The fragrance of herbs is renowned
Jinzhou Prefecture and Da'an Town have many differences.
One can get a glimpse of the city's prosperity from the central avenue that begins to be laid as soon as one enters the city gate.
High walls and gray tiles, towering gates, majestic and solemn.
The townspeople of Da'an dressed simply, but in Jinzhou Prefecture, people were noticeably more particular, with most of their clothes made of cotton and silk, and it was not uncommon to see young masters and ladies adorned with gold and silver.
Wang Xiaoyao was like Grandma Liu entering the Grand View Garden, overwhelmed by all the sights.
Unlike their impoverished state when they fled from Wangjia Village, this time, upon moving to the prefectural capital, the three men's belongings filled half the space in the carriage.
The small courtyard where they stayed was vacated by Xianying at Mu Chuan's instruction.
According to Mu Chuan, although Xian Ying was unconventional, he was the cleanest of his attendants.
The carriage wobbled and swerved into an alleyway and came to a stop; their next lodging would be inside.
Wang Pan'er pushed open the door and, sure enough, the courtyard was clean and tidy, with water stains on the ground not even completely dry.
Mu Chuan got off the carriage, turned around and reached out to take Wang Pan'er's hand.
Wang Pan'er didn't notice Mu Chuan's movements and jumped off the other side of the carriage with a small leap.
Mu Chuan's hand froze in mid-air, and he coughed tactically.
Wang Pan'er turned around and, seeing this, gave an embarrassed smile.
Standing behind the courtyard gate, Xianying was surprised that someone had his young master steal his attendant's courtyard to curry favor with him. He had to see who this street swindler was, and ended up witnessing his young master's "unrealistic" behavior. He had been resentful because his courtyard had been taken from him, but now he felt like he had gotten his revenge and couldn't help but laugh out loud with smug satisfaction.
Mu Chuan caught him red-handed and gave him a good glare, then threw out his sword and ordered, "Go find the best blacksmith in the city and have it re-sharpened."
After catching the sword, Xianying pulled it out and took a deep breath: "Good heavens, did you use this to split a mountain?!"
Mu Chuan sneered and glared at him again.
The culprit, Wang Pan'er, stood obediently beside Mu Chuan, not breathing heavily, trying to minimize her presence.
Xianying ran off in a flash. Wang Pan'er felt awkward standing at the entrance of the courtyard. She carefully helped Wang Xiaoyao carry the belongings unloaded from the carriage into the house.
Mu Chuan was still not satisfied with the small courtyard. He said to the two sisters, "Jinzhou Prefecture is not like Da'an Town. There are many people and a lot of gossip. You two are new here, so you can stay here for now. Once you are more familiar with the place, you can go and find a courtyard that you like."
Wang Pan'er was so happy to have gotten such a good deal that she didn't have time to be picky.
She quickly praised, "I think this courtyard is very nice, thanks to you again. We'll have a good meal later."
The owner of this small courtyard had even dug a well for his family next to the kitchen door. After moving everything in, Mu Chuan washed his hands with water from the well: "Mo Feng and the others are still waiting for me, so I can't go with you."
"So soon?" Wang Pan'er said regretfully. "I was planning to cook hot pot again."
"In that case, you owe me a meal. It's a hot pot meal, and there's one condition: I'll remember everything you owe me."
"Alright, alright, business comes first." Wang Pan'er waved her hand.
"In case of emergency, go to Tianchengyuan Money Shop." Mu Chuan took out a small seal about the thickness of a finger joint. "Use this as a token, and someone will come to meet you."
"You have people in the money exchange!" Wang Pan'er exclaimed, circling Mu Chuan. "Have I really struck gold?"
"You're such a chatterbox." Mu Chuan seemed impatient, stepped aside to take the reins of his horse, and said, "Go find a shop; I need to leave."
The horse was tall and handsome, with glossy brown short hair and a ring of white hair on its hooves, looking incredibly dashing.
Wang Pan'er stepped forward and tentatively touched the horse's head: "Hmm, may everything go smoothly."
The horse's ears twitched forward happily at the touch.
Mu Chuan curled the corners of his mouth: "You too." After saying that, he took the reins and led the horse out of the alley.
