Wonderful Life After Exchanging Fate

Jiang Yun Zhu obtained the shop. 30 liang silver a year and the contract was signed for ten-year. The rent will increase by 8% every year.

"We will leave here early in the morning the day after tomorrow," said the elderly.

"Then I'll come and see you off." Jiang Yun Zhu responded.

Putting away the contract and coming out of the shop, Jiang Yun Zhu decided to go to the north of the city and hand in Jiang Lin and Jiang Wu' tuition.

This matter went very smoothly. This enlightenment class will start on the 20th of January.

Today was the 17th day of January. The elderly's family will leave on the 19th. School will start on the 20th. Perfect time. Though the property will definitely be messy, it was enough as long as it can accommodate people. Their family had lived in a ruined temple and hills on the way to seek refuge from famine. Compared with then, it was much better now.

After this matter was settled, it was the decoration of the shop. It was better to wait for the elderly and the others to leave, otherwise it would seem like she was chasing the other party away.

However, there was one thing that could be done in advance. Jiang Yun Zhu looked at the shop next to her and walked in.

This was a shop that specializes in making plaques.

"Miss, do you want to make a plaque?" A young attendant warmly greeted her.

"En." Jiang Yun Zhu responded. Suddenly, she remembered that she hadn't measured the size of the shop yet. So it was feasible to make a plaque.

"Miss wants to do business in the county? Almost all the plaques in the shops in the county are made by our family." The young attendant stated.

Jiang Yun Zhu's heart moved slightly, "There is a Hengyuan calligraphy and painting shop on Wenyuan Academy’s street. Did you make the plaque for it?"

"Miss, you asked the right place. The plaques of their family have always been made in my family."

"Then do you know the size of their shop?" Jiang Yun Zhu asked again.

"I know." The boy was suspicious. Hmm, this Miss wants to gift someone a plaque?

"I have rented that shop and wants to make a plaque." Jiang Yun Zhu informed.

The boy quickly cop on and immediately congratulated, "The shop is big and spacious. Miss's business will be prosperous in the future."

Jiang Yun Zhu smiled. No wonder the business of this store was good. Just look at this guy.

"What's the name of Miss's shop? Do you have an inscription? If so, it could be carved into a plaque in the shop. If not, the shop could help Miss request for the writing. The price varies from five hundred wen, one silver liang, three liang silver, five liang silver, and ten liang silver."

Further up, the buddy didn't say.

The price, of course, was what one gets for every penny. Five hundred wen one was written by a Xiucai from the next street. He could write well. For ten liang silver, a famous teacher in the county will be sought. Naturally, the handwriting was better than that of a Xiucai. It will be face-garnering to hang it out.

Jiang Yun Zhu felt indecisive. It was opened opposite the academy. The main customers were the students and teachers in the academy. The handwriting of her shop must not be too bad, otherwise people will think that her shop wasn't good and won’t come in to eat.

In this day and age, these scholars were indeed somewhat noble.

But to ask for good calligraphy… She had fifty-eight liang or so in total. Thirty liang for renting a shop. Sixteen liang for refurbishment and repairs. Now there were only twelve liang or so left. Decoration was still needed. Where was the money for calligraphy?

Ask Gu Yan Zhou? Last time, she had already declined the other party's marriage. It wasn’t good to request the other party now.

At this moment, an icy voice spoke out, "Let me write. What do you want to write?"

It was Shen Feng Ming.

Jiang Yun Zhu turned around. He wanted to write the plaque for her?

"Does Miss Jiang find my handwriting bad?" Shen Feng Ming asked.

Jiang Yun Zhu quickly shook her head. His handwriting was of course great. But to hang the handwriting of the dignified Qilin Guard commander on a restaurant as a plaque? If others find out…She still didn’t know Shen Feng Ming had already been promoted to Left Commissioner-in-chief. Otherwise she would be even more panicked.

"It's too much trouble for you." She whispered.

"Miss Jiang took care of me, cooked food and boiled medicine for me. You never said it was hard work." Shen Feng Ming said.

Think like this, it was true.

At the side, the attendant tactfully prepared the rice paper, brush, and ink. Shen Feng Ming walked to the table, picked up the brush, dipped it in the ink, and looked at Jiang Yun Zhu.

Alright then. Jiang Yun Zhu pondered for a while and answered, "Let's call it 'Qishanju'. Dwell on the mountain and listen to the rain as one read thousands of books."

Shen Feng Ming’s brush moved like a dragon and snakes. Soon, he finished writing these three characters.

