Celebrating the New Year in town was truly lively.
Starting from the second day of the new year, they had been constantly visiting people. First they went to Cheng Du, Fu Ying, and Hu Lu’s homes, and later they also visited the headmaster of Zhenlan Academy.
Yuan Zhao also sent gifts to several familiar merchants. They were all people he had met during the disaster relief efforts, merchants willing to take out their own grain to distribute for free. People like that always had kindness in their hearts, and he was willing to interact with them more.
Shi Qingyue, having nothing much to do, also gathered with his former classmates. But many of them kept talking about marriage and starting families. He became annoyed listening to it and left early.
Although it was already the sixth day of the new year, the shops in town had reopened, and scholars had gradually returned to the academy, the festive atmosphere of the Spring Festival still had not faded.
Yuan Zhao once again tidied everything up and escorted them to Houde Academy before reluctantly leaving once more.
He also gathered his spirits and focused on the shop’s matters. To go to the capital for the metropolitan examination, they would definitely need to bring even more travel funds than before. Otherwise, the journey would truly be bitter and exhausting.
“I’ve thought it over. I’ve decided to set up a stall in the county city.”
Yuan Zhao discussed it with the family. This was something he had been considering ever since the new year ended. The trip to the capital made him nervous and fearful. Outside, they could not afford for anything bad to happen, so they could only try their best to carry more silver with them.
If the metropolitan examination yielded good results, naturally that would be wonderful. But even if it did not, they could simply treat it as traveling for fun. As long as they had enough silver, there was nothing to fear.
When Madam Shi Zhang heard this, she immediately grew nervous. “Does going to the capital really require that much silver? Didn’t we not spend much when we went to the provincial capital before?”
“I asked around. Prices in the capital are worlds apart from here. A hairpin worth ten wen in town can sell for one tael in the capital. The journey is long, and food, clothing, lodging, and travel all require silver.” Yuan Zhao was also very nervous and afraid.
The farthest place he had ever gone before was the provincial capital, yet now he was going to the capital itself. That kind of prosperous place was filled with important people. The slightest carelessness could cause trouble.
Silver was hard currency no matter where one went.
As soon as Madam Shi Zhang heard that, she became anxious. Staying in such a terrifying place for two whole months—wouldn’t the silver flow out like water?!
“Wouldn’t living frugally work?” she asked carefully. Ah Xiang was the family’s pillar. He received money and grain from the county every month, as well as money from those merchants attached to his name. Even so, she still felt her son had burdened Yuan Zhao.
“Lodging in the capital probably won’t be cheap. Most of the expenses will be there.” Yuan Zhao did not dare sigh. He feared adding more pressure onto Madam Shi Zhang.
Madam Shi Zhang blamed herself deeply. “I still have some savings there. I’ll give them all to you later. And in the future, don’t pay us wages anymore. What kind of family members still take wages from each other?”
Just receiving the money already made her feel uneasy. Even if she worked herself to death in the eatery, she would not feel wronged. What she feared was unintentionally wronging Yuan Zhao.
The moment Yuan Zhao heard her words, he knew she had misunderstood. He quickly explained, “Mother, don’t take it to heart. What I mean is, the more silver the better. Food and lodging will indeed cost a lot. What should be given to you and Ranran naturally cannot be lacking. There’s no logic in making people work for free. I just want to earn more money, not because we don’t have enough.”
Anyway, business at the town eatery was thriving. Even without him watching over it, it could still operate fine. If he also set up a stall in the county city, leaving early and returning late, he would definitely be able to earn more in a single day.
There was still one month before they left for the provincial capital. Even if he exhausted himself for another month, it would not matter. By then, the weather would also be warmer.
“Then I’ll go with you when the time comes. In the beginning it was just the two of us working anyway. Ranran and Yuan-ge’er can stay at the eatery with Xiaomei. She can watch over them,” Madam Shi Zhang said.
