The noon heat made the Qinhuai River dock streets even noisier than usual. In this wharf district packed with shops, cargo moved constantly between boats and warehouses. Behind the modest Su Cloth Merchants storefront sat their massive warehouse, its side entrance wide open for easy access. An entire shipload of goods was making its way over from the docks—porters, clerks, and cargo creating a minor traffic jam as they streamed through.

The Yangtze's upstream flooding had driven disaster victims¹here from everywhere, and once Jiangning closed its gates against them, the lockdown could last a month or two. Sure, cloth merchants trapped inside would take losses when that happened, but they still needed full warehouses. They'd weathered this before—just follow the usual playbook.

The warehouse's outer area resembled a large apothecary, with huge shelves displaying some fabric boxes and storing various dyes. Carefully preserved samples were still being brought in and placed on the counter for Manager Liao and the relevant clerks to inspect. But besides Manager Liao who ran this shop and warehouse, Su Tan'er herself was also behind the counter, examining each item.

Early autumn hadn't brought much relief from summer's heat. Su Tan'er had dressed simply today in the style of a married woman—white dress with sky-blue collar and cuffs, nothing fancy but fresh and elegant all the same. While workers hustled in and out, she moved behind the apothecary-style counter checking newly arrived boxes, sniffing contents, pulling out cabinet drawers to inspect what was already stored, calling out instructions as she went.

"Cinnabar, madder root, alum, iris flowers, wintergreen... these mousetail leaves look off. Manager Liao, come check this... The gallnuts over there are moldy too. I know they're just for inventory counts, but swap out the bad ones anyway. Water damage? Have someone fix that section this afternoon... Xing'er! Over here..."

"It'll probably take another hour to finish unloading. The boat won't wait, so tell them to keep unloading. Have Longqing Restaurant prepare better food—there should be meat. Another ship arrives this afternoon, today will be exhausting. See if we can finish everything before midnight. Make sure there's enough tea, and buy a load of cold jelly from the street corner for those who like it—good for quenching thirst."

This shipment contained diverse items: raw materials for dyes, finished dyes, silk, completed fabrics, even looms. With so much variety all crammed into this warehouse, some would need redistributing to other storage facilities. Amid the bustle of porters and clerks, Su Tan'er and girls like Xing'er blended in without any awkwardness—mainly because Su Tan'er had long mastered these operations.

Manager Liao could handle everything fine without her, but the workers got better treatment when she showed up. Tight deadlines with heavy loads? Finish early and she'd hand out bonuses herself. When she really needed people to push hard, she made it worth their while.

After instructing Xing'er to handle food and drink arrangements and finishing counter duties, she headed out toward the docks, Manager Liao and a clerk hurrying after her. This street mixed all types—though not as chaotic as the old Haiqing District docks, it still gathered people from all walks of life. Behind the bustling business lay various tangled interests, with gangs fighting over territory. Every few days saw fights big and small. But Su Tan'er had grown familiar with the atmosphere here. Walking along, she even helped steady a box for two clerks carrying it. When they hastily thanked her, she just smiled: "No problem, hurry along."

The street churned with people, shops and merchants everywhere. When she brushed past a hurrying young man, Su Tan'er stopped dead. He'd turned too—her pink and white perfume pouch dangled from his fist. The delicate-looking woman had already caught the other end and wouldn't let go. He yanked hard trying to break free and bolt, but Manager Liao's clerk tackled him flat.

The crowd erupted into chaos. Su Tan'er's right hand had probably been scraped by the pouch's cord—she made a fist, frowning slightly as she watched. The young man scrambled up to keep running, managed two steps, then was punched to the ground by a large man coming from ahead.

Blood splattered. Su Tan'er turned her head and squinted slightly, then went to pick up the pouch and help the clerk up. Hanging the pouch back at her waist with lowered head, she sighed and walked quickly forward. Behind her, the beating continued: "Fuck! Are you blind!"

Not far from here by the river stood a small tea stall with an awning. A group of men sat resting inside, led by a thin middle-aged man with sharp, spirited eyes. Seeing her approach, he stood with a smile and clasped his fists: "Miss Su."

"Uncle Jing Wu." Su Tan'er returned the greeting with a smile, then glanced back. "Thank you, Uncle Jing Wu. It's been quite a while since something like this happened."

"Haha, some newcomer who doesn't know better trying to make it out here. His eyes aren't sharp enough. Since Miss Su has a kind heart, we'll let it go. Otherwise he'd lose a hand."

