There is a happy inn in the capital.

Chapter 369 Liking is Important

Yuya Porcelain Workshop

Li Shuchen was warmly greeted by the shop staff as soon as he stepped off the carriage.

"Miss Li has arrived, please come in."

Is your boss here?

"The master is studying upstairs, please follow me."

Li Shuchen followed the shop assistant into the warm room, plopped down on a stool, and started eating nuts while talking.

"You're quite diligent, juggling both your studies and career. Wouldn't it be more peaceful to study at home?"

"I wasn't waiting for you to come, so you wouldn't come to the porcelain workshop looking for me and I wouldn't be there, making you make a wasted trip," Cheng Zhi'an said with a smile, putting down his book and waiting for Li Shuchen to continue.

Li Shuchen raised an eyebrow upon hearing this: "How did you know I was coming to see you?"

"Young Master Ruan told me that he ordered a batch of refreshing mosquito repellent from you, and thinking that you would need to buy some containers, he waited for you here," Cheng Zhi'an said in a gentle tone, but with a very firm confidence.

Li Shuchen grinned: "You guessed right, I'm here to order porcelain vases from you."

Cheng Zhian smiled slightly: "Tell me your requirements."

"I need a thousand bottles, the color must be sky blue, the size of a wound medicine bottle, the stopper must be red to symbolize good fortune, and most importantly, the words 'Refreshing Mosquito Repellent, Produced by Happiness Inn' must be printed on the bottle, with the words 'Happiness Inn' in larger size than the others."

After speaking, Li Shuchen thought for a moment, "Wouldn't there be too many words? Would it be difficult to print?"

Cheng Zhian smiled faintly and said, "It's alright, as long as Shu Chen has any needs, I can investigate."

"Let's talk about the price then. How much silver do you want?"

One hundred taels of silver will suffice.

"Huh? Did you hear me wrong? I want a thousand bottles, not a hundred."

"You heard me right. Shu Chen's requirements aren't high and are relatively easy to fulfill. This price is the result of my careful consideration; I'm absolutely not underestimating Shu Chen."

"That's good. By the way, have you ever been tormented by other clients?" Li Shuchen asked with a gossipy look, her eyes sparkling, which made Cheng Zhian laugh. She nodded in agreement.

"Some customers are really difficult. For one product, I gave them more than a dozen options, but they were not satisfied with any of them. In the end, they still chose the first one after much deliberation. It's really a headache."

"It's tough, so tough, making money is really hard," Li Shuchen complained, then glanced at the delicious milky nuts in his hand and laughed, "Luckily, there's delicious food in the world to keep me company, otherwise what would I use to comfort myself?"

"Shu Chen is absolutely right."

"Brother Cheng, when are we going to the Happiness Inn? Didn't you say you wanted to discuss the details of the mosquito repellent bottle with Miss Li?"

Ruan Jingshang rushed into the house and was utterly astonished to see Li Shuchen eating nuts.

"Miss Li, what brings you here?"

"Why can't I come?"

Ruan Jingshang glanced at Cheng Zhian, then at Li Shuchen, and suddenly walked dejectedly to the table and sat down.

"I was thinking of asking Brother Cheng to take me to the Happiness Inn to find Miss Li, but I didn't expect Miss Li to come first."

Upon hearing this, Li Shuchen understood immediately, popped a nut into his mouth, and crunched on it, gloating.

"Someone seems a little sad that their plan didn't work out."

"My heart is open and honest, what ulterior motives could I possibly have?" Ruan Jingshang said righteously.

"Oh? Didn't you want Cheng Zhian to take you to the Happiness Inn so you could bump into Princess Changning?"

Ruan Jingshang blushed upon hearing the sensitive words, and his voice lowered slightly, "It's been a while since I've seen her. I heard she's fully recovered, and I need to see her in person to put my mind at ease."

