Chapter 62 Chapter 62 Shop
As the Chinese New Year was approaching, the family put the shop affairs aside and started preparing for the New Year.
This year, Fan Ye and Fan Nai are clamoring for the two families to have a reunion dinner together, which would be so lively.
Father Fan also thought so. Since the separation of the family, the two families have not had a New Year's Eve dinner together for several years. At most, they would eat together during the banquet in the first month of the lunar year. On the night of the 30th day of the first lunar month, they would eat separately.
This year, the second branch of the family bought a donkey to build a road and dig a well. They have done more successful things than in the past ten years, and are among the best in the village.
Fan Shoulin was so proud that he wished the place would be more lively.
Chen was not very happy about this.
The eldest wife said that the old house was spacious and they could prepare the New Year's Eve dinner there, but everyone in the family knew that Kang He was a good cook, so they had to ask him to cook, which would keep him busy for most of the day.
Let's not talk about this. For the New Year's Eve dinner, both families can eat their own good food. If they prepare it together, each family will have to contribute some vegetables and meat. When the food is prepared in the main house, the remaining vegetables and meat will also be there. It will be a bit awkward for them to think that they put in the effort but don't get anything good.
Father Fan said she was stingy, and Chen started arguing with him.
There was no way Fan Shoulin could win the argument with her, so he had to go to Yang Kanghe with a dejected look on his face.
Kang He went to persuade Chen, telling her that although the vegetables and meat were left over in the main house, he could still use the oil, salt, sauce and vinegar from their house to cook the dishes. He would cook the dishes until they were fragrant and would not let them take advantage of him.
Chen felt relieved after Kang He comforted her.
"This year your grandparents are clamoring for a reunion. If you give the red envelopes and only secretly give them to Daxin, I won't eat New Year's dinner with them anymore."
Early in the morning on the 30th, everyone in the family cleaned up and found some nice clothes that they seldom wore on weekdays.
He brought a fat rabbit and a piece of wild boar meat smoked in the summer.
In addition, there were two pigeons and a stupid bird. Fan Jing was bored at home and couldn't sit still, so he and Kang He hunted them in the mountains outside. The two of them did not go into the deep mountains.
Happy to go to the main room to get some food.
The main house was also bustling with activity. Fan Xin wrote some couplets and pasted them on the door frame with rice paste, which gave the house a fresh look.
Xiangxiu hasn't come home yet, and her host family is busy preparing for the New Year. She has to finish her work there and can come back later for the reunion dinner.
Kang He asked Fan Jing to drive the donkey cart to the city to pick her up on time, as it was too late and there might be no cars running outside.
The two families ate the fruit and played together for a while, then began to prepare the meal. Kang He tied an apron and went into the kitchen, while Chen Sanfang and Zhang Jingui helped wash the meat and cut the vegetables.
Fan Jing was responsible for killing chickens and ducks, as well as the chickens, ducks and fish from the eldest wife's side.
After finishing all this, Fan Jing looked into the kitchen twice, but seeing that there were many people in the kitchen, he decided not to join in the fun. He got some firecrackers from somewhere and went outside with the two maids to set them off.
The two brothers Fan Shoushan and Fan Shoulin held incense, candles, money and paper as offerings, worshipped the Kitchen God and bowed to the Bodhisattva...
As for Fan Xin, no one asked him to do anything, and he felt embarrassed to just sit there with his legs crossed, so he helped in the kitchen, scooping water here and there, and getting a pot there. He looked very busy, but no one knew what he was busy with.
Kang He was afraid of stepping on someone, so he simply arranged for him to make a fire and peel garlic under the stove.
"Brother Daxin, can you tell me if I'm any different today?"
Fan Xin slowly raised his head and looked at Kang He for a while, not knowing why.
Seeing that no one spoke for a long time, Kang He raised his eyebrows and said, "Don't you think I look particularly radiant and handsome today?"
Fan Xin suddenly smiled: "Sanlang is quite knowledgeable."
Kang He put down the spatula: "This is secondary."
Upon hearing this, Fan Xin looked at Kang He carefully again, trying to find out what was different today from the past.
Kang He was afraid that he was clumsy and couldn't see it, so he walked around the stove, came to the person, and turned around very contentedly.
"This dress doesn't look like it's worn often. I didn't even see it with the skirt tied up just now. It really makes you look handsome."
Kang He shook his head in disappointment: "Brother Daxin's eyesight is almost bad."
After saying that, he lifted his foot and said, "I'm using new insoles today!"
