RMCF: Chapter 54

 

Chapter 54

In early July, Xu He's tea stall officially opened for business.

He couldn't read or write. He had been thinking of finding someone in the village who knew characters, or perhaps hiring a tutor in town to write a signboard. But before he could even ask, Zhang Fangyuan had already brought a sign back himself and taught him the name of the stall.

“With all those big banyan trees around the stall, let's use the character rong '榕'. But just one character doesn't roll off the tongue. What character should go with rong '榕'? Naturally, it’s yi '易' — easy, ease, right?”*

* rong shu (榕樹) / rong (榕) — banyan tree/banyan; i.e. Chinese banyan (Ficus microcarpa); yi (易) — easy, amiable, to change + rong (容) — to hold, to contain; rongyi (容易) — easy, straightforward; the full sentence here is ‘自然是易，容易，容易嘛’ — essencially the word rongyi ‘ease’ 容易 and the name they picked rongyi 榕易 has the exact same pronunciation, so it’s a play on words; notice also how the characters for rong 榕 and rong 容 differ only in the addition of a wood/tree radical (木) for the character representing banyan tree ~

The sign was written vertically on a wooden board, tied with a sturdy hemp rope. Unlike the signs of ordinary shops mounted above the storefront, theirs hung vertically by the doorway. However, it didn't matter where the sign was placed, as long as it was eye-catching.

Many villagers couldn't read. They only heard the two characters ‘Rong Yi’ and didn't know which ‘rong’ it was, but the name was smooth and easy to say, so it caught on quickly.

That day, Zhang Fangyuan specially bought a roll of firecrackers. Shops in town set off firecrackers when they opened; and their tea stall by the official road wasn't going to be outdone.

Crackling and popping, the red paper wrapping burst apart. Amidst clouds of white smoke, fragments of crimson fluttered everywhere, a wonderfully festive sight.

Unlike in town, where people came to patronize a shop the moment it opened, a stall like theirs relied on more on chance customers — whomever fate brought. Besides their own family, the onlookers that day were mostly villagers and children. News of their stall opening had spread through their village and the neighboring ones. Even with work in the fields, people couldn't help coming by to see the novelty.

A few people came to have a look, and soon the whole village knew about it.

Zhang Fangyuan and Xu He let them look. Whether they were fellow villagers from Jijiu Village or from the neighboring Zaojiao Village, everyone was invited in for tea and sunflower seeds. Villagers loved to talk, and now that they'd eaten and drunk at the stall's expense, they'd surely say a few good things when they got home.

Many people from Zaojiao Village also recognized Zhang Fangyuan. The butcher often came to the village to slaughter livestock, and after a few encounters, faces became familiar.

Zhang Fangyuan didn't go to town to run his stall that day. Instead, he sat at the tables outside the tea stall, drinking tea and eating melon seeds with the villagers.

“From now on, if you need a pig slaughtered, you don't have to go all the way to town to tell me. Just pass by here and let my wife know, and I'll come when I'm free to take a look at the animal.”

“Great! That'll save us some travel from Zaojiao Village.” The villager grinned. “Now that the tea stall is open, are you looking to buy any other livestock, Butcher Zhang?”

“What else do you have?” Zhang Fangyuan asked.

“Big ones like pigs and sheep, small ones like chickens, ducks, geese…”

“You'd have to ask my wife about the small ones. In any case, if you've got something, it's always good to come and see if we'll take it.”

The villagers were delighted. This was much more convenient than before.

With two tables pushed together full of people sitting outside, it gave the impression the tea stall was doing a roaring trade.

“When did a tea stall open here?”

A carriage rolled slowly down the official road from a few meters away. Hearing the clamor of voices, the master inside lifted a corner of the curtain, glanced at the newly built stall in the distance, then instructed the servant walking by the carriage window, “Go see if we can stop there for some tea.” The servant took the order and ran over.

Xu He wasn't joining the men in their boasting and chatting, but was sitting with Zhang Shiyue on the tea stall's porch, peeling garlic. He had noticed the carriage from afar.

“Are you looking to rest and have some refreshments, sir, or to stock up on dry rations and travel supplies?”

“Our master is on the way to Guanyin Temple and would like to rest here. Do you have any good tea?”

Xu He said, “Nothing exceptional, just the common varieties you find in the market.”

The servant didn't say anything more, just turned and went back to report. After presumably some exchange in front of the carriage curtain, the servant's face fell slightly, and the carriage started moving again.

Xu He thought he'd lost this little bit of business. But then the carriage left the official road and stopped in an open space not far from the stall. A finely dressed woman descended, followed by two maids who helped support her, with a young married woman close behind.

Judging by the entourage, they were from a wealthy family. Xu He and Zhang Shiyue quickly rose and went over to greet them as they approached.

“There are still plenty of tables to sit, madam. Please choose wherever you like. The trees block out the sun, so it's not hot inside. Of course, outside seating is also available.”

“We'll sit inside.” The woman replied to Xu He, then glanced at the young woman beside her.

“Whatever Mother says.”

Seeing such a household, Xu He didn't even ask what price range of tea they wanted. He called Zhang Shiyue to brew a pot of the very best tea they had to offer.

After serving the tea, Xu He went to ask if they wanted anything to eat.

It was still early, not mealtime. The woman asked the younger one, and both declined. Xu He didn't insist. Since it was opening day, he gave them a complimentary small serving of sunflower seeds and peanuts.

“Is this Xiao Tuan tea?” The woman hesitated slightly at the ceramic tea cups, but seeing they were scrubbed clean, she didn't comment. After a sip of tea, she looked at Xu He, who was wiping a table nearby.

