144 Quickening Heartbeat
Su Binglan needed another herb to do it, but there were no pharmacies in town that sold it, and she could not find it when she went to the back of the mountain. With that, she had to delay her father’s treatment.
Moreover, she needed a lot of money to buy herbs and build surgical tools, so she thought of saving money before surgery. Now that her family’s businesses were doing well, she could finally perform the surgery.
She was now mentioning these things to the Su family because Su Fengmao wanted to help in the shops, even though it was inconvenient for him.
Su Binglan’s heart was uneasy when she saw the anxious look in her father’s eyes. Hence, she said these things out loud to cheer everyone up.
Indeed, Su Fengmao was thrilled. His eyes reddened as he said, “If you say you can do it, I will believe you.”
“Father, let’s work and save more money for now. I’ll get someone to build the surgical tools and search for the needed herbs. I can treat your foot then.”
Su Fengmao choked up and said, “O-Okay.”
Su Binglan thought of something and said, “Also, today was our grand opening, and we earned plenty because of our ample preparations. Even though we might not be able to prepare as much tofu and desserts as we did today and might sell less, our business will thrive.
“We can still earn at least two silver taels from the dessert shop daily and one silver tael daily from the tofu shop. All that will add up in a month, which will be plenty for us.”
Su Wenzhe calculated silently as his heartbeat quickened. “So, the tofu shop will earn 30 silver taels a month or 360 in a year. That’s a lot!”
Shen Qiuhua thought of the past and compared them to the future. She said smilingly, “We will have a better New Year celebration this time around!”
Everyone looked forward to the New Year now that Shen Qiuhua had mentioned it. Even though it was only autumn, winter would arrive in a few months, and the New Year would soon be around the corner.
Time passed quickly, and one could tell how other families’ conditions were whenever one visited them. With that thought, Liu Yinyin thought of returning to her parent’s house during the first month of the New Year to show how well she had been doing so her family could rest assured.
…
After dinner, Su Binglan took 82 coins from the savings and said, “This is the money Grandpa and Grandma made from their small baskets. I recorded it in the account book. I will bring the money to them soon.”
The family recorded what the shop sold in an account book, and Su Binglan had already calculated how much she should bring to her grandparents.
Su Wenzhe removed 710 coins from the savings and said, “This is the money Uncle Fengchen’s eggs made.”
Su Binglan took the money from her big brother and said, “I’ll bring these to them too.”
She would not go to her grandparents’ house empty-handed, so she packed some snacks in her basket before leaving.
When Su Binglan arrived in the vicinity of her grandparent’s house, she could see the lights from a distance and hear dogs barking as she walked past a few houses along the way. When Su Binglan arrived at her grandparent’s door, it was still open.
Su Teng Village was at the foot of a mountain where the villagers were simple, honest, and united. They always helped each other with everything they did.
The village was also peaceful, and no one would close their doors so early at night. It was convenient for the neighbors to knock on each other’s doors if they needed something. The villagers would only close their doors whenever they were about to sleep.
When Su Binglan arrived at her grandparent’s house, she called them, “Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle Fengchen, I’m here!”
Her grandparents and uncle did not sleep after dinner. Instead, they made small baskets while Su Fengchen prepared more eggs near the brick bed.
At that moment, the three heard Su Binglan’s voice and quickly put down the things in their hands. “Quick, Binglan is here!”