Chapter 32 (Good Luck with the Opening)

At the braised food shop, the excitement continued, and Yan Qiushu was watching eagerly.

She wasn’t tall enough, so she could only see the lion dance occasionally.

Following the proprietress’s suggestion, she climbed onto a chair to get a better view. Finally, she saw some of the performance, but it made all three children restless.

Shen Pingyu, feeling more comfortable, started standing on tiptoe to see better.

In the end, Yan Qiushu paid the boss, his wife, and a strong young man to lift the three children so they could see.

The young boy felt embarrassed but didn’t complain. When he saw the juggling in the crowd, his eyes lit up.

The juggling and lion dancing went on for half an hour.

After it ended, the shop officially opened.

As soon as the three children were put down, Yan Qiushu heard loud voices nearby: “Give me two pounds!”

“I want three pounds!”

“I want one pound too!”

“Five pounds, five pounds…”

The lady boss, used to saving money, said, “Why does it seem like they don’t care about spending?”

“Isn’t it?!” The boss agreed, but after smelling the stew, he felt envious and said, “Let’s buy some, too. Our son needs to study better. This stew is cheap and on discount today…”

As soon as the store announced free tastings, everyone rushed to try it. The taste was great, and there was no unpleasant smell of pig offal. It felt just like buying fresh pig offal.

Yan Qiushu encouraged, “Yes, take advantage of the discount today!”

The proprietress seemed interested but didn’t say anything.

Just when the boss was about to give up, his wife reluctantly agreed: “Buy it—five kilograms! You can save it for the New Year.”

“Okay!” The boss happily squeezed into the line. “I want five kilograms!”

More people joined the line, although many bought and left.

Because business was booming, someone came out to help maintain order.

A peddler carrying goods on his shoulder was passing by when he caught a whiff of the delicious smell and stopped.

Curious about the crowd, he asked a young man, “What are they selling? Why are there so many people?”

The young man laughed and said, “It’s braised pig offal.”

“Really? Can pig offal be that tasty?” The peddler was skeptical. “I’ve had plenty of pig offal, and the taste…”

The young man clicked his tongue, “If you don’t believe me, that’s fine. But the boss makes it really delicious, and it’s cheap—only ten cents a pound! Today is the opening day with an 80% discount! Hurry and buy it, or the price will go back up, and you’ll miss out.”

Saying this, he dove back into the crowd. “Boss, I want three pounds!!!”

The peddler, unsure whether to leave, couldn’t resist the tempting smell. If it truly was pig offal for only eight cents a pound, he decided to buy some for his son. It wouldn’t spoil in winter, and even if it wasn’t great, it could still be saved for the New Year.

He rushed to the tofu pudding stall and asked the proprietress, “Please watch this for me. I’ll be right back.”

“Sure, just come back for it later,” she replied kindly.

The peddler smiled and hurried back into the crowd. “Give me a pound!”

Dongdong, seeing the peddler, couldn’t help but laugh. He exchanged amused glances with his siblings, making Wan’er giggle, while Shen Pingyu held back a smile.

When the peddler returned with a big bag, the boss lady asked, surprised, “How much did you buy?”

“Three pounds! It was so cheap, and it’s delicious!” he exclaimed, looking thrilled.

“Puchi!” Shen Pingyu burst into laughter.

Dongdong counted on his fingers and asked, “Sister Shu, if pig offal sells for seven or eight cents, how can we make money selling it here?”

“Of course we make money,” Yan Qiushu explained with a smile. “It’s eight cents for a pound, but what if we buy ten or a hundred pounds? The more you buy, the cheaper it gets. Your aunt said they buy it for five or six cents each.”

“Wow!” Dongdong was amazed. “Is that really possible?”

Shen Pingyu looked enlightened. Now it made sense!

As time passed, fewer customers remained at the braised food shop, and some were complaining about not being able to buy anything.

Because the food was cheap and delicious, people were worried the price would go up tomorrow and wanted to stock up for the New Year.

