Chapter 396: Grand Opening

Chapter 396: Chapter 396: Grand Opening

The carriage arrived in Yeyang before 7 a.m., while the sky was still dark.

The city gates had opened well before dawn. A huge lantern hung on either side, casting a bright glow over the area.

Few people entered the city at this hour. They were all scattered small merchants and vendors, but the gate guards weren’t lax in the slightest, inspecting everyone with great care.

After passing through the gates, the vendors had to wait for the market to open before they could file in. Once they finished their business, or before the city gates closed for the night, they would be urged to leave. They were a transient population, unable to set up camp in the city, forced to commute like this every day.

Ji Huan once again felt thankful for her decision to buy the shop.

As usual, when it was their turn, the inspection took longer than it did for others.

Guan Shan removed his conical hat and let them scrutinize him, his eyes showing no hint of emotion.

One of the guards who was often on duty here had long since memorized Guan Shan’s face. He had, of course, investigated him, too. He knew Guan Shan was a refugee who had gotten lucky, married a local woman, and was now even opening a shop in Yeyang. On top of that, Ji Huan had given the guard plenty of "benefits" on several occasions... He turned and muttered a few words to his partner, who, after a moment’s hesitation, let them pass.

Hoofbeats CLOPPED on the quiet streets as lights began to appear one by one. A new day was about to begin.

When they reached their shop, they found the door planks had already been removed, and the interior was brightly lit.

Guan Shan turned, took Dabao from the carriage, and then offered a hand to help Ji Huan down.

Ji Huan stepped down from the carriage and said in surprise, "Manager Xu, you’re here so early!"

"Oh, don’t tease me, Mr. Ji." Xu Laifu came out of the shop to greet them, pointing upward to show Ji Huan something.

Ji Huan looked up and saw that the signboards had already been hung.

It wasn’t a single plaque, but four small, square blocks arranged from right to left, which read: Ji, Clan, Flavor, Enterprise.

The four large, powerful characters hung from the highest point in the center of the storefront.

Below it, another plaque hung over the facade of the spice section, reading "Baiwei Square." Over the facade of the soy sauce and vinegar section, a similar plaque read "Sauce and Vinegar Workshop."

They were all uniformly black with gold lacquer, and adorned with red silk ribbons.

There were also several vertical plaques of the kind meant to be hung by the entrance, inscribed with auspicious phrases about welcoming guests from all directions and attracting wealth from every corner.

Ji Huan asked, "Are Doctor Xin and his people up already?"

Xu Laifu had only met Ping’an yesterday and had yet to meet Doctor Xin. But he had been in the shop the whole time and hadn’t seen anyone arrive.

"Then these signs must have been hung up after we left yesterday."

Xu Laifu understood. "These signs were a gift from Doctor Xin?"

Ji Huan nodded. "Who else could it be but him?"

She had originally planned to order them from someone herself, but Xin Ziqi had beaten her to it, making it impossible to refuse.

Since she no longer had to worry about the main signs, she had two free-standing advertisement boards made instead. They were similar to the homemade ones she used when selling hot and spicy soup, but these were far more professional.

Guan Shan lifted the advertisement boards out of the carriage and set them up on their stands. Xu Laifu noticed they were completely blank and gave Ji Huan a confused look.

Ji Huan explained in a few words, "We’ll place them by the entrance. Whenever there are new products or special events, we can just write the details on a piece of paper and post it on the board."

Xu Laifu’s eyes lit up. "The paper can be changed at any time! Isn’t that even more practical than a fixed plaque?"

"They each have their own purpose." ’A unique, permanent sign is still necessary,’ she thought.

As the two of them chatted by the entrance, Dabao, who was holding Ji Huan’s hand, started to nod off again.

On the way over, both he and Ji Huan had been so sleepy they were practically swaying in their seats. Ji Huan felt refreshed now, but Dabao was still drowsy.

Ji Huan bent down, about to pick Dabao up, but she seemed to recall something. Her hand paused, and instead of lifting him, she gently shook him.