Mentioned by name, Jia Xiaomei immediately nodded repeatedly. It was simple work—bringing them to the eatery early in the morning and bringing them back in the evening. That was how things usually were anyway.
Knowing Madam Shi Zhang was worried, Yuan Zhao nodded. “Then I’ll have the craftsman make another set of pots, and we’ll also bring the divided hotpot pot we have at home.”
“Alright!”
The two immediately got to work. That very day they found craftsmen to rush out a set of pots and a pushcart, then found merchants to buy rice, flour, and tofu. They already had meat sauce and vegetables at home. Many things were already prepared, and whatever they still lacked they could simply buy in the county city. The difference would not be much.
Within three or four days, all the preparations were completed. Before dawn on the fourth day, they set out for the county city.
There were even more street vendors in the county city’s markets. Any street or alley where traffic would not be obstructed could be used to set up a stall. Yuan Zhao had come to the county city before and was not unfamiliar with the place. Knowing which streets had the most people, he directly drove the ox cart there.
The moment he saw the patrolling yamen runners, he quickly asked where stalls could still be set up. There was not a single yamen runner from the county office who did not recognize Yuan Zhao. One of them hurriedly checked the ledger before leading them to a fairly lively area.
Pointing to an empty spot, he said, “Someone just canceled the rental here last night. You can set up your stall here. Three hundred wen a month.”
“Alright, many thanks to you.” Yuan Zhao hurriedly thanked him politely.
The yamen runner quickly waved his hands. “Please don’t be so polite with us. We’ll still have to rely on Teacher Shi in the future.”
Yuan Zhao nodded and said nothing more. The yamen runners were only being so courteous because of Ah Xiang’s reputation. If he were no longer with Ah Xiang in the future, there probably would not be such good treatment again.
They did not dwell on it and quickly set up the stall. Soon, more people would arrive. Hopefully business would be good.
Once the griddle heated up, Yuan Zhao skillfully made a rolled pancake. “Mother, eat first. If too many customers come later, we might not even have time to eat.”
“That’s true.” Madam Shi Zhang did not stand on ceremony and directly started eating.
Yuan Zhao also did not shortchange himself. He made himself a hearty rolled pancake too. The crispy cracker inside was fragrant and crunchy—so delicious.
After not eating it for a while, the flavor even felt different.
“So fragrant! What kind of pancake is this? Give me two. Are all those things inside extra charges? How much?”
“A regular pancake with crispy cracker and meat sauce is six wen. Adding meat and egg makes it twelve wen.” Yuan Zhao boldly raised the price by two wen. After all, they had to account for the travel expenses to the county city.
“Then give me one for twelve wen.”
“Coming right up!” He immediately put down the pancake in his hand and began making it.
As soon as one person started waiting here, other customers quickly gathered around to ask questions too. Yuan Zhao answered tirelessly. In fact, the more customers there were, the more questions got answered by the customers themselves.
Some sharp-eyed people even recognized them and eagerly ordered full sets. Hearing the price had increased by two wen, they did not say much. These days everything was getting more expensive. If something sold in the county city cost a bit more, then so be it. They would only eat it a few times anyway.
“Boss Yuan, are you planning to open your shop in the county city now?” one regular customer teased with a smile. “There are lots of people around the docks. You could try setting up there later too.”
Yuan Zhao immediately thanked him. “Many thanks to you! Once we finish up here, we’ll head over to take a look!”
Those in front of the stall who had never eaten rolled pancakes before were all drawn in by the domineering fragrance. On top of that, there was also iron-plate tofu—fresh, fragrant, and spicy, yet without affecting the tofu’s soft texture in the slightest.
Quite a few people stood around the stall eating. After finishing one serving of tofu, they still felt the spicy flavor was not satisfying enough, so they ordered an even spicier serving. Eating it in such cold weather left them feeling wonderfully heated all over.
The tofu sold out the fastest. First, they had not brought much to begin with. Second, the iron-plate tofu was delicious, and everyone was willing to eat it. It only made the county city folk seem even more willing to spend money.