"Gentleman, it’s truly wonderful writing!" As soon as he finished writing, the attendant couldn't help but praise. He often helped customers request for writing and had read some books himself. Gradually he developed a pair of discerning eyes. Shen Feng Ming's three characters were vigorous, powerful, thick and powerful. They were hundreds of times better than those written by the famous teacher in the county.

Of course, this gentleman looked outstanding. The Attendant wondered when such a character appeared in Wuling County.

Shen Feng Ming turned to Jiang Yun Zhu.

"Good writing!" Jiang Yun Zhu praised. Now she only hoped that in a small place like Wuling, no one knows his handwriting. Otherwise...

Probably no one did. Shen Feng Ming's handwriting circulating outside seemed to be rare. In her dream, she was in the Marquis Anping Manor. If he hadn't come to the manor, she would have never seen his handwriting.

Thinking of this, Jiang Yun Zhu grinned again. With such a plaque, those scholars can't find anything fault with it.

"I’ll make something delicious for lunch," she said.

"En." Shen Feng Ming's voice was clear.

After finishing all the things that should be done in the afternoon, Jiang Yun Zhu went to the market. When she was free, she liked to visit the market the most. It was a pity that Wuling County was still too small and the market was also...

Just as Jiang Yun Zhu was thinking, she suddenly fixated at something at a street vendor across the street. That thing, it wouldn't be?

She went straight to the stall.

This was a stall selling fish. However, it was different from other stalls. This stall sold frozen goods. On the left was a fish. It seemed to be a fish, but the fish looked strange. Long in length with a shining silvery surface. It looked similar to a white jade belt.

On the right was a strange thing with many feet. There were many small discs growing on the feet of that thing. Quite bumpy and lumpy.

"Come and buy. Delicious Chinese tapertail anchovy and octopus! All fresh from the south. Cheap price!" The stall owner was a young man in his twenties, wearing brown clothes and pants. A vibe of witty was shown from his brows.

As he shouted as he set up a charcoal stove to prove that these two kinds of fish were delicious. On the grill, each skewer had one hairtail and an octopus.

It was just that he didn't do it right. The fishy smell was very strong when it was grilled.

Wuling County was located inland. On top of that, the transportation wasn't developed in this era. The common people had never eaten seafood. When they suddenly smelled this fishy smell, they covered their noses and hid away.

"I say, Hu Er, what are you making? Such strange smell. Stop it, it’s stinking my food." A middle-aged man who set up a stall next to the young man said disgustedly.

"This is called seafood. Something that grows in the sea. What do you understand?" The young man named Hu Er snorted.

"Sea! Have you ever seen the sea?" the middle-aged stall owner tutted.

"Of course, this is the taste of the sea. How about you smell it?" Hu Er said, holding a skewer of grilled octopus to the nose of the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man shrank back as he spoke, "Take it far away. Take it far away." After Hu Er took the thing away, he returned to his spot and sneered, "A taste like this? Even if you say it was pulled out of the Dragon Palace, no one will buy it.

Hu Er, your eyes went off mark this time. "

This Hu Er specialized in selling things that no one had sold before. He was the first to sell, so naturally he would sell however he want. Often, things that might only cost three wen in other places, he would sell them for twenty or even thirty when he got them in Wuling County.

What he did made him a lot of money.

Of course, not all new things could make money. For example, this strange fish and this strange thing. He had put them out since the beginning of the year and only sold a few of them. One of the customer brought it back to refund shortly after buying it, saying the stuff can't be fried soften.

Hu Er was vexed. This time it was indeed a miss. He looked at the two big lumps of ice on the stall and was worried. What to do?

"Boss, how do you sell the chinese tapertail anchovy and octopus?" Pushing down her excitement, Jiang Yun Zhu asked. It was truly hairtail and octopus. Putting aside the octopus, and just focus on the hairtail. She only knew after she arrived in the capital in her dream that Xia Dynasty had developed maritime affairs and fleets had already been to Java, Sumatra and other places. It went without saying someone caught this kind of deep-sea fish.

It was just that not many people know this kind of fish at the time. And even fewer people ate it.

When Jiang Yun Zhu encountered this kind of fish in the capital, she was happy for a while. She didn't expect to see this kind of fish so soon this time.

Hairtail fish didn't need too many seasonings. Just fry in oil and sprinkle with a little halite salt, it become a rare delicacy.

Hairtail had less fat. If it was grilled directly without oil like this vendor, of course only fishy smell remained.

"Miss, do you want to buy these two kinds of fish?" When Hu Er saw someone asking, he immediately regained his energy.

