Chapter 119 City Streets 19

Chapter 119: Prefecture Streets 19

The carriage rolled into Fruit Tree Lane, prompting several households to open their doors and peer out, their voices rising in a murmur of discussion.

"New neighbors on our street?"

"Looks like it. That empty courtyard at the end finally has someone living in it, right?"

"Wonder what kind of people they are? Easy to get along with?"

...

Amidst these murmurs, Liu Guyu and the others arrived at the new courtyard and disembarked one by one.

Qin Rongshi was the last to alight. He settled the final payment with the cart driver, then led the mule-drawn cart into the courtyard.

As he stepped inside, he heard his little sister making soft kitten sounds. He found her crouching beside the cherry tree, gently coaxing a small kitten hidden behind it.

It was a white-bellied calico, its fur gleaming, but it huddled behind the tree, trembling and crying pitifully. Its two front paws clung to the trunk, as if trying to climb, but they were too tender to get a grip.

"Meow—meow—"

The kitten’s cries were soft and drawn out, sounding utterly forlorn.

"Oh, what a beautiful kitten!"

Liu Guyu was stroking Lucky’s fur. The poor dog, having never ridden in a carriage, had gotten motion sickness. He hadn't eaten for two days, and the large dog lay listlessly on the ground, his ears and tail drooping, even his fur looking limp.

As he petted Lucky, Liu Guyu called out to Qin Banban. The dog under his hand noticed the tiny kitten behind the tree and finally showed a flicker of interest, his tail tip twitching.

Qin Banban nodded excitedly, her eyes fixed on the kitten. She asked, "Brother Liu, can we keep it?"

Liu Guyu gestured with his chin towards the cherry tree above Qin Banban’s head and chuckled, "Go on, negotiate with her."

Who?

Qin Banban looked up in confusion. Her gaze then settled on a large cat perched in the cherry tree—the same long-haired calico they had seen before—peering down worriedly at the little kitten on the ground.

Another small, orange and white kitten was curled up at the mother cat’s feet.

The mother cat’s fur was dull and her body thin, but her two kittens were plump and their coats shiny.

Clearly, the mother cat had brought her kittens out to sun themselves. Hearing the gate open, she had tried to flee with her offspring but only managed to snatch one.

"...Aw."

Qin Banban sighed, a hint of regret on her lips.

She truly adored the little kitten, but seeing the mother cat’s anxious gaze, it was clear the mother loved her own far more than Banban did.

Ah, well. After all, it was her own flesh and blood.

Banban shrugged and quietly moved away, going to help Cui Lanfang tidy the kitchen. When she looked back a while later, both the mother cat and kittens were gone.

Qin Rongshi unloaded several trunks from the mule-drawn cart, led the mule into its shed, and fed it fresh grass and water.

Seeing Cui Lanfang and Banban enter the kitchen, Liu Guyu hurried in after them and ushered them out.

He had been eyeing this kitchen for a long time, excited by its size and spaciousness, not to mention the three large iron woks!

"I’ll cook! I’ll cook! The first meal cooked in this kitchen has to be made by me!"

He rubbed his hands together excitedly.

Cui Lanfang sighed and said, "Fine, you cook. But someone still has to stoke the fire, right?"

Liu Guyu paused, then called out, "Erlang, Erlang, come help me with the fire! He’s an expert at fire-stoking!"

Cui Lanfang sighed again and shot Qin Rongshi a look, signaling him to go inside.

She added, "It’s getting late, so let’s keep it simple. Just cook some corn porridge. We still have some hardtack from the last town we stopped in. We’ll have hardtack with porridge for tonight."

They had just moved into the new courtyard and hadn’t bought firewood yet. The kitchen was stocked with spare lumber left over from repairing the courtyard, which would suffice for one meal.

Liu Guyu agreed, and soon after, Cui Lanfang went out into the courtyard.

In one corner of the courtyard was a small kitchen garden, enclosed by a bamboo fence. It wasn’t large but could grow some melons, vegetables, and beans—just enough to feed the family.

Cui Lanfang took out the drawstring bag Liu Guyu had given her and carefully scooped out the soil inside, sprinkling it gently into the kitchen garden.

She muttered to herself, "Good thing we brought some vegetable seeds. I’ll plant them in a couple of days when I have time."

After that, she and Banban went inside to straighten up the rooms.

They left the luggage for later, focusing first on cleaning the rooms, making the beds, and sweeping away the dust. They needed a place to sleep that night; everything else could wait until tomorrow.

By the time mother and daughter finished cleaning, the meal was ready. Everyone was tired, so after eating, they cleaned up and went to bed.

The next day, they started cleaning the courtyard and the rooms.

Although they had cleaned before returning to the village, a month away had allowed dust to accumulate. The cherry tree, in particular, had dropped many ripe fruits, which had rotted on the ground. Cui Lanfang kept sighing about the waste.

They cleaned inside and out, then organized their luggage and belongings.

They worked until the afternoon when someone knocked on the gate.

"Anyone home? Is anyone there?"

The voice sounded familiar. It seemed like...

Ah, it was that property agent named Ding!

There might be news about their shop!

Liu Guyu immediately put down the large broom he was holding and bolted out, making Cui Lanfang call after him anxiously.

"Walk slowly! I just watered the ground—watch your step!"

Liu Guyu nodded but kept running. When he opened the gate, he found Ding Fangya standing outside.

Ding Fangya exclaimed, "Ah, you’ve finally moved in! I’ve come four or five days in a row, but no one was home!"

Liu Guyu hurriedly asked, "Is there news about the shop?"

Ding Fangya grinned and nodded. "If there weren’t any news, would I be here? There’s news! Are you free now? Would you like to come with me to take a look? It’s on Spring Street!"