The rolled pancakes and egg pancakes also sold well, though after the breakfast rush, business became somewhat slower. In any case, their pushcart could be moved anytime, so they simply pushed it toward the docks.
The ice on the river had not yet melted. Just upon reaching the area near the docks, they could already see laborers carrying sacks, dragging huge bundles back and forth across the frozen river on ice sleds before hoisting them ashore. Just looking at the towering bundles stacked on their shoulders and backs felt exhausting.
On another stretch of the river, people were chiseling out blocks of ice. They were all meant for wealthy households, so there would be no worries about escaping the summer heat later on.
Yuan Zhao sighed softly. It would be wonderful if they also dared hire people to cut ice, but they could not bear the risk of workers falling into the freezing river water. No, no, that would not do.
“Rolled pancakes for sale! Thickly stuffed rolled pancakes! Rolled pancakes with chicken and pork! Rolled pancakes with eggs!”
Yuan Zhao shouted loudly, wishing he could draw the attention of all those workers over. They had arrived at the perfect time, just as the laborers were about to eat lunch. Very quickly, people surrounded the stall.
Without needing them to ask, Yuan Zhao immediately told them the prices. Seeing the meat, vegetables, and eggs, the workers naturally understood that twelve wen was worth it.
Among these laboring men, there were naturally those willing to spend money. After all, they were the pillars of their households. Only by eating their fill and having strength to work could they earn money.
The batter and dough quickly ran low, but they stubbornly held out until evening, selling off all the dough before leaving. As for the wrappers used for rolled pancakes not selling out, that was normal.
It was nearly dark by the time they returned to town. Both of them were shivering from the cold and sniffing constantly. Jia Xiaomei hurriedly made them drink ginger brown sugar water. Only after drinking it did warmth finally return to their bodies.
“The county city really is different. We earned over two taels on the very first day.” Yuan Zhao spoke happily. “If business stays this good for the whole month, that would be wonderful!”
Madam Shi Zhang smiled along with him upon hearing that. “Your skills are good, naturally it’ll work out. More money isn’t too much, less money isn’t too little.”
Yuan Zhao nodded repeatedly. However much they could earn, they would earn.
There were far more wealthy households in the county city. Many young ladies and young masters liked to compete with one another. Now that there was suddenly a new type of food in town, even if it was just street food, naturally they had to try it. Otherwise, if others had eaten it while they had not, how embarrassing would that be?
Yuan Zhao sharply noticed that many servants and maids had come to buy from them. By just the second day, their rolled pancakes had truly become popular.
“If there’s anything you can’t eat, make sure to tell me beforehand.”
“If we leave out ingredients, we’ll charge less for it too. Everyone, don’t feel embarrassed about saying so.”
As Yuan Zhao cooked, he reminded them continuously, afraid people might buy carelessly without understanding things clearly, then later go around saying the food was bad. That would affect business far too much.
Inside a private room of a restaurant.
A tall man stood by the window looking down below. There was no trace left of the frail aura he once had. His gaze remained fixed upon that slender figure. Even wrapped in thick cotton clothing, he did not appear bloated.
If Yuan Zhao were present, he would definitely recognize him as the person he had rescued on the official road that day. The only difference was that there was no red mole on his forehead.
“You tell me—what kind of man lets his fulang show his face in public and set up a stall?” Yu Qing’s voice was low and heavy, carrying a faint rasp. It sounded like muttering, yet also like dissatisfaction.
The attendant standing behind him instantly broke into a cold sweat. Ever since young master—no, ever since the young master had taken charge of the household and restored his true identity, he had become exceptionally gloomy. If anyone said the wrong thing, they would be dragged away immediately.
The attendant dared not speak carelessly. He could only guess at Yu Qing’s meaning and follow along with his words. “That man naturally cannot compare to Young Master. That’s why he can only wrong his fulang. If it were Young Master, you would certainly let your proper spouse enjoy a life of ease.”