Fan Xin: “…”
"This insole has two thick layers of fur, with five densely packed lines. It feels solid and comfortable. When you put it inside your shoes, it rests against your feet, warming them all the way to your heart. How could it not shine?"
Fan Xin froze for a moment. If it wasn't for the trustworthy Kang He, he would have been afraid that the next thing he would do was to ask him to spend three or five strings of cash to buy a pair of such wonderful insoles.
He was silent for a moment, pondered it, and said politely, "That...that's really a good pair of insoles."
Kang He said: "But this is not the most important thing."
Fan Xin asked: "Isn't this enough?"
Kang He's eyebrows widened and he said with a smile, "The important thing is that Da Jing sewed this for me personally."
"If it weren't for the New Year today, I wouldn't even bother using them. I didn't even wear socks just to feel comfortable stepping on these insoles."
Fan Xin: “…”
At this moment, Fan Jing walked in from outside, heard Kang He's words, and retreated silently.
…
Chatting and laughing, the family prepared enough food for two tables.
Fan Jing took Xiang Xiu back before dinner.
After setting off a string of firecrackers, they had a lively dinner.
The second wife is doing well this year, and the first wife is not bad either. The private school I started has been running smoothly for a few months and things are going much better.
Fan Xinyan had two more children come at the end of the year, and after the new year, three more children from other villages would come, so he had made arrangements in advance.
Seeing that the two families were on good terms, Xiang Xiu blushed and said uncomfortably, "Some time ago, Madam Xiao from the mansion privately told me that there was a family named Meng in the city who ran a sweet soup shop..."
"My mother asked me to come back and ask what happened at home."
Xiang Xiu didn't finish her words, but everyone in the room understood what she meant.
When Zhang Jingui heard that someone was interested in Hunan embroidery, she was most concerned about it.
She quickly put down the delicious wild boar bones in her hand and asked anxiously about the news of the Xiangxiu family.
Xiang Xiu is already over 20 years old. In the past two years, some people have taken a fancy to her, but they are either poor farmers or peddlers on the street. Not only are they mediocre in appearance and talent, but their family backgrounds are also not good.
There is no need to mention the Cheng family. Just talking about these things, they also secretly asked the girl's family how much dowry to give. They were hoping to get rich by getting married. Zhang Jingui was so angry that she couldn't get the marriage done.
As each year gets older, people at home can't help but feel anxious.
Now, hearing the people Xiangxiu mentioned, I guess they are not bad.
Xiangxiu also wanted to settle down as soon as possible, so she talked to her family in detail.
The three brothers of the Meng family all have their own jobs. The eldest is the accountant in the escort company, the second is doing business outside on a cargo ship, and the one who fell in love with her is the third brother of the Meng family.
The mistress of the Xiang embroidery shop loved the sweet soup from Meng Laosan's shop, so she always went there to buy it. After going there a few times, they became familiar with each other.
Xiang Xiu was not stupid. Before telling her family, she asked someone to find out the truth about the Meng family.
This Meng Laosan has a small house on the outskirts of the city. He has some savings and is a decent person. I have never heard that he has any support from outsiders, and he is not involved in any affair with anyone.
The only thing is that life is a little shorter.
In fact, the two of them had known each other for two years. When Xiang embroidery went to the Meng family's sweet water shop to buy sweet water, Meng Lao San would often treat her to a bowl of it, which meant that they had known each other for a long time.
But they had always been so distant before. In the second half of the year, Xiang Xiu told someone that her brother had stopped studying and had opened a private school. Before the New Year, she asked her mother at home to ask her opinion.
Xiang Xiu guessed that Meng Lao San had carefully inquired about the current situation of her family and seemed satisfied, so he took the next step.
She had worked for a wealthy family for several years and knew that people would not lift you up for nothing. You had to be appreciated by others to get a place.
This marriage is a big deal. She can consider the Meng family. But the Meng family also has to consider whether her brothers are motivated and whether her parents are harmonious.
Speaking of this, she felt very grateful to Kang He. If he had not proposed to teach her brother to run this school and had not made arrangements to get things done, she might not have been accepted by the Meng family.
Fan Shoushan and Zhang Jingui were overjoyed when they heard about the Meng family's situation. How could they refuse?
Fan Xin also told Xiangxiu not to worry about the dowry, as he would definitely find a way.
Xiangxiu had always looked down on her brother in her heart, but after hearing him say that, she felt a little relieved.
