After having a heart-to-heart with Yan Shaoxuan, Yan Xiaoyu felt completely unburdened. Over the next two days, he pestered Yan Shaoxuan to teach him archery and take him into the mountains to fish and hunt.

Yan Shaoxuan wore a calm expression, yet he was more proactive than anyone else.

Yan Shaocheng found this amusing and was always teasing him.

“Taking your future Fulang up the mountain? Will you be back for dinner?”

“Off to your future, Fulang’s house again? You haven’t even married him yet, and you’re already so clingy?” 

“Day in and day out, you’re running around more often than my own future wife…”

Yan Shaoxuan was annoyed and, right in front of Yan Xiaoyue, remarked that a man who talked too much couldn’t be trusted, suggesting she give it some thought. Yan Xiaoyue didn’t catch the implication, but it infuriated Yan Shaocheng to no end.

Although Yan Xiaoyu knew Yan Erlang was trying to sabotage his older brother, he was still happy to watch the spectacle.

As if to make up for the time they’d been estranged recently, Yan Xiaoyu indulged his whims, clinging to Yan Shaoxuan for two or three days. Once he confirmed that Yan Erlang treated him just as he always had, the anxiety and uncertainty in his heart dissipated.

After that, he urged Yan Shaoxuan to return to the county school.

With less than half a year left before the provincial exams, Yan Shaoxuan needed to step up his studies, and Yan Xiaoyu had his own important matters to attend to. A lot had happened over the past two months.

Yan Xiaoyu’s imitation tofu products—including dried tofu, tofu skewers, tofu puffs, and fermented tofu—popped up like mushrooms after the rain following the New Year, and now they can be found on every street and alley.

The most successful imitation came from the Qian Family Tofu Shop. Although the texture was still slightly different, they were selling quite well.

Qian Hong was both playing tricks on him and copying his food—it was truly disgusting. In the past, Yan Xiaoyu would have definitely waited for an opportunity to slip a sack over his head

and beat him up, but after much deliberation, he decided to hold back.

If he were in trouble, Yan Shaoxuan would certainly stand up for him, but with the provincial exams approaching, he simply dared not risk Yan Shaoxuan’s future.

So when the market constable told him with a troubled expression that the case wouldn’t be investigated further—and that the Qian family’s old servant and Tan San would both be released—Yan Xiaoyu showed no reaction.

He had thought that was the worst of it, but little did he know that what followed would be even more unsettling.

The new shop had already been vacated, and the craftsmen Yan Xiaoyu had hired in advance were already helping them renovate the premises.

Converting a teahouse into a restaurant didn’t require much renovation; the front dining hall and the three private rooms didn’t need major changes, only the kitchen required significant alterations.

Yan Xiaoyu drew up the blueprints, and for several days, Yan Shaocheng spent his mornings tending to his own small business and his afternoons at the restaurant, keeping a close eye on the work. It wasn’t just to help Yan Xiaoyu; the restaurant’s profits were his share as well.

Yan Xiaoyu had long intended to bring Yan Shaocheng into the partnership—not only to secure Yan Shaoxuan as a backer, but also because he valued Yan Shaocheng’s capabilities.

Setting aside other considerations, there was simply no one more suitable than Yan Shaocheng for the role of restaurant manager.

The manager’s role was second only to the head chef in importance; he oversaw everything in the front of the house, and when guests had issues, he was the one who had to step in and handle them. It was a job that most people simply couldn’t handle.

Neither Yan Xingmao nor his wife nor Yan Xiaoyue had the right temperament for the role, and Yan Xiaoyu was already stretched thin trying to shoulder the responsibilities of head chef. Hiring someone from outside, however, left him feeling uneasy.

Yan Shaocheng is eloquent, capable, and of impeccable character. He has considerable experience in the food business, can read and write, and is good with numbers—making him the perfect choice to serve as manager.

However, he is capable and unwilling to work under someone else; it’s quite possible he’d prefer to strike out on his own. Just as Yan Xiaoyu was hesitating over how to broach the subject, Yan Xiaoyue accidentally let it slip.

Yan Shaocheng agreed readily.

“When I was helping Brother Yu look for a shop earlier, I’d already decided to put my pride aside and recommend this to him. Now that you’re willing to take me on, why wouldn’t I be?”

The two hit it off immediately, and the matter was settled in no time.

Yan Xiaoyu would be the chef, and Yan Shaocheng the manager. They would each contribute half the startup capital and split the profits equally. Yan Xiaoyu would have the final say on most matters at the restaurant, consulting Yan Shaocheng only when he was unsure.

If Yan Xiaoyue and Qiuhua chose to work at the restaurant, they would be paid according to the going market rate.

