Jiang Ran felt a mix of emotions and didn’t know what to say.
“Auntie…”
Auntie Zhao paid it no mind.
“Hurry up and go home.”
She hadn’t known Jiang Ran for very long, only about half a month.
Normally, half a month wasn’t enough time to build a deep friendship.
But her stall had benefited greatly because of Jiang Ran.
When others started copying her business later, it was also Jiang Ran who gave her ideas on how to handle it.
Auntie Zhao thought to herself, If I believed that giving her a share of the profits settled everything between us, then I’d be truly heartless. There are so many people on this street—why doesn’t Jiang Ran help them instead? Besides, these siblings have had a hard life. They’re not stingy people who refuse to spend money after earning it, but in all this time I haven’t seen them buy much for themselves. Renting a house and moving is still a major event. Their parents aren’t here with them, so an elder should help take care of things.
Auntie Zhao said, “You’re not allowed to refuse anymore. Hurry home.”
Jiang Ran’s heart felt heavy, and her eyes grew warm.
On the way home, she couldn’t help saying to Jiang Song, “Auntie Zhao is really kind.”
The sunlight was dazzling.
Jiang Song looked at his sister.
Her eyes were slightly wet, but she was smiling contentedly.
“She really is.”
Back home, the siblings celebrated their move with a meal.
They had one roast chicken and the steamed flatbreads left over from the morning.
After cooking two bowls of noodles, lunch was complete.
The house had already been neatly cleaned by Jiang Song.
The courtyard was small but tidy.
The large cart rested against the wall.
Firewood was stacked neatly.
A clothesline stretched across the courtyard.
The bedding inside had already been arranged.
Jiang Ran now had her own cabinet.
The floor was clean and level, with tiny specks of dust floating through the sunlight.
Taking a bite of a chicken leg, Jiang Ran couldn’t help saying, “Brother, this is really delicious.”
Jiang Song said, “Eat more. I don’t—”
Jiang Ran immediately cut him off.
“There’s so much. If we can’t finish it today, it’ll spoil. This is Auntie Zhao’s kindness—we can’t waste it. Hurry up and eat. Then we can get back to work.”
Because of this meal, the two of them truly felt the joy of moving into a new home.
Without realizing it, Jiang Ran had already started thinking of this place as her home in Bianjing.
Her brother was here.
Her family was here.
Wasn’t that what made a home?
After lunch, Jiang Song went out and bought meat and eggs.
Jiang Ran started the bone broth simmering and then went to take a nap.
After a busy morning, being able to lie on a bed felt wonderful.
Yesterday at this time, she had been sitting on a small stool.
When Jiang Ran woke up, the sunlight outside was bright.
The bone broth in the kitchen was still simmering over low heat, bubbling quietly.
As she came out of her room, she saw Jiang Song reading.
The moment he noticed her, he instinctively lowered the book and tried to hide it behind his back.
Jiang Ran said, “Brother, you’re reading!”
Jiang Ran didn’t have the original owner’s memories.
If she did, she would know this wasn’t the first time this had happened.
Several times before, Lin Shi and the others had caught him reading, and every time it earned him another round of ridicule and mockery.
Jiang Song looked a little embarrassed.
“There’s nothing to do. I’m just reading casually.”
“Reading is good,” Jiang Ran said. “Can you read at night too? I don’t really need your help at the stall. I can manage on my own. Just come pick me up when I’m done and wash the dishes.”
She thought this arrangement was best.
If they divided the work, each of them would have free time.
Originally, she had planned to have Jiang Song sell vegetables.
But the vegetables had only been growing for a little over ten days, and they had just sold some yesterday. They needed more time to grow.
Since he had spare time, he might as well read.
After a long silence, Jiang Song finally nodded.
“Alright. I’ll come earlier in the evening.”
“Perfect. Buy tomorrow’s supplies while you’re at it. Get me a few jin of sweet potatoes, more meat, and the usual two bones.”
“Okay.”
He set the book on his lap.
While Jiang Ran stir-fried the minced meat, he sat nearby reading.
Once everything was prepared, Jiang Song escorted Jiang Ran to Caomen Street.
They left earlier than usual.
