After sending off Manager Shen, Chen Yuping rolled up his sleeves and started preparing dinner.

Dad Chen sat under the eaves with Cao ger, thinking of going into the kitchen to help with the fire. However, his third son wouldn’t let him, worried about the smoke bothering Cao ger.

“Shouldn’t you ask your father to make some tofu? We’ll also need to buy a few more big jars, right?”

“No rush for the next couple of days. We can get busy after the autumn harvest.” In October, during the golden autumn, there was a lot going on in the fields. Chen Yuping thought that the fermented tofu wouldn’t sell much at the stall,  and they still had a few jars made earlier to last them ten to fifteen days.

“Once we get busy, it will take over ten days. Will it really not delay anything?”

Chen Yuping confidently replied, “It won’t. We still have a few big jars from before, we can manage.”

After stewing half a pumpkin, the sweet and tender texture was delicious. They also had lotus root stew with ribs and stir-fried beans with meat slices.

They enjoyed some red fermented tofu and a half bowl of spicy chicken. The chicken was fried to a golden crisp, and the bones were crunchy and flavorful, enhanced by the peanuts and sesame inside, making it a perfect match with rice. At home, they didn’t mind using good ingredients, and the food was incredibly delicious. But selling it at the stall wouldn’t work due to high costs and low profits.

“This year’s pumpkins are really good—sweet and glutinous. We should save some seeds.” Seeing that his third son liked them, Dad Chen reminded his husband.

Father Chen nodded, “Next year, we’ll plant a couple more vines. The seeds we saved last year weren’t as good, these are from the eldest.”

“You should drink some soup and not just eat spicy chicken.” Chen Yuping said to his youngest brother, exasperated. “Next time, I’ll add more chili.”

“What can I do?” Chen Yuanqiu replied helplessly. “Third Brother cooks so well! The chicken gets more fragrant the more you chew, I can’t stop!” He couldn’t control his hands and decided to just enjoy the delicious food.

Dad Chen served his youngest son a bowl of lotus root and rib soup, saying, “You should eat less, your mouth is getting sore.”

“We’ll make mung bean porridge for breakfast.”

As dusk fell, a gentle breeze brought coolness. During this rare break in the busy farming season, the family sat outside, enjoying the cool air and chatting.

Chen Yuping talked about his dealings with Shen’s restaurant, then asked, “Is it really going to take about a hundred taels to build a three-hall courtyard? Eighty taels might not be enough.”

“It depends on what kind of building you want. If you want something decent, it’ll probably be over a hundred. I remember the village head’s courtyard cost nearly one hundred sixty taels, and they put a lot of effort into it. It’s quite impressive even among the neighboring villages.”

Father Chen continued his wife’s thought: “And that’s not all. You’ll need to add tables, chairs, wardrobes, beds, and so on. These furniture costs can’t be cut, plus all the daily necessities—everything adds up. Two hundred is a benchmark. The more you want to improve the house, the more money it costs.”

“The village head’s courtyard is large, accommodating nearly twenty people. Third Brother doesn’t need to go through all that trouble to build a courtyard, right?” Chen Yuanqiu mumbled. “Two main rooms and two side rooms would be enough.”

Father Chen nodded, “That’s true, but it would still take about a hundred taels.”

“I thought I earned a good sum, a full eighty taels!” Chen Yuping sighed. “I didn’t expect I couldn’t even build a decent courtyard.”

“Be content. Many people in our village can’t earn that much in a lifetime,” Father Chen reminded his third son. “You need to manage that money carefully.” This boy had a tendency to spend freely. Once he had some money, he would want to buy everything in town.

“Right, listen to your father. Find a secure place to hide it and be careful of mice and insects. We have enough for daily expenses without touching this money.”

Chen Yuanqiu laughed heartily, “I remember last year in the village, there was a case where a son and daughter-in-law didn’t trust their parents and insisted on converting their money into silver notes to keep on them. They lost it without knowing when, and when they reached for it, it was gone. They panicked then. Silver notes aren’t practical, real silver has a solid feel. Third Brother, if you hide silver, don’t turn it into notes. Notes are just light paper, they don’t feel like money at all.”

“The eighty taels from Manager Shen are in silver notes, which I can exchange at Shen’s bank later,” Chen Yuping said, surprised, shaking his head firmly. “Hide it? I’m not that foolish. If I earn money, I should spend it wisely. I need to find a way to make this money work for me, so next year, I can easily build a spacious and comfortable sanhe courtyard.”

He spoke proudly, and Dad Chen looked at him, suspicious. “What do you plan to do?” He watched him closely, as if he was up to something.

“I plan to use it for business. Am I going to waste it?”

“Who knows?” Given his son’s tendency to spend lavishly, Dad Chen didn’t quite believe him.

Chen Yuping defended himself, “Dad, do I look like someone who can’t manage money?” He thought of himself as reliable and stable, with complete confidence.

Father Chen took a sip of strong tea. “What business do you want to start?”

“I’ll look at the shops in town and buy one if I find a suitable one. I have skills, opening a food stall will guarantee I won’t lose.”

