Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 70 Regret
Mother Yu looked at Xie Yuyan, unsure whether she should let the clansmen in.

Xie Yuyan said, "Tell them that if they want to ask about the water shop's business, they shouldn't come in." She wanted to see the Yang family members, but now was not the time.

Madam Yu responded. She knew very well how to explain it. From the very beginning, Madam Yu wanted to use this business to set rules for the clan. How could she let them see it so soon?
“Those people… don’t seem to be leaving.” Zhang glanced out the window. Despite the freezing weather, the Yang clan members preferred to freeze in the courtyard rather than move.

Xie Yuyan said, "They are curious about how much money the water shop can make. Even if they can't get in, they will try to find out information from the people in the courtyard."

Zhang asked, "What should we do then?"

Xie Yuyan smiled slightly: "Don't worry, the snow is falling heavier and heavier, they won't last much longer."

But after these people leave the courtyard, they will go to find the woman in charge of the water shop. Whether they can get any information depends on how well she manages the area.

……

"Close the door!"

As darkness fell, Yang's water shop finally shut down and prepared to close.

After a busy day, Ms. Zheng breathed a sigh of relief, and a smile appeared on her face.

The sounds of "snoring" echoed from inside the house as several children from Chenyao Village gathered around the stove, eating porridge and flatbread.

Zheng said softly, "Eat slowly, there's no rush."

The children didn't bother to reply; they just nodded haphazardly.

Zheng took out another freshly baked hot pancake from the stove and handed it to the woman beside her: "You all eat too."

The women all smiled, their fatigue from a busy day vanishing at that moment.

Seeing a woman about to stuff the cakes into her bosom, Zheng said, "There are extras, take them back to your aunt."

The woman said embarrassedly, "Everyone else is sharing, I can't possibly accept this..."

“Why not?” One of the women swallowed the porridge in her mouth. “Grandma is the oldest in our village. She was injured while taking care of the children and developed a cough. It’s only right that we take care of her more.”

"Besides, this is Madam Xie's shop, yet she let us borrow her charcoal. We're just hired workers, and she's already so considerate. When it comes to us, how could we possibly be so calculating with our own people in the village?"

Upon hearing this, the woman's eyes reddened slightly.

Zheng said, "That makes sense."

When the stove was being built, Yu's mother said that the eldest daughter-in-law had specially left a space in the furnace so that they could use the residual heat to cook some food. The shop closed late and it was cold, so they couldn't stand it without eating something hot. Anyway, their family ran a hot water shop, so they didn't lack these things.

Zheng was so grateful that she was speechless.

In her heart, Madam Xie was an excellent person.

Although Madam Xie never said anything to win people's hearts, she just felt that Madam Xie understood their hardships and genuinely cared about them.

"We just hope that Madam's water shop will stay open forever."

A woman whispered.

Everyone felt the same way.

"Alright," said Madam Zheng, "we've finished eating, so we'll be leaving now. We need to come earlier tomorrow, as there might be even more people buying water then."

This is not something Zheng made up.

The scene today has truly surprised many people. Some who had already paid their deposits but were still in a daze came over to inquire about the situation, their faces full of eagerness.

In winter, everyone is idle, and the capital for selling water droplets is small. It's just a matter of putting in some effort, and anyone can give it a try.

"I also heard someone say that we should just use water trucks tomorrow, it will be faster that way."

Few families were fully prepared like Dong Sansao's family from the beginning. After a day, everyone had a better understanding of the situation and naturally busied themselves with preparing household items.

After finishing their meal, the couple settled their accounts in the inner room.

"The lotus root charcoal will be delivered tomorrow, so you'll have to work even harder."

Zheng replied, "Don't worry, I will definitely calculate the amount correctly and there will be no mistakes."

As the two were talking, they heard a few knocks on the door, and then a plump woman walked in.

The woman was in her thirties, with crescent-shaped eyes that gave her an exceptionally kind appearance. "I sell tung bark noodles in the West Market," she said. "It's the third shop from the street, Sun's."

Upon hearing the woman's words, the Yang family's husband and wife immediately realized, "No wonder she looks so kind."

Upon hearing the name "Tongpi noodles," Chen Ping subconsciously swallowed faster, as if his mouth contained not a flatbread, but... fragrant noodles.