Now that they lived in the city, it wasn’t right to keep relying on Auntie Zhao to save their spot every day.
When they arrived, Auntie Zhao still hadn’t come.
Jiang Ran placed the table in the spot on the left to reserve it.
After Jiang Song returned with water, she urged him to go back.
She took her time preparing things on her own.
Boil water.
Wipe the tables.
Rinse the bowls and chopsticks.
The sun gradually sank toward the horizon.
The evening breeze stirred the willow branches overhead, brushing through the air like soft brushes.
The warm scent of lotus flowers drifted on the wind.
The entire street felt like a giant pot beginning to boil.
As the water slowly heated, the night market gradually came to life.
When Auntie Zhao arrived, she was pleasantly surprised.
She pushed her cart into place, fitting it perfectly beside the stall.
“Xiao Ran, how about this? In the future, I’ll save our spots in the morning, and you can come in the evening. That way neither of us has to keep running back and forth.”
“Sounds great.”
As she arranged her stall, Auntie Zhao continued chatting.
“Stay and sell longer. Nighttime business is really good.”
After several nights of experience, Jiang Ran agreed.
Perhaps it was because breakfast and lunch were meals people ate simply to fill their stomachs.
But at night, after a day’s work was finished and the cool breeze blew through the bustling streets, people temporarily forgot the worries of making a living.
After working hard all day, everyone wanted to treat themselves.
It wasn’t just Jiang Ran’s and Auntie Zhao’s stalls that were busy.
The other stalls were crowded too.
The braised meat stall had a long line of tables.
Customers would sit down, buy a jug of wine from a nearby wine shop, and stay for half an hour at a time.
Pancakes, noodles, buns, smoked meat, white sausage—everything sold well.
Women and young ladies especially liked sweet snacks such as roasted chestnuts and honey cakes.
Most of Auntie Zhao’s customers were women.
Jiang Ran’s stall attracted both men and women.
In the past, customers simply stood and ate.
Now that there were two tables, nobody had formally decided anything, but one table naturally became for men and the other for women.
Not long after they opened, several people arrived.
Jiang Ran glanced over and realized they were familiar faces.
The Sixth Young Lady from Yongning Hou Manor had come with two other young ladies.
Each of them also had maids attending them, so the group was quite large.
The Sixth Young Lady smiled at Jiang Ran before sitting at an empty table behind the stall.
Su Yu came forward to place the order.
She ordered four bowls of noodles—one mixed noodle dish and three soup noodles—with three fried eggs.
She also bought sugar cakes and sticky rice cakes from Auntie Zhao’s stall.
She was truly a valuable customer.
There were still a few orders ahead of hers, so Su Yu waited behind the stall.
She didn’t look around much and casually chatted with Jiang Ran instead.
Holding a bamboo strainer, Jiang Ran asked, “Has the Sixth Young Lady said when she plans to move to the estate?”
Su Yu shook her head.
“I don’t know.”
Jiang Ran asked again, “Have you seen my second sister? Is she doing well at the manor?”
Back then, the Third Branch had been bullied often.
But all that was in the past now.
The family had split, and everyone could live their own lives.
Jiang Xing had gone to work at the manor.
If she worked hard and earned promotions, it would be a decent future.
And if Jiang Xing was doing well, Lin Shi would have less reason to bother the Third Branch.
At the mention of Jiang Xing, Su Yu remembered her.
She still recalled how, back at the estate, the Fourth Young Lady and Sixth Young Lady had jokingly suggested that Jiang Ran should come work at the manor too.
But a respectable family’s daughter couldn’t simply be turned into a maid, even if the suggestion came from a young lady of Yongning Hou Manor.
Su Yu was the Sixth Young Lady’s senior maid.
She never had to endure wind or sun, and the Sixth Young Lady treated her well.
Yet she still envied Jiang Ran a little.
Running a small stall like this probably earned no less than two taels a month.
More importantly, she was free.
As long as she could buy back her freedom one day, what did a little hardship matter?
There were many people nearby.
Su Yu covered her mouth with one hand and lowered her voice.
“I’ve only seen your sister once. I went with the Sixth Young Lady to visit the Fifth Young Lady’s courtyard and saw her sweeping there.”
