Through the farming fields full of spring

Chapter 21

“Wait a minute.” Seeing that Xiao Shuanzi was going out to chase people again, the shopkeeper hurriedly called out and went to take a look as well. He knew his boss’s thoughts. At times he collected calligraphy and paintings from scholars not because they were valuable, but instead used this as a way to support some poor scholars. There is no assurance some of the paintings may be admired by guests.

Then all the money spent won’t go to waste, it will be worth it.

“You go and welcome guests, I’ll go and take a look.”

The shopkeeper then left.

When he arrived at the door, he saw a scholar wearing patched clothes looking embarrassed. When he saw the shopkeeper coming out he stepped forward, bowed, and explained:

“Shopkeeper, I’m Tao Heng. pardon me, I have been practising hard for a while after going back the last time, and I wanted to ask your boss to have another look.”

The shopkeeper has developed a keen sight after doing business for many years, and it can be seen that although this scholar is scared he had no choice but to come to Tingjing Pavillion again, to give it a try.

Now that the Imperial examination is coming, he may be preparing to go to the state capital to take the exam. Thinking of his boss the shopkeeper said with a gentle smile:

“Master Tao, my boss has not been around for a long time, he went traveling far away. May I take a look first? I can still decide on some things in the restaurant.”

The scholar looked disappointed when he heard that the boss was not there, but upon hearing that the shopkeeper could make the decision, he was thrilled and hurriedly took out his recent calligraphy carefully: 

“Thank you very much, shopkeeper please help me take a look.”

“Master Tao please come in first.”

The shopkeeper made a gesture of invitation, and the scholar happily went in.

Tang Chunming and Ah-Lin were standing across the street near Tingjing Pavillion. They first saw the poor scholar haggling with the waiter of the restaurant.

Later, the shopkeeper came out and invited the scholar in. He vaguely heard the conversation between the three and only knew that the scholar brought a calligraphy for the boss to see, but he didn’t know what it contained. However, the shopkeeper did not turn away and embarrass people because of the scholar’s poverty. He just waited to see what the scholar wanted after he came out.

But Ah-Lin had already raised his finger and pointed at Tingjing Pavillion and said, “Mom, I choose this restaurant.”

Tang Chunming said in surprise: “Why?”

How could Ah-Lin know the reason, he just frowned and said: “The Uncle shopkeeper is good.”

Tang Chunming couldn’t help laughing, he hugged his eldest baby and said: “ Okay, Mom will listen to Ah-Lin, let’s wait and see if it’s okay. Okay?”

“Okay!”

Seeing that his mother listened to him, Ah-Lin responded loudly and happily.

The mother and son didn’t have to wait for long. After a while, the scholar was sent out by the shopkeeper. The scholar was no longer embarrassed as he was at first, but he had joy and gratitude written all over his face. When he walked to the door, he turned around and said, “Shopkeeper Chen thank you and I’m very grateful, if your boss comes back, please say hello to me.”

“Okay Mr. Tao, have a good trip. I will convey your words to our boss. If Mr. Tao has any more work, Let’s listen to Jingge, I believe our boss will like it.”

“Thank you.” The scholar said goodbye and left. He also understood in his heart that the reason why the boss and shopkeeper were willing to accept his work and give him silver coins, was not that his calligraphy was very good, but because they saw his predicament. The scholar left with a grateful heart, thinking that if possible in the future, he would repay the boss and shopkeeper of the Tingjing pavillion.

Tang Chunming saw that the scholar’s steps were much longer and more relaxed than when he came here, his hand pressing the purse around his waist from time to time. Tang Chunming vaguely understood something, and couldn’t help but glance at Tingjing pavillion. He decided in his heart, stood up, took Ah-Lin’s hand, and said, “Ah- Lin let’s leave first and come back later.”

“Okay, Mom.” Ah-Lin was well behaved, he knew that Mother was looking for a place to take out the things. It’s not good to let others know when you take out the vegetables.

After about a quarter of an hour, an ox cart appeared on the bustling street. In front of the ox cart, there was a man in bloated clothes and a dark complexion who led the ox to the front of the Tingjing pavillion.

The cart was filled with baskets, each covered with straw, so it was unclear what was inside.

At this time, some guests had come to Tingjing Pavillion for dinner but apparently, their number was not as high as Minglan’s diagonally opposite. When the little Shuanzi who greeted the guests at the door saw the ox-cart parked in front of the restaurant, he wanted to go and immediately scold people. Packing in front of the restaurant would not only block the customers who come to the door but also damage the image of the restaurant. 

The only people who came to eat here were those in horse-drawn carriages, not those leading ox-carts. But before he opened his mouth he thought of what the shopkeeper had taught him before.

After thinking about it, he took a few steps forward and shouted,

“Hey, hey, what are you doing, don’t you know you’re blocking the distinguished guests of our restaurant?”

