Chapter Summaries

Su Qiao rejected Liu Yuehong’s plea to forgive Xia Xiaodie’s family and exposed Xia Xiaodie’s lies and the truth behind the family’s harmful tooth powder. The villagers turned against Xia Xiaodie as Su Qiao defended her master’s name.

• Liu Yuehong helped Xia Xiaodie up and begged Su Qiao to have Xia Xiaodie’s uncle released from the yamen.
• Su Qiao avoided Liu Yuehong and pointed out that Xia Xiaodie’s maternal family owned more than ten mu of fields, so they would not starve without their shop.
• The villagers stopped sympathizing with Xia Xiaodie and criticized her for pretending to be honest and filial.
• Su Qiao explained that Xia Xiaodie’s family had copied her family’s toothbrush and tooth-powder products after buying a sample and hiring a physician to study it.
• Su Qiao revealed that the physician had failed to reproduce the formula correctly, causing customers to suffer blisters, inflammation, and toothaches, and the villagers condemned the family for selling it.

Su Qiao defended her family against Liu Yuehong and Xia Xiaodie’s attempt to blame them for the Xia Family shop being sealed. She persuaded the villagers that the accusations made no sense, and the village head apologized while agreeing to control his family.

• Liu Yuehong and Xia Xiaodie tried to make Su Qiao admit that the Su Family was behind their shop being sealed and their relatives being arrested.
• Su Qiao explained that the authorities had investigated the shop and argued that her family lacked the power to arrange the sealing.
• The villagers agreed with Su Qiao, and Liu Yuehong stopped Xia Xiaodie from saying more.
• Su Qiao appealed to the villagers’ sense of right and wrong and called on the village head to speak.
• The village head apologized for his family’s behavior, and Su Qiao asked him to keep them from causing more trouble.

Su Qiao used the villagers’ concern for their children’s marriage prospects to turn them against the Xia family, and Old Master Xia punished Xia Xiaodie and sent Liu Yuehong away. After leaving the crowd, Liu Yuehong dropped her act and revealed her composure as Xia Xiaodie asked why she had stopped her from blaming the Imperial Guards for her maternal great-uncle’s arrest.

• Su Qiao warned that rumors about Willow Tree Village could harm the marriage prospects of its young men and women, making the villagers’ expressions change.
• Old Master Xia ordered Xia Xiaodie confined to her room until marriage and told Liu Yuehong to return to her mother’s family.
• Old Madam Xia shoved Liu Yuehong, while Xia Qiang told her to stay with her family for a while.
• Liu Yuehong and Xia Xiaodie left in tears, but Liu Yuehong soon wiped her face and admitted there was no use being sad.
• Xia Xiaodie asked why Liu Yuehong had stopped her from saying that the Imperial Guards had reported the matter that led to her maternal great-uncle’s shop being sealed and him being taken away.

Liu Yuehong decided to stop targeting the Su family because she feared the powerful man from Guyin Temple, though Xia Xiaodie still wanted revenge. Su Qiao calmly defended her wish to live comfortably as villagers criticized her, and Ernie nearly revealed her secret paper-making skill.

• Liu Yuehong told Xia Xiaodie that Old Master Su had likely been spared because he helped the important person in the coal mine, and she warned her daughter to let the matter end.
• Liu Yuehong said she would return to her maternal family for a few days, while Xia Xiaodie worried about being left behind.
• Villagers criticized Su Qiao as lazy and domineering, and Ernie defended her by listing her hard work, hunting, and knowledge of medicinal herbs.
• Ernie nearly told the villagers that Su Qiao could make paper, but Su Qiao stopped her.
• Su Qiao told the villagers she wanted to use her money to live comfortably, with others bringing her food and helping her rest.

Su Qiao learned that the Imperial Guards had sealed Xia Xiaodie’s uncle’s general store, then Feng Han arrived at Willow Tree Village with White Tiger and ordered the villagers away. The villagers fled, leaving Feng Han to handle matters with Su Qiao.

