Chapter Summaries

Su Qiao tried to avoid feeding Feng Han’s white tiger, Little White, roasted meat, while Feng Han used the tiger’s hunger to pressure her. The chapter left Little White happily attached to Su Qiao as Feng Han explained that it sensed she meant it no harm.

• White Tiger leaped from Feng Han’s carriage and chased Su Qiao while the nearby guards drew their swords.
• Yuan Wu and Xiao Liu ordered the guards to stand down as Feng Han emerged and reminded Su Qiao that she owed Little White two meals of roasted meat.
• Feng Han threatened that Little White might lose control if it stayed hungry, and Su Qiao protested that there was no meat to roast.
• Feng Han told Little White to follow Su Qiao, but it happily returned to her despite her threats to skin and eat it.
• Feng Han explained that Little White trusted Su Qiao because it sensed she had no hostility toward it.

Feng Han insisted that Su Qiao ride with him, then offered her tea and fed her pastries despite her protests. White Tiger joined them, and the scene ended with the tiger obediently settling down beside them.

• Feng Han ordered Yuan Wu to carry Su Qiao’s medicinal herbs and had Yuan Liu notify the Su residence that she was at Guyin Temple.
• Su Qiao climbed into Feng Han’s carriage and deliberately dirtied its carpet and cushions.
• Feng Han served Su Qiao tea and tried to feed her Peach Blossom Cake, and she gave in because she was hungry.
• White Tiger rushed into the carriage, complained at them, and lay down obediently after Feng Han told it to be quiet.

Su Qiao told Feng Han she liked poppies and explained their beauty, medicinal uses, and addictive dangers. Feng Han recognized the flower as one he had seen in the forest where he found Little White, then asked Su Qiao why she liked it.

• Su Qiao ate the Peach Blossom Cake Feng Han offered and said it was not bad.
• Feng Han asked Su Qiao what flowers she liked, and she said she liked purple-blue and red poppies.
• Su Qiao explained that poppies could relieve pain and treat dysentery but could also cause addiction and be used to control people.
• Feng Han recalled seeing poppies in the forest where he found Little White as a newborn.
• Feng Han asked Su Qiao why she liked poppies.

Su Qiao talked with Feng Han in his carriage, then learned he had summoned her to send her hunting. She left to hunt while Feng Han kept Xiao Bai from following her.

• Su Qiao told Feng Han that she liked Afurong Flowers because she was like them and warned that they could break a person's heart.
• Feng Han asked Su Qiao about hunting a wild boar, then told her to go hunt again since she had already scouted the area.
• Su Qiao questioned why Feng Han had invited her into the carriage, and he said he had wanted to offer her tea and reassure her that he did not mind her dirt.
• Su Qiao jumped out of the carriage and told Xiao Bai not to follow because it would scare away the prey.
• Feng Han held Xiao Bai by the tail and teased Su Qiao about being its sister as she set off to hunt.

Su Qiao went hunting with Xiao Liu, rebuffing his questions about her relationship with Feng Han and her role in saving him. She hunted down a wild boar and shared a roasted-meat feast with Feng Han and the others.

• Su Qiao told Xiao Liu she had no time to chat and realized Feng Han had brought her to the mountain where she had hunted before.
• Xiao Liu warned Su Qiao that Xiao Bai had once been poisoned and told her to think of her family; Su Qiao challenged him about Feng Han's interest in her.
• Xiao Liu asked whether Su Qiao had really saved Feng Han in the mine, and Su Qiao refused to explain or accept thanks on Feng Han's behalf.
• Su Qiao went hunting, intending to take a boar back to reunite it with its piglet underground.
• By around three in the afternoon, Su Qiao and the others had eaten a wild boar weighing over two hundred pounds, with Xiao Bai eating most of it.

After sharing a meal and tea with Feng Han, Su Qiao tried to leave, but he stopped her and offered her clothes, shoes, and fabric. She refused the fancy outfits and rejected his proposal to have her make him clothes in exchange for the remaining fabric.

