Su Minguan smiled and stood up: “Forget it, the tea money doesn’t go to you anyway.”

After his travels, his skin had been tanned to a wheat color, his whole body more solid, his facial features more defined. Only his eyes remained as always – distinct black and white, bright as morning stars.

He had the deep, expressive eyes characteristic of South Chinese people, with a touch of water town elegance. As long as he was willing, he could look at anyone with tender affection, making people feel like a spring breeze.

Lin Yuchan had become immune to this gentleness. People with fierce looks weren’t suited to being crooked merchants – someone like him was most suitable. Who knew how many people had been deceived by his smiling daggers along the way?

She asked curiously: “Why didn’t Mr. Rong return with you?”

Su Minguan feigned grievance: “Here I am right in front of you, and you don’t ask about me first, but ask about someone else.”

Lin Yuchan: “…”

Such a grown man, acting like a little brother – wasn’t he embarrassed?

She smiled and changed her words, pretending concern: “Why aren’t you together with Mr. Rong?”

Su Minguan’s eyebrows twitched with anger as he turned to inspect the merchandise shelves, casually taking a dozen imported lemon soaps and tossing them to her to ring up.

When taking the soaps, he noticed a thin layer of dust in the shelf crevices. This pile of soaps hadn’t been touched for at least three days.

He imperceptibly curled the corner of his mouth, a trace of schadenfreude flashing across his face.

“Business is good – congratulations on getting rich,” he joked for a couple of sentences to satisfy his verbal addiction, then immediately got to business, telling her, “Boss Rong is still unloading cargo at the dock. He’ll probably arrive tonight.”

Indeed, Rong Hong had hired Yixing for escort duty, with the Yixing boss personally accompanying the ship, already an exceptionally preferential treatment. Once they reached Shanghai territory for docking and unloading, Su Minguan naturally didn’t need to continue following along – he could have his subordinates handle it.

He gestured with his eyes toward the drawer under the counter: “I came to get the final payment.”

Lin Yuchan put his soap money separately in the change box above, saying with difficulty, “I don’t have the key, come back tomorrow.”

“Just kidding, I got the final payment long ago.” He laughed heartily, then was shocked, “Wait, Rong Hong asked you to work but won’t let you touch the cash box?”

Lin Yuchan shook her head, indicating she had only come voluntarily to help mind the shop as a favor, not serving as an accountant.

Su Minguan shook his head repeatedly: “Certain people are becoming more and more hopeless.”

He took over as host, starting to help her put up the door boards.

Colorful flower petals were scattered in front of the door. The Western ladies lingered among the flowers, picking fresh blooms to adorn their chests and hair. As they moved about, petals fell to the ground, creating a scene of romantic charm.

“You’re not even getting paid, yet you stood here all day? Come on, let me treat you to dinner.”

Lin Yuchan didn’t move, smiling: “Don’t you need to go back to Yixing first to check on business and the books?”

Su Minguan thought for a moment and said, “I need to take care of my shareholder first.”

His smile spread, his beautiful eyes infinitely sincere, with irresistible warmth.

For a moment, Lin Yuchan felt this shareholdership was worth it.

She half-resisted, half-complied as she closed up shop, locked the door, and walked with him through the alleyways, only then suddenly realizing:

Wait, there was no “dinner invitation” clause in the shareholder benefits of the contract!

Su Minguan asked excitedly: “How was your summer? Those tea leaves were all sold by you, right? Tell me about it – how did you sell them?”

The ship journey had been boring. Though he’d only been in the business briefly, he’d figured out the entire industry within a couple of days. During the remaining days, whenever he had time, he couldn’t help thinking that this silly girl would certainly not be idle on the Shanghai Bund, wondering what colorful life she’d designed for herself. The more he thought about it, the more curious and itchy he became, so he came to see what was new as soon as he got off the ship.

Today, Lin Yuchan wore an azure cloth jacket and pants, with fresh little wildflowers pinned in her braids, quite having the air of a delicate young girl. Walking side by side with him inevitably drew frowning and sideways glances.

Especially after entering the county town area, some passersby couldn’t stand it, spat, and muttered quietly about “corrupting public morals.”

Su Minguan restrained his smile, swept over with a sharp look, and the refined Guangdong youth instantly transformed into a Northeast “what are you looking at?” type, backing that meddlesome passerby to the other side of the alley.

Lin Yuchan pursed her lips in a small smile, quietly reminding: “Young master, you’re getting too carried away.”

Su Minguan had a “mind your own business” expression, pointing to a restaurant and asking boldly: “Nothing’s fresher than June crabs – want to eat hairy crabs?”

This was the biggest business deal he’d completed to date. Moreover, Rong Hong had signed a long-term contract with him – all future escort orders would be exclusively handled by Yixing.

For once in his life, he allowed himself to get “carried away.”

When getting “carried away,” one needed a clear-headed person nearby.

When he jumped off the ship, he had gone through the list of all reliable subordinates at Yixing in his mind. But in the end, he decided he didn’t want to eat crabs with a big man.

The crab restaurant was small-scale, with only one private room, fortunately unoccupied. Su Minguan threw down a handful of money and booked it directly.

It wasn’t that he was showing off wealth. Men and women dining together was indeed too improper to do publicly. But people still had this need – for instance, ordinary couples going out for a good meal, or families sitting together drinking tea and playing mahjong – how could shop owners not make money when it was there to be made?