A cheerful, slightly plump boy was explaining to the crowd, “The braised food is sold out now. Don’t worry; come back at 3 p.m. for more!”

“So soon?” someone asked, dissatisfied.

The boy smiled, “Of course! It takes time to make it delicious. You can’t just make tasty pig offal easily!”

A curious customer asked, “How do you make it so good?”

The young man smiled mysteriously, “If I tell you, how will I do business?”

The customer laughed, and the young man added, “Our products are cheap. We make small profits but quick sales, so come back often!”

“Okay, okay,” the customer agreed and left happily.

Yan Qiushu watched and smiled. This young man was friendly and always had a warm smile for customers.

Noticing her, he came over and said, “Miss Yan!”

Yan Qiushu was surprised. “?”

The young man continued, “This is the first time I’ve eaten your stewed food. It made me cry! By the way, I’m Zhang Ci.”

Yan Qiushu recognized the name, probably from when the nanny called people in the yard. She asked, “Why are you working here?”

Zhang Ci explained, “Thanks to you talking to me, the young master noticed me when hiring. I agreed. I was just a sweeper in the front yard, but now I’m a clerk in the store. The eldest young master said if I do well, I can be a shopkeeper one day!”

He puffed out his chest proudly, a bit shy: “Then I can even get married!”

Being a shopkeeper was an honor his family could only dream of. Who could have thought he’d have such an opportunity?

But now he has hope.

The business is thriving, so they will likely open more than one store!

As a shopkeeper, he has enough money to marry, but she’s just a servant. He worries that marrying her would mean she would suffer alongside him, leading to children who would also struggle and only eat unappetizing pig offal.

Seeing his situation, Yan Qiushu felt happy: “If you work hard, you can definitely become a shopkeeper in the future!”

“With your encouraging words, I know I can succeed!” Zhang Ci responded, joyfully bowing to her. After exchanging a few more words with Yan Qiushu, he said goodbye.

The four of them then climbed into the carriage to return home.

Two of the three children felt a bit excited. They had spent a long time outside, and although they hadn’t visited many places, they had witnessed a lively scene and shared their thoughts.

Yan Qiushu smiled as she watched them, then suddenly recalled something and her eyes widened.

In the original novel, after the Prince of Jin took the throne, he was assassinated at a banquet. The heroine saved him, leading to the premature birth of their son, who became the crown prince.

The assassin was named Zhang Ci.

He was said to be a servant of the Xiao family. Believing the remnants of the Sixth Prince, he thought the Prince of Jin had killed his master. He castrated himself, entered the palace, and waited for a long time to strike.

However, he was soon executed, along with many connected to the previous emperor’s son.

Before his death, he expressed deep resentment, claiming he owed his life to the Xiao family and would never allow someone like him to claim the throne by stepping on the Xiao family’s reputation.

But now, Zhang Ci had been spotted by Xiao Huaiqi during roll call and became a shop assistant. He aspired to be a shopkeeper and get married. If nothing unexpected happens, he could achieve all this within two years, as new shops like the braised food and fried chicken stores would soon open, requiring more manpower. It seems hard for him to follow the original plot!

She has already changed Zhang Ci’s fate.

“Sister Shu?!” Dongdong nudged her when he saw she was lost in thought.

Yan Qiushu came back to reality and noticed the concerned gazes of the three children.

She shook her head: “I’m fine, just… ” She smiled, a happy light shining on her youthful face: “I encountered a challenging problem, and now I’ve made some progress.”

Shen Pingyu smiled, saying, “That’s good.”

Little sweet Wan’er exclaimed, “Sister Shu is amazing!”

Dongdong rubbed his belly and asked, “So Sister Shu, should we celebrate with a nice meal?”

Yan Qiushu laughed and nodded, “Absolutely! Let’s enjoy a great meal!”

Dongdong, pleased with her response, cozied up to her, asking, “What do you want to eat?”

“Let’s have roast duck!” Yan Qiushu declared loudly.