Chapter 24: River and Ancient Well, Exclusive Goods for Exclusive Supply?

By the time Chen Yan arrived, Miss Yu the Third had already packed up most of her stall. The oil wok had been taken down, and the chopping board was wiped spotlessly clean.

"Boss, you're here?" She was currently using a rag to wipe away the oil stains on the edge of the stove. Hearing his footsteps, she looked up and wiped her hands on her apron a couple of times.

Just as Chen Yan had expected, after greeting him, Miss Yu the Third immediately pulled a prepared small, coarse cloth pouch from her satchel. "Here is today's share. Please count it, Boss."

Taking it and casually weighing it in his hand, Chen Yan stuffed it into his pocket without even counting. He then asked, "How did you feel today, Miss Yu the Third? Do you find business harder to do here than over there?"

"There are fewer customers than over there, but it wins out in being peaceful," Miss Yu the Third spoke her mind with a smile. "But I like it better here. The oil here is bright, the flour is fine, and the meat is fresher too. Once it goes into the wok, the batter puffs up evenly and thinly. The fried Guduo doesn't even collapse when it cools down!"

"That's good." Hearing her say this, Chen Yan nodded and didn't ask further. He had already heard the same answer from both Shopkeeper Li and Miss Yu the Third—the goods in the storehouse far exceeded the quality of their ancient originals.

"Then keep busy, Miss Yu the Third. I'll go check out the storehouse." Not wanting to disturb her any longer as she packed up her stall, Chen Yan prepared to hurry over to the storehouse.

"Take care, Boss." Miss Yu the Third had already picked up her rag again. "By the way, I'll still save tomorrow morning's first wok for you."

Having already stepped onto the bridge, Chen Yan waved his hand without looking back.

The storehouse was located along the river to the east of the North Shore of Yongtong Bridge. However, after crossing the bridge, he didn't rush over. Instead, he squatted by the riverbank and looked down.

"Since when did this river have so much water?" Looking at the shallow layer of flowing water on the riverbed, Chen Yan, who knew his Ancient City like the back of his hand, felt a bit puzzled.

The rainy season was mostly over by now. Following the patterns of previous years, Jade Belt River wouldn't exactly be completely dry, but it would hardly have any flow either. Yet now, it had water. Though the flow wasn't large, it was continuous.

"Could this river... have been affected by the unlocking of Qinghe Street as well?" Standing in place and pondering for a moment, Chen Yan could only arrive at this conclusion—one that would sound utterly ridiculous to anyone else.

Immediately after, as he stood up and prepared to head to the storehouse, a small patch of weeds along the river not far from the storehouse caught his attention. A patch of waist-high weeds used to grow there, and there was nothing else unusual about it, so he hadn't paid it any mind yesterday. But now, it had changed. The weeds had clearly been cleared away, revealing a small clearing. And right in the center of the clearing, an ancient bluestone well had appeared.

"This well..." Looking at this well that seemed to have popped up out of thin air, Chen Yan's head was full of question marks.

However, he quickly realized the reason. When he had come over after work yesterday, he had been in such a hurry to find the storehouse that he hadn't carefully explored the newly unlocked Qinghe Street. This well was highly likely unlocked alongside Qinghe Street. It was just that because everything was only just starting, many facilities he hadn't noticed—despite being unlocked simultaneously—only officially came into use today when the native inhabitants arrived.

And the reality was exactly as he had thought. Approaching the bluestone well, he found a few footprints left on the surrounding ground. The wooden board covering the well also showed signs of being moved. After a brief thought, he exerted some force and pushed aside the wooden board. A small wooden bucket rested by the side. He picked it up and took a look. Seeing that although it was slightly old, it was still fairly clean, he grabbed the rope and dropped it down the well.

SPLASH.

Somewhat clumsily, he drew up half a bucket of well water. Chen Yan leaned in for a closer look. The well water was crystal clear, so he took a trial sip. As the icy water entered his stomach, his eyes instantly lit up! The well water was neither astringent nor metallic; instead, it possessed a faint, subtle sweetness.

"This water tastes pretty good, huh?" He hadn't expected the water quality of this seemingly ordinary ancient well to be so high. Feeling quite like he had stumbled upon a treasure, Chen Yan downed the remaining half-bucket of water in one breath.

After finishing the water, he returned the small bucket to its original place and then put the well cover back. Only then did he walk toward the storehouse in complete satisfaction. He had originally been wondering how these native inhabitants would sort out other necessities like water after arriving here, even if they could buy raw materials from the storehouse. Now, it seemed he had clearly been overthinking.

The storehouse still possessed that same inconspicuous, old wooden door. Chen Yan pushed the door open and entered. The light inside was, as usual, much dimmer than outside. A faint scent drifted from the depths of the storehouse. He carefully distinguished it—there was the fragrance of tea and the aroma of oil, mixed with some smells he couldn't quite identify.

"Boss." Old Zhai was leaning over the counter, holding a brush pen and jotting something down in a ledger. Seeing him enter, he set down the pen.

"Has anyone visited the storehouse today?" Chen Yan nodded and asked casually while glancing left and right at the shelves on both sides.

Hearing this, Old Zhai directly handed over the ledger in his hand. "To answer you, Boss, Yu's Third Sister came by once and purchased some seasonings."

"Mhm." Casually flipping through the ledger and looking at the accounts Old Zhai had marked in neat regular script, Chen Yan sighed slightly in his heart. Writing with such good penmanship, Old Zhai truly was a bit overqualified to just be a storehouse manager.

"Keep busy. I'll go inside and take a look." Returning the ledger to Old Zhai, Chen Yan skillfully picked up a woven bamboo lantern and walked toward the rows of shelves in the back.

The shelves were still mostly empty. Chen Yan wandered around for a good half-circle before finally finding the cabinets labeled "Yu's Guduo" and "Li's Tea House." At this moment, the cabinet for Yu's Guduo contained an additional half-bag of flour, a jar of vegetable oil, and several jars of seasonings.

He reached into the bag and pinched a small handful of flour, finding the texture to be extremely fine. It felt cool and silky in the palm of his hand. After tying the flour bag securely, he went to the adjacent cabinet for Li's Tea House, picked up a packaged tea cake, and gave it a sniff. A faint, refreshing tea fragrance drifted out. It was unlike those artificially flavored teas on the market that assaulted the nose as soon as they were opened.

Placing the tea cake back in its original spot, Chen Yan finished his inspection and returned to the counter at the entrance. He asked Old Zhai, who was currently organizing the ledger, "Can I buy some of Miss Yu the Third's flour to take back?"

He was truly coveting it. Putting the price aside for now, just in terms of quality, even as a modern person, he rarely saw flour this good, so he wanted to buy some to steam steamed buns for himself.

"To answer you, Boss, you cannot." Surprisingly, facing Chen Yan, the boss, Old Zhai shook his head without a moment of hesitation.

Taken aback for a second, Chen Yan asked again, "Not even a little bit?"

"To answer you, Boss, not even a little bit." Still using his unhurried tone, Old Zhai's attitude was firm. "Exclusive goods for exclusive supply. The tea for Li's Tea House can only be withdrawn by Shopkeeper Li. Miss Yu the Third's flour, oil, and salt can also only be withdrawn by her. Others, including you, Boss, cannot take them."

"..."

He never expected the storehouse to have such a rule. Chen Yan stood stunned for two seconds before suddenly smiling. "Alright, rules are rules."

He didn't bring up the matter of buying flour again. He chatted with Old Zhai for a few more sentences, and after confirming that the old man had no issues with food and drink, he finally left with peace of mind.