Chen Yuanqiu looked at him like a devoted fan. “You’ll definitely make a huge profit!” He said with firm confidence, “Third Brother, this can work!”

At that moment, Chen Yuping saw a radiant glow in his younger brother’s eyes, startling him so much that he shivered and quickly rubbed his arms.

“This idea isn’t bad.” Father Chen agreed, “We can ask relatives and friends to keep an eye out for good shops to buy. If we decide to stop doing business later, we can rent it out, and we won’t lose anything.”

Dad Chen added, “If you open a food stall in town, you’ll need extra help, right? Otherwise, we won’t manage.” They had fields to tend, Cao ger to look after, and the stall’s business couldn’t be neglected, not to mention all the chores at home.

“This isn’t urgent. Let’s first see if anyone wants to sell a shop. Once we buy it, finding help won’t be a problem.”

Chen Yuping agreed with Father Chen’s view.

“That’s true, buying a shop is like buying an ox, it requires luck.” Father Chen laughed cheerfully. “We were lucky with the ox we bought, so hopefully, this time, Ping Ger can find a good shop too.”

Hearing that his younger brother wanted to buy a shop in town for around eighty or ninety taels, Liu Guixiang, having not returned to her parents’ home for a while, took her daughter, Qiaoniu, and had her husband drive them to town to visit her parents, eat lunch, and casually mention the shop situation.

By coincidence, they found out there was indeed a shop for sale.

Seeing the news, Liu Guixiang hurriedly rented an ox cart, taking Qiaoniu back to Kuzhu Village in a rush.

They didn’t even enter their own house, heading straight to the old house.

“Dad, Third Brother.”

“Back already?” Dad Chen came out of the kitchen, smiling as he took his granddaughter.

Chen Yuping smiled, “Second sister-in-law.”

“There’s a shop for sale at the end of South Street. It’s not large, not in a prominent location, but the price is reasonable—just seventy-five taels,” Liu Guixiang shared the information she had. “It used to be a steamed bun shop, doing just okay. The old couple from the Li family, now aged, want to move to the countryside for a quieter life.”

“Is it Li’s Steamed Bun Shop?” Dad Chen had some recollection. “I’ve eaten there once. The meat buns had a strong flavor of scallions and ginger. Two buns for three coins was cheap, but the taste wasn’t great. This shop has been around for a while, hasn’t it?”

Liu Guixiang chuckled, “Yes, Dad knows. It’s this shop. It had some business due to its affordable prices, but since another bun shop opened on South Street last year with better taste and the same prices, their business has been declining. It’s a tiny place, maybe just half the size of our kitchen, and it’s cramped.”

“If Ping Ger is interested, we can go take a look,” she suggested.

“It may be small, the old couple from the Li family can barely turn around in there,” Chen Yuping remarked, feeling tempted. “Shall we head into town to have a look?”

“I’ll go get the ox cart,” Dad Chen said, heading to the back.

Having an ox cart at home was convenient. They had bought a strong young ox for seventy taels, and the more they used it, the more they felt it was worth it.

The three adults, along with the two toddlers, drove the ox cart to town.

The shop was indeed small, two people standing inside would struggle to move around.

Chen Yuping examined it closely. Although it was up for sale, it hadn’t been tidied up and was still cluttered with bun-making supplies, making it feel cramped.

If he bought this shop and wanted to start a food business, he needed to carefully consider how to renovate and set it up. He needed to sort through his thoughts to determine if this shop was worth purchasing.

Seeing his son in deep thought, Dad Chen didn’t interrupt but engaged kindly with the elderly Li couple.

The couple was very warm and friendly, especially Old Mrs. Li, who was quite chatty and savvy as a businessperson.

After a while, Chen Yuping spoke up, “Seventy taels. If you agree, we can go to the office now to sign the contract and make the payment.”

“Son, you’re offering five taels less right away! That’s like asking for our lives. The shop didn’t have a set price, it’s only seventy-five taels…” Old Mrs. Li exclaimed, waving her hands.

“If you’re not willing, forget it,” Chen Yuping replied impatiently, turning to leave. Seventy taels still left room for negotiation, and if he encountered someone stubborn, he could possibly bring the price down a bit.

The shop was too small and in a bad location. Without real skill, no one would dare take it over.

“Wait, wait! Why is this young man so impatient?” Old Mrs. Li exclaimed, slapping her thigh. “Let’s talk this through, come on, let’s sit down and discuss this. Son, let me tell you…”

Chen Yuping interrupted her coldly, “Just seventy taels.”

The elderly couple was taken aback by his cool demeanor and exchanged glances. After whispering to each other for a moment, Old Mrs. Li finally gritted her teeth and said, “Alright, seventy it is. Young man…” and then she started talking again.

Purchasing the shop for seventy taels was a small matter in itself, and while the location wasn’t ideal, Chen Yuping was still very happy. “Dad, I’ve already figured out what food business I want to start with this shop.”

“As long as you have a plan, that’s fine.” Spending seventy taels was a significant deal, and Dad Chen had never been so extravagant in his life. It felt almost like a dream, and he needed to steady his mind.

Seventy taels disappeared in the blink of an eye.