Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 60 Human Heart
Several onlookers left one after another, while others went into the water shop. They had taken their money to the cloth shop and rice shop to buy things, but felt it wasn't worth it, so they decided to pay their deposit at the water shop since they still had the money in their hands.

The onlookers whispered, "It's a string of cash, shouldn't we calculate it carefully?"

"What are you afraid of? Didn't we agree to draw up a written agreement? In the end, this deposit is still yours."

Some people disagreed, nitpicking: "Where would we get that much money to buy New Year's goods? We won't need much tomorrow. Just bring a bucket and fill it up. How much hot water can one string of silver buy? We won't use it all up in a year."

One of the men said, "If we pay, the water that would have lasted a year can now last for four years."

This comparison stunned everyone.

However, another man soon said, "It's not that simple. You have to come and buy hot water every day. If you miss a day, your money will be deducted."

Seemingly having discovered a problem, a group of people surged towards the entrance of the water shop, asking questions all at once.

Zheng patiently replied, "Five coins will be deducted; it's all written in the document."

Everyone exclaimed in surprise, "How much?"

"Five coins?"

Immediately, some people gave up the idea of ​​paying a deposit.

The man who brought up the matter looked smug; he was indeed smarter than others. Then he noticed Sister Dong preparing to leave and wanted to talk to her about it, but Sister Dong didn't want to talk and didn't even glance at him.

She took a bowl from the water stall, put some burnt wheat crumbs in it, then ladled in boiling water to soak it. Soon, a fragrant aroma wafted out. The little girl next to her stared at the bowl in her mother's hand, stuck out her tongue to lick her lips, and then swallowed a mouthful.

After waiting for a while, the little girl finally couldn't help but ask, "Mommy, is it ready yet? Can we eat now?"

The little girl was overjoyed and anxious, as she was used to eating cold food in the morning. Her stomach, which she had been holding back, started rumbling loudly.

"It's hot," said Sister-in-law Dong. "Let it cool down first."

The little girl was a little disappointed, but her eyes were soon drawn to the steaming bowl.

Dong Sansao took her daughter aside and handed her the bowl in her hand so that she could hold it to keep it warm. After a short while, the sound of the little girl eating could be heard.

While they were eating, the food attracted children of similar age, whose eyes were fixed on the bowl of burnt wheat crumbs.

"What are they selling here?"

As expected, this attracted a number of people.

The woman holding the cloth was being pestered by her child for food; the aroma and heat were particularly noticeable in the surrounding area.

Dong San Sao stared at these people, her expression growing increasingly resolute. After her daughter finished eating, she pulled her away from the water stall. On the way home, Dong San Sao took unusually long strides, no longer caring that her daughter had to run to keep up.

The mother and daughter returned home. Dong Sansao pushed open the door and saw her parents and husband sitting inside.

“I think we should pay another three strings of cash as a deposit and take advantage of these two days to repair the cart at home. When the water shop raises the price of hot water, we can push the cart out to sell hot water. The water shop charges two coins for a bucket of water, and we will also sell it for two coins, but we can deliver it directly to our door. Just based on this, people will come to buy our water.”

Dong San raised his face: "Can it work? There are still more than two days left. What if there are too many people making payments..."

“Don’t worry,” said Sister Dong. “The water shop said that once you pay the deposit, you have to go fetch water every day. If you miss a day, they will deduct five coins.”

"Many people were therefore afraid to pay the money to go there. Besides, Daming Prefecture is so big that a few more people wouldn't make a difference."

Dong Sansao was exceptionally capable. Whenever something happened, she could immediately come up with a solution. Before she married into the family, the Dong family's land had suffered a disaster, and they owed some money. Only a few years later, they had paid off all the debts. If the elders of the Dong family hadn't had to take medicine every day, they would have been in a better situation.

Dong Da was a bit simple-minded, and Dong Er was weak. Dong San usually took extra care of his two older brothers, so they would listen to whatever Dong San said.

"The three brothers went to sell water together?"

Sister-in-law Dong nodded.

The water shop also allowed customers to scoop out a bowl of hot water, which led to a daily gathering of people in front of the shop. Newly opened shops, with their employees hawking their wares, couldn't operate like that all the time. Which shop would be the most bustling in the end? It's easy to imagine.

As more people gathered at the water shop, everyone gradually learned that hot water was sold in the city, and when they pushed their carts through the streets and alleys carrying hot water, no one needed to say anything more.

It suits them perfectly. If they do it well, each of them can earn a hundred coins a day. Where else can they find such good work in the winter?
Before others could think that far ahead, their family started preparing and began selling early three days later, thus securing the lead and eliminating any competition with them.

……

The carriage outside the water shop started moving.

Xie Yuyan held the hand warmer in his hand, looking exceptionally relaxed.