“Heh… you do know how to talk.” Yu Qing let out a mocking laugh. “These past few days, new foods have appeared in the city. Go count the people in the household. Two pancakes for each person. All of them are to be bought from that stall.”
The attendant carefully glanced down through the window. Seeing that the stall owner was a little ge’er, then recalling what his young master had said earlier, unease rose in his heart. Yet he did not dare say anything and immediately went to carry out the task.
Yu Qing had been born to a concubine in the Yu family. The legal wife had no sons, and for the sake of preserving his life, his mother could only falsely claim he was a little ge’er. Over the years he had grown taller and broader, so no one ever came to propose marriage, but this instead caused the legal wife to become suspicious. Again and again she tested him and tried to harm him.
By the day Yuan Zhao rescued him, he had already lost count of how many times he had been attacked. He could have escaped himself, but everyone around him belonged to the legal wife, so he could only continue pretending to be weak.
He had never expected someone would come save him—and it had even been a lone little ge’er with no power to rely on. He had bandaged his wounds and spoken gently to comfort him, telling him not to be afraid… aside from his mother, no one had ever cared for him like that before.
He wanted to possess him. To obtain him.
Thus, during the drought period, he took the chance to clean out all the people in the household who needed dealing with. He thought that as long as he properly settled everything in the family, he would finally have the qualifications to seek out that little ge’er and find a way to marry him.
Unfortunately, he had arrived one step too late.
Back when Shi Wuxiang had only been a xiucai, Yu Qing had used his family’s influence to try transferring him to the county academy. Yet Shi Wuxiang had not come. Now that he had become a juren, it was no longer easy for Yu Qing to make a move.
Yuan Zhao was busy making rolled pancakes when suddenly a servant ran over and immediately asked for fifty-four rolled pancakes, all deluxe versions.
“Are you serious? You won’t be able to finish that many. Once they cool down, they won’t taste as good as when they’re hot.” Seeing the man dressed well, Yuan Zhao worried his household might later complain about the flavor and come make trouble.
The attendant hurriedly said, “Please rest assured. My young master simply loves your rolled pancakes, so he specially instructed me to buy extra for the servants in the household as well.”
“Then pay first,” Yuan Zhao said frankly. “Please forgive us. This is just a small business.”
Previously, someone had ordered several rolled pancakes but never returned to pick them up, nor had they paid. The pancakes had gone cold, and they had ended up eating them themselves.
If these fifty-plus rolled pancakes were not paid for upfront and all went to waste, then even giving them away for free would take an entire day. The losses would be terrible.
The attendant did not say much more. He directly handed over a broken piece of silver worth one tael. Only after Yuan Zhao gave back the change did he calmly begin making the pancakes.
Making more than fifty rolled pancakes felt endless. Quite a few customers became impatient waiting, yet the attendant still allowed others to cut in line to buy first, not making things difficult for Yuan Zhao at all.
Later, as customers gradually dwindled, Yuan Zhao focused entirely on making pancakes for the servant.
While Yuan Zhao was cooking, a tall shadow suddenly blocked the front of him. Then came a questioning voice.
“Why is it taking so long?”
“Please wait a moment. There are still many pancakes ahead of yours. If you can’t wait, you can buy something else to eat.” Yuan Zhao replied without even lifting his head while continuing to cook.
The attendant did not dare interrupt casually. Seeing his young master freeze, he carefully explained, “Young Master, there are too many of our pancakes. To avoid making Boss Yuan’s situation difficult, this servant could only let several customers cut in line first.”
Hearing him address the man as “young master,” Yuan Zhao immediately looked up. Upon seeing that familiar face, he instantly remembered who he was. Yet when he noticed the smooth forehead without the red mole, he suspiciously thought he had probably mistaken him for someone else.
Yu Qing gazed deeply at him, tilting his head slightly. “Why is Boss Yuan looking at me like that? Have we met before?”
