Chapter Summaries

Su Qiao reassured Grandpa that Feng Han would not force her to go to the capital yet, and explained that he had offered to bring the whole Su Family there later. She left Grandpa to consider the matter and turned to her plans for designing bags, a house, and printing molds, then suggested buying a shop in town.

• Grandpa worried that Feng Han's power might force Su Qiao to the capital and ruin her future, but Su Qiao said he had agreed to let her stay for now.
• Su Qiao explained that Feng Han had offered to move the whole Su Family to the capital, where they could farm his land and live on his farmstead.
• Grandpa decided they should avoid going to the capital if possible, and Su Qiao said she was only fourteen and urged him to focus on building a new house.
• Su Qiao said she needed to draw designs for bags, the new house, and printing molds, then stopped at the door to suggest buying a shop in town.

Su Qiao and her family assembled a wind-powered water wheel to irrigate the village’s fields. The villagers gathered to watch as the old master explained how it could save them from hauling water by hand.

• The old lady proposed opening a small workshop in a store, and the old master agreed to let her handle the plans.
• Su Qiao returned from Shahe Village with her second maternal uncle and Fourth Male Cousin, who brought wooden parts for the water wheel.
• Su Qiao and her relatives assembled the wind-powered water wheel beside the river and placed it in the water channel.
• The old master explained to the gathered villagers that the wheel could use wind to send river water into their fields.

Su Qiao demonstrated a wind-powered water wheel to irrigate the rice paddies as Feng Han visited her at the river. The wheel began lifting water, impressing the gathered villagers.

• Old Master Xia apologized to Old Master Su for failing to visit after the incident at the coal mountain, and Old Master Su forgave him.
• Feng Han arrived at the riverbank, and the villagers, including Old Master Xia, knelt to greet him.
• Feng Han said he had come to see Su Qiao and asked about the water wheel.
• Su Qiao adjusted a wind wheel with 444’s help, and the sail began turning faster.
• The wind wheel set the water wheel in motion, drawing water into the wooden channel as the villagers watched.

Su Qiao and Feng Han discussed his return to the capital, and she promised to visit once his affairs were settled. The next morning, she hurried to North Mountain to give him something before he departed.

• Feng Han told Su Qiao he was returning to the capital the next day, and she said she would go there to farm once his business was settled.
• Su Qiao agreed to write to Feng Han through Yuan Wu, and Feng Han suggested carving her name on the wind-powered water wheel.
• At dawn, Su Qiao hurried to North Mountain, where Feng Han’s procession was preparing to leave.
• Su Qiao gave Feng Han a small handbag, while Yuan Wu and Yuan Liu wondered whether it contained food.

Su Qiao gave Feng Han a bag of medicines and poisons she had prepared for his dangerous mission, then sent him off while she returned to the mountain. Feng Han left with Yuan Liu and ordered Yuan Wu to protect her.

• Su Qiao showed Feng Han the medicines and poisons in her bag and gave him two improved healing medicines to take along.
• Su Qiao explained that she would not accompany Feng Han so she would not become a liability or expose their relationship, and urged him to act decisively.
• Feng Han promised to return safely and told Su Qiao to seek Yuan Wu at the other residence if trouble arose.
• Feng Han departed by carriage with Yuan Liu as Su Qiao headed toward the northern mountain to gather bamboo shoots.
• Feng Han ordered Yuan Wu to protect Su Qiao.

Su Qiao sold another batch of goods, bought a large shop in town, and began planning a department store while preparing to build a house and workshops. Meanwhile, Feng Han returned to the capital, where a sweeping purge began.

• Su Qiao and her family made seven hundred pairs of shoes and socks and five hundred bags, then sold them successfully in town and the county seat.
• Su Qiao concluded that Feng Han had secretly warned local shops not to compete with her goods.
• Su Qiao spent twenty-two taels to buy a large shop in town and planned to turn it into a department store.
• Su Qiao directed her maternal uncles and cousins as they laid the foundations and began constructing a building.
• Feng Han returned to the capital, where officials were stripped of office and imprisoned, and some families were executed after their estates were confiscated.

