During the reign of Emperor Shenzong, Wang Anshi had just taken office as chancellor. The court was rife with conflict, tensions running high. Yet Suzhou Prefecture in the Great Song was alive with music and dancing, its streets lined with shops. On a secluded Crossroads Street, right beside the city wall, stood a century-old establishment in an area mostly inhabited by idle soldiers. The shop’s business was as strange as its name: it sold supper, so people called it the Night Shop.
After transmigrating, Su Xiaonü became the owner of the Night Shop. Her husband had taken over the little business but refused to run it properly, devoting himself instead to the sages’ teachings and spending every day quoting poetry and the classics. He simply had no interest in the shop’s business. With no other choice, Su Xiaonü had to take on the burden for her husband and work the night shift.
Her husband exclaimed, “My wife, you really are a benefactor!”
Su Xiaonü frowned. “Sigh. I’m only doing it to put you through your studies.”