“Not exactly. Does Young Master have any siblings? I think I may have seen a little ge’er who looked very similar to you. Tall and broad.” Naturally, Yuan Zhao would never imagine he had once disguised himself as a little ge’er.
“I originally had a twin younger brother, but we were separated since childhood. By the time I returned home, he had already died of illness.” As Yu Qing spoke, he stared at him continuously, as though wanting to observe his reaction.
Yuan Zhao immediately felt apologetic. “I’m sorry. I spoke out of turn.”
“My younger brother mentioned in his final letter that he had once been helped by a little ge’er he only met briefly. Could that person have been Boss Yuan?” Yu Qing pretended to be very surprised.
“I don’t know whether that person was your younger brother. I met him on the road while returning to town. His carriage had overturned, and his leg was injured, so I just bandaged it a bit. It doesn’t really count as saving him.” Yuan Zhao hurriedly explained, afraid such a clearly high-born person might think he was trying to leverage gratitude for repayment.
Yu Qing immediately brightened. “Then it really was you. I had originally been thinking of finding you to repay the favor. I never expected we would be so fated as to meet again like this.”
Yuan Zhao laughed awkwardly twice without responding. Those words were not easy to answer casually.
Yu Qing also realized he had misspoken. Yet now that he stood face-to-face with Yuan Zhao, he was suddenly struck by how much better-looking the other seemed than before. Back in midsummer, he had been somewhat tanned, but after several months apart, he had become much fairer.
His gaze burned intensely, making Yuan Zhao somewhat uncomfortable. But he was only a stall owner. If a customer wanted to look at him, there was not much he could say.
Still, making over fifty rolled pancakes was exhausting and time-consuming work. Occasionally customers would approach, but once they heard there would still be a wait, they simply left.
Yu Qing softly said, “I truly apologize. I only heard your rolled pancakes were delicious, so I thought to buy some for the servants and household members too as a reward for their hard work. I didn’t expect it would instead delay your business.”
Without raising his head, Yuan Zhao replied, “Young Master’s business is business too. It’s no different.”
Hearing him say that, Yu Qing seemed to think of something. The gloom between his brows faded somewhat, and the heat in his gaze toward Yuan Zhao grew even stronger.
Rolled pancakes did not keep well. Every so often, Yuan Zhao would have the attendant carry a batch back to distribute. After four or five trips, the order was finally complete.
Yuan Zhao rotated his sore wrist and said to Yu Qing, “Everything’s finished now. Thank you for supporting our business.”
“That’s only proper. From now on, I’ll have my attendants come buy from you.” Yu Qing looked at Yuan Zhao’s face. Seeing the fatigue showing on it, he immediately explained, “It won’t be as many as today again.”
“Thank you.” Yuan Zhao thanked him as usual.
They kept the stall open from noon until evening, selling nearly everything as before before finally returning to town. Only after returning home did Yuan Zhao tell Madam Shi Zhang about what had happened that day. He had never imagined the person he casually helped back then would turn out to be a wealthy young master from the county city.
After hearing the story, Madam Shi Zhang also found it coincidental, but she thought it was normal. Ever since Yuan Zhao entered their family, the family’s luck had become unusually good. She had always felt Yuan Zhao was the Shi family’s lucky star, so meeting any kind of person was nothing strange.
“Even if there’s some connection, we’re not people who leverage favors for repayment. Him supporting our business can already count as repayment enough. It’s still better to interact less.”
It was not that Madam Shi Zhang disliked Yuan Zhao talking with outside men. Since he was out doing business, speaking with people was only natural. She simply found that young master somewhat strange. His entire demeanor felt gloomy and sinister, making people uncomfortable.
Yuan Zhao had not paid much attention to that young master to begin with. Hearing Madam Shi Zhang say so, he obediently nodded in agreement.
But things did not go as they expected. That Yu Qing was not easy to brush off. Every day, he would personally come stand before the stall to watch the servants buy rolled pancakes, then chat idly with Yuan Zhao for a few moments.
