RMCF: Chapter 50

 

Chapter 50

“Rent a shopfront?” Zhang Fangyuan saw his wife return with a sweat-soaked forehead. He wiped it for him while learning of this plan. Without a second thought, he said, “Alright.”

“You agree that readily?”

Xu He thought Zhang Fangyuan would at least ponder it carefully, or even drag his feet. He never expected him to agree outright.

Zhang Fangyuan laughed. He had actually disliked Xu He setting up a stall at Tianjie every day for a while now. Day after day, he was like a sweet potato roasting in an oven. Whenever Zhang Fangyuan brought food over, he'd see his spouse drenched in sweat.

Although those stalls had cloth awnings for shade, they didn't cover everything. Not like the meat market here, where the entire roof was covered, not a bit of sun got through, and it was open on all sides for ventilation—much cooler than setting up an outdoor stall anyway.

He knew he couldn't persuade Xu He to stop going out to earn money, and recently he'd been annoyed by the other vendors there, making it even harder to bring up. Now that Xu He himself suggested renting a shop, it couldn't be better.

“Haven't we talked about opening a small restaurant for a long time? Of course I agree.”

Xu He pursed his lips, feeling  happy inside. He picked up a palm-leaf fan and fanned himself. “Then shall we look at shops together?”

“Sure, this afternoon.”

Although Siyang Town was just a county seat, far from comparable to a prefectural city, its geographical location was quite good. Facing Suzhou across the river to the south, backed by the prefectural city, the county had also repeatedly produced many renowned scholars.

It had produced a Tanhua* scholar, and there was a retired Imperial turor living in seclusion here… Not to mention the famous Qianshan Academy. The current dynasty valued the imperial examination system, and many came from all over to study here. Siyang had gained considerable fame because of this, with a dense population and a spacious county seat.

* Tanhua ( 探花郎 ) — candidate who came third in the Hanlin examination (which is the last of all examinations to become an official, also we finally know the county town’s name lol)

There were countless long streets and narrow alleys; it was common for first-time visitors to get lost.

Xu He had almost never dined in the town restaurant. Though he'd been doing business in town for a few months, he always brought his own food. The only restaurant he ever entered was the one where he heated his meal daily. So he wasn't very familiar with which streets had many food establishments or which ones tasted good, or the rental market for shops. All that needed investigating.

This wasn't difficult for Zhang Fangyuan. In one afternoon, he could take Xu He through all the alleys and streets and roughly show him which shops were available for rent. Xu He's head spun, but as he inquired and learned the market rates, his confidence in renting a shop gradually waned.

The rent for shopfronts in town were truly incomparable to stall fees. Casually inquiring about one, a shop no bigger than a household's storage room cost two thousand wen a month. And the location wasn't good either—in a shabby old alley, not fronting a major street nor backing onto a residential lane, frequented only by thrifty old ladies.

Naturally, where there were bad ones, there were also good ones. The shops on the four main streets leading to the east, south, west, and north of the city were excellent. Not only was there heavy foot traffic, but the shops were also large, spacious, open to the river for ventilation, with ample open space outside.

When the food was stir-fried, the wind would carry the aroma, and customers would naturally follow the scent. Plus, tables could be set up outside to accommodate more guests.

Xu He was very satisfied with the shops on the main streets. A pity the lowest monthly rent was at least ten thousand wen. He clicked his tongue in disbelief. A farming household might not save that much in several years. Just the rent for these places was so high—truly not something their kind of family could afford.

Aside from the best and the worst, there were also shops in the larger alleyways, somewhere in between. Some were close to the main streets, but most were adjacent to residential lanes, with decent foot traffic. However, the rent wasn't low either, fluctuating around five thousand wen.

Xu He felt a lump in his throat. “How can it be so expensive?”

Zhang Fangyuan patted Xu He's head and said, “The rent wasn't this high a couple of years ago. But times are peaceful, more people are in town, so it's only natural that shop rents have gone up.”

Xu He sighed, then counted on his fingers. Besides the huge rent, the ingredients for the restaurant would be another big expense. Although they grew things in the village, being in town meant transporting everything daily. Opening a shop also meant paying hefty taxes every quarter…

He hadn't even calculated in detail, just a rough estimate, and the expenses were already like flowing water. And there was no guarantee business would be good.

“This way, it's actually better simply setting up a stall.”

“Every trade has its difficulties. Stalls have the advantages of stalls, shops have the advantages of shops. If something only had disadvantages, nobody would do it.”

Xu He understood this logic. If something existed, there were people suited for it. Their current difficulty meant it just wasn't suitable to their present situation.

“Right now, we have about ten thousand wen saved up. It's still not enough to rent a shop.”

Zhang Fangyuan hadn't kept track of how much money they had since handing it over to Xu He. Hearing him say this now, he was a bit surprised. They'd saved this much in less than two months? Truly, frugality helped one save. Entrusting the household finances to his wife had indeed paid off.

“If it's really not enough, we could borrow a bit from a money lender shop?”

Xu He immediately shook his head. “Loanshop interest is high. Doing business is unstable to begin with. If we lose money, how would we repay them? Better to play it safe.”

Renting a shop meant paying a quarter's rent upfront. The shop would also need tables, chairs, benches, pots, stoves, bowls, utensils—all to be purchased. Ingredients would need to be stocked, and they'd need operating capital.