"How much?" Jiang Yun Zhu naturally wouldn't let him see what she was thinking, lest that he raise the price.

Sure enough, when Hu Er saw this, he thought she was just asking out of curiosity. So he lowered the price first, "Chinese tapertail anchovy is eighteen wen a jin, while the octopus is twenty-five wen a jin."

This price was twice as expensive as the local fish. And it wasn’t tasty. No wonder no one bought it.

Jiang Yun Zhu smiled, "If I want to buy more, could it be cheaper?"

"How much does Miss want?"

"Give a base price first. If I think it's cheap, I'll buy more."

Hu Er gritted his teeth, "If Miss buys all these, the chinese tapertail anchovy will cost fifteen wen a jin and the octopus will cost twenty-two wen a jin."

"Do you have any at home?" Jiang Yun Zhu asked.

"Yes, there’s still half a cart at home."

"About how many jins? Not including ice."

"Chinese Tapertail anchovy weighs two hundred jins. The octopus weighs one hundred jins."

"En, I'll take them all. Chinese tapertail anchovy for twelve wen a jin. Octopus for eighteen wen a jin." Jiang Yun Zhu said.

Hu Er was dumbfounded, "You want it all?"

"If you think the price is right, I'll..."

"Right. It’s right." Hu Er uttered in delight. Although he didn't earn much at this price, he still earned some. Mainly, he thought that these fish were about to rot in his hands. Now that Jiang Yun Zhu had bought all of them, he felt that he had made money for nothing.

Without needing Jiang Yun Zhu to do anything, he knocked the hairtail and octopus out of the ice, weighed them up, and put them in the cart for Jiang Yun Zhu.

"Where does your family live? I'll send the fish to your home when the fishes are ready," Hu Er said.

Jiang Yun Zhu gave her address and confirmed, "Is the fish in your home the same as these? It’s not spoiled."

"Don't worry. It's better and fresher than these. I went to Jeju. It’s very cold there at this time of year. Although the water isn't frozen, there is ice chunks. The fish I picked on the pier are the best. That very night, I returned. The further north I went, the more frozen the fish became. Definitely won’t go bad." Hu Er declared as he patted his chest. He had experience in doing this.

Jiang Yun Zhu was relieved. She waited for him to bring the fish over.

Not long after she got home, Hu Er came to deliver the fish in his cart. But this time there was a problem. The fish were still frozen in the ice. Should he knock them all out for her?

But there was no place to put them once taken out. Jiang Yun Zhu shook her head. Leave it like this.

Then how to weigh it?

"You should have weighed it when you bought it, right? To tell you the truth, I'm going to open a restaurant in the county. I'll often ask for these fish and meat in the future." Jiang Yun Zhu said.

Hu Er understood. He was saying why Jiang Yun Zhu, who lived in the village, would buy so many fish in one go?

This was a big customer. Once it works out, he won't have to worry about selling his things. He did weigh the fish when he bought them and knew the jins left after excluding the ones that were sold.

"The chinese tapertail anchovy should have two hundred and fifteen jins. Let's count it as two hundred and ten jins. The octopus should weigh one hundred and sixty jins, count it as one hundred and fifty jins. According to your price, the total is five liang silver and two coins. Just give five liang." Hu Er told.

"Okay." Jiang Yun Zhu felt it was about right. Then she added, "If you have anything new in the future, you could send it to Qishanju in the county. If I think it's good, I will buy it."

"Definitely, definitely." Hu Er earnestly replied. Selling these fish had saved him a lot of trouble. He was going to get new things in the south tomorrow.

Hu Er left happily. The Jiang Family’s floor was full of frozen fish.

"Yun Zhu, what should we do?" Mrs. Chen asked.

Jiang Yun Zhu naturally had plans. She cheerfully spoke, "It's cold now. Just put these fish in the backyard and cover it with a straw curtain. Once the restaurant opens, there will be uses for these fish."

For the new store opening, it was perfect to make two new dishes.

She even felt there wasn’t enough fish! In fact, she almost asked Hu Er to get some fish from the south just now. But considering that the first month was over and the weather was getting warmer, she decided to drop it.

Jiang Yun Zhu missed the ice cellar in the Marquis Anping Manor a little bit. She considered diggind an ice cellar herself once she earned money this year. Not only could she store things, she will also have iced drinks next summer.

This was her plan. Now, it was making hairtail and octopus.

There were more than a dozen ways to eat hairtail. Perhaps influenced by her modern world’s grandmother, Jiang Yun Zhu's favorite was hairtail wrapped in pancakes.

