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"Make way! Make way!"
"Esteemed guest, these are all fine goods! Would you care to take a look?"
"Young Master Hu, please come in!"
Early morning, as dawn broke, East Market Street gradually bustled with activity. The largest restaurant on the entire street, Pan Lou, had already opened for business. As the landmark establishment on this street, guests continuously streamed in as soon as its doors opened.
At this moment, a window on the second floor of Pan Lou, facing the street, suddenly opened, and a gloomy-faced young master peered out at the street below. This person was none other than Chai An, and his great hobby was to look down from this second floor every morning at the hurried crowds below. However, this hobby had been forcibly put on hold for three days due to the red mark on his face from being hit by a cuju (ancient football). Finally, after waiting for the red mark to disappear today, he looked down and found that the shop opposite had changed owners because it couldn't continue its business. Even the signboard on the main entrance had been replaced.
"What's going on?" Chai An was startled, then turned to his attendant and asked.
"Young Master, you wouldn't know!" The attendant immediately bent forward, bowing and scraping, "This restaurant changed owners the day before yesterday! I heard it's a family of women who came to the capital from afar to make a living!"
"A family of women? No men?" Chai An was surprised, and the image of the Li family mother and daughters immediately surfaced in his mind. At the same time, he secretly muttered to himself, It couldn't be such a coincidence, could it? Just recently had a conflict with the Fan family and the Li family's six tigers, and now they've brought their business right opposite me? If it's true, then it's truly a narrow path for rivals!
As Chai An was thinking, he saw an ox cart slowly approach from the far end of the street, stopping precisely in front of this newly opened teahouse. After it came to a steady stop, the first to alight was the figure Chai An could not forgetāit was none other than Lady Li Niang, the matriarch of the Li family. Following her, Eldest Daughter Shou Hua, Second Daughter Fu Hui, and Third Daughter Kang Ning also alighted from the ox cart. Aside from Fourth Daughter Hao De and Fifth Daughter Le Shan, the Li family could be considered to have deployed their entire force! Of course, their appearance was no coincidence! Chai An was startled, then immediately understood! This newly opened teahouse opposite was indeed the business of the Li family mother and daughters!
But how could these mother and daughters be so fast? In just three days, they had managed to acquire this storefront, complete the basic setup, and even change the signboard on the main entrance. Logically speaking, it should be inconvenient for a family of women to conduct business in the capital; there's no reason for them to be so quick?! Of course, at this moment, the Li family mother and daughters had no idea that from the window on the second floor of the building opposite, a pair of doubtful and resentful eyes were watching them. At this moment, they were fully immersed in the anticipation of the new life that was about to begin.
"Mother! You have five daughters, wouldn't it be perfect to gather the 'Five Fortunes'?" Third Daughter Kang Ning looked at the signboard on the main entrance, which bore the four large characters "Si Fu Cha Shi" (Four Fortunes Teahouse), and asked her mother with a puzzled expression.
"Hehe!" Lady Li Niang chuckled heartily, then fanned herself with a round fan and said, "What do you know? That last fortune is still far from being hung up!" As Lady Li Niang spoke, she couldn't suppress the smile at the corner of her mouth, for at this moment she was already envisioning the wonderful life she and her daughters would have in the capital.
"People say that water overflows when it's full, and fortune easily breaks when it's overflowing!" At this moment, Eldest Daughter Shou Hua, with a serene and virtuous demeanor, lightly opened her lips and said, "Excessive good fortune has never been a good thing since ancient times!"
"Mother is right! In my opinion, four fortunes are just right!"
Eldest Daughter Shou Hua's words made her mother and sisters, including the old servant following behind, nod in agreement repeatedly. It must be said that when it came to being knowledgeable and well-mannered, among the five Li family daughters, Eldest Daughter Shou Hua truly reigned supreme!
"Once all five of you are married, I'll hang up the signboard of 'Five Fortunes'!" Lady Li Niang was even more satisfied with Eldest Daughter Shou Hua's answer, and fanned herself as she spoke, "Let everyone in the capital see it!" As soon as she said this, her daughters and the old servant also covered their mouths and chuckled, for from the current situation, the Li family's days in the capital were certainly going to become increasingly joyful!
However, Third Daughter Kang Ning suddenly felt an ominous premonition in her heart, always feeling as if some crisis was secretly lurking and observing her and her mother. She subconsciously turned her head to look around. And with that turn, she happened to see Chai An looking towards them from the second-floor window opposite, and her delicate brows immediately furrowed. Good heavens! I didn't expect this annoying person to be such a persistent haunting presence!
However, Kang Ning at this moment was different from the original plot; she utterly detested Chai An! Moreover, with Wei Tingyu as an excellent comparison, she felt even more that Chai An was unpresentable and unworthy! Thinking of this, Kang Ning couldn't help but roll her eyes, then turned to Lady Li Niang and said, "Mother! You can rest assured, the shop opened here is sure to have prosperous business!" At the same time, she thought that her teahouse would definitely snatch a small portion of Pan Lou's business opposite, causing Chai An some financial losses, which made Kang Ning feel even happier. After all, that day in the Fan Residence, this fellow Chai An had inexplicably kicked her with a cuju. Although that grudge had been repaid with the Marquis's help, in the face of such a shameless scoundrel, Kang Ning still felt that he needed many more lessons to truly satisfy her!
