Chapter Forty-One: Opening

Chapter 41: Grand Opening

Aunt Yu was still a bit slow to grasp the situation. She took a bite of meat, raised an eyebrow, and said, "How should I know? I haven't asked around. Who asks Sun Shi if she needs money—who talks like that?"

Dahu poked his rice with his chopsticks. Uncle Li kept his head down, and Erhu glanced at Dahu but remained silent.

Dahu pressed his lips together. "But having a shop, whether rented or bought, means they have extra money. They don’t need our meager contributions."

The Li family had been working in the county for a month. Last month, they gave the Xiao family five hundred wen. That wasn't much at the time, but they had earned a lot since then.

They set up stalls both morning and evening, and Uncle Li also worked odd jobs in the morning. In a day, they could make four or five hundred wen. After accounting for rainy days, their total earnings amounted to about nine taels of silver. However, they had to give twenty percent to the Xiao family, leaving seven taels for themselves.

Two taels might not be a significant sum for the Xiao family, but for the Li family, it was a fortune. Dahu, at sixteen, was of marriageable age, and to him, two taels was already a considerable amount.

They rented their house but needed to buy one. They also had to save for wedding expenses. With so many family members, a small house wouldn’t suffice. Every single coin was crucial to the Li family now. Earning a few taels a month, it would take many months to buy a house. They weren't sure if they could save enough even by the middle of next year.

Dahu lowered his head. "Mom, if Aunt Sun’s family were poor and struggling, with two elderly people and a pregnant woman, I’d help without a second thought. But now, our family is much worse off than theirs, yet we’re still giving them money."

Dahu felt they shouldn’t always dwell on the difficulties faced by the Xiao family with two elderly people and a pregnant woman. They should also consider their own circumstances. The family needed to save for a house and for his marriage. What kind of times were these, still handing over money to others who didn’t even need it?

When they lent money to the Xiao family, they didn’t have much savings either, but they still lent one tael. He hadn’t been happy about it back then, but Mother Yu said the three of them were having a hard time and they should help if they could.

Besides, it wasn't as if the money wouldn't be repaid. They’d been neighbors for over ten years; surely they could trust each other that much. They say help those in need, not those who are merely poor. Dahu agreed with helping, but what was this situation now?

The family worked from dawn to dusk to earn this much. The Xiao family’s business had always been better than theirs. Now that the Xiao family was opening a shop, should they still help? Why should those without money help those who have it? He was grateful to Lin Qiuran for providing a way to earn money, but when Lin Qiuran went to work in Yu Village, it was his mother who made the introduction.

There were so many ways to show gratitude. Did it have to be money? Couldn’t they just bring gifts during festivals? Besides, the family was so tired they fell asleep as soon as they got home, and the Xiao family only gave them the recipe.

And back then, Lin Qiuran had politely declined, but his mother insisted on giving.

Aunt Yu now understood what Dahu was getting at. She had wondered why he’d been so quiet and hadn’t eaten much today.

The kitchen candle flickered. The five of them sat around the table. Uncle Li didn’t speak, just shoveled rice into his mouth. He must have been persuaded by Dahu on their way back that afternoon. Erhu was still young and didn’t understand these things. Peach Blossom was even younger, her eyes full of confusion.

Aunt Yu had been happy for the Xiao family and, since their own family was earning money, had prepared this nice meal.

She nodded slightly. "Fine, we won’t give the share. Tomorrow, you and your dad find jobs in the county, whether regular work or apprenticeships. Just don’t stay idle at home. Erhu too, don’t sit around doing nothing. Earn however much you can. If we can’t make it in the county, we’ll go back to the village."

Dahu was dumbfounded, his initial joy at hearing they wouldn’t give money now replaced by bewilderment. "Mom, I only said we shouldn’t give them a share. I didn’t say we should stop working."

Aunt Yu slammed her chopsticks on the table. "What else is there to do?"

The bang made everyone jump.

Dahu’s lips moved, but no words came out. Aunt Yu shot him a look. "You still have the nerve to work? This recipe came from the Xiao family. Without it, could you have earned this much? If you don’t want to give the share, fine, but I'd be too ashamed to keep selling this on the street."

Aunt Yu was furious, working herself up as she spoke. "How can you think like this? Don’t you know about gratitude? All you think about is money. Keeping eighty percent for ourselves still isn’t enough for you? However much they earn is their own skill. Without their recipe, we’d be nothing!"

Dahu muttered, "Mom... I’m not saying I’m not grateful to the Xiao family. It’s just that they don’t need the money, and we really do. There’s no need to show gratitude with money."

Aunt Yu was even glad Dahu brought it up now. If he married later and they all sold sauce pancakes together, teaching his wife the recipe, the two might go off on their own.