“Yes, it is.” Xu He didn't hide it. “It's from Longxin Tea Plantation, west of the official road.”

Longxin Tea Plantation had vast tea gardens. Though they didn't produce any teas famous throughout the land, the quality was very good. Xu He and his family didn't know much about tea, but they'd heard the plantation's tea leaves were highly versatile, and many shops in town bought tea there.

When Xu He had gone to buy the tea, because he had helped pick tea almost every year before, always picking more tips faster than others, the owner remembered him. Knowing they were opening a tea stall by the official road, sold them the tea at a very fair price.

So he didn't mind giving the plantation a little free advertising.

The woman smiled. “The tea for our shop also comes from Longxin Tea Plantation.”

Xu He thought; just as suspected.

The woman said to the younger one, “When you have time, I should take you to the plantation. The tea gardens are vast, and the scenery is beautiful.”

Seeing the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law start chatting, Xu He went outside to attract customers.

When the guests left, Xu He collected twenty wen. Ordinary tea wouldn't cost that much, of course, but they had drunk the best tea available.

Judging by the woman's manner—her family was in business too—she naturally knew whether Xu He was overcharging. Hearing the price, she didn't argue but smiled slightly and said, “If we don't eat the vegetarian meal at the temple by noon, we'll come back here for lunch.”

Xu He had heard from Zhang Fangyuan that many roadside tea stalls and restaurants didn't rely on repeat customers and often overcharged, that's how they made money. They could do the same, but Xu He didn't want to. He felt that kind of business was no different from cheating people, and it weighed on the conscience.

Charge what it's worth. Take this woman today—she looked rich and like an easy target, but she was also a businesswoman. Business people have money, but they're even more careful with it than ordinary folk; otherwise, how could their businesses succeed?

And so, honest dealings earned a promise to return. Even if it was just politeness, it was far more pleasant than ending a transaction with harsh words and ill feelings.

During the morning, most customers were people stopping for tea.

Xu He charged like this: For those who came in to rest and drink tea, it was five wen per person, with unlimited cups. To fill a flask cost an extra wen. For those just wanting to fill their bottles without coming in to rest, it was two wen per bottle.

The tea wasn't expensive—it wasn't good tea to begin with, just ordinary leaves from the plantation. Toss a handful into the tea vat, pour in boiling water, and you had a vat full. Quick and easy.

Before long, Zhang Fangyuan came in. “He Ger, I'm going to look at some livestock. If it’s suitable, I'll slaughter it and bring the meat straight here.”

Xu He smiled. “After a whole morning of boasting, you actually found someone to buy livestock from?”

“Of course. Why else would I bother chatting with them?”

Xu He hummed in acknowledgment and watched Zhang Fangyuan drive off in the cart. There was nothing for him to do here anyway. He couldn't have Zhang Fangyuan serving tea to customers—though if he asked, the man would certainly do it. But with his tall, hulking figure, instead of welcoming guests, he'd probably make them think it was a gangster's den where they'd be overcharged. With someone that fierce around, they wouldn't dare argue.

Around noon, passersby no longer came just for tea. Having traveled this far, they were hungry and started inquiring about food.

“Today we have soft bean curd, and any seasonal vegetables you like.”

“Is there meat?”

Xu He said, “We have pork and braised offal.”

The two men who asked were tempted but hesitant to order recklessly. “How much do you charge?”

Xu He patiently explained, “Fair prices. A stir-fried vegetable dish is eight wen. Meat dishes range from twelve to twenty wen. Braised meat is more expensive, twenty wen and up per plate.”

Seeing the prices were similar to ordinary small restaurants in town, the men relaxed. They'd been afraid of being overcharged at a roadside place like this.

Xu He added, “We also have rice with toppings. A plate of rice with a big scoop of vegetables and meat on top, fifteen wen. Fried rice is also available, same price. Bean curd rice is cheaper, eight wen.”

Hearing this introduction, the two men confidently found a seat and began discussing what to order. In the end, to save money, they both decided on bean curd rice.

Xu He didn't mind them ordering the cheaper option. He just said to wait a moment. Zhang Shiyue quickly scooped out a large bowl of bean curd from the pot where it had been kept warm, like a big tofu mound, and then prepared small plates of spicy dipping sauce for each man.

The rice was brought out in small bowls, each containing a little more than one person's typical portion. Though they were honest in business, there had to be a limit to the rice. If people could eat as much as they wanted, some of these villagers might stuff themselves with half a steamer's worth in one meal, and they'd lose a fortune.

Zhang Shiyue wasn't like Xu He, who had experience selling things and running a stall. This was her first time serving customers, and she was a little nervous. While Xu He had been out front handling everything, she'd thought he was usually a quiet ger at home, only talking more when Zhang Fangyuan teased him, but he was so skilled at business. It made running a shop seem so simple.

But when it was her turn to serve customers, she became flustered. She didn't have Xu He's confident tone and could only remind the customers softly, “If the rice isn't enough, an extra bowl is two wen.”

The two men, already famished at the sight of the food, mumbled an acknowledgment and pointed at the bean curd, babbling, “Bean curd, good. Dip, fragrant!”

Zhang Shiyue let out a long sigh of relief and told them to enjoy their meal.

With a smile on her lips, she called back Xiao'e and Xiao Mao, who were playing outside. She asked one to help with the fire in the kitchen and the other to clean up and wipe the table. Then, gathering her courage, she imitated Xu He and went outside the tea stall to call people in for a meal.

 

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