Entering the City
In ancient times, there was no nightlife. Even if oil lamps were bought to replace candles, the whole room was still dimly lit. People could only follow the time of day, working at sunrise and resting at sunset.
In just three months, Wang Pan'er completely broke her habit of sleeping in late.
She got up feeling refreshed, took a toothbrush with bristles, dipped it in tooth powder, and started rinsing her mouth.
The fragrance of zongzi leaves wafted through the morning mist, and neighborhood children, adorned with colorful ribbons, ran by, their cheerful laughter echoing on the bluestone pavement.
Since the beginning of summer, people no longer favor the sweet drinks kept warm on the stove. Wang Pan'er changed the menu, replacing them with plum juice, three-bean soup, and three-fresh summer tea. After preparing them the day before, she puts them in a water vat to chill, and the next morning they are served as refreshing cold drinks, ready to be loaded onto a cart.
Mu Chuan especially loved braised noodles. After Tian Shui'er removed the braised sauce from the charcoal fire, he took it upon himself to buy noodles and asked the two sisters to make braised noodles to sell. The noodles cost four coins a serving, and he could make a net profit of two coins. Some people even brought their rice bowls and wanted Wang Pan'er's braising sauce as a topping. Wang Xiaoyao would give them a large spoonful for one coin, and they were also sought after by the craftsmen who brought their own dry rations for lunch.
With the Dragon Boat Festival approaching, the market started selling glutinous rice and bamboo leaves a couple of days ago, and Wang Xiaoyao began to crave zongzi (sticky rice dumplings). Wang Pan'er didn't have the energy to make them herself, so she and Wang Xiaoyao kept an eye on the stalls where people could wrap zongzi themselves.
The essence of zongzi lies in the glutinous rice and the bamboo leaves. Whether it is sweet or savory, the glutinous rice must be soft and plump, and the bamboo leaves must be fragrant and chewy.
The local cuisine in Da'an Town is mostly savory, with meat-filled rice dumplings being the most prominent. People first marinate pork belly and lean meat together, then soak glutinous rice in water to soften it before wrapping it up and cooking it in a pot.
Wang Pan'er's favorite is a large meat-filled rice dumpling with one piece of pork belly and two pieces of lean meat. After the rice dumpling is cooked, the glutinous rice absorbs the aroma of the meat and the oil, becoming oily and moist. The lean meat fibers loosen up, and the fat melts in your mouth.
Finally, the Dragon Boat Festival arrived. As soon as they set up their stall, Wang Xiaoyao rushed out and brought back three large meat dumplings tied with colorful ropes from the stall they had previously targeted.
Before Wang Pan'er could even eat, the other diners had already gathered around.
Over the course of several months, diners gradually discovered the wonders of the sweet drink. Drinking it continuously could indeed beautify the skin and make people feel refreshed.
Many people have started to develop the habit of carrying their own water bags and grabbing a serving when they pass by a herbal broth stall.
The earthenware jars filled with sweet water on the trolley were getting bigger and bigger.
Wang Xiaoyao said to the customers who were getting sweet water, "Today we have a special summer sweet water that is refreshing, thirst-quenching, and helps to cool you down."
"That's great! The weather's getting hot, and I just want to have some cool soup. Give me a bowl of three-bean soup."
"Then I'll try the plum juice."
As Wang Xiaoyao took the water bag from the customer, she explained, "The ingredients for the summer sweet drinks are not expensive. Plum juice and three-bean soup are three coins a serving, and three-fresh summer tea is four coins. We have left them in water to cool overnight, so they are very refreshing."
The customer who bought plum juice took a sip after getting the water bag back, then put the stopper back on. He smacked his lips and said, "It's sour and refreshing, really satisfying. Three dollars, right?"
Wang Xiaoyao nodded, and the diner took out a copper coin, which Mu Chuan took and put into the money box.
As the stall became popular, Wang Pan'er reassigned tasks to everyone.
Wang Pan'er sells braised food, Wang Xiaoyao manages sweet soup and braised noodles, and even Mu Chuan, who initially liked to idly read some novels, was ordered to stand in front of the stall to collect cash.
In this way, they could earn more than 3,000 coins a day. Adding the 30 or so silver coins they hadn't spent at the beginning, the three of them had saved up 150 taels.
Mu Chuan knew Wang Pan'er was very capable, but he didn't expect her to recoup her investment so quickly. Her parents were actually trying to kill her for a mere hundred taels of silver and a single ingot of gold.
Fortunately, they escaped from the mountains; otherwise, even if they had the skills to make a living in Da'an Town, they would have had no use for them.
Today is the Dragon Boat Festival, and when the dragon boat races start, the streets will be packed with people. Many festive items have already been set up along the streets, and Mu Chuan took advantage of this lull to look around.
The Dragon Boat Festival in Da'an Town is full of customs, including dragon boat races, cutting colorful ropes, and restaurants along the street displaying lots of realgar wine.
He glanced at Wang Pan'er, who was making preparations, and guessed that she wanted to make a quick buck at this critical moment and had no interest in these games.
Mu Chuan showed no interest in the colorful ropes and realgar wine; these were customs common to Dragon Boat Festivals everywhere. Instead, he was fascinated by the exciting dragon boat races described in the books he secretly read. The powerful and influential in the capital were deeply entrenched, and clans, lacking strong power, didn't participate in such events. Now that he had the opportunity, he was determined to see for himself.
