“This place can be shared,” Li Feng said. “If you really come, both families are just a couple with one child. You could easily rent together and live together. It would be lively.”
“Lively?” Da Qiang snorted. “You open your eyes and it is noise right away.”
Wang Meng shot back, “You have to have the ability to gather together before you can even argue. If you cannot get together, what is there to quarrel about?”
Li Feng was speechless at the two of them. “When your fulang get together, they do not argue like this!”
Lu Liu hooked his arm through Li Feng’s, three big dogs trailing behind them. Listening to the two men bicker felt oddly warm and familiar.
The shop was not far away. Since it had not officially opened, they had not let He Qingzao move in yet.
Li Feng unlocked the door and also opened the small side window for them to look.
The window had been remodeled. Before, it had propped open and could serve as a small awning, but when there were many people coming and going, they might bump into the wooden rod and risk hitting customers.
Li Feng had removed the window lattice and installed vertical wooden grooves inside. When open for business, the panel would be pushed up; when closing, it would be pulled down. Outside, a new awning had been added, extending horizontally to cast a stretch of shade.
The counter and square table inside had been moved out. The square table was kept at home. The counter, old and no longer useful, had been taken away by the landlord.
On the other side of the window, narrow long tables were placed along three walls. The shop itself was small; the long tables merely followed the shape of the walls and were in fact quite short. There were seven round stools in total. After the changes, there were three more stools than before, yet the place looked much more spacious, with room to step inside.
Reed mats were hung on the walls. Borrowing the idea from the dockside shops, they had pasted sheets of paper onto them with the menu written out.
Li Feng described the dishes, and Lu Liu wrote them down and posted them up, letting customers know what flavors to expect from each soup.
They were all homestyle soups. Most people already knew what they tasted like. At first glance, the writing might seem unnecessary, unlike the situation at the docks.
After much consideration, Lu Liu still chose to put them up. Ever since he learned to read, whenever he saw writing anywhere, he would glance at it and silently read it to himself. He imagined scholars were the same.
For these delicious flavors, he did not use overly refined wording, only everyday language, even some chatty phrases, with repeated words that flowed smoothly when read aloud.
When the weather turned cold, reading once about the fresh sweetness of hot soup felt almost like sharing the warmth described on the page. It made the belly feel warm too. That could stir up an appetite.
Wang Meng now recognized a few characters, learned while spending time with Jiu Ge’er.
Da Qiang still could not read. Yao An had no time to learn, much less him.
The two of them, like Li Feng, were tall and broad men. Standing inside, they filled the small space completely.
Lu Liu laughed. “It is a good thing most scholars are slender. Otherwise, we would not fit many in here.”
They all laughed.
Directly behind the window, lifting the curtain led into the back courtyard.
The courtyard was truly tiny. The path ahead was only two steps for most; for Lu Liu, three.
Because it was a storefront, there was a well in this small space, taking up nearly half the ground. A large wooden cover, bigger than the well’s mouth, lay on top. When not in use, it had to be covered. It could serve as a seat or hold items. For walking, there was only a narrow strip to the side.
There were two empty rooms. The stove connected to the heated brick bed, separated by a single wall—cooking on one side, sleeping on the other.
Lu Liu explained that originally the kitchen had been even smaller, with a wall dividing off a space for firewood, grain, vegetables, meat, and eggs. Since they lived nearby and had spare rooms at home, they did not need that storage here.
Through Hai Youtian as a middleman, they had negotiated with the landlord to knock down the wall between the woodshed and kitchen. In return, when they moved out, they would leave the tables and chairs behind.
At the back corner was a small gate leading into a narrow alley. Looking across, one could see the backyards of other shops. Back to back.
After looking around, Wang Meng and Da Qiang only commented that it was small. They had no other thoughts.
Lu Liu then told them about the gains from these past months of setting up a stall. “When it gets colder, collect some leather vests, knee guards, gloves, and hats made in the stronghold. This time we will not sell at the docks. I will call out near the academy instead. Those scholars sit for long hours. Leather keeps out the cold, and they are willing to spend. Leather boots too.”
Da Qiang’s heart warmed again. Setting up a stall could earn money. Leather goods could earn money.
