Chapter 66 Chive Omelet
The next day, after closing up shop, Qiao Mianmian, wanting to learn some skills, went with her mother to find a real estate agent.
Besides Qiao Mancang, Qiao Jiawang and Qiao Jiaxing were also with him. Lin's idea was that more people meant more strength.
Once inside the shop, Mrs. Lin glanced around and began to nitpick, "Look, the doors and windows don't close properly. We're in business; we need pots, pans, and other utensils. If someone comes in at night to steal something, won't we be left with nothing?"
"And this roof beam, hasn't it been unused for a long time? I see ants building a nest underneath it."
"Young man, I know you're eager to rent it out quickly. How about this: I'll be straightforward, and you be straightforward too. Two and a half taels of silver a month, how about that?"
"No, no, there's no price like this on the whole street." The broker quickly waved his hand. "This shop does need repairs, but..."
“Look, you said it yourself, it needs repairs!” Lin interrupted the other party, seizing the key point. “Then let me ask you, do we need to hire people to repair the doors and windows? Do we need to spend money on the roof and floor? If you could repair the shop properly, I could give you more rent, but now, we have to pay for the repairs ourselves.”
The broker said with difficulty, "It is indeed worth repairing, but for the same shop, there is no price lower than three taels. If you lower it so much, the owner will not agree."
As for them to come and repair it, that's impossible. The homeowner finds it too troublesome; otherwise, they would have rented it out long ago.
"So, from what you're saying, the same shop can cost three taels a month in rent. Why don't you take us there?" Lin seized on the loophole again.
“I… don’t have one right now. Renting also depends on timing and fate, don’t you think?” The broker’s heart skipped a beat. He hadn’t met a woman with such sharp tongue. When he looked at the rest of the Qiao family, he found that none of them were speaking. It seemed that Lin was the one making the decision.
“Since we’ve been there before, this price is acceptable now.” Madam Lin softened her tone. “I can see you’re not having an easy time either. We’re all just trying to make a living. I’ll give you an extra five hundred copper coins, so you’ll be the same as everyone else, three taels of silver a month. Is that alright?”
She never intended to rent it for two and a half ounces; she knew it was impossible, the landlord would definitely not agree. She just tested the waters step by step, figuring out the landlord's bottom line.
The broker still shook his head. "That's too low, sister-in-law. The past is the past, and the present is the present. Look at this shop, facing the street on two sides, what a prime location! And the ground floor is spacious enough that you can even put tables and chairs at the entrance. Such a good place shouldn't be that cheap. I can see you really want to rent it, so I'll give you a discount of three hundred copper coins, how about that?"
The homeowner gave the minimum requirements, and this is still above the minimum.
Lin said no, "It's too expensive. This isn't my first time renting a house, you must have a lower price. Never mind, it's just not meant to be. I'll go ask other landlords and see what other prices they offer."
"Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, everyone else is in the same boat. How about this, I won't make any money, I'll give you two hundred coins less, just to help me make up the numbers so I can close one deal this month." The broker was anxious. They were under the government's jurisdiction, and there was a competition among them every month.
Lin frowned and looked at the other family members. Qiao Mianmian was the first to react and went over to hug her arm. "Mother, why don't we think about it some more? They say you have to compare prices before buying. We're renting a shop. It'll be at least two years, maybe five or ten years. It's always good to look around more."
“Alright.” Madam Lin looked at the broker. “Young man, I think my daughter is right. But I see you’ve had a hard time, running around with us. I’m a straightforward person, so if you lower the price by another two hundred coins, I’ll rent it. If you don’t like it, we can talk about it later.”
Her gaze paused for a moment, then she said to her family, "Alright, let's go back first and let him think about it."
"Sister-in-law, alright, that's the price!" Fang Yazi couldn't hold back any longer. "You're really something, as expected of a businessman. You've got a whole set of tricks up your sleeve, I just can't handle them."
Upon hearing the real estate agent's agreement, Madam Lin immediately put on a smiling face. "It's not that I'm clever, it's that you're kind-hearted. You saw how hard it is for our family to make a living, so you gave us a good price. Don't worry, I'll recommend you to anyone who wants to rent a house in the future. They can't go wrong by coming to you!"
