"That's great! It's so convenient to live close by. You can even work in the county town," Lu Chuan said with a look of envy.
"Hahaha." The old man chuckled without saying a word, his expression revealing a hint of boasting.
The two chatted for a few more minutes about trivial matters, and then the group set off again toward the county town.
More than three years later, when I returned to the county town, I felt that everything had changed.
The once familiar streets are no longer familiar; many places still show signs of decay, but some areas are being repaired as quickly as possible.
Perhaps because the county town is not yet fully built, and farmers are busy with spring plowing in the fields, there are not many people in the county town.
There were only a few people scattered on the street, and not many vendors either.
"It seems there aren't many residents in the county town now!" Grandpa Zhao said, looking around.
"Well, fortunately, there are still some stalls available. Although there aren't many people, some shops are already open," Lu Chuan replied.
"Let's walk further in and see if there are any stalls selling things," Xu Han suggested.
"Okay, let's go check out South Street. The stalls used to be set up there."
After saying that, the group started walking towards South Street. Along the way, there were a few shops scattered along the street, but business wasn't very good.
The group strolled around, but by the time they reached South Street, they hadn't bought anything.
Most of the goods here are transported from other places. The variety of goods available is limited, and some items are very expensive, so the group felt it was unnecessary and didn't buy them.
“The old county town had a dock, and there were boat makers in the town. Aren’t we going to buy a new boat? Why don’t we go and ask?” Lu Chuan suggested.
"Okay, let's ask around first. We don't know if they still exist now, since they used to be."
They walked and asked along the way, and finally found them.
"Is anyone home?" Grandpa Zhao asked as he walked into the house.
"Someone's here." As soon as the words were spoken, a middle-aged woman came out.
"Hello, Auntie, we're here to order a boat. Is Master Yang home?"
"He just went out. Please wait a moment and I'll have someone call him right away."
After the woman finished speaking, she shouted inside, "Eldest son, go and call your father back. Tell him someone wants to order a boat."
Then he turned to the group and said, "Please sit down and rest for a while. My husband will be back soon."
Then, he was very attentive and poured water for everyone, even adding some tea leaves to it.
The woman thought to herself that these were big customers. Since returning, although she had sold some small items, no one had come to order a boat.
We've finally got someone to inquire today, so we have to treat them well. The profits from this one boat are more than two months' worth of profits normally.
The group waited for a short while before Master Yang returned.
"Are you all looking to order a boat? To be honest, my boat-making skills are widely recognized in the surrounding area."
"I used to live in this county town. Later, I fled to the south and was lucky enough to survive. As soon as I heard I could come back, I came back immediately," Master Yang said.
"I've heard of Master Yang's reputation. My family's small boat was custom-made from your shop before," Lu Chuan said in a friendly greeting.
"Haha, so you're a regular customer! I was just blind and didn't recognize you."
"It's not your fault. It's been too long. Master Yang comes into contact with so many people every day, it's inevitable that he won't remember them all."
“Since you’re a regular customer, I’ll definitely give you a discount. What kind of boat would you like to order this time?” Master Yang asked.
“Today we’d like to order a larger ship. Ideally, one that can carry some cargo,” Lu Chuan replied.
"I have a catalog here. You can take a look and see what kind you want. We can make any size you need." After saying that, Master Yang went inside and brought out a catalog.
Lu Chuan took the booklet, and everyone read it together.
"This one is pretty good; it's suitable for our family use," the Taoist priest said, pointing to one of the boats.
"I think it's a good idea. The space is quite large."
“Okay, let’s take this one. Let’s make it bigger so we can use the old one when we need a small boat, and use this one when we need a big boat,” Xu Han said.
"Have you decided on the number of people?" Master Yang asked.
"It's decided, we want this style, and a medium-sized boat will do. How much silver do we need?" Lu Chuan replied.
"What kind of materials do you need? The price will vary depending on the materials."
A slightly lower quality one costs 30 taels of silver, a normal one costs 36 taels of silver, and a better one costs 40 taels of silver.
Lu Chuan thought about it and felt that it wasn't too expensive. He had spent 10 taels of silver when he bought the donkey, so this price for a medium-sized boat was really not expensive.
However, Lu Chuan still looked at Xu Han uncertainly, and only after Xu Han nodded did he say, "Then let's go with the best. When can we get it?"
"Okay, okay, it will take at least a month to finish." Master Yang said excitedly, rubbing his hands together.
"Could you make it a little cheaper? This price is still a bit expensive," Grandpa Zhao couldn't help but ask, trying to negotiate.
"This price really can't be any lower, but I can prepare everything on the ship for you. You don't need to worry about tables and chairs. I'll provide everything that can be used on the ship," Master Yang said with a troubled expression.
"Alright then, remember to keep the quality good. If we're not satisfied, we won't be able to pay the balance in full," Lu Chuan replied.
"Don't worry about that, I will definitely do a good job. The quality is absolutely guaranteed. I guarantee it will last for three years. If there are any problems within three years, I will repair it for you free of charge."
"You said it yourself," Lu Chuan said with a smile.
Then Xu Han took out five taels of silver from her pocket and handed it to Lu Chuan as a deposit for the transaction.
After the group finalized the details about the boat, they felt much more at ease.
No one expected that ordering a boat in the county town would go so smoothly.
Moreover, it's a shop that Lu Chuan bought from before, so the quality is naturally guaranteed.
"Haha, I never expected that something we casually decided on the way would go so smoothly," Grandpa Zhao said with a smile as he stepped out of the courtyard.
“Yes, today was definitely worth it. Although we didn’t buy much, we did buy a boat,” Xu Han replied with a smile.
"This is our Mu'er's first time in the county town, and there's not much to eat. Mu'er, would you like some candy? Great-Grandpa will buy you some, okay?"
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