Chapter 138

Chapter 138

Wang Ying was unaware that someone was plotting against him. The reason he hadn’t opened the shop today was to look for a new storefront.

With him away, Lin Sui couldn’t manage everything alone, so he simply closed the shop for the day, allowing everyone a day of rest.

Now with over thirteen hundred guan in hand, Wang Ying planned to rent a better storefront and upgrade the decor to justify higher prices for his ice drinks.

Just imagine—who would buy a bowl of shaved ice for fifty wen from a run-down stall?

Wang Ying first visited the government brokerage. At this time of year, shops were hard to rent; most had been leased out early. The remaining ones were either poorly located or too expensive.

Finding nothing suitable after a thorough search, Wang Ying gave the broker a string of coins and asked him to keep an eye out for any urgent shop transfers.

The broker, pleased to accept the money, readily agreed. In their line of work, leasing a shop could earn them several hundred wen in commission, so they were naturally eager to help.

After leaving the government brokerage, Wang Ying visited several private brokerages. Having lived in the prefectural city for half a year, he was well-versed in the market, knowing exactly which private brokerages were reliable and which were disreputable.

The one he visited was Sun's Brokerage, run by a man in his thirties named Sun Peng. Not only was Sun Peng efficient and articulate, but he also had an excellent reputation in the city.

As he entered, a clerk greeted him, "Welcome, sir. Are you here to buy or sell servants, or to rent or buy property?"

"I’d like to rent a shop. Do you have anything suitable?"

"Please wait a moment. I’ll fetch the manager for you."

Soon, Manager Sun emerged from the back, all smiles. "You’re the manager of Mixue, aren’t you?"

Wang Ying was surprised. "You know me?"

"Your shop’s ice drinks are my son's favorite. I bought some for him a few days ago."

Wang Ying smiled. "I see. We're honored that your son enjoys them."

"Please, have a seat. What can I do for you today, Manager Wang?"

"I’d like to rent a spacious shop, preferably closer to Zhengtong Street."

"Is your current shop’s lease expiring?"

"Not yet."

Sun Peng understood: business was so good that he planned to open another shop. "Please wait a moment. I’ll get you the list of recently available shops for rent."

"Thank you for your trouble."

"No trouble at all. Zhuzi, pour some tea for Manager Wang."

While Sun Peng was away, Wang Ying observed the brokerage. The shop wasn’t large but was meticulously clean, with several well-tended potted plants nearby. On the wall hung a painting of "High Mountains and Flowing Water," flanked by the large characters "Prosperous Business."

Sun's Brokerage certainly lived up to its reputation as the best in the city; Manager Sun’s demeanor and professionalism were truly commendable.

Soon, Sun Peng returned with a wooden tray holding a stack of papers listing recently available shops for rent.

Sun Peng selected a few and placed them on the table. "These are all in good locations. This one is at the intersection of Zhengyang Street and Zhengtong Street, where passersby are all affluent. It used to be a pawnshop, but the owner ran into some trouble and went out of business. It’s been available for rent since last month."

Wang Ying picked up the paper and examined it carefully. The shop’s dimensions were clearly listed: 4 zhang long by 3 zhang wide. The rent was 750 guan per year.

Far too expensive!

The daily income from shaved ice was about ten guan. In two months, the weather would cool down. As for milk tea, it hadn’t been sold yet, so its sales were unknown. If it didn’t sell well, his earnings wouldn't even cover the rent. No, that wouldn't work.

Wang Ying put down that paper and picked up a few others. Most rents were over 500 guan, but their locations weren’t as good as the first one. There was also a restaurant for transfer with an annual rent of 1,100 guan. He didn’t even need to look—it was absolutely unaffordable.

Sun Peng seemed to sense his hesitation regarding the price. "If you had come earlier in the year, there were many good shops available for three or four hundred guan. At this time, there aren’t many shops left for rent."

"I’ll keep looking. If nothing works out, I’ll try again next year."

"Certainly. I’ll also keep an eye out for you. If there’s a cheap shop in a good location, I’ll have my clerk notify you."

"Oh, thank you so much!"

"Don’t mention it. That's my business, after all."

Without a suitable shop available for the time being, Wang Ying had no choice but to continue operating his small shop.

He had originally rented it for its low cost. The shop had a narrow doorway and was cramped inside. When selling vegetables, it was fine, as most customers were servants from wealthy families who were generally polite and would queue orderly.

Now, however, most customers buying ice pops were uneducated common folk. Arguments often erupted over a few words, and shortchanging was a frequent occurrence.

A bamboo-tube ice pop cost ten wen, but some would throw down eight or nine wen on the table and grab the ice pop before Lin Sui could count the money. After this happened multiple times, Lin Sui was so upset she was in tears. But with many customers still waiting in line, she had no choice but to accept the payment and serve the next person.

To address this, Wang Ying had to call in Er Shun and Uncle Chen to help maintain order. He and Lin Sui handled the money, which significantly sped up sales.

*

On the tenth day of the fifth month, the prefectural school was on break, and Chen Qingyan and the others returned home.

The three of them had packed their belongings the night before. At daybreak, after the teacher finished assigning homework, everyone shouldered their book bags and carried their bundles, ready to go home.

When they reached the main gate, they noticed their family’s carriage hadn’t arrived, but the Liu family’s carriage was there instead.

Liu Changyi waved from the carriage and said, "Big brother, Qing Huai, Brother Song, ride with us."

"No need, that’s too much trouble."