Wang Xiaoyao was starving and couldn't wait for Wang Pan'er to stir-fry the base ingredients. Seeing Mu Chuan leave, he begged Wang Pan'er to go to the market.
Central Avenue runs directly from the city gate to the government office, dividing the entire Jinzhou Prefecture into a symmetrical structure.
The east side was the residence of high-ranking officials and nobles, where prices were quite high; the west side was mostly inhabited by ordinary people, and the small courtyard that Xianying had vacated for them was located in this neighborhood.
The market in Jinzhou Prefecture was located in the area closest to the county government office, divided into the East Market and the West Market by the central main street.
The East Market mainly sold valuable goods such as jewelry, porcelain, and silk, while the West Market focused on the daily necessities of ordinary people.
The East Market is off-limits; not only are the rents expensive, but the foot traffic is also low.
The West Market caters primarily to the needs of ordinary people, but it also attracts many high-ranking officials and dignitaries who enjoy eating and shopping there, making it Wang Pan'er's main target.
The two sisters strolled around, eating and browsing, taking in the bustling West Market of Jinzhou Prefecture.
There aren't many shops closed here, and even fewer available for transfer. And the shops available for transfer are either too large, in the center of the market, or in some obscure corner. The good shops are too big to be taken over, and the less desirable ones, being newcomers, are often short of customers and their reputations suffer. It's not a big deal if they run out of money before they can even establish a good word.
After wandering around for a while, we finally stopped in front of a teahouse near the embroidery workshop with a sign that said "For Sale".
The teahouse wasn't large, but compared to the other deserted shops for sale, it was definitely bustling with customers.
As Wang Pan'er and Wang Xiaoyao stepped into the shop, the waiter immediately greeted them warmly.
She casually ordered a few dishes from the signboard and began to look around at the layout of the room.
The entire teahouse is made of bamboo, giving it an elegant feel. Although it lacks grandeur, every part of it is exquisite and ingenious.
The main entrance is spacious but not extravagant, positioned as a vital intake point for energy; the windows correspond to the main entrance, ensuring good ventilation inside; the counter is placed in the wealth position, and the arrangement of tables and chairs is not cramped, with a smooth flow of movement; the kitchen is hidden, and the courtyard through which waiters pass by can be seen from the inner window.
The owner must have put a lot of thought and effort into this teahouse.
The food at the tea shop wasn't the best, but being there made Wang Pan'er feel comfortable and relaxed, and she was already seven or eight tenths sure she wanted to stay.
She called over the waiter: "I noticed your business is quite good, but there's a 'For Sale' sign on the shop door. May I ask why?"
The waiter, not being a stranger, started babbling on like a floodgate when asked: "Our boss is getting old and can no longer manage the shop. Just then, our young master passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, but his ambitions lie elsewhere. So he decided to transfer the business and go live with our young master in his old age."
So it turns out that it was actually a shop belonging to a prosperous family.
"How many people came to inquire about it?"
Xiao Er scratched his head sheepishly: "There are many, but most people back out after hearing the price. The owner doesn't want to waste his hard work, and the young master also says that it's better to have less than to have something of poor quality. We don't need a few extra coins. To be honest, our shop is indeed a bit more expensive than other shops."
This mentality is understandable.
Although it was expensive, the more Wang Pan'er looked at the shop, the more satisfied she became with it; the other shops simply couldn't stand her.
Based on the average price, six hundred taels is indeed expensive, but it's not outrageous, and it just so happens that she can afford it.
Thinking of this, Wang Pan'er asked the waiter, "I'd like to discuss this further; could you perhaps ask your master to intervene?"
"Please follow me, sir."
The host was taking a nap in the inner room when the waiter knocked on the door to inform him of his purpose and then hurriedly got up to serve him.
The owner was indeed quite old, with gray hair, and looked to be around sixty years old. Seeing that they were two young women, he smiled and invited them to sit down. He deftly tapped off a small piece of tea cake and brewed a pot of black tea: "I suppose you two have already heard that my shop does not accept bargaining. If you've made up your minds, I'll show you around."
Wang Pan'er picked up the teacup, took a sip, and nodded. Wang Xiaoyao followed suit.
