“Crackle-crackle-“
On the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month, amidst the sound of firecrackers and cheerful exclamations, accompanied by constant urging, the bustling scene unfolded two miles inward from the fork in the road leading to Yangzhou Prefecture and the docks in the outskirts of Yizhen County.
“Boss, hurry up! Don’t dawdle, or we’ll miss the auspicious time!”
“Boss, are the soles of those shoes too thick again? No wonder she’s walking so slowly!”
“Come on, come on! The tangyuan are all wrapped up. Let’s get started so we can cook them!”
Fang He, with her left arm linked through Naren’s, who wore a veil hat, and her right arm through Madam Liang’s, emerged slowly from the inn like three crabs.
Her bangs had grown long and were tucked into a melon-skin cap, revealing her moon-like face.
Her overly bold sword-shaped eyebrows, paired with deliberately sharpened eyes, balanced out her delicate nose and small mouth.
Combined with the fake Adam’s apple she had stuck to her throat, she now looked like a refined young gentleman.
At this moment, Young Master Fang, with a lady on each arm, drew envious glances from the staff, who couldn’t help but urge her even more urgently.
In these times, men didn’t live as freely as women.
Where could they go to complain?
Hearing their sour urging, Fang He raised an eyebrow and smiled with a carefree charm.
“What’s the rush? Whenever I come out, that’s the auspicious time!”
“If you don’t hurry up and say something nice to soak up some of my good luck, don’t even think about getting the lucky tokens in the tangyuan later!”
Madam Liang pushed her under the signboard at the entrance and scoffed, “Keep bragging. Where’s this good luck of yours?”
Fang He grinned and winked at Madam Liang by saying:
“I’ve met my sister and found such a beautiful and talented landlady for our inn. Who dares say my luck isn’t good?”
Madam Liang:”….”
“Such a smooth talker, not learning anything good!”
Though she thought so, the smile on Madam Liang’s lips wouldn’t fade.
She let out a soft hum and stood aside with Naren, grabbing the hanging red silk.
Having silenced Madam Liang with her words, Fang He proudly flashed her rows of small white teeth at the envious staff.
Even if they came out first, they still had a lot to learn about charming people.
Everyone: “…”
If it weren’t for the fact that today was Minor New Year, they would’ve definitely put a sack over the boss’s head.
Earlier, on her way to the Fan family estate, Fang He had passed by this place with Naren and spotted a faintly visible small farmhouse.
Upon closer inspection, it seemed like it hadn’t been lived in for a long time.
She asked Madam Liang and Uncle Qin to inquire and found out that several years ago, a family of traveling peddlers had lived here.
Unfortunately, the peddler fell seriously ill, and the family could no longer sustain themselves, so they had to return to their rural hometown.
The house wasn’t too close to the docks and was a bit far from the official road to Yangzhou Prefecture.
Merchants weren’t interested in it, and those looking to buy a house found it too remote, so it had been left vacant.
But Fang He thought it was just right.
If it were too close to the official road, she would’ve been afraid of running into officials traveling from north to south and wouldn’t have dared to buy it.
As for doing business, good wine needs no bush.
Life was still long, and she wasn’t in a hurry to make a fortune.
When the seller learned that Fang He was willing to buy the small house, they were eager for the money and sold it to her for a hundred taels of silver, along with nearly two acres of dry farmland behind it.
After discussing with Naren and Madam Liang, Fang He tore down the courtyard wall, keeping the original rooms to use as a woodshed and kitchen.
Another two-story building was erected nearby, costing a total of two hundred and thirty taels for both the land and construction.
Yizhen County, under Yangzhou Prefecture, was considered one of the better-off counties, being close to water and well-connected for merchants to come and go.
The price wasn’t considered expensive.
With some silver saved, Fang He originally planned to go to the government office to buy the adjacent vacant land for future expansion.
Upon inquiry, she found out that a mu of residential land cost eighteen taels, only two taels cheaper than paddy fields.
After calculating the area of the wasteland, she ultimately couldn’t bring herself to spend the money.
Since the inn was small, Fang He was willing to spend money, and the building was completed within a month.
With the help of the young men and women-some skilled in accounting, others eloquent in bargaining, and some with deep aristocratic backgrounds from the previous dynasty-the inn transformed day by day.
By the start of the twelfth lunar month, the inn was fully renovated.
Fang He decided to open it before the New Year.
If there was business, they could save up money to buy the land earlier.
If not, they could use the inn’s opening to quietly celebrate a lively New Year together without drawing too much attention.
Everyone was excited.
As soon as Fang He mentioned that the training was complete, they couldn’t even wait for the Minor New Year to finish and hurriedly had someone calculate an auspicious time for the opening.
Fang He grabbed the hanging red silk and, under the tense and expectant gazes of everyone, took on the role of the emcee-
“The sound of firecrackers brings wealth and prosperity, and great fortune leads to thriving business. Three, two-auspicious opening!”
Together with Naren and Madam Liang, who were holding hands, she revealed the signboard with the words “Tianya Inn.”
The previously envious workers and the girls who had been smiling quietly cheered and congratulated each other.
Fang He didn’t let them call her “master,” but instead asked them to address her as “boss,” Madam Liang as “madam boss,” and Naren as “general manager.”
The boss said that as long as everyone worked hard, they wouldn’t just receive monthly wages-they would also share in the inn’s profits, effectively making them small partners.
They had never experienced such promises before, and now they genuinely felt immense joy, as if they had finally emerged from hardship.
Because they were so excited, their cheers grew louder.
