powder for sale, and Little Haozi confidently began reciting her advertisement.
• Little Haozi's dramatic pitch attracted a crowd of curious onlookers, while Su Qiao watched and let him practice selling.
• A passerby finally examined the goods and asked Little Haozi whether they were really as good as he said.
• Little Haozi claimed that Su Qiao and his Maternal Grandfather had made them from an Ancient Recipe and said they were better than versions sold in the capital.

Su Qiao and her siblings promoted their toothbrushes and tooth powder by showing off their white teeth and explaining how the products worked. Su Qiao set a high price for the limited stock and tried to persuade a skeptical customer to buy a set.

• Little Haozi showed off his white teeth and pointed out that Su Qiao and Su Yihe had equally white teeth from using their products.
• Su Qiao privately admitted to 444 that brushing several times a day had helped make the teeth white, and defended her sales pitch.
• Su Qiao went to the stall and offered a toothbrush and mint-scented tooth powder to the middle-aged customer.
• The man examined the toothbrush and smelled the powder, then asked Su Qiao how much they cost.
• Su Qiao priced a toothbrush at one hundred wen and a bottle of tooth powder at five hundred wen, and argued that the products were worth the price.

Su Qiao persuaded a well-traveled middle-aged man to buy her toothbrushes and tooth powder by emphasizing their quality, low price, and value as gifts. He bought three sets and paid her eight hundred wen.

• Su Qiao convinced the middle-aged man and the watching crowd that her toothbrushes and tooth powder were worth buying.
• Su Qiao claimed that products in the capital cost far more, and the middle-aged man confirmed her account despite knowing her tactic.
• The middle-aged man agreed to buy three sets, and Little Haozi packed them in cloth bags as gifts.
• The middle-aged man summoned his servant to pay Su Qiao eight hundred wen.

Su Qiao sold all her toothbrushes and tooth powder, while Feng Han noticed her stall from a restaurant and sent Little Six to buy a set. Little Six arrived too late, leaving customers asking when she would bring more.

• A middle-aged merchant paid Su Qiao for three sets and praised her business sense before leaving.
• Su Qiao sold the remaining toothbrushes and tooth powder to eager customers.
• Feng Han spotted Su Qiao's stall from a restaurant, and Yuan Wu confirmed she was selling dental-cleaning tools.
• Little Six asked Feng Han for permission to buy a set, then hurried downstairs after receiving his nod.
• Little Six found that Su Qiao had sold everything, while disappointed customers asked when she would restock.

Su Qiao sold all eighteen sets of toothbrushes and tooth powder, earning ten taels of silver and eight hundred copper coins, then went to buy food with Little Haozi. Feng Han examined a set bought at a high price and sent Xiao Wu to watch over the sellers so no one would rob them.

• Su Qiao reassured the customers that she would return in three days with more sets, then counted her earnings with Su Yihe.
• Su Qiao took Little Haozi to buy food while Su Yihe stayed behind to watch the unsold winnowing baskets.
• Little Liu discovered the toothbrushes and tooth powder had sold out and bought a set from someone else at a high price for his master.
• Feng Han examined the toothbrush and tooth powder, approved of them, and ordered Xiao Wu to keep watch over the sellers.
• Yuan Wu looked disdainfully at Little Liu, who wondered what he had done wrong.

Su Qiao, Xiao Hao, and Su Yihe headed home after selling their wares, sharing meat buns they had bought in town. When local ruffians followed them, Yuan Wu and two men in black drove them off, leaving the gang terrified of the men’s power.

• Su Qiao bought chicken legs, meat buns, and maltose, while Su Yihe sold the last of his winnowing baskets.
• Su Yihe refused a second meat bun so the family could have the rest, and Su Qiao gave Xiao Hao one more after he said he was still hungry.
• 444 warned Su Qiao that ruffians were following them, and she expected she might get a chance to earn more silver.
• Yuan Wu and two men in black blocked the ruffians and made them kneel at swordpoint.
• The ruffian leader fled with his lackeys and said the men were powerful enough that even the county magistrate could not offend them.

After Yuan Wu and his men drove off the thugs, Su Qiao returned to Willow Tree Village with her brothers. There, she warned Xia Xiaodie that if the Coal Mountain plot led to Su Qiao’s punishment, Xia Xiaodie and her family would also be held responsible.

