Continue doing business.

 

“We shouldn’t have any problem earning this money, but why do I feel so unsettled?” After the initial joy, Jing’s father began to worry.

 

Facing a daily revenue of five taels, he felt uncertain and couldn’t believe they had earned so much without doing much.

 

“Dad, you should be at ease. This is the result of our hard work, no different from farming,” Jing Yi reassured his father. He understood his father’s concerns. A hardworking farmer suddenly finding a way to earn more money would naturally feel uneasy.

 

However, Jing’s father’s worries also reminded Jing Yi that he couldn’t take the matter of the business registry lightly.

 

He remembered going to the town’s bookstore in his spare time and reading the official version of the law book “Dayuan Law” for the Dayuan Dynasty. It mentioned that if the annual profit from a business exceeded one hundred taels for three consecutive years, the government would send a reminder during the third year’s tax payment, and in the fourth year, the household registration of the shop owner would be changed to a business registry.

 

This specifically referred to those engaged in buying and selling in shops, while street vendors generally didn’t have this requirement.

 

Although the business registry during the Dayuan Dynasty was not as strict as in other dynasties, the social status was still not high. During prosperous times, as long as taxes were paid on time and trouble was not caused, there would be no issues.

 

However, once the situation became slightly unstable or there was a need for money, merchants became the primary source of exploitation, and increasing taxes was seen as good. Some officials would even go after both money and lives to achieve their political goals. There were many historical examples of this.

 

The rulers’ attitude was mostly ambiguous, not attaching much importance to these matters and always prioritizing agricultural development, the most basic foundation. From another perspective, Jing Yi could understand that everyone had different starting points and different perspectives on the overall situation. If he couldn’t change the situation, he would change himself.

 

In summary, Jing Yi definitely couldn’t let himself passively become a business registry. He had to come up with a foolproof plan within three years.

 

He considered buying back the heavy book “Dayuan Law,” which was worth ten taels of silver, and studying it thoroughly. He couldn’t keep relying on borrowing it from others.

 

Lost in his thoughts, his mind returned to the spicy hot pot business. He took the opportunity to mention the matter he had been thinking about all afternoon to his father and mother.

 

“Mom and Dad, based on today’s customer flow, there will be more people for the next two days of the trial tasting. We won’t be able to handle the workload.”

 

“I was thinking, why don’t we invite Xiao Feng to help? It’s the off-season for farming, and he has nothing to do at home. Third Uncle’s family isn’t well-off, and now that we have the ability, we can lend a hand.”

 

Jing Yi thought for a moment and continued, “The monthly salary for shop assistants in town is generally around five to six hundred wen. I plan to give Xiao Feng five hundred wen for the first month, and if he does well, I’ll increase it to six hundred wen in the second month. What do you think?”

 

“No problem! During our previous difficulties, your Third Uncle and Aunt helped us a lot. Xiao Feng is someone I watched grow up. He’s a good young man!” Jing’s mother quickly agreed, being straightforward and distinguishing between good and bad. Whoever treated her well, she would treat them well in return.

 

“I think it’s a good idea too. Jing Zheng just had a son last year, and Jing Feng is reaching the age to get married soon. Your Third Uncle’s family needs money everywhere right now, and they don’t have any other way to earn it.”

 

Jing’s father had been supportive of his younger brother before, and when their family encountered difficulties, his brother turned around and supported them. The relationship between the two families was very good.

 

With the matter settled, early the next morning, Jing’s father and Jing Yi returned to the village to discuss this with Third Uncle’s family. To avoid delaying their return to work, they hired a donkey cart.

 

Back at home, Jing’s mother washed the meat and vegetables and prepared skewers, with Xiao An and Xiao Shu helping.

 

After father and son arrived in the village, they had the cart driver rest in the yard of Third Uncle’s house while they discussed business matters with Third Uncle, Third Aunt, and Jing Feng in the main hall.

 

When they mentioned the matter of inviting Jing Feng to work in the town, Jing Feng’s face lit up with excitement and joy. He had been bored at home during the idle farming season, not doing much.

 

“Brother Yi, this job allows me to work in town and pays money too! They’re actually giving five hundred wen! That’s amazing!”

 

However, when Third Uncle and Aunt, who were honest people, heard about helping out and getting paid five hundred wen, they adamantly refused.

 

They said, “We’re such close relatives, why talk about money? Just let Xiao Feng help without mentioning money. We’ll provide meals. Hurry up and take him away.”

 

Jing’s father and Jing Yi were both amused and exasperated. Jing Yi explained incessantly that this was the going rate in town, and there was plenty of work to do. Moreover, Xiao Feng seemed more capable than others in town, which convinced Third Uncle and Aunt to agree with smiles on their faces.

 

Jing’s mother quickly packed a bag for Xiao Feng and instructed her second son to take him away, reminding him to work hard and talk less. It was likely that this honest and hardworking young man would work diligently, but talking less might be difficult.

 

Third Aunt also brought a pot of steamed mixed grain pancakes from home, saying that they could have it for lunch when everyone was too busy to cook.