After that, she never saw Jiang Xing again.
She wasn’t inside the rooms either.
Another maid had taken over cleaning the courtyard.
Jiang Xing had probably been assigned to different work.
Jiang Ran nodded.
“When do you get days off?”
“Once a month. There’s no fixed time. As long as the Young Lady agrees.”
Jiang Ran smiled at her.
“This bowl is ready. The other three will take a little longer. This one is the low-spice, low-vinegar version. It’s best eaten hot.”
Jiang Ran was about to carry it over herself, but Su Yu said, “I’ll do it.”
She couldn’t help admiring how thoughtful Jiang Ran was.
Today, the Sixth Young Lady was treating her friends.
The three young ladies all had different tastes.
The other two were first-time customers and preferred milder flavors.
They could always add more vinegar or chili later.
Since the Sixth Young Lady was hosting, it wouldn’t have been polite to serve her bowl first while her guests sat waiting.
Su Yu hadn’t even explained that, yet Jiang Ran had instinctively prepared the guests’ bowls first.
Jiang Ran said somewhat shyly, “Once my new pot is finished, I’ll be able to cook several portions at once.”
Looking at Jiang Ran’s bright smile, Su Yu thought she looked especially lively and pretty.
“Miss Jiang, the weather is getting hotter. At night it isn’t too bad, but during the day you could put up a canopy. Just use a few bamboo poles and cover them with coarse cloth.”
“Thank you. I’ll think about it when I get home.”
Once the noodles were ready, Jiang Ran carried them over one by one.
Before the earlier customers had finished eating, more customers arrived.
In the past, Jiang Ran usually bought only a little over one jin of meat, enough for daytime business.
Today she had prepared more.
She bought two jin of meat and stir-fried a whole basin of minced meat topping.
She also simmered more bone broth than usual.
Normally she prepared forty fried eggs.
Today she added another thirty.
As she sold bowl after bowl, she completely lost track of time.
Suddenly, she heard the watchman’s signal.
The gong sounded in alternating fast and slow beats.
It was already the first night watch.
Jiang Ran looked at her supplies.
Without realizing it, she had already been selling for more than an hour.
A third of the minced meat was gone, and so was a portion of the bone broth.
She could probably keep selling for another hour.
At this rate, everything might sell out tonight.
Jiang Song arrived at the second quarter of the Hai hour.
Seeing him, Jiang Ran couldn’t help saying, “Brother, you came a bit early. We’re not sold out yet.”
“I came to help. Go eat something first.”
Jiang Ran bought two buns and then explained to him how to cook the noodles.
“The seasonings are already mixed in the bowls. If someone orders soup noodles, use the bowl with the minced meat. If they want mixed noodles, use the bowl with the lard.”
As Jiang Ran ate her buns nearby, she thought about how, at this time in the past, they would already be on their way home.
Auntie Zhao always said nighttime business was good and that they could sell much more.
She had imagined what it might be like.
Now that she had seen it herself, she realized reality was even better than she had imagined.
Auntie Zhao hadn’t exaggerated at all.
The braised meat stall nearby had just seen one group leave, only for two more groups to arrive.
It looked as though people intended to keep drinking until midnight.
The bun stall across from them wasn’t run by the cheerful young man beside Jiang Ran’s daytime stall.
Instead, it belonged to a kind-looking husband and wife.
They sold two types of buns—one made with scalded dough and one with leavened dough.
Their fingers moved nonstop as they wrapped buns.
Steam poured continuously from their bamboo steamers.
The buns Jiang Ran was eating had come from their stall.
After Jiang Ran finished eating, Jiang Song took over washing dishes while she returned to cooking noodles and serving customers.
Business wasn’t as busy as it had been right after sunset, but customers still came regularly.
Late into the night, only enough ingredients for two or three bowls remained.
Jiang Ran decided to close the stall.
Auntie Zhao also packed up.
Her son had come to pick her up.
After saying goodbye, the siblings headed home.
Though it was late, the lanterns hanging outside the shops still glowed brightly.
Jiang Ran couldn’t help marveling.
These shops stayed open so late.
Yet when she passed by in the mornings, many of them were still closed.
Since they didn’t do much morning business, it made sense for them to close later at night.
