Time passed quickly. Amid the bustling year-end, Spring Festival arrived.
Shu Rui planned to close the inn for three days to celebrate. If Lu’s family hadn’t visited Chao Xi Mansion, the inn might have remained open, but with destinations for the festival, it was a good time to rest.
It gave him a break, and assistants like Qing’er also needed to spend the New Year at home.
Neighbor Yang Chunhua would close her shop for a few days too, visiting both her in-laws and natal family, and making New Year calls to relatives. Shops closed for seven or eight days were common.
She regretted the long closure; the shop usually earned more during the festival, and goods could be sold at higher prices. But children needed to visit family. Education and familial ties required participation.
On the 29th, Shu Rui, besides paying Qing’er wages, gave him eight hundred coins as a New Year red envelope, along with three jin of mutton and a basket of bean-sugar treats.
Even his third sister received a red envelope—five hundred coins, less than her brother, but still thoughtful.
The inn’s staff was small, so they didn’t prepare much else. After giving the red envelopes, Shu Rui let the siblings have their holiday. They wouldn’t see each other again until the third day of the New Year.
The next day, Shu Rui and Lu Ling returned to the Lu household for the New Year. Since the servants had already been arranged at the beginning of the month, this time Shu Rui and Lu Ling only prepared food for the holiday, spending little extra.
By afternoon, Shu Rui had been busy in the kitchen preparing a few New Year dishes. With a few extra hands helping, by dusk a large table of food was ready, and the whole household gathered in the hall to enjoy the feast—lively and cheerful.
After the meal, Lu Ling and Shu Rui went outside to light some firecrackers, and even Lu’s father and Lady Liu prepared red envelopes for them. When they opened them at home, each received three strings of coins.
During the rest of the New Year, the Lu household celebrated at Chao Xi Mansion for the first time. Though no close relatives were present, many colleagues came to visit, so throughout the month it seemed there were feasts every day.
Shu Rui and Lu Ling spent the first couple of days of the New Year relaxing. On the first night, they went to see lanterns and visited the night market; on the morning of the second day, they left the city to attend a temple fair, wandering and buying many things.
After several days of outings, it was still not as easygoing as running the shop. After the temple fair, they went up the mountain to make offerings and pray. Shu Rui’s legs were nearly useless by the time they descended; he had to rest every few steps, and it was Lu Ling who finally could not bear it and carried him along a smaller path.
On the way back, Shu Rui fell asleep in the cart, swaying back and forth, only waking upon arrival at the shop. Though tired, his heart felt light; the festive bustle of the city during New Year was incomparable to small towns. Shu Rui thought that if he could take even more time off during the next festival, he would go even farther for sightseeing.
By the third day, the shop reopened as usual. As soon as the doors opened, many customers came in to place orders—some hosting family banquets, others inviting friends. Rarely did they have such gatherings; even preparing their own dishes wasn’t enough—they had to order a few extra from outside to make the tables look grand.
Shu Rui was extremely busy. He hired an apprentice cook who had not yet finished training to assist, which helped the operations run smoothly. Lu Ling also ran around delivering dishes all day, enlisting two young martial students he had previously taught to help with errands.
After the Lantern Festival passed, business gradually slowed. It wasn’t until February that things returned to normal.
On the first day of the month, Shu Rui calculated the accounts at the counter. Despite the busy New Year, the profits were real. In the twelfth lunar month, after expenses, they had earned ninety strings of coins; in the first month of the new year, business exceeded that by over thirty strings—so the inn had earned around a hundred strings in total.
Shu Rui checked the numbers carefully three times to be sure, finally confident that the profits were indeed this high. His heart thumped—he had expected merchants to earn during New Year, but had not imagined they could make so much.
Yet he also felt it was deserved. During the first month, he had risen early and worked late; when ingredients were hard to find, Lu Ling even went to the countryside to buy them. He not only prepared lunch and dinner but spent every spare moment handling deliveries. The work was relentless, not easier than the first month of opening.
But at the start of the business, everything was uncertain, physically exhausting, and mentally taxing. Now, the first-month work was joyful—a happy kind of busy. Moreover, without the careful promotion and effort to attract customers at the start, they wouldn’t have had so many returning customers in the first month of the year.
After balancing the accounts, Shu Rui set aside the one hundred strings he had initially drawn from Lu Ling’s savings. He still had nearly another hundred strings on hand. Adding it all up, he had truly recovered his initial investment and could now run the business steadily, earning real profit.
Qing’er tidied the rooms upstairs and went to the kitchen to help, teaching his younger sister to wash her hands properly. The siblings wanted to talk with Shu Rui, so they lifted the curtain and entered the guest hall. Seeing Shu Rui, who had finished the accounts and looked cheerful, they walked over together.
“A Shao,” Qing’er greeted.