Aunt Yu said, "I’ll make this clear: no matter how much the Xiao family earns, it’s their own skill. If we want to make sauce pancakes, we give them twenty percent. If we don’t, then we don’t, and they won’t have anything to say. You have to know how to be grateful. If you can’t even be a good person, you can’t run a good business."

Under the candlelight, Dahu’s face turned red, whether from shame or something else.

Uncle Li nodded. "Your mother is right. Without the Xiao family, we wouldn’t have moved to the county. We should know how to be grateful."

The Xiao family had only wanted to help them. They were the ones who insisted on giving the money. Now that the Xiao family was earning, they wanted to take it back? That’s not how things are done.

"Money can be earned slowly. If you treat others well, they’ll treat you well. We’re new to the county and don’t know anyone except the Xiao family. If we stop giving the share, this relationship will break." Uncle Li sighed. "Think long-term. Don’t always think that being able to go out and sell is your own skill. Without this recipe, we’d have nothing."

Aunt Yu saw Dahu lower his head. "If you have a better way to earn money, no matter how much, we won’t give it to the Xiao family. But this isn’t it. I even think twenty percent is too little. You’re not in charge of family matters. Your father and I aren’t dead yet."

Aunt Yu glared at Uncle Li, who smiled awkwardly. He had initially thought since the Xiao family didn’t need the money, giving less wouldn’t matter, but then he realized it was wrong.

The Xiao family hadn’t even asked for the money; they were the ones who insisted. Now they wanted to take it back? That’s not how you do things.

Dahu nodded. "...I’ll listen to you, Mom."

Aunt Yu didn’t believe him. She had lost her appetite. When Dahu reached for some meat, she smacked his chopsticks away. "How dare you eat meat after this?"

After dinner, Aunt Yu reminded Peach Blossom, "Don’t tell anyone the recipe, no matter who asks."

Peach Blossom nodded without understanding. "Mom, I won’t tell anyone."

After this incident, Aunt Yu thought even more. Since moving to the county, their small stall business had been doing well, and lately, people had been asking about Dahu.

Dahu had plenty of ideas, so they needed to find him an honest, kind-hearted wife. If they picked someone competitive and narrow-minded, they’d be bringing a source of trouble into the family.

Aunt Yu was truly angry that day. The next day, she brought over their share.

The two families hadn’t signed any agreement. Aunt Yu had never done business before, so she just brought the money whenever she had time. She smiled and said, "This time it’s a bit more than last time. Our family owes it all to you. I don’t even know what to say."

Sun Shi was happy for her. "It’s because you’re hardworking and capable. Now that you’re earning, you can find a wife for Dahu. Wait a moment, let me get you some bean cake."

Sun Shi gave Aunt Yu two jin of bean cake. It was sent over by Wufangzhai. Wufangzhai’s business was good, but occasionally they had leftovers. Unsold bean cakes weren’t sold the next day. Steward Xu, who managed the shop, sometimes sent them over.

Aunt Yu was surprised. The share was only two taels, and now she was getting two jin of bean cake? How could she accept? "No, no, keep it for Qiu Ran."

Sun Shi pushed it into Aunt Yu’s arms. "We have more at home. Take it back for the kids."

Aunt Yu thought of her ungrateful son who said they shouldn’t give the share. She felt ashamed, but since Sun Shi insisted, she had to take the snacks back.

When she got home, Dahu came to look. Aunt Yu glared at him. "This is from your Aunt Sun. You’re not allowed to eat any."

*

Sun Shi took the purse inside and gave the silver to Lin Qiuran. "Aunt Yu came to deliver the share."

Lin Qiuran felt the weight; there were two taels inside. Just when money was tight at home, an extra two taels could solve an urgent problem.

Now money was needed everywhere. Pots, pans, and dishes cost one tael and five qian. Then there were testing recipes, seasonings, spices, and other miscellaneous things—everything required money.

They also went to the government office to get a business permit. The permit itself didn’t cost money, but Lin Qiuran spent some to grease some palms for future convenience. The money they’d earned these days was quickly spent.

With these two taels, they now had three taels and five qian left for emergencies, so money wouldn't be so tight.

Lin Qiuran smiled. "This comes at just the right time, arriving right when we’re short."

The family planned to open on the sixteenth. These past few days, Lin Qiuran had been going to the shop to test recipes and get familiar with the stoves. Wan Niang also came to help.

She had a child, who was still young and needed breastfeeding, so her mother brought the child along and looked after them in the next room.

At first, Lin Qiuran was worried Wan Niang would be distracted by the child, but it was fine. Only when Aunt Xu called would Wan Niang go over.

In a few days, Wan Niang had learned how to prepare the dishes. Shredded potatoes were soaked after cutting, and some shredded carrots were added.

