Chapter Fifty: The New Shop~

"Changzhi? Changzhi?"

The memories gradually faded as Cheng Yuan's slightly worried face stared intently at him.

She waved a hand in front of him.

"What are you thinking about? You were so lost in thought. Are you alright?"

Xie Changzhi snapped out of it and shook his head.

Clasping his hands tightly on his knees, he said, "Matters concerning Xie Yanzhi happened far too long ago. I can barely remember them from my childhood, and as we grew older, we rarely kept in touch."

"However, it was merely my own overthinking today. If an opportunity arises, I will inquire further about the past."

Xie Changzhi lowered his gaze slightly, concealing the emotions swirling in his eyes.

Cheng Yuan nodded, a flash of disappointment crossing her face, but she quickly brushed the minor episode aside.

"I've saved up quite a bit of money from selling cupcakes these past two days. I plan to go into the county town tomorrow and see if there are any suitable shops for rent."

Resting her chin in her hand, Cheng Yuan's eyes revealed a hint of yearning.

"Once we have a shop, we won't have to make the exhausting daily commute. It would be best to find one with a backyard, so the two of us can stay in town. It will be much more convenient for purchasing supplies and making the pastries, and we can just head back home every few days."

Xie Changzhi's pupils constricted slightly. "What about Mother and Ge'er?"

Cheng Yuan glanced at him sideways and slowly said, "Don't we still have Mobai and the other? Your father is also at home every day. Although scholars aren't known for physical strength, he is tutoring the children, which naturally inclines the neighbors to treat our family kindly. I will also have a good word with the villagers tomorrow. If they are decent folk, then for the future... but should anyone try to take advantage of us, we aren't pushovers either."

"I'll arrange for Mother and the others to check on the fields regularly. In short, you don't need to worry. We will focus on our business, and once we've saved up enough money, we'll buy a large courtyard estate and bring everyone to live together."

Cheng Yuan's words carried a teasing lilt, as if mocking him for being more attached to home than she was.

Xie Changzhi's face flushed unnaturally, and he rubbed his nose.

Having lacked affection since childhood, it was only after coming to the Cheng family that he had truly experienced the warmth and bustle of a family.

Suddenly having to leave again made him feel a reluctant pang in his heart.

"It's fine, I understand. Besides, aren't you here with me?"

Cheng Yuan sidled up to him with a beaming smile, raised her hand, and the next second, produced a piece of malt candy between her fingers.

Sure enough, Xie Changzhi's eyes instantly lit up.

"When did you buy malt candy?"

The malt candy on the stick was golden and translucent, tempting one to take a bite.

Without a word, Cheng Yuan smiled and handed the candy to him.

"Eat up. If it's not enough, there's more."

Thanks to daily check-ins, her current inventory system could practically function as a food supermarket; she still had ninety-nine such pieces of malt candy left.

Sensing that Cheng Yuan was unwilling to reveal more, Xie Changzhi obediently took the candy, nibbling on it quietly without pressing further.

It was sweet without being cloying, and wonderfully chewy.

Clearly sweet to the very core of his heart, Xie Changzhi still felt an inexplicable hollowness inside.

Early the next morning, the two walked along the street against the morning glow.

They first went to deliver goods to the Qi residence, informing Qi Yunyue that she intended to rent a shop. As it happened, Qi Yunyue had a vacant property on hand; its location was slightly out of the way, but the monthly rent was only three taels of silver.

Unable to go out herself, Qi Yunyue dispatched a servant to lead them to inspect the shop.

They walked all the way through the most prosperous district, then turned down a side street, finally spotting the closed shop at the very end of the lane.

Cheng Yuan cast a brief glance at the surroundings—mostly grocery stores with very low customer traffic.

However, this was not a concern for her, as her customer base was already stable.

"Miss Cheng, the two of you can go inside and have a look," the servant said respectfully as he unlocked the door.

Cheng Yuan stepped over the threshold to find a layer of dust covering everything, indicating it had likely been left idle for at least three months.

It was impossible to tell what kind of shop it had been previously, and Cheng Yuan didn't ask. The interior was roughly the same size as her family courtyard—quite spacious. She mentally measured the layout, figuring they could arrange some tables and chairs to create a dining area.

The servant led her further inward. "Miss Cheng, this is the interior courtyard and the backyard. There are two rooms, and they are still quite clean!"

Cheng Yuan walked gracefully. The courtyard was small, featuring a large water vat and a towering shade tree whose canopy rose above the eaves. A layer of residual frost made the branches look somewhat weighed down, so Cheng Yuan carefully skirted around it.

She inspected both side rooms; though small, they were fully equipped with everything necessary. A solid plan had already formed in her mind.

"Here are three taels of silver. Please trouble yourself to hand this to Miss Yunyue, and give her my regards. Tell her I am very satisfied with the shop, and once we open for business, I'll invite her to try our new products."

The servant bowed respectfully and departed.

Cheng Yuan surveyed the surroundings once more before turning to Xie Changzhi.

"You can take one side room and I'll take the other. However, the pastry-making process is exhausting; we'll probably need to hire someone else. Do you have any good candidates in mind?"

Looking slightly dazed, Xie Changzhi blinked his eyes and shook his head.

Cheng Yuan did not press further; he hadn't spent much time in the village and hadn't crossed paths with many people.

As she pondered this while the two of them leisurely walked toward Uncle Wang's ox cart, inspiration suddenly struck her.

With only the three of them on the cart, she asked casually, as if making small talk, "Uncle Wang, I heard you make a round trip between the village and the county town every morning and evening?"

"Aye, though it's mostly just the two of you heading into town every day lately. Most of the time, I don't even open for business," Uncle Wang replied with a hearty laugh, though the years had etched deep lines on his face, faintly betraying a life of hardship.

Thinking of Auntie Wang's frequent kindnesses, Cheng Yuan sniffled slightly.

"Uncle Wang, Elder Brother Wang's tuition fees aren't low, are they? Have you ever thought about taking on some odd jobs as well?"

Elder Brother Wang's academy seemed to be the same one Jiang Yun attended. Located in the county town, its instructors were all capable men, making it renowned far and wide, so everyone tried to squeeze their children into it.

However, the academy only admitted certified scholars, and a single year's tuition practically consumed a family of three's living expenses, which was why Elder Uncle Jiang and his wife had come looking for handouts time and time again.

Mentioning his only son left Uncle Wang feeling both gratified and melancholy.

He shook his head. "I've farmed the fields all my life, and in my old age, all I know how to do is drive an ox cart. No odd-job employer would want someone with a limp like mine."

Hearing this, Cheng Yuan instinctively glanced down at Uncle Wang's legs in surprise, though sitting as he was, nothing looked out of the ordinary.

"Uncle Wang, to be entirely honest with you, I've been running a small business recently. With the savings our family has accumulated, I've rented a shop in the county town to sell food. Right now, I'm short of a pair of hands—it doesn't require heavy leg work, just some manual labor, and Changzhi and I can't manage everything alone. If you're willing, we can discuss the monthly wage."

The speed of the ox cart slowed down slightly. Uncle Wang turned his head to look at the two of them, seeing the genuine earnestness on Cheng Yuan's face.

Secretly astonished, he had originally thought the two youngsters merely sold eggs and chestnuts or the like, but they had actually earned enough silver to rent a storefront!

Truly, the younger generation was to be respected!

Pondering for a moment, he weighed his words and said, "As for the wages, never mind that. Yuan'er, I watched you grow up. Helping out is no trouble at all, and besides, I have nothing to do at home anyway..."