Yan Shaocheng felt he was getting a good deal, so he went to the shop to oversee the renovation work and secured the contract. He also voluntarily merged his tofu and ingredients business into the restaurant.

Once the restaurant opened, he would bring in business from the county’s inns and eateries, which would count as the restaurant’s revenue, and the profits would be split equally wamongYan Xiaoyu and the others.

As more counterfeit products flooded the market, the businesses of the Yu, Liu, and Zhao families all saw a decline. Fortunately, orders from the banquet halls and restaurants kept them afloat, and their monthly earnings were only down by twenty percent compared to last year.

Since they had handed over their recipes, Yan Xiaoyu’s family only sold them tofu, which had already significantly reduced their profit margins. As their earnings dropped, so did Yan Xiaoyu’s family’s income.

Yan Shaocheng’s business was based in the county, so it wasn’t affected as much. Moreover, since returning from the prefectural capital, he had closed several major deals, and the big clients from restaurants and inns brought in substantial profits.

So even though he was delayed for over a month this year, his earnings were no less than last year’s.

Yan Xiaoyu’s family earned a total of three taels and two hundred wen this year by supplying tofu to the Yu, Liu, and Zhao families over three months, and Yan Shaocheng alone helped them earn an additional tael and two hundred wen.

Once that business is merged with the food stall, Yan Xiaoyu and his family will receive an even larger share.

Yan Xiaoyu and his sister ran their food stall less frequently this year; the one tael they earned was just enough to cover the family’s daily expenses.

Last year, the family saved 130 taels of silver; this year, they earned 40 taels from selling tofu, bringing the total to 170 taels.

Building the house cost about fifty-five taels, digging the well cost seven taels, and the annual rent for the shop in the county seat was five taels, which, split with Yan Shaocheng, came to seven taels and five cash. All told, they had spent roughly seventy taels.

They currently have about 100 taels of silver left, so they aren’t worried about expenses for the time being, but opening the restaurant will require another significant upfront investment.

Since they’ve had a few days off, Yan Xiaoyu and his sister plan to set up their market stall in town again—every little bit helps—and while they’re at it, they’ll help promote the new shop.

The customers at their stall were all well-to-do residents of the town; who knows, they might just stop by their restaurant the next time they visit the county seat.

When he reopened his stall, in addition to the chicken soup tofu skewers and spicy dried tofu, Yan Xiaoyu also prepared shredded chicken noodles and braised edamame. Both dishes were originally intended for her restaurant in the county seat, but since they weren’t too expensive, they were also suitable for sale in town.

For the first three days after reopening, many regular customers spread the word, and the new dishes were quite popular, with business booming. But the bustle lasted only three days.

On the third day, just as Yan Xiaoyu and his sister were preparing to close up, the official in charge walked over and said with a troubled expression, “Officer, under the county magistrate, has issued an order that from now on, only one household is permitted to operate a single business at each stall; two households may not share a single stall.”

Yan Xiaoyu was taken aback: “Did Magistrate Fu just issue that order?”

The official glanced toward the Qian family’s tofu shop and gave Yan Xiaoyu a knowing look: “Just two days ago.” Yan Xiaoyu immediately realized what was going on—it was the Qian family playing dirty.

He had underestimated the Qian family. He hadn’t expected them to not only use silver to clear their name but also to get the town market to change its rules. Money really does make the world go round.

The fact that the officer waited until they had packed up and even gave them a gentle reminder was already a special favor. Yan Xiaoyu didn’t want to put him in a difficult position, so she immediately replied,

“Alright, then we won’t come tomorrow.”

Nian-ger and Yu Sanlang offered to give him their stall and rent another one elsewhere, but Yan Xiaoyu refused.

The restaurant would be opening in a few days anyway; there was no need for all that trouble.

After returning that day, Yan Xiaoyu mentioned this to Yan Shaocheng, only to find that Yan Shaocheng had two pieces of news for him as well.

“From now on, anyone entering the city—whether a merchant or not, and regardless of whether they’re carrying goods—must pay a tax of two wen. The tax for merchants entering the city has also doubled; no matter how many goods they carry, it’s four wen.”

When Magistrate Ji was in office, the common people didn’t have to pay anything to enter or leave the county town. Merchants carrying goods were taxed based on the quantity of their goods—one wen less or two wen.

Having just come from the magistrate’s residence, Yan Shaoxuan had speculated that the new magistrate would use taxes to line his pockets, but he hadn’t expected his prediction to come true so quickly.

In the Great Chu, the land tax was one tael per acre, and the head tax was four wen annually for adult males, with half that amount for young boys and girls. These rates were established by the founding emperor, who also issued an edict that taxes would never be increased in future generations.

Since the main taxes could not be altered, officials in various regions looking to line their pockets turned their attention to miscellaneous taxes—those that were optional and lacked uniform regulations.