If she ever owned a shop, she would do the same.
Open at noon and at night.
Sleep in during the morning.
Jiang Song told Jiang Ran to get on the cart.
She shook her head.
Compared to the trip back to the village estate, this short walk was nothing.
After winding through several streets, they arrived home.
Jiang Song unlocked the gate.
Everything inside was dark.
He went in first and lit an oil lamp.
Jiang Ran wasn’t very tired.
“Brother, did you buy the things I wanted?”
Jiang Song nodded.
“I bought the eggs and sweet potatoes.”
Everything was neatly arranged on the shelves in the kitchen.
Since Jiang Ran hadn’t been home all evening, she only now noticed there was another shelf.
Jiang Song had probably built it tonight.
With shelves, everything was much easier to organize.
“You should go sleep.”
Jiang Ran still needed to make tea eggs.
Tomorrow morning she planned to introduce sweet potato mash mixed noodles.
Since she already had regular customers, promoting a new dish should be easier.
She still planned to arrive at the usual time.
She wasn’t going to the morning market.
Jiang Song said, “Sleep a little longer tomorrow morning. I’ll make the bone broth.”
After thinking about it, Jiang Ran agreed.
All it required was blanching the bones and simmering them.
There wasn’t much else involved.
She wasn’t about to be polite with her brother.
“Then peel the sweet potatoes and steam them too.”
The sweet potatoes were small, each smaller than a fist.
Their skins were rough, and they were inexpensive.
At the moment they cost four wen per jin.
After the autumn harvest, they would probably drop to two or three wen.
Since this was the first day, Jiang Ran didn’t dare make too much.
She told Jiang Song to prepare about three jin, enough for roughly fourteen or fifteen portions.
If it didn’t sell, the family could eat it themselves.
If it sold well, they could make more for the night market.
Jiang Song nodded.
“Anything else?”
“Add sweet potato mash mixed noodles to the price board with charcoal. Seven wen per bowl.”
Jiang Ran used charcoal because she wasn’t sure whether it would sell.
If it didn’t, she could simply wipe it off later.
“Alright. You should sleep early too.”
Jiang Song returned to his room.
Without anyone talking, the house felt unusually quiet.
Even the occasional chirping of insects seemed interesting.
After finishing the tea eggs, Jiang Ran found herself too excited—and too unfamiliar with the new bed—to sleep.
She got up and counted the money instead.
The first time she counted it, she couldn’t believe it.
I must be exhausted and counting wrong.
She counted again.
This time she realized she hadn’t made a mistake at all.
Five hundred and three wen.
That was after buying extra sweet potatoes and extra meat.
At this rate, they could save an entire month’s rent in only four or five days.
And if they added vegetable sales to the income, they would earn even more.
Looking at the money pouch, Jiang Ran couldn’t help smiling foolishly in delight.
She was earning more in a day than a carpenter.
Compared to yesterday, she had earned an extra one hundred and fifty wen.
Just from that increase alone, fourteen days would cover the rent.
Jiang Song was already asleep.
Jiang Ran felt a little disappointed.
There was no one awake to share her happiness with.
She placed today’s money together with yesterday’s three hundred-plus wen.
First, they would save enough for rent.
If earnings stayed this high every day, she had already decided how to divide the profits.
Two hundred wen would go to the family.
She would keep the larger share herself.
The more work you do, the more you earn.
After putting away the money, she finally began to feel sleepy.
Her thoughts drifted to how she would prepare the sweet potato mash noodles tomorrow.
Then she worried about whether they would sell.
Thinking about one thing after another, she eventually drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Jiang Song’s voice came from outside.
“Xiao Ran, the bone broth is almost ready.”
Jiang Ran looked at the unfamiliar ceiling, shook her head, and answered,
“I’m getting up now.”
It was a little past halfway through the Mao hour.
Jiang Ran quickly washed up and headed to the kitchen.
For breakfast, she ate a tea egg to fill her stomach.
If she got hungry later, she could buy something on the street.
She was thinking of buying a few buns.
The more often you bought from someone, the more familiar you became, and familiar people were easier to talk to.
Today she not only needed to stir-fry minced meat but also make the sweet potato mash.
