Chapter 9: Making a Fortune Isn’t a Dream

“No, who are you? Didn’t you see us in line?” After waiting a long time, finally reached the front of the line, only to be cut off by Zhang Yan. How could he not be angry?

Before Zhang Yan could respond, the people behind in line began to chime in: “Exactly, exactly. Even a scholar should know better than to cut in line.”

“These scholars, they don’t even know how to study. They’re not half as good as us gruff types!”

Many students flushed red with shame, lowering their heads.

Zhang Yan listened to these people in line, his mind reeling. So, these guys are starting to attack me now?

In the academy, Zhang Yan couldn’t act boisterous, his father was watching, the teachers were watching, and he wasn’t bold enough. But outside, he wasn’t someone to be trifled with. He wasn’t a bully, but he wasn’t a pushover either.

“What did you say? In line?” Zhang Yan laughed outright. “I apologize. As for lining up, our academy people are definitely ahead of you.”

He turned to his fellow students. “After all, we placed our orders two days ago. You guys weren’t even around then, were you?”

Hearing Zhang Yan’s words, the students’ chests puffed out. Right! If it comes down to lining up, we’re first! They marched confidently towards the stall.

Xu Nuo hadn’t noticed that Zhang Yan had a talent for argument, a true scholar, a man who knew how to pick at the fine points of the law.

Shàngguān saw Zhang Yan and his group stirring up trouble and couldn’t help but smile wryly. He didn’t know how it happened, but he had a lot of lively people around him.

Shàngguān walked to Xu Nuo’s side and asked softly, “Is there still enough in the tubs?”

Xu Nuo hadn’t expected that her casual announcement would attract so many people. She wasn’t sure herself, so she covered the chilled vegetable tub and took it to Wang Shi, then called out loudly, “Quiet! Quiet! Everyone, please be quiet and listen to me!”

Once everyone was quiet, Xu Nuo touched her chest and began to speak: “Today is the grand opening of our shop, and we appreciate everyone’s patronage. However, we weren’t quite prepared today and disappointed some of you.”

“The academy students are right. They pre-ordered their cold dishes two days ago, so those are unavailable for sale today!”

Xu Nuo’s words hadn’t even finished when the crowd began to stir. “So, we waited all this time for nothing?”

“However, we can’t let you down. Today, the prices for the preserved meats are 5% lower than usual, and if you buy two portions of preserved meats, we’ll give you a free pitcher of lemonade. What do you think?” Xu Nuo smiled, but her heart was aching. This is all our money. But she knew that giving and getting were two sides of the same coin.

Hearing this, the people in line nodded, finding this acceptable. The students agreed as well.

So, two long lines formed in front of the “Shaped Little Food Stall.” Shàngguān took over Xu Nuo’s position to pack the preserved meats, Wang Shi served the cold dishes to the academy students, and Xu Nuo was busy filling water and taking money. Everyone worked efficiently.

But people buying the preserved meats kept glancing at the cold dish tubs, and those eating the cold dishes kept looking at the preserved meats.

Many students wanted to buy preserved meats, but due to Xu Nuo’s rules, they couldn’t have both. Their hunger was rising.

Finally, a student couldn’t help but ask, “Brother Shàngguān, when will there be more preserved meats, and can we pre-order them?”

“Yes, I want to pre-order!”

“Me too!”

“Me too!”

Even those lined up for the preserved meats started thinking about pre-ordering cold dishes. Xu Nuo couldn’t help but smile. As for Zhang Yan, where did he disappear to? He was busy stuffing himself with food. After all, “Eat without speaking, sleep without speaking.” Zhang Yan was enjoying his meal and had no time for anything else.

Though Zhang Yan was a gourmand, he was also perceptive. He knew that Xu Nuo’s stall was so popular today, partly because her food was attractive, and partly because of her excellent business strategy. Watching Xu Nuo’s busy and orderly figure, he couldn’t help but admire her.

In a blink of an eye, the noon rush was over. When the vegetable tubs were empty, and the street traffic thinned, Xu Nuo and Wang Shi finally had time to sit down and catch their breath.