"Dabao, wake up, wake up."

Dabao had been holding up well recently. No matter how Guan Shan tormented him during his training, he never went to tattle to Ji Huan.

But now, half-asleep, the instincts he’d developed over the past year took over. With his eyes still closed, he tried to bury himself in Ji Huan’s embrace, his little face scrunched up in a clear display of morning crankiness.

However, the moment he nestled into Ji Huan’s arms, Guan Shan lifted him up by the collar.

"Hey—"

Ji Huan could only watch as Guan Shan carried Dabao all the way to the back courtyard. By the time she followed, Dabao was already in a horse stance, his face a mask of resentment.

"Isn’t this a little..." Ji Huan wanted to say that even if he needed to train, it was a bit too early for it.

But her words took an awkward turn when she met Guan Shan’s gaze. "This is great... Boys can’t be coddled. You can do it, Dabao!"

After forcing out the insincere encouragement, Ji Huan quickly scurried away, not daring to even look at Dabao.

’Does gaining a stern brother-in-law turn a sister stern, too?’

’Sigh. Poor Dabao.’

The door to the second room on the west side slid open from within, and Zhou emerged carrying two bowls of steaming water. It was obviously freshly boiled.

Ji Huan was surprised to see him up so early. "Why didn’t you sleep a little longer?"

Xu Laifu chimed in, "Zhou was up even before I was. Laiyun and I thought we’d have to wait at the main gate until daybreak, but we had just sat down when Zhou came around from the alley and told us to come in through the side door."

"I-I’m not sleepy."

As he spoke, Zhou handed one bowl to Ji Huan and the other to Guan Shan.

After the long, cold journey, the hot water was truly comforting.

The Xu brothers had already had some.

Zhou hadn’t known Ji Huan would be bringing her little brother, so he went back inside to fetch another bowl.

When he offered the bowl to Dabao, the boy didn’t take it, remaining in his stance with arms outstretched and knees half-bent.

Ji Huan looked at Guan Shan. He understood her unspoken request. His brow furrowed slightly, but he ultimately nodded and told Dabao in a cold voice that he could continue later.

Dabao took the water, his expression as sour as it could possibly be.

Ji Huan was worried Zhou would take it personally, thinking Dabao’s sour face was directed at him. But Zhou had seen all sorts of children and didn’t take it to heart.

Afterward, Guan Shan took Dabao to the second courtyard to practice his stances and forms. Zhou, unable to hide his curiosity, stood by the Moon Cave Gate and watched for a long time.

Meanwhile, Ji Huan and Xu Laifu returned to the shop to discuss the final details.

At the crack of dawn, they sent Xu Laiyun to a neighboring breakfast stall to buy buns and wontons. Everyone gathered around a table to eat.

After they had eaten and cleaned up, the sky had fully brightened. People began to trickle onto the street, their numbers gradually growing.

Ping’an came over from across the street with two attendants from Yide Hall.

"Miss Ji, please don’t take offense. My young master was on his way over, but a patient’s family came to our door in tears, so he had to go make a house call. Doctor Liu needs to stay at the hall to see patients."

Of course, Ji Huan wasn’t offended.

Everyone busied themselves for a while longer, dusting non-existent specks off the shelves with a feather duster and rearranging the merchandise. In short, it was all trivial, busy work.

Xu Laifu was particularly nervous, muttering under his breath.

He knew the sauces and vinegars better than anyone, but he was still a novice when it came to the spices. Terrified of misremembering or forgetting something, he had spent the last few days constantly reciting the details to himself whenever he had a spare moment.

Although Zhou didn’t show it, he was clearly a little flustered as well.

He kept touching the teapot on the table, ready to replace the water the moment it grew even slightly cool. All the while, his eyes were glued to the entrance.

Ji Huan, in contrast, was quite calm.

At a quarter past eight, with all preparations complete, she gave a nod.

Amid the CRACKLE and POP of firecrackers, the new shop officially opened for business.