Spring Street ran alongside the Dan River, boasting beautiful river views. The shops along the river were mostly clothiers, clothing stores, rouge shops, and jewelry stores. It was also the street with the most sweet shops and dessert stores, making it the favorite place for the young ladies and gentlemen of the prefecture to stroll.

Liu Guyu and Qin Rongshi headed out together, following Ding Fangya to the shop he had mentioned.

Ding Fangya talked nonstop the entire way, his mouth never pausing.

"This shop is right in the middle of Spring Street—a truly excellent location! But just so you know: this area has plenty of food shops, and Xichun Restaurant is also on Spring Street! That’s a famous restaurant in the prefecture. If you plan to run a food business, you’ll need real skills to make it—otherwise, it’s easy to lose your shirt!"

Worried he might discourage or offend them, he quickly added with a laugh:

"But if your skills are good, this location can be a goldmine! The wealthy folks' sons and daughters of the prefecture love to visit Spring Street. Besides Xichun Restaurant, there’s also Xiuchun Lou, the largest clothing and jewelry store in the city! The foot traffic there is steady daily!"

"You live on Riverside Street, which is a bit remote and a bit of a walk. But both Riverside Street and Spring Street are along the Danshui River. If you take a boat, you can get there in just fifteen minutes or so—very convenient!"

"The location is truly in high demand and always has tenants lined up! I held onto it for a few extra days out of consideration for our connection. The annual rent is thirty taels, set by the landlord—he wouldn't budge on the price!"

Liu Guyu understood his meaning and kept nodding. "Let’s go take a look. As long as the location is good, the money isn’t an issue."

With five hundred taels of reward money recently acquired, Liu Guyu felt like a small-time tycoon and was willing to spend.

Satisfied, Ding Fangya led the group to Spring Street to see the shop.

Spring Street was long and broad, connected to several alleys. Along the way, they passed numerous clothing stores, fabric shops, jewelry shops, and rouge shops—all kinds of varieties. Girls and boys who loved shopping could easily spend a whole day there!

The shop Ding Fangya mentioned was right in the center of Spring Street’s main thoroughfare. It was a bit of a distance from the large restaurants but less than a hundred steps from Xiuchun Lou. The pedestrian traffic was bustling, and nearby food shops were jam-packed with customers.

Just as Ding Fangya had said, the location was excellent.

Even before stepping inside, Liu Guyu already felt it was a great place.

Ding Fangya led them in, and Liu Guyu walked around, growing more satisfied with each look.

The shop was a bit old, but the layout was square and practical. It could fit five or six large square tables, and the kitchen in the back was a decent size. Outside, by the river, they could set up a few tables under canopies.

Summer days were hot, so business might be slow during the day, but in the evenings, they could set up tables by the river. Serving sweet snacks and sweet drinks while enjoying the breeze sounded lovely.

Jiangning Prefecture had a night market, so evenings were lively, and there would be no shortage of customers.

Liu Guyu exchanged a few words with Qin Rongshi, but it was mainly up to him—whatever he said, Qin Rongshi agreed.

Soon, the shop was decided on.

Ding Fangya laughed happily again—he loved dealing with clients who got straight to business.

The rental agent arranged for the tenant and landlord to meet, and they signed the lease that very day, paying a full year’s rent upfront.

Thirty taels was not cheap—it could build a new house in the village—but Liu Guyu spent the money without a second thought.

He carefully tucked the lease into his satchel, his eyebrows fairly dancing with joy.

Qin Rongshi couldn’t help smiling too, tilting his head to ask, "Are you that happy?"

Liu Guyu grinned excitedly. "Of course I am! I can already picture myself sitting at the counter counting money!"

Qin Rongshi remarked, "I’m just worried you and Mother won’t be able to handle the crowd alone."

That was a fair point. Liu Guyu had noticed that shops of similar size nearby had three to five employees running around. With too few people, it would indeed be overwhelming.

Liu Guyu immediately said, "If it’s too busy, we’ll hire help. Don’t worry, I won’t let Mother work too hard! Her health has just improved—I wouldn't dream of tiring her out!"

Then he glanced at Qin Rongshi, who was pursing his lips and staring at him seriously.

It was as if something clicked in Liu Guyu’s mind, bringing a moment of clarity.

He tilted his head, chuckled, and leaned into Qin Rongshi, bumping his shoulder playfully. "Don’t worry, I won’t overwork myself either!"

Qin Rongshi nodded and said, "That’s best."

Liu Guyu raised an eyebrow, amused. In the past, if he teased Qin Rongshi like this, the other would surely blush and retort, "Who’s worried about you!"

This time, there was no blushing—just an admission.

He chuckled again, widened his eyes exaggeratedly, and asked deliberately, "So you were worried about me?"

Qin Rongshi gazed into Liu Guyu’s eyes, his dark pupils deep like a whirlpool-hidden well, as if ready to pull someone in at any moment.

He said, "You’re family. Shouldn’t I be worried?"

Liu Guyu: "…"

The tease had backfired.

Liu Guyu froze for a moment, seemingly unprepared for such a response, especially when met with Qin Rongshi’s dark, serious eyes that somehow seemed to hold a strange bright light. He stumbled over his words, flustered.

After a long pause, he awkwardly averted his gaze, unsure what to do with his hands and feet—scratching his head one moment, rubbing his nose the next. He strode forward quickly, almost rushing ahead.

He added, "L-let’s go to the market! We didn’t get to eat properly yesterday—today we’ll cook a good meal!"

Qin Rongshi simply nodded and said, "As you wish," then quietly followed behind Liu Guyu, watching him hurry several steps ahead.

Walking a little awkwardly but moving swiftly.

Qin Rongshi chuckled softly.

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