• Su Qiao realized Xia Xiaodie and her mother had been right that the Imperial Guards sealed the general store.
• Old Master Su arrived and tried to take Su Qiao and Ernie home, while Old Master Xia prepared to greet him.
• Feng Han arrived, and White Tiger charged through the crowd toward Su Qiao.
• Su Qiao stopped White Tiger and hugged him as he wagged his tail and rubbed his head against her.
• Feng Han gave Su Qiao a handkerchief, and Yuan Wu ordered everyone without business there to leave.

Feng Han asked Su Qiao to return with him to the Imperial Palace, but she declined, and he reassured her that he wanted people to know she had his protection. He accompanied her family to their home and arranged to speak privately with Old Master Su, while leaving Little Bai with Su Qiao.

• Feng Han offered Su Qiao anything she wanted if she returned with him to the Imperial Palace, but she refused because she did not want the trouble.
• Feng Han told Su Qiao that he wanted others to know she had someone backing her so they would not target her.
• Feng Han asked Old Master Su to let him visit the family home, and Old Master Su led him there.
• Feng Han had Yuan Wu ask Old Master Su to speak with him privately, while the Su Family took the children inside.
• Feng Han asked Su Qiao to watch Little Bai, who stayed beside her in the courtyard.

Feng Han arranged for Old Master Su to supervise the mine after he returned to the capital, then used a discussion about the dangers of childbirth at a young age to hint that Su Qiao should not be taken back to the palace too soon. He left Old Master Su unsettled, without stating his intentions outright.

• Su Qiao took Little Bai to play in a bamboo grove while Feng Han spoke privately with Old Master Su.
• Feng Han asked Old Master Su to supervise the mine after his return to the capital and promised to appoint him mine supervisor, with Yuan Wu and soldiers to assist.
• Feng Han told Old Master Su that two fourteen-year-old Imperial Concubines had died in childbirth and that women should marry after fifteen.
• Old Master Su sensed Feng Han's implication but could only agree that Chief Physician Yu's advice had reason.
• Feng Han ended the conversation and said it was time for him to return.

Su Qiao and her grandparents planned to recruit relatives and reliable village families to make embroidered goods for sale. They set the pay and divided up who would approach each household, leaving Su Qiao ready to teach them the designs.

• Su Qiao suggested having her Maternal Grandfather's family make the embroidered goods, and her grandfather proposed recruiting skillful, reliable village families too.
• Su Qiao's grandparents agreed to invite the Lu Family and Zhuzi's family, while Zhou Lihua was asked to explain the work to her in-laws.
• Su Qiao offered to accompany her mother and teach the designs if her in-laws agreed to join.
• Su Qiao proposed paying thirty percent above the embroidery workshop's rates, and her grandparents accepted.
• Su Qiao planned to draw more patterns and prepare samples, while her grandmother said she would teach the families to copy the bag designs.

Su Qiao dismissed Feng Han’s concern about Old Master Su and treated the jade pendant he gave her as something to pawn rather than a love token. Feng Han offered to grant her one wish, but she declined and he asked whether she still wanted a comfortable life and her father to become an official.

• Su Qiao watched Feng Han speak with Old Master Su and decided she would stop any marriage arrangement she did not approve of.
• Feng Han found Su Qiao teaching Little White to climb trees and gave her a jade pendant.
• Su Qiao asked how much the pendant would fetch if pawned, leaving Feng Han frustrated that she did not value his gift as a token of affection.
• Feng Han offered to fulfill one promise in exchange for the pendant, and Su Qiao considered asking for something before backing down.
• Feng Han stroked Su Qiao’s head, and she brushed his hand away and told him not to treat her like Little White.
• Feng Han asked whether Su Qiao still wanted a life of comfort and for her father to become an official.

Su Qiao rejected Feng Han’s offer to provide for her and asked him instead to help her open a bookstore. Feng Han agreed to help name and make a signboard for it, while Su Qiao promised to roast meat for Little Bai the next day.

• Su Qiao told Feng Han she would earn her own money and had no interest in making her father an official.
• Feng Han asked what Su Qiao wanted, and she requested his help getting approval to open a bookstore.
• Su Qiao and Feng Han settled on the name Su's Guyin Bookstore, and Feng Han agreed to write its signboard.
• Feng Han told Su Qiao that Little Bai had lost its appetite after eating her roast meat, so she promised to roast more for it tomorrow.

