Preparations Before Setting Up the Stall 1
The next morning, the sky was clear, a good omen for the day ahead.
Zhang Shi and Lin Qiao quickly fed the pigs and chickens at home and returned to the front yard, where Yang Lan had already prepared the porridge.
After hastily finishing a bowl of porridge, the three of them headed to the Wang family.
The last time they went to town, it was midday, and there weren’t many people taking the carriage. Villagers preferred to go in the morning. Therefore, by the time they arrived today, several people were already seated in the carriage.
Yang Lan helped Zhang Shi onto the carriage, and the eyes of those inside turned toward them.
Zhang Shi awkwardly smiled at them.
Soon, Yang Lan and Lin Qiao also took their seats, and everyone was looking at them with expressions that were hard to decipher.
Yang Lan twitched his lips, feeling a mix of fear and envy.
What he didn’t know was that the incident at Yang Xinlong’s house yesterday had already spread throughout the village. Despite the clan elders’ repeated warnings to keep family matters private, a neighbor with a big mouth couldn’t keep quiet.
In these times, clan elders held absolute authority. Except for a few troublemakers, no one would openly oppose them, at least not in Willow Leaf Village.
However, Yang Lan had stood up to the elders for the sake of his father and husband, boldly severing ties with the clan despite their attempts to reconcile.
Among those present were women and Ge’ers, for whom the clan was more of a constraint than a protection, so they felt little attachment and more fear toward it.
Who wouldn’t wish for a husband or son like Yang Lan?
Yang Lan was unaware that because of yesterday’s events, he had shed the label of being uneducated and unfilial, becoming a model of a good husband and son.
At this moment, under the strange gazes, he was filled with doubt. It was only when they arrived at the gates of Stone Town and everyone got off the carriage that he breathed a sigh of relief.
“Lan Xiaozi, you should go to Changjun’s shop and let him show you around,” Uncle Wang suggested before they parted ways.
Yang Lan thanked Uncle Wang for his kindness but didn’t agree.
He had visited Wang Changjun’s shop before to buy seeds and knew that the business was doing well. The shop was run by Wang Changjun and his husband alone, and he didn’t want to trouble them by asking for help.
Seeing this, Uncle Wang didn’t insist, only saying that if they encountered any difficulties, they should go to the vegetable shop.
Yang Lan naturally agreed.
After bidding farewell to Uncle Wang, the three of them headed straight for North Street in Stone Town.
The last time he and Lin Qiao had only visited South Street, and now that they were on North Street, he realized he had only seen the tip of the iceberg.
From the entrance to the end, North Street was lined with shops as far as the eye could see.
“Husband, when you studied in town, did you never come to this side?” Lin Qiao asked curiously.
Yang Lan nodded, the original owner had indeed never been here.
Although the original owner was vain and lazy, he surprisingly had his limits. When he was young, he studied at a Scholar’s house in the neighboring village, where he was instilled with the idea of never going to North Street.
As a result, the original owner firmly believed that North Street was synonymous with brothels and gambling.
He knew his family’s situation and had enough self-awareness to worry about becoming addicted, so he steadfastly avoided even looking at North Street. No matter how his former friends tempted him, he resolutely refused.
For this, he was ridiculed as a country bumpkin for quite some time.
Seeing all this, Yang Lan couldn’t help but twitch his lips, growing increasingly unsure of how to evaluate the original owner.
The three of them wandered around North Street, which was bustling with people and vendors selling all sorts of things, but food stalls were doing the best business.
Especially a stall in the middle of the street selling lamb soup with bread, which had a long line.
After walking for half an hour, they were tired and hungry, so Yang Lan led them to a noodle shop and ordered three bowls of bone broth noodles.
“Father, Lin Qiao, do you think we can set up a stall here?”
Lin Qiao’s eyes sparkled, “If I work hard to make it taste better, people will definitely buy it. Those stalls are doing great business!”
Yang Lan smiled and looked at Zhang Shi, “What do you think, Father?”
“I think it’s possible too.”
As for what to sell, they had already discussed it last night and decided on cold noodles, pancakes, and stuffed egg pancakes.
These three items were not yet available in Stone Town, were novel enough, and tasted good, sure to attract customers. Additionally, they were easy to make.
Yang Lan had thought it through. For now, setting up a stall only required a custom-made small cart, making and selling on the spot, wrapped in oiled paper, without the need for tables and chairs.
Zhang Shi was worried, “Lan, I’ve never even heard of these things. Will anyone really buy them?”
Yang Lan assured him, “Don’t worry, Father. These are popular foods from the northern regions, told to me by a classmate. I even asked Old Master Wu to bring some from the capital. I’ll give the recipes to Lin Qiao, and with his talent, he can definitely make them.”
Lin Qiao was initially a bit anxious, but hearing Yang Lan’s praise filled him with determination.
“Old Master Wu?” Zhang Shi asked, puzzled.
Yang Lan rubbed his nose, Old Master Wu was indeed real.
The original owner was known as a prodigy, and many local gentry wanted to bask in his good fortune, often inviting him to their homes. Old Master Wu was the wealthiest among them.
The Wu family was very wealthy, but without anyone in the family holding an official position, they feared they couldn’t keep their wealth, so he was particularly eager for his sons to succeed.
Unfortunately, none of his sons were academically inclined, so he placed all his hopes on his youngest son, hoping the original owner would influence him to become a prodigy too.
During those years, thanks to Old Master Wu’s favor, the original owner lived quite comfortably in Stone Town.
Later… the original owner failed to make a name for himself in the exams multiple times, and Old Master Wu, fearing bad luck, quickly cut ties with him.
So Old Master Wu couldn’t possibly have brought him any books. He just made up an excuse to take things out of the storage system.
Yang Lan cleared his throat, “Don’t worry, Father. Old Master Wu is a good man, and with his vast wealth, he wouldn’t deceive me or take advantage of me.”
Hearing this, Zhang Shi felt reassured.
…
After finishing their noodles, the three of them went to the brokerage on North Street, where they could rent a stall and storage space.
As they entered, a young helper, about twenty years old, greeted them.
Upon hearing they wanted to rent a stall, the helper’s enthusiasm waned a bit.
Yang Lan didn’t mind. A stall only cost ten coins a day, certainly not as profitable as renting a house or shop.
However, the helper’s attitude remained polite as he went to fetch a thick ledger from the room.
He opened the ledger, which contained a simple map of North Street, with each stall marked and those already rented noted, along with what they sold.
Yang Lan glanced over it and finally chose a stall toward the back.
This location wasn’t as good as those at the street entrance or near the docks, but it was clean, with a well nearby for easy access to water.
Most importantly, there were no stalls nearby selling similar items.
The helper glanced at the choice and his expression changed, “Are you sure you want to rent this spot? Once you sign the contract, there’s no going back.”