"It's only been about ten days since we last met, how can you say it's been 'some time'? Oh, I see, a day apart feels like three autumns, so these ten days apart feel like more than thirty autumns. More than thirty autumns is more than thirty years. In that case, it's not a matter of 'some time' at all, it's clearly half a lifetime apart."

Ruan Jingshang blushed, lowered his head, and smiled without saying a word.

"What, are you shy? Listen to me, am I right? Say something!"

"Shu Chen, let him off the hook. He's just a young man experiencing his first love; he can't take your teasing."

Cheng Zhian spoke up to defuse the situation.

Ruan Jingshang then raised his head, and, as if remembering something, suddenly asked Li Shuchen excitedly.

"Miss Li, you left late at the banquet. Did Princess Changning see the crown? Did she like it?"

"I saw it, but," Li Shuchen sighed.

Ruan Jing's heart leaped into his throat. "Doesn't Princess Changning like it?"

"The gift was from Cheng Zhi'an, why are you so nervous?"

"It doesn't matter who gave it to her, what matters is that she likes it."

Ruan Jingshang spoke earnestly, as if 'she liked it' was more important than whose name the gift was given in.

Li Shuchen decided not to tease him any further and answered truthfully.

"Changning really liked the gift, but after learning that it was given by Young Master Ruan, she considered returning it."

"I don't want it. If you like it, why return it?" Ruan Jingshang answered quickly, as if afraid the gift would be returned to him.

"Don't worry, I've persuaded Changning, she won't pay you back."

"Shu Chen, how did you know that the crown was a gift from Brother Ruan?" Cheng Zhi'an suddenly asked.

Li Shuchen casually replied, "Just a guess."

"Thank you for speaking up for me, Miss Li. I'd like to invite you to Xiangchi Tower another day to express my gratitude," Ruan Jingshang suddenly stood up and bowed, startling Li Shuchen.

"No need. You gave Changning a gift she liked. She's happy, and I'm happy too. That's enough."

Li Shuchen stood up. "If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."

Cheng Zhian got up and walked to Li Shuchen's side.

I'll see Shu Chen off.

Back to the Three Treasures Hall of Happiness Inn

Li Shuchen leaned against the window, watching the 'bulky' people moving back and forth on the street. The weather was getting colder day by day, and some people were already wearing cotton-padded coats.

"Miss, Aunt Zhang said it's going to snow in a few days," Grape said, bringing a brazier into the house and adding some warmth to the room.

"Really? If so, I should go and collect my flowers." Li Shuchen reached out his hand in front of the charcoal brazier, feeling a warmth different from that outside the window, and realized that winter had quietly arrived.

"Shu Chen, the flowers in Hundred Flowers Manor are in full bloom. They should be picked now, or they'll freeze," Ye Bingli said, taking off her azure cloak and handing it to Grape.

"I was just planning to go to Hundred Flowers Manor tomorrow to collect all the flowers. Would you like to come with me, Bingli?"

“Okay, I was just thinking about which flowers to keep for winter sale,” Ye Bingli said, sitting down next to Li Shuchen.

Li Shuchen looked at her delicate hand, its fingertips slightly red, and reached out to touch it.

"Your hands are so cold, you must have caught a chill on the way here. Let me warm them for you," he said, taking Ye Bingli's hands and placing them over the charcoal brazier, rubbing them together repeatedly.

"I'm prone to feeling cold; my hands and feet are often icy," Ye Bingli smiled, letting Li Shuchen 'touch her all over'.

"It won't do to stay this cold. I'll take you to Qingde Medical Clinic to see Doctor Sun and get a prescription for treating cold constitution."

"It's alright, it'll warm up after a while. Touch it, you've already warmed it up for me."

Li Shuchen carefully felt around and realized it wasn't as cold anymore, but it wasn't hot either, so he spoke.

"Listen to me, you need to get your body in shape like mine, so your hands stay warm even in winter."

"Having Shu Chen around makes me feel warm."

"I hope you'll feel warm even without me."

Ye Bingli smiled and agreed.

"it is good"