The poultry raised in the village was usually sent to Zhang Fangyuan’s shop. This year, with business slow, the shop bought less, and city merchants visited the village less frequently. The villagers were worried, but no one complained. It was a tough year for everyone, and they had to support each other.
Earlier, Zhang Fangyuan and Xu He had been fully focused on the charcoal business, as most of their assets were tied up in it. They hadn’t paid much attention to the business which was in a downturn. Today, when Zhang Fangyuan came to check the accounts, he was almost convinced he had walked into the wrong place.
What should have been a quiet, deserted shop was now bustling with people buying chickens, ducks, and fresh fish.
"Make way, make way! Fresh fish from the pond!"
Hearing the shout, Zhang Fangyuan instinctively stepped aside as an ox cart rolled in. The poultry shop wasn’t large, and the clerks were too busy to notice him. When they heard the fresh fish had arrived, several of them jumped onto the cart and quickly unloaded a large tub of fish, placing it at the entrance.
A crowd of people preparing for the New Year immediately swarmed around it.
For ordinary families, the New Year’s feast usually consisted of the same few items sold at the poultry shop. Zhang Fangyuan had expected business to improve slightly compared to the previous two months, but he hadn’t anticipated such a large crowd. A line had even formed, something he hadn’t seen at other poultry shops along the way.
Zhang Fangyuan wanted to observe quietly from the sidelines, but his large frame made it impossible to hide. Soon, a woman in line spotted him.
"Boss Zhang! You’re here today too!"
Her loud voice immediately drew the attention of everyone in line. Many of them had bought charcoal from him during the past two weeks and recognized him.
Seeing him, they all greeted him warmly.
Zhang Fangyuan smiled and nodded: "Just here to check on things. Everyone’s out shopping for the New Year?"
"Of course! The New Year has to be celebrated. Whether we spend it worrying or joyfully, it’s still a New Year. Maybe next year will be better."
Zhang Fangyuan agreed: "That’s a good mindset."
"We specifically came to your poultry shop to shop. Boss Zhang, you’ve been so fair, keeping the charcoal prices stable and even lowering them for the New Year. Everyone’s grateful, so we want to buy from your shop."
The woman was talkative and cheerful, and the others in line chimed in.
"That’s right! The chickens and ducks at the Zhang family’s poultry shop are plump, and the fish are fresh. Even with the New Year approaching, the prices haven’t gone up. It’s the most honest shop around."
Zhang Fangyuan chuckled. The reason the prices hadn’t gone up was simply because he hadn’t had time to announce a price increase. Now, the people's words made it impossible for him to raise prices: "This year has been tough with the drought and snow disasters. Everyone’s had a hard time. Feel free to shop, the Zhang family’s poultry shop won’t raise prices for the New Year."
As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd in the shop cheered.
Zhang Fangyuan chatted with the customers for a while before heading inside. The manager had already heard his decision and had prepared the account books and tea, tidying up the inner room for Zhang Fangyuan to review the accounts.
"Are we really not raising prices this year?"
Zhang Fangyuan flipped through the account books. Business at the poultry shop had started picking up since the beginning of December: "You have heard everything. How can I go back on my word now?"
The manager smiled: "Boss, you’re kind-hearted. No wonder everyone’s been praising you lately, saying you’ve given the common folk a way to survive. It’s good karma."
Zhang Fangyuan said, "Other shops haven’t raised their prices much either. Our shop has plenty of stock. Instead of raising prices to earn a few extra copper coins, it’s better to sell more at a lower profit. With the current business, we won’t earn less than if we raised prices."
"Boss, you’re wise."
Zhang Fangyuan hadn’t expected that keeping charcoal prices stable would earn him such gratitude from the people, which in turn boosted his other businesses. This was an effect that money couldn’t buy.
As he closed the account books, a thought suddenly struck him. The saying "fame and fortune" placed fame before fortune for a reason. He had just experienced the sweet rewards of a good reputation firsthand.
It was no wonder that officials and big merchants, no matter how dirty their dealings were behind the scenes, always put on a good front. It wasn’t just for the sake of appearances, it was for the sake of their reputation.
As the saying goes, a tall tree attracts the wind. When profits grew too large, they needed the cover of a good reputation. Otherwise, no matter how much wealth they accumulated, it could all be blown away by the wind.
[树大招风 (shù dà zhāo fēng): lit. A tall tree attracts the wind; fig. Prominence attracts criticism or trouble.]
Zhang Fangyuan felt he had grasped an important lesson and was in high spirits. He gave bonuses to the poultry shop clerks and announced that customers who spent over 200 copper coins would receive ten free eggs. The crowd was overjoyed.
By the time Zhang Fangyuan returned to the village with a cart full of New Year supplies, it was already late. As youshi (5-7 PM) approached, snowflakes began to drift down leisurely.
Zhang Fangyuan had taken an ox cart to the city, and by the time he arrived home, he was covered in snow.
The side hall’s door was wide open. As Zhang Fangyuan jumped off the cart, Gancao and Huangqi came to unload the supplies. He looked up and saw the two children bundled up tightly, their fluffy hats framing their round faces.
The two little ones were sitting side by side in front of the charcoal brazier, stretching their hands out to warm them, imitating the adults.
"Dad, come roast chestnuts!"
Little Ruili, hearing footsteps, looked up and saw his father standing at the door. He quickly got off his stool and, though his thick clothing made his movements clumsy, he toddled over to Zhang Fangyuan and pulled him toward the brazier. "Dad, hurry and get them out!"
Zhang Fangyuan crouched down and poked the chestnuts in the brazier with a small stick. The chestnuts had split open slightly. "No wonder you two were so well-behaved sitting here. You were just waiting for the food. You’re such little gluttons."
He pinched Little Ruili’s chubby cheek. Both children had always had good appetites and had grown up plump and healthy.
By next spring, they would be three years old. Little Ruili had grown taller since he was a baby, but he was still round and chubby. His older brother, Ruijin, had grown taller and leaner. Despite being the same age, Ruijin was noticeably taller and slimmer than his brother.
Zhang Fangyuan had joked that one was growing taller while the other was just growing rounder.
Xu He had scolded him: "Boys and little gers are naturally different. When they were born, it was hard to tell, but as they grow older, the differences become obvious."
Zhang Fangyuan agreed. Ruijin’s frame was much larger than Little Ruili’s, and it was clear that boys and little gers were fundamentally different. Ruijin seemed to have inherited Zhang Fangyuan’s build, growing quickly. Putting Ruijin in a group of children, no one would doubt he was four years old.
Ruijin was also very intelligent and less playful than most children. Zhang Fangyuan planned to find a tutor for him after he turned three. Recently, Ruijin had shown great interest in counting, and after learning for so long, he hadn’t shown any signs of boredom.
In the Zhang family, there wasn’t a single scholar worth mentioning. The only exception was Zhang Fangyuan’s mother, who had been well-read and literate. When she was alive, she had urged Zhang Fangyuan to study, hoping he would achieve something in the imperial exams. Unfortunately, while Zhang Fangyuan had the brains, he had no interest in academics. He much preferred running around the mountains and rivers.
No matter how much his mother tried, it didn’t work. In the end, she had to let him be. Now, Zhang Fangyuan didn’t expect Ruijin to pass the imperial exams and become an official. As long as he could read and write, and might pass the xiucai exam (county level) by his twenties, the Zhang family would be more than satisfied. It would also fulfill his grandmother’s wishes.
Thank you so much for the update!!!!
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