Jiang Ran hadn’t seen clearly who it was just now. When she looked up again, she saw a long-faced man standing in front of the stall. Several moles dotted his face. He glared angrily, pointing accusingly with his finger.
Jiang Ran put the lid back on the pot. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the woman beside him looking hesitant. She kept tugging at the man’s sleeve and speaking softly, seeming to be trying to persuade him to go back.
Hearing the commotion, Jiang Song stepped forward and said, “Are you here to cause trouble?”
The man swallowed nervously. Looking at Jiang Song, he felt the man looked familiar, but he couldn’t remember where he had seen him before. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Who’s causing trouble? You’re the ones causing trouble! You were jealous because our stall was doing well, so you had that aunt act as a shill and say our food tasted bad.”
Jiang Song immediately thought of Zhao Daniang going over there. For a moment, he didn’t know how to argue back.
Jiang Ran patted her brother’s arm and gave Zhao Daniang a reassuring look. Pretending not to understand, she asked, “Have you made a mistake? Why would we be jealous of your business? Which stall are you from?”
“How could you not know which stall? The one that… that also sells rice noodles!” The man’s fierce expression weakened near the end, and guilt crept onto his face.
Jiang Ran let out an “Oh.”
“So you also sell rice noodles. Then your business does overlap with mine. Did you just start today?”
The man ignored the question and said, “Why are you asking so much? Just because you’re allowed to sell rice noodles doesn’t mean others can’t! Just answer me—did you tell her to go to my stall and eat?”
Seeing that the customers behind him had left, Jiang Ran started cooking noodles for the customer who had been waiting.
As usual, she played dumb.
“Anyone under heaven can sell rice noodles. I’ve never said others aren’t allowed to.”
She paused briefly before continuing.
“But according to what you’re saying, if everyone can sell noodles, then everyone can eat noodles too. My aunt went to your stall and bought a bowl of noodles. What’s wrong with that? She simply ate a bowl of noodles. How does that mean I was unhappy because your business was doing well? I really don’t understand where that idea came from.”
Looking confused, she added, “It’s already past noon. I’ve been at my stall all morning selling food and haven’t left once. The way you’re talking makes it sound like we have some grudge against each other. You must have misunderstood.”
A customer waiting nearby couldn’t help speaking up.
“If you can’t sell your food, don’t take your anger out on other people. There’s no such logic in the world.”
“This young lady has been selling here for several days already. I’ve never even seen your stall before. If you’re selling the same thing as her, then she should be considered your senior. Yet you’re the one coming here to cause trouble. Don’t forget the person who dug the well when you’re drinking water.”
The more the man listened, the angrier he became.
“How is it not because of her? She saw that my noodles were cheaper than hers, so she deliberately sent someone over! That woman kept asking for vinegar. After she left, customers either complained my vinegar wasn’t sour enough or found fault with something else. She told them all to do that!”
Jiang Ran sighed helplessly.
“That’s even less reasonable. How could I possibly have that much influence? It’s true that I know Daniang, and we’re familiar with each other. Maybe she went to your stall because your noodles were cheaper.”
Another customer chimed in.
“If customers pay money, then even if your prices are cheap, they still have the right to judge whether the food is good or not.”
Zhao Daniang nodded repeatedly.
“If people aren’t allowed to eat there, then I won’t go again.”
The man grew even angrier.
Although Jiang Ran’s face was slightly yellowish from being out in the sun and she spoke slowly, looking harmless and innocent, he had gained nothing from arguing with her for so long.
He snapped, “How is it not your fault? You saw that my stall sold the same things as yours, but cheaper, and that I was taking your customers. That’s why you got upset!”
Jiang Ran let out another “Oh.”
Jiang Song finally couldn’t hold back.
“So you admit that you’re selling the same things as us and deliberately lowering your prices to steal business. Then what exactly are you doing here now? You couldn’t steal customers quietly, so now you’ve come to do it openly?”
There weren’t many people around, but several customers and nearby vendors were watching.
Someone couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing.
The man was so angry his face twisted.
Li Niangzi was anxious. Their side was already in the wrong. They had copied Jiang Ran’s methods and then come here to make trouble. Acting like this was no better than begging in the streets.
She tugged on her husband’s sleeve.