Su Qiao warned Little Haozi not to touch Little White and promised him a horse as a reward for his studies and training. When she returned home, she found her family worried about Feng Han’s interest in her and his plan to take her to the capital.

• Su Qiao threatened Little Haozi with the danger of touching Little White and promised to get him a horse in the future.
• Little Haozi excitedly ran home, shouting that he was going to have a horse.
• Su Qiao returned home and found the old man, the old woman, and the family gathered in worry, with Su Yichen and Su Yihe back early from school.
• The old man worried that Feng Han might take Su Qiao to the capital and reflected that she had saved his life.
• The old man wondered how events might have changed if Xia Xiaodie had not led Su Qiao into Coal Mine.

Su Yaohui’s family learned that the powerful Overlord of the Eastern Depot was interested in Su Qiao because she had helped him in the mine. After hearing how brutally he had purged the local offices, they abandoned their hopes of gaining wealth or status and focused on staying alive.

• Su Yaohui and Zhou Lihua asked the old man how Su Qiao had come to know the lord.
• The old man explained that Su Qiao had helped the lord while rescuing him in the Coal Mine, and that the lord’s White Tiger was attached to her.
• Zhou Lihua scolded Su Qiao for refusing the lord’s jade pendant and offer of a favor, lamenting the lost chance to gain an official position and wealth.
• The old man revealed that the lord was the Overlord of the Eastern Depot and commanded the Imperial Guards, then described the deadly purges after the mine incident.
• Su Yaohui’s family grew frightened and stopped discussing official positions, silver, and servants.

Su Qiao explained the dangers of officialdom and advised Su Yaohui to avoid becoming an official, while giving Su Yichen guidance on preparing for a future career. The chapter ended with Su Yichen asking about the high-ranking Hanlin academician Su Qiao had vaguely credited with the saying about travel and reading.

• Su Qiao warned Su Yaohui that officials needed to be shrewd and cautious to avoid being framed and endangering their families.
• Su Qiao outlined ways to think ahead and guard against risks, mainly for her eldest brother, Su Yichen.
• Su Qiao advised Su Yichen to travel widely before entering officialdom or business so he could gain experience.
• Su Yichen asked who had said that traveling ten thousand miles was better than reading ten thousand books, and Su Qiao vaguely attributed it to a Hanlin Grand Academician.
• Su Yichen asked Su Yaohui what rank that official held, and Su Yaohui said the title belonged to a very high-ranking official.

Su Yichen decided to travel and broaden his horizons after the prefectural exam, while his family discussed how to keep him safe. The family agreed to postpone rebuilding their home until their business brought in more money.

• Su Yichen told his family he wanted to see the world, and Su Qiao offered to accompany him, but the elders refused to let her travel.
• Su Qiao proposed buying two martial-arts-skilled servants to protect Su Yichen, and the family agreed he could travel after finishing the prefectural exam.
• Su Yichen returned to his room to study, determined to pass the exam.
• Su Yaohui felt dispirited about giving up his hopes of becoming an official, and the old man encouraged him to focus on the family’s growing livelihood.
• Zhou Lihua suggested expanding the house, but Su Qiao urged the family to wait until their business deal brought in money.

Su Qiao’s family discussed their profitable sales and planned to make more cloth goods, while her grandfather suggested involving his younger brothers’ families. The old madam objected, and Su Qiao recalled that the brothers lived at the family orchards in the mountains.

• The old madam asked Su Qiao about the bolts of cloth, and Zhou Lihua admired a green one before Su Qiao took it back for making goods.
• Su Qiao reported earning sixteen taels from the day’s sales and showed the family the cloth and scrap fabric she had bought.
• Su Qiao proposed opening two stalls, and Ernie said customers had eagerly bought all the shoes and socks.
• Madam Liu agreed to make more goods, while Ernie worried that the family could not produce enough before others copied them.
• The old master proposed asking his younger brothers’ families to help, but the old madam reminded him that they had not visited during his troubles.
• The old master explained that he had told them not to come and that they lived at the orchards in the mountains.