"It's nothing major. Missing a hand would make other work difficult too..."

Jing Wu ran one of the local gangs here at the docks—sworn brothers with Guard Geng from way back. Geng had filled him in on Su Tan'er's situation long ago. Once Jing Wu waved his hand, his boys stopped pounding the thief. Su Tan'er thanked him and continued to the cargo ship where Juan'er stood with her little notebook, checking inventory. Of the three maids, Juan'er had the steadiest head for details, so the fussy work always landed with her.

In the afternoon with white clouds drifting lazily, after unloading the ship's cargo, Xing'er had already arranged for food delivery. The porters and cloth merchant clerks gathered in the riverside awnings to eat. Xing'er carried a teapot making rounds—as head maid, her position in the Su household wasn't much different from Manager Liao's, so this was just symbolic. Juan'er and Su Tan'er sat at a table not far away with a small ledger, organizing records. They planned to eat food similar to the others, not much more. Lunch wasn't a fixed meal in these times, but for those doing physical labor, an extra meal was naturally better.

Everyone was already talking about the thief who tried to rob Su Tan'er and got a beating for it. Juan'er was also asking: "Young Miss, someone tried to steal from you earlier?"

"Mm, Uncle Jing Wu's men beat him." Su Tan'er answered simply, and Juan'er just nodded with an "Oh."

Among the others, the topic was obviously more complex.

Some porters didn't clearly understand Su Tan'er's identity, and there were new clerks in the merchant house. They whispered among themselves, clearly unable to comprehend why such a delicate woman would come manage these affairs. Women like her were usually kept out of such business. Though then again, the food and drink preparations were certainly generous.

These doubts emerged in bits and pieces, and naturally someone would explain.

"You don't know shit about our Young Miss..."

"She's gonna run the whole Su family someday."

"Surprised? 'Course you can't tell, looking at her..."

"See, she looks all soft and sweet, never raises her voice, but damn if she doesn't get things done proper..."

"The steel's all on the inside. When she gets mad? Those Su family young masters practically piss themselves..."

"Bet you didn't expect that, huh? Stick around and you'll see. Born a real lady, sure, but her brain's working ten steps ahead of yours..."

Soon after, the second large ship docked and everyone sprang into action again. Xing'er helped oversee the overall situation without problems—she excelled at this. Juan'er ran to the ship to first verify valuable items were accounted for. Su Tan'er sat at a table under the awning, turning to watch the large ship and observe the dock situation. From the other side where Jing Wu and his subordinates gathered, amid casual chat some people looked this way, familiar faces and strangers alike.

"The hell's a woman doing down here anyway..."

"That ain't just any woman, brother..."

"Fuck me, look at her though. Pretty little thing like that running around doing business? What a goddamn waste..."

"Shut your hole. She runs circles around your dumb ass in business."

"Bullshit."

"You blind or just stupid? See those married woman clothes? Used to come dressed as a man, and even then she looked too pretty for it..."

"She's married?"

"Yeah, took in some live-in son-in-law. A scholar."

"No balls on that one."

"Su family's loaded, dipshit. You were just drooling about making her your wife—think you could land her without crawling in as a son-in-law?"

"But a scholar? Guy's already under her thumb. I'm different, I got some muscle..."

"Hah! This one's dangerous, brother. Never raises her voice, never loses that smile, but somehow you end up doing exactly what she wants. Your muscles don't mean shit against that..."

The docks swarmed with activity inside and out. Managers and supervisors from every shop either watched from nearby or pitched in themselves. Of all these business types, nineteen-year-old Su Tan'er stood out like a sore thumb. Beautiful and kind to everyone—people couldn't help liking her even as she confused the hell out of them. For all her friendliness, there was something untouchable about her. Between her looks, her family money, and her sharp mind, most folks ended up feeling pretty small in comparison.

She couldn't stay out in public too long. After watching from the riverside awning a bit more, she headed back toward the Su shop—then suddenly broke into a little run across the street, smiling despite her frown. For the first time all day, she looked her age instead of steady and composed. On the far side, she nearly collided with someone coming the other way. The man looked surprised for a moment before breaking into his own smile. Everyone watched Su Tan'er curtsey with a grin, then fall into easy conversation right there on the street.

Everything about it—the curtsey, her expression, their easy manner—screamed 'wife greeting husband.' Or lovers meeting. That kind of natural intimacy you couldn't fake.