The person who came was none other than Tang Chunming, who was here to explore the situation before. If he wanted to sell vegetables, he would certainly not just bring them up under the eyes of others, and he could only rely on himself if he wanted to sell many dishes. 

His space was portable, So he found a remote and deserted path and brought himself and Ah-Lin into the space. He first dressed up and disguised his appearance. He wore a large cotton-padded jacket left by Zhao Dahu, and covered his face malleably, then applied dark ash making his skin color darken.

He also deliberately used the remaining charcoal to adjust the shape of his eyelashes and eyebrows.

Don’t wonder why he did this, as a person from the 21st century who kept pace with time, as well as knowledgeable he just wanted to mask his appearance so that he won’t be recognized.

It didn’t matter whether he was ugly, anyway. After he was done Ah-Lin walked around him several times, his eyes widened, and was so happy that Tang Chunming took him into the space smiling cheekily.

After changing his clothes, he left Ah-Lin alone in the space and talked to him from time to time through his mental power, fearing that he would be scared to stay alone there. He then by himself to the ox-drawn carriage shop where he originally called the carriage, rented an ox-cart, and pledged nearly ten tales of silver, Anyway success or failure depended on this.

After renting an ox-cart he drove to a hidden place and quickly transferred the vegetables he had prepared in space into the ox cart. Then he drove to the door of Tingjing Pavillion.

Tang Chunming was sweating, “Brother, I have a business that I would like to discuss with your shopkeeper. Is it okay?”

Tang Chunming asked politely.

Xiao Shuanzi looked at Tang Chunming suspiciously, he was not dressed like a businessman. He looked at the cart behind him and asked, “What are you selling? First, tell me, I can help you ask the shopkeeper. Our shopkeeper is very busy and not everyone can see him.”

The waiter is not old, only about fifteen or sixteen, his speech is not so domineering. His thoughts were all written on his face, Tang Chunming thought for a while then beckoned him.

Xiao Shuanzi glanced at him suspiciously and stepped forward boldly. He was a man and the other person was just a ger, this was in front of their restaurant. How could he still be afraid of him? Tang Chunming opened a small gap in the basket in front, revealing the green inside.

Xiao Shuanzi’s eyes widened immediately, and he couldn’t wait to open a large gap. When he was sure of what was inside, he even told Tang Chunming not to say more, he turned around and ran into the restaurant.

Tang Chunming was reassured. This waiter didn’t hide what he was thinking at all. From his reaction, it can be judged that there restaurant needed fresh green vegetables.

Tang Chunming is very confident in getting this business, and sure enough, after a while, Xiao Shuanzi ran out dragging the shopkeeper he saw earlier.

How could a middle-aged shopkeeper put up with being dragged like this? He came to the door and angrily tore open Xiao Shuanzi’s hand and said:

“ If you do this again in the future, just go home and wait on your parents, how can you compensate for bumping into guests?”

Xiao Shuanzi jumped up anxiously and pointed at the ox-cart in front of him and said: “I am in a hurry to show you the goods in the cart.”

Then he leaned close to the shopkeeper and whispered in his ear. The shopkeeper’s face suddenly changed, with no trace of his previous anger left. He looked at him in surprise and stood in front of the cart smiling at the person leading the cart and Xiao Shuanzi.

The shopkeeper didn’t bother to say hello to the man first. He took a few steps forward and lifted the straw on one of the baskets. The joy between his brows and eyes couldn’t be concealed.

However, after all, he had been a shopkeeper for many years. He quickly concealed his joy. If Tang Chunming hadn’t been staring at him he might have missed it.

However, he should thank the waiter who seems to have a good relationship with the shopkeeper. The waiter does not have the shopkeeper’s composure, this Tang Chunming is very sure that Tingjin Pavillion is in urgent need of a batch of fresh vegetables. So there is no need to worry about not being able to sell them or not selling them at a good price.

The shopkeeper quickly covered the basket with straw again. Although his face returned to calmness, his fingers that had just brushed the straw were still trembling. It was fresh, absolutely fresh, and the quality was even better than the vegetables in season. Looking up at Tang Chunming again, he saw that Tang Chunming was still looking at him and Xiao Shuanzi with a smile.

The shopkeeper suddenly realized that the customer had seen Xiao Shuanzi’s reaction and knew that they were out of stock. The shopkeeper secretly glared at Xiao Shuanzi, turned around, and smiled at Tang Chunming:

“ Mister, how about we go to the backyard and discuss it? Please rest assured that our restaurant has always been benevolent and will not let you down.”

“Okay, let the shopkeeper lead the way.”

Tang Chunming led the ox-cart and followed the shopkeeper. After a short exchange, he knew that the shopkeeper’s surname was Chen, so he called him shopkeeper Chen.