"We'll use the front shop for business!" Second Daughter Fu Hui also nodded at this moment and said, "There's a moderately sized courtyard in the middle, which is very convenient for washing and drying!"
"We'll live in the back courtyard!"
"All our furniture and supplies have been replaced with new ones!"
"There's also a small side door that leads directly to the alley, so we don't have to use the front door to go in and out!"
"Come on! Let's go in and take a look!"
This place was, of course, personally chosen by Second Daughter Fu Hui, so she introduced it with great pride and a sense of accomplishment in her eyes. After she finished speaking, Lady Li Niang also nodded with great satisfaction at her capable second daughter. One must know that with Fu Hui's current status as a married woman, she shouldn't be staying with her maternal mother and sisters all day long. Moreover, being so busy bustling around arranging the business, usually, in such a situation, her in-laws would surely have many complaints! However, relying on the Marquis's care for the Li family, Lady Li Niang brazenly kept Fu Hui by her side, only telling the Fan family that she missed her daughter and wanted her to stay a few more days. Fan Lianghan was actually more than happy to be left alone, and as for the Fan family's head and his wife, they also nodded repeatedly in agreement, not daring to show any disobedience. They even specifically instructed Second Daughter Fu Hui to spend more time with Lady Li Niang and not to rush back to her in-laws' house. This courteous attitude from before and now made Lady Li Niang sigh with emotion again; indeed, it's good to lean against a big tree for shade! With the Marquis's care, she could even act like a fox borrowing a tiger's might, and many things became convenient! Whenever she thought of this, Lady Li Niang's determination to marry one of her daughters into the Marquis's Residence became even firmer! She was determined to have Wei Tingyu, the Marquis of Jining, as her son-in-law! Even if he had those ambiguous affairs with her best friend Wang Yingxue, Lady Li Niang no longer cared about it at this moment. What's the big deal about awkwardness? That's all about appearances! Marrying into the Marquis's Residence is truly gaining substantial benefits! Only a fool would foolishly push away such a good opportunity for a bit of pride!
Of course, the Li family mother and daughters' conversation had already attracted many onlookers from surrounding businesses and passersby.
"Is this the new owner of Si Fu Cha Shi? How come they're all women?"
"Haven't you heard? This Si Fu Cha Shi has been leased by this family of mother and daughters to open a new business!"
"I heard they came to the capital from out of town to make a living; there are only lonely daughters and a widowed mother in the family!"
"No way? Then they even opened a storefront for business; wouldn't they easily be bullied by street thugs?"
"What are you worrying about? Seeing how beautiful these mother and daughters are, could you be harboring some ulterior motives?"
"What do you mean ulterior motives? I'm being kind! But speaking of which, with the beauty of these daughters, it wouldn't be impossible to find a son-in-law who moves in to support the business!"
"I say you're being overly worried! These lonely daughters and a widowed mother dare to make a living and settle in the capital; they must have a backer!"
"A backer? Who?"
"How would I know? But they do, otherwise their shop definitely wouldn't be able to open!"
"That's true! That's true! I think we street vendors should be a bit more discerning and not offend any noble people we can't afford to mess with!"
The chirping voices of the onlookers naturally reached the ears of the Li family mother and daughters. Especially upon hearing them deduce that the Li family had a backer, it made Lady Li Niang and Second Daughter Fu Hui beam with triumphant smiles. Shou Hua and Kang Ning were alright, merely feeling a bit annoyed by these garrulous neighbors. But Lady Li Niang's and Fu Hui's expressions were practically telling these people, "You guessed right! Your old lady has a backer!" Of course, compared to Lady Li Niang's flamboyance, Fu Hui was more shy. After all, this backer was the gentleman she deeply admired in her heart!
The mother and daughters, amidst the discussions of the onlookers, walked with their heads held high into the shop, disappearing from everyone's sight. And Chai An, sitting above in Pan Lou, naturally witnessed this scene and immediately frowned. At this moment, he realized that one of the discussions among these neighbors was very true, but it was also something he had to face: although the Li family mother and daughters' teahouse wasn't large, the fact that they had a backer was true! Wei Tingyu had already directly expressed to him that he should stay away from the Li family mother and daughters, so it could be said that the Li family mother and daughters' backing was the Marquis of Jining's Residence! If you were just doing ordinary business, it would be fine, but they happened to set up shop right opposite his business, and relying on the Marquis of Jining's Residence for support, they would probably take a lot of his business in the future!
"Oh dear, oh dear..." At this moment, a shifty-eyed, vulgar figure rushed up to the second floor of Pan Lou, his head covered with a blue headscarf obscuring his face. As soon as this person came up, he immediately pulled Chai An away from the window, then closed the window.
