Chapter 7: Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" (Are You the One)

 FlamingoBees 

Translating Chinese Historical Dramas for your enjoyment... and mine! :)

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 Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" / Are You the One

 Chapter 7: 

 

Cui Jiu, having spent a dull night, decided it was enough. After having breakfast, he gave a few instructions to Li Mama at the gate and then departed with a decisive air.

He was confident about the safety of Lingquan Town. Besides Li Mama monitoring Liu Mian Tang inside the house, there were numerous hidden sentries outside the residence. If the bandit Lu Wen showed up, he would find it impossible to escape.

As for Liu Mian Tang, she felt a renewed sense of purpose with her new responsibilities. After breakfast, the clouds dispersed, and the sunshine bathed the cobblestone streets, making the northern street feel bright and cheerful.

Adapting to local customs, Liu Mian Tang carried the soles of shoes she intended to have made, and with Li Mama’s help, she prepared a basket of roasted peanuts. She headed to the alley to chat with the local women and blend in with the community.

The new neighbor was warmly welcomed by the local women. After exchanging pleasantries, they began to inspect Liu Mian Tang's needlework.

Upon closer examination, the women were somewhat relieved. It seemed that while Liu Mian Tang's beauty was evident, her skills with needle and thread were lacking. The stitches were coarse and uneven, raising concerns about whether they would even be comfortable for her husband.

Seeing the shortcomings in Liu Mian Tang's needlework, the women’s initial jealousy subsided. Moreover, Li Mama’s roasted peanuts were delicious, making the women more amiable and friendly towards Liu Mian Tang.

Liu Mian Tang didn't mention her husband’s failed attempt to purchase a shop, instead she cheerfully engaged in idle chatter to gather information about the popular and profitable shops in town, while also inquiring about the previous bids for those up for sale.

The women chatted enthusiastically, but Li Mama’s face remained stern. The prince's plan was to use this woman as bait, but what kind of rebels could be caught sitting at the doorstep?

Taking advantage of the women dispersing to prepare lunch, Li Mama said to Liu Mian Tang, “Madam, the first batch of goods for the master is about to be ready to put on display. If we don’t select a good shop soon, there might be no place to display them.”

Liu Mian Tang responded with a sweet smile, “There’s no rush. I already have some ideas. I’ll visit the town in the afternoon to look at shops. It won’t delay anything important for the master.”

With that, she went back inside to search for suitable clothing for her afternoon outing.

Li Mama watched Liu Mian Tang’s enthusiastic demeanor and sighed inwardly. After a year of serving this young woman, she knew that Liu Mian Tang was genuinely a good person. Had she not been captured, she would likely have settled down and started a family long ago.

Serving this young woman, who was earnestly trying to manage the family business, felt like witnessing a tragic drama unfold.

Li Mama could only hope that everything would go smoothly and that Liu Mian Tang would help the prince capture the bandit leader soon. She wondered if, in that case, the prince might show mercy and spare the unfortunate young woman.

However, when Li Mama saw Liu Mian Tang after she had changed her clothes, she was genuinely taken aback. Although Liu Mian Tang’s wardrobe contained no new clothes, did she really have to pick such an old and tattered outfit? If Li Mama wasn’t mistaken, the dress Liu Mian Tang was wearing looked like something the mute old woman wore when chopping firewood in the yard.

“Madam, you’re wearing this…” Before Li Mama could finish her question, Liu Mian Tang interrupted, “When buying things, wearing bright clothes makes you look like a fat lamb waiting to be slaughtered. Do you have any coarse cloth garments? Change into those quickly.”

Li Mama had no choice but to comply and changed into an old, worn-out outfit before following Liu Mian Tang out.

In the morning, the local women mentioned a few excellent shop locations, but Liu Mian Tang glanced at them and moved on. Eventually, she arrived at East Street and suddenly pulled out a long scarf to cover her face from the sand. She instructed Li Mama to do the same before proceeding.

After walking a short distance, Liu Mian Tang came across a narrow shop with a "For Sale" sign. She examined it thoroughly before entering to inquire about the price.

The shop used to sell snacks. Its walls were yellowed with age from old oil smoke, the space was cramped, and it was located in a remote alley—clearly not a prime location.

However, Liu Mian Tang seemed interested. She slowly removed her face covering and asked the shopkeeper about the base price for purchasing the store. Initially, the shopkeeper, seeing her shabby attire, thought she was just there to buy some fried pastries. He was surprised when she inquired about buying the shop and eyed her with suspicion.

Despite her appearance, Liu Mian Tang was attractive, which softened the shopkeeper's attitude, and he didn't immediately chase her away.

Nevertheless, the price he quoted was quite unreasonable, suggesting he didn't view Liu Mian Tang as a serious buyer.

Liu Mian Tang smiled calmly and said, “To be honest, my family is in the funeral paper business. We don’t need an extravagant storefront; it’s merely to put up a sign that says ‘Offer’ to attract local customers. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have considered this old shop. If you offer a fair price, I can make a decision today, finalize the contract, and settle the payment.”

The shopkeeper, initially put off by Liu Mian Tang's mention of a funeral paper business, suddenly brightened up. "Is this for real?"

Liu Mian Tang smiled slightly. "I assure you, it’s no joke! However, this is a small business, and our funds are limited. Please offer a fair and honest price."

They haggled over the price, with Li Mama silently observing and reconsidering her earlier judgment. She reflected that Liu Mian Tang, despite her apparent shortcomings as a wife, might be better off not marrying into a prominent merchant family like the true Cui's, who might have been ruined by a wife with such a tendency.