This time he had brought some honey for Lu Liu’s family, all packed in jars.
These were gifts. Next month he would definitely make time to see this so-called grand market. He would bring more honey and swallow his pride to ask Lu Liu whether it could be sold.
If it worked, he would have another way to save silver.
They stayed the night. At dinner, He Qingzao did not dare come over, so Zhao Peilan told him to eat at Lu Erbao and Wang Fengnian’s place instead.
Wang Meng noticed and asked. Lu Liu replied, “He is a hired helper. In the future he will live at the shop. There are only two days left before opening, so he is eating at home for now.”
Wang Meng did not ask further.
With two extra people at the table, the two little ones kept staring at them, eyes full of curiosity.
When placed in Wang Meng’s and Da Qiang’s arms, they immediately fussed to get down, refusing to be held.
During the meal, the topic turned to children.
Yuan Yuan was the eldest. His temperament resembled Yao An’s. He loved listening to people chatter and was a little chatterbox himself, babbling happily to his own amusement. If someone answered him, he would beam for a long time. Occasionally he could blurt out a few words they understood, as if he were starting to speak. But when asked to continue, he could not quite manage.
Tian Tian was a bit younger. His temperament was hard to judge. Wang Meng thought his own child was cheerful, with a sweet smile. It was a pity he resembled Wang Meng more; otherwise he would be even prettier.
The child was easy to care for, smiling more than crying. A bit lazy, not fond of moving much.
When Li Feng spoke of his children, he looked troubled.
Xiao Mai did not snatch things, but he could express himself. If he wanted something, he would point and shout a couple of times. Once the adults understood, they would give it to him.
Zhuang Zhuang did not talk much. Usually he seemed to have no particular demands and just liked playing with Xiao Mai. When they played, he clung closely to him. If separated, Zhuang Zhuang could fuss for quite a while. Yet whenever Xiao Mai wanted something, Zhuang Zhuang would try to snatch it. Newly bought items did not interest him; he insisted on whatever was in Xiao Mai’s hands.
As Li Feng spoke of him, his brow remained furrowed.
Da Qiang, practical as ever, offered advice.
“One day when you have time, bring dozens of small trinkets home. Give them to Xiao Mai first. If Zhuang Zhuang snatches them, let him. Then give Xiao Mai another new one. After snatching enough, he will see Xiao Mai always has something good and grow tired of it. Raising children is like training puppies. At this age they do not understand words. Why worry so much? Just find a way to teach them.”
Waiting one or two years for Zhuang Zhuang to speak clearly about what he wanted was too long.
From how it looked now, he simply clung to Xiao Mai, did not like being apart, and did not like Xiao Mai playing with others. So give them toys meant for two and let the brothers play together.
Hearing that Zhuang Zhuang was clinging rather than malicious, Li Feng’s brow eased.
If that were the case, he would know how to teach him.
Following Da Qiang’s method, he would buy small trinkets and also find toys for both brothers to play together, trying them one by one to see whether Zhuang Zhuang truly just wanted to stick close to Xiao Mai.
After the meal, the brothers continued chatting for a while, sharing amusing stories from the mountain and from the road. Li Feng listened happily and told them to ask the stronghold chief whether, this New Year, they wanted to organize some festivities with a prize. The trading company would provide funding so everyone could celebrate properly.
Da Qiang and Wang Meng agreed at once and tried to pry about what the prize might be. Li Feng would not say.
Wang Meng had also brought gifts made by Chen Jiu: salt-roasted sesame seeds, with the method written down, saying they were delicious with steamed buns. There was also a letter for Lu Liu, containing tips on simmering soup that Lu Liu had once asked about.
And two large wool sleeping bags. The children had grown another year, and the old ones were too small. With the cold setting in, they would continue using wool sleeping bags. Even carried outside, they would stay warm.
Early the next morning, they ate breakfast at home, then returned to the docks with Lu Liu and Li Feng to see the bustling scene of the stall.
There were fewer scholars nearby, but for the academy as a whole, those sitting for the provincial examination were only a minority. Business could continue as usual.
They steamed two fewer baskets of buns and mantou, but as the temperature dropped, they had to cook an extra pot of fish soup and mixed mushroom soup to meet demand.
