Taking advantage of the lull before customers arrived, they tidied up the shop first.
Lu Yang didn’t complicate things—he had everyone sweep the interior.
There wasn’t time to repaint the walls, so he sent someone to buy a few straw mats and hung them on the walls to cover the mottled patches.
Very few merchants came into the shop, and only occasionally. Since the shop was theirs, they had to take care with it.
Lu Yang planned to hang a sign on the wall, like a menu in a restaurant, listing the types of mushrooms. On the other side, he wanted to see if Xie Yan had time to join him in visiting high-end restaurants to try mushroom dishes, sketch the famous mushroom dishes of the prefectural city, and display the drawings in the shop.
First, he cleared space, hung the straw mats, and moved the bamboo baskets inside.
Lu Yang now preferred square bamboo baskets—neat and space-efficient. He specified the style and sent someone to the basket shop to buy them.
The baskets on the floor were large and needed lids. The baskets on top were shallow, the same size as the base baskets, used for display.
This way, the least amount of goods could create the maximum visual effect.
He also tidied the shop’s doors and windows, brought buckets of water to wash them, then prepared paste for sticking red paper for the signage.
The stall in front of the shop especially needed improvement.
The market was crowded, so they couldn’t cook over a stove—it could burn someone, leading to endless trouble.
He planned to dress up the board cart and winnowing baskets. While noblemen’s carriages were wrapped in cloth or even brocade, theirs didn’t need such luxury.
Following the shop’s aesthetic, Lu Yang wrapped the cart in a layer of straw mats.
There were patterned straw mats on the market, made with colored grass to form designs.
He wanted someone to weave the shop’s slogan “Rely on the Backing, Eat the Mountain” into a sign. First, he picked straw mats, pressed the cart to leave impressions, marked which side faced customers, and planned display spots of various sizes—all to show the slogan. If weaving didn’t work, they would write it afterward.
If that didn’t suffice, he would custom-make a cart and carve the slogan over the entire vehicle.
Additionally, the winnowing baskets needed updating.
He planned to make a few slightly inferior signs, shaped to fit the baskets, circular, placed inside with goods. This was a clever touch—few customers would notice, but those who did would be impressed. Impressing customers made them remember the shop, turning them into potential returning clients.
Once these were done, Lu Yang turned to Li Feng. “How well do you know Manager Hong? Would he allow us to put up a flag here?”
Li Feng asked, “How tall a flag?”
Lu Yang said, “Not very tall—less than one zhang.”
Li Feng froze. That was far too tall. He couldn’t be sure and would have to ask.
Lu Yang didn’t push. “If it works, great. Not every shop has that kind of connection. If we can raise a flag, it’ll really stand out. If not, we can make a few jackets in the same style as the signs—red background. Selling won’t be affected, but it’ll catch the eye.”
Being seen first meant business would follow.
Everyone in the shop was left staring in surprise.
They had heard of Lu Yang before and knew he had started the dried mushroom trade, but had never seen him in business.
Now he burst into action in a whirlwind, even before anything was complete. Seeing his confident demeanor, no one dared to object.
After the crowd dispersed, Lu Yang went outside to observe customer flow, with Li Feng accompanying him.
Lu Yang was surprised. “Why are you so obedient? Don’t you have any opinions?”
Li Feng was no fool. “I’m not as good at business as you. Why would I oppose you?”
That sounded reasonable.
Lu Yang said, “What Xie Yan said—you just need to understand it. No need to constantly worry. Right now, we’re just small fry. The docks are usually quiet, every business is normal. Look at that medicine vendor—who bothers him? He’s fine.”
Li Feng said, “I need to investigate that further. Another matter will be difficult.”
He paused.
Lu Yang waited, giving him space, and asked, “?” Li Feng took the hint but didn’t speak. Lu Yang grew impatient. “You’re a grown man—can’t even say a word?”
Li Feng frowned. “Who can’t speak? Your man can’t even talk properly.”
Lu Yang chuckled. “My top scholar candidate talks better than you. Look at yourself.”
Li Feng looked away, took several deep breaths, pretending not to hear, treating Lu Yang as a man, and said, “There are many hidden doors nearby. I keep my men tightly controlled. They can’t withstand constant calling. Over time in this environment, they get used to it. One day, if they take a wrong turn into some door, I wouldn’t even know.”
Lu Yang hated men messing with such things—shameless and vile.
He laughed. “Simple. Give them some medicine—they won’t stand up. Like eunuchs visiting brothels—intent without ability.”
Li Feng: “….”
He couldn’t take it. “Don’t say that with your face like that!”
Lu Yang: “….”
“Are you sick or what!”
After exchanging barbs, they looked away and eventually skipped the topic to continue discussing business.
Lu Yang said, “This is easy. Once you settle in the prefectural city, people from the mountain village don’t need to linger. They can leave immediately after delivering goods. There are so many people in the village—let the elders guide the newcomers in teams. After a few rounds, they’ll be familiar, and rotating teams prevents them from getting used to the docks in the wrong way.
“While in the prefectural city, anyone who leaves their team or acts independently won’t be invited again, and their family won’t get mountain goods. Reducing their stay requires supervision. Among the delivery team, there must be upright people, or those who keep an eye on each other.
“Besides that, there’s money management. No wages are given in the city. Only when they leave successfully do you sign off. They carry the receipt and settle pay back at the village.”
If any family needed to send goods in the city, they had to notify their people at the drying yard before departure so everyone in the delivery team knew. This way, they could shop in pairs.
Beyond this, if someone ran to hidden doors, it was no longer under their control—they would simply stop using that person.
Li Feng looked at Lu Yang’s mind.
This was a brain made for earning money and managing people—why didn’t it grow on his own head?
After talking a while, the buyers returned. Inside the shop, they swapped round bamboo baskets for square ones.
Outside, the carts also needed straw mats, pressed to show creases. Lu Yang marked them with ink.
Li Feng looked and said, “Why not just make a cart?”
Lu Yang considered it. “Later. Custom carts are expensive. This shop already cost too much silver. Rainy season is coming; we need to collect mushrooms in bulk. More delivery people, and the drying yard needs wages—lots of silver.”
A custom cart of good wood would last long but cost seven or eight taels.
No matter how much the straw mats were used, they wouldn’t exceed one or two taels. Save for now. End-of-year settlement, then upgrade.
The saved silver would go to making jackets.
Make one first; whoever goes out to shout the goods wears it.
By the rainy season, with payment in hand, add two more.
After these instructions, night fell, and Lu Yang wanted to return home.
Li Feng saw him off, hired a carriage, and loaded the luggage Lu Yang had brought, temporarily placing it in a guest room at Lu Yang’s house.
Erhuang stayed at the shop—no need to bring him along.
They walked home slowly, chatting a little more, then fell silent.
Tonight, Li Feng would sleep at the dockside shop, so he wouldn’t join them for dinner.
Shun-ge was reluctant to part, running outside. Hearing that Li Feng had to reach the docks before curfew, and thinking the streets crowded, he waved him off, telling him to hurry back.
That evening, the family ate as usual.
Xie Yan kept glancing at Lu Yang. Lu Yang touched his face and asked, “What is it? Ink on my face?”
Xie Yan shook his head and sighed, “Running a business nurtures a person. You go out for a while and return radiant—your eyes shining bright.”