The shopkeeper revealed that the snack shop had been for sale because of disputes with a neighboring bakery, which had escalated to near violence. The shop was put up for sale because the owner had no choice but to relocate. Due to the notorious reputation of the neighboring shop, no one wanted to buy it, leading to the property remaining unsold for a while.

Liu Mian Tang, despite her lack of experience and the shop's issues, continued to negotiate, aiming to secure a deal.

After Liu Mian Tang completed her research, she eagerly bought the undesirable shop, which seemed like a waste of her effort and the roasted peanuts she had brought.

However, the prince’s goal was to use her to lure the thief, and if she wanted to squander money on this unappealing property, that was her prerogative.

Li Mama shot a disapproving glance at Liu Mian Tang but remained silent as she watched Liu Mian Tang skillfully negotiate and finalize the purchase of the shop at a very low price. The low price was due to Liu Mian Tang’s adept bargaining as well as the fact that she claimed to be in the funeral business.

The snack shop owner, still angry from repeated run-ins with the troublesome neighboring bakery, was happy to sell the shop cheaply. He was eager to see the “funeral” sign on the door and the paper figures displayed, hoping it would deter anyone from wanting to open a new business nearby.

After finalizing the purchase and signing the contract, Liu Mian Tang returned home just as the sun was setting. Concerned that her husband might return suddenly like the previous night, she stopped by the meat shop and bought three pounds of pork belly to prepare a meal.

But as the night deepened and her husband still hadn’t arrived, Liu Mian Tang, feeling disappointed, instructed Li Mama to hang the marinated meat in the well to keep it fresh for when her husband returned the next day.

For dinner, Liu Mian Tang continued to eat with pickled radish, but since she was craving something more, she mixed the rice with meat broth, which made the radish taste even better.

However, after a few days, the meat could no longer be kept, and there was still no sign of her husband, Cui Jiu, returning.

The news that the snack shop had been sold to someone in the funeral business quickly spread, causing the neighboring bakery to be furious about the empty shop next door.

On this day, Liu Mian Tang went out again with Li Mama, but this time she was dressed neatly and went straight to the bakery next door.

Once inside, she looked around the shop and asked, “Is your shop for sale?”

The shopkeeper responded rudely, “It’s not my shop; it’s the one next door, and it’s already sold. If you’re not here to buy anything, please don’t block the entrance!”

Liu Mian Tang, undeterred and with a hint of regret, replied, “The feng shui master said that this corner of the town is fortunate for my husband. It’s a pity that it was bought by someone else... May I ask if your shop is for sale?”

The irate neighbor, initially ready to chase Liu Mian Tang away, reconsidered and asked, “If you want to buy it, how much will you offer?”

Liu Mian Tang assessed the similarly small shop and offered a price even lower than what she paid for the snack shop.

The neighbor was not pleased with this price and replied, “Are you joking? I won’t sell at such a low price!”

Liu Mian Tang, unfazed, responded, “It’s fine if you don’t want to sell. I’m new to this place and just consulted a feng shui master. If you offer a reasonable price, I’d be happy to buy it. Otherwise, I’ll have to investigate further. I need to know what businesses are on the street, as any conflicting business might bring bad luck. If that’s the case, you might not be able to sell the shop at all…”

Hearing this, the neighbor’s previously stern expression softened into one of hesitation. “You seem like a straightforward person. To be honest, there have been other offers, but they didn’t seem sincere. If you’re serious, please wait here while I discuss it with my wife to see if she agrees.”

Liu Mian Tang’s seemingly casual remarks had actually hit a sore spot for the neighbor. The old snack shop sign still hung next door, and in a few days, with the paper goods for funerals displayed, the impact on his shop would be significant. It was likely that he would lose not just customers but also potential buyers for his store. Seizing the opportunity to sell the shop to this clueless outsider at a lower price and then finding a new location was a practical move.

In the end, Liu Mian Tang skillfully negotiated, securing the purchase of the shop at a price similar to that of the snack shop.

Li Mama observed Liu Mian Tang’s adept maneuvering and realized the strategy behind it. The plan was clear: buy both adjacent shops at a low price and then combine them into a single, larger space.

Although Liu Mian Tang had bought two separate shops, their combined price was very low, and the total cost, including renovation, was still cheaper than other thriving properties.

When Liu Mian Tang finally held both contracts in her hands, she let out a sigh of relief and smiled at Li Mama. “Mission accomplished! I’ve secured the shops. From what I’ve observed, these two were originally part of a single property. The partition wall was likely added later, so removing it should be straightforward. After a thorough cleaning and renovation, they’ll be ready for use. Plus…”

She pointed to the river behind the shop and continued, “I heard from the locals that the Prince of Huaiyang is currently improving the waterways. The river at the back of our shop will connect to the newly constructed canal, which means shipping will be much easier. No more bumpy mule carts for transporting goods, especially delicate porcelain. It’ll be much more convenient.”

Li Mama listened in silence but felt a pang of admiration for the young lady. Although her needlework was lacking, she certainly had a knack for business, and her choice of shops was quite clever.

Unfortunately, her husband was not a true merchant. Li Mama sighed inwardly, feeling genuine sympathy for this resourceful young woman with no support.

[Author's Note:]

Liu Mian Tang: Serving my husband, managing the household, so busy and so happy~~

Cui Jiu: Why cover your face when going out...

© translations belonging to  flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com. If you read this somewhere else instead of flamingobeestranslations.blogspot.com then the translations has been posted WITHOUT permission of translator.

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