Chapter 335: The Storyteller
Having given them a rough overview of their work arrangements, once Ruyun’s sister-in-law arrived and met with them, the two rose to take their leave.
Ruyun wanted to keep them for a meal at her house, but after consideration, the two declined in the end. Had they stayed, Ruyun would surely have spent much effort preparing, and there was no need to delay her affairs while exhausting her people and resources.
On the way home, Qiu Rongrong asked Wen Yao in confusion why she had arranged the working hours this way. After all, which family’s workers didn’t stay a full day when going out to work? Where was there any concept of taking a full double-hour break in the middle?
Sitting in the horse carriage, leaning against the window to watch the bustling traffic and lively marketplace outside, Wen Yao replied, “It is no easy feat for women to go out to work in the first place, and they all have elderly relatives and children to care for at home. That their families support them coming out to work is already quite good—there are far too many worldly rules forbidding women from showing their faces in public. This world is inherently unfair to women.
“Besides, the work in our workshop is simple anyway; there’s no need to tie people down there all day long. This way, they can care for their families without delaying their work, and they will only carry out their tasks with greater dedication.”
Lost in thought, Qiu Rongrong eventually poked her head out alongside her to look at the streets outside, sighing with emotion: “Indeed, many things are unfair to women. Take me, for instance—though those people politely call me Manager Qiu, I know many still look down on me in their hearts, solely because I am a woman.”
Leaning against the window, Wen Yao turned her head to look at her, her smile blossoming like a flower and her eyes shining like stars: “That is precisely why we should be even more considerate of women’s hardships! Furthermore, we must prove to those who look down on us—who says women ought to stay in the inner chambers to manage the household and educate children? We simply refuse!”
Infected by her spirit, Qiu Rongrong nodded along: “Right, we simply refuse! If those smelly men look down on us, then I shall earn even more silver and shower it until they are thoroughly humbled!”
With that, both girls burst out laughing.
Mingyue and Qiaoyan laughed along as well.
Only Xun Feng, driving the horse carriage outside, stroked his nose in awkwardness.
Sigh, he was a man too, but he had never looked down on women. Those who looked down on women were all that word Miss Yao Yao used—what was it again? Right, repulsive men!
Upon returning home, Nanny Shi had already tidied up the entire house, laid out the bedding, fully prepared all the utensils in the kitchen, and bought and washed the vegetables; Wen Yao needed only to take the wok ladle.
This left the four newly arrived servants—Ming Wu, Ming Gu, Ming Feng, and Ming Deng—utterly astounded. Their young mistress was actually cooking for them; could they even eat this meal?
Only when Nanny Shi bade them serve the dishes onto the table did the four snap back to reality.
Fortunately, Nanny Shi insisted on separating the master’s meals from the servants’ now to maintain proper rules; otherwise, a whole crowd would still be crammed into a single room eating together.
After the meal, Nanny Shi led Mingyue and Qiaoyan to clean up the aftermath, while Wen Yao and Qiu Rongrong strolled around the courtyard to digest their food.
“The two storefronts need to be renovated again. We’ll leave this to Uncle Zhang and Eldest Uncle; just renovate them according to our shops back in Yunwu Town. As for the teahouse, the remaining head chef excels at making pastries, though I wonder if the apprentice trained by Chef Chen will do,” Qiu Rongrong said as she walked.
Gently rubbing her stomach—having accidentally eaten too much today—Wen Yao thought over the words and said, “We can give it a try! Hotpot doesn’t require complex techniques. I will fry, pack, and send the hotpot bases over myself, so they need only boil the broth. Since hotpot is our main attraction, people ordering cooked dishes shouldn’t be many. Chef Chen let Wu Xing take charge of the wok independently before, so why wouldn’t it work?”
Qiu Rongrong nodded, looking up at the moon in the sky. Having passed the fifteenth day of the lunar month, only half the moon remained in the night sky. As the moonlight spilled down, a gentle breeze brought a tinge of refreshing chill.
The weather was growing colder by the day.
“This matter still needs to be arranged as early as possible. Winter is a prime season for eating hotpot; we certainly cannot miss out on this profit,” Qiu Rongrong said, casting a glance at Wen Yao before continuing, “We haven’t met that storyteller yet either. Tomorrow, we’ll have Manager Fang bring him over to give us a performance first. Although our main attraction is hotpot, if the storytelling is poor, it will ruin our own brand as well.”
“Makes sense.” Isn’t it just telling stories? She had plenty of stories! Just bringing out the Four Great Classics would be more than enough—there was no fear of lacking business.
At this thought, Wen Yao began grinning foolishly—they would surely make a fortune when the time came.
“We can arrange mahjong tables in the private rooms on the second and third floors too! Hehehe, I’ll have Uncle Zhang bring people to craft more sets later.” Wen Yao’s eyes sparkled with excitement. Back when she traveled to Sichuan, she had fallen deeply in love with this combination—eating hotpot while playing mahjong was truly one of life’s greatest pleasures.
Having settled the matter, the two went straight to the teahouse the next day, where only a sparse few customers sat drinking tea.
“Owners, you’ve arrived!” Seeing them, Manager Fang quickly came out to greet them.
Looking at the scattered few customers, Wen Yao let out a helpless sigh—what a waste of such a fine building.
“Manager Fang, where is the storyteller in our building? Sister and I haven’t met him yet; call him over for us to meet,” Wen Yao said.
Joy surfaced on Manager Fang’s face. He had been pondering yesterday how to bring this matter up with the two owners; after all, with the teahouse changing hands, it was uncertain whether a storyteller would still be needed. Having worked with Old Wang for so many years, he understood Old Wang’s circumstances and character, naturally wishing for him to stay.
“Certainly, certainly! This small one will send someone to fetch him at once.”
Manager Fang called an assistant over and sent him to fetch Wang Kuaizui.
Hearing the name, Wen Yao froze for a second: “Manager Fang, why do you address the storyteller with such a name? Is that his actual name?”
Manager Fang smiled and shook his head: “No. Old Wang’s real name is Wang Sheng. Originally, his family sent him to school hoping he would one day pass the imperial examinations to achieve official rank and wealth. After taking the exams a few times, he realized he wasn’t cut out for scholarship, yet spoke with eloquent logic whenever telling stories. So he switched professions to become a storyteller. Because of his sharp eloquence and quick tongue, everyone gave him the nickname Wang Kuaizui—Wang Quick-Mouth.”
So that was why.
Sharp eloquence was a wonderful trait! After all, storytelling relied precisely on emotional resonance and sharp eloquence.
As the two waited inside the teahouse, the assistant soon led a whiskered little old man over. He appeared somewhat younger than Old Man Wen, yet looked very energetic.
“Old Fang, why did you call me over?” Wang Kuaizui asked Manager Fang.
Pulling him along, Manager Fang said, “Come, I’ll take you to meet the new owners.”
Wang Kuaizui froze for a moment, but understood upon second thought—it had been said earlier that the teahouse was up for sale, so it seemed a buyer had been found.
As Manager Fang brought Wang Kuaizui over, he saw two young girls sitting there, both turning their gazes over in unison as he approached.
Before Manager Fang could speak, Wang Kuaizui offered a deep bow toward the two: “Wang Sheng greets the owners!”
Regardless of which one was the owner, offering greetings first was the proper course.
