The following spring, Li Bai and Tao Hong witnessed all things awakening once more.
The withered grass and trees from the previous season had flourished anew.
This year’s spring arrived earlier than usual, and the weather was warmer than in past years. Farmers busied themselves sowing seeds in the fields.
Cao Wen took a walk around his own fallow land.
The fields he had reclaimed last October, after more than three months of neglect and overgrown weeds, were now leveled and ready for use.
With spring’s arrival, tender young grasses had sprouted in the newly opened land, though they looked weak and fragile on the newly sifted sandy soil.
The soil was naturally infertile on fresh land.
Still, if left untreated, the harvest this autumn would likely reflect the soil’s poor quality.
After all, for the land to become fertile, it wasn’t just the tenant farmers who would benefit from a better yield; he himself stood to gain as well.
Cao Wen did not idle away the time and visited the livestock market.
Currently, the most common fertilizer was still manure from livestock.
Each household in the village had only a few mouths to feed and hardly any livestock of their own.
Yet every family had fields to till, meaning there was almost never any surplus manure to share.
Since he couldn’t find much fertilizer within the village, he turned his attention to the market.
The livestock market was a messy collection of cattle, horses, donkeys, and mules, with manure produced daily.
One didn’t even have to search for the livestock stalls—the foul stench was unmistakable from a distance.
Previously, the livestock stalls were set up in the busiest part of the market, but by summer, the smell was unbearable.
In recent years, as life gradually stabilized, people became more particular.
Many had complained repeatedly to the Tingzhang about the overwhelming stench at the market.
To maintain the town’s appearance, the Tingzhang ordered that these foul-smelling businesses be relocated to the outskirts of the town.
Following this, Cao Wen found not only livestock stalls but also many Compost Men gathering in the same area.
They collected night soil from the town and processed it into fertilizer, then transported it back to the villages to sell to farmers.
Spring plowing was the busiest time for fertilizer trade.
Cao Wen asked about prices and was surprised to find they were quite high—ranging from tens to over a hundred wen per cartload.
He then inquired at the livestock stalls about how they dealt with manure and got lucky to meet a regular vendor.
The dealer explained that most of the livestock manure was handed over to the Compost Men for processing into fertilizer, who then sold it.
The dealers’ main business was livestock trade, so manure was given to Compost Men at low prices.
The dealer showed some respect to Cao Wen, guessing he had come specifically to buy fertilizer, and offered him a batch at the same low resale price.
Cao Wen quickly returned to inform the tenant farmers, offering to pay half the cost himself if they paid the other half to collect fertilizer at the livestock stalls.
The tenant farmers were willing to invest effort, care, and even money into the land.
Seeing Cao Wen secure a low-priced fertilizer source and contribute half the payment himself, they all eagerly rushed to the livestock market.
The demand was so high and sudden that the livestock stalls couldn’t supply enough fertilizer.
Reservations had to be made in advance, with tenants taking turns daily to collect their orders.
With fertilizer finally secured to enrich the soil, Cao Wen could finally rest a little easier.
He had handed over the fields entirely to the tenant farmers, simply waiting to harvest the grain come autumn.
Once the land was prepared, Xu Duoyan returned to the stall as usual.
This brought the stall’s staff count to seven.
The stall was at most a small family workshop for three, so having seven people was definitely more than enough.
By year-end, the town grew lively, with many customers ordering dishes.
Seeing their staff was adequate, the Cao Family Iron Wok Stir-Fry had gained some fame in town.
From errand boys to wealthy elites, everyone was willing to eat at their stall.
With this solid customer base, Cao Wen boldly added new dishes.
Stir-Fried Pork with Garlic Sprouts, Fish-Fragrant Shredded Pork, Ma Jiao Spicy Fried Chicken, Hot Pepper Stir-Fried Duck…
In short, many home-style stir-fried dishes were added.
They expanded the stall a bit, adding tables and stools.
The number of cooking pots doubled from one to two.
Cao Yang took charge of the second pot.
Aside from dishes requiring exquisite control of heat, Cao Yang’s simpler preparations were also quite good and carried their own unique flavor.
The stall grew livelier than ever.
“Is this the Cao Family Iron Wok Stir-Fry?”
One spring day, four or five men with strong foreign accents approached the stall.
“That’s right, honored guests must have come specially to try our stir-fried dishes. Please, step inside.”
The men glanced around the surroundings, seeming a bit hesitant.
But seeing the number of customers and smelling the inviting aromas, they didn’t say much and stepped inside.
Xu Duoyan greeted them and poured tea.
“Are you gentlemen merchants from out of town?”
“We are traveling merchants from Bai Qin City,” one said.
“We happened to be passing through today. People in town told us your stir-fried dishes are famous, so we came to try them.”
Xu Duoyan smiled, “You’ve come to the right place. Fengyuan Town may be small, but our stir-fried dishes are unique—you won’t find them anywhere else.”
“Since you’ve come all this way, we’ll do our best to treat you well.”
“Ah Yang, please serve a plate of vegetable stir-fry for our out-of-town guests.”
The merchants were delighted with the free dish and praised the warm hospitality of Fengyuan Town’s people.
“Gentlemen, please come again often to do business here. It will make this little town even livelier.”
“Fengyuan Town is an important checkpoint on the official road between two prefectures. Barring any unforeseen events, you should have more chances to visit.”
It was the merchants’ first time tasting stir-fry at this stall, and they praised the dishes endlessly.
After a satisfying meal, they prepared to leave.
They wanted to pack some dishes to take on the road, but stir-fried dishes didn’t taste good once cold.
Cao Wen understood these merchants’ needs and cooked a large plate of Minced Pork with String Beans for them.
Unlike regular stir-fries, this dish could be eaten later by mixing it with hot rice, retaining its flavor.
