Chapter 11: Any Objections? No?
Just as someone arrived to buy something, Liuzi went to attend to his customer, leaving the four of them huddled together.
Wen Xiuyi said, “Same old rule—let’s vote. Do we take over the stall or not?” As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his hand first.
He was in favor. If he had to keep hauling goods, he’d probably work himself to death and still not be able to support three children.
Wen Yao quickly ran the calculations in her mind. One hundred eighty wen was an acceptable price—it saved them the trouble of going to the government office, plus they’d get tables, chairs, and a stove. The location was a bit far, but if they built a good reputation, they wouldn’t have to worry about attracting customers.
It was feasible.
She raised her hand as well.
Did Wen Jun have any objections? No.
He followed suit, raising his hand.
Then, all three of them turned their gaze toward Datou, who was nestled in Wen Xiuyi’s arms.
Datou froze.
“Datou, do you agree?” Wen Yao asked, even playfully winking at him.
Datou had never imagined he’d get to make decisions in this family. He stared at his father, brother, and sister, their hands raised, and was momentarily stunned. Then, his eyes lit up with excitement, and he eagerly lifted his own tiny hand—high up.
With four votes in favor, the stall was officially theirs.
When Liuzi finished his business and turned back, the family had already reached a decision. They immediately told him they wanted to take over the stall.
Liuzi was just as thrilled. If this “fried rice” they talked about was really that good, then having their stall right next to his meant he could eat it anytime he wanted!
“Alright then! Watch my stall for a bit while I go get my third uncle.” After giving them a quick instruction, Liuzi happily ran off.
Wen Yao stepped forward to examine the wooden goods at Liuzi’s stall. While they weren’t exquisitely crafted, they were finely polished. She picked up a small wooden basin and glanced back at her father and brother with a smile. “People are still pretty honest these days, huh?”
He just left his stall with them, no questions asked—not even afraid they might steal his goods.
Professor Wen, carrying Datou, replied, “It’s a different era.”
Not long after, Liuzi returned, accompanied by a young woman wearing a headscarf. As soon as she spotted them still at the stall, Liuzi visibly sighed in relief.
Back home, his third uncle had scolded him, reminding him that these people could have been scammers. If they had taken off with the stall’s goods, even though the items weren’t worth much, they were still essential for their livelihood.
Fortunately, they had rushed back, only to find the family still there, untouched stall and all.
“Uncle, this is my third aunt. My third uncle has trouble walking, so she’s handling things on his behalf. You can talk to her directly,” Liuzi explained as he introduced the woman.
Wen Xiuyi put Datou down, instinctively reaching out for a handshake, but midway, he remembered that this wasn’t something people did in this era. So, he smoothly adjusted his gesture, wiping his hand on his clothes before saying, “Sister, Liuzi must have told you—we’d like to take over your stall.”
Guo Shi had already received instructions from her husband before coming. If they could agree on a fair price, she was to let the stall go—otherwise, it would just sit there unused. So as soon as Wen Xiuyi spoke, she replied,
“To be honest, big brother, if my husband weren’t injured, we would never give up this stall. Even though business isn’t great, it’s still a source of income. But he said if you’re serious about taking over, then one hundred eighty wen will do. That includes the tables and chairs. Does that sound good to you?”
“Sounds good. What paperwork do we need to do? Let’s finalize this now.” The sooner they secured the stall, the sooner they could start working.
Guo Shi pulled a document from her sleeve. “This is the registration paper from the government office. You give me the money, and I’ll hand over the document. The tables and chairs are at home, so Liuzi can help you bring them over later.”
Wen Xiuyi nodded and looked at Wen Yao. “Yao Yao, give her the money.”
Wen Yao swiftly pulled out the pouch and counted out one hundred eighty wen, handing it to Guo Shi, who then passed the document to Wen Xiuyi. The stall was officially theirs.
After securing the payment, Guo Shi added, “The government officials usually come at the end of the month to collect the next month’s stall fees. When they do, just have Liuzi inform them about the transfer. He’s here every day, so you don’t have to worry.”
“Alright, thanks. We’ll trouble Liuzi with that then.”
With the stall now theirs, Guo Shi stayed behind to watch Liuzi’s stall while Liuzi took Wen Xiuyi and Wen Jun home to fetch the tables and chairs. Wen Yao stayed at the stall with Datou.
Seeing an opportunity, Wen Yao struck up a conversation with Guo Shi.
“Auntie, our home is quite far. Would it be safe to leave the tables and chairs here overnight?”
Guo Shi, seeing that Wen Yao was a polite and well-mannered girl, took a liking to her. Since Datou was about the same age as her own youngest son, she answered with more patience. “Aren’t you setting up shop at night?”
Wen Yao blinked. A night market? That wouldn’t work. Their family of three would be exhausted running shifts, and their home was too far. She shook her head.
Guo Shi then explained, “Ships dock at all hours, so my husband used to stay overnight in case there were nighttime customers. If you’re not running a night stall, then storage is a bit of a problem.
But it’s not a big deal. If it’s inconvenient for you, you can store everything at our house. It’s not far—one trip with a cart will do.”
Wen Yao was pleasantly surprised. “That would be amazing! But wouldn’t that be too much trouble for you?” She didn’t want to inconvenience them every day.
Guo Shi laughed heartily. “It’s nothing. Liuzi already takes his stall’s stuff home every day. We have a separate room with an outside entrance, so it won’t affect our household.”
After some thought, Wen Yao agreed. Since they had spent one hundred eighty wen on this setup, it would be a shame if anything got stolen. If needed, they could always return the favor later.
When Wen Xiuyi and Wen Jun returned, Wen Yao informed them of the arrangement.
While Wen Xiuyi said things like “Oh, we couldn’t possibly impose,” he was already thanking Liuzi profusely for the help.
However, this also meant that the items they had just transported over now needed to be moved back, since they weren’t ready to start selling today.
Thankfully, Liuzi was a straightforward guy. Huffing and puffing, he helped them push the cart back home.
As a token of appreciation—and since they needed these things anyway—Wen Yao bought several wooden items from Liuzi’s stall: two large basins, two small basins, two large wooden buckets with lids, two smaller buckets, and two bamboo steamers for cooking rice, spending another one hundred fifty wen.
Worried about how they’d carry everything, Liuzi even lent them his pushcart.
After exchanging another round of thanks, they loaded everything onto the cart, placed Datou in one of the basins, and headed off to buy supplies in the city. After all, they were setting up shop tomorrow—they had to be fully prepared.
By the time they had bought rice, oil, and seasonings and returned to Gutong Village, the sky had already turned dark.
