The Second Young Master’s Obedient Husband : Chapter 83

The next day, Liang Yu sent people to different places to thoroughly check the market conditions. In the evening, they compared their findings and selected a few shops, after which Su Qingyu would personally negotiate prices with them.

Once the shops were decided, Su Qingyu changed into proper clothes for meeting guests. Before setting out, he had already thought these things through and brought a set of the gold jewelry Liang Yu had given him, along with several nice outfits.

After washing up and dressing neatly, Su Qingyu arranged his hair into a bun in front of the bronze mirror, put on all the gold jewelry, and stood there looking splendid and wealthy, like a husband from a rich family who would not be easy to push around.

Su Qingyu’s spirited appearance was quite different from usual, and Liang Yu couldn’t help pulling him over to kiss him again and again. Looking at the little fellow with his flushed face, he confirmed that this was still his own well behaved and soft little husband.

Leaving the inn, Liang Yu also wore his best clothes and entered the fur shop with Su Qingyu. They were not in a hurry to discuss prices but first looked at the goods. They turned the furs on the shelves over and over, pretending to be picky and difficult, finding fault with everything while speaking with great expertise.

The shopkeeper saw that he was a knowledgeable customer and did not dare to neglect him, coming out personally to attend to them. Su Qingyu maintained his difficult demeanor: “The quality of these furs is so poor and you still put them out for sale. They are not even as good as the furs I bought at the town entrance. Even the worst goods from the north are much better than what you have in this shop. I have plenty of silver, so bring out the best you have for me to see.”

In business, the shopkeeper saw that both were well dressed and good looking, and the Liang Yu following Su Qingyu did not look like someone to be trifled with, so he swallowed his anger, smiled apologetically, and brought out the better goods. Su Qingyu picked out two or three furs with southern characteristics, settled the bill, raised his little chin, and left with Liang Yu.

The shopkeeper breathed a sigh of relief when the two left, thinking to himself that northern furs and mountain goods were all fine items, some of which were also rare in the south. If they really had such goods, it would be a good thing. After thinking it over, he sent a shop assistant to the town entrance to check the situation.

Qin Cheng had brought people to set up a stall at the town entrance. When he saw a shop assistant come to inquire, he was not in a hurry, dragging out the conversation with idle chatter. Sure enough, several more shop assistants came to ask, and the smooth talker secretly fanned the flames. Hearing the prices being reported higher and higher, he grinned from ear to ear.

…

After a busy day, they could finally rest a bit in the evening. Su Qingyu leaned against Liang Yu’s chest, looking at him eagerly like a child seeking praise: “I didn’t embarrass my husband, did I?”

Liang Yu pinched his face and laughed in spite of himself: “No, my husband is very clever. If it weren’t for you, I would still be worried right now, probably so worried I couldn’t even eat.”

Su Qingyu broke into a big smile at the praise, leaned forward and gave Liang Yu several fierce kisses, and said while leaning against Liang Yu’s chest: “When I was little, I followed my mother selling cloth, and this is how she taught me. Greet people with a smile, first listen to what they say, then consider what you want to say. People judge you based on appearances, so you have to make yourself look like someone not to be messed with, and then they will respect you…”

Liang Yu listened silently and attentively to the little fellow’s chatter in his arms, occasionally responding with a sound, watching his animated expression, his heart softening beyond measure.

…

Su Qingyu knew that putting on an act only worked with small shops. If they wanted to talk big business, they still had to visit shops one by one with their people. Medicinal herbs, mountain goods, furs, each category needed to find the right matching shop. He spoke politely but was unyielding when it came to prices. He yielded where he should yield and did not back down a single step where he should not. The shopkeepers saw that he was young and still a little husband, and tried to fool him several times, but he deflected them all with ease.

After selling for several days in a row, Su Qingyu gradually got the hang of it. Which shops were straightforward, which ones loved to press prices, which ones liked new goods, which ones specialized in buying furs, he had a clear account of them all in his mind. Negotiations became smoother and smoother, settling in one or two rounds instead of grinding for half a day like the first time.