Xu Nuo and Wang Shi looked at the money in the container, and smiles bloomed on their faces. Wang Shi hadn’t made this much money in a long time. Although they were exhausted, their harvest was plentiful.

Shàngguān walked over, seeing Xu Nuo’s satisfied look, and felt a great sense of joy.

In this way, the Shaped Little Food Stall achieved unprecedented success on its first day. Those who missed the line kept asking when it would reopen, and many expressed their desire to return for more.

The Shaped Little Food Stall’s reputation quickly spread through the academy. Students eagerly recommended it to their classmates, and curious passersby were asking about it. In a short time, the Shaped Little Food Stall became a hot topic of discussion inside and outside the academy.

The three of them packed up the items on the cart and went to the dining hall with the students. Xu Nuo’s portion was on the table, and everyone ate their food while Shàngguān served the rice.

While serving rice, the head chef in the dining hall teased Shàngguān, saying how lucky he was to have such a capable wife who could cook so well and suggesting she join the kitchen. Shàngguān smiled warmly and politely declined the offer, knowing Xu Nuo’s nature: she was gentle and effective on the outside, but quick and decisive in action. She wouldn’t tolerate restrictions.

Today’s grand opening was a huge success, and the three of them were enjoying their meal. Suddenly, a voice, grating and unpleasant, echoed through the air.

“Oh! Isn’t this the renowned young master Shàngguān? A man of integrity, yet he demeans himself with such vulgar acts! It’s truly disheartening!”

Xu Nuo and Wang Shi looked up. A man, richly dressed, plump, and with a face full of scowls, stood before them, sneering at Shàngguān.

Xu Nuo recognized him – the county magistrate’s son, the one she had verbally sparred with in the dining hall. He’d apparently not learned his lesson. It seemed he was everywhere!

Upon seeing Prince Jie, Shàngguān ‘s expression remained unchanged. He merely gave him a brief, dismissive glance, then continued eating.

Prince Jie, seeing Shàngguān ‘s reaction, was no doubt disappointed, but he was not one to give up easily. He strode closer to Shàngguān, a smug expression on his face. “Brother Shàngguān, I hear you’ve set up a stall selling preserved meats outside today? Quite the spectacle! But I must point out that our academy has its rules. Students should prioritize their studies, not engage in these low-level activities.”

Shàngguān looked at Prince Jie, a flicker of coldness in his eyes. He put down his chopsticks and spoke calmly, “Prince Jie, I think you might be mistaken. I haven’t violated any academy rules. Selling preserved meats is my own choice. I believe there’s nothing wrong with earning a living through hard work.”

Prince Jie seemed to stiffen at Shàngguān ‘s words. His eyes widened. “What kind of attitude is this? Don’t you know your station in life? You are a student of the academy, destined for greatness, how can you stoop to such lowly acts?”

Disdain flickered in Shàngguān ‘s eyes as he stared at Prince Jie. He rose, his voice cold. “Prince Jie, perhaps you’ve forgotten. I may be a student of this academy, but I am also a person. I have the right to choose what I want to do. As for what you consider ‘lowly acts,’ I believe every person’s labor deserves respect. We all earn our wages through our own hands, no one is inherently ‘lowly.’ If you have no further business, please leave and do not disrupt our meal.”

Prince Jie’s face turned crimson with anger. He pointed a finger at Shàngguān, shouting, “You… you’re completely lawless! Who do you think you are to speak to me like this! Just wait, I’ll tell the master, and he’ll teach you a lesson!” He turned and stormed off.

Xu Nuo and Wang Shi watched Prince Jie’s retreating back, their faces a mix of concern for Shàngguān. They knew Prince Jie had considerable influence within the academy, and with his father being the county magistrate, if he truly lodged a complaint, it wouldn’t result in punishment for Shàngguān, but his life in the academy would be difficult.

However, Shàngguān showed no signs of worry. He calmly sat back down, picking up his chopsticks as if nothing had happened. “Don’t worry, I’ll handle it.”