• After Little Bai was taken away to be washed, Su Qiao and Feng Han drank tea and chatted.
• Su Qiao tried to leave so she could return home and process herbs into tooth powder, but Feng Han stopped her.
• Feng Han had Little Gui bring in three sets of dresses and shoes, but Su Qiao refused them as unsuitable for her work and village life.
• Feng Han then had eunuchs bring ordinary fabric and proposed that Su Qiao make him everyday clothes in exchange for the rest.
• Su Qiao realized Feng Han had planned to ask her to sew for him and refused.

Su Qiao left Feng Han’s residence with fabric and medicinal herbs after he arranged a carriage to escort her home. She promised Little White Cat she would visit and roast meat again, then vented her irritation at 444 as the carriage headed down the mountain.

• Su Qiao rejected Feng Han’s offer to make clothes for him and accused him of trying to swindle her.
• Feng Han had Xiao Liu arrange her carriage and sent fabric for Su Qiao and her grandparents as a thank-you gift.
• Su Qiao questioned whether Feng Han expected her to make clothes, and he said he would not force her.
• Little White Cat tried to climb into the carriage, but Feng Han held it back while Su Qiao promised to visit and roast meat for it another time.
• Feng Han coaxed Little White Cat into waving goodbye, and Su Qiao waved back as the carriage departed.
• 444 praised Little White Cat, and Su Qiao teased 444 for being envious and small.

Su Qiao questioned Feng Han’s identity and ordered 444 to investigate his background again. Feng Han, frustrated that she avoided him, decided to spend more time with her and considered doing good deeds.

• Su Qiao noticed that Feng Han’s voice, manner, and walk differed from those of other eunuchs and told 444 to investigate his origins more thoroughly.
• Feng Han watched Su Qiao’s carriage leave and wondered why she seemed to fear him despite his attempts to please her.
• Little Gui suggested Su Qiao was simply unfamiliar with Feng Han, and Feng Han agreed that he should spend more time with her.
• Yuan Wu stayed silent about Feng Han’s plan, remembering the punishment he had received for interfering.
• Feng Han wondered whether doing good deeds might help, then admitted he had forgotten what being a good person felt like.

The Su family discussed the cloth Su Qiao had received from the lord as payment for cooking, and Zhou Lihua argued that they should use it to make new clothes. The old man agreed to provide two outfits for each family member, though the elders and the second branch insisted that the younger people should get theirs first.

• Su Qiao told the family that the lord had given them eight bolts of cloth in payment for cooking.
• The old man accepted the cloth, while Zhou Lihua eagerly admired it and asked to make summer clothes.
• Zhou Lihua argued that Su Qiao's clothes were too small and that the lord had likely bestowed the cloth for that reason.
• Su Qiao said the lord had indeed mentioned her old clothes and suggested making new outfits for the whole family.
• The old man agreed to make two new outfits for everyone, but the old woman, Su Yihe, and Madam Liu urged him to prioritize the younger family members.

Su Qiao persuaded her family to use their fabric to make new clothes instead of being overly frugal. The family agreed to make two outfits for everyone, but Zhou Lihua still favored a bright rose-red fabric despite Su Qiao’s advice.

• Su Qiao argued that her relatives needed decent clothes and promised she could earn more silver for the family.
• Su Qiao encouraged her grandmother to accept new outfits, and her grandfather urged her to enjoy the comforts their grandchildren could provide.
• The old lady agreed that everyone in the family would get two new outfits each.
• Zhou Lihua chose a bolt of rose-red fabric, but Su Qiao recommended more elegant colors and patterns.
• Zhou Lihua reluctantly let go of the rose-red fabric but insisted she still thought it was the prettiest.