"Oh, sister-in-law, thank you in advance." Fearing that Lin and the others might change their minds, Fang Yazi led his men to complete the contract.
The rent is paid every three months. The real estate agent collects the first three months' rent on your behalf, and he also handles the contract. He gave you an address and said, "The homeowner doesn't like to go out. When the time comes, you can send the money over there."
"Okay, okay." Madam Lin took the contract and turned to hand it to Qiao Mancang.
Upon leaving the government office, Qiao Jiaxing excitedly exclaimed, "Our family is going to open a food shop! We won't have to endure the wind and sun anymore. Mother, you're amazing! I didn't dare breathe too loudly the whole time!"
"Don't get too excited yet, someone's watching!" Lin reminded him with a smile. "Let's go quickly, now that we've rented it, there are still many things to prepare."
They returned to the shop with the keys. The shop did indeed need renovations; tables and chairs needed to be added. Even if they rented it now, they couldn't open for business anytime soon.
Qiao Mianmian suggested, "Since it's a new store opening, let's repaint the doors and windows; it'll look more comfortable for everyone. We can set up private rooms on the second floor. I've looked around, and three rooms should be fine. We don't have much money right now, so let's keep things simple. Even if they're private rooms, just keep them simple. We can furnish them properly after we buy our own shop."
Hearing that her daughter was saving money, Lin said with satisfaction, "Chunsheng's father is a carpenter, so it's good to have him help. We can do everything ourselves, such as the roof and doors and windows. We should also clean up the room next to the kitchen, because someone will need to sleep there when we open for business."
Otherwise, with so many things in the shop, we'd have to be wary of thieves.
The shop was still empty, but everyone started to imagine. Qiao Mianmian felt that she could see a full house of guests, and her mother would definitely be counting money and laughing out loud.
"Alright, let's head back for today." Lin glanced around. "No stall tomorrow for Qingming Festival, we'll come back the day after to do repairs. Let's open for business as soon as possible and start making money!"
"Yay!" Qiao Mianmian was also looking forward to the opening day.
The family went home late today; other families were already having dinner, and by the time they got back to Qiao Mianmian's cooking, it would be getting dark.
Therefore, Hu Qianqian and Zhang prepared the meal so that they could eat when they arrived home.
“I said I’d do it, but Qianqian said she wanted everyone to try her cooking.” Zhang praised her granddaughter-in-law, “It’s our blessing to have a granddaughter-in-law like Qianqian. Jiawang, all the dishes today were made by your wife, so you should eat a couple more bowls of rice.”
Hu Qianqian blushed at the comment, "Grandmother, my cooking skills are not as good as Mianmian's, I hope everyone won't mind."
"How could I possibly dislike it?" Qiao Mianmian chuckled. "This plate of chive omelets looks delicious. Grandparents, please sit down, I'm hungry."
"Alright, alright, let's eat quickly." Zhang urged everyone to start eating.
Hu Qianqian also does housework at her parents' home. Chive omelet is the most basic omelet. She controls the heat very well, and the outer skin is slightly crispy. The chives exposed on the outside are fried in oil and give off the unique aroma of chives. Combined with the thickness of the egg, the taste is fragrant and full.
"Delicious!" Qiao Mianmian exclaimed. "Sister-in-law, your cooking is excellent too. I can be lazy now!"
"No...nothing is as good as you." Hu Qianqian thought that since her sister-in-law praised her, she must be doing alright, and gradually gained confidence.
Qiao Jiawang served her some food, saying, "Mianmian is right, it's delicious."
Everyone was very kind and finished all the food.
After dinner, Mr. and Mrs. Lin went to Chunsheng's house to discuss the carpentry work.
Since we're opening a shop, we can't make the tables and chairs ourselves, otherwise they'll look too ugly and affect business.
"Your family is opening a food stall? That's wonderful!" Chun Sheng's mother said happily, congratulating them. "Since you've asked, I'm sure I'll have the time. My husband Dayong just finished working on the family's chores, so he'll come help you after Qingming Festival."
"Thank you so much." After negotiating the price with Chunsheng's family, Lin left as it was getting dark. Seeing Zheng Sanhua coming out of the Xu family's house, she whispered, "I heard that Sanhua learned embroidery from Madam Xu. It's amazing that Madam Xu still has this skill."