“Young Master Yu, hasn’t your household gotten tired of rolled pancakes yet?” Yuan Zhao asked in surprise, unable to understand why he bought so many every day when they clearly could not finish them.
“What? Could it be that my coming here every day has annoyed you? Then I’ll wait upstairs instead. Don’t take it to heart.” Yu Qing lowered his posture greatly, clearly yielding to Yuan Zhao.
Yuan Zhao lowered his eyes, concealing the impatience within them. When he looked up again, he carried a faint smile. “What are you saying, customer? You’re supporting our business. We should be thanking you.”
Hearing his distant words, Yu Qing felt uncomfortable. “You don’t need to be so polite with me. After all, you once helped save my younger brother. I should be thanking you instead.”
“That day, even if the one lying injured by the roadside had been a beggar, I still would have helped. I don’t need any repayment either. Supporting our business is enough.” Yuan Zhao spoke softly.
Yuan Zhao had a good temperament, but he deeply disliked clingy people who could not take a hint. No matter how coldly he treated them, they always found ways to stick close, completely ignoring the fact that he was already married. Staying pressed this close was clearly causing him trouble.
Hearing this, Yu Qing looked somewhat wounded and pitiful. “You can’t put it that way. Meeting each other is fate, after all! But if you truly don’t wish for me to remain here, then I’ll leave.”
Yuan Zhao did not respond immediately and instead focused hard on making rolled pancakes.
Seeing his master’s expression, Yu Qing’s servant frantically signaled Yuan Zhao with his eyes, hoping he would say a few more words to persuade him to stay. Otherwise, the young master would feel deeply hurt…
“Your rolled pancakes are ready.” Yuan Zhao immediately handed the finished pancakes to the servant, then looked innocently at Yu Qing. “Is something wrong?”
“N-no, nothing.” How could Yu Qing dare say more? He only gestured for the servant to take the pancakes. “Come to think of it, I still haven’t properly thanked you. How about I treat you to tea tomorrow? Or is there some restaurant you’d like to eat at?”
A smile immediately bloomed on Yuan Zhao’s face, and he spoke with obvious delight, “Tomorrow I’m going to visit my husband at the academy, so I truly don’t have any free time.”
Yu Qing’s expression darkened instantly, and a trace of viciousness flashed through his eyes. But when he thought of Shi Wuxiang’s status, he could only suppress it resentfully.
The only time he had seen Yuan Zhao smile so genuinely was because of his husband. How could he possibly accept that?
“You and your husband—”
“What about my husband?” Yuan Zhao suddenly lifted his eyes coldly to look at him. “Young Master Yu, I understand that you feel grateful because I once helped your younger brother, but I do not wish to discuss my family matters with outsiders. Please do not overstep boundaries like this again in the future.”
Yu Qing originally still had many things he wanted to say, but when he saw those eyes, he found himself unable to say any of them. He did not want to make Yuan Zhao unhappy, and even more so, he was greedy for the gentleness Yuan Zhao had once shown him.
So he quickly apologized. “I overstepped. I only wished to congratulate your husband on passing the juren examination. It’s just that whenever I see you, I think of my younger brother and become especially emotional. I’m sorry.”
Yuan Zhao was softhearted in the end. Thinking about how Yu Qing had lost his younger brother, he ultimately said nothing more. He simply fell silent, no longer having any desire to get along with him properly.
Afraid of truly making Yuan Zhao dislike him, Yu Qing left with his servant. He needed to think of another way to build a relationship.
The moment he left, several nearby spectators immediately gathered around.
“Wasn’t that the young master from the Yu family? You people even know him?”
“What are you saying? Boss Yuan’s husband is a juren master. Knowing the Yu family isn’t strange at all. With Young Master Yu acting so eager, could it be he wants to build connections with the juren master?”
Yuan Zhao smiled and shook his head. “Young Master Yu just likes eating rolled pancakes.”
Who cared about him?