“Let’s go. Let’s just go.”
If they continued, it would only become more embarrassing.
After all, they had been the unreasonable ones. First, they copied her recipes. Then they deliberately lowered prices and loudly tried to attract customers. Even if Jiang Ran really had sent someone to complain about the vinegar, it still wouldn’t really be her fault.
The man became even more furious.
On one hand, he couldn’t out-argue Jiang Ran. On the other hand, even Li Niangzi wasn’t taking his side.
He swung his arm forcefully.
Li Niangzi lost her balance and stumbled to the ground.
“Ah…”
Jiang Ran frowned and quickly came out from behind the cart to help her up.
Jiang Song stepped forward as well and looked at the man with a frown.
“What are you doing?”
The man put his hands on his hips.
“I’m hitting my own wife. Since when is that any of your business?”
Li Niangzi’s palms were scraped raw. They were covered with sand and gravel. It looked painful.
Jiang Ran’s expression turned cold.
“Brother, go get the military patrol officer. Tell them someone is causing trouble at our stall and has injured another person.”
At those words, the man’s face instantly turned pale.
Li Niangzi’s eyes filled with tears. She looked at her husband, then at herself, and finally said,
“There’s no need, there’s no need. We were the ones who caused trouble for you. I’m truly sorry.”
She wiped her tears with her sleeve.
This time, the man didn’t stay either. They went back, packed up their stall, and left shortly afterward.
The spot where their stall had been was left empty. Under the hot sun, the water stains on the ground quickly dried up.
Jiang Song asked, “You weren’t frightened, were you?”
Jiang Ran shook her head.
Zhao Daniang’s face was tense.
“What kind of person was that? Bah! All he knows is how to act tough outside. He doesn’t have any real ability.”
After the incident, the three customers who had been eating finished their food and left. No new customers came.
Jiang Ran cooked the remaining rice batter into noodles and ate together with Zhao Daniang.
There were only two stools, so Jiang Song stood while eating.
As she ate, Zhao Daniang said, “That woman seemed decent enough, but her husband is no good.”
She hadn’t heard what happened after she left. Otherwise, after seeing the way the man complained whenever customers asked for more vinegar, she would have had even more to say.
Jiang Ran didn’t say much.
They were gone now, and they probably wouldn’t come back.
Zhao Daniang said, “And if they left, it wasn’t your fault.”
Their business had failed not because Jiang Ran made things difficult for them. It was because that long-faced man didn’t know how to run a business.
First, he came in and immediately tried to steal customers. Even though he knew he had copied someone else’s methods, he still acted arrogantly. Second, he cut corners. Vinegar was cheap, yet customers could still find fault with it. Third, his attitude was terrible. How could he expect customers to return after offending them?
Jiang Ran nodded.
She thought to herself that Bianjing was enormous. There were countless streets and neighborhoods. It looked as if any business could make money. Even selling simple flatbreads could bring in some profit.
But some businesses truly couldn’t survive.
Madam Lin had once mentioned that her second brother had also tried setting up a stall in Bianjing, only to return after a few days.
As for today’s incident, Jiang Ran had indeed acted deliberately, but that couple had provoked her first.
There were also other noodle vendors on Caomen Street, yet she had never bothered them, and everyone coexisted peacefully.
The image of Li Niangzi falling to the ground surfaced in Jiang Ran’s mind.
She let out a breath and swallowed the matter down along with her sour-and-spicy noodle soup and meat bun.
After eating, the siblings tidied up the stall.
Jiang Song went to buy meat, eggs, and other supplies.
Jiang Ran sat beneath the tree to rest. She would prepare everything once he returned.
She fanned herself with her hand and looked up at the blazing sun.
It was only April. Staying outside for too long already made people sweat. Once summer arrived, with even hotter temperatures and stronger sunlight, how miserable would it be?
As she was thinking about it, Jiang Song returned with the supplies.
Setting them down, he said, “I’m heading out for a bit. If you need anything, ask Zhao Daniang.”
Jiang Ran nodded.
“Go ahead.”
Zhao Daniang didn’t go home at noon either. While tidying her own stall, she listened to the siblings talking and thought to herself:
Jiang Ran may be young, but she’s very capable. Still, no matter how capable she is, in her older brother’s eyes she’ll always be his little sister.