Su Qiao and her family finished the harvest and prepared another batch of toothbrushes and tooth powder for sale. The goods sold out immediately in town, leaving Su Qiao pleased with their success.

• Zhou Lihua chose the two clothing colors Su Qiao had suggested, and Ernie was glad she left the rose-red outfit for her.
• Su Qiao helped the family finish harvesting wheat ahead of schedule, though threshing and preparing the fields remained.
• Su Qiao and Su Yihe completed fifty toothbrushes and fifty bottles of tooth powder for their next sale.
• Su Qiao bought small porcelain bottles in town and repackaged the tooth powder before returning to their stall.
• Customers quickly bought all the toothbrushes and tooth powder, and Su Qiao tucked away the earnings in her specially sewn bag.

Su Qiao and Su Yihe returned to Willow Tree Village after selling goods in Guyin Town, where their family anxiously tried to learn how many sets they had sold. Su Qiao explained the product’s value but had not yet revealed the number when the chapter ended with a recipe for homemade Pink Rouge.

• Su Qiao and Su Yihe walked back from town without encountering any robbers, since Feng Han had warned the local gangsters not to target them.
• Su Yihe hurried home, worried about carrying so much silver, and the pair reached Willow Tree Village before noon.
• The Su Family asked whether Su Qiao and Su Yihe had sold half their sets, then guessed they had sold at least ten or twenty.
• Su Qiao explained how clean, white teeth could help women, scholars, merchants, and wealthy wives, leaving the family impressed but still unsure how many sets had sold.
• The chapter ended with instructions for making Pink Rouge from purple four-o'clock flowers and pearl powder.

Su Qiao returned home after selling all 160 sets and revealed that she had earned one hundred taels. She insisted that Grandma keep the money for household expenses, leaving the family stunned and her second uncle and aunt grateful for her consideration.

• Su Qiao told her family she had sold all 160 sets and brought home one hundred taels in silver and coins.
• Grandma passed the bundle to the old man, who counted the money and confirmed Su Qiao’s earnings.
• Su Qiao said Grandma would keep the money for household expenses and noted how the family had supported her father and elder brother’s studies.
• Zhou Lihua pinched Su Qiao for siding with the other branch, but Grandma threatened to beat her if she did it again.
• Su Qiao thanked her second uncle and aunt for their years of hard work, and they awkwardly denied having suffered.

Su Qiao proposed using the family’s new income to send Su Yihe to school and suggested that the family might eventually open a shop. The old man considered her ideas but remained hesitant because Su Qiao’s father and brother were scholars.

• Su Qiao thanked Second Uncle and Second Aunt for their past help and promised to repay their kindness.
• Su Qiao suggested that Su Yihe, who was fifteen, go to school now that the family could afford the tuition.
• Su Qiao and Ernie encouraged Su Yihe, pointing out that literacy and arithmetic could help him work as a shop bookkeeper.
• Su Qiao proposed that the family might eventually rent a shopfront and have Su Yihe manage it.
• The old man questioned whether opening a shop suited a family whose father and brother were scholars, especially with the county examination approaching.

Su Qiao persuaded her grandfather to open a shop under her name, with its income belonging to the family, and he agreed to fund her plans and send Su Yihe to school. The family prepared a celebratory meal, and Su Yihe thanked Su Qiao for helping him study.

• Su Qiao explained that registering the shop under her name would protect her father and elder brother while keeping farming as the family’s main livelihood.
• Her grandfather agreed to put the shop under Su Qiao’s name, and she said its income would belong to the family and Su Yihe could manage it after his studies if he did not take the imperial examination.
• Su Qiao accepted five taels of silver from her grandfather to buy porcelain bottles and pursue her research into tree bark.
• Her grandfather told Su Yihe to go with him to the private school in town, and the family began preparing meat dishes for a feast.
• Su Yihe thanked Su Qiao, and she told him not to blame her parents for having favored his elder brother’s studies.