It was perfect for taking along.
As spring deepened, the stall began to see more faces from outside the area.
At first, the local children at the stall were curious—after all, they had been born and raised in the town and rarely came to market, so seeing outsiders was rare and strange.
But as more outsiders came, their curiosity waned.
Xu Duoyan often chatted with these traveling merchants, occasionally gifting them small dishes if they got along well.
Cao Yang found this puzzling.
These merchants might only visit once and not again, and even if they returned later, they were not as reliable as local repeat customers.
Xu Duoyan pulled out various goods the merchants brought—fabrics never seen in town, hair ornaments, pastries…a chaotic assortment of things.
These were gifts from the merchants, some of which Xu Duoyan had bought.
Through conversations with these merchants, they learned about news from outside, government policies, and the goods the caravans carried.
These were things no one in town had.
Cao Yang felt his horizons expand.
“Honestly, it’s your talent, Ah Yang.”
One evening, while Xu Duoyan was tallying accounts and Cao Wen sipped tea nearby, they chatted idly.
“Teaching the children together for so long, it’s really Ah Yang’s cooking that’s about seventy to eighty percent there.”
“I think the others are good too. While not as skilled in cooking as Ah Yang, Dali is steady and can manage important things; Eryuan is sharp and good at attracting customers; the two girls are conscientious and meticulous, treating guests politely. Everyone has their strengths—cooking isn’t the only skill needed.”
Cao Wen nodded, “That’s what I think too.”
Closing the account book, Xu Duoyan said, “Spring is warm now, and the official road is easier to travel. More merchants are coming through town this year. It seems the government is stable, and the Nation may enjoy peaceful years ahead.”
Social stability was good for both farming and business.
“Now that we have some spare money, do you have any plans?”
Cao Wen sipped his tea, “Earlier, you mentioned renovating the house. One or two hundred taels of silver would be enough for a spacious, well-built one.”
“Drinking tea so late at night?”
Xu Duoyan took Cao Wen’s cup, “Spring has arrived and the worst is over. There’s no need to rush the renovations.”
Cao Wen raised an eyebrow, “Summer storms are fierce—it won’t necessarily be easier than winter.”
Xu Duoyan said, “If you want something decent, will you tear down the thatched cottage here to build on the same land, or something else? If you want to consider feng shui, you might need to buy new land. Although you have enough silver, have you thought through all these details? After all the fuss, you might not finish before summer.”
“Of course, if convenience is the goal, you could buy a ready house in town.”
Cao Wen’s frown deepened.
Xu Duoyan’s words made him realize things weren’t so simple.
They certainly couldn’t demolish the old house to rebuild.
First, they’d have nowhere to live during construction. Second, the house had belonged to others for so long that tearing it down felt improper.
That left buying new land. Hiring a feng shui master was easy enough, and there was land to choose from.
The problem was whether they could secure the land.
Farmers rarely sold their land unless offered a higher price.
While farmers’ land was negotiable, many plots belonged to wealthy landlords, who would scoff at small profits and refuse to sell.
After considering all this, buying property in town seemed most practical.
It was convenient, better for managing the business, and not far from the village, so they could quickly return if anything happened.
“Then, shall we buy in town?”
Xu Duoyan agreed, “Yes.”
“But I think since town is convenient, we should wait a bit before buying. The town’s population is growing, and business is good now. Why not take advantage of this momentum and invest in a stall first? That way, you avoid exposure to the elements and inconvenience of street vending.”
“Moreover…”
Xu Duoyan had recently met two large merchant caravans.
They heard that the Imperial Court was still reorganizing and purging officials, dealing with land issues and so forth.
The management of merchants remained lenient, still lingering in the chaotic years of war.
The Nation was at peace, merchants’ taxes were low, and tariffs and shop taxes were scarcely collected.
It was a good time for trade, with merchants eager to make money from the loopholes.
No one knew when the court would turn its attention back to regulate merchant taxes.
“Given this, why not take the opportunity to put business plans into motion?”
They had long planned to secure a storefront.
Previously, they ran their stall to control costs but faced many inconveniences.
For business to grow, they had to move into a proper shop.
Cao Wen raised an eyebrow, “I guessed you had this plan all along.”
“I’ll follow your lead. This thatched cottage is shabby but still shelters from wind and rain. Once business stabilizes, buying a home will naturally follow.”
With a plan settled, they set to work.
At the start of the year, wealthy households began buying land and building houses around town as merchants passed through. But only the original stalls were available to choose from.
Since opening the stall, Cao Wen and Xu Duoyan had made many connections in town.
They personally inspected properties and gathered information from customers.
They found dozens of shops for rent or sale, about twenty or thirty.
But excluding those in poor locations or too small to expand, fewer than ten were suitable.
Among them, two stood out: a small three-story restaurant and a single-story eatery.
Their dishes could support the restaurant, but the owner asked for 300 taels just for the lease, negotiable down to around 260 taels.
Though they valued it, they didn’t have that much silver yet.
They had to give up on that option.
Comparing the grand restaurant to the more modest but spacious eatery, they chose the latter for its more affordable price.
The eatery wasn’t bad.
Although less prestigious and bright than the restaurant, it was located on the popular Four Directions Street East Avenue.
Inside, the layout was standard: a front hall for greeting customers, a kitchen with a small courtyard behind.
The front hall could hold about thirteen or fourteen tables, and the courtyard could fit another five or six.
There were also two storage rooms that could be converted into staff quarters.
The rent for this eatery was only 180 taels, and Cao Wen valued the potential for expansion.
If business went well, they could add a second floor to the shop, no problem.
After completing the formalities, they cleaned the shop, and the original team could move in without hiring new staff to start business immediately.
By mid-April, the Cao Family Iron Wok Stir-Fry officially hung its sign.