Chapter 246 Let's go to Nanyang

After finishing her business, Cheng Wanwan still had some time to spare, so she took her two children for a stroll on the street, planning to buy something for her granddaughter.

As I was walking, I suddenly saw a piece of paper posted at the entrance of a two-story shop with four words written on it: Shop for Sale.

Seeing Cheng Wanwan stop, Zhao Ergou also looked over, his eyes lighting up: "Mom, this shop is perfect as a restaurant."

Although it's not located in the center of the main street, it's still on the street. It has two floors, is very spacious, and even has a small courtyard in the back.

This is currently a teahouse, but business is slow. There's only one waiter wiping the tables, and you can't see anyone else.

As soon as the three entered, the waiter greeted them warmly: "Would you like some tea or a storytelling performance? Unfortunately, the storyteller has some family matters to attend to and cannot make it today. However, the tea is of the finest quality, and I will pour it for you."

Cheng Wanwan smiled and said, "Have your manager come out for a moment. I want to talk about buying a shop."

The waiter immediately called out, "Manager Yan, the person who wants to buy the shop has arrived."

A middle-aged man in a long gown hurried out of the backyard, looking worried and very thin.

Cheng Wanwan could understand; such a large shop losing money every day would break anyone's heart.

“This shop has been passed down in the Yan family for generations. I didn’t want to sell our family property, but I really have no other choice,” Manager Yan sighed. “Since my father passed away, the teahouse business has been declining day by day. I’m not good at running a business, and my son doesn’t like managing it either. It’s been barely hanging on for three years. I think it’s better to sell it. The original asking price was 1,200 taels of silver, but people ran away as soon as they heard the price. I don’t dare to ask for a higher price anymore. One price, 1,000 taels. If people still think it’s too expensive, I won’t sell it.”

Cheng Wanwan walked around the shop and also went to the backyard. Although the shop was an ancestral property, it must have been repaired every year. It was well maintained inside and out. The windows and door frames had been repainted, and the two trees in the backyard were growing very well.

“Okay, then one thousand taels it is.” Cheng Wanwan agreed. “However, I don’t have that much silver on hand right now. Can I pay a deposit of fifty taels first, and then pay the rest in half a month?”

During this period, I mainly made money from braised food. After deducting all costs, my daily profit was about fifteen taels of silver.

After a month, with both income and expenses, the amount of silver that had been properly handled was about four hundred and fifty taels.

The soap business has already started, and the family should be able to raise the money within half a month.

As for the silver left over from selling the luminous pearl, she kept it to upgrade her storage cabinet and didn't intend to contribute it.

Cheng Wanwan took out a fifty-tael silver note.

This was the first time Manager Yan had ever seen silver notes when he put up the sign for the shop for sale.

He sighed with difficulty and said, "I have another favor to ask. The waiter in the teahouse, named Yan Tiezi, is the son of a distant relative of our Yan family. All his elders have died. I'm helping him get a meal, and I hope you can let this child continue to live on..."

Cheng Wanwan glanced at the child. Although there was no business in the teahouse, the child was still busy wiping the tables and stairs, which was indeed diligent.

She nodded: "If he works diligently, I'll keep him. But if he tries to cheat, I'll kick him out even if it means breaking my promise."

Shopkeeper Yan smiled and said, "Don't worry, Sister-in-law Zhao, that day will definitely never come."

That was settled, and a contract was signed.

After leaving the teahouse, Zhao Ergou said, "In half a month, I can still earn more than two hundred taels of silver from braised food, but there are too many variables with soap. I still need to find a way to sell the cloth at home as soon as possible. Mother, I'll take you back to the village first, and then go to Hekou County. I want to go to the dock to ask about the situation."

Cheng Wanwan lowered her head and pondered for a while.

After the soap workshop starts operating, production will only increase, and relying solely on Master Wang's supply chain won't be enough.

Nanyang is the capital of another province, a prosperous place mentioned in many books of this dynasty. Its market is probably even larger than that of Huzhou.

Another reason is that she wants to plant cotton next year and needs to find an opportunity to buy cotton seeds from other places. She can buy them in shopping malls, but if she can't explain where they came from, it's easy to get into trouble.

After all, she is now Lady Sui, and there are far too many eyes watching her from all directions.

She said, "I'll go with you."

Zhao Dawang asked no questions and followed the two men to Hekou County.

The dock is always the busiest place, with countless men waiting to carry goods, some ships loading cargo, some unloading cargo, and people coming and going everywhere.

Zhao Ergou, familiar with the place, arrived at the door of a house in the southeast corner of the dock.

A sign hangs under the eaves: Cao's Shipping.

"Excuse me, I booked a boat trip here more than two weeks ago. How long will it take approximately?"

The clerk sitting at the counter laughed: "You're really lucky to have come today. We were supposed to have to wait another ten days or so, but a ship came back early yesterday and is going to Nanyang tomorrow. People going to Nanyang can board directly. If you decide to go, you need to pay first, five hundred coins per person. I'll issue a receipt here, and then you can take the receipt to the government office to get it stamped. You need this to board the ship."

Zhao Ergou turned to Cheng Wanwan and said, "Mom, I've been thinking about it. This matter can't be delayed any longer. We need to resolve it as soon as possible. I'll go to Nanyang tomorrow."

“I’ll go with you.” Cheng Wanwan took out one and a half taels of silver from her waist pouch. “This is the boat fare for three people.”

The servant quickly tore off three receipts and handed them over.

She took the voucher and said, "Dawang, you're coming along too."

Zhao Dawang was so excited he was almost incoherent: "Me...can I go to Nanyang too...I've never been to a place farther than Hekou County before, what do I need to do?"

Zhao Ergou was extremely ashamed.

He's such a grown man, yet his mother still has to worry about him. His mother is already quite old, but for his sake, she actually took a boat to go to Nanyang with him.

The journey by water will take a full day and night, and the bumpy ride will be unbearable. Will Mother's body be able to withstand it?

He murmured, "Mother, I'm sorry. It was my carelessness that caused such a big loss. I will be more careful when I go to Nanyang this time. Da Wang and I will go. Mother, please wait for my good news at home."

Cheng Wanwan said gently, "You went to Nanyang for the cloth business, and I went for the soap business. Having only one channel, Master Wang, is not enough. We need to expand to at least three more channels to ensure that the soap business can continue smoothly."

These words did not put Zhao Ergou at ease; instead, they made him feel even more guilty.

If he could stand on his own, why would his mother have to travel so far with him...?

He needs to work harder, he needs to grow stronger, he needs to become a towering tree to shelter his mother from the wind and rain...

Cheng Wanwan had no idea that this kid had such thoughts in his mind. She went shopping, bought some snacks, and then headed home.

The carriage sped to the village entrance, where it was stopped by a patrol team guarding the gate. The team members warned, "Auntie Dashan, the Cheng family is here and has been making a scene at your house for quite a while."