Shu Rui looked up, seeing the siblings approaching, likely with a question, and closed the ledger. “What is it?”
He glanced at the calendar and, seeing it wasn’t payday yet, relaxed—he feared he might have forgotten to pay the wages if Qing’er had hesitated to speak.
Qing’er, a little embarrassed, said, “By my count, Third Sister has been at the shop for three months now.”
In fact, it would have been the full time by the latter half of the first month. Business had been booming, so Qing’er had kept quiet, letting her work diligently before worrying about family matters.
Their father and eldest brother had long been dissatisfied with her learning a craft outside the home. After some time, a matchmaker had brought a proposal to the eldest brother; both sides were satisfied, but the bride price was fifteen strings of coins. The family could manage it—having saved over years of trading—but marriage required more expenses: preparing the bride’s house, furniture, and so on.
Seeing Qing’er earning wages at the inn, their father and eldest brother thought to take some from him. Qing’er knew that he hadn’t promised marriage yet and would need to contribute, so he said he could give some money for his brother’s marriage—but only if Third Sister could continue learning the craft. Otherwise, he wouldn’t contribute.
After some negotiation, Qing’er gave four strings for his brother’s marriage, and their father and eldest brother allowed Third Sister to continue her training.
Previously, Shu Rui had said to observe for three months before deciding. By the end of the first month, her family began nagging again, telling her she might as well stay home, wait for the right age, and marry a good family—quicker than learning a craft. They complained that girls wandering outside might not be good for her, citing Qing’er’s spiritedness as an example.
Third Sister, however, was not foolish; she understood the situation. Her father and eldest brother only criticized her younger brother when speaking to her, never directly confronting him. She knew their words were unreliable. Both siblings were determined to learn the craft.
After the New Year bustle, they finally approached Shu Rui to ask his opinion—whether to proceed or stay put—so they could make proper plans.
Shu Rui realized he had indeed forgotten this while managing wages. He called the siblings to sit and talk, bringing tea from the counter.
“The New Year had me so busy, I truly lost track,” he said.
Qing’er replied, “Business was important. Third Sister and I knew, so we didn’t think about this during the busy month. Now that February has begun and things are calmer, we want to discuss it.”
Shu Rui asked, “Have you consulted your family? What do the elders think?”
Qing’er said, “Mother has always approved of my sister learning the craft. Father and eldest brother were persuaded and agreed. A Shao, you needn’t worry; we won’t cause trouble for you.”
Shu Rui smiled. “I don’t mean that. Learning a craft is a big matter, especially with a formal contract. It’s natural to consult one’s parents. If there’s no objection, that’s best.”
He then asked Third Sister, “What about you? You’ve just experienced the busiest part of the New Year. Did you enjoy the work?”
She said, “I haven’t had enough chance to try every craft to see which I like best. But helping you, Master Shao, selecting ingredients, cooking, and selling food has made me feel that even routine tasks are meaningful.”
“Especially when customers say your dishes are delicious, wanting to buy them for important guests—that gives me great satisfaction. To think that one day someone might come just for my cooking, that would be wonderful.”
Shu Rui smiled at her words.
“I enjoy cooking, but my hands are clumsy, and I’m unsure if I can truly learn this trade,” she admitted.
“Few are naturally gifted; diligence and eagerness to learn are the key. I’ve seen your effort. When you first held a knife, the shredded radish looked like thick strips. Now, it’s as fine as threads. You prepare all the cold shredded radish at the shop, showing your perseverance and willingness to face challenges.”
Shu Rui said, “I’m glad to teach a disciple as willing as you.”
Third Sister’s face lit up with visible joy, far more than any criticism from her father or brother could dampen.
Qing’er also relaxed slightly, relieved she had the aptitude Shu Rui required. Otherwise, if Shu Rui were dissatisfied, it would be hard to find another master for her.
“Very well,” Shu Rui said. “If everyone agrees, we’ll draw up a contract so I can formally teach Third Sister the culinary craft.”
Qing’er and Third Sister both nodded in agreement.
They engaged a mediator to draft the contract, signed it, and the matter was settled.
That evening, Shu Rui showed the contract to Lu Ling. “I’ll teach Third Sister properly. Our inn business is good; once we save enough, we can open a branch. Then the dishes won’t taste any different.”
Lu Ling carefully put away the contract. “You think far ahead, already planning for the branch.”
Shu Rui said, “As the saying goes, being prepared prevents misfortune.”
“Don’t rush about the branch store just yet. Our storage shop is about to open.”
Shu Rui counted on his fingers. “The old master we consulted with checked the almanac and set the date for the sixth day of the second month. That’s really soon—blink and the day will be here.”
Lu Ling said, “Everything is ready. We just wait for the inn to get through the busy New Year period, then we open over there.”
Shu Rui nodded. Business came in waves—though busy, it gave him a satisfying sense of purpose.