Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 144 Truly in dire straits
Tan Huaike adjusted his armbands, wiped the sweat from his brow from the stove, and looked at her, asking, "You are...?"

Tao Ying snorted coldly and introduced herself with dignified composure: "I am Tao Ying, daughter of the Grand Herald of the current dynasty, and childhood sweetheart of my brother Xiao Zhuo. We have a pomegranate blossom pact..."

"Oh, so you're the young lady from the Tao family!" Tan Huai Ke said with a smile. "I heard from my uncle that you've also taken over the other five shops of the Tan family on Huaqi Street? From now on, we'll be neighbors. Do you also want to open a shop in Zhangye County?"

"I... those five shops on Huaqi Street... ah?" Tao Ying was momentarily stunned. How did they suddenly become so friendly? It was true that she bought those five shops to attract Shen Tu Zhuo's attention, and they had indeed become business neighbors. But... weren't they rivals in love? Why were they suddenly talking about this?

"You really have guts to take this gamble," Tan Huai Ke said. "I bought those five shops out of necessity. I had no idea what to do with them and was prepared to be stuck with them all. But now that I see someone betting with me, and it's the daughter of a high-ranking official, I feel even more confident."

"What gives you the confidence?" Tao Ying's interest was piqued. "Do you really think those shops can be revitalized? If they engage in shady businesses, they won't be eligible for the imperial merchant selection."

“I know.” Tan Huaike’s hands moved swiftly, skillfully using wooden tongs to remove the flatbread and place it on a ceramic plate beside him. “I’ve just been wondering what the court’s intention is in selecting imperial merchants, and why the four prefectures of Hexi are of paramount importance. I feel that besides selecting suitable merchants, there must be some other policies supporting this. Miss Tao, your father-in-law is the Grand Herald, do you know anything about the inside story, such as His Majesty’s plans for trade between Da Xuan and the Western Regions?”

"I...how would I know..." Tao Ying had only bought the shops on impulse and had never considered what to do next. In the eyes of a young lady like her who never worried about making a living, what were those five shops? They could just be left empty.

But after Tan Huai Ke's reminder, she really started to think about it. Since she had already bought it, she had always been interested in the trade goods of the Western Regions thanks to her upbringing. Otherwise, she would not have pretended to be a merchant to find Shen Tu Zhuo. She might as well pay more attention to it. After all, it is quite fun to make money herself.

While she was still in a daze, Tan Huaike said, "By the way, are you here to buy sesame cakes? How many do you want?"

Tao Ying almost forgot that she was there to show off, and immediately put on airs again, but her demeanor was not as imposing as before. She said, "Give me two pieces, I want to see how much I can eat."

Tan Huai Ke nodded and gestured towards the queue: "Alright, go over there and join the queue. Just give the money to Pei'er."

Queuing? I, the daughter of a high-ranking official, have been chatting with you for so long, and you still have to queue to buy a flatbread?
Tao Ying was so angry she was about to explode: "You did this on purpose, didn't you!"

Tan Huai Ke remained noncommittal, only offering a forced smile: "Sorry, everyone has to queue, otherwise the other diners will get upset. Since we've both been taken advantage of on Huaqi Street, I'll give you two bowls of mutton soup. Don't be angry, dear sister."

She knew what Tao Yinglai did for a living, but if they confronted each other in the street, it would not only affect her business, but it would also be embarrassing for a daughter of an official like Tao Yinglai. It would be better to resolve the situation peacefully.

Moreover, the connection between her and Shentu Zhuo is not something that can be explained in just a few words.
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Once Tao Ying's maids had served the flatbreads and mutton soup, the midday rush was finally over. After baking the next batch of flatbreads, Tan Huai Ke came to Tao Ying, who was eating and drinking soup under the shade of a tree, and asked, "How does Miss Tao find it? Is it delicious?"

Tao Ying really wanted to say "it doesn't taste good," but she just couldn't bring herself to lie.