After everyone happily finished their New Year's Eve dinner, Grandma Fan and Grandma Fan, for the first time ever, gave each of the children in the family a red envelope as New Year's money.
Kang He and Fan Jing returned home, opened their purses and counted out twenty copper coins. They each took one, making a total of forty copper coins.
Zhen'er and Qiao'er also have so many. Chen Sanfang said that it is rare for the second elders to be so generous. There were never so many before.
She felt grateful that things were getting better, the brothers were more harmonious, and the old man was more kind.
After the Chinese New Year and before the Lantern Festival, for about ten days, the sounds of firecrackers could still be heard intermittently in the countryside.
The Fan family visited several relatives and then hosted a banquet at home for relatives, friends and neighbors. There were three tables of people, and it was a lively party. The New Year was finally over.
That day, Kang He and Fan Jing were packing up in the house, preparing to go to the city to check out some shops. Unexpectedly, just as they drove their donkey cart onto the main road, Hu Dasan called out to them.
"Da Lang sent a message saying that Mr. Luo has a shop that would suit your taste. He asked you to go to the city and have a look when you have time."
"I was going to tell you yesterday, but I got drunk while visiting friends and fell headfirst into bed and forgot all about it."
Kang He said, "What a coincidence! Da Jing and I are going to the city. So we shouldn't go anywhere else. Let's go see Mr. Luo's shop first."
When the two of them went into the city, they first went to look for Hu Dalang, who then took them to see a shop.
This shop is on a road that branches off South Street, one of the four main streets in the city.
The shop is a large open room, somewhat like their wooden houses in the mountains, with no obstructions and looking quite spacious.
And just as Kang He said, the location was first of all. Not only was the main street only a few steps away, but behind the street was a lane with only a few shops on both sides that were not open. It was very lively.
Outside, there are two butcher shops in the city, located in the west and north of the city. It’s not far from one end of South Street to the other, but it still takes more than a quarter of an hour to walk there.
It was the perfect place for a butcher's shop, and because of its good location, there were already two butcher's shops on the street.
However, it doesn't matter if you can't expect to be the only one doing the business of fresh meat and side dishes.
Hu Dalang said, "Mr. Luo said that the shop can hire a carpenter to build shelves or a partition to rest. It all depends on ourselves."
"If you think it's worth it, I'll go and reply to his words."
Kang He said, "This shop is much better than the ones Da Jing and I saw before. How could we be dissatisfied?"
Hu Dalang thought they thought highly of him, so he said, "We are family, so I will definitely point out the good ones for you.
It was also good luck. During the first month of the lunar year, I went to Mr. Luo's house to pay New Year's greetings. I mentioned it to him and he said that a rice and flour merchant was going to the provincial capital to run his business this year, so the shop would be vacant.
"If I hadn't asked, the shop at this location wouldn't have been in the hands of the agent once it was cleared out, and someone would have snatched it away immediately."
"I told you in advance, but Mr. Luo didn't tell anyone. I left it here for you to see. If you like it, I'll rent it to you. If not, there's no need to worry about renting it."
Kang He and Fan Jing also traveled around for some time and asked many agents, and found out that Hu Dalang was not bragging.
However, no matter how good the shop is, you must first ask the price. If the price is high, it will be useless no matter how good it is.
Hu Dalang laughed and said, "I'm also a small businessman, so how could I not know these things?"
He lowered his voice and said to Kang He, "Just give me two hundred coins. Mr. Luo and I are old friends. He knows it's his brother who's looking for a shop, so he's easy to talk to."
Kang He was overjoyed when he heard the price. "If this shop was in the hands of a broker, he would have immediately asked for two taels and twenty-three taels. Brother Hu Yuan must have some connections after all!"
Hu Dalang said, "The broker wants to make money. The items aren't that expensive. He's trying to make more money. How can he make money without cheating people?"
"You have to decide quickly. You can't leave the shop open for too long. Also, I'm afraid people will ask about Mr. Luo's place. If a relative takes a fancy to it and the shop isn't reserved yet, there's a chance it might be sold to someone else."
Kang He responded. He felt a little unhappy, but generally satisfied.
He called Fan Jing over and asked him what he thought.
Fan Jing looked at the shop. The furnishings of this shop were not much different from those of some shops he had seen before. It was inevitable that it was old, but the most important thing was the location. Compared with them, this place was much better.
He knew Kang He's concerns. Businessmen value profit. If the shop seemed to be going so smoothly, he might be worried that there was something fishy going on.
