Chapter 88: Before the New Year
The next day, as promised, the county bailiffs arrived, claiming they were there to escort the body. In reality, they didn’t lift a finger—they didn’t even bring a stretcher—just stood around watching.
Liu Fa had no choice but to spend more money, hastily hiring people to carry the body themselves.
The journey from Liuxi Village to the county town was long. Even the cart drivers found it ominous and refused the job. Liu Fa had to offer several times the usual fare before finding drivers willing to take it on in the town.
After all the fuss, the bailiffs got hungry and demanded food. Liu Fa’s wife gritted her teeth, wrapped in a scarf, and with the help of two neighbors, prepared a table of food for them in the outer room.
The family of Liu Yongfu still stayed at his house. Whenever they were conscious, they either cried or wailed.
Once the bailiffs had eaten, the three of them—Liu Yongfu, his wife Zhang Ju, and their child—stopped making a scene. They took their bowls and started eating without being glared at by the bailiffs.
Originally, it should have been their responsibility as parents. Liu Fa had previously sent them to the county town, and they had sold their land and taken the money. Even considering past favors, no matter whose perspective you took, Liu Fa’s family had done enough for these relatives.
But when it came to major events, these few people immediately lost their heads. Their previously stern and principled demeanor disappeared completely. Every day, they relied on Liu Fa to clean up after them.
Liu Fa had no choice; he couldn’t just ignore them.
Now the village was gossiping enough already. They still had to live in this village in the future.
It had been quite a struggle to finally get Liu Xiang’s body transported away. Their family could finally breathe a sigh of relief, albeit barely.
A day later, early in the morning when Qingyan went out, he could hear a commotion coming from Liu Fa’s direction.
Li Shen glanced over and sighed, “Liu Fa has hired someone to perform a ritual to dispel bad luck, they say.”
This “ritual” somewhat concluded this matter, but the Liu family’s troubles were far from over.
Liu Yongfu and Zhang Ju refused to return to the county town and also refused to go back to their old house in the village. They stubbornly stayed at Liu Fa’s house, eating and sleeping without leaving.
Not long after, Qi Yinglan returned to his mother’s home with his child.
Liu Fa’s wife had no choice but to swallow her bitterness as she continued her work at the tofu shop. There was nothing others could do to help, just a few words of advice at most.
Liu Fa’s family had always been hospitable, but with this family now living with them, the neighbors were reluctant to visit, making their mood even worse.
Qiu Henian instructed Qingyan not to go to Liu Fa’s house alone. Whenever he went there to deliver something, Qingyan had to accompany him.
He didn’t go many times, and with the New Year approaching, everyone was busy.
In the past two New Year’s, Qiu Henian and Qingyan had spent a few days hunting in the mountains, but this year they couldn’t go.
The snow was too heavy this year, making it unsafe to climb up and down the mountain. Besides, business at Fragrant Melody Pavillion was busy at the end of the year, and if Qingyan left, Li Shen and Qiuniang wouldn’t be able to handle it all.
By the end of the year, Qiu Henian settled the accounts in the shop, balanced the books, and closed for the year.
Qingyan had to go to town every day, sending people out and picking them up in the evening. If he was too busy, he would wait in the shop.
During the day, Qiu Henian did a thorough cleaning at home and bought New Year goods in town.
Since they couldn’t go hunting, Qiu Henian still asked Qingyan’s opinion and bought some pork ribs, pig’s trotters, and other items. He went house to house, delivering them to Li Shen and others, and didn’t forget Shen Wen’s.
Three days before the New Year, Fragrant Melody Pavillion finally hung up its closed sign.
On the last day of business, Qingyan and Li Shen settled the accounts for the past few months.
Because the initial investment was large, there wasn’t much profit in the first two months. By the beginning of the third month, they had recouped most of their initial investment, and they started making a profit before the fourth month began.
Qingyan was in charge of selecting goods. His vision was good, and he had the courage to take responsibility. Not all categories were profitable, but as long as most of the goods sold well, it was considered good.
Even if some items had to be sold at a loss, Qingyan didn’t lose heart.
Summing up their experience, they planned their next purchases carefully.
This, of course, also depended on the trust of their partners. Li Shen and Qiuniang were sensible and wouldn’t blame him for mistakes. When issues arose, they faced them together.
In the past half year, after deducting rent, renovation costs, purchase costs, bonuses for Feng Lao San, normal losses, taxes, and various miscellaneous expenses, they had a profit of three to four hundred taels left.
Of course, this was also related to the timing of their store opening, coinciding with the peak season after autumn harvest and before the New Year.
As agreed beforehand, except for necessary purchases and daily expenses, the rest was distributed according to the proportion of investment, and no one objected.
Qiuning never thought she could earn so much money herself and was extremely happy.
“We agreed to distribute profits today. I’m afraid it’s unsafe to go back on the road. Er Yao specially came to pick her up and saw the silver she had received.
Er Yao scratched his head, happy and somewhat melancholic, saying, “I’m a big man all year round, and I don’t earn as much as my daughter-in-law.”
Qiuning slapped him on the back of his neck and stared at him, saying, “What’s wrong with not earning as much as me? I’ve been working hard from morning till night every day. Shouldn’t I earn more?”
Er Yao looked at her with a sad face. “I feel useless.”
Qiuning said, “You’re so young. Why are you talking so pessimistically? Is this how you’ll be all your life?”
Er Yao started scratching his head again.