After resting for a while, Jiang Ran began preparing food.
Today she started by frying eggs, then stir-fried the minced meat, and finally made the bone broth.
The eggs were all neatly shaped. The yolks didn’t break, and each one was golden in color.
The minced meat and bone broth were prepared the same way as always.
She made the same foods every day, so the only way to find something new was to change the order of preparation.
In the afternoon, a few customers came by and asked whether there were still rice noodles available.
Jiang Ran said, “Unfortunately, everything sold out at noon. But I’ll be selling on Caomen Street tonight. If you want some, you can come then. I won’t be selling tea eggs tonight, only fried eggs.”
She didn’t want customers making a special trip just for tea eggs.
After asking, the customers left without saying whether they would come or not.
Jiang Ran looked toward the horizon.
The sun was slowly sinking westward.
There were many clouds today, looking like fried eggs scattered across the sky.
By the time Jiang Song returned, it was already getting late, so they pushed the cart toward the night market.
They arrived a little later than usual.
Many vendors had already claimed their spots and were busy washing ingredients and arranging supplies in preparation for the evening’s business.
Jiang Ran liked the evenings the most.
The night breeze was cool, and it wasn’t hot at all.
The bright lights created a completely different world from the quiet nights at the farmstead.
Business came quickly.
The first customer was the same person who had asked about noodles earlier that afternoon.
After buying his food, he slowly carried his bowl to the back and sat down to eat.
Coming early had its advantages—there was still a seat available.
He couldn’t help saying to Jiang Song, “Your little stall keeps getting better and better.”
The first time he had come, there hadn’t even been stools.
Jiang Song gave a simple grunt, unsure how to chat with customers.
Jiang Ran glanced back while cooking noodles for another customer.
“You’ve been here a few times, haven’t you? You look familiar.”
The customer smiled.
“I come often. Your noodles are delicious. I stop by every two or three days. The only thing is that there isn’t much meat, though it’s still better than before.”
Now there were fried eggs and tea eggs. Before, it had been nothing more than a plain bowl of noodles.
Jiang Ran said, “In a few days I’ll be making a new kind of noodle dish. Be sure to come try it then.”
She planned to make sweet potato mash mixed noodles after renting a house.
It would include a little minced meat and sweet potato mash. The preparation was complicated, so she planned to charge seven wen per serving.
As for customers saying there wasn’t enough meat, she already had ideas.
She could make fried meat slices, braised meatballs, or sausages.
She could ask Madam Yun about making sausages. If they spent one day preparing them, it would save effort later.
If that didn’t work, she could even negotiate with other vendors. There were many people selling braised foods on the street, and she could earn a profit by reselling them.
For now, she planned to add two or three new items.
Any more than that, and she feared she wouldn’t be able to handle the workload. Besides, with too many items, it would be easy to mix up the prices.
This customer was more talkative than those from the afternoon.
“Alright. I’ll definitely come try it when it’s ready.”
Jiang Ran didn’t just tell this customer about the new noodles. She told others as well.
Zhao Daniang wasn’t surprised.
Jiang Ran had already come up with three new foods for her stall. Naturally, she’d care even more about her own business.
Then she thought about how Jiang Song had been going out constantly these past few days.
Only then did she understand.
He wasn’t wandering around aimlessly—he was looking at rental houses.
Unfortunately, Zhao Daniang had never rented a house before and didn’t know any trustworthy property brokers, so she couldn’t help with that.
By the time they finished working, it was completely dark.
The street lamps still shone brightly, and people continued streaming through the streets.
Many were heading toward restaurants and taverns.
The scene made Jiang Ran momentarily wonder if the watchman’s call she had heard earlier had been her imagination.
She shook her head and worked together with her brother, washing what needed washing, scrubbing what needed scrubbing, and separating the items that would be taken home from those left on the cart.
Zhao Daniang planned to keep selling for a while longer.
She called out to Jiang Ran.
“Xiao Ran!”
Jiang Song was still washing dishes, so Jiang Ran washed her hands and walked over.
With her back turned toward Jiang Song, Zhao Daniang pulled out a money pouch and quietly handed it to Jiang Ran.