When shopkeeper Chen asked for his name Tang Chunming simply used Ah-Lin’s first name as his surname and called himself Lin, so he was addressed as Lin Fulang by shopkeeper Chen.

Shopkeeper Chen drove Xiao Shuanzi back, having this troublemaker around would only cause bad things. Shopkeeper Chen knew that the initiative had now fallen into the hands of the others, but he had to bring the people in, otherwise, Minglanju across the came to street knew it, Who knows what kind of trouble it would cause?

Moreover, in his eyes, although Lin Fulang had a dark complexion and his clothes were shabby, it was hard to believe that he could bring out so many green vegetables, but this man stood there smiling with clear eyes as if he was wearing silk like satin, his attitude relaxed and content, making people not to recklessly look down on him.

If Tang Chunming had known about shopkeeper Chen’s psychological activities, the villain in his heart would have laughed proudly. Ha-ha, this is called acting, I didn’t expect the ancient people to be deceived by a modern man.

When the ox-cart arrived at the backyard, Tang Chunming lifted the straw from each basket and said,

“First let me please ask shopkeeper Chen to inspect the goods. I guarantee that you will not find fresh and delicious green vegetables in the entire Anping county. By using my green vegetables I guarantee that your business in Tingjing Pavillion will be booming and your customers will be coming for more”

Tang Chunming not only knows how to talk but also takes practical actions. Speaking with facts is the most convincing. So he took out a cucumber from the basket and broke it into two halves with a “click” sound.

He took a bite of one half and ate it, the other half was handed to shopkeeper Chen then said: “Take a taste of it and will know know if what I said is an exaggeration.”

This Ling Fulang’s enthusiasm made people happy. Seeing him full of confidence, shopkeeper Chen took the other half and took a bite. Suddenly a fragrance filled his mouth. Shopkeeper Chen didn’t know how to describe the taste of this cucumber, right, even the cucumbers of the season don’t have such a good taste.

He picked the green leaves of other vegetables and put them in his mouth. His eyes brightened, he bet that with this batch of green vegetables, they wouldn’t have to worry about being oppressed by Minglanju restaurant on the other side.

“I don’t know how much price Lin Fulang is offering. Are there some left at home?”

Shopkeeper Chen is a smart person, these vegetables are of the highest quality in the current season, If they can seize the channel, Tingjing’s business will be prosperous indeed.

Tang Chunming was also a salesperson. How could he not understand the hidden meaning in shopkeeper Chen’s words, he pretended to be confused. This kind of business was only done once, and generously waved his hand saying:

“ Coming to Anping County is not easy, I believe that shopkeeper Chen is a kind person and will give me a bountiful price so that I can go back and concede to the boss, for him to allow me to come and do business with the shopkeeper Chen again.”

Shopkeeper Chen’s mouth jerked, and he took the title labeled to him as a kind man. Hearing this, he knew that if the price given was not satisfactory, then there would be no chance to cooperate with his boss.

As for the so-called boss that Tang Chunming mentioned, the shopkeeper did not doubt, because in this cold weather, only the greenhouse can grow vegetables and the cost of a greenhouse is not low.

Most importantly the boss who owned a greenhouse won’t come to the restaurant at all, even the way Lin Fulang dressed didn’t resemble someone who could afford a greenhouse. 

“Then, without further ado how about a 50% increase based on our original purchase price? At the same time, I also hope that Lin Fulang can continue to supply our restaurant.”

“50%?” Tang Chunming didn’t know what the original price was, but judging from the increased price, it definitely wasn’t low.

“ I won’t negotiate, let someone come to inspect the goods to ensure that the quality inside is the same as the above. We are kind and honest like shopkeeper Chen and will never act unscrupulously.”

Shopkeeper Chen was speechless, how much does this ger value the word ‘honesty’, when dealing with people he seems to be a man in his speech and demeanor, and he hasn’t found anything to be dissatisfied about. As for the boss and where came from was not known, shopkeeper Chen could only buy this batch of vegetables. In short, he had to give a suitable price to let the other party consider their Tingjing Pavillion when selling vegetables in the future.

Shopkeeper Chen called someone to inspect the goods and weigh the quantity. He took the account book and recorded the price by variety. Of course, the vegetable prices vary. For example, the price of cucumbers is higher than that of radishes.

In the end, the total amount of goods that Tang Chunming sold exceeded 500 caties, amounting to 42 silver taels.

Tang Chunming’s expression was bright the villain in his heart was already delighted.

Shopkeeper Chen is indeed a kind person. After Tang Chunming collected the money, he pulled the ox-cart and left, he did not forget to say to the kind shopkeeper:

“Shopkeeper Chen, when I go back I will definitely say nice things about Jingge.”

He then patted his pants and left, Shopkeeper Chen behind was still full of expectation. He didn’t know that he would be gone forever, and no matter how he looked for him, he couldn’t find such a dark-skinned ger.