Ye said, "Are we leaving now? Don't we need to keep an eye on things anymore?"

Xie Yuyan said, "After the shop closes at night, the men and women of the clan will hand over the accounts, and then we will know how many people have paid the deposit."

"Are you really not worried?" Ye asked again.

“You have to do everything yourself when there’s no one else to do it,” Xie Yuyan said. “Everyone’s busy now, so what is there to worry about?” That’s true.

but……

“It’s true that we’re busy,” said Mrs. Ye, “but we haven’t seen many hot waters sold.”

After so long, business had finally started to pick up, and she saw a man carrying a load of hot water away, which gave her a little comfort. But then Xie Yuyan was about to return to Yong'anfang.

Xie Yuyan said, "Don't worry about it these next few days. To see how many we can sell, we'll have to wait until three days later."

After saying this, Xie Yuyan paused for a moment: "But Uncle's small kiln cannot be shut down."

Ye asked, "Should we continue firing those clay stoves?"

Xie Yuyan nodded.

Ye took another deep breath, wondering what Xie Yuyan was thinking. It seemed that while she hadn't even figured out the first matter, Xie Yuyan was already planning seven or eight things.

The carriage stopped at the entrance of Yong'anfang. Mama Yu stepped forward to help Xie Yuyan, and Madam Xu and her son, who had been waiting there, rushed to greet them.

Madam Xu bowed to Xie Yuyan with a smile on her face: "Madam, my family's petition has been sent to the yamen, and the trial will be held soon." She never expected that these grievances could be redressed.

Grandma Li and the others also stepped forward.

“Our Yong’anfang is quite famous among the elderly. In the past few days, ten lawsuits have been filed.”

“Yes, I also told Lawyer Liu that he should just live in Yong'anfang.”

Madam Xu bowed to Xie Yuyan, and the child beside her was about to kneel down and kowtow, but Xie Yuyan gestured for his mother to stop her.

“We’re all neighbors,” Xie Yuyan said. “There’s no need for that.”

Grandma Li smiled and said, "It's a blessing for us to have someone like you in Yong'an Ward."

The crowd escorted Xie Yuyan into the neighborhood. Madam Ye was genuinely startled; it seemed that Xie Yuyan now held sway not only within the Yang family but throughout the entire Yong'an neighborhood.

I really don't know whether Yang Mingjing or Xie Yuyan is the deputy magistrate.

As the group was talking, they saw someone carrying hot water into the shop. Upon seeing Xie Yuyan, the person smiled and said, "Madam Yang, I hope your hot water shop will do better and better."

“Yes,” Grandma Li clapped her hands, “Old Lady Tian is supposed to come with me to pay the deposit, I completely forgot…”

Everyone laughed again and shouted that they should go buy hot water to use.

The commotion attracted passersby. One man on horseback glanced into Yong'an Ward before urging his horse forward: "The Xie family is almost here?"

The servant reported, "It's just ahead."

The streets of Daming Prefecture were unusually lively today, with carriages coming and going, delaying their journey. Otherwise, the visiting card would have been handed to the Xie family gatekeeper long ago.

With the New Year fast approaching, he had come all the way from the capital to Daming Prefecture. The man on horseback frowned at the thought, but then something flashed through his mind, and the scene he had just glanced at resurfaced.

He seemed to spot a somewhat familiar figure, but it was only a fleeting glance; he couldn't make out the person's face clearly. He mentally went through the names of people he knew, but found no clue, so he shook his head and stopped thinking about it.

"First, I need to submit the invitation; after that, I have to return to Beijing."

……

In the teahouse, He Tan felt much more relaxed as he smelled the aroma of tea.

These days he has been confined to the government office, unable to rest for a moment. Today the market is open, and he has found an excuse to come out and enjoy a moment of leisure.

Wang Hechun listened to Sang Dian's report, which mainly concerned the Yang family's several water shops.

Hearing that someone had started paying a deposit, He Tan raised his eyes and said, "I didn't expect that Miss Xie would actually know how to do business."

“She’s not good at business,” Wang Hechun put down his teacup, his eyes slightly lowered. “She just knows how to manipulate people’s hearts and how to strategize.”

He Tan was slightly surprised. How did Wang Hechun suddenly know so much about Miss Xie? Was there something he didn't know? Wasn't it just that Miss Xie had lost a cat?

No wonder she immediately asked for Daming Prefecture.

Wang Hechun said, "The merchants of Daming Prefecture are about to witness a scene they have never seen before."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a gasp of surprise came from the street below.

Sang Dian strode over and saw steaming water spilled all over the ground. A man lay on the roadside, and a man who looked like an idler shouted, "If boiling water hits someone, shouldn't you pay compensation?"

Please leave lots of comments, okay?


(End of this chapter)