The streets bustled with carts and pedestrians as Ning Yan and the other two made their way to the shop Zhang Xingben had mentioned.
The shop had originally sold fabric, but it had only recently been reclaimed and now sat vacant.
After touring it and inspecting the surrounding area, they all agreed the location was practically perfect.
“The courtyard in the back is small, but there are three rooms,” Liu Ye said happily as she ran around. “It’s enough for us to live in. A Yan, A Yan, let’s take the big room, and let Father, Mother, and Brother have the smaller ones.”
Ning Yan couldn’t help smiling, caught up in Liu Ye’s excitement.
“Liu Zhan!” A steward from the Zhang household came jogging over, wiping sweat from his forehead. “The master t-told me to bring you the keys.”
“And here’s the lease agreement. Once you sign it, the shop is yours.”
After speaking, the steward turned toward Ning Yan and immediately bowed respectfully. “Greetings, Miss Ning.”
Ning Yan raised an eyebrow. In the past, they had never treated her this courteously.
“Are you opening a shop?” A middle-aged woman carrying baskets of steamed buns stopped to rest, smiled, and greeted them. “What kind of business are you planning to run?”
Ning Yan replied, “We’re planning to sell snacks and simple food.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful, wonderful.” The woman casually handed Ning Yan a steamed bun. “Try one of my buns. If your shop ever needs any in the future, come find me anytime.”
“I live in the alley behind here. My surname is Ma.”
Smiling, Ning Yan accepted the bun. Her gaze swept over Aunt Ma’s right hand.
Aunt Ma chuckled. “When I was younger, I worked on cargo boats. My little finger got caught and was crushed off.”
Ning Yan nodded. “The bun is delicious.”
“What’s your name, young lady?”
“Ning Yan.”
Aunt Ma stooped to lift her carrying pole. Hearing the name, she set it down and stared at her in surprise. “You’re Miss Ning, the one who helped Jin Shu investigate his sister’s case?”
Ning Yan nodded.
“Mudan was a pitiful person, but she was also kindhearted,” Aunt Ma sighed. “Still, perhaps it’s better that she’s gone. Living… living is just too exhausting.” With that, Aunt Ma slowly hoisted her carrying pole and shuffled away.
Ning Yan split the steamed bun into three portions, and the three of them sat in front of the shop eating while discussing how to renovate it.
“Where’s the Commander? Has he gone back?” Liu Ye asked.
Ning Yan didn’t know, or particularly want to know.
That afternoon, the three of them began hiring workers and getting things done. There wasn’t much to do, mostly adding furnishings and making minor adjustments. Liu Ye was already impatient to move in.
“Our household registrations!” Liu Zhan came running back from the county yamen, holding up several registration documents for Ning Yan and Liu Ye to see.
“Our family’s registrations, all of them!” Liu Ye flipped through the pages one by one.
Liu Zhan laughed at her. “Can you even read? Why are you studying them so seriously?”
“How can I not recognize them?” Liu Ye protested. “This is my name, and this is yours.” Then she suddenly thought of something and turned to Ning Yan. “A Yan, when did you learn to read?”
Liu Zhan also looked at Ning Yan curiously.
The three of them had grown up together. Of the three, only Liu Zhan learned a few dozen characters when he accompanied the Zhang family’s Second Young Master to school as a child.
“I learned from Miss Zhang,” Ning Yan said, clearing her throat to hide her embarrassment. She had completely forgotten that the original owner of this body had been illiterate. “The more you read, the more characters you learn to recognize. You just have to keep reading.”
Liu Zhan nodded thoughtfully. “That makes sense.”
After all, Ning Yan had been reading books every day recently. She had even asked Zhang Xingben to get her a copy of The Great Zhou Legal Code. It was a thick volume.
Liu Ye had secretly opened it before, only to discover she couldn’t recognize a single character.
Liu Ye and Liu Zhan both gave an “Oh,” not really understanding, but neither pressed the matter further.
“We’ll move this afternoon. Father and Mother should be back in a few days,” Liu Zhan said. “Come on, let’s go home and pack our things.”
The three of them packed their belongings and moved into the courtyard behind the shop.
Liu Ye was thrilled. She dragged Ning Yan out to buy groceries, determined to cook a proper meal herself.
“Alright, alright. Let me wash my face first,” Ning Yan said helplessly as Liu Ye pestered her. “Tomorrow we’ll make a menu. Think carefully about what Auntie can cook and what you can cook. Once we’ve decided, we’ll start gathering ingredients little by little.”