Madam Zheng chimed in, "Madam, did you come here to order water?" A thought flashed through her mind, and some guesses began to emerge.

“No,” Madam Sun’s smile deepened, “I just heard that your shop uses lotus root charcoal to boil water, so I came to ask if you sell your lotus root charcoal?”

Sun had been running the tung bark noodle shop for a long time. She knew very well how much charcoal was needed to boil water and cook noodles, and how much money she could make. When she heard that the water shop sold two buckets of hot water for one coin, she found it strange that hot water could be sold so cheaply.

A water shop can't operate at a loss.

So while everyone else was focused on whether the hot water would sell, she was already figuring out what kind of charcoal the water shop used.

After all, it's related to her livelihood.

Zheng's guess was confirmed. Suppressing her joy, she nodded and said, "Sell! Our lotus root charcoal is three coins a pound, but..."

Madam Zheng pointed to her own stove: "If we use the stove from our shop, it will burn even better."

Sun raised her eyebrows: "There are rules about stoves?"

Madam Zheng smiled and said, "But you don't need to worry. If you can order 500 catties of lotus root charcoal, the owner will have someone build a stove for you, and he won't charge you any money."

Something occurred to Mrs. Sun: "Will the price of lotus root charcoal go up in a while?"

Madam Zheng shook her head: "This is how it is this winter. As for next year, it depends on whether the price of lotus root charcoal will go up. But the boss said that no matter how expensive it is, it will not be more expensive than ordinary charcoal. Our lotus root charcoal is much easier to burn than ordinary charcoal."

She paused here, then added, "The option to build a stove without spending money is only available this year. If they want us to help build a stove next year, the landlord will have to charge extra."

This isn't a hot water shop at all; it's a hook to draw everyone's attention, and then there are novel things everywhere.

Lotus root charcoal and the stoves used for it are both part of a business transaction.

The Yang family built too many stoves for charcoal this year, so if others want to use them next year, they will naturally think of the Yang family again. There won't be any left for others.
Don't underestimate building stoves; you can make a lot of money from it.

“Your boss really knows how to do business,” Sun couldn’t help but say. “Could I buy ten catties of lotus root charcoal tonight?”

Ordinary stoves can also be used to burn lotus root charcoal, and you can test whether the lotus root charcoal is good or not. If it is really good, what is five hundred catties of lotus root charcoal?
Madam Zheng said, "I'll get it for you right away, my lady."

After seeing Sun off, Zheng and the others locked the door and then headed towards Chenyao Village together.

The Yang family's husband and wife also carried lanterns home, their minds filled with the image of Sun Shi taking away the lotus root charcoal. With thick ledgers in their arms and a wide road stretching before them, they felt no cold despite the wind and snow.

The couple hurried along and entered Yong'anfang, stepping into the Yang family's ancestral home. Just as they were about to breathe a sigh of relief, they saw several people gathered not far away.

"Another one has arrived. Let's ask her."

The woman was startled, and it wasn't until the people got closer that she realized they were members of the Yang clan.

The man and woman asked, "What are you doing?"

A member of the Yang clan stepped forward: "Did you bring your accounts? Let us see them."

The man and woman instinctively covered the accounts in their arms: "How can that be? This is Madam's business, and only Madam can see the accounts."

The Yang clan members, having been rebuffed today, grew increasingly impatient: "What kind of 'Madam' is she? Just because the water shop has improved a bit doesn't mean she can look down on the clan. She has no right to speak in this household. The Second Master will be back soon, and the management of the household will have to be handed over to the Second Madam."

"You shouldn't go the wrong way either."

The intimidation actually calmed the man and woman down.

"Who said that? Second Madam?" the woman said, raising her voice. "Anyone who dares to hand over the account books today can forget about working for the First Madam. Anyone who dares to steal the account books, I'll take you to the yamen."

After saying this, the man and woman looked at their clansmen and said, "It is I who should be advising you... don't go down the wrong path."

"Want to see the accounts? Go to the water shop entrance first thing tomorrow morning to calculate them. I'm afraid you won't be able to keep up," the man and woman straightened their backs. "Let me tell you, there are still important things to do in the next two days. You can regret it later, don't rush."

Second update

(End of this chapter)