Chapter 26: Su Ruolan's 'Meeting Gift', The Method to Break the Deadlock

"A Fragrance Medicine Shop. What exactly do they do here?" Chen Yan wondered.

Catching the scent of unknown spices wafting from the incense burner by the door, his curiosity was piqued, and he stepped inside.

The shop's interior was much dimmer than outside, its walls packed to the brim with wooden grid cabinets and hanging herb baskets. Dense labels plastered the cabinet drawers—cinnamon, White Atractylodes, clove, agarwood, sandalwood... many of which Chen Yan had never even heard of.

Glancing around, he noticed that not even the narrowest corners were spared. Several coarse pottery jars were stacked there, their mouths sealed with oiled paper. The labels read "calming incense," "mosquito-repellent incense," "clothes fragrance," and so on. Various fragrances drifted out from the cabinets and jars, converging in the small shop to form an indescribable and peculiar scent. Fortunately, it was not unpleasant.

Behind the somewhat cramped counter near the door stood a woman.

At first glance, Chen Yan couldn't quite determine her age. She looked to be in her thirties, yet also seemed to be in her early forties. She had a slender figure, a gentle face, and a faint scholarly aura between her brows. She wore a grayish-blue cross-collared dress made of plain fabric without much decoration. Her hair was pulled back into a simple bun, secured with a silver hairpin.

"Boss." It wasn't until Chen Yan's gaze fell upon her that the woman curtsied slightly. Her voice was soft and warm. "I am Su Ruolan, the Shopkeeper of Su's Fragrance and Medicine Shop. I will be making a living here from now on."

"Shopkeeper Su." Chen Yan cupped his hands in greeting. His gaze lingered on her face for a moment before he asked, "Could you give me a general idea of what exactly this Fragrance Medicine Shop sells?"

Hearing this, Su Ruolan paused briefly, then covered her mouth and smiled. She explained softly, "To answer you, Boss, our Fragrance Medicine Shop sells nothing more than 'fragrance.'

"Whether the neighbors buy things to eat, wear, burn, or apply, everything has a touch of fragrance.

"For example, the candied fragrant papaya and plums on that shelf are to satisfy the children's cravings. In this cabinet, there are ready-made sachets and incense cakes to scent rooms and repel insects. The drawers inside hold common medicines for headaches and fevers; whenever someone is feeling unwell, they can come get a handful."

At this point, Su Ruolan seemed to remember something. She took out a delicate sachet from her sleeve. "Since it is the Boss's first time visiting the shop, this is a small token of my appreciation. Please accept it."

Saying this, she offered the sachet with both hands.

Taking the sachet, Chen Yan hadn't even had time to examine it closely before a slightly pungent smell rushed into his nose.

Seeing him frown from the scent, Su Ruolan explained, "I sewed this sachet myself. It contains some refreshing herbs to clear the mind. Since you work hard and are often running about outside, it's perfect for you to carry."

"It really is refreshing." The initial whiff was indeed pungent, but as he recovered, Chen Yan felt his previously groggy head become noticeably clearer. A cool sensation pierced straight to his forehead. "This is good stuff. Thank you for your thoughtfulness, Shopkeeper Su."

"As long as the Boss is satisfied." Seeing Chen Yan happily tuck the sachet away, the smile on Su Ruolan's face softened even more.

"Well then, I'll leave you to your work, Shopkeeper Su. I'll be going now." Having put the sachet away, Chen Yan took one last look at the fragrant Fragrance Medicine Shop, cupped his hands toward Su Ruolan, and left.

Walking down the street, Chen Yan racked his brains but simply couldn't think of any modern store that perfectly mirrored this Fragrance Medicine Shop. From Shopkeeper Su's answers, he could tell that this Song Dynasty Fragrance Medicine Shop was quite a "mashup." Ranging from candied snacks to mosquito-repellent incense, and even everyday medicines, it was essentially a one-stop lifestyle shop.

Now that Qinghe Street had unlocked such a uniquely styled shop, Chen Yan felt that as the Ancient City's foot traffic increased, Shopkeeper Su's Fragrance Medicine Shop would have significant potential.

Without overthinking it, he lifted the sachet hanging at his waist and took another sniff. As a spicy and cool scent flooded his nasal cavity, Chen Yan shook his head, feeling utterly roused from his early morning grogginess.

CLANG, CLANG, CLANG—

He had barely walked a dozen paces when he suddenly heard the sound of iron striking from the right side ahead. Following the noise, he hurried over. As a completely open storefront facing the street came into view, Chen Yan couldn't help but widen his eyes.

This shop was larger than both the Tongyuan Money Shop and Su's Fragrance and Medicine Shop. It was completely open on three sides with an awning overhead, leaving only a solid wall at the back. The roof was covered in old tiles blackened by smoke. The inner wall was also black. The floor was layered with earth, looking incredibly compact and solid.

Directly in the center under the awning stood an anvil, its surface hammered to a shine. A layer of dark gray iron filings was scattered on the dirt around the anvil. The charcoal fire in the furnace was burning fiercely, its flickering flames reflecting against the black tiles of the roof.

He thought in surprise, "The last shop to be unlocked is actually a Blacksmith Shop?"

Looking at this Blacksmith Shop, which was exactly the same as the one he had seen when he transmigrated, Chen Yan was deeply surprised. He simply couldn't fathom what connection a beginner-level scenario had with a Blacksmith Shop. He had thought the final shop might be a beverage store, a clinic, or a painting stall. He never expected the system to unlock a Blacksmith Shop for him. Wasn't this a bit too random?

