"Probably around nine o'clock." Mu Shi'an didn't have a watch and could only estimate roughly.
"Nine o'clock?!" Song Nianchu looked as if the sky had fallen. She immediately threw off the covers and scrambled to get out of bed.
"What's wrong?" Mu Shi'an asked.
"How can you even ask me that? It's already past nine—why didn’t you wake me up? Aunt Wu and the others are waiting for me to deliver the ingredients!"
"Oh no, oh no, I’m going to be late now!" Song Nianchu’s voice trembled with urgency.
"Don’t worry, I’ve already delivered the ingredients for you," Mu Shi'an stopped her.
"You delivered them for me?" Song Nianchu looked up in confusion.
"Mm. This morning, I saw you were sleeping so soundly that I couldn’t bear to wake you, so I took the ingredients over ahead of time," he explained.
"That’s a relief." Song Nianchu exhaled deeply, then glared at Mu Shi'an. "This is all your fault. If I hadn’t been able to deliver on time today, you’d be sleeping with Haoxuan and the others for the next month!"
Nothing could come between her and her earnings!
"Last night was my mistake. I’ll be more careful in the future—whatever you say, I’ll listen," Mu Shi'an lowered his voice.
"Hmph."
Song Nianchu only snorted in response. She used to think Mu Shi'an was gentle and obedient, but now she realized that was all an illusion.
Beneath that refined and elegant exterior lay a restless, rebellious heart.
"Do you want to rest a little longer? I checked with Aunt Wu—their progress isn’t delayed," Mu Shi'an pretended not to notice the accusation in Song Nianchu’s eyes.
"No, I need to go supervise in person." Song Nianchu continued getting dressed.
This was the early stage of the studio’s development—every step had to be carefully monitored. If anything went wrong now, all their future plans would be ruined.
"Then take your time." Mu Shi'an bent down to straighten her shoes.
"Alright, you go ahead and get to work too. I’m not as fragile as you think." Song Nianchu was immensely grateful for her stamina—otherwise, she might’ve really been out of commission today.
"I’ll walk you there." Mu Shi'an still seemed uneasy.
"No need!" Song Nianchu refused outright.
If Hua saw Mu Shi'an escorting her over such a short distance, she’d undoubtedly spout some outrageous nonsense.
Song Nianchu quickly finished getting ready, checked herself in the mirror to make sure nothing was amiss, and prepared to head to the village office.
But after just two steps, she suddenly remembered something and turned back to Mu Shi'an.
"Changed your mind?" Mu Shi'an’s eyes lit up hopefully.
He thought she might let him accompany her after all.
"Because of your antics last night, I almost forgot something important." She glared at him.
"What important thing?"
"Yesterday, when I was delivering goods with your cart, an employee from the glass factory and the manager of the market both wanted to buy carts from you," Song Nianchu said.
"Buy carts?" Mu Shi'an was taken aback.
"Yes. After trying yours, they thought it was much better than what they’d used before. The market manager wants three, and the glass factory worker wants one—so four in total."
"I also checked the market price. Regular handcarts sell for about twelve yuan, but they’re not as good as yours—the materials aren’t as sturdy. I think we could sell yours for fifteen, but for long-term business, twelve might be better."
"Twelve yuan for one cart?" Mu Shi'an blinked in confusion.
"Is that too low for you? But Qinghe County’s standard of living isn’t high. If we price it any higher, most people won’t be able to afford it." Song Nianchu misunderstood his hesitation.
"No, not too low—too much!" Mu Shi'an quickly clarified.
"Too much?" Now it was Song Nianchu’s turn to be surprised.
"Making a handcart isn’t that complicated. If I focus, I can finish one in about three days. Twelve yuan seems like too much." Mu Shi'an had never been money-minded, but back when he worked in Jing City, his monthly salary was only thirty yuan.
A single cart costing nearly half a month’s wages would be unaffordable for most.
Song Nianchu immediately understood—Mu Shi'an, the ever-altruistic teacher, was back in action.
She wasn’t angry, though. Instead, she laid out the numbers for him.
"Twelve might sound like a lot at first, but your skills are invaluable. There’s no competing product on the market right now. If I didn’t sell it at a fair price, I’d be practically giving it away."
"Besides, the materials cost money, and your time is valuable. We can’t just hand them out for free, can we?"
Mu Shi'an’s gaze flickered slightly. "I didn’t mean giving them away. I just… never mind. I don’t understand these things well. Like before, I’ll handle the making, and you handle the rest."
"Deal!" Song Nianchu agreed readily, then confirmed, "So you’ll take the order for four carts?"
"Can I? Would this get me reported?" Mu Shi'an was still uneasy.
He wanted to earn money, but their family couldn’t afford another penalty.
"If it were just you, it might be tricky. But you’ve got me—I’ll talk to the village chief and make it official." Song Nianchu winked at him.
Mu Shi'an paused, then chuckled. "Then I’ll leave it to you."
"No trouble at all. Just make a few more net-weaving machines for the chief, and he’ll agree to anything." Song Nianchu laughed.
"I should have three more ready by tomorrow."
"That fast?"
"With more people helping, I’ve switched to batch production. It’s much more efficient than working alone," Mu Shi'an explained.
"That’s perfect. I’ll tell the village chief the good news later."
"Alright."
"..."
In the end, Song Nianchu still refused Mu Shi'an’s offer to escort her to the village office.
She slipped out quietly on her own.
When she arrived, Aunt Wu and the others paused their work and gathered around her.
"Nianchu, weren’t you sick? Shouldn’t you be resting at home?"
"Yeah, you still look a bit pale. Do you need to see a doctor?"
"Go back and rest—we’ve got everything under control here."
"..."
Everyone chimed in with concern.
"I’m fine. I rested at home and feel much better now. How’s everything going here?" Song Nianchu wasn’t sure what Mu Shi'an had told them, so she quickly changed the subject.
"Don’t worry, we’ll definitely finish in time for your delivery. We’ve gotten better at coordinating—we’re even faster than yesterday!" Aunt Wu reassured her.
"That’s great." Song Nianchu sighed in relief.
Once everyone was convinced she really was fine, they returned to their tasks.
Song Nianchu looked for something to do as well, but when she glanced up, she noticed Mu Deyi standing at the doorway, watching her with a grave expression.
Song Nianchu hesitated for a moment before stepping forward, cautiously asking,
"Accountant Mu, is there an issue with the accounts?"