Not only that, Zhang Fangyuan needed money to buy livestock. Now that they'd finally built up a bit of a reputation, it wouldn't look good to buy on credit. Common folks might be reluctant to sell them livestock if they did.

If they borrowed to open a restaurant, it would likely be no small sum.

Xu He thought it over and realized his idea had been impulsive. After seeing the shop rental market, he was much more clear-headed.

Zhang Fangyuan pulled on the reins, looking at his lost-in-thought spouse. He couldn't help but say, “If I'd saved more money before and not spent so recklessly, you wouldn't be so disappointed today.”

Hearing this, Xu He snapped back to attention and quickly said, “I'm not disappointed. You've done very well. If we don't have enough money, we'll save more. Look around the village, how many families can save this much in two or three months like you?”

He was a bit anxious, speaking quickly and saying a lot. When he stopped, he didn't even know what he'd said. But he really didn't want Zhang Fangyuan to think he was incapable of renting a shop. If anything, he could only blame himself for jumping to conclusions.

Zhang Fangyuan's gaze softened. He acknowledged, then said, “I'll take you somewhere.”

They drove along the official road, passing the turnoff to Jijiu Village without taking it, continuing further down. After about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Zhang Fangyuan reined the horse to a stop under a large banyan tree.

Xu He rarely ventured beyond Jijiu Village. When he did, it was straight into town, almost never in the opposite direction. Coming here now, he discovered a large open area, shaded by the ancient banyan tree's sprawling canopy. Even at high noon, it would probably be cool and shady here.

He jumped off the cart and walked around. Besides the main official road, there were forks to the left and right. Xu He couldn't read the characters on the signposts, so he just said, “Probably many travelers stop here to rest when the sun is hot.”

“Yes. Twenty li from here is a Guanyin temple. East is our village, west is Zaojiao Village. Most importantly, from the official road, it takes over two shichen by fast cart to the east. West leads to Suzhou, which is far—a good two days' journey.”

Xu He looked at the road, familiarizing himself with the area. But he wasn't foolish enough to think Zhang Fangyuan had brought him here just to learn the way.

“I've passed through here many times before, often seen people resting in the shade. If you think this spot is good, we could consider building a tea stall. Could serve passing travelers, offer meals and tea, why not?” Zhang Fangyuan leaned against the cart. “Naturally, it's not as bustling as in town, with fewer people. Wouldn't be as exciting as opening a restaurant in town. But it's another option.”

Xu He's eyes lit up. If they opened a tea stall here, they could still get customers. Though fewer than in town, there would also be less competition.

Furthermore, they could build the tea stall themselves. It didn't need to be fancy, just able to block wind and rain. Once built, it could be used regularly, and no rent to pay. Ingredients and vegetables could be brought directly from the village the day they were picked, since it wasn't too far away.

Xu He did a quick calculation—it really was much more economical.

“Why hasn't anyone set up business here?”

Zhang Fangyuan said, “Some have. On market days, some villagers who don't want to go to town set up small stalls here, bartering goods. During temple fairs, when it's lively, some set up for a day selling congee and rice. But nobody operates daily. Ordinary villagers lack the skills and money; landowners disdain such meager profits. So it's been left empty.”

He recalled that official courier stations had been built here in later years, but that was still a few years off. If they built a stall here and the authorities later demolished it, they'd have to compensate them. They wouldn't lose out. And it might not even be demolished—some courier stations had tea stalls and small food establishments right beside them.

If they didn't set their hearts on town, this was an excellent choice. But mainly it depended on Xu He's wishes. He'd go along with whatever.

After all, Chef Xu was the one who would actually run the restaurant.

“Great! I think it's excellent! If only we'd known about this place, we wouldn't have wasted an afternoon looking at shops in town.”

Xu He cheered up again. They didn't have any courier stations or tea stalls around here. He'd only heard paddlers who travel all over the county mention them. Seeing one for themselves would be quite novel.

Seeing him happy, Zhang Fangyuan couldn't help but smile. “Well then, after I finish with my stall today, I'll go up the mountain and cut some wood to build the tea stall. We'll spend a bit on wages, easily find a couple of strong helpers in the village. Within a month, it'll be done.”

Xu He nodded in agreement, his mind already racing, calculating which shop in town would offer the best deal on pots, bowls, and utensils.

Once home, he set aside three thousand wen—partly to buy kitchenware, partly for Zhang Fangyuan to hire help to build the tea stall. Hiring in the village wasn't expensive. Fifty or sixty wen could get you a full day's work from someone. Fifty wen if you provided meals, sixty if they fed themselves.

Zhang Fangyuan recruited Chen Si and his older brother. Two or three people were more than enough.

The tea stall only needed to block wind and rain, not as complicated as a dwelling with separate rooms. It just required separating the kitchen area from the dining area.

The plot Zhang Fangyuan marked out took only a quarter of the resting area. The rest was left for people to continue resting and for other vendors to set up stalls. If they occupied it all, people might resent it and cause trouble.

Villagers saw Zhang Fangyuan hauling timber out of the village on his cart early in the morning and asked, puzzled, “Taking wood to the lumberyard? Not setting up your stall for business today?”

 

***

 

T/N

this was so unexpected yet it's so exciting! I'm so happy for our Xu He ~ you got this baby 

o( ˶^▾^˶ )o 

 

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