The sweet potatoes had already been steamed.
She lifted the lid and checked them.
Jiang Song had cleaned them thoroughly.
She took them out and mashed them.
Then she stir-fried the minced meat topping, setting aside some raw minced meat before cooking the rest.
The aroma of meat filled the kitchen.
Jiang Ran set it aside and used the remaining oil to fry chopped scallions and chili.
Then she poured in the basin of sweet potato mash.
At this point it wasn’t seasoned yet.
The mash was thick and difficult to mix.
If she served it like this over noodles, customers would definitely choke on it.
She added seasonings and bone broth.
The final texture needed to be just right—thick enough that a spoonful would slowly flow when tilted, but rich enough that the flow would stop after a moment.
Only then would it taste good.
Once everything was finished, Jiang Ran noticed it was getting late.
She quickly packed everything onto the cart.
There wasn’t even time to wash the pot.
She poured some water into it and left it for Jiang Song to clean later.
As they pushed the cart toward the market, they spotted Auntie Zhao and her son waiting in the distance.
Jiang Ran waved.
Auntie Zhao immediately sent her son home.
Auntie Zhao had two sons and a daughter.
Her eldest son was already old enough to marry.
According to Auntie Zhao, marriage negotiations were currently underway.
He worked at the docks, and the family owned a house in Bianjing.
Finding a wife wouldn’t be difficult.
Her younger son was only nine.
Her daughter was younger than Jiang Ran and had turned twelve this year.
The one who usually helped save Jiang Ran’s spot was the younger son.
According to Auntie Zhao, he was also learning to make sugar cakes at home.
There was already a customer at Auntie Zhao’s stall.
She chatted casually with Jiang Ran.
“You came pretty early today.”
Jiang Ran laughed.
“Now that I’ve finally moved here, I can’t arrive later than before.”
After parking the cart and securing it with bricks, Jiang Song set up the tables and went to fetch water.
Once the water arrived, Jiang Ran immediately started boiling it and preparing the rice batter.
There wasn’t much else for Jiang Song to do.
After finishing a customer’s cakes, Auntie Zhao casually remarked,
“The girl next door is my niece. She sells rice noodles, and they’re very tasty. If you’re not in a hurry, have a bowl.”
Jiang Ran added, “Today we have a new flavor—sweet potato mash mixed noodles. Seven wen a bowl. Give it a try, sir.”
The customer took his cake.
“I’ve eaten here before.”
Jiang Ran smiled.
“I thought you looked familiar.”
In truth, she didn’t remember very clearly.
There were too many customers every day.
With so many regulars and newcomers, it was impossible to remember everyone.
“The taste is good,” the customer said.
Seeing that it was still early, he added,
“Give me one bowl, and add a tea egg.”
Then he sat at the table behind the stall and started eating his sugar cake.
The brown sugar filling oozed out, sweet and fragrant.
Jiang Ran’s water hadn’t even boiled yet, and she had already sold her first bowl of the new flavor.
She gratefully glanced at Auntie Zhao.
Auntie Zhao waved her hand.
Wasn’t her own customer sitting at Jiang Ran’s table eating? There was no need to fuss over such things.
Customers came one after another.
Whenever possible, Jiang Ran introduced the sweet potato mash noodles.
However, they cost two wen more than the minced meat soup noodles.
Two wen wasn’t a huge amount.
But with an added egg, the total came to eleven wen.
Meanwhile, lard mixed noodles with an egg cost only seven wen.
That made many people hesitate.
A laborer might only earn a few hundred wen a day, and there were many expenses at home.
Spending that much on breakfast wasn’t a small decision.
The next two customers stuck with the original flavors.
One ordered lard mixed noodles.
The other ordered soup noodles.
Both added tea eggs.
They could always see how other people liked the new dish.
It wasn’t as though it would only be sold today.
They could try it tomorrow instead.
By the time these two ordered, the first customer’s noodles were ready.
Jiang Ran topped the noodles with a generous scoop of sweet potato mash and carried the bowl over.
The other two customers sat nearby waiting.
Before long, their eyes drifted toward the bowl.
In appearance alone, it looked several times better than the lard noodles.
The customer first leaned down and smelled it.