For poached sliced pork, the meat was sliced against the grain, patted with the back of a knife, and dipped in a little starch. At first, Wan Niang was slow because she wasn’t familiar, but she was careful and meticulous, doing everything well without Lin Qiuran having to redo it.

Once the ingredients were prepped, it was time to start cooking. The Poached Sliced Pork was made with bean sprouts and tofu sheets, the Ginger Duck was prepared with rice wine and ginger slices, along with crispy fried pork and cold dishes like braised pig liver and pig ears—all finalized after three test runs.

For the staples, there were fermented rice steamed buns and rice, prepared in advance.

Wan Niang spent the whole day busy alongside Lin Qiuran. Since giving birth, she hadn’t been out much, but now that it was her first time out, with her daughter nearby, she didn’t have to worry and quickly found herself completely immersed in the work.

With no customers yet, the dishes Lin Qiuran made ended up being eaten by them. The Poached Sliced Pork was fragrant and numbing-spicy—just one bite of the bean sprouts and tofu sheets, and Wan Niang had never tasted anything so deliciously spicy.

There were also vinegar-braised cabbage, Sour and Spicy Shredded Potatoes, crispy rice crust potatoes, braised cold dishes, and pork skin aspic… each one delicious. Moreover, Wan Niang felt that aside from Lin Qiuran’s steamed buns being tasty, even the steamed rice was more fragrant than what she made at home.

She couldn’t help but ask, "Qiu Ran, where did you buy this rice?"

Wan Niang wanted to buy some too.

Lin Qiuran smiled and said, "It’s just regular rice, but I added a bit of glutinous rice to it, which makes it shinier and stickier when steamed."

Of course, the amount added mattered—too little made no difference, too much made it unpleasantly sticky, tasting like bland zongzi.

Wan Niang chuckled, "I see."

It was the fifteenth today, and tomorrow was the grand opening. Wan Niang took a deep breath—the food was so delicious, and there were already regular customers before; business should be good tomorrow.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Xiao Dashi returning from outside. He had bought two strings of firecrackers to set off tomorrow.

No one knew how business would fare. For the first day, they didn’t prepare too much food: twenty catties of red-braised pork, ten catties of braised lamb, and twenty fish kept alive in a bucket. They also prepared thirty catties of pork, as dishes like Poached Sliced Pork and minced pork tofu would require it—this couldn’t be overlooked.

As for vegetables, tofu, and bean sprouts, Lin Qiuran prepared a day’s worth. If all of it sold, the daily revenue could exceed three thousand wen. For a food stall, the profit margin was about sixty percent, which was quite substantial.

Since it was cold, the ingredients would keep for several days. Lin Qiuran planned to stew two ducks first and keep the rest at home. If they didn’t sell well, they could always eat them themselves—she quite liked Ginger Duck.

While preparing everything, she didn’t feel much, just focused on making sure nothing was missing. But by the evening of the fifteenth, the thought of opening the next day made the whole family a bit nervous.

Sun Shi was the most anxious. She worried that business would be poor, that they might not even earn as much as they did from the stall, and that opening a shop might bring in less income—what would they do then?

Xiao Dashi felt the same, occasionally recalling the carriage they rode that day.

Lin Qiuran comforted her, "Mom, what we’re hoping for now is to earn a little money each day. No matter how much, as long as we’re not eating into our savings and just waiting for handouts. Our family isn’t exactly short on money—we’ve saved up for a house and a shop. Opening this shop is about making life a bit easier and more comfortable. Earning a little less is fine."

Lin Qiuran’s gentle voice eased Sun Shi’s worries a bit, but who would turn down more money? She still hoped to earn more while enjoying an easier life.

It really was easier. The next morning, Sun Shi woke up early, while it was still dark outside. It was only the fifth watch (around 3-5 AM), and without lighting a lamp, it was pitch black.

At this hour, Xiao Dashi would usually go to get the meat. When he returned, Sun Shi would cut the meat, blanch it, and caramelize the sugar, and then cook breakfast before waking Lin Qiuran. These past few days, though they weren’t running the stall, they still had to go to the shop to prepare and cook, so they woke up early.

But today, since they were only opening at noon, there was no need to get up so early.

Sun Shi tossed and turned, forcing herself to lie in bed until halfway through the mao hour (around 6 AM) before getting up. Xiao Dashi was also up, and the two of them split tasks—one fetching water, the other cooking. By a quarter past the chen hour (around 7:15 AM), Sun Shi went to wake Lin Qiuran. After a quick tidy-up and breakfast, the family headed straight to the shop. It was only three-quarters into the chen hour.

The sky wasn’t fully light yet, still hazy and overcast, but a streak of crimson on the horizon—it was going to be a fine day.