Xu Nuo and Wang Shi were still a little worried but said nothing further. They knew Shàngguān was intelligent and independent, with his own thoughts and principles. So, the three continued their meal, as if nothing had happened.

And in Xu Nuo’s mind, this was a great male lead from a novel. If even such a thing couldn’t be resolved, then in the future, in the court facing those wolves and tigers, would he not be devoured completely? So, she didn’t take it to heart and quietly continued to eat.

After a short rest, Shàngguān bid farewell to the master and took Xu Nuo and Wang Shi home. Wang Shi urged Shàngguān to stay in the academy, while she and Xu Nuo would return. After all, they’d missed two days of classes, and the exams were coming up, and they couldn’t afford to waste any study time. But Shàngguān insisted that he already grasped all the master’s teachings, and that a few days off would not hinder him. So, Wang Shi eventually agreed.

They arrived home as dusk fell. Xu Nuo impatiently dumped the day’s earnings onto the table.

“Wow! Money! Mother, we made so much money today! So much money!” Xu Nuo jumped up from her chair in delight. Wang Shi and Shàngguān couldn’t help but smile.

Wang Shi approached the table, her eyes shining at the sight of the cash. She gently stroked Xu Nuo’s head, “NoNo, this is all your hard work. If your preserved meats weren’t so delicious, we wouldn’t have earned so much today.”

Xu Nuo shook her head, “No, Mother, this is our combined labor. Without you and my husband helping me, I couldn’t have succeeded.”

Wang Shi was touched, her hands tightening around Xu Nuo’s, tears welling in her eyes.

Shàngguān was also deeply moved, but he didn’t show it outwardly. He was even more determined—this was his wife, the person he would protect throughout his life. He would always bring her and his mother wherever he went.

“Hey, you little money-grubber, let’s count how much you made today!” Shàngguān joked.

“Right, right! Now, let’s reveal our daily profit!” Xu Nuo pulled Wang Shi over to count the money.

Unbeknownst to them, despite each bowl costing only ten cash, their combined earnings totaled two thousand cash—equivalent to two taels of silver.

In modern times, Xu Nuo would have scoffed at this small amount, as dramas often showcased sums in the tens or hundreds of taels of silver, or even thousands of golds. But here, she realized the value of ancient currency. Two taels of silver represented two- or three-months’ wages for an ordinary working family.

Knowing the large crowds today, Shàngguān had anticipated a good profit, but he hadn’t expected it to be this significant. Almost all the income was pure profit, as the pork scraps and vegetables used in the preserved meats were largely sourced from their own farm.

“Mother! Let’s keep going! We’ll prepare the ingredients tomorrow, and we’ll sell again the day after tomorrow! This is a sure-fire business!” Xu Nuo was already envisioning days of counting money. Of course, this all came true, but that’s a story for later.

Wang Shi was also eager to continue this venture, realizing that this was substantial money. They needed to save as much as possible for future expenses, and particularly for Shàngguān’s future studies. But she was also concerned about the incident at the academy, given the current social devaluation of merchants. If Shàngguān followed a path toward the civil service, would their small business be a disadvantage?

“Child…” Wang Shi gazed at Shàngguān, hesitant, unsure of how to express her concerns.

Knowing people as he did, Shàngguān understood his mother’s hesitation. His mother, though from a humble background, still possessed the dignity and spirit of a scholar’s daughter. Looking at her, he saw the inherent concerns of a family facing uncertain times.

“Mother, I understand your worries. I don’t see anything wrong with running a business.”

Wang Shi was moved and relieved by Shàngguān ‘s words.

Xu Nuo, grasping both Wang Shi and Shàngguān ‘s hands, laughed happily, “From now on, our lives will get better and better! We’ll enjoy a life of great wealth, my husband will be influential in the court, and I’ll grow this business!”

“Great wealth, influential in the court, huh? You’re quite ambitious for such a young girl! Mother, I don’t crave great riches, only for our family to be peaceful and prosperous!” Wang Shi was looking forward to the future.

But who knew how many years would pass before that casual conversation under the lamplight would become a reality.