Feng Han waited for a letter from Su Qiao while granting her a County Princess title for her wind-powered water wheel. In Guyin Town, Su Qiao expanded her workshop as Xia Xiaodie secretly met Zhou Tianyou, and her system offered to show her what happened.

• Feng Han ordered Yuan Liu to have the Minister of Works submit a memorial proposing Su Qiao be made a County Princess for her wind-powered water wheel.
• Feng Han read Xiao Wu's report about Su Qiao's store and brick house, but refused Yuan Liu's offer to write to her.
• Su Qiao oversaw women making goods in her shop's workshop and taught Ernie to produce cosmetics and toiletries.
• Xia Xiaodie slipped out to meet Zhou Tianyou in a private room at a teahouse, and Xia Xiaodie offered Su Qiao a chance to watch their meeting.

Su Qiao checked on the flowers and the pit she had dug, while Xia Xiaodie learned that Zhou Tianyou’s family had lost its wealth and status after his father was imprisoned. The chapter ended with Xia Xiaodie questioning how the coal mine collapse could still have caused trouble when Zhou Tianyou had said the matter was over.

• Su Qiao left Ernie to continue mixing the materials and went to check the flowers drying in the backyard.
• Su Qiao’s host offered to bring up the screen and said the pit she had dug had not been useless.
• Xia Xiaodie told Zhou Tianyou that she loved him despite their different backgrounds and that both their families opposed the match.
• Zhou Tianyou told Xia Xiaodie that his family had lost its money, his father had been imprisoned, and their property had been confiscated.
• Zhou Tianyou blamed his father’s involvement in the coal mine collapse, and Xia Xiaodie asked why the matter had resurfaced after she thought it was over.

Zhou Tianyou asked Xia Xiaodie to find money to help rescue his father and restore the Zhou family, but she said neither her own family nor her maternal uncle could afford it. She blamed Su Qiao for her uncle’s troubles, leaving Zhou Tianyou astonished.

• Zhou Tianyou told Xia Xiaodie that the authorities were still investigating his father’s case and that turning things around might require a large sum of money.
• Zhou Tianyou asked Xia Xiaodie to lend him money, promising to repay her with interest after his father was released.
• Xia Xiaodie said her farming family had no money to spare and that her maternal uncle’s shop had been sealed after it was smashed.
• Xia Xiaodie blamed Su Qiao for her uncle’s misfortune and claimed Su Qiao had arranged the attack on his shop.
• Zhou Tianyou looked astonished and asked Xia Xiaodie whether Su Qiao had really caused the authorities to seal her uncle’s shop.

Xia Xiaodie left Zhou Tianyou after learning that Su Qiao had ties to the powerful figure at Guyin Temple, promising to ask her grandfather for help. Zhou Tianyou’s mother and sister revealed they were testing Xia Xiaodie’s willingness to help the Zhou family, and Madam Zhou promised to accept the marriage if Xia Xiaodie passed, provided Tianyou kept the test secret.

• Xia Xiaodie told Zhou Tianyou that Su Qiao might have a connection to the lord at Guyin Temple and said she would ask her grandfather to help raise silver.
• Xia Xiaodie left the teahouse feeling frightened and uncertain about her future.
• Zhou Tianyou joined Madam Zhou and Zhou Shirou in the next room and reported that he had followed his mother’s instructions.
• Zhou Shirou argued that Xia Xiaodie’s family had enough wealth to help and predicted that she would avoid Zhou Tianyou for several days.
• Madam Zhou praised Zhou Tianyou and promised not to oppose the marriage if Xia Xiaodie passed the test, but ordered him to keep it secret.

Su Qiao prepared for the opening of Su's Department Store, which quickly became a sensation in town. Feng Han heard of her success and grew irritated that she seemed to have forgotten him.