Su Qiao encouraged Su Yihe to study and planned to teach the family to read, then confronted her parents over their complaints about the hundred taels spent on the second branch. Su Yaohui said he wanted to save money to take the examination again, and Su Qiao insisted that Grandpa would support his studies.

• Su Qiao praised Su Yihe’s skills, encouraged him to study, and invited him to learn characters with her and Ernie.
• Su Qiao returned to her room and found Zhou Lihua and Su Yaohui complaining about the hundred taels spent on the second branch.
• Su Qiao reminded her parents that the family property had not been divided and the silver belonged to the common funds.
• Su Qiao warned her parents to set a good example for their children by showing gratitude and filial conduct.
• Su Yaohui admitted he wanted to save money to take the examination again, and Su Qiao said Grandpa would provide the money for his studies.

Su Qiao gave her parents silver and told them she planned to rent a shop and build a new house with her earnings. She worried that no one would teach her younger brother Xiao Hao, then spent the next two days gathering herbs and learning to sew.

• Su Qiao gave Zhou Lihua and Su Yaohui one tael of silver each and explained that she needed the rest to buy porcelain bottles.
• Su Qiao reassured her parents that the family would benefit from her planned shop and sent them away.
• Su Qiao asked where Xiao Hao was and urged Su Yaohui to discipline him, but Su Yaohui left to supervise his eldest son’s studies instead.
• Su Qiao sighed that she would have to teach Xiao Hao herself, and 444 suggested beating him into obedience.
• Over the next two days, Su Qiao gathered medicinal herbs and learned to make clothes from the old lady and her second aunt.

Su Qiao impulsively knocked her brother Su Yichen unconscious to take him into the mountains and toughen him up, but worried about leaving him alone in a dangerous cave. After sending 444 to its Little Dark Room, she was left unsure how to get Su Yichen home or explain what she had done.

• Su Qiao and the women of the family made simple outfits for Su Qiao and Ernie, while the men worked in the fields and Su Yichen resumed traveling between town and Willow Tree Village.
• Su Qiao knocked Su Yichen unconscious on his way home and carried him into the mountains, intending to train his courage.
• 444 warned Su Qiao about beasts, snakes, and insects in the caves and suggested leaving Su Yichen in a tree with repellent powder.
• Su Qiao rejected the risky plan and decided to carry Su Yichen home before finding another opportunity.
• 444 suggested she call out for help, so Su Qiao accused it of tricking her and sent it to its Little Dark Room.
• Su Qiao stood uncertainly with Su Yichen, unsure whether to carry him home or call someone and explain why he was unconscious.

Su Qiao tried to explain why she was carrying someone, then ran into Feng Han and his two subordinates. Feng Han had Yuan Wu take the person from her shoulder, while Su Qiao pointed out that Yuan Liu still showed his emotions too plainly.

• Su Qiao decided to carry the person on her shoulder rather than explain what had happened.
• Feng Han, Yuan Wu, and Yuan Liu approached after Feng Han said he had followed her from town.
• Su Qiao claimed the person was her biological brother and that she was training him to build his courage.
• Feng Han told Yuan Wu to take the person from Su Qiao, and Yuan Wu carried him instead.
• Yuan Liu asked why Su Qiao had been worrying about him, and she said he should train to hide his emotions better.

Su Qiao confronted Yuan Liu for looking down on her and recalled his past attempt to silence her, prompting Feng Han to rebuke him. Feng Han then offered help with Su Yichen, and Su Qiao asked what his terms were.

• Su Qiao accused Yuan Liu of underestimating her and criticized him for failing to take his duties as an Imperial Guard seriously.
• Yuan Liu apologized to Su Qiao, but she reminded him that he had once wanted to kill her at the entrance of Coal Mine.
• Yuan Liu tried to excuse himself, and Feng Han ordered him to shut up and retreat.
• Feng Han offered to help with Su Yichen, and Su Qiao asked him what the terms were.