Soon, Wan Niang arrived too. Aunt Xu took the child to the side room, where there was a bed, table, and chairs for looking after the child.

Since the child still needed breastfeeding, she had to be brought along for now, but once older, it wouldn’t be necessary.

Xiao Dashi and Sun Shi kept busy, wiping down the tables and chairs on the first floor. Only the first floor was in use now; the second floor was cordoned off for storage. With nothing to do up front, Sun Shi went to the kitchen to help.

The meat that needed stewing was already on the stove. There were four clay pots in the kitchen and two stoves. Xiao Dashi had set up another one in the yard, so with two spots for stewing and one for stir-frying, it was more than enough.

The steamed buns and rice were cooked alongside the stewed meat to save firewood.

Two ke before the si hour (around 9:30 AM), all the dishes that needed advance preparation were on the stove. Xiao Dashi came from the front, "Qiu Ran, it’s almost the auspicious hour. It’s time to unveil the signboard."

The auspicious hour was set for two ke into the si hour, and it was approaching. Lin Qiuran followed Sun Shi and Xiao Dashi to the front. The opening of a new shop naturally drew a crowd of bystanders and curious onlookers.

Lin Qiuran didn’t recognize these people, but Sun Shi and Xiao Dashi spotted a few familiar faces.

When the time came, Xiao Dashi set off the firecrackers, and Lin Qiuran used a bamboo pole to lift the red cloth covering the signboard, revealing the words "Xiao Family Eatery" beneath.

She looked around and said, "Xiao Family Eatery is officially open today! We hope everyone will support us! On our first day, each table gets a complimentary pot of rice wine!"

After speaking, Lin Qiuran left the front to Sun Shi and Xiao Dashi. Since it wasn’t yet lunchtime, she went to the back to wait.

Sun Shi and Xiao Dashi, accustomed to selling at the market, were quite skilled at attracting customers. Lin Qiuran preferred staying in the back, cooking dish by dish, which brought her joy.

Shops lined both sides, and customers from nearby, curious about the new opening, stopped to see what was being sold.

Some inquired about the menu, and those who liked what they heard decided to come for lunch. The regulars from the county’s eateries were tired of the usual options, so a new place was a welcome change.

There were also regular customers from the Xiao Family stall—those with refined palates who had been waiting for the red-braised pork and braised lamb to satisfy their cravings. They came early to order.

One ordered a red-braised fish, a dish they hadn’t had in a while. Though the stuffed chili peppers were still unavailable, they were disappointed but found other options. Lin Qiuran had made nine copies of the menu, each with prices listed. For those who couldn’t read, Sun Shi and Xiao Dashi recited the menu—they had memorized it verbatim over the past few days.

Sun Shi and Xiao Dashi shuttled in and out of the kitchen. "Qiu Ran, one table wants eight dishes: braised food platter, red-braised pork, braised lamb, red-braised fish, shredded potatoes, minced pork tofu, Ginger Duck, and stir-fried cabbage!"

This table was a group of five regular customers. Sun Shi thought it was too much, but the customers insisted, ordering eight dishes straight away.

Soon, Xiao Dashi came in again, "Qiu Ran, one table wants two servings of red-braised pork, plus fish with pickled cabbage and shredded potatoes."

"Qiu Ran, another table wants braised lamb, Poached Sliced Pork, shredded potatoes, and fish with pickled cabbage."

…

Sun Shi and Xiao Dashi kept coming and going, taking orders for six tables in a row. The eatery had nine tables in total, each seating four, with benches allowing five or six people if squeezed.

Lin Qiuran was a bit nervous too, but she had a good memory. Wan Niang, however, was already confused, "Wait, how many servings of red-braised pork? How many of lamb? How many shredded potatoes? And how many Ginger Ducks?"

Lin Qiuran smiled and said, "Wan Niang, for dishes like red-braised pork, just give them to my parents when they ask. I’ll handle the rest. Four servings of shredded potatoes, three Ginger Ducks."

Typically, a meal took a little over one ke but less than two ke to finish. During lunch hours, open around noon, they could serve customers for over two hours.

If business was good, they could have three or four turns of customers at noon. Seeing that six tables were already occupied, Lin Qiuran took advantage of the lull before customers started eating to have Xiao Dashi slaughter two more ducks and start cooking them.

She jotted things down briefly, but since Wan Niang couldn’t read, Lin Qiuran simply told her what to prep.

Washing and cutting potatoes kept them busy.

Outside Xiao Family Eatery, a steady stream of customers came and went, but it was still early in the si hour, so most were just looking around.

Just then, a carriage stopped at the entrance. The crowd parted slightly, and a delicate hand lifted the curtain. Jiang Sijie looked at the signboard and softly asked her maidservant, "Is this the place?"