• Zhou Tianyou agreed to wait and see how Xia Xiaodie would choose, while Su Qiao and 444 anticipated the trap playing out.
• Su Qiao planned a grand opening sale and live raffle, and worried about whether the brushes being made for her would be good enough for makeup.
• After four days of preparations, Yuan Liu told Feng Han that Su's Department Store had opened and its goods were selling out quickly.
• Yuan Liu reported that Su Qiao's makeup skills and Rouge and Powder had drawn young ladies to Guyin Town, while traveling merchants sought partnerships.
• Feng Han recalled Su Qiao's medicine and deadly poison, then complained that she was busy enough to forget him.

Su Qiao explained that Imperial Guards were watching her shop and that partnering with the lord to open a bookstore was the safest way forward. Her family questioned her reasons, and she sent Xiao Hao to guard the courtyard while she prepared to explain further.

• Feng Han ordered Yuan Liu to choose fine gifts and find two reliable stewards to help Su Qiao.
• Su Qiao told her family that plainclothes Imperial Guards watched her shop and removed anyone who came to cause trouble.
• Su Qiao’s family asked whether she truly planned to partner with the lord to open a bookstore and whether it was an excuse to avoid giving her papermaking technique to her second uncle.
• Su Qiao asked Xiao Hao to guard the courtyard while she spoke with the family.
• Xiao Hao asked Su Qiao to teach him to read after their talk, and she agreed.

Su Qiao bought a comprehensive old-looking booklet from Little Four to explain the source of her recent inventions. She presented it to her family as the book she had found on the mountain, and the old master took it back from Su Yaohui and returned it to her.

• The old woman ordered Madam Liu and Zhou Lihua to join Sanlang, while Su Qiao left to retrieve something from her room.
• Su Qiao learned that Little Four had found a booklet covering crops, crafts, and other techniques, but it cost four hundred Points.
• Su Qiao decided to buy the booklet so her innovations would have a credible source.
• Su Qiao showed the brown-leather book to her family and said she had found it on the mountain and used its records for her recent methods.
• Su Yaohui and the others marveled at the book, and the old master took it from Su Yaohui and returned it to Su Qiao.

Su Qiao explained how Movable Type Printing Technique could make books cheaper and more plentiful, then proposed compiling a Tianyuan Dictionary. She left the family with a plan to publish the dictionary in two volumes, beginning with characters they knew and found in borrowed books.

• Su Qiao showed the family the book's section on Printing Technique and explained how it could replace slow, expensive hand-copying.
• Su Yaohui and Su Yichen questioned the unfamiliar steps, and Su Qiao said she had mostly understood them and prepared molds, though practical testing remained.
• Su Qiao described adding pine resin to clay, firing character types, and using ink to print with Movable Type Printing Technique.
• Su Qiao proposed creating a Tianyuan Dictionary to help students learn through Pinyin and look up character meanings.
• Su Qiao planned to compile a first volume from familiar characters and characters found in borrowed books, then finish a second volume later.

Su Qiao explained why partnering with the powerful lord could protect her family and help secure his future, while her grandfather worried about the dangers of their connection. Su Yaohui and Su Yichen resolved to pursue the examinations, and the family agreed to focus on their studies.

• Su Qiao told 444 that her partnership with the lord would protect the Su family and strengthen his legitimacy if he sought the throne.
• Su Qiao reassured her grandfather that the lord’s favor and protection would keep the family safe, and said she could kill members of the Imperial Family if necessary.
• Su Yaohui vowed to study for the examinations despite the short time remaining before the prefectural examination.
• Su Yichen also promised to work toward passing the county examination.
• The old man told Su Yaohui and Su Yichen to stop working at home and in the fields so they could study, and Su Qiao suggested hiring people to transplant the rice seedlings.

Su Qiao kept the valuable book safe and returned to town to manage her shop, while explaining why she would not simply use copied exam questions to help her family pass. Three days later, Feng Han received a thick letter and a small box from Su Qiao.

