Chapter 75: CH 75

While Zhong Cheng went back to digging the vegetable cellar, Mo Yan made to return to the storefront, but the kitten in her embrace refused to leave.

Ms. Hua said, “This kitten really likes you!”

Mo Yan gently stroked its fur as she asked, “Does it have a name?”

“It’s just a village cat, who would’ve bothered naming it?”

“Then I’ll name it! Since I wish to earn more money, I’ll name it Wang Wang!” [1]

“Sure, name it whatever you want.”

Ms. Hua received the kitten, and Mo Yan turned to Zhong Cheng, “Brother Cheng, let’s have lunch together before leaving.”

“Alright!”

When she returned, Mo Ling asked if she’d mentioned repaying Zhong Cheng yet, but she replied, “I wasn’t able to talk to him about it, we’re too close.”

Mo Ling said coldly, “Just an excuse, you’ve become as money-obsessed as mum!”

She smiled without refuting her sister. “How was today’s business? I see there aren’t many salted vegetables left.”

“Yeah. Even the salted bok choy was crunchy, and because it was cheap, a lot of people went to buy some. I’m not sure who spread the word about it, however.”

They saw Zhou Liangsheng on the other side of the road. After letting two carriages cross, he sprinted over while waving towards them.

“Miss Yan’er, do you still have salted eggs?”

“Yep! We’ve opened a store now, so they won’t be in short supply anymore.”

“Alright, then can I have twenty? My second uncle wants some too!”

Mo Yan pointed to the seafood at the side, “Your second uncle’s a foodie, and seafood isn’t common here. Do you think he’d like them?”

“I’ll have some for him to try then.”

“We also have some salted vegetables.”

“I’ll have some of that too.”

Mo Ling laughed from the side, “What do you want to buy?”

“I’m fine. My family is large, and none of these will go to waste. If there’s anything we like, I’ll go buy some more, and if we dislike anything, I just won’t buy any next time. After all, it doesn’t cost me anything.”

Mo Yan said while packaging Zhou Liangsheng’s items, “If you have anything you want to eat which we don’t have, just tell me. I’ll try and find a way to source or make some.”

Mo Ling was more passionate than Mo Yan, but she had never thought about doing this. If someone wanted to buy something which they didn’t have, she’d do nothing but it. On the other hand, Mo Yan is actively asking others what they want.

Zhou Liangsheng replied, “My mum likes sweets while my grandma likes sticky things. All my siblings are fine with anything as long as it’s delicious.”

Sweets and sticky foods have quite a large overlap. They’d be easy to store during winter too, so Mo Yan decided to ask Lu Junming to bring some from the Upper Valley next time he went. They’d definitely sell well.

Of the two bags of lotus roots Lu Junming brought over, one of them had basically been completely sold out, while there wasn’t a lot of seafood left. These were all rare and most people here hadn’t had a chance to try any.

Although they hadn’t earned much this time, it was the first time they had sold any of these and it was good they made a profit at all.

Lu Junming called Mo Yan over to his mum’s courtyard to discuss what else they wanted to import from the Upper Valley.

The finalised list was lotus roots, lotus leaves, salted duck eggs, sweets, fruits and honey, and various specialty snacks.

Ms. Zhao knew which specialty snacks were the best and how to select them. She told all of this to her son, who noted it down.

As it was still early in the afternoon, she wanted to take a look at the textile shops and wanted Mo Yan to accompany her.

There were two textile shops in the city. One only sold cheap cloth and linen, while the other also sold some silks and finer textiles.

They went into the relatively upper-class one, and Ms. Zhao’s attention was instantly drawn to the silks on display. They were fairly mediocre, and the patterning was drab. None of them were able to catch her eye.

“Manager, how much for a roll of silk?”

“Some are worth a hundred dollars, while others are worth a hundred and twenty.”

“Do they sell well?”

“Who’d be willing to wear silk every day? People normally buy these for the New Year.”

Ms. Zhao sighed, her enthusiasm greatly curbed. “Yan’er, let’s go!”

When they were about to leave, Mo Yan realised something and asked the manager, “DO you have a tailor here? If we want to buy fabrics from you, who’d make clothes for us?”

“The tailor’s is the next store over, but the tailor hasn’t come today. If you want to make clothes, that’s where you want to go.”

After the two left, Ms. Zhao said dejectedly, “Seems like my silks can’t be sold here.”

Mo Yan thought otherwise. “Not necessarily. Although Sichuan silk is very famous, not everyone in the Sichuan province wears it. We’re not rich here, but that doesn’t mean expensive goods can’t be sold here. If the wares are good, people with the ability to buy them will definitely shell out the money to buy them. Business isn’t just about trading goods, it’s also about good marketing.”

“Also, which family doesn’t make new clothes for the New Year? As long as the material and needlework is high-quality, I don’t believe no one will buy any. Additionally, anyone who’s about to marry will need fine silks and a good tailor too.”

When she mentioned tailoring, Ms. Zhao remembered something. “In the Upper Valley, the textile factories not only sell fabrics, they also make clothes for you.”

“That’s because their fabrics are fashionable and are in high demand from the girls and young ladies. The fabrics here are mediocre and have drab patterns, so they naturally can’t afford to have a tailoring service as well.”

Ms. Zhao turned to look at Mo Yan, “Yan’er, you’ve grown up in the countryside, so how do you know more about business than me, a merchant’s daughter?”

It was a question Mo Yan couldn’t answer honestly, so she said, “My body’s been weak since birth and my sister couldn’t bear for me to go work, so I snuck to the school and listened to the teacher. That’s why I’m literate and like reading. Afterwards, I became the disciple of a storyteller, which is why I know more than most.”

Ms. Zhao looked at Mo Yan’s messy hair.“You should really take better care of yourself. You need to look pretty.”

“I normally don’t have the time nor the patience to dress myself up nicely.”

While they were speaking, they returned to her courtyard. Mo Yan was about to leave when Ms. Zhao stopped her, “Stay for a while, I’ll do your hair.”

She motioned for her to sit on a stool and opened a box filled with accessories. Mo Yan took a lot, and there were over a dozen hairpins in the box alone.

Ms. Zhao removed her hairpins and started brushing her hair. Her movements were gentle, and it made Mo Yan’s hair really smooth.

After brushing it out, she split it into two halves and made them into double buns before putting them in place with two hairpins.

“When your coming-of-age ceremony comes, I’ll give you a box of accessories.”

“I’ll have to ask you to do my hair then.”

“No, it has to be done by an esteemed person.”

Mo Yan understood what she meant. Someone of her station shouldn’t be seen in public. [2]

Looking at herself in the mirror, her hair looked much nicer.

Mrs. Zhao said, “These buns won’t come loose easily. It’ll be fine even if you don’t re-do them every day.”

Lu Junming came from outside, “My mum has always wanted a daughter. I think she’s treated you as hers, and now, she won’t let you go.”

Post-translation notes: I guess Mo Yan has a second mum now?

[1] 旺(wang) is the word for prosperity, but Wang Wang is also a common name for dogs.

[2] If you’ve forgotten already, Ms. Zhao is still a mistress.