Chapter 10: Making Plans

Wang had already gone to her room to rest early. Xu Nuo leaned against Shangguan Yi’s embrace, just as Shangguan wanted to quickly fall asleep, Xu Nuo suddenly sat up excitedly. “Use that clever brain of yours to help me analyze how much stuff I need to prepare for my next stall!”

Shangguan noticed that his wife was really excited about making money and had discovered the fun of setting up a stall. He initially thought it would be just a one-time play for her, but it looked like she was serious about it. Given the current momentum, it seemed likely that this stall would remain open for quite a while. Shangguan was already considering whether it was necessary to ask for a long leave from his tutor to help his wife with the stall, but he thought getting approval from those old-fashioned folks at the academy would be quite difficult!

Xu Nuo also knew it was late; however, she was too excited about the thrill of making money. She had finally experienced the joy described in novels about bringing modern wisdom to ancient times to achieve wealth, and this feeling was truly exhilarating.

After a night of sweet dreams, Xu Nuo woke up to find Shangguan still lying in bed, which was rare. She quickly dressed and got out of bed. Shangguan was nestled under a blanket, lying in bed, and seeing Xu Nuo’s anxious manner, he almost thought she was about to pick a fight.

Unlike other women’s hair ornaments, Xu Nuo found this process to be incredibly tedious. More importantly, her hands were clumsy, so rather than waste time on complicated hairstyles, she preferred to tie her hair up in a high ponytail with a simple ribbon, which was efficient and refreshing.

Shangguan observed Xu Nuo, who had her hair in a high ponytail and was wearing a blue dress. She radiated a lively spirit while also carrying a gentle cuteness. Her nimble movements revealed a hint of gracefulness.

Xu Nuo looked into the mirror and felt very satisfied; she looked much more pleasing this way. However, as she tugged at the hem of her skirt, she felt it was cumbersome. She wished she could change into pants instead! Unintentionally, her gaze turned to Shangguan’s clothes, and her mind began to consider which day she could borrow a set to wear.

When Xu Nuo and Shangguan stepped out of the door into the courtyard, they saw that the yard had been tidied up, and the chimneys of nearby houses in the village were already starting to emit smoke.

Xu Nuo had been in the ancient era for a week now, and apart from missing her mobile phone and the inconvenience of transportation, she had not felt any discomfort. On the contrary, she was growing fonder of this place, especially this little courtyard. Not far from the front of the courtyard flowed a river, and behind it were tall mountains. Being by the mountains and the water made it a great place; the air was fresh, and the local customs were simple. How could one not love it? It was far better than the lodging conditions back in her time.

After washing up, Xu Nuo rushed to the kitchen to get busy. She prepared the leftover diced meat from last time, chopped the vegetables, and took out some pickled diced radish that Wang had made earlier. With some time on her hands, she wanted to treat everyone to a good meal, as they had all been working hard these past few days.

Before long, a fragrant aroma wafted through the kitchen. “What is this?” Shangguan walked into the kitchen holding a wooden bucket and discovered that Xu Nuo was cooking something new again.

“This is vegetable and lean meat porridge; it would be perfect if there were century eggs!” Xu Nuo had already begun to long for the taste of the porridge with century eggs and lean meat. However, that was fine; she would look for opportunities to see if she could make century eggs in the future.

Shangguan was accustomed to Xu Nuo occasionally coming up with new terms and did not proactively ask questions. He knew that when she was ready to speak, she would naturally do so; everyone had their secrets, and he understood this well.

“You’re here! Quickly bring the porridge to the gazebo and call your mother to eat with us.” Xu Nuo’s favorite spot was the gazebo in the corner of the yard. It was said that the master of the courtyard had been a nouveau riche who, after becoming wealthy, renovated the old family house and built the gazebo for his retirement, but he didn’t know how it ended up being sold.

Sipping the porridge with just the right amount of saltiness and looking at the fruits and vegetables around the yard, Xu Nuo turned to Shangguan with shining eyes and said, “How about I set up a shop at your academy’s entrance? Wouldn’t that stabilize things?”

Shangguan nearly choked on a mouthful of porridge and had to suppress the urge to spew it out. Wiping his mouth with a handkerchief and calming himself down, he replied, “But the area around your academy is all trees; where would you get space for a shop?”

“Besides, you can’t get fat from just one meal. Even if there’s a shop, what will we use to rent it? The two taels of silver we earned yesterday?” Shangguan couldn’t help but slip into his sarcastic mode.

Xu Nuo’s enthusiasm was instantly doused with a bucket of cold water, and she slumped weakly onto the table. “So, what should we do next?” To be honest, Xu Nuo wasn’t a very forward-thinking person and had never engaged in planning. She usually did things on a whim. So, she was more suited to being a doer, just following directions. If left to plan on her own, it could end badly, possibly even leading to disaster. Right now, all the hope of the village rested solely on Shangguan’s shoulders.

Shangguan realized that if his little wife were a man, she would probably be just like Zhang Yan, another reckless character. Regardless, she was his wife, and he could only pamper her! He went to their room, took out ink, brush, paper, and an inkstone, and spread out the paper on the table to note down the relevant items and materials needed for the stall.

The most important part of setting up a stall was the menu. Xu Nuo had many snack ideas in her head, but it was clear that she couldn’t execute them all at once. It was better to take it slow and steady. They decided on three items first: cold dishes, braised meats, and lemon soda. Once business stabilized, they could gradually roll out more dishes. This would help secure customers and expand their business.

Next was the issue of ingredients. If they were to run this business long-term, relying solely on the vegetables from their garden wouldn’t be enough. Considering the quantity, it would only last for a couple more stalls. They also needed a reliable and stable source for ingredients, which meant they had to spend the afternoon scouting and comparing prices before negotiating costs.

Lastly, regarding food transportation, if it was just Wang and Xu Nuo pulling a cart every day, they would surely wear themselves out in no time. Shangguan was also troubled by this and found himself momentarily stuck in a dilemma.

“Elder brother, your little brother is here!” A clear and bright voice broke the stalemate. Zhang Yan, in search of a meal, had skipped class and sneaked out, this time not bringing his usual companion. Instead, he had rented a cart and rushed over.

Zhang Yan for a moment doubted if he had arrived at the right place; something felt off, as everyone was unresponsive. Did they not see him? Unwilling to accept this, he waved his hand vigorously in front of Xu Nuo and Shangguan.

Shangguan, already stressed, did not expect a foolish character to show up. He impatiently pushed Zhang Yan’s hand away, “Go away, wherever you came from, go back there. I don’t have time to play with you today.”

Hearing Shangguan’s tone, Zhang Yan sighed in relief. “Thank goodness, this feels right.”

“Wait, what’s going on with you all? If you’re in a bind, I might be able to help,” Zhang Yan offered.

Shangguan gave him a dubious look, “Just you?”

Zhang Yan put his hands on his hips, visibly defensive. “What? You don’t believe me? Even if I can’t do it, I still have my dad!”

Xu Nuo had initially held onto a shred of hope, but upon hearing his words, she lost her enthusiasm again. “You’d be better off where you are!”

At first, Zhang Yan was puzzled about what was happening, but after listening, he slapped his thigh with his left hand. “Oh, this is easy! I thought you were all worried about something serious! Why are you all frowning like that?”