"Were you out stealing?" Chai An rolled his eyes helplessly upon seeing this figure, then pulled off the headscarf on his head and asked. Because a man could be so spineless, he knew without even looking at the other person's face that it could only be his cousin, Fan Lianghan!
"Don't let my lady see me!" Fan Lianghan was startled, then nervously said to Chai An. And Chai An was even more speechless at this moment, fiercely complaining about his cousin in his heart. Your lady is currently busy with her mother and sisters, showing her face and rushing around with business, how does she have time to care about you? Coming to my Pan Lou, and even disguising yourself, you're truly overthinking things!
"Brother! Brother!" This effeminate Fan Lianghan, seeing that Chai An seemed unwilling to bother with him, immediately started acting spoiled again: "These past two days, my parents have been keeping a tight leash on me too; they won't let me go to restaurants, teahouses, or even the Sang Family Tile Yards, and they're forcing me to look at account books every day!"
"I only get a chance to come to your Pan Lou to amuse myself every day, and now this Li family's business has opened right opposite yours!"
"How can I even come here anymore in the future?" Fan Lianghan grew more and more aggrieved as he spoke. He had been hiding far away in the crowd just now. Only after the Li family mother and daughters entered the shop did he dare to sneak up to Pan Lou, fearing that any of them might see him.
"I've found out!" At this moment, a young servant also ran up and bowed to Chai An, saying, "The place opposite doesn't just sell tea; it's more like a tea and wine shop! They also do noodle and soup business!"
"Outsiders don't understand the ropes; which proper teahouse does this? It's laughable!" Chai An, however, frowned directly upon hearing this, thinking to himself, It's just as I thought, they're clearly targeting my Pan Lou! Of course, Chai An's heart was still as narcissistic and arrogant as before; paranoia immediately took over his brain!
"There are over a thousand teahouses in the capital, all because of their meager capital! Hire someone who can cook and serve tea, and the business gets started!"
"But precisely because there are teahouses everywhere in the streets and alleys, this line of work is difficult!"
"However, this East Street Alley opens for business at the fifth watch (3-5 AM), and those who rush to the early market always need a place to rest their feet."
"Moreover, with my restaurant opened here, selling some cheap tea, snacks, and noodles next to my business, that's the truly shrewd long-term strategy!" As Chai An's words fell, both the young servant and Fan Lianghan were stunned! They hadn't expected that the teahouse run by the Li family mother and daughters would have such a strategy.
"From today onwards, instruct my subordinates not to block early market customers!" Chai An had now entered a state of self-congratulatory strategizing, fanning himself elegantly with his folding fan, and squeezing out a conspiratorial smile from the corner of his mouth as he spoke.
"My Lord! Our top-grade Dragon Ball tea costs five guan for one kua (unit of weight), but only a few pinches, enough for three to five cups!" The young servant was startled, then he also understood that his master was going to wage a price war against the other side, so he continued, "The lowest grade of wax tea costs two hundred wen per jin (unit of weight)!"
"That small shop opposite just gets some loose tea, only twenty or thirty wen per jin! How can they compare?" Fan Lianghan also nodded repeatedly upon hearing this. Pan Lou was, after all, the most high-class restaurant on the entire East Market Street; it wasn't just any peddler or foot soldier who could enter.
"Give them a place to rest and talk, providing two hundred servings of tea and snacks daily, five or ten wen per serving would be enough!"
"I don't sell those low-grade, inferior teas; just let the tea hawkers from the street come in!" Chai An smiled coldly, then continued. Fan Lianghan's eyes immediately lit up upon hearing Chai An's words. According to his cousin's plan, the Li family mother and daughters opposite wouldn't have any business at all! This way, the teahouse would have to close down soon, and then he could come back and slack off with his cousin again! Seeing his cousin and the young servant's adoring gazes, Chai An pompously fanned his folding fan again, striking a pose like Zhuge Liang himself, strategizing on earth, feeling that he was simply too clever!
"Get up, get up, hurry up! Don't delay the early market's businā" The next morning, before dawn, Lady Li Niang, dressed and ready, pushed open her door and loudly called out to her daughters' rooms. Before she could finish her sentence, she froze, because her daughters' room door was already wide open, and it was pitch black inside with no one there. She went closer to look and found that her daughters were no longer in their boudoir. She immediately looked around with some confusion.
"Third Daughter? Eldest Daughter? Where... where did everyone go?" Lady Li Niang muttered, looking around in bewilderment. It wasn't until she reached the back kitchen that she found the kitchen already filled with steam and a bustling, lively scene. Her daughters had already divided the tasks, some rolling dough, some mixing fillings, happily busy!
Lady Li Niang was stunned upon seeing this scene. It was clear that her daughters were even more eager and anticipatory for the upcoming new life than she was!
"Mother!" Third Daughter Kang Ning happened to see Lady Li Niang's figure, immediately called out sweetly with a smile, then lowered her head to continue with the tasks in her hands. The other daughters also reacted at this moment, looking up one after another to greet Lady Li Niang. Lady Li Niang was deeply moved, for this scene of a mother and daughters working together with one heart to strive for a better life made her heart feel incredibly warm!