 

Xiao Feng officially joined the Jing family’s small restaurant. Although he made many mistakes in the beginning and caused a lot of laughter, his natural optimism and cheerfulness made him not take it to heart when others jokingly teased him.

 

He had a knack for work and was skillful with his hands. This greatly relieved the pressure on the Jing family, and from the first month, Jing Yi increased his salary to six hundred wen.

 

The business at the Jing family’s small restaurant gradually gained momentum. Once everyone became proficient in their work, Jing Yi started adding tea eggs and sour plum soup, both of which they were already familiar with making, so it didn’t cause any chaos.

 

After the three days of trial tasting, Aunt Lin and the Lin twins arrived as promised and set up a stall in front of the shop.

 

They added a variety of items for sale. In addition to the game hunted by Uncle Lin and the vegetables from their own garden, they mainly sold wild delicacies collected from the mountains, which surprisingly sold very well.

 

Jing Yi admired Uncle Lin and Aunt Lin for their business acumen. The business of selling mountain products was a win-win industry for both the Lin family and the mountain people.

 

Otherwise, the mountain people would usually stay in the mountains, and their mountain products would either rot or be sold at very low prices to itinerant traders, which was not suitable at all.

 

Aunt Lin was an experienced businessman, but he didn’t get too greedy. He would come early in the morning, set up the stall until ten-thirty, and finish the morning market. If he had spare time, he would chat with Jing’s mother in the backyard and help out, but he would usually return home from the town by eleven o’clock.

 

Of course, occasionally when he got tired of the twins, he would bring Chuxia along. Jing Yi was too busy to leave, and he missed Chuxia, so he would subtly mention it to Aunt Lin’s ear. Once Aunt Lin got annoyed with his constant reminders, he would bring Chuxia to the town, letting the young couple meet.

 

So, every few days, there would be a handsome young man helping out at the Jing family’s spicy hot pot shop. He worked quickly, spoke politely, and whenever Jing Yi talked to him, his voice was excessively sweet. Many regular customers who came to support the restaurant also learned that he was the fiancé of the boss.

 

In this way, they remained busy from early November until Chinese New Year. As the weather got colder, business got even better. Later on, they stopped resting during lunchtime altogether, opening the shop from ten in the morning until six in the evening, and they consistently had customers.

 

Especially during lunchtime, the business was so good that the queue couldn’t be cleared. Some impatient customers became rude and aggressive, which led to potential conflicts.

 

To resolve this issue, Jing Yi suggested offering take-out services. He recommended that local customers living nearby bring their own containers to pack the food so that the taste wouldn’t change. It also allowed the women and children who didn’t like going out to enjoy the food at home. It slightly alleviated the never-ending queue situation.

 

As they became busier, they needed more help. Starting from the second month, Jing Yi specifically asked his friend Zhang San to find a tidy and efficient woman from town to help wash vegetables, skewer meat, and wash dishes in the backyard.

 

He found Auntie Qiao. She comes for one hour in the morning and one hour in the afternoon, and she is paid eight wen per day. It doesn’t interfere with her own household chores, and it solves the manpower problem for Jing Yi’s side.

 

In December, the Jing family had another happy event, which was buying a donkey cart.

 

At the beginning of the month, the weather had already started to get cold, especially in the early morning when the wind felt like a knife cutting against the face.

 

Since the Jing family started their business, they mostly stayed in the small courtyard in town. They were too busy to go back and forth, which wasted a lot of time. They entrusted the miscellaneous matters of the house and the field to Third Uncle’s family for help.

 

Jing’s father, in particular, would return to the village every two or three days. The house couldn’t be left empty, and they needed to maintain its liveliness. They also had to tidy up the household items.

 

Jing’s mother and Jing Yi had only gone back to stay a few times in the past month. As for the two little ones, they hadn’t gone back at all. The weather was cold, and the adults at home were busy, so they couldn’t spare the time to take care of them.

 

The reason for buying the donkey cart was because one morning, Jing’s father arrived at the shop early, and Jing’s mother opened the door to welcome him in. Seeing her exhausted husband sitting on a stool, too tired to get up, and even unable to have breakfast yet.

 

He had left early in the morning while it was still dark, and he coincidentally encountered Jing Feng, who hadn’t returned to the village from town the day before. Jing’s father was traveling alone, feeling cold and tired, lonely and in danger. Now, upon seeing Jing’s mother, he complained of hunger. Although Jing’s mother didn’t say it out loud, she felt extremely distressed in her heart.

 

So she proactively suggested buying a donkey cart, a slightly larger one that could transport goods and people. It would be convenient for future trips back to the village.

 

Jing Yi entrusted this matter to Zhang San. Although Zhang San mainly dealt with real estate, as a versatile person, there was nothing he couldn’t handle. That morning, he took Jing Yi and Jing’s father to the donkey market.

 

There was a dedicated donkey market in town because the demand was relatively high. Later on, it became independent from the mule and horse market, although the location didn’t change much. It was still next to the mule and horse market, in the outer area of the town’s south side.