"This teahouse is bright and clean, with a unique style that suits my taste perfectly. It saves me the trouble of renovation, and considering the time lost and the cost of hiring craftsmen, it's not much more expensive than other shops."
The owner cares about nothing more than every detail in this building, which embodies all his hard work. He is most afraid that if the teahouse changes hands, the interior decorations will be ruined.
Wang Pan'er's praise touched the owner's heart. He picked up his cane leaning against the table and stood up, saying, "Then please, young lady, take a stroll around my building?"
After walking around, Wang Pan'er was even more satisfied.
Apart from the fact that the kitchen only has two small open-flame stoves used for brewing tea and steaming cakes, which need to be renovated into a large stove for making medicinal cuisine, there is almost nothing else that needs to be changed.
What delighted Wang Pan'er even more was that, because of her straightforwardness and her shared aesthetic taste with her employer, the employer gifted her the small kitchen next door, which was originally intended to be sold separately, along with the tea and snack bar.
Why sell it separately?
Because the woodshed had a basement, the landlord built a cold cellar there!
This is a place you can't buy! Wang Pan'er smiled so broadly her eyes disappeared, and immediately signed the contract with the owner, exchanging money for goods.
The shopkeeper pressed his seal on the contract and wiped the mud off his fingers: "However, there is one more thing I need to tell you, young lady. My teahouse needs to operate until the end of the month. The staff in the shop have been with me for a long time, and I need to give them some time to find another way to make a living."
Upon hearing this, Wang Pan'er waved her hand and said, "It's alright. In that case, I'll take this opportunity to prepare for the opening."
After the discussion, the host happily escorted them to the entrance of the teahouse.
Having secured a satisfactory shop location, Wang Pan'er was extremely relieved. Calculating that there were still half a month until the end of the month, she planned to take a few days off to recover from the fatigue of her journey.
Before Wang Pan'er could even figure out how to pass the time, Wang Xiaoyao had already started making plans with great interest.
“Sister Pan’er, now that we have a shop, we must come up with a catchy name.”
“Our shop is very different from a street stall. A street stall only needs a small cart, but in such a big teahouse, we can’t just sell braised food and sweet drinks, can we? We also have waiters and cooks…”
Wang Xiaoyao counted on her fingers, her expression extremely serious, while Wang Pan'er beside her had already glanced at the various street vendors. She pouted, dissatisfied, "Sister Pan'er, are you even listening to me?"
I never realized this little girl had such a commanding presence!
Wang Pan'er pushed Wang Xiaoyao into a clothing store: "Since we still have plenty of time, why don't we stay here and play for a few days?"
Wang Xiaoyao slipped out of her arm like an eel, pulled her outside the shop, and said seriously, "Sister Pan'er, we've spent six hundred taels! If we don't plan this out properly, I'm afraid I won't be able to sleep tonight! Wouldn't it be much easier to relax after we've taken care of these things?"
"Alright, alright!" With her younger sister so eager to improve, Wang Pan'er could only surrender. She forced herself to speak and asked, "So, tell me, what should we do next?"
"Shall we start by naming the place and choosing a signboard?"
“Okay.” Wang Pan’er was terrible at naming things and had a hard time making choices, so she simply used the name of her grandfather’s medicinal cuisine restaurant, “Let’s call it Shanhe Medicinal Cuisine Restaurant.”
“Mountains and Rivers?” Wang Xiaoyao repeated it several times. “Mountains and Rivers, we’ve chosen the name ‘Mountains and Rivers’ because without Brother Mu Chuan, we wouldn’t have been able to open such a big shop so quickly. It’s a good name.”
What a coincidence!
Wang Pan'er imagined the signboard of Shanhe Medicinal Cuisine Restaurant hanging on the tea and snack floor, and she was quite satisfied.
"I think I just saw a carpenter's shop, over there!" Wang Xiaoyao, sharp of hearing and sight, immediately grabbed Wang Pan'er and started looking for the place where the plaque was carved, displaying boundless energy.
Wang Pan'er never expected to pick up such a strong "ban" vibe in ancient times. She was forced to transform into a haggard old mother following behind her mischievous child: "Xiaoyao, to be honest, with your energy, you can succeed at anything!"
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