So they all prepared private rooms, meaning you could close the door and mingle however you wanted – they didn’t care.

Of course, what could be done was limited to “mingling.” If the people inside dared do anything outrageous, police would generally burst through the door quickly, shouting “checking for secret prostitution,” giving you a lesson.

Since coming to the Qing Dynasty, Lin Yuchan rarely ate at restaurants. Seeing Su Minguan expertly booking a private room, following her cautious life principles, she briefly suspected his motives.

However, after the hairy crabs were served and she saw that after washing his hands, he was single-mindedly focused on shelling crabs, shelling three without even looking up, she knew she’d been overthinking and felt a bit ashamed.

“A’Mei, you don’t know how to shell crabs.” He finally found time to look up, laughingly mocking her, “Eat the ones I’ve shelled first – look, you’re practically drooling.”

Lin Yuchan was unconvinced. Of course, she knew how – but even in her previous life, she’d rarely eaten whole crabs, though she quite liked crab sticks. Shelling slowly was perfectly normal!

Who was like the person across from her, with unbelievably nimble hands, dismantling one in no time, faster than loading bullets!

So-called “June yellows” were juvenile versions of hairy crabs, climbing ashore early after the Beginning of Summer. They could be stir-fried, but were best steamed. After steaming, the meat was tender and juicy, the outer shell crispy, the flowing fat golden yellow and plump. Dipped in a dish of refreshing fragrant vinegar, mixed with a spoonful of white sugar and ginger, one bite included meat and shell together, crunchy and fragrant, truly fresh and delicious.

Paired with Shaoxing Huadiao wine, sweet and mellow, filling the room with fragrance.

The capable should do more work – Lin Yuchan unceremoniously picked at the crab meat he’d shelled, smiling as she asked: “Did you often eat this as a child?”

“How could I eat it often?” Su Minguan replied, “In the whole household, we’d only have a few dozen each year. Extremely expensive, kept in ice boxes and rushed to Guangzhou by fast boat – usually only a small portion survived. My mother wouldn’t let me eat too much either, saying it hurt the stomach.”

Past events had all gone with the wind – he didn’t always look gloomy and tragic when mentioning his mother. Recalling childhood joys, his face glowed as his tongue licked away a bit of crab roe from his lips, truly like a twenty-year-old big child.

Hearing his description, Lin Yuchan suddenly realized –

How could ancient Guangzhou people have had opportunities to eat Shanghai hairy crabs? This extravagantly luxurious feudal bourgeoisie was enjoying nationwide express delivery service that wouldn’t exist for another two centuries!

In later times, this would be normal consumption for ordinary people, but in the current era of widespread suffering and war…

No wonder there were revolutions – they deserved it.

However, now that he’d returned to the proletariat, earning money with his own hands, being able to enjoy a good crab meal, she was happy for him too.

Especially since she could mooch several for free.

The waiter lifted the curtain, all smiles: “Young master, miss, this basin of water is for washing hands – if it gets dirty, just call me to change it.”

As the waiter spoke, he wondered. Usually couples entering this private room were legitimate “master and madam” or “sir and madam.” Today this girl hadn’t put up her hair, so could only be called “miss” – but why would a miss go out alone to meet a man without even bringing a maid? Could it be an elopement?

We don’t know, we don’t dare ask, just hope the police don’t come “checking for secret prostitution.”

Su Minguan caught the waiter’s expression from the corner of his eye and understood. He calmly put down a crab leg and magnanimously tossed out a silver coin.

“These June yellows need to be dipped in special Zhenjiang fragrant vinegar to have flavor. You don’t even know this? Go get a bottle.”

Getting a bottle of vinegar with a one-jiao tip. The waiter agreed with a smile, shouting loudly as he left: “Master and madam are waiting, the vinegar is coming right away!”

Lin Yuchan coldly observed his little scheming, quietly reminding: “This young lady is newly widowed – please mind your reputation.”

If you want to pretend we’re a couple, please die first as a show of respect.

Su Minguan glared at her fiercely. She raised her small chin, looking back innocently.

Who told her official status to be “widow”? After the holidays, during the Municipal Council population census, she’d shown her customs documents and registered very smoothly.

Mentioning this, she suddenly remembered: “Your identity – didn’t the authorities suspect anything?”

Su Minguan smiled, quietly telling her: “The one in charge of household registration for my area is a Small Sword Society fugitive suspect, a longtime admirer of the former Jin Lanhe.”

Lin Yuchan: “…”

The Qing Dynasty had been infiltrated like a sieve.

No wonder modern Shanghai became the “Little Paris of the Orient” and “Adventurers’ Paradise.” Just based on this come-one-come-all immigration policy, all kinds of demons and monsters could settle down – how could it not prosper abnormally?

After two crabs, Su Minguan’s euphoric mood finally settled seven-tenths, his whole person becoming steady again, landing back on earth.

The 1,500 tael silver order was just the beginning, only enough to bring Yixing back from the dead. The real challenges were far from over.

Looking at the crab shells before him, and the fair with a hint of pink little girl’s face behind those shells, he willfully thought: just this one meal.

After leaving this warm restaurant and returning to the cold jungle, society wouldn’t be too late.

He mixed the ginger and vinegar well and pushed it toward her.