These past few days, Su Qingyu had been sleeping later than usual. Dealing with merchants during the day was mentally exhausting, and when he came back at night he still had to check the accounts. Money coming in and going out was all recorded on paper, every entry needing to be carefully noted. Although Liang Yu was also out running around talking business with his people, the volume he closed was not as much as Su Qingyu’s, and Liang Yu couldn’t help with the accounts that Su Qingyu handled. He felt heartache at Su Qingyu’s exhaustion but had no good solution.

In the middle of the night, Liang Yu woke up and found the space beside him empty. Seeing the oil lamp lit on the table, he realized that the husband who fell asleep beside him every night would still climb up after he fell asleep to look at the accounts.

Su Qingyu was bent over the table, holding a brush and burying himself in catching up on the accounts he hadn’t finished during the day, his arms propping up the table, his head nodding bit by bit. He was probably sleepy but stubbornly refusing to go to bed.

Liang Yu got out of bed and walked over, taking the brush from his hand and frowning at him.

Su Qingyu raised his head and looked at Liang Yu with a face full of confusion.

Liang Yu put the brush away, took the accounts and put them in a chest, thought about it and still didn’t feel at ease, so he locked it. He threaded the key onto a string and hung it around his neck, not letting Su Qingyu take it.

Su Qingyu propped himself up at the table, still wanting to get the account books back: “Husband, I only have a little bit left to record…”

“Record it tomorrow.”

Su Qingyu opened his mouth, still wanting to say something. Liang Yu blew out the lamp, lifted him from the chair, and carried him to the bed. The bed was soft and comfortable, and once Su Qingyu sank into it, he didn’t want to move.

Liang Yu lay down beside him, pulled him into his arms, and held him tight. Su Qingyu leaned against his chest, listening to his steady and powerful heartbeat, his eyelids growing heavier and heavier. He clearly still wanted to say a few things about the accounts, but his mind slowly stopped working, and he fell asleep in an instant.

…

The next evening, after they had finished their work, Liang Yu held Su Qingyu against the head of the bed and said: “I want to discuss something with you.”

Su Qingyu leaned obediently in his arms and listened. Liang Yu rubbed his head: “Selling goods is something for everyone, it can’t all depend on you alone. I want to pick a few clever men to follow you and learn how to sell things. Even if they can’t help with anything major, they can at least sell at the stalls, so you don’t have to carry everything alone and can’t even sleep peacefully every day.”

“Husband, actually I can manage it alone…”

Liang Yu interrupted him: “It’s not about whether you can manage it or not. All day long, you not only have to do the accounts, but also help at the stalls selling goods, deal with those merchants, and then come back to check the accounts. What time did you sleep last night?”

Su Qingyu fell silent.

Liang Yu kissed his face and sighed: “I’m not saying you can’t work, but I can’t let you carry it all alone. These things were never meant to be your sole responsibility.” Su Qingyu’s nose stung, and he turned his face to bury it in Liang Yu’s chest, saying in a muffled voice: “I just… feel happy.”

“Even if you’re happy, it won’t do. If you work yourself to exhaustion, who am I going to cry to?”

Su Qingyu lay silently in Liang Yu’s arms, unable to stop the sweetness welling up in his heart. After a while, he puffed out his cheeks, looked up, and said in a tone that sounded like a complaint but was actually a spoiled act: “Husband, you are so fierce, you don’t look like someone who feels heartache at all.”

Looking at the pitiful accusation from the person in his arms, Liang Yu gritted his back teeth but still couldn’t hold back. He pinched his cheeks and kissed the little fellow who was pushing his luck until he was thoroughly subdued.

Su Qingyu was kissed into submission, lying obediently under the quilt and no longer making trouble. Seeing Liang Yu blow out the lamp and get into bed, he crawled into Liang Yu’s arms, closed his eyes, and soon fell into a deep sleep.