The next day, He Zifeng and Qiu Yu took their son to school and also gave some food to Master Lin, as a way to improve the children's meals.
Afterwards, He Zifeng returned to the yamen, and Qiu Yu went to distribute porridge.
Since the villagers came to help, Qiu Yu hasn't had to work so hard. He's thinking about finding proper housing for the shop's employees nearby. Right now, they live in the shop, with a few tables put together and a mattress laid out. Winter is approaching, and they definitely won't be able to endure the cold without a heated kang bed in their rooms.
This time, Qiu Yu didn't need to go to the rental shop; she could just ask around nearby. Everyone in the neighborhood had eaten at her shop's free porridge, and they were all very helpful when they saw she was looking to rent a place. They all knew who in the neighborhood had a house. Before long, she found one. The family had been away for several years, and they had entrusted their house to relatives.
Upon hearing that he wanted to rent a room, his relative immediately agreed. There were four large rooms and two small sheds in total. Although there was no courtyard, the price wasn't expensive—one hundred coins a month. He immediately rented it for six months, paying his relative for the entire period. The relative wasn't all smiles. They even drew up a written agreement and found witnesses. Everyone in the neighborhood knew his father was a government official, so they didn't dare to mistreat a stranger.
Qiu Yu said, "Your relative, is he really not coming back? Don't come back to chase us away before the appointed time."
The other party said, "They've already settled down in another city, and they even asked me to sell it a few days ago!" But the location of the house is so-so, and since his house doesn't have a yard, it's not easy to sell. There hasn't even been anyone inquiring about it. The implication is that he can rest assured and stay there.
Qiu Yu looked at the house and was quite satisfied with it. She then went back and told them the good news.
Everyone was delighted to hear this. Living in a house was better than living in the shop, especially the accountant, Xiao Chen. He was a young man, and although he didn't plan to get married, he was still a little uncomfortable living with these rough men.
Qiu Yu said, "I've seen that the main house is the largest, so let Master Zhang and his family stay there." The large house has a kang (heated brick bed) and can also fit two beds. "The other three smaller rooms are for each of you, but the other three rooms don't have kangs. Winter is approaching, so why don't you get one built?" It was the season of transition between autumn and winter. Craftsmen who build kangs do good business, so if you have this idea, you should tell them early, otherwise it will cause delays.
The cost of a heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) is 600 wen, and Qiuyu can pay half of that. They're told the rest they'll have to pay for themselves. It can be deducted from their monthly wages, and they'll have to provide their own firewood and coal from now on.
Everyone agreed. So Qiu Yu quickly found someone to build the kang (heated brick bed), as they would have to stay there for two more days. After the kang was built and dried, it would take another day to heat it completely! But from now on, they would have a place to live, so the wait was worthwhile. Anyway, they wouldn't spend much money on food and lodging at the inn. Besides, Qiu Yu had the accountant deduct fifty coins each month, leaving them with fifty coins in hand.
He increasingly felt that Qiu Yu and the others were kind-hearted, and at this moment, He Zifeng was still unaware of what Qiu Yu had done. But even if he did know, given his personality, he would probably say that Qiu Yu was very thoughtful and that it was all thanks to him.
Qiu Yu is getting to know He Zifeng better and better now.
Outsiders still call He Zifeng "Military Master," but little do they know that he would bring his child home because he missed him. He has a very soft heart.
He Zifeng used to be serious and unapproachable; the child would speak to him timidly. Now, the little guy wishes he could shrink down and crawl into his clothes to play with him.
The higher He Zifeng's status, the more he spoiled his child. If Ranran wanted the stars in the sky, he would find a way to get them for her.
Xiao Chen, who was standing next to him, said, "Boss."
Qiu Yu suddenly came to her senses and said, "Huh?"
Xiao Chen said, "This is the order form; we're still missing some of the seasonings listed." It's not just busy in the mornings; their shop is also bustling at noon and in the evenings. Seasonings are going through incredibly fast; the sugar and salt jars are empty in just a few days. Many things need to be prepared well in advance, otherwise, it would be terrible if Chef Zhang didn't have them when he needed them.
Xiao Chen was looking at Qiu Yu, wondering what she had been laughing about. He called her several times, but she didn't respond.
Qiu Yu took the order and said, "Okay." He was a little flustered; he had been thinking about He Zifeng the whole time, and felt a little embarrassed after he came to his senses.
...
At that moment, He Zifeng was at the entrance of the yamen, being complained about by Constable Zhu. He said he had a fever yesterday, so he went home a little early. He had no idea that so much had happened in just one day, and he heard that the county magistrate had sent people to look for him three or four times.
He felt guilty after hearing about it today. He told everyone that he had a health problem and didn't mean to shirk his duties. He even said, "Thanks to you for being there this time."
He Zifeng said, "I always learn from you, and I've picked up a little bit. But compared to you, I'm far inferior." Officer Zhu was afraid that He Zifeng would gain the magistrate's favor and surpass him. Now that he saw He Zifeng didn't seem to have that intention, he felt much more at ease. He smiled and said, "Not at all."
Since he was caught by the county magistrate for neglecting his post yesterday, he plans to behave well in the coming days to save face.
Seeing that Constable Zhu was ambitious and eager to make a name for himself, He Zifeng said, "I have some things to take care of at home in the countryside. I was thinking of asking for leave these days." He Zifeng looked reluctant; this was a major undertaking to build the city, and all the brothers were working on it. It wouldn't be good to not work at this time.