Clean up the hairtail, marinate it with cooking wine and other seasonings, and then fry it in a frying pan.

At this point, there will be a fishy smell. In modern times, turning on the kitchen exhaust hood was sufficient. But in ancient times, there was a way. Light a candle next to it and it would basically be scentless.

Put the fried hairtail into the earthen pot and simmer for another hour until the meat was crispy and the bones were soft.

To make pancakes, no need to put anything extra. Just oil and salt. The finished pancakes were steaming hot, with six or seven layers. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

It went without saying it was delicious to use this kind of pancake to wrap hairtail fish and bite it down.

Octopus was even easier to make. Jiang Yun Zhu made spicy octopus today.

In addition to these, she made some dishes that were suitable for wrapping. So the Jiang Family's lunch included pancakes and vegetables, rolled meat, rolled bean sprouts, rolled vegetables, rolled fungus, rolled hairtail, and rolled octopus. One could mix and match as they like.

It was the first time for Jiang Cheng and others to eat hairtail. They only felt that the meat of this fish was very tender and had a special umami taste.

"Is this the taste of the sea?" Jiang Lin asked curiously while eating hairtail.

Jiang Yun Zhu smiled, "Maybe. If we have a chance in the future, let's go to the seaside and see."

"This octopus is quite delicious. The texture is very chewy." Mrs. Chen remarked.

"I think it's delicious. If it's sold in the store, it will definitely sell well." Jiang Cheng said with a smile. He couldn't wait for the restaurant to open soon.

Hairtail and octopus have won unanimous praise from the Jiang Family.

As for Shen Feng Ming, Jiang Yun Zhu didn't realize until she came back that the seafood was stimulating food. Shen Feng Ming was still sick. How could possibly he consume these? So she made him some light food.

Shen Feng Ming, who had received special care, felt that today's sunshine was particularly good.

On the morning of the nineteenth day of January, Jiang Yun Zhu took some pastries and fruits to the shop owner's family.

Five carriages. Some things couldn't be taken away, so they could only reluctantly give them up.

The elderly's family stood in front of the shop and stared at it for a long time before getting into the carriage and leaving Wuling County.

As they left in a hurry, there was no time to clean up many things. A lot of things were left behind. Jiang Yun Zhu checked back and forth and had a preliminary grasp of the situation in the store.

"Father, move the things at home to here. Jiang Lin and Jiang Wu will start school tomorrow and will need to live in the county," she directed to Jiang Cheng.

Jiang Cheng checked the front and back of the store and was very excited. Fleeing from the famine in Changfeng Manor was only half a year ago. At that time, they had no tiles to cover themselves. Who would have thought that they would open a restaurant now!

"Okay, I'll go right away." Jiang Cheng went back and brought Mrs. Chen and others over.

From today onwards, they will live in the county city.

"You can't abandon the othe side either. I’m still raising chickens. When it's spring, I could plant melons and fruits in the yard. It could save a lot of money." Mrs. Chen said while tidying up.

"En, we will continue to do business over there." Of course, they have to go back often. Jiang Yun Zhu responded.

Speaking of this, Xue Jing whispered, "Boss, when will I be transferred to the county town." He didn't find the village bad. He wanted to follow Jiang Yun Zhu. By her side, he could always learn something.

Jiang Yun Zhu smiled. She remembered that she had drawn a big cake for him; said that she wanted to do business in the county. Never thought it was realized so soon.

"I'm the only one in the restaurant. Definitely can’t handle it all. However, the business in the village can't be thrown aside either. Let’s do this; when the business stabilizes, I'll hire someone..."

As soon as she said this, Xue Jing piped in, "Boss, if you want to recruit someone, I have a good candidate. My former partner in Yunhelou. He is very good at cooking. Of course, he can't compare with Boss."

Jiang Yun Zhu believed in Xue Jing. The person he recommended shouldn’t be bad. However, "The matter has to wait until to be discussed. Let's open the restaurant first."

"Yes, Boss." Xue Jing cheerfully replied. It was enough as long as there was hope.

Everyone hurriedly cleaned up the backyard, while Jiang Yun Zhu came to the shop in front. She contemplated how to decorate the shop.

Currently, she had seven or so liang silver in her hand. She got to be prudent with it.

In this case, if she can do it herself, she’ll do it herself.

She planned to decorate the shop in a quiet and elegant way. Only this way, it meets the need of the target group.

She was standing there planning, when a young man came in holding a few paintings. Seeing her, he was stunned.