On second thought, however, the system had already hinted during the native resident invitation process that the invited natives were entirely random. It was highly likely a case of "first to agree, first to arrive." Therefore, the appearance of this Blacksmith Shop only proved that its owner was rather decisive. The moment he felt there was a future in developing his business here, he agreed without hesitation.

"Boss!"

Just as Chen Yan was standing in front of the shop, lost in thought, a rough voice suddenly rang out from under the awning.

He looked up. A man in his forties stood before the anvil. He had a square face, thick eyebrows, and a burly build, wearing a sleeveless coarse linen tunic. At this moment, he was raising a hammer to greet him.

"Uh... how should I address you?" Seeing the man's enthusiasm, Chen Yan paused for a moment before asking.

"I'm Zhang Dazhu, a blacksmith. From now on, whatever the Boss wants forged, just say the word. I can forge anything!" Pointing to a wooden plaque propped up under the awning that read "Zhang Family Iron Shop," Zhang Dazhu cupped his hands at Chen Yan. However, his movements were clearly a bit rusty, as if he rarely performed the gesture.

"Shopkeeper... Zhang, is it alright if I call you that?"

Dealing with the native residents previously had already led Chen Yan to form a fixed set of conversational routines, but with the appearance of a rough fellow like Zhang Dazhu, he suddenly felt he still had a lot to learn.

"Please don't!" Waving his hands hastily, Zhang Dazhu was startled. "I'm just a blacksmith swinging a heavy hammer. The neighbors all call me Dazhu. The Boss can just call me Dazhu. Calling me Shopkeeper is too much for me!"

"Then I'll call you Old Zhang, is that alright?" Chen Yan felt it was inappropriate to call someone a decade or two older than him Dazhu, so he thought about it and proposed an alternative.

"Deal! The Boss can just call me Old Zhang from now on!" Smiling and nodding, Zhang Dazhu clearly couldn't handle overly formal etiquette. Seeing that his Boss was quite flexible in speech and action, he immediately felt he had made the right choice coming here.

Having settled on a form of address, Chen Yan walked under the awning and circled the anvil. He inspected the stacked pieces of pig iron and several finished products—a kitchen knife, two pairs of scissors, a few door knockers, and a pile of unpolished iron nails. Every single item was forged sturdily and neatly.

"Old Zhang, the True Master should have told you when you came, right? The guests here are quite special. Aside from these knives, scissors, and door knockers, do you know how to forge anything else?" After viewing Zhang Dazhu's work, Chen Yan pondered for a moment and asked.

It wasn't that he thought the items forged were bad. On the contrary, at least from his layman's perspective, the quality of these kitchen knives and scissors was exceptionally high, demonstrating Zhang Dazhu's superb craftsmanship. The problem was that these items were too mundane. They were fine for serving residents, but they lacked appeal to tourists.

Of course, he didn't intend to force any changes. He just wanted to ask if the man could forge other small trinkets, lest he go through all the trouble to set up a business here only to end up unable to make a single sale.

"Well... when I'm free, I do forge some small trinkets." Hearing his question, Zhang Dazhu paused, then turned and walked to the corner. He dug out a few items from a wooden box and placed them on the table.

A palm-sized dagger with an unsharpened blade. A cast-iron paperweight shaped like a koi fish, with every scale clearly carved. There was also a pile of iron plaques, both square and round, cast with auspicious phrases in relief like "Longevity, Health, and Peace" and "Attract Wealth and Treasures," their edges engraved with vine scroll patterns.

"These are just things I forge for fun when I have free time. Scholars occasionally come by to pick out a paperweight, and neighbors sometimes order a longevity lock for their children." Picking up an iron plaque, Zhang Dazhu introduced it rather sheepishly. "Some people also want these auspicious plaques. They hang them on their doors or wear them for peace of mind. It's just that not many people buy them, so I piled them at the bottom of the box."

"These plaques of yours are quite interesting. You could add a few more designs, like waist tags or zodiac plaques. There might actually be a lot of people who would like them."

Zhang Dazhu felt that forging these little trinkets in his spare time was neglecting his proper business. But Chen Yan knew that if his Blacksmith Shop wanted to make sales, there wasn't much hope for those kitchen knives and scissors. Instead, there would definitely be no shortage of buyers for these small trinkets he looked down upon!

"Take your time to think about it, Old Zhang. I still have matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving first. See you tonight." Seeing that he was still thinking, Chen Yan didn't say much more. He patted his shoulder and left.

There were still too few shops open on Qinghe Street right now. Places like Li's Tea House, Yu's Guduo, and even the not-yet-officially-open Su's Fragrance and Medicine Shop were fine. Relying solely on tourists, they could still ensure they wouldn't have to worry about revenue.

But for shops geared more toward native residents, like the Tongyuan Money Shop and the Zhang Family Iron Shop, they had to forge a new path if they wanted to survive.

Chen Yan had already given Zhang Dazhu an idea; whether he listened to it or not was up to him. As for the Tongyuan Money Shop, he felt that if they wanted to break out of their stalemate, their only hope at present rested on that "ancillary facility," the specifics of which remained unknown.

At this thought, he couldn't help but quicken his pace, hurrying in the direction of the ticket office.