TFWYH – Chapter 77 Renting a Shop

The next day, Tang Wan set off early with Ling Yue to the town.

She didn’t know that not long after she left, an ox cart entered the village.

Zhang Tao had returned.

Doctor Zhang, having racked up a mountain of debt, didn’t have nearly enough money to repay the villagers.

So he arranged a marriage for his daughter—her prospective groom was a landlord from the neighboring Liu family village, already over sixty years old.

But Zhang Tao knew nothing about this—her father had tricked her into coming back.

Doctor Zhang didn’t tell her the truth right away; instead, he put on a show of remorse before her and swore he would cut ties with Widow Hong.

As for Widow Hong—heh—now that he had no money, there was no need for him to cut ties; she would do it herself.

Tang Wan was unaware of the chain of events her actions had set off.

By this time, she and Ling Yue had already met up with Ling Laoda.

Ling Laoda immediately spoke to Shopkeeper Xu, then took them to the docks.

Xiangxi Town was a riverside settlement, with many merchant ships passing through and a heavy flow of people.

It was thanks to the Yang River that the town was more developed than others of its size.

The docks were in the southern part of town, and the shop Ling Laoda showed them was right across from the docks, in a prime location.

The place wasn’t very large—Tang Wan quickly gauged it at just over ten square meters.

The shop’s owner was a middle-aged man with a goatee, known to everyone as Old Jia.

Perhaps Ling Laoda had already told him about Tang Wan’s character, because when she asked about the rent, he didn’t beat around the bush—he simply raised ten fingers, saying it was a fixed price, non-negotiable.

You say “non-negotiable” and expect me to accept that?

Tang Wan was clearly not satisfied.

Ling Laoda must have noticed, because after a round of bargaining with Old Jia, he managed to get the rent lowered by two taels.

Tang Wan was pleased, and immediately signed a six-month lease with Old Jia.

No one was happier than Ling Yue—she finally had her own shop!

To Ling Laoda, she expressed her endless gratitude.

Ling Laoda exchanged a few polite words, gave Tang Wan a meaningful look, and then took his leave—he was still on the clock and had to return quickly.

Ever since Zui Xian Lou had gotten Tang Wan’s bean paste and new dishes, business had been booming; the only reason he could slip away mid-shift was because Shopkeeper Xu was giving Tang Wan face.

With the shop secured, the next step was preparing the goods.

There were some tables and chairs in the shop, but not enough.

Since Tang Wan had her own cart, she could prepare the pig offal at home each day and bring it over, so there was no need for a stove in the shop.

But Ling Yue disagreed—why cook at home when they could cook right there in the shop?

Tang Wan respected her opinion.

They planned out the shop’s layout and then launched into a buying spree—not just tables and chairs, but also pig offal and all kinds of seasonings.

“We don’t need to make too much tonight—let’s just cook and sell a trial amount, see how much we need for one day, and then make that amount the next,” Ling Yue suggested.

Tang Wan, of course, agreed.

Before long, the two of them had arranged the four new tables and chairs, cleaned the bowls and chopsticks the previous owner had left, and headed to Butcher Tang’s stall.

Standing in front of the pork stall, the sisters-in-law smiled warmly.

Tang Hongba: …

Just looking at these two gave him a headache.

“What is it this time?”

“Dad, I want pig offal!”

“…” His daughter was eating that stuff again—there was no stopping her.

“Didn’t you take a bunch last time? Still not enough?”

“It’s like this, Uncle Tang—I’ve opened a shop and plan to sell pig offal. From now on, could you save all your offal for me? I’ll pay—how about three coins?”

It was Ling Yue who gave the more thorough explanation.

The butcher froze, staring in disbelief:

“You… you’ve opened a shop?”