• Little Boss warned his followers to avoid Su Qiao and her siblings after recognizing Yuan Wu’s group as Imperial Guards.
• Yuan Wu and his men drove away the thugs, and Su Qiao returned to Willow Tree Village with her brothers.
• At the village’s eastern end, Su Qiao encountered Xia Xiaodie, who asked if she was all right.
• Su Qiao threatened that Xia Xiaodie and her entire family would face prison or execution if Su Qiao was punished over the Coal Mountain scheme.

Su Qiao and the children returned home after selling their toothbrushes and tooth powder, and their family reacted with disbelief at the money they had earned. The chapter ended with Su Yaohui recalling Physician Li’s praise of Su Qiao’s intelligence.

• Su Qiao warned Xia Xiaodie that officials would decide whether she was involved, then left with Xiao Hao and Su Yihe.
• Xiao Hao insulted Xia Xiaodie as Su Qiao led him away.
• Su Qiao and the children showed their steamed buns and earnings to the family and explained how the sale had gone.
• Zhou Lihua reached for the silver, but the old madam slapped her hand away.
• Xiao Hao and Su Yihe confirmed that all eighteen sets had sold, and Su Yaohui remembered Physician Li’s assessment of Su Qiao.

Su Qiao explained that she had found the tooth-powder recipe in her maternal grandfather’s medical books and had developed it to help her family earn money. Old Master Su praised her and reminded her to keep any promise she had made to the lord from Guyin Temple.

• Old Master Su and the family praised Su Qiao for turning the tooth-powder recipe into a profitable business.
• Su Qiao said she had found the recipe in one of her maternal grandfather’s medical books while looking for a way to support the family.
• Zhou Lihua pressed Su Qiao for more money-making recipes, but Su Qiao said there were none.
• Su Qiao explained that tooth powder was already known in major cities, though her formula worked better.
• Old Master Su remembered the person from Guyin Temple and told Su Qiao to keep her promise to the lord.

Su Qiao shared the earnings from selling toothbrushes with her grandparents, and the family planned to expand production and make tooth powder. The chapter ended with Zhou Lihua confronting Su Qiao about the promised compensation.

• Su Qiao agreed to visit the place her grandfather indicated to avoid trouble with the county office.
• Su Qiao gave her grandparents the ten taels of silver and explained that five hundred copper coins remained after expenses; her grandfather told her to keep the coins and let her grandmother save the silver.
• Su Qiao's grandmother gave her the five hundred copper coins, and the family blushed when marriage came up.
• Su Qiao's grandfather told Su Yihe to help make more toothbrushes and asked the family to handle the housework so Su Qiao could focus on tooth powder.
• Su Qiao considered researching nylon thread and suggested that mule or horse tail hair and pig bristles could replace ox tail hair.
• Zhou Lihua followed Su Qiao into her room and demanded the threefold compensation Su Qiao had promised.

Su Qiao tried to win Zhou Lihua’s support by sharing food and promising future luxuries if she stopped causing trouble. She left Zhou Lihua with money and candy, but insisted that her mother keep the family’s business secret and protect their reputation.

• Zhou Lihua complained that Su Qiao had not fulfilled her promises and had shared a profitable business with the family instead of prioritizing her parents and brothers.
• Su Qiao defended the family’s role in making toothbrushes and gave Zhou Lihua five hundred wen, a chicken leg, and malt candy.
• Su Qiao promised to buy Zhou Lihua fine clothes and jewelry once the family earned more money, and Zhou Lihua eagerly believed her.
• Su Qiao told Zhou Lihua to keep the family’s source of income secret and stop stealing vegetables or taking advantage of others.

Su Qiao warned Zhou Lihua to stop taking vegetables from the village plots so the family could protect its reputation and her siblings’ marriage prospects. Zhou Lihua agreed and learned that Su Qiao was preparing another money-making venture, while 444 suspected she had her eye on Su Qiao’s outfit.

• Su Qiao warned Zhou Lihua that stealing vegetables could damage the family’s reputation and affect her children’s marriages.
• Zhou Lihua promised to stop taking vegetables after Su Qiao threatened to withhold jewelry if she broke her word.
• Zhou Lihua asked for jewelry, and Su Qiao said the toothbrush and toothpaste profits would go to the household but promised another way to earn money.
• Zhou Lihua guessed that the materials soaking in the vats were for Su Qiao’s next business and praised her daughter’s ability.
• Zhou Lihua asked about Su Qiao’s outfit before retreating to her room, and 444 suspected she wanted to take it.