Liu Ye counted her specialties on her fingers. She listed a whole string of pastries and cakes.
“That’s too complicated. Just pick a few simple but refined dishes,” Ning Yan said.
“You have a point. The spicy soup for breakfast, chilled tofu pudding, and Mother’s flatbreads are the most important.”
Ning Yan nodded. In reality, she had already done the math. With a family of five depending entirely on such a small business, they might not even earn enough to cover the rent. Besides, she knew nothing about kitchen work. Other than serving customers, she couldn’t contribute much. She still needed to find a proper job.
Ning Yan accompanied Liu Ye to the market. As soon as they entered, they spotted Jin Shu packing up his stall for the day. The moment he saw Ning Yan, he came trotting over excitedly. “Boss! What brings you here to buy groceries? Do you need meat? I’ve still got two cuts left today. I’ll bring them to your place.”
“What do you mean, ‘Boss’?” Liu Ye asked suspiciously.
Ning Yan had no idea either.
“I admire Ning Yan, so from now on she’s my boss.” Jin Shu grinned broadly, showing off his big white teeth. “Boss, if you ever need anything, just tell me. I’ll do it.”
Ning Yan couldn’t help laughing.
“Ning Yan!” Aunt Ma came over carrying her pole baskets and greeted her warmly. “Out buying vegetables today? Don’t bother cooking tonight. Take a few steamed buns home instead.”
Ning Yan still insisted on paying.
“I’m heading back. Focus on your business,” Ning Yan said as she and Liu Ye chatted while walking home.
“Miss Ning, what a coincidence.” Yu Daolin approached them from the opposite direction.
Ning Yan nodded slightly. “Chief Escort Yu.”
Yu Daolin was as enthusiastic as ever, looking like a wolf that had spotted a piece of meat. “We didn’t finish our conversation last time. Are you interested in working for our escort agency?”
“I don’t know how to escort shipments,” Ning Yan replied.
“No, no, no. I’m not asking you to escort cargo.” Yu Daolin stared at her excitedly. “You can investigate cases for our agency. We have an official government-issued operating license. When we investigate cases, it’s the same as what the constables do.”
Ning Yan was genuinely surprised. She hadn’t expected that in the Great Zhou Dynasty, escort agencies also handled investigative work. That meant she could return to her old profession without becoming a constable at the yamen.
“Well, let me think about it,” Ning Yan said.
Yu Daolin immediately pressed on, insisting she make time to visit the agency. “We have plenty of brothers there. One group handles escort work, and another handles investigations. The two sides don’t interfere with each other.”
Ning Yan understood the arrangement and finally agreed.
After they parted ways, Liu Ye asked Ning Yan, “Are you really going to work for the escort agency?”
“It’s a possible path forward. Our food shop is small. With the two of you there, that’s already enough.”
Liu Ye nodded. “You’re talented. You shouldn’t be stuck in a little snack shop forever.”
When Ning Yan returned home, the three of them cooked four dishes for dinner and even bought some wine.
“To our own home. Cheers!” The three clinked cups together.
Holding up his cup, Liu Zhan said, “One day I’m going to buy us a big house. Our own house.”
“And get us a sister-in-law,” Liu Ye added. After a single cup of wine, she was already drunk. “And then lots of nieces and nephews. Hehe.”
“I will! I’ll work hard and earn money so I can get married.”
Ning Yan watched the siblings with a smile.
“Ning Yan, you have to work hard too.” Liu Ye scooted closer and threw her arms around her.
Ning Yan nodded. “Alright. I’ll work hard and earn money too.”
“No, no, no.” Liu Ye waved her hands. “You need to work hard and marry some high-ranking nobleman. You’re smart and beautiful. Nobody less than a powerful official is worthy of you.”
Liu Ye’s drunken rambling was giving Ning Yan a headache. She humored her: “Fine, fine. I’ll work hard and marry into the imperial family. Better yet, I’ll set my sights on some prince and become the Empress.”
Liu Ye burst into laughter. “Then I’ll be the Empress’s older sister!”
Ning Yan pressed a hand to her forehead. Then she suddenly froze and looked out into the courtyard. Pei Yan was standing there, watching her with a half-smile. Her headache immediately worsened. When did he get here? And more importantly, how much had he heard?
Looking at Pei Yan’s half-smiling expression, Ning Yan had a bad feeling he had heard everything. Including the part about marrying into the imperial family, setting her sights on a prince, and becoming Empress. Suddenly, the wine in her cup didn’t seem quite so appealing anymore.