Chapter 53

The shop was renamed Zhou Family’s Delicacies, and many new varieties were added. For instance, they included roast chicken, pork knuckles, pig’s trotters, pig’s head meat, and bone marrow with layers of meat.

Most families liked the taste of Zhou Ji for these types of bone marrow; they would buy it to make soup at home, and it was not expensive, costing just one coin per piece.

There were no significant adjustments to the duck products; they remained the same, divided into spicy and five-spice varieties.

In terms of snacks, in addition to potato chips, kelp, and small snails, they also added spicy crab. The spicy crab had become a high-end snack, selling for 30 coins per catty on its own.

At the same time, they added chicken products, such as chicken feet, chicken heads, chicken necks, and chicken gizzards.

To attract customers and reduce the fear that the previous ghost-themed shop had instilled, Zhou Jing hired a troupe of actors to perform for three days in front of the shop.

They performed only comedies and historical dramas, with none of them related to tragic ghosts or deities.

Additionally, some people had already seen the Zhou Family’s unique decorations from outside and wanted to bring their wives and children to experience it, so this time they all came together.

They ordered several plates of snacks and could sit in the hanging chairs, looking out through the floor-to-ceiling windows, where they could see the specially constructed stage at an angle, where the performances were taking place.

In terms of pricing, there were also discounts; during the first three days of opening, everything was cheaper, with the highest discount being five coins and the lowest three coins.

They also introduced a promotion: buy ten and get one free. For whole ducks and roast chickens, customers received a cumulative card carved from thin wood with each purchase. If a roast chicken was bought, a picture of a roast chicken was engraved on the card; if a duck was purchased, a picture of a duck was carved instead. Zhou Jing personally used a brush to write the words “Zhou Family” on the card, along with a unique date composed of Arabic numerals. After accumulating ten, customers could redeem a free one.

At first, some people were skeptical, fearing that Zhou Jing had set a trap, thinking they might buy ten and not receive anything in return, or that they might receive a small duck or chicken. So, some relatives pooled their cumulative cards together to redeem them.

Although the redemption did not require cash, Zhou Jing’s attitude remained very good. He cheerfully opened the selection for them, just as he would with regular customers.

Since the ducks were free to choose, they opted for the larger ones. Zhou Jing was not displeased; in fact, he maintained a pleasant demeanor and laughed, saying, “This duck is quite fat, weighing five and a half catties. You can take it, and I’ll collect your ten cumulative cards.”

The old man and the relatives around him, who had provided the cumulative cards, widened their eyes in disbelief and asked, “Really no money? You’re letting me take such a big duck for free?”

Zhou Jing replied with a smile, “You have the cumulative cards, and our cumulative cards are for anonymous consumption. You can use them yourself, give them to someone else, or even lose them and have someone else pick them up; we’ll still exchange them. So, it’s important to keep the cumulative cards safe. If they are lost, our shop will not be responsible for the loss.”

The group understood and realized that this thin wooden card could indeed be exchanged for ducks and roast chickens, and they immediately regretted giving away their cumulative cards.

The old man who was holding the roast duck beamed with joy, having received the duck for free. He went home and spread the word about how delicious the Zhou Family’s food was and how reasonable the prices were. He mentioned that after purchasing ten items, one could get a free duck, effectively becoming a living advertisement for the shop, which inadvertently boosted the Zhou Family’s reputation.

Zhou Family’s Delicacies also introduced a membership card. The membership card was similar to the cumulative card, made of the same thin wood and palm-sized, intricately carved.

It featured the Four flowers: plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum. Each card was painted in different colors to reflect the personality of each flower, and each had a unique Arabic numeral starting from 001.

The membership card could be loaded with money, and there was no upper limit on the amount that could be added.

However, it was divided into several tiers: for all food items under five silver coins, there was a 5% discount; for items under fifteen silver coins, a 10% discount; for items under twenty silver coins, a 15% discount; for items under twenty-five silver coins, a 20% discount; and so on, with the highest tier enjoying a 30% discount.

Members also had a membership day, which was based on the member’s birthday.

On that day, they received a promotion of “buy five, get one free,” regardless of what they purchased. For every five catties bought, they received an additional catty for free. Additionally, they were given a beautifully packaged gift, which varied each month—sometimes it was food, and other times it was practical items.

