Chapter 59: Grand Opening
That night, all five Li siblings slept poorly.
Li Jinzhu and Li Yuzhu spoke in low voices, from when their father and mother were still alive, to how Xuedong would get married and ideally they could buy two houses next to each other, living together yet not living together.
Then they calculated how much copper coins those two houses would cost, how much copper coins their business of turning eggs into preserved eggs, preserved eggs into copper coins, and copper coins back into eggs could earn, and how long it would take to earn enough for the houses. The more they talked, the more excited they became, and before they knew it, dawn was breaking.
Li Xiaonan, however, had fallen asleep, but Li Yin Zhu would jolt awake every half hour or so with a startled cry: “Oh no, it’s late, it’s late, the sun is up!”
Li Xiaonan was woken up by her repeatedly, and she didn’t sleep well that night either.
Logically, the shop opening didn’t involve Li Xuedong, but Li Xuedong tossed and turned, so excited he almost wanted to write a poem or a rhapsody, but writing required a lamp, and he was afraid of disturbing his eldest sister and the others if he lit one, so he lay in bed and thought wildly.
Before the first rooster crowed, Li Yin Zhu rushed into the kitchen, started boiling water, and began washing the pig’s head.
Li Xiaonan followed behind, slowly getting up, yawning, pouring slightly warm water from the large teapot, holding a large bowl, and squatting by the kitchen door to brush her teeth.
Li Jinzhu and Li Yuzhu were very quick, tidying up inside and out, sweeping the courtyard. Li Jinzhu brought out the extremely beautiful rooster from the backyard, and Li Yuzhu scooped up the live fish kept in the water tank, killing the chicken and gutting the fish.
The pig’s head, chicken, and fish were all offerings for the gods on the opening day.
Sister-in-law Yin said that the legitimate owner of the preserved egg and salted egg business was the Li family, and these offerings for the gods had to be prepared by the Li siblings themselves; it wouldn’t be appropriate for them to do it for them, as offerings to the gods could not be taken lightly.
Eldest Uncle Li Wenliang also said so.
These three offerings were purchased by Li Wenliang and delivered to Cai Lian Lane yesterday evening, to be prepared by the Li siblings themselves.
The pig’s head was very clean, and Li Yin Zhu quickly washed it and put it in the pot to steam.
According to the rules taught by Sister-in-law Yin, the pig’s head had to be steamed until seven or eight tenths cooked.
Li Yin Zhu carefully tended the fire, concentrating entirely on steaming the pig’s head. This was an extremely important matter!
Li Xuedong tidied himself up, holding a book, pacing back and forth, looking here and there.
He had taken the day off today; for the shop’s opening and the offerings to the gods, he, as the head of the family, had to offer incense and kowtow.
Li Jinzhu, Li Yuzhu, and Li Yin Zhu quickly prepared the three offerings, ate a quick breakfast, covered the three large silver platters holding the offerings with red silk, and each carried one out of the courtyard gate. Together with Sister-in-law Yin, they headed straight for the shop.
The silver platters and red silk were borrowed from Sister-in-law Yin’s home. The platters were shiny silver, and the red silk was brand new, bright and beautiful.
Li Wenliang, accompanied by the geomancer invited from the Prefectural Yamen and two experienced stewards from the Hong Family who came to help, were already waiting at the shop entrance.
Sister-in-law Yin’s husband and father-in-law also rushed over.
Li Wenliang and Li Jinzhu carried out the offering table. The geomancer stepped forward with a solemn expression, flicked his whisk over the table a few times, spread red silk on it, flicked it a few more times, then gestured for Li Jinzhu to place the offerings, flicked his whisk over the offerings again, and then placed the incense burner to weigh down the talisman paper.
Li Xiaonan craned her neck, watching intently.
After the geomancer finished flicking his whisk, he looked tired, as if he had exerted great effort. He flicked his fingers and said slowly, “Alright, offer the incense.”
Li Wenliang quickly signaled to Li Xuedong.
Li Jinzhu hesitated for a moment, then nudged Li Xiaonan, “You go too, with your brother.”
The geomancer raised his eyebrows and glared sideways at Li Jinzhu.
Li Wenliang quickly said with a smile, “My little niece has an excellent destiny, she is extremely fortunate.”
The geomancer lowered his eyebrows and grunted.