In light of this, it seems the change in market regulations may well have been driven by this very factor.

After just over a month, he couldn’t contain himself anymore; who knows how he’ll continue to exploit the common people from now on.

Yan Xingmao and Qiuhua looked grave, while Yan Xiaoyu frowned and said, “No wonder they call him the County Magistrate—he really does hold absolute power, controlling the very lifeblood of the people.”

“Let’s hope this County Magistrate gets transferred as soon as his term ends,” Yan Shaocheng sighed. “If we have to buy vegetables in the village and deliver them to the county, our costs will go up again.”

Yan Xiaoyu nodded. “There’s nothing we can do about it. Vegetable prices are even higher in the county, and buying them here helps support the villagers.”

Yan Shaocheng agreed, “That’s true.”

After discussing the tax matter, he added, “I saw Qian Hong and your cousin in the county today. It seems they’re also looking for a shop.”

After the Qian family successfully replicated Yan Xiaoyu’s tofu ingredients, they started their own business. Having operated for many years, they’d established a strong network; now, many restaurants and eateries in the town use their tofu ingredients.

Unlike in the town, where tofu shops were everywhere, tofu shops in the county seat were few and far between. Qian Hong and Yan Yongfang had made a profit and wanted to expand their business to the county seat. Yan Xiaoyu wasn’t surprised by this, but the county seat was so large—yet Yan Shaocheng had run into them just by hanging around the county school. Could it be that they, too, were looking to rent a shop near the county school?

That would really be a case of enemies crossing paths!

Yan Xingmao looked worried: “I hope they aren’t hatching some new scheme to cause trouble for us.”

Qiuhua and Yan Xiaoyue were worried too.

Yan Shaocheng shook his head and gave Yan Xiaoyue a reassuring look. “When I saw them, there was a broker with them; they must have been looking for a shop. They seemed a bit surprised to see me, so they probably don’t know we’re planning to open a restaurant together.”

Yan Xingmao and his wife breathed a sigh of relief and began to talk to Yan Xiaoyu again.

“Even if they open a shop nearby, you mustn’t confront them head-on. Times have changed—they have officials backing them now. We’d better keep our distance. Your mother and I aren’t concerned with how much money you two make; we only wish for your safety…”

Circumstances dictated the situation. Qian Hong had both money and powerful connections. Yan Xiaoyu knew that going up against him now would likely leave him at a disadvantage; even if he was unwilling, he had to bide his time for the moment.

“Father, Mother, I won’t act rashly.”

At worst, he’d just have to endure it for a few years until the county magistrate was transferred, and then he could settle the score with Qian Hong. Hopefully by then, Yan Erlang’s sapling would have grown into a towering tree, ready to lend him a helping hand.

Yan Xiaoyu wanted to avoid conflict, but Qian Hong wouldn’t let him off the hook.

Five days later, the restaurant’s renovations were complete. Yan Shaocheng and Yan Xiaoyu, along with their sister, took Qiuhua and two women from the village to the county seat.

Yan Shaocheng went to the employment agency to hire staff, while Yan Xiaoyu and the others stayed at the shop to clean up.

Just as things were in full swing, Qian Hong and Yan Yonghe suddenly showed up with that Fu-surnamed aide from the county magistrate’s office, followed by several soldiers.

The group spoke with absolute certainty, claiming that the contract between Yan Xiaoyu and Mr. Shan was invalid because it lacked an official seal from the county government.

Renting a shop isn’t the same as buying one; it’s always been the case that an agreement between the two parties is sufficient—why would an official seal be necessary? Qian Hong and his crew were just making up excuses.

Yan Xiaoyu knew full well that Qian Hong was trying to seize his shop and was deliberately trying to provoke him.

Although he knew it wasn’t wise to confront Qian Hong and Yan Yonghe at this moment, Yan Xiaoyu could no longer contain his anger. He longed to kick both of them flying with a single blow.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

T/N: Hiii guyss, with all new stories uploaded, we are gonna be consistent with the schedule now. Bonus chapters on Sunday, regular updates on Monday and Tuesday, Patreon uploads on Saturday. Side note, with the way the site is built, uploading chapters is a bit of a hassle for the way the site was built, so the Milou’s Archive admin handles the uploading, not us, so we may see comments late. You can chat us up on Discord for issues. I heard that the channel is coming up this week. Also, since we (TKA and the Site Admin) are not from the US, which makes ad views payment low and inconvenient, we are looking for a way to resolve it, but MLA activated their Patreon using a similar way to ours, so check it out if you want, their seven-day free trial is open until the end of June.

That is all. As usual, Tokki’s Archives is thankful for every reader and supporter with us.