The shopkeeper immediately added a flattering remark: "During this time, the regular customers saw the Book and Tea House closed and the sign changed, and thought the shop had changed hands. Hearing it was being renovated and would reopen, they were quite expectant and even came to inquire about the opening date."
"That customers remember our shop is naturally due to your effort in managing and receiving guests. Keep working diligently from now on, and you certainly won't lack for rewards."
"Yes, yes! This humble one will surely spare no effort in taking good care of the shop for the Master and the young master."
Fang Yu said, "Busy yourselves for another couple of days, get everything fully prepared. We'll open on the fifteenth."
On the day the Book and Tea House opened, Qiao Xinnian arrived early in the morning, bringing two large cases of firecrackers. The day before, he had even asked the young couple if they wanted to slaughter pigs and sheep for sacrificial rites, set off firecrackers to welcome the God of Wealth, listing the whole set of procedures until Fang Yu's scalp went numb. Merchants place great faith in such traditions. Qiao Xinnian was even more enthusiastic about this opening than if it had been for a shop of his own.
But Fang Yu considered this wasn't a first-time opening, just a renovation. If they followed Qiao Xinnian's proposed full set, they'd probably spend a large sum before even making a profit. Although his father-in-law, exceedingly generous, said he would handle everything, Fang Yu felt this small business of theirs should be handled by themselves. It wasn't about distancing themselves from the Qiao family, but mainly that they had already depended on the Qiao family for far too much, and continuing down that path would not be sustainable in the long term.
Finally, after a good deal of persuading, he managed to convince his father-in-law to scale back his plans. Even though they omitted the series of tedious sacrificial matters, they couldn't stop the father-in-law from lavishly spending on two cases of firecrackers. From early morning when the shop unveiled the red silk and revealed the new sign, they started setting them off with a deafening crackle, continuing non-stop for a full hour. After a pause long enough for a stick of incense to burn, they started up again.
Fang Yu was pulled by Qiao Hezhi to hide in a private room upstairs, his ears stuffed with two balls of cotton. He was accused of being afraid of such a big spectacle, and forbidden from going downstairs. He wanted to say, what normal man was afraid of these things? Even five- or six-year-old children dared to gather around and watch the firecrackers.
After most of the New Year period, where firecrackers and fireworks were set off everywhere in the city, and Fang Yu usually slept at home like the dead, Qiao Hezhi knew he genuinely wasn't superstitiously fearful of these.
But men were often careless about such things. He worried Fang Yu, having lived too comfortably, had forgotten his true nature. It was fine for Fang Yu to be heedless, but one of them had to remain clear-headed and pay attention. "Although you aren't afraid, it's always been said that firecrackers can drive away and scare off evil spirits. It's better to be safe than sorry. Better safe than sorry."
Fang Yu sighed. It seemed Qiao Hezhi couldn’t shake his habit of being overly cautious. But since he couldn’t very well go downstairs and play the part of a welcoming host anyway, he decided to go along with Qiao Hezhi’s careful planning and stay hidden upstairs.
Moreover, his father-in-law was downstairs like a peacock spreading its tail feathers, both setting off firecrackers and greeting guests. That whole set was truly astonishing to behold. The shopkeeper, seeing the old master personally taking to the field to attract customers for his son-in-law, also exerted all his lifelong learning to receive them, making things so competitive that even the waiters worked twice as hard as those in ordinary shops.
With firecrackers resounding through the city for so long, even those who didn't know the Book and Tea House was opening came to see the excitement. The father-in-law had even hired a small acrobatic troupe to sing and perform in the main hall, creating a pandemonium, no—exceptionally lively and bustling!
Once people were attracted inside, there were novel snacks and books and periodicals to browse, ensuring they had reason to stay.
However, Fang Yu, upstairs, still heard not a few people secretly exclaiming about the price. "This plate of five-spice watermelon seeds actually costs one hundred and twenty coppers. It's truly jaw-dropping. At a dried fruit shop, a whole catty wouldn't cost this much."
"Qiu Er, if you think it's expensive, have the original flavor ones. They're the same price as at other tea shops, a large plate for only twelve coppers, quite economical."
"I wanted to buy some of these five-spice watermelon seeds separately as a gift, but the shopkeeper said they're not for separate sale! That's truly black-hearted enough, as if I can't afford it."
"Who would have thought these ordinary watermelon seeds could be turned into so many new flavors? This shop certainly has some clever ideas. And I saw they have some sort of booklet over there—it was snatched up the moment it appeared. I squeezed in for a peek, and it's actually reviews of the food here in Yuncheng! Qiu Er, your cousin's father-in-law's barbecue shop is mentioned in it!"
"Where? Let me see." The one called Qiu Er hurriedly grabbed a handful of watermelon seeds and stuffed them in his pocket, afraid that they'd be all eaten by the time he got back. Just as he stood up, someone else said, "If you go now, you won't see it—they were all taken already. Better go downstairs to watch the acrobatics performance. The shop hired them; no need to even give tips."
"Downstairs is crowded to death; tables were taken long ago. Some are even just sitting on benches, their tea can only be placed on a high stool." A person who had scrambled upstairs kindly advised.
"This tea house isn't registered. Downstairs, even those with scholar tokens couldn't snag a decent spot when they tried to push ahead. Hey, what's that thing over there—the round wooden wall? Looks like some kind of new gadget. Let's go have a look."
As the owner, curled up in the best private room, Fang Yu had originally thought that with these new novelties prepared for the New Year period, there would likely be people willing to spend money for the novelty, so it wouldn't be exactly deserted. But he hadn't anticipated that there would be so many people in the city willing to seek amusement. The liveliness exceeded expectations.
He was just about to step out when the private room door was knocked. Then a neatly dressed young servant peeked in. "Young master, since you're here alone, might you be willing to share your table? My young master is willing to pay a high price."
No comments:
Post a Comment