She had also eaten at Yanzhisi in Zhangye County, and originally thought the taste would be similar. Perhaps her own cooking skills were not as good as Yanzhisi's chef. However, after tasting it herself, she found that the flavor of this flatbread was very different from that of Yanzhisi. It had obviously been modified, and to be honest, it was more in line with her taste as a native of Andu.

The mutton soup is also different. Compared to the mutton soup at Yanzhisi, it has less of the spiciness of pepper, but it has the salty and savory taste that people in Andu like. After drinking a bowl of hot soup, you feel completely satisfied.

Tao Yingyan said insincerely, "It's alright, nothing special." Tan Huaike smiled and said, "If you like it, come often. You can also make a reservation in advance at my little courtyard to avoid queuing."

Tao Ying asked her, "With business so good, don't you want to open a shop in the city? You could hire more helpers and you wouldn't have to work so hard."

Tan Huai Ke said, "I had planned ahead. Opening a shop in the city would cost too much money. Since I'm unfamiliar with the area, I was afraid that if I expanded too much at once, I wouldn't be able to recoup my investment. So I thought I'd open a small stall first to test the waters."

"Money?" Tao Ying asked, puzzled. "Are you worried about not having enough money? Has the Shentu Manor really fallen into such a deficit?"

“Miss Tao, you may not know this, but I didn’t bring many goods or much money. Even if I sold them all, it wouldn’t be enough to rent a shop in a good location in the city. I still need to save up. As for my uncle, he’s busy taking the exams right now, and I didn’t want to bother him. Besides, he’s invested a lot of money in the Qianjin Canal. Aunt Jun didn’t support his trip to the capital, so she didn’t give him a single penny. He used his own savings to rent that small courtyard, and he’s quite strapped for cash right now.”

"Struggling? Really struggling?" Tao Ying was shocked. She thought that what Madam Wang said was just something Shen Tu Zhuo made up to gain sympathy and bluff her, but who would have thought it was true?

Tan Huaike nodded: "It wasn't until I got to Andu that I realized how difficult it is to make a name for yourself in a bustling and prosperous place. I was too short-sighted before; I should broaden my horizons more."

Tao Ying didn't want to admit it, but after talking with her and hearing the gossip from the neighbors, she hadn't been able to belittle or humiliate her from a superior position. Instead, she secretly admired her.

Such a self-reliant and resilient young woman is not afraid of any difficulties.

She also deserves her own happiness.

But Tao Ying was still unwilling to give up. She pursed her lips and asked, "Has Brother Xiao Zhuo developed feelings for you? Are you... are you waiting for him to be recommended for officialdom so that he can come and marry you, his sister-in-law, in a grand and glorious way?"

A look of confusion crossed Tan Huaike's eyes: "I don't know...would he?"

"You don't know what that means?" Tao Ying pressed.

“I don’t know if we can really have a good outcome.” Tan Huaike said frankly, “Lately, for some reason, he always seems preoccupied and avoids me at every turn… Perhaps he’s too busy preparing for his exams to concentrate, or perhaps he has other plans? For example, you, Miss Tao, in terms of family background, I think you are a better match for him.”

"I...I...I didn't..." These were clearly the words she most wanted to hear on this trip, but Tao Ying blushed with embarrassment.

Tan Huaike had never confided her sorrows to anyone. Faced with a young lady like Tao Ying, who came from a good family and had a good temperament, she felt a sense of inferiority. She was just a woman from another ethnic group. By a twist of fate, she met Shen Tu Zhuo. He had his own pursuit of fame and fortune, and she also had her own dream of a life as a merchant. Could they really become each other's destiny?
Seeing Tao Ying's incoherent speech, Tan Huaike wiped the crumbs from the corner of her mouth with a clean handkerchief, took the empty ceramic bowl from her, and went back to tidy up the stall: "So we don't need to make things difficult for ourselves, let's just take it one step at a time."

Tao Ying said in a daze, "Okay, I'll patronize your shop when you open it in the city."
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Next chapter: Take it to my deceased beloved concubine to try.