The spending records of the members were logged in a ledger, which was kept by Shen Mo, with a copy displayed at the counter.

When leaving, both copies had to be locked up, as each member’s loaded amount was recorded in them, and each person had a few pages allocated. The ledger documented every transaction: the amount spent, the remaining balance, and the date and time of each transaction, all of which had to be signed by the member who made the purchase.

Initially, Shen Mo and Shen Lin believed that calling on people to pre-load such large sums of money without any proof or formal contract would deter anyone from becoming a member.

To their surprise, several longtime customers from the previous stall heard about the significant benefits of the membership and immediately recharged their accounts, one depositing five silver coins and another depositing ten silver coins.

Later, during a particularly busy lunchtime when many customers were queuing, the old customers who had recharged their memberships arrived.

They simply raised their cards and announced their membership, which entitled them to priority purchasing rights.

One of the sellers, either Shen Mo or Shen Lin, immediately stopped to serve the members first.

A customer who had been waiting in line for a long time asked why this was the case.

Zhou Jing smiled and replied, “This is the privilege of our members; they have priority purchasing rights over regular customers.”

Someone immediately asked how to become a member.

“Membership requires depositing money; any amount is acceptable, and you will receive discounts based on how much you deposit.” Zhou Jing explained.

Upon hearing that money was required, many people chose to wait in line rather than become members.

However, this membership inadvertently catered to the vanity of wealthy officials and high-ranking individuals. Many young masters, eager to satisfy their pride in front of their friends, intentionally recharged their memberships and brought their friends along to shop during busy times, all to enjoy this special privilege of priority service.

Unintentionally, this encouraged several young masters to recharge their memberships.

When the end of the month came and the profit sharing took place, Shen Lin was stunned when he saw the amount of silver he received.

“Brother-in-law, did you make a mistake in your calculations? You actually gave me 75 silver coins, and I only held a 30 percent share in the profits. Did you give me too much?”

Shen Lin no longer hid his earnings from Wang Ren; he had complete trust in him. Although they had not formally married, they resembled a young couple in their daily interactions.

Usually, they collected payments separately to avoid confusion during busy times; whoever sold the items was responsible for collecting the money before selling the next one. However, the evening accounts were all recorded by Shen Mo, who was most aware of the monthly earnings.

He had never expected that the earnings would differ so greatly between having a shop and not having one. He chuckled and said, “I didn’t make a mistake; this is how much a 30% share of the profits amounts to. It was supposed to be 90 silver coins, but last time when we bought the shop, your Brother-in-law lent you 15 silver coins, which was now deducted this month.”

Shen Lin replied, still in disbelief, “Oh my, doesn’t that mean we made back the shop’s capital within a month and still had some leftovers? How is it so easy to earn money with a shop?”

Wang Ren was equally amazed, but he thought deeper than Shen Lin. “Xiao Lin, money is the hardest to earn. It was my Brother-in-law’s clever mind that came up with many novel ideas, combined with the fact that our family’s products are indeed clean and tasty, which made you feel that earning money was easy.

Why don’t you consider that if making money were really that simple, how could Zhou Da sell the shop to us for such a low price? Why did the other shopkeepers complain all day about not making much money and wanting to sell out, while only our family was raking in profits? This is a matter of ability and luck.”

Zhou Jing said, “The main reason is still because our family supplies goods to the shops in the town. Currently, there are twenty shops relying on our products, and by the end of the month, the gross profit is roughly around one hundred sixty silver coins, which accounts for a significant portion.

Furthermore, this month, many people signed up for membership, treating it as a novelty. All that money is involved in this, which is why our family made so much this month. However, even if things gradually stabilize, earning one or two hundred silver coins a month is guaranteed profit.”

Through the recent days of doing business with Zhou Jing, Wang Ren completely admired him. Each day, he had to ask himself if this Zhou Jing was truly the same good-for-nothing layabout from their village.

When he turned his head, he saw Zhou Jing sticking to Shen Mo and felt that it was indeed true. Only Zhou Jing could manage to appear shrewd and capable to outsiders while acting so shamelessly around Shen Mo.