He said, “After the New Year, I don’t want to work for that wealthy family anymore. Next spring, I’ll rent more land and focus on farming. It’s not bad income. These years, you’ve been managing the family affairs and raising the children on your own. I haven’t been able to help much. In the future, I’ll farm at home, and I can take care of both family affairs and farming nearby.”
Er Yao had been working as a guardian at that wealthy family’s estate for several years. The wealthy man was stingy, and he didn’t earn much in a year. He often wasn’t home.
Originally, he had enjoyed the easy job and got along well with the other guardians, wandering around together every day, chatting and drinking together in the evening. It was very comfortable.
Qiuniang’s hard work was evident to him. Even when the children were sick, she, with her small and slender body, carried them to the doctor. San Yao had also considered changing jobs, but feared that another job might not be as good, so he let time slip by.
Now the situation was different. Even if he couldn’t earn much money from farming immediately, Qiuniang’s own income was enough to support the family and more. San Yao had no more worries and dared to push himself.
Upon hearing his words, Qiuniang, who had always been strong-willed, suddenly teared up. She clenched her fist and lightly tapped his shoulder. San Yao grasped her hand, his eyes also slightly red.
Aunt Li, coughing beside them, reminded Qiuniang that they were still in the store. Besides Qingyan and Aunt Li, there were customers buying things, so she quickly withdrew her hand.
San Yao let go of his wife’s hand and chuckled. He found a stool in the corner and sat down obediently, waiting quietly.
Qiuniang wiped her eyes and whispered to Qingyan, “Second sister-in-law, when my second brother married you, it wasn’t just his good fortune, but ours too.”
Qingyan glanced at her, with a somewhat bemused expression.
Qiuniang realized her words sounded odd and slapped her thigh, “Anyway, that’s what I meant,” she said seriously to Qingyan, “Second sister-in-law, I have to thank you.”
Qingyan smiled and said, “We’re family, no need to be so polite. I should thank you and Aunt Li too. Without you, we couldn’t have opened this shop. Let’s continue to work hard next year and earn more money.”
Qiuniang nodded vigorously.
Aunt Li added, “After these few months of experience, we’ll surely do better next year.”
On the way back, Aunt Li whispered to Qingyan, “I’ve been saving money for my granddaughter.”
“When Lanzi first married into the Ren family, her in-laws looked down on us for being poor and without parents. But Lanzi knows how to get along with people, she’s strong-willed, and Ah Xiao treats her sincerely. It took one or two years before things got better.”
“Now with Fragrant Melody Pavillion around and money in my hands, Lanzi will have more confidence at her in-laws’ place. Our family will be more responsible.”
Qingyan looked at Aunt Li, feeling somewhat envious of Qinlan. Since his parents died when he was young, no one had made such plans for him. But now he was doing well, and Qiu Henian was taking care of him. They supported each other, step by step, and lived a solid life.
There was a small incident that day.
Qiuniang and San Yao left first. They wanted to buy meat buns from the shop that their son liked before it closed.
Qingyan and Aunt Li finished up and closed the shop. As they came out, a young man stopped in surprise, looking over and even peering at the sign of Fragrant Melody Pavillion.
When Qingyan and Aunt Li took out the lock and closed the door, the young man’s expression was even more incredulous.
Two women passed by him, chatting casually.
One said, “Oh, Fragrant Melody Pavillion has closed. I was eyeing a hairpin there to buy. Their business was so good, they wouldn’t sell off just like that.”
The other said, “The young man over there is the boss. Just go talk to him and ask him to reserve it for you.”
As they spoke, the two women came over to talk to Qingyan.
Putting down what he was doing, Qingyan understood what was happening and smiled as he responded to the women’s request.
When the two women were satisfied and left, Qingyan looked up and met the gaze of the young man not far away.
Yu Qingxi’s eyes were red as he looked at Qingyan. His appearance was different from before. His face was pale, and his robe, though not old, had a large stain on the chest, unknown whether he hadn’t noticed or hadn’t had time to change clothes.
He took a few steps closer and asked, “You’re the one who opened this shop?”
Qingyan looked at him coldly and replied, “Yes.”
Yu Qingxi’s face showed a complex expression, which eventually turned into bitterness and resentment.
He gritted his teeth and said, “A scholar who doesn’t study has turned into a second-rate merchant. How willingly you’ve fallen!”
With that, he didn’t wait for Qingyan’s response, turned and left.
Aunt Li followed behind, muttering, “Why does this kid talk like that?”
Qingyan stopped her and shook his head. Aunt Li sighed and said, “Your younger brother is old enough, but he still doesn’t know any better. I’m afraid he’ll have a hard time in the future.”
At that moment, Qiu Henian’s figure came from the street. He had come to pick them up. Aunt Li was afraid of upsetting the couple, so she stopped talking about it.
The next morning, Qingyan saw the vendor who had previously given them trouble again.
He asked Qingyan if he wanted to go see Yu’s house. Qingyan asked what had happened, and the vendor sighed, “Your father’s health is getting worse and worse. He can’t get out of bed now. Your stepmother is making trouble every day, forcing him to sign divorce papers.”
Qingyan was stunned.
He listened as the vendor continued, “I heard someone say that Zhou Yanliang has found a new home. It seems to be a wealthy man. Now, he doesn’t want his son and doesn’t care. He wants to remarry and have a good time.”
Spoiler for the Next Chapter:
After pondering for a moment with pursed lips, the child suddenly remembered and bowed again, saying in a childish voice, “Uncle Qiu Henian and Aunt Qingyan, can you please quickly have a baby brother or sister so I can play with them?”