• Su Qiao reassured Su Yaohui and her grandfather that she had hidden the book somewhere secure, then left for town to watch over the shop.
• Su Qiao declined 444's suggestion to copy examination questions, saying her father and brother needed genuine knowledge and experience before becoming officials.
• Three days later, Yuan Liu brought Feng Han a thick sealed letter and a small wooden box that Miss Su had sent.
• Feng Han eagerly took the items from Yuan Liu, who was relieved that Su Qiao had finally sent something.

Feng Han read Su Qiao’s letter about her bookshop plans and her printing technique and dictionary, then accepted her proposed partnership. The chapter ended with him examining the heart-shaped keepsake she had sent, which resembled an object found in the Coal Mine.

• Yuan Liu praised Su Qiao’s elegant handwriting as Feng Han read her letter.
• Feng Han learned that Su Qiao planned to open a bookshop and invite him into a partnership.
• Feng Han studied Su Qiao’s proposal for a printing technique and dictionary, recognizing its risks and potential benefits.
• Feng Han signed the partnership agreement with his personal seal.
• Yuan Liu gave Feng Han a wooden box from Su Qiao, and Feng Han found a translucent heart-shaped object with a red leaf inside.
• Yuan Liu recognized the object as resembling one reported from the Coal Mine and wondered how it had been made.

Feng Han arranged protection and skilled workers to support Su Qiao’s printing project and businesses. Su Qiao finished the first booklet and prepared to open a bookstore and printing factory, while Feng Han offered money in exchange for a share.

• Feng Han ordered Yuan Liu to protect Su Qiao and her family, keep the Printing Technique and dictionary secret, and send obedient workers to assist her.
• Feng Han told Yuan Liu to urge the Minister of Works to advance the agricultural memorial concerning Su Qiao’s County Princess title.
• Su Qiao printed her first thin booklet, and Yuan Wu delivered two former shopkeepers with their indentures to help manage her shops.
• Su Qiao handed the Department Store over to the two stewards and focused on finishing the bookstore and building a Small Printing Factory.
• Yuan Wu brought Su Qiao four maids, four manservants, three master carvers, a letter from Feng Han, and one thousand taels offered in exchange for a share.

Su Qiao finished building a spacious farmstead for her family and secured the important designs she had prepared for Feng Han. After the family moved in and held a housewarming banquet, Feng Han’s public gift raised the Old Su Family’s standing in the village.

• Yuan Wu told Su Qiao that Feng Han had arranged protection for her family and would handle the rest of their important agreement.
• Su Qiao wrote Feng Han a reply and sent him a wooden box of designs, warning Yuan Wu’s trusted messenger not to open it.
• After more than a month of construction, the Su family’s new estate was completed with a larger courtyard, gardens, livestock sheds, a pond, and an orchard.
• Su Qiao smoked out the house with dried Mugwort Leaves, moved her family in, and turned their old hut’s site into a vegetable plot.
• The Su family held a housewarming banquet, where Yuan Wu presented Feng Han’s congratulatory gift and villagers reconsidered causing trouble for them.

Su Qiao encountered Zhou Tianyou outside Willow Tree Village after Xia Xiaodie had avoided him, and told him that Xia Xiaodie had fled when she saw him. She also revealed that Xia Xiaodie’s family was arranging her marriage to a wealthy widower, leaving Zhou Tianyou shaken but still defending Xia Xiaodie.

• After seven days without hearing from Xia Xiaodie, Zhou Tianyou went to Willow Tree Village to look for her.
• Zhou Tianyou met Su Qiao as she returned in her carriage and introduced himself as her brother’s schoolmate.
• Su Qiao told Zhou Tianyou that Xia Xiaodie had hidden behind the village’s eastern banyan tree and run away when she saw him.
• Su Qiao said Xia Xiaodie’s family was choosing a wealthy, widowed merchant as her husband.
• After Su Qiao departed, Zhou Tianyou wondered whether Xia Xiaodie had truly avoided him, but dismissed the possibility and blamed Su Qiao’s words.