Lu Yang was astonished once again. The scene before him was no less striking than his first visit to the dock market.
The stalls had already been laid out, with merchants occupying the spaces for the opening hour the next morning, arranging goods and assessing their display. People walked back and forth, checking visibility.
Some piled goods high, carefully testing the stability of makeshift platforms. From above, the sky was a riot of color; below, the street thrummed with life.
They stood in place, often stepping aside to let porters pass—some carrying goods, some carrying wine, others moving tables to replace those that had failed inspection.
Of the three, Lu Liu was the most amazed. Since arriving in the city, he hadn’t even been to the docks. Going to the streets, he had only known bustling activity. He realized now there wasn’t a “most prosperous place”—there was only ever “more prosperous.”
He had recently gone to inspect fabrics. The cloth displayed in the shops didn’t compare to the sheer quantity hanging along this street. And streets like this were plentiful.
From behind came a chorus of congratulations: “Longchang Merchant House, Boss Li invites everyone for tea! Wishing Boss Li prosperous business and overflowing wealth!”
The three turned to see a tea stall temporarily reserved. Passersby and shop assistants stopped, offering a polite blessing in exchange for a bowl of cooling tea.
Once one merchant set the precedent, others followed, reserving their own stalls with silver. Soon, congratulations and blessings rang out repeatedly.
Lu Liu noted that this tiny tea stall, offering just three or five pots, could command eight qian of silver.
“Brother, I want to sell tea too…”
Lu Yang told him not to think about it. “If you want to make money, come sell mushrooms with me. Once we’re done, you can open your own restaurant!”
Lu Liu’s heart leapt at the thought.
He wasn’t sure if the grand market would bring complications, and he feared being caught in unfortunate circumstances, but the prospect of selling goods stirred excitement.
Shun Ge’er asked, “If we sell mushrooms, where would our stall be?”
Lu Yang guessed it would be on Minfu Street, the first of the eight main streets.
With the stalls already assigned, whatever the Hong family could offer would naturally be on their own property. Given the Hong family’s wealth and the family’s organizing position, having a few stalls on Minfu Street was perfectly normal.
Lu Liu swayed, his balance unsteady, and clung to Lu Yang’s arm.
“Good heavens… with so many stalls, how much could we make…”
Lu Yang couldn’t calculate it precisely. He had discussed matters with Master Wu but hadn’t delved into such details.
“Tonight I’ll ask Dafeng about it. For now, consider this: even if we sell, the docks don’t have much stock. The best opportunity is merely clearing inventory.”
Lu Liu’s heart sank.
The feeling of having wealth and yet being unable to earn was painful.
Shun Ge’er, too, clung to Lu Yang, exhausted.
Lu Yang looked around and picked a restaurant, leading them inside. The shading cloth was already up, so there was no need for a second-floor private room—they sat in the main hall.
Shun Ge’er had been to the dock market and knew the amount of stock there. Since the family settled in the city, the mountain supply had been frequent. After the Dragon Boat Festival, three teams delivered goods on staggered days, averaging once every seven days.
Now, in their shop and warehouse, they had about six thousand jin of mountain mushrooms.
Lu Yang shook his head. “It’s not enough.”
At the dock, even one large client could buy 500 to 1,000 jin. For the grand market, the baseline was likely 1,000 jin.
The goods needed promotion. Previously, mushroom dishes hadn’t been popular in the city; at the grand market, few sold them. Now, the dishes were famous, and a street call would draw curious buyers.
Mushrooms transported well. They were pre-sliced, durable, and could withstand some moisture. Overland or by water, they were easy to carry.
To meet the demand at the grand market, they needed double the usual amount.
Lu Liu counted on his fingers, shocked: “Twelve thousand jin?”
Lu Yang nodded. “Mushroom dishes have been popular for over a year and still sell well. Our dock-side shop always has business. Any call to sell mushrooms draws buyers who have tasted and loved them. Frequent small shipments increase repeat orders, sometimes doubling them. Some overland merchants never visit the dock; they only attend the grand market. They will have tasted the dishes beforehand. If we sell there, most will be interested. Half a day’s stall… it would be a shame not to sell enough.”
If everyone were miserly, taking only a hundred jin each, half a day would barely clear stock. Now, that wasn’t likely.
He shook his head, poured tea, and ordered a plate of melon seeds and a plate of beef towers.
Restaurants didn’t welcome casual diners. They had already eaten breakfast, so they couldn’t eat much. Ordering beef towers was just to have something.
Lu Yang remembered his first beef tower at Denggao Tower, elegantly named “Zhuangyuan Tower,” three taels of silver per plate. That was a gift from Boss Yu for Xie Yan’s birthday, though Xie Yan hadn’t eaten. His own birthday was approaching, and this year he would bring Xie Yan.
“This is a marinated dish. Even plain, it’s good as a snack,” Lu Yang said.
Lu Liu muttered quietly, “The breakfast I sold today only made a little over three hundred wen. Not counting costs, it’s just enough to buy this dish.”
Lu Yang gestured outside. “My good Liu Ge’er, look at the scene outside. Three taels of silver means nothing. Keep your heart open; the road ahead is long!”
Lu Liu obediently looked out the door—and saw Li Feng.
He hadn’t expected to meet Li Feng here. Habitually, he waved and called out, “Dafeng!” before realizing and covering his mouth in surprise.
Lu Yang and Shun Ge’er also looked. Shun Ge’er covered his mouth in advance, making no sound. Lu Yang raised an eyebrow at the young master of the Hong family.
A slender figure, still trying to conceal himself with a forehead ribbon—so young, yet managing a vast family business.
Lu Yang felt inspired. Merchants were considered lowly, and male traders faced many obstacles; for a young master or young lady to conduct business was even harder. Managing a major enterprise under the scrutiny of thousands required enormous resilience.
If Hong Chu could do it, so could he.
The challenges Lu Yang had heard from Master Wu now seemed surmountable. The future looked bright.
Li Feng had anticipated their visit and smiled faintly, raising an eyebrow.
Seeing him smile, Lu Liu relaxed.
The tables were arranged with one person per side. Feeling uneasy, Lu Liu held onto his brother’s hand.
The shopkeeper personally welcomed Hong Chu and others to the second-floor private room.
Hong Chu asked Li Feng, “Is that your husband? Two of them look alike.”
Li Feng explained, “The one calling me is my husband. The one who looks like him is his brother. The remaining one is my younger brother.”
Hong Chu turned toward the table and met Lu Yang’s eager gaze. He raised an eyebrow and told Hong Wu, “Wu, invite them over. I want to speak with them.”
Hong Wu fell back a step and, once Hong Chu and his companions went upstairs, approached Lu Yang and the others to convey his young master’s request.
“My young master would like to speak with you. Please, come along.”
Shun Ge’er hesitated, still reluctant to leave the beef towers.
Lu Yang said, “Come on, don’t embarrass your big brother.”
Noticing Lu Liu’s worried look, he called a waiter to pack the food to be taken home later.
Lu Yang had met Hong Wu before and personally introduced him to Lu Liu.
Hong Wu was polite, saying, “I often hear Li brothers mention you. Their group has a reputation at the dock for caring for their husbands and wives.”
Lu Liu wasn’t sure if this was true and politely returned the gesture.
Hong Wu had given the two children longevity locks made of silver; he remembered them fondly.
“I’ve heard of you for a long time. I usually stay home with the children and rarely go to the docks. Li Feng wanted to invite you over for a meal at his home, but it was too far and you were busy. He said to invite you at the dock instead. Today, fate has brought us together!”