Then he put aside his sugar cake, rolled up his sleeves, and mixed the noodles.
Before he had even stirred them thoroughly, he couldn’t resist taking a bite.
The mildly spicy sweet potato mash was smooth and fine like sand, coating every strand of noodle.
Mixed throughout were tiny bits of minced meat.
After two large mouthfuls of noodles, he bit into his tea egg.
The soft, jammy yolk flowed slightly into the noodles.
He stirred everything together with his chopsticks and ate with obvious enjoyment.
The street was noisy with vendors shouting and people chatting.
Yet the customer was completely absorbed in his food.
The customer who had ordered the lard noodles finally couldn’t help speaking up.
“Brother!”
The man was still eating and didn’t hear him.
“Brother! Brother!”
Only then did the man look up.
“You calling me?”
“Yeah. Is that good?”
The man’s eyes were still fixed on his bowl.
Only a tiny part of his attention was elsewhere.
“What? What did you say?”
The customer who ordered lard noodles stopped asking.
Either this man was naturally absent-minded, or the food was simply that delicious.
He couldn’t even spare attention for conversation.
The customer immediately got up and hurried over to Jiang Ran.
“Miss, has mine been made yet? If not, change it to the sweet potato mash noodles.”
He was the third customer in line.
Jiang Ran shook her head.
“Not yet. You originally ordered lard noodles, so just pay the four-wen difference.”
The customer immediately handed over four copper coins and returned to wait.
The customer who had ordered soup noodles didn’t move.
Between soup noodles and mixed noodles, he had always preferred soup noodles.
His tastes were mild, and he rarely added much chili or vinegar.
When the two bowls were finally served, he watched the other customer devouring his mixed noodles.
“How does it taste?”
The man looked extremely satisfied.
“The four extra wen were worth it. Thick, rich, and delicious. Good thing I switched.”
When he finished, there was still some sweet potato mash and minced meat left at the bottom of the bowl.
Feeling it would be a waste, he called out to Jiang Ran for another bowl of noodles.
By now there were many customers.
“There are still three orders ahead of yours. You’ll have to wait.”
“That’s fine.”
Fortunately, noodles cooked quickly.
Some customers waiting at the stall noticed the unfamiliar dish and asked,
“What’s he eating?”
Jiang Ran immediately replied,
“It’s the sweet potato mash mixed noodles I just mentioned. Seven wen a bowl. You should give it a try. It’s a sauce made from minced meat and sweet potatoes, and it’s really delicious.”
She introduced it to every customer.
Not everyone was willing to try a new flavor, though.
Still, she had already sold two portions right away.
Seeing how much customers liked it, she no longer felt anxious.
Seven wen made some people hesitate, but it wasn’t outrageously expensive.
One customer finally said,
“I’ll try a bowl.”
Once one person started, others followed.
“Give me one too. And add a tea egg—a fully cooked one.”
That made four orders already.
Jiang Ran hadn’t prepared much today.
“Please wait a little. I’ll bring it over when it’s ready.”
Ever since opening her stall, Jiang Ran had only sold the same few items.
Meanwhile, Auntie Zhao had introduced many new products.
Just yesterday, Jiang Ran had helped promote them one by one.
Naturally, she had to keep calling out today as well.
Auntie Zhao looked over curiously.
Her eyes happened to meet Jiang Ran’s.
Jiang Ran smiled brightly.
“I’m saving one for you, Auntie. Try it later and tell me if it’s good.”
Auntie Zhao quickly refused.
“How can I accept that?”
“It’s a new flavor. Everyone should try it.”
“You should save them for selling. We’re neighbors—there’ll be plenty of chances to eat it later.”
Jiang Ran smiled.
With more customers, the weakness of having only one pot became increasingly obvious.
There were four orders waiting.
Customers behind them didn’t want to wait.
After shaking their heads, they left.
Ordering now meant waiting at least a quarter of an hour.
They would just come back tomorrow.
Jiang Ran felt sorry about losing the business.
But she couldn’t lie and tell people their food would be ready soon.
Nor could she risk mixing up the order sequence.
This was money she simply had to let go.
She wondered how the blacksmith was progressing with her iron pot.
Was it finished yet…?