Chapter 40 It just so happens that I haven’t been to the city yet
Knowing what he was thinking, Sang Yu sighed and softened her tone: "Dad, even if you go to Second Uncle today, you won't be able to borrow money. It's not that I don't want you to go, but I just don't want you to be humiliated in vain."
"How can I not borrow it?" Sang Yongjing quickly retorted. He still remembered that when everyone separated, his second brother had told him that if he needed money, he could come to him.
Even if the eldest brother doesn't remember the old friendship, the second brother will never be so cruel as to ignore him.
Having been in Lingnan for so long, I think they should have settled down long ago, and perhaps their shops are all over the market by now.
"Dad, ah..." There were some things Sang Yu couldn't say, but she knew in her heart that even if she told the truth, Sang Yongjing would not believe it.
People's hearts are fickle. Even if the second uncle really wants to help them, he is not the one in charge of the family, and he has to make a living under the eldest wife.
I have just arrived in Lingnan and even if I open a shop, I am afraid I won’t make much money.
Seeing that he and Sang Yongjing couldn't reach an agreement, Sang Yu sighed and said, "Then I'll go with Dad. It just so happens that I haven't been to the city yet."
The second half of the sentence blocked the rejection that Sang Yongjing was about to say. Not only had Sang Yu never been to Lingnan City, even he himself had never been there.
The city is so big, there must be many markets.
If he goes alone, it is still a question whether he can find his second brother. It would be better if they go together to have someone to look after him.
So Sang Yu got back on the pipeline, and the two of them went together all the way to the city of Lingnan in the east.
Sang Yongjing thought too highly of the Sang family's life. They indulged in feasting and drinking as soon as they bought the house, and many people are still sick in bed.
Sang Yongnian from the second house kept having colds and they never got better. Although he no longer had a high fever every day like when he first fell ill, he was still in a very sick state.
With his current condition, there's no way he can run a shop.
As the host of the banquet, Sang Yongfeng ate relatively restrainedly at the banquet to save face, so he was the first to recover.
As soon as he had some free time, he started to think about something. He had seen the second branch of the family doing business before and didn't think it was that difficult. It was nothing more than opening a shop and hiring some managers, and then waiting for the money to come.
So he didn't even discuss it with Sang Yongnian, and directly found a broker to buy two shops in the market.
A restaurant and a cloth shop were opened for business after a simple cleaning and changing of the signs.
If you don't do something yourself, you will never imagine how many twists and turns there are.
Sang Yongfeng thought simply, thinking that once the shop opened, a steady stream of silver would flow into his pocket.
But he didn't know that he had to personally inspect the fabric, decide on the source of ingredients in advance, and deal with the bullies and hooligans in the market as well as the runners on time.
On the second day after Sang's Restaurant opened, someone found a whole dead rat in their food.
The rats in Lingnan are much larger than those in the north. A whole dead rat lying on a dish is almost as long as the dish.
The other person had a face full of flesh, and relying on his strength, he insisted that the rat was in the dish when it was served, and that their restaurant's kitchen was not clean.
After the commotion, the restaurant had to pay compensation and its business plummeted.
The cloth shop's business was even worse. No one was watching over it, and the incoming cloth had been replaced by the lowest quality cloth through the middlemen. It was so stained that it would stain your palms. Customers who entered the store turned around and left.
When the second wife's son Sang Yongnian found out, the two shops were almost unable to operate. They were running at a loss every day. Not only did they have no income, but they also had to pay the wages of the clerks and the shopkeepers.
As a last resort, Sang Yongfeng told his younger brother about this matter.
Sang Yongnian wanted to say something about why his elder brother was so confused, but seeing Sang Yongfeng's cold face, all he wanted to say could only turn into a long sigh.
"Ahem, big brother, this matter...sigh."
"Let's close the two shops for now. I'll reopen them when I'm better and can manage them myself."
He wanted to save the two shops, but with his current sick body that made him stagger every few steps, he was afraid that he would not live long if he continued to manage the shops with all his heart and soul.
Seeing that he had difficulty speaking, coughed from time to time, and his face was pale, Sang Yongfeng really couldn't bear to force him to do anything.
He waved his long sleeves and said, "Forget it, let's do as you say."
Anyway, he still has a lot of money on hand, so it doesn't matter if he has no income for the time being.
Sang Yu and Sang Yongjing continued eastward until they could see Lingnan City in the distance. The city walls, constructed of huge black stones, looked particularly solemn, like a mythical black tortoise.
These huge rocks were all dug out of the mountains and dragged here bit by bit by the first criminals who were exiled.
Even the knowledgeable Sang Yu couldn't help but admire that enough manpower is enough to create miracles.
The guards at the city gate were very relaxed during the day, and when they saw that the two of them had no packages, they let them into the city directly.
What was really strict was that after the night curfew, if anyone was found staying in the city, he would be thrown into prison at the very least, and executed at the worst.
Sang Yu had only seen some of the scenery of the capital in the original owner's memory. During his exile here, he had mostly seen the wilderness and had never really looked closely at a city.
She looked around curiously. There was a main road in the city paved with bluestone, wide enough for two carriages to run side by side, and there were many pedestrians walking on the road.
The roads that are not the main roads are all kinds of strange. Some are still muddy, some are paved with gravel, and some are even made of whole bluestone slabs.
Sang Yu guessed that this might be related to the financial resources of the people living nearby.
"Dad, where should we go to find second uncle?" she suddenly asked.
Sang Yongjing, who was standing by, was well-informed. He grew up in the prosperous capital and had seen many tall buildings. How could he be moved by a mere remote town?
He was different from Sang Yu who was looking around. The main reason why he stood still was that he didn't know where to find Sang Yongnian.
Seeing Sang Yongjing's blank eyes and confused expression, Sang Yu couldn't help but roll her eyes.
He didn't even know where the other person was, and yet he was thinking of going into the city alone to borrow money. If she hadn't followed him, he might have gotten lost along the way and no one would have known.
But this is her father, she can't beat him or scold him. No, she can scold him occasionally. What else can she do? She has to find a solution herself.
Sang Yu's eyes swept across the shop signs on both sides of the road, and she quickly thought of something. She asked, "Dad, what was the sign for Second Uncle's shop before?"
This question hit the nail on the head. Sang Yongjing used to go to his own shop to eat and drink when he had nothing to do. He was very familiar with it. "Sang's Restaurant, Sang's Teahouse, they all start with Sang's family."
Although there are laws in this dynasty that clearly state that officials are not allowed to engage in business, it would be a waste if I didn't use my brother who is an official to maintain order.
Even the most blind scoundrel would think twice about whether to go in and cause trouble when he saw the words "Sang Family".
The Sang family has used the name for so many years, and I believe it will not be changed casually now that it has come to Lingnan.
Thinking of this, Sang Yongjing suddenly realized: "Let's go find the shop with the Sang family sign. We will definitely find my second brother."
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