Li Xuedong pulled Li Xiaonan to stand before the offering table. They both kowtowed to all the gods of wealth. Li Xuedong first handed three sticks of incense to Li Xiaonan, then took three himself, lit them with the red candle, and inserted them into the incense burner.
Li Jinzhu and the others stepped forward to kowtow. As the incense sticks burned out, the most important task before opening was completed.
The God of Wealth was invited into the shop’s shrine, the offering table was moved away, and the two stewards from the Hong Family spread out long strings of firecrackers and set them off with a crackling sound.
Just as the firecrackers finished, a middle-aged man in a bronze-colored silk robe stepped over the remnants of the firecrackers into the small shop. He first stood by the preserved eggs, bent down, and carefully examined the sample preserved egg that had been peeled.
“Our family’s technique is the authentic craft of the old Yin family brand from Gaoyou, guaranteed to have no astringent taste at all, very fragrant,” Sister-in-law Yin stepped forward to greet him.
“Gaoyou Yin family’s preserved eggs are indeed good. May I try one?” the middle-aged man said with a smile.
“Certainly!”
Sister-in-law Yin readily agreed. She casually picked up an egg, tapped and flicked it on the nearby table, removed half of the shell, and used the remaining half-shell to hold the bright, lustrous, clean preserved egg, free of any dust, presenting it to the middle-aged man.
“Excellent craftsmanship!” the middle-aged man praised, reaching out to take the preserved egg. He first bit off a piece of the white, savoring it carefully, then bit into the yolk, took a sip, and savored it again, grunting, “It is indeed good.”
Li Jinzhu and the others didn’t dare to crowd around, watching the middle-aged man who was savoring it so carefully with extreme tension. Upon hearing “it is indeed good,” Li Jinzhu breathed a sigh of relief, Li Yuzhu subconsciously wiped sweat from her brow, and Li Yin Zhu let out a puff of air, patting her chest and breathing heavily. She had been terribly nervous.
Li Xiaonan stood beside Sister-in-law Yin, looking at a brocade bag next to the middle-aged man’s sachet. The pattern embroidered on one corner of the brocade bag was exactly the same as the pattern on the Young Lord’s cart.
The middle-aged man didn’t waste it; he ate the entire preserved egg, clapped his hands, and said to Sister-in-law Yin with a smile, “I am the procurement officer from the Prince’s Estate outside the city. From today onwards, your shop will deliver one hundred preserved eggs and one hundred salted eggs to the estate daily.
“Our family’s rule is to pay in advance, settle at the end of the month, with refunds for shortages and adjustments for overages.
“Between Yin Hour and Yin Hour each day, you must deliver the goods to Taoyuan Gate. This is the first delivery, so the timing is not strict. You can send it now. When you arrive at Taoyuan Gate, tell them to call Old Huang to receive the goods.
“For the first delivery, you need to make a list: the price per preserved egg, the price per salted egg, the daily quantity, and the total cost. Have your owner sign and stamp it, and submit it to Old Huang. Old Huang will take you to the accounting office to collect your silver.
“The goods delivered to the estate must be carefully selected; there can be no mistakes,” the middle-aged man explained clearly and concisely.
“Yes, yes, yes. What is your honorable surname?” Sister-in-law Yin replied repeatedly.
“My surname is Sun, and everyone calls me Steward Sun,” Steward Sun replied with a smile. “You should send it over now. I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll be going.”
“Steward Sun, please go slowly!” Sister-in-law Yin saw Steward Sun to the door, then spun back into the shop, patting Li Jinzhu with one hand and Li Yuzhu with the other, “Oh my goodness! Our business! It’s good, it’s good! It’s stable, it’s stable! Oh my goodness! This is truly wonderful!”
Li Wenliang, who had been shrinking in a corner of the shop since Steward Sun entered, emerged from the corner and said to Li Jinzhu with a smile, “You all watch the shop, I’ll take it over. Da Lang, quickly write up a list.”
Li Jinzhu looked at Sister-in-law Yin, who nodded quickly and smiled, “I was just about to trouble you to make a trip. Eldest Madam and Second Madam really can’t leave.”
Seeing Li Jinzhu nod, Li Wenliang said to the two stewards from the Hong Family with a smile, “This delivery is very important. Could I trouble the two of you to accompany me on this delivery?”
The two stewards readily agreed. They would be delighted to accompany this delivery!