“Here’s what I owe you from the past few days. One hundred and forty wen in total.”
Wasn’t Jiang Ran planning to rent a house? She could use the money.
Zhao Daniang gave Jiang Ran twenty percent of the profits.
It was easy to calculate. She only needed to keep track of the brown sugar cakes and calculate the profit after deducting costs.
Jiang Ran accepted it without refusing.
Zhao Daniang said, “You two should hurry home.”
The siblings pushed the cart to Zhao Daniang’s house.
After leaving the cart there, they still needed to buy meat on the street.
The alleyways weren’t as lively as the main roads.
Without the lights, they seemed dark and gloomy.
Jiang Song looked up at the sky and said, “I’m afraid it’s going to rain tomorrow.”
Jiang Ran instinctively looked up as well. The night was dark as ink, and the clouds were gray-black. The moon was nowhere to be seen, hidden behind the clouds at some point.
Rain?
In her previous life, there had been weather forecasts. Jiang Ran had never learned to read the sky herself. She said to Jiang Song, “Brother, let’s buy it anyway. If it rains tomorrow, we’ll keep it at home and eat it ourselves. If it doesn’t rain, we’ll come out and do business. Let’s go!”
They bought over a jin of pork and two large bones, then the siblings headed home after leaving the city.
The moment they left the city gates, they could feel the wind picking up. Afraid it would start raining on the road, they hurried along and barely exchanged a few words.
Jiang Ran had wanted to ask how the house viewing had gone that day, but after thinking about Jiang Song’s personality, she decided not to. If he had found a suitable place, he definitely would have told her himself.
By the time they reached the farmstead, the other households were completely dark. Only the window of the third branch still glowed faintly with lamplight.
Halfway home, the wind had grown stronger and stronger. Worried about getting caught in the rain, they had practically run the rest of the way back. They actually arrived much earlier than usual.
Madam Yun urged them to go to sleep while she handled the tea eggs.
Jiang Ran took a few breaths and said, “No need. It looks like it’ll rain. Let’s not make tea eggs tonight. Just go to sleep.”
If the tea eggs were made and couldn’t be sold, they would spoil. If there was no rain tomorrow, they could always make fried eggs instead.
Outside, the wind roared and thunder rumbled. Jiang Ran fell asleep to those sounds without even counting the money.
She woke briefly in the middle of the night and heard rain falling outside. It wasn’t light, either.
One thought crossed her mind:
No need to set up the stall today.
She promptly fell back asleep.
When she woke again, daylight was already bright.
The rain continued without pause. Jiang Ran hadn’t slept this deeply or this late in many days.
Without sunlight, everything outside looked gloomy. She had no idea what time it was.
She got dressed and pushed open the door.
Madam Yun was in the kitchen cooking pig feed. The pork and bones they had bought sat nearby.
“It’s raining,” Madam Yun said. “So I didn’t wake you.”
Only Madam Yun was in the house.
Jiang Ran nodded. “Where are Father and Brother?”
“Your brother went out early this morning. Your father’s at the pigsty.”
“He went out?”
Jiang Ran asked, “Did he go to Bianjing?”
Madam Yun shook her head.
“He didn’t say.”
Jiang Ran figured he had definitely gone to Bianjing. He probably hadn’t found a suitable house yesterday and had gone to look again today.
Thinking back to her previous life, rental agents would take people to view apartments no matter whether it was a holiday, raining, or windy. This era was probably the same. As long as people could get out the door, earning money came first.
The rain outside was still heavy.
Jiang Ran glanced out. Puddles covered the ground, and rainwater streamed from the eaves in a clear curtain.
A cool wind carrying fine rain brushed across her face.
She instantly felt more awake.
And hungry.
“Mother, let’s cook meat for lunch.”
They would definitely wait for Jiang Song before eating anyway.
Since there was no rush, Jiang Ran went back to her room to count her money.
After subtracting the costs of meat and eggs, she still had 348 wen left.
After giving 140 wen to the family and adding her previous savings and the money Zhao Daniu had given her yesterday, she now had 1 guan and 270 wen.
She also still had four silver peanuts.
That should be enough to have a new pot made.
Since Jiang Song hadn’t returned yet, she didn’t hand the money pouch to Madam Yun.