A carriage slowly approaching from the dock heard the commotion and stopped at the edge of the crossroads, peeking over to see what was happening.
The burly coachman sniffed the air, catching the faint scent of firecrackers.
He smiled and said to the person inside the carriage, “Master, it sounds like a new inn is opening. Should we go take a look?”
Inside the carriage was Zhou Peigong, who had left his hometown in Jingmen to visit an old friend and was planning to celebrate the New Year together.
The coachman, who also served as a guard, Zhou Er, added, “A new inn would be clean since no one has stayed there yet, and it should be quiet. If Mr. Yu is out visiting friends, we could stay a few extra days without issue.”
Zhou Peigong was somewhat tempted.
He had a natural preference for cleanliness, and while it was manageable at home, he often struggled to rest well in inns due to various unpleasant smells.
“Let’s go take a look,” Zhou Peigong said, lifting the curtain with a faint smile.
“It’s fate that we happened to come across this. We probably won’t make it to Xiaoyu Village today, so spending the Minor New Year here isn’t a bad idea.”
Zhou Er chuckled in agreement and steered the carriage toward Tianya Inn.
Meanwhile, Fang He, Naren, Madam Liang… and Yunsheng, who had been quietly standing behind Naren, stood nearby, still smiling as they watched the crowd.
The crowd cheered, showing no intention of stopping.
No longer bound by life-threatening rules, they naturally laughed and made noise as they pleased.
Even though life wasn’t as pampered as before, every day lived for themselves was bittersweet.
As noon approached, Fang He, who had gotten up late and skipped breakfast, felt a bit hungry and was about to remind everyone to prepare lunch.
But before she could speak, Yunsheng suddenly said, “Someone’s coming!”
Huh?
Fang He temporarily forgot her hunger, her eyes lighting up as she looked into the distance where she could vaguely see a fat sheep… no, a carriage.
She quickly clapped her hands, “Alright, alright, boys and girls, we’ve got guests coming! Let’s get ready!”
Madam Liang: “…”
No matter how many times she heard it, she always felt this girl had the makings of a brothel madam.
But the others didn’t think so.
Although they quieted down, their excitement was visibly growing.
After enduring the urge to ambush their boss every day and training for so long, at least the fat sheep… ahem, the guests had arrived.
If they didn’t perform well, they’d be letting down their worn-out molars.
Zhou Er, driving the carriage, saw the red silk still on the ground and the sign “Tianya Inn” from afar.
He relaxed slightly and urged the carriage forward, soon arriving at the inn’s entrance.
“Ah, sir, you look extraordinary at first glance!” Lin Chen once again pushed his way forward with his butt, enthusiastically greeting Zhou Er.
Fang He: “…..”
She looked at Madam Liang with a face full of disbelief.
Did she sound that flirtatious when she spoke?
Madam Liang rolled her eyes and swayed as she led Lanren back to the counter.
Lanren, whose face was scarred and whose build didn’t resemble that of a Han Chinese, disliked socializing.
Yunsheng silently followed her inside.
Lin Chen called for someone to hold the horse and warmly chatted with Zhou Er.
“Sir, you’ve come at the perfect time. Our inn has just opened, and today, whether you’re stopping by or staying overnight, we have special offers. A superior room is only one tael of silver.”
Zhou Er: “……”
You might as well rob us openly.
Offering us a room is quite kind of you.
Zhou Peigong jumped down from the carriage with a teasing smile.
“We don’t look like easy targets, do we? We’re not exactly rolling in wealth and can’t afford a shady inn!”
In the city of Yangzhou Prefecture, no one would bat an eye at five taels for a superior room.
But Zhou Peigong had some idea of the prices in Yizhen County from correspondence with his old friend.
In the county, a superior room would cost about eight qian of silver.
Since this wasn’t by the docks, one tael was practically daylight robbery.
Lin Chen quickly explained, “We’re honest businessmen, sir, please don’t misunderstand.”
“One tael includes breakfast for both of you, and once you see our rooms, you’ll understand.”
“Our toiletries are of the finest quality, the bedding is changed daily, the rooms are cleaned twice a day, and they’re even scented. Staying here is more comfortable than in any inn in Yangzhou Prefecture.”
Fang He didn’t dare to introduce anything from the future to avoid drawing attention, but for things available in this era, since she was in business, she naturally aimed for the best.
For example, adding a cover to the bedding for easy washing.
Installing two wardrobes in the room with wooden hangers for hanging clothes.
The washing and toilet facilities were connected with bamboo pipes leading directly to the night soil bucket at the back door, eliminating the need to carry it out and making it convenient for the night soil collector to take it away.
In the backyard, there were several sets of stone mortars fixed with wood and ropes, creating simple foot-operated washing platforms to save everyone from hard labor.
Inside the rooms, small portions of fragrant soap, tooth powder, and pig bristle toothbrushes were provided, replaced daily, all of which were added bonuses.
Most of the guests staying at such an inn were traveling merchants from north and south, and few were short on money.
They valued convenience above all.
In a word, Fang He never skimped on making money.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Zhou Peigong nodded repeatedly, and even the suspicion and wariness on Zhou Er’s face faded away.
They came to stay at the new inn for nothing but comfort, didn’t they?
If that’s the case, they were willing to pay one tael of silver per day.
Lin Chen had someone arrange the carriage and feed the horses, then led the two inside, still looking a bit aggrieved.
“And not only is our inn comfortable to stay in, but at meal times, there are also programs to remind everyone to eat.”
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