But Officer Zhu was very happy and said, "Why are we brothers being so polite? If you have something to do at home, go and take care of it. I'll take care of things here."
Officer Zhu wasn't sure if He Zifeng's actions were intentional or unintentional, but he was certainly pleased. His trusted confidants had told him about He Zifeng's performance yesterday, and the county magistrate also valued him highly. He Zifeng was already a deputy head constable. If he were to advance any further, even Zhu himself would likely lose his position. Taking leave at this time was a way to avoid He Zifeng's wrath.
Officer Zhu can then have a good chance to show off.
After taking leave, He Zifeng told his fellow team members and then said to Xie Rui, "Xiao Li in the prison is not bad. Ask him later if he wants to come. There aren't many people in our team. If he is willing to come, make room for him."
If Xiao Li were to become a yamen runner instead of a jailer, he would at least have two more sets of clothes for winter. He could also earn a share from the Lingshan Village quota, bringing in at least ten taels of silver a year, which would be much better than being in that dark and gloomy prison.
After giving his instructions, He Zifeng left. He had just returned to the restaurant when he saw Qiu Yu drive off in a carriage.
He Zifeng asked, "Where are you going?"
Qiu Yu said, "The shop is almost out of seasonings." He wanted to go out and buy some.
He Zifeng took the list from his hand, glanced at it, and then said, "I'll do it." He then led the carriage out. He returned shortly after, having gone to the spice shop where the county magistrate received a share of the profits. The shopkeeper had already received instructions from the magistrate, and the price he was given to He Zifeng was at cost price. He Zifeng ordered 100 catties of everything on the list. He also ordered 500 catties of dried vegetables.
Seeing that He Zifeng was buying so much, the shopkeeper of the spice shop said, "Sir, I have a source of goods for making clam meat, scallops, dried fish slices, dried shrimp, and the like. This is the price list. If you can take five hundred catties, we can finish the rest of the goods."
Seafood is expensive; even the cheapest item here costs 15 coins per pound. If you put these items in their spice shop, the price will be at least three times higher. These goods sell out very quickly as the Lunar New Year approaches.
However, the other party's shipment of dry goods was still too much, and they didn't have enough money in their accounts. But the other party wasn't selling in smaller quantities, and it was rare to find such a good price. If they didn't take it, they were worried that buying from a middleman would be more expensive.
Just when she was wondering what to do, she saw that He Zifeng had an idea. These dried seafood, stewed tofu, and steamed egg custard could be sold at very high prices for ingredients that were originally cheap, so she told him about it.
He Zifeng asked, "Can the things be stored here?"
The shopkeeper said, "I've checked, they're all dry! They can last at least two years. An ordinary family would buy two catties to last through the New Year. But since you have a shop here, five hundred catties isn't much."
He Zifeng did the math, then calculated that the goods would cost approximately one hundred taels of silver. He ordered three hundred catties of dried shrimp, one hundred catties of fish slices, and one hundred catties of other items, and paid the deposit.
He Zifeng was a deputy constable and also favored by the county magistrate. The shopkeeper said, "Once the goods are unloaded from the ship, we will transport them back by carriage and deliver them to your shop."
He Zifeng nodded, and then transported the seasonings back.
After He Zifeng took it back, Qiu Yu was startled, thinking that He Zifeng had misremembered the quantity. He Zifeng said, "This time I bought it cheaply, since it's something we use often anyway. It saves us from having to buy it all the time."
Qiu Yu glanced at the price and was stunned.
He Zifeng went back to the village to collect the grain first.
Ever since they hired workers in the village, everyone knows he opened a porridge shop. They use a lot of grain, and the price they pay in the village is much cheaper than buying it from outside grain shops.
He never delayed collecting grain; he always paid directly.
The surrounding villages were all asking around, wanting to know if He Zifeng had a good harvest.
"Take it all, take it all," He Zifeng said. He used to let Shuanzi hold back a little, but now as long as there's no problem with the grain, he'll take as much as he can get.
Upon hearing this, the people in the surrounding area quickly brought over their own dried and ground grain, afraid of being too late.
He Zifeng weighed the tea and paid for it with silver. He didn't stop for a whole day and collected a total of 10,000 catties, spending more than 20 taels of silver.
The villagers are used to setting aside a year's worth of grain and selling the surplus. They had already harvested most of it a few days ago. Today they harvested another batch, and the surrounding villages have almost sold their entire stock.
Shuanzi thought he was out of work, but he'd earned over nine hundred coins these past few days. That's quite a lot.
To his surprise, He Zifeng said to him, "Go to another place and collect some more grain."
Shuanzi's hopes were immediately dashed. If he worked a few more days, he could save up an ounce of silver. He had never had such a lucrative job before.
Shuanzi said, "Second Brother He, can you possibly use all of this?" They've harvested nearly 20,000 jin in total. Grain doesn't keep well; it becomes worthless if it's old.
He Zifeng said, "It's not just for my shop; a friend of mine also wants some."
Upon hearing this, Shuanzi immediately set to work. He Zifeng also urged them to collect the grains as soon as possible. He Zifeng added, "If there's any good quality grain, take that too!"
Shuanzi pounded his chest loudly and said, "I understand."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