“This is your monthly salary for this month. Right now, you have a total of five orders, with the maximum being 35 catty per day and the minimum being 10 catty per day. Based on the ratio, the commission amounts to a total of 2 silver coins.”

The two silver coins were just the monthly commission; there was also a substantial bonus from earlier, which was several times this amount. Now, Wang Ren already had seven silver coins in his possession.

“Alright, keep the money safe. Call the salespeople and workers outside and have them line up to receive their monthly salary, one by one. No one can be left out.”

—o—o—o—

As the Zhou family’s business continued to grow, they added poultry products, and ten more shops in the village signed contracts with the Zhou family.

Many who could not secure contracts sought work at the Zhou family, and now the factory had fifteen workers, ten men and five women.

Wang Ren and Cheng Yu took turns supervising the workers in shifts. Each day, they received a compensation of 30 copper coins.

Both Wang Ren and Cheng Yu were very willing to do this and did not complain about it affecting their sales. After all, selling was not something that guaranteed profit every day. Sometimes when they took sausages out to sell, there would often be leftover stock, and they had to manage the profits and losses themselves.

Cheng Yu received 4 silver coins, and there were four new recruits left, each of whom could earn at least 700-800 copper coins.

They were all grinning from ear to ear. Previously, there were also bonus rewards, and now they had a monthly income. Just thinking about next month, even if they did not make any sales, they would still get paid, made the salespeople feel as if they had won the lottery.

The remaining workers, regardless of gender, earned 28 copper coins a day, with two days off each month. If they did not take a day off, they would still be compensated for it.

Except for a few who had unavoidable matters to attend to, most did not take time off, and by the end of the month, they earned seven hundred fifty wen, which was equivalent to a strong laborer’s wage.

This directly led to women working for the Zhou family gaining a higher status at home. Their postures noticeably straightened when they spoke, and they occasionally bought cosmetics like rouge and powder.

Neither their in-laws nor their husbands or children dared to say a word against it. Even if they felt a pang in their hearts over those few coins, they had to smile and agree. If the family wanted to purchase larger or more expensive items, it was even more necessary to report and discuss it.

As for the men, unlike the men from other families who relied on just a small piece of land, they could earn money every day, which truly elevated their status. They didn’t just have authority in their own homes; even when they went out, other men instinctively lowered their heads in respect.

What did men compare themselves to? It was who could provide better food and clothing for their wives and children, and that was the most face-saving matter.

Regarding the Zhou family itself, their status had long since become incomparable. Nowadays, whenever they go out, everyone calls Zhou Jing and Shen Mo “Master.”

With so many workers hired, the family members were liberated. During the day, they only needed to manage the shop, and when they returned home, they could comfortably lie down, read comic books, or chat.

Shen Mo and Shen Lin could now read the books without any fuss. That evening, Shen Mo did not read books; instead, he was making a quilt.

Zhou Jing suddenly remembered that in just a few days, Shen Lin would be leaving. He felt no sense of reluctance; on the contrary, he almost laughed out loud.

Zhou Jing leaned closer and playfully said, “Make a double quilt for my little brother-in-law. When will you make a few for us, too? I’ve said it before, a single quilt is inconvenient; a double quilt is much more convenient.”

Shen Mo lowered his head, his cheeks suddenly turning bright red. He looked embarrassed and shyly said, “This isn’t for my little brother; it’s for the two of us.”

Zhou Jing was taken aback for a moment. “Bright red ones?”

“Yeah.” Shen Mo felt even more embarrassed, his head nearly burying itself in the quilt. “W-We don’t have wedding quilts yet. I wanted to make a few big red quilts for us with my own hands to serve as our wedding quilts.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Jing surprisingly did not do anything or say anything to make up for the little husband’s regret as he usually would.

Instead, he just laughed it off and moved on.

Shen Mo felt a bit uncomfortable in his heart, sensing that Zhou Jing no longer valued him.

However, he recalled how Zhou Jing had always entrusted him with managing the family’s finances and had never denied him anything he wanted to buy.

Zhou Jing also prepared a variety of meals for him, which made Shen Mo feel that he was just being spoiled and overly sensitive. He reassured himself, but deep down, he still felt somewhat uneasy.