The most eager to try was Wang Xiaoyao, who had an extreme curiosity about everything and was now restless.
On this rare festive occasion, Wang Pan'er didn't want to keep the two of them confined, so she sent them off to play while she stayed behind to tend the stall and finish preparing the braised dishes and sweet soup.
Every household is busy with the festival customs, and many people take advantage of the festival to buy some meat to take home and have a good feast.
Wang Pan'er kept bending over as she received a constant stream of guests. Finally, exhausted, she collapsed onto a low stool, supporting her back.
When Wang Xiaoyao and Mu Chuan returned from watching the dragon boat race, they saw that Wang Pan'er was exhausted, so they quickly worked together to tidy up the messy stall.
Wang Pan'er suggested, "We made quite a bit of money today, how about we treat Yu Shi Zhai to a nice meal?"
Yu Shi Zhai is the best restaurant in Da'an Town. It is a three-story building with elegant decoration and is a landmark building in the town.
Wang Xiaoyao was extremely excited. When she got home, she put down her stroller and rushed into her room. She pulled out her best dress and changed into it, determined to look presentable when she went out to eat.
Wang Pan'er is an experiential person, and she values comfort in all aspects of life, including clothing, food, housing, and transportation. She still wears the same cotton clothes and has her hair tied up in a woman's bun for convenience, unlike Wang Xiaoyao, whose long hair is half loose and lively.
Mu Chuan sat in the living room, waiting for the two girls to get ready.
After getting ready, they left the house and followed the bustling crowd toward the restaurant.
Along the way, many women were selling braided colorful ropes. The ropes were inexpensive, five coins a string for a simple one. Wang Pan'er happened to be without any jewelry, so for good luck, she chose the most intricate and beautiful knot and paid thirty coins.
Mu Chuan was like a masterpiece sculpted by Nuwa, even his hands were fair and slender, and they looked incredibly beautiful with the colorful ropes. Wang Pan'er couldn't help but keep glancing at his wrists.
Wang Xiaoyao noticed her little action. She looked at Mu Chuan's wrist, then at her own, and after comparing them, she understood Wang Pan'er's drooling expression: "Sister Pan'er, if you like it, go for it."
Wang Pan'er snapped out of her daze: "What? What?"
"Brother Mu Chuan, even I can tell you like him."
Wang Pan'er waved her hand: "I may like him, but we're not on the same path. It's fine to just admire him. He has his own things to do, and he'll leave when the time comes. We'll eventually become strangers. Just cherish the present."
These words really troubled Wang Xiaoyao: "But it's so hard to meet someone you like. Look at Wangjia Village, how many couples are truly in love?"
"You!" Wang Pan'er pinched Wang Xiaoyao's nose and laughed, "If it's really fate that brings people together, then there's no need to force it."
Wang Xiaoyao stomped her foot: "This is driving me crazy!"
Handsome men are such a scarce resource; any guy who's even slightly good-looking is surrounded by a bunch of beautiful, wealthy young women. Wang Pan'er had long been worn down by the stresses of modern society, and although her hobby was browsing handsome young men online, Mu Chuan was the rarest man she'd ever seen since she was born. Plus, with his impressive family background, even if they were mutually attracted, there was an insurmountable gap between them.
The little girl was innocent and naive, unaware of the dangers. Wang Pan'er couldn't bear to shatter her dreams, so she led her to Yu Shi Zhai.
Yu Shi Zhai has just opened for business, and there aren't many customers yet.
Wang Pan'er called out three times, but no waiter came. She got up and went downstairs to inquire. The shopkeeper looked her up and down, then casually tossed out a menu: "It's the Dragon Boat Festival. Please forgive any neglect."
hehe.
Wang Pan'er's face immediately darkened.
The shopkeeper offered a perfunctory and insincere "please forgive me."
Today was a rare good day, and not only Wang Xiaoyao, but Mu Chuan was visibly happy. Wang Pan'er didn't want to ruin this good mood, so she suppressed her displeasure and took the menu upstairs.
Unexpectedly, Wang Xiaoyao stood at the entrance of the building, looking indignant. As soon as she saw her come up, she leaned close to her ear and said, "Sister Pan'er, let's go somewhere else. The same dish is served in a private room on the third floor and in the main hall on the second floor. It's like they're treating people differently based on their status!"
Mu Chuan's attitude was consistent.
A pot of tea was not even worth the attention of Yu Shi Zhai. The waiter didn't even give it a second glance, and didn't bother to collect the money. He just sent the three of them out the door.
Standing at the entrance of Yu Shi Zhai, Mu Chuan was receiving such treatment for the first time in his life. He thought to himself, "The place is small, but the pomp and circumstance are enormous. Business without integrity is a sure path to ruin."
"Did you hear what your brother Mu Chuan said?" Wang Pan'er said to Wang Xiaoyao, "We must treat every customer with sincerity from now on."
Wang Xiaoyao nodded slightly and replied solemnly, "I've got it. But Sister Pan'er, how about we save up some money and open our own shop? They can run such a big restaurant, I feel like I can do anything!"
Mu Chuan said, "Of course, our dishes are good enough that we can't spend our whole lives running a small stall under the scorching sun."
Wang Pan'er added: "Opening a shop is no small matter; it requires long-term planning and gradual development."
"Alright, I'll do whatever Sister Pan'er says!"
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