Su Qiao arranged for the old madam to use leftover fabric and went to draw designs, while the old madam sent Zhou Lihua home with food and ordered Madam Liu to cook. Ernie learned that Madam Liu had been sent to the Su family as a child bride and could not return to her birth family.

• Su Qiao agreed to use leftover fabric for the embroidery and went to draw colored designs for the embroiderer.
• The old madam gave Zhou Lihua cured meat and eggs, then sent Madam Liu to prepare food for the children.
• Ernie followed her upset mother to the kitchen, and Su Huaizi tried to comfort Madam Liu.
• Su Yihe told Ernie that Madam Liu had come to the Su family at seven as a child bride from a poor family deep in the mountains.
• Ernie realized that Madam Liu had no maternal relatives to support her, unlike Zhou Lihua.

Su Qiao and Zhou Lihua traveled by ox cart to visit Zhou Lihua’s family in Shahe Village, bringing cloth, scraps, cured meat, and eggs. They arrived to a warm welcome, and Su Qiao greeted her many relatives.

• Su Qiao refused to take Little Haozi along and promised to teach him martial arts after he learned the characters on his first writing page.
• Su Qiao drove the ox cart while Zhou Lihua and her carried the goods toward Shahe Village.
• After more than three hours, Su Qiao and Zhou Lihua arrived in Shahe Village, where the villagers were surprised by the gifts they had brought.
• Zhou Lihua rushed into her family’s courtyard and greeted her mother, who welcomed her inside to rest.
• Su Qiao greeted Old Master Zhou and the rest of the Zhou Family, and Old Master Zhou looked her over in surprise.

Su Qiao visited the Zhou family with her mother, Zhou Lihua, and surprised her relatives with her changed appearance and polite manner. She brought gifts from the Old Su Family, and her grandmother asked her to explain how she had helped her family earn money.

• Su Qiao greeted her cousins politely, astonishing them with how much her appearance and personality had changed.
• Old Madam Zhou welcomed Su Qiao warmly and admired how pretty she had become.
• Su Qiao unloaded two pieces of cured wild boar and thirty eggs from the ox cart, explaining that her grandmother had sent them.
• Zhou Lihua proudly told the Zhou family that Su Qiao had found ways to make money and helped her family earn silver.
• Old Madam Zhou seated Su Qiao on the heated brick bed and asked her to tell them about it.

Su Qiao explained to the Zhou family how she earned 110 taels from her toothbrush and tooth-powder recipe and recounted the Liu Family’s misconduct. The Zhou family wanted to retaliate against Liu Yuehong, but Su Qiao urged them not to push the imprisoned family too far.

• Su Qiao explained the toothbrush and tooth-powder business, surprising the Zhou family with its 110-tael earnings.
• Old Master Zhou asked whether Su Qiao’s recipe was reliable, and her eldest maternal uncle told the family about rumors that the products were harmful.
• Zhou Lihua recounted how the Liu Family had sold the products dishonestly and later accused Su Qiao of hiring people to smash their shop.
• The Zhou family grew furious and wanted to confront the Liu Family, but Su Qiao warned them not to drive them into desperation.

Su Qiao reassured the Zhou Family that her tooth powder was safe and revealed that she had invented writing paper and coarse paper. The Zhou elders refused to take her secret tooth powder formula, while Old Master Zhou became keenly interested in the writing paper.

• The Zhou women discussed Liu Yuehong's grudge against Zhou Lihua before Old Master Zhou stopped them from speaking of the past in front of the children.
• Old Master Zhou asked whether Su Qiao's tooth powder formula was safe, and Su Qiao and Zhou Lihua reassured him that customers had used it without problems.
• Su Qiao offered to give the formula to Old Master Zhou, but he and the old lady refused to take the Old Su Family's secret recipe.
• Zhou Lihua revealed that Su Qiao had also invented writing paper and coarse paper, then showed the family a sheet of writing paper.
• Old Master Zhou sat up and asked if the writing paper was real, and Su Qiao confirmed that she had made it herself.