Some people could not wait to step on you when you were down, but when you soared to success, they clung to you shamelessly, wanting to follow you wherever you went. Wang Fen was one of those people.

She looked at her daughter more and more, finding her as beautiful as a flower, truly deserving of the title of the village beauty.

She clicked her tongue twice and said, “I knew my daughter was lucky; she is destined to enjoy a life of comfort and be waited on, and it turns out to be true.”

Zhang Ju rolled her eyes at her mother, feeling both angry and jealous. In a sour tone, she replied, “Mother, are you daydreaming in broad daylight? I may be good-looking and recognized as the village beauty, but what use is that? My current life is still not better than that ger!”

Wang Fen dismissed her daughter’s concerns with a scoff and said, “My silly girl, don’t forget who Zhou Jing used to have feelings for.

Besides, Shen Mo, being just a ger, definitely won’t be able to give birth to a son. With the Zhou family’s large estate, they need a son to inherit it, so it’s only a matter of time before Zhou Jing remarries.

Don’t forget how poor Zhou Jing was back then; you just had to wiggle your fingers and smile, and a chubby little turtle would come right over to you. All you have to do now is wiggle your fingers, and Zhou Jing will be so smitten that he’ll carry you right through the door to enjoy a life of luxury.”

Zhang Ju’s eyes flickered, clearly showing that she was tempted.

At 18 years old, she was considered a late bloomer in the village, but the reason she had waited so long to marry was that she had high aspirations and did not want to marry a rustic man from the village.

Every day, she was stuck turning around the stove, calculating the costs of firewood, rice, oil, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea down to the last penny. Each year, she had to help her family with farming, working herself to the bone for very little reward, resulting in a life that was both rough and dirty.

Her mother had always told her how beautiful she was, and the village boys her age treated her like a treasure. Even when they played house, they scrambled to have her take on the role of the wife. They would often save their favorite treats and secretly share them with her. At that time, she understood the tangible benefits that beauty could bring her.

Because of all these experiences, she understood from a young age that her appearance was exceptional. She believed that the man she would marry in the future would certainly be a wealthy gentleman.

Every day, all she wanted to do was dress beautifully, stroll around, and buy any clothes she liked without considering the price. She envisioned purchasing any cosmetics that suited her complexion as well.

She dreamed of living a life where everything was handed to her, being attended to by family members and servants—that kind of life.

Although Zhou Jing fell far short of her ideal vision of a wealthy gentleman—after all, she imagined a scholar well-versed in literature, while Zhou Jing was at most someone who could write a few characters—he was currently the closest to her goal.

She felt that with the Zhou family’s financial resources, hiring a few servants to cater to her should be no problem, and she could manage to flirt with him.

Zhang Ju meticulously shaped her eyebrows, applied powder, and wore her favorite white dress.

She considered herself as beautiful as a fairy descending to earth and walked gracefully as if stepping on lotus flowers.

A few knocks echoed, and the Zhou family’s front door was opened from the inside. Zhang Ju smiled gently.

“Brother Jing, I came to see you… ah!…”

—o—o—o—

Shen Mo sat in the shop, listlessly resting his head on the counter. The substantial sales recorded in the ledger spread out on the counter failed to capture his attention.

Shen Lin noticed his unusual demeanor and asked with concern, “Eldest brother, what’s wrong? You seem distracted. You don’t even want to look at the ledger anymore. Usually, you would hold onto it and count it over and over.”

Shen Mo lifted his eyelids and glanced at him, looking listless.

“I don’t know what your brother has been busy with lately, acting mysteriously behind my back and not coming to the shop at all.”

Shen Lin replied, “He has been a bit strange recently.”

Although Zhou Jing had been acting very oddly during this time, often locking himself in his room, engaging in some peculiar activities, and hanging damp cloths in the yard at night—only to take them back during the day and not let anyone see them—Shen Mo didn’t think much of it.

He hadn’t wanted to enter the village at night, only to find that the atmosphere felt off. Several gossipy women and idle men had gathered together, and upon spotting the Zhou family’s carriage from a distance, they covered their mouths and laughed. Their laughter was not friendly; it was the laughter of someone taking pleasure in another’s misfortune.