Qiao Mancang: "There are many things we can't imagine. It's better for a girl to learn embroidery than to do delivery work."
"Yes, I can't even imagine how worried I would be if my daughter went to work as a delivery girl." Lin said, yawning. "Let's go home. We have to go to pay respects to our ancestors and sweep the tombs early tomorrow morning. There are so many things to do."
They are still the eldest son of the family, and they are the ones who prepare the items for ancestral worship.
Qiao Mancang was also tired. He had set up his meat stall before dawn, and after closing up, he went to negotiate a price for a shop. Only now could he go back to rest. "I wonder how well Xu Kuan has kept it a secret. Scholar Xu has been back for two days. He is too concerned about his reputation."
"Who knows? We're not deaf to them. Go wash your feet. If you don't wash your feet today, you're not allowed in the house!" After threatening, Lin went inside to calculate the money.
Meanwhile, Xu Kuan was secretly pleased, "Luckily I was smart enough to hide all the stall items in the attic beforehand. I've already told the neighbors, so they won't say anything. It's not easy for Mingxuan to come back, so I've already bought the writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone he wanted. As for clothes, should I have them made?"
To save money, Madam Xu bought fabric and made new clothes for her son herself. "I'm a little weak, but I'm not so sick that I can't get out of bed. Don't worry, I'll make a little bit every day when I have time, and I'll finish it before Mingxuan leaves. Besides, Yunzhu will help me, so it won't tire me out."
"Then you need to understand, our family now only has three members left." Thinking of his deceased eldest son, Xu Kuan felt a pang of guilt. "We can't go back to Bianjing, we can't give..."
He couldn't continue, his thin lips trembling as he turned his head away. His eldest son's grave was in Bianjing, but the family had no money to go back and sweep it. As a father, he felt terrible.
When this was mentioned, Madam Xu also fell silent.
The room was dimly lit by candlelight, and Xu Mingxuan was reading by lamplight. He didn't know how much time had passed when he went to the courtyard for some fresh air and realized that it was late at night. The only sound was the croaking of frogs in the small ditch by the door.
He looked at the crescent moon in the sky and sighed deeply. It wasn't until late at night that he went back to his room to rest.
The next morning, Xu Mingxuan went to his mother and said, “Mother, I think I can still wear my old clothes. Could you make some for Father? As for the books we talked about before, my brother Wang and I can just borrow them. Buying a copy ourselves is too expensive.”
“I’ve already cut the clothes to your measurements. Two new outfits won’t take much work, and I won’t get tired.” Madam Xu thought her son was worried about her getting tired. “Don’t worry about that. Today is Qingming Festival. We can’t go back to Bianjing, and your second uncle isn’t here either, but we still need to pay our respects at home. Go and see if your father needs any help.”
“Mother, I…” Xu Mingxuan paused, the words were on the tip of his tongue but he found it hard to say them. After taking a deep breath, his eyes became moist. “I saw the things Father put in the attic. Mother, it was my fault for being ignorant and not understanding. I asked for this and that as soon as I came home.”
After saying that, he lowered his head in shame, and tears streamed down his face.
Mrs. Xu was stunned. "You...how did you see that?"
“Father keeps looking into the attic, and since you said you weren’t going back to Bianjing to sweep the tombs, I found it strange, so I went to the attic to take a look,” Xu Mingxuan said. “Mother, your son doesn’t want new clothes; he will study hard.”
He knew his father's personality very well. The man who had only ever studied and never earned money was now setting up a stall in the market to hawk his wares; just thinking about that scene made him feel uncomfortable.
Madam Xu looked at her son, her thin lips trembling slightly, "My son has grown up."
She looked at the fabric on the table, wiped away her tears, and smiled with relief, saying, "Now that we've bought the fabric, our family can make you new clothes. We're not destitute. Your parents are happy that you have this thought."
The mother and son looked at each other and wept until Lin brought them paper money, at which point they quickly wiped away their tears.
"Madam Xu, these are the things your family requested. I'll put them here for you." Madam Lin was in a hurry to go to the ancestral worship ceremony, so she said this in a hurry, put down the things, and left.
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