After taking a break, the sun was nearing the western hills, and the clouds in the sky turned a rosy hue, dressing the small village in vibrant colors.

Looking into the distance, the green trees on the mountain seemed to be adorned with red silk ribbons, creating a breathtaking sight.

Summer days are long.

Taking advantage of the cooler temperature as the sun descended, Jing’s father and Jing Yi went to Carpenter Zhang’s house again.

The courtyard of Carpenter Zhang’s house was almost the same as yesterday’s arrangement. When the carpenter’s wife saw them, she quickly came out to greet them. “Big Brother Jing and little Yi, have you had dinner? We’ve cooked porridge at home, come and have it with us.”

“No, your sister-in-law is waiting for us to have dinner at home. Is Uncle Zhang here?” Jing’s father politely declined. Unfortunately, they happened to arrive during someone else’s mealtime, and Jing’s father wanted to settle things quickly.

Seeing Carpenter Zhang being called out by his wife from the main hall, Jing’s father quickly spoke up, “Brother Zhang, we have come to trouble you again. This time, we want to buy wooden barrels and bamboo tubes.”

Without hiding anything, he explained the situation to Carpenter Zhang, saying, “You see, our eldest nephew is bored at home and wants to start a small business in town.” After finishing, he gave Jing Yi a meaningful look, signaling that the rest was up to him.

“Uncle Zhang, here’s the thing. I need some utensils for my small business in town. The bamboo tubes I bought from you before were very convenient to use, so I want to buy another fifty. If my small business in town goes well, I might need to buy from you on a long-term basis. And also, can you give me a smaller wooden barrel?”

Jing Yi clearly stated the required quantity to Carpenter Zhang and made some special requests, “Uncle Zhang, how much do your bamboo tubes with lids sell for?”

“You’ve grown up, Yi. You’re doing business in town now,” Carpenter Zhang said with delight. Although bamboo tubes only earned a small amount of money, if there were long-term purchases in the future, it would be a stable source of income. Moreover, making bamboo tubes was a simple task.

“The smaller wooden barrels are twenty wen each, and the bamboo tubes without lids are one wen each. As for the bamboo tubes with lids you mentioned, I have them too, but they cost five wen each. Don’t underestimate that small lid; I have to carve the threads bit by bit, ensuring a perfect fit with no leaks. I can make five regular bamboo tubes with lids with the effort it takes to make one with a lid.”

Jing Yi found the prices reasonable. He had seen similar bamboo tubes in the market in town, and the ones with threaded lids sold for six to eight wen each. If the bottle body was carved with patterns and dyed, they could sell for ten wen.

“Alright! Uncle Zhang, we trust your craftsmanship. Please give me twenty bamboo tubes with lids,” Jing Yi said, ready to pay.

Carpenter Zhang raised his hand and said, “Don’t rush to pay. I have ready-made small wooden barrels, and I need to count how many bamboo tubes I have in total. You can take the available ones first. If there aren’t enough, I will make more. How about you come back tomorrow at the same time?”

Saying that, he only accepted payment for the available stock and politely saw Jing’s father and Jing Yi off, explaining that he needed to work hard and didn’t have time for idle chatter.

Jing Yi and his father didn’t take it too seriously because they got along well in the village.

Holding the small wooden barrel, Jing Yi put the bamboo tubes in the bamboo basket provided by Zhang the Carpenter and carried it on his back, and they went back home.

The business in the following days was similar to the first day, or even better. They even skipped making herbal tea, so they didn’t have to wake up early in the morning to prepare, and they could close their stall and go home earlier in the afternoon.

The take-out sour plum soup was well received by everyone. In fact, it was Jing Yi’s sincere intention. He only charged the cost price for the bamboo tubes. In the initial stage, they needed to focus on their own products. If they found a better sales model later, they could discuss it with Zhang the Carpenter. They aimed to prosper themselves and then bring prosperity to others.

Starting from the fourth day, the sour plum soup sold even faster than the mung bean soup. It was sold out before noon.

Jing Yi observed for a few more days and saw that with the reputation of the sour plum soup spreading, there was a continuous flow of loyal customers and new customers who came because of its fame. The demand for sour plum soup was always higher than the supply.

Jing’s father was getting anxious because it meant more money! Finally, Jing Yi announced that they would start selling two barrels of sour plum soup each day.

During this period, Jing’s father also found time to set up a makeshift stove in their backyard. It looked ugly with no particular design, as he had a straightforward masculine aesthetic. However, it had a strong heat output. When he placed the new large iron pot on it, it worked even better than the kitchen stove. But Jing’s mother didn’t like it because she thought it was ugly.