After washing up and eating breakfast, she leisurely headed to the kitchen.
The meat she had bought weighed just under two jin.
It wasn’t pork belly but hind-leg pork with more lean meat than fat, making it ideal for minced meat.
All lean meat wouldn’t be fragrant enough, while meat that was too fatty would be greasy.
It was perfect for minced meat.
But if braised red-cooked pork were made from it, the result would only be average because the lean meat would turn dry and tough.
Jiang Ran decided to make stuffed flatbreads.
There would be both meat and vegetables inside, making them convenient to eat.
Their family didn’t have much, but vegetables certainly weren’t lacking.
Wearing a straw rain cape, Jiang Ran went to the fields and cut two bundles of chives. She also pulled plenty of young napa cabbage sprouts.
After a night of rain, the vegetables looked even greener and healthier.
If the weather cleared tomorrow, she could bring some to sell.
Jiang Chuanli came back briefly, then carried pig feed to feed the pigs. After that, he went out again.
There were still chickens and ducks to tend to.
There was hardly a moment of rest.
Jiang Song returned in the afternoon.
The rain still hadn’t stopped.
Although he wore a straw rain cape, his legs were soaked through.
His shoes were drenched, his face wet, and his hands covered in water.
Jiang Ran hurried over.
“Brother!”
Jiang Song smiled at his sister.
“The house is settled.”
Those words immediately put Jiang Ran at ease.
Jiang Song went to change into dry clothes before joining everyone for the meal.
When he saw the steaming stuffed flatbreads and bone soup on the table, and that nobody else had touched the food yet, he couldn’t help saying, “If I come back late next time, just eat first. You don’t have to wait for me.”
Neither Madam Yun nor Jiang Chuanli said anything.
Jiang Ran replied, “How can family not wait for each other? Brother, have a bowl of soup first and warm yourself up.”
Jiang Song wasn’t used to this.
Back when the family had a little money, most of it had gone to support the other branches. They rarely had anything good to eat themselves.
Now that things were different, he still hadn’t adjusted.
Jiang Ran was already starving.
She drank a few mouthfuls of soup and bit into a stuffed flatbread.
There were chive-filled ones and cabbage-filled ones.
Both tasted delicious.
While eating, she saw Jiang Song set down his bowl.
He turned to Madam Yun and Jiang Chuanli.
“Father, Mother, I plan to rent a house in Bianjing. My sister and I will sell food there while I continue studying.”
Jiang Ran had thought Madam Yun and Jiang Chuanli would react somehow.
Instead, they merely nodded.
After another thought, she realized that might actually be wisdom.
By not offering opinions, they also didn’t have to contribute money.
Jiang Song controlled the household finances now. Whether there was enough money or not had little to do with them.
In the past, saying too much had only brought complaints. Now, staying silent was probably the best choice.
Neither of them mentioned moving to Bianjing with the siblings.
Jiang Ran carefully observed their expressions, trying to find even a trace of emotion.
In the end, she discovered that they genuinely didn’t interfere and genuinely didn’t care.
As long as everyone behaved and avoided trouble, she and Jiang Song could simply bring food back for them.
Jiang Ran suspected Madam Yun and Jiang Chuanli might regret not letting Jiang Song continue studying before.
Using education as an excuse had been a smart move.
She took another bite of the meat pie.
It was so delicious.
In the future, they would have to save money for rent, so eating meat this often would be impossible.
After spending the day out in the rain, Jiang Song devoured six stuffed flatbreads.
Jiang Chuanli also ate quite a lot.
Meat was a rare sight in their home. The last time they had eaten it was when they made dumplings.
The crust was crispy.
The filling was tender and juicy.
A few flatbreads were set aside as usual for Jiang Ran to bring with her the next morning.
After the meal, while Madam Yun washed dishes, Jiang Ran handed the money over to Jiang Song.
“Brother, did you find a suitable house?”
“I did.”
“It’s in the outer city, not far from Bianhe Street. Three rooms. The yard is so small it might as well not exist. Just enough space for the cart and some miscellaneous things.”
The kitchen was decent.
The siblings were old enough now that they needed separate rooms.
They also needed space to prepare food.
This had been the cheapest house Jiang Song could find that met all those requirements.