Although I had dealings with the Hu family before, it was only for about half a year.
Fan Jing said, "Father Hu and Mr. Qiao both live in the village. They are also old-timers in the village. People care about their reputation. Hu Yuan will not deceive us for a small profit. If the incident is reported to the village, Hu Dasan will lose face and he will not be able to live well either."
Kang He responded to this and then made a deal with Hu Dalang.
The other party wanted to pay half a year's rent first, so Kang He gave a deposit and waited for the paperwork to be approved before collecting the money.
The next step was to hire someone to build shelves and partitions.
When the family saw that the shop had been booked, they were all very happy. Even Father Fan came to the city to take a look at it twice.
As for Kang He, he got out four medicinal candles and arranged them himself, making them look very simple and elegant.
He packed the boxes and sent them to Hu Dalang, one pair to thank him and the other pair to thank Luo Yuanwai.
If you rent someone else's shop, you will inevitably have to meet them in person in the future. It will always be easier to get things done if you have a good relationship with them.
This time when he rented a shop, he realized even more deeply the importance of the doorway.
One morning, Kang He took some things and went to Hu's shop to look for Hu Yuan.
"The shop is working hard thanks to Brother Hu Yuan's help. Otherwise, Da Jing and I don't know how long we would have to work to our satisfaction."
He took out two gifts and said, "Mr. Luo is willing to rent my shop at a lower price because of Brother Hu Yuan's consideration. As the beneficiary, I can't accept the favor for nothing. I don't have anything special to give you, just some small gifts to express my gratitude."
Seeing that Kang He had even brought gifts to express his gratitude, Hu Yuan felt that Kang He was a man of good manners and said, "We're brothers, why are you being so polite? From now on, we'll both run businesses in the county. Let's take care of each other and make our business flourish."
Kang He said a few more kind words to him, and without staying for long and delaying other people's business, he said goodbye.
Hu Yuan's daughter-in-law Xu saw Kang He leave and went to pack up the gifts.
She said to her husband, "He's quite thoughtful. He brought two gifts over and taught you to take them to Mr. Luo to get back the favor. No wonder Dad and Little Dad always praise him. He's obviously a capable businessman."
As she spoke, she opened the box to see what the gift was.
She only said that the person had the intention, but did not say whether the things could be delivered to Mr. Luo.
Mr. Luo was a wealthy and powerful businessman, so he had seen many valuable things, including some of his own. Although he was a kind person, he often saw gifts from others as a token of his sincerity, not to mention the value of the gift. However, if the gift was too shabby, it would seem to be a sign of contempt.
But just looking at the box is fine.
"candle?"
Xu opened the box and was surprised to see a pair of yellow candles lying safely inside the silk.
If the candles were given to a family like theirs, it wouldn't be impolite, but giving them to Mr. Luo would be a bit too stingy.
"Why would you want to give this thing?"
Hu Dalang heard his wife's words and walked over to her. "Uncle Fan's family is poor, so it's no wonder he doesn't have much on hand. He just got the money for renting the shop, so he can't buy any good gifts..."
Before he finished speaking, Hu Yuan saw Zhu's expression change. He hissed, "Could this be the medicinal candle they're talking about?"
As he said this, he leaned in and sniffed again. There was a faint scent of mugwort on Zhu, which was even more similar to hers.
"What is a medicinal candle?"
Seeing that her husband looked a little surprised, Mrs. Xu went over to smell it and couldn't help asking a question.
"I've heard before that there's a kind of candle that doesn't produce smoke when lit, but fills the room with the fragrance of mugwort. In the summer, it can be used to repel insects and provide light."
Hu Yuan just heard the guests talk about this strange candle and thought it was interesting, so he listened for a while, but he had never used it himself.
"I heard a pair of them would cost several strings of cash. I don't think this thing can be sold for that much. If it were really such a rare medicinal candle, why would they give it to us so easily?"
Xu said, "Let's light one at night and have a look."
At night, Mrs. Xu actually took out a medicinal candle and lit it. The couple stared at the candle like little children.
The candle burned for some time, and there was really no trace of smoke. As it burned longer and longer, the aroma of mugwort in the room became stronger.
The couple looked at each other in surprise.
Mrs. Xu remembered that her husband had asked for a few coins during the day, so she quickly blew out the cigarette, feeling the pain of having burned it for so long.
The couple were so shocked holding the candle that they originally thought the man was rude, but now they realized that it was their own lack of knowledge.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