Now they could cook soup simultaneously on two stoves in the morning, which saved them a lot of time.

As time passed, the customer base at their stall became stable. They could sell two large barrels of sour plum soup and one large barrel of mung bean soup, and they would usually sell out by early afternoon.

Due to the limited availability of ingredients, Jing Yi had to give up the peak period in the evening. But that was fine. In the countryside, there was never a moment of idleness. When they returned home around three o’clock in the afternoon, Jing’s father could go to the fields and take care of agricultural matters.

Jing Yi would occasionally go to Xiaofeng Mountain to stretch his legs. After all, it stayed light until late in the summer, as long as he returned before it got dark. Sometimes, he would bring back some mountain chickens or wild rabbits to add some variety to their meals.

If those troublesome people insist on prying into the matter, Jing’s father could easily intimidate many of them with a stern face. Some of the older generation and gossipy women wouldn’t be intimidated, but they would simply leave if he ignored them. Most people in the village were reasonable and wouldn’t criticize Jing’s father for not dealing with those unruly households.

After another half a month, on this day, Jing’s father and Jing Yi went to the dock as usual. When they arrived, they saw that Lin Fu Lang seemed to have something to say to them but hesitated. Jing Yi took the initiative to ask, “Aunt Lin, is there something wrong?”

(T/N: Fu Lang is used to denote a married ger in a respectable manner. Something along the lines of Lin’s husband where Lin would be the male who he is married to.)

Jing Yi wasn’t usually this enthusiastic, but during the time he spent with Lin Fu Lang, he had developed a strong trust in the other person’s character. Lin Fu Lang was easygoing, didn’t take advantage of others, and, most importantly, never criticized others’ affairs. Sometimes, when they were too busy, he would ask his twins to help with loading and unloading, and Jing Yi would occasionally treat the twins to mung bean soup or sour plum soup. In return, Lin Fu Lang would give them some of his own products as a gesture of reciprocity.

“Xiao Yi, could you please watch over something for me along with your two younger brothers? My son came to town with us today. We ran out of salt at home, so he went to buy some. He’s been gone for a while, and I’m afraid he might get lost since he’s unfamiliar with the town. I’ll go look for him,” said Lin Fu Lang.

Lin Fu Lang was genuinely worried. Although his son was cautious and careful, not one to provoke trouble, he still had concerns.

“Sure, Aunt Lin, you can go ahead,” Jing Yi replied.

“Dad, we’ll go with you to provide assistance,” said Lin Dongjiang, the older twin, calmly.

“Yeah! Dad, let’s go together!” shouted Lin Dongshan, the younger twin, with a restless and impatient temperament, in stark contrast to his brother.

“Stop making a fuss. You two stay here with your brother Yi,” Jing’s father said, vetoing their suggestion. In town, things were different from the village, and it was better to avoid unnecessary complications. Jing’s father definitely wouldn’t take them along.

“Aunt Lin, how about I go with you? Business is slow at the moment, so it won’t cause any inconvenience,” Jing Yi suggested. He immediately put down the cart and instructed the twins to help Jing’s father with unloading. He thought it would be better for him to go with Lin Fu Lang to town since he was familiar with it, and having a tall and sturdy man with them would also make things easier.

“In that case, I really appreciate your help, Xiao Yi. I won’t be polite with you then,” replied Lin Fu Lang. He usually didn’t like to trouble others, but the situation was urgent this time. Ever since the incident at his own home, he had become extra cautious when it came to coming to town.

While they were discussing, a slender young man dressed in plain clothes approached the dock. Seeing Lin Fu Lang’s anxious expression from a distance, his delicate face immediately changed, and he quickened his pace, running over and asking, “Dad! What happened? Is something wrong?”

Upon hearing his son’s voice, Lin Fu Lang immediately turned his head and saw the young man running towards him. He reached out and tightly held his hand.

With the other hand, he took a clean handkerchief and wiped the sweat off his son’s forehead. He reassured him and asked, “It’s alright, Xia Xia. Your dad was just a little worried because you were gone for a long time. I was about to come look for you. By the way, why did it take you so long? Nothing happened, right?”

Upon hearing this, Lin Chuxia’s tense expression relaxed. He explained to his father about the incident with buying salt, which was basically just a matter of coincidentally arriving at the salt shop when they were out of stock and waiting for the delivery.

Usually, the salt was delivered in the morning, but something seemed to have happened with the salt delivery team today, causing them to arrive late.

There was no choice since the salt shop was a government-owned business. Whether you were in a hurry or not, if you wanted to buy salt, you had to wait patiently. That’s why he came back late.