Shen Mo frowned and said, “Could it be that something happened at home?”

Wang Ren thought for a moment and replied, “Your brother has been at home these past few days, so it shouldn’t be anything serious. It’s likely that someone is just looking for trouble and trying to stir things up.”

Among this group was Shen Wen, who was Wang Baichuan’s Mother.

He was a ger himself but looked down on others like him, believing that gers could not bear male children.

He thought that being able to produce a son was special and a mark of good fortune.

In the past, he had disdained the Shen brothers simply for their gender, but now his disdain stemmed from the fact that they seemed to be living better than he was, even outshining him, a ger who could produce male heirs.

Today, he finally found an opportunity for revenge and nearly couldn’t contain himself as he shouted, “If you ask me, this man doesn’t like gers at all. What man isn’t afraid of his lineage dying out? No matter how much he doted on him in the past, it all amounts to nothing. Look at this—once Zhang Ju took action, Zhou Jing obediently pulled out five silver coins. I think it won’t be long before that new wife is brought into the family.”

Shen Mo’s face darkened instantly. That remark had struck his most sensitive nerve.

In a fit of rage, he snatched the whip from Wang Ren’s hand and lashed it hard at the ox. The startled ox charged forward, bellowing wildly.

Shen Wen, terrified, scrambled away, barely avoiding the ox’s hooves. He collapsed by the roadside, his legs weak, still in shock. “Has that ger gone mad?”

Though Shen Mo rationally trusted Zhou Jing, his emotions ran wild, and his thoughts spiraled out of control. His hand whipped faster and faster, kicking up clouds of dust.

Before the ox cart could stabilize, Shen Mo jumped down and rushed into the courtyard. Upon seeing Zhou Jing, he furiously questioned, “You gave Zhang Ju money—five silver coins! Why did you do that?”

Zhou Jing looked at Shen Mo with a hint of guilt and replied quietly, “I had no choice.”

Zhou Jing’s attitude made Shen Mo feel a pang of sadness.

He misunderstood Zhou Jing’s intentions and began to believe the village gossip, thinking that Zhou Jing had indeed given Zhang Ju five silver coins as a betrothal gift.

After all, “Zhou Jing” had been exceptionally infatuated with Zhang Ju in the past…

Shen Mo bit his lip, unsure how he could manage to speak calmly to Zhou Jing.

He heard himself ask, each word said with caution: “Why couldn’t you refuse?”

Zhou Jing covered his face, looking quite aggrieved, resembling a bashful young wife before her new husband.

“Because I punched her,” he replied.

“What? You punched Zhang Ju?”

“You punched Zhang Ju?”

“You actually punched a young girl?”

The three repeated questions came together, all filled with doubt about Zhou Jing. He felt overwhelmed by their scrutiny and couldn’t lift his head.

“I-I didn’t mean to. I was just minding my own business working in the yard when I heard someone knocking at the door, so I went out to open it.

Damn it, who would have thought that standing outside was a wild-haired female ghost with a face as pale as a ghost, her cheeks were red, and a gaping mouth? She was dressed all in white. As soon as I opened the door, she grinned at me with that bloody mouth, and I thought it was Madam Zhou coming to confront me in broad daylight, so I panicked and threw a punch! Then… then I ended up paying five silver coins.”

Shen Mo: “……”

Shen Lin: “Hehe (speechless)……”

Wang Ren: “‘Pfft’ (couldn’t hold back the laughter), hahahahaha……”

Zhou Jing was truly feeling wronged.

He had been minding his own business, hiding at home without bothering anyone, so why did she have to pretend to be a female ghost to scare him?

Now, everyone was pointing at him, laughing at how cowardly he was.

No one knew who had spread the word, but by the next day, the entire Wangjia Village had heard the story.

It turned out that the five silver coins Zhang Ju took from the Zhou family were not a betrothal gift at all.

Instead, it was compensation for medical expenses after Zhang Ju failed to seduce Zhou Jin and was mistaken for a female ghost and was punched for that exact reason.

Now, Zhang Ju had become the laughingstock of the whole village and was hiding indoors, too embarrassed to come out.

—o—o—o—

Lucia: T____T

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Schedule of Updates: 2 Chapters every Wednesday

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