"What trouble? It’s just a short detour. Besides, there’s some homework I don’t understand, and I’d like to ask Big brother for help."

Hearing this, Chen Qingyan agreed. He asked the gatekeeper at the prefectural school to relay a message to their family’s carriage if it arrived, so they wouldn’t miss each other.

The three of them boarded the Liu family’s carriage, which was much more spacious than their own. It even had a small table with a drawer underneath containing snacks prepared by Qin Furong.

Liu Changyi opened the drawer, took out some preserved fruits and melon seeds, and handed them to the three. However, his real purpose in offering them a ride was to secretly catch a glimpse of Qing Yun.

With less than a month until their engagement, Liu Changyi had bought a jade hairpin to give to her.

Fifteen minutes later, the carriage stopped at the Chen family’s doorstep. Chen Qingyan casually invited, "Chang Yi, come in for a while."

"Sure!" Liu Changyi immediately followed them out of the carriage.

Coincidentally, Qing Yun was in the courtyard with Yuanbao, chasing butterflies. When she saw her brothers and younger siblings returning, she happily rushed to greet them.

"Dad!"

"Yuanbao~" Chen Qingyan set down his book bag and picked up his son. Qing Huai and Qing Song followed, playing with their nephew.

Only Liu Changyi stood there, nervous and unsure what to do with his hands and feet, offering a timid greeting.

When he spoke, Chen Qingyun noticed him standing there and blushed. The two stood rooted to the spot, too shy to say another word.

Chen Qingsong came to the rescue, pulling Liu Changyi along and saying, "Brother Chang Yi, come inside and sit for a while. I’ll put the luggage away. Sis, please brew a pot of tea."

"Yes." Qing Yun scrambled to the side room, all arms and legs, leaving Chen Qingyan and Chen Qinghuai exchanging amused glances before bursting into laughter.

Chen Qingyan scooped up Yuanbao and asked, "Dad hasn't been home—have you been mischievous these past few days?"

"No, Yuanbao listens to Papa."

"Where is your Papa?"

"At the shop selling ice. The ice is super tasty."

Lately, with the hot weather, Wang Ying occasionally let Yuanbao have a little iced treat, but being cautious of the child's fondness for cold treats, he dared not let him have too much for fear of causing diarrhea.

"I'm going to check on him." Chen Qingyan handed his son to Qing Huai and went back to the bedroom to change his clothes.

In the main hall, Liu Changyi sat rigidly in a chair. Shortly after, Chen Qingyun came in with a teapot to pour him some tea.

"I—I can pour it myself," Liu Changyi quickly said, taking it from her. In his haste, he spilled some hot water on the back of his hand.

"Ow—"

Startled, Chen Qingyun immediately took out a handkerchief to wipe his hand. "Oh dear, it's all red! Quickly, go outside and rinse it with cool water."

"No, no, it's fine, it doesn't matter."

"No, it'll blister." Chen Qingyun took his arm and pulled him into the courtyard, scooping cool water from a jar to pour over his hand.

The burn felt much better. Liu Changyi's gaze fell on Chen Qingyun's dark hair at her temples, his heart racing, and he quickly turned his head away.

"Does it still hurt?"

"Not anymore..."

"I'll go get some burn ointment. Wait here."

"Don't trouble yourself."

"No, you need your hands for writing—we can't risk a scar." Chen Qingyun hurried into the house.

When Chen Qingsong came over, he found Liu Changyi standing alone, holding his hand and grinning foolishly, not responding when called. Waving a hand in front of his eyes, he said, "Brother Chang Yi, what are you doing?"

"Nothing, nothing. I just accidentally scalded my hand."

Seeing the red mark on his hand, Chen Qingsong thought to himself, *He's smiling after burning his hand? Did the heat mess with his head?*

Soon, Chen Qingyun returned with burn ointment and handed it to her brother. "You help Brother Liu apply this," she said, then turned to leave.

"Qing Yun, wait!" Liu Changyi quickly took a small wooden box from his robe and handed it to her. "I saw this on the street recently and thought it would suit you, so I bought it. I hope you don't mind."

Hesitating for a moment, Chen Qingyun took the box from him, thanked him, and hurried back to her bedroom.

Chen Qingsong, holding the burn ointment, rolled his eyes so hard he nearly saw his brain. *So Brother Chang Yi's real reason for escorting us home was to give my sister a gift!*

*

Meanwhile, Chen Qingyan headed toward their shop. After being apart for ten days, he missed his husband Wang Ying dearly.

Because there were others in the dormitory, he hadn't dared to enter the experimental plot during this time.

The prefectural school dormitories were assigned based on exam results. Class A had ten fixed rooms, each housing four people. Chen Qingyan and Chen Qinghuai shared one, while Chen Qingsong stayed in the Class B dormitory area.

Their two other roommates were Lin Zhen, who ranked second in the academy exam, and Shen Mengzhou, who ranked third. The group got along well despite their age differences being small.

As he approached the shop, Chen Qingyan saw a large crowd gathered outside and couldn't suppress a smile. A Ying had said the popsicle business was even better than the vegetable business—it seemed to be true!

But as he got closer, he realized something was wrong. The crowd was noisy, seemingly discussing something.

"Excuse me, excuse me!" Chen Qingyan elbowed his way through and saw a wooden plank in the middle of the crowd with a body laid out on it, covered by a white cloth.

A man who looked to be in his twenties knelt beside it, crying and saying, "My brother ate their iced drink, then went home with a stomachache. We called a doctor, but it was too late to save him—the poison killed him!"