Zhang Erniu busied himself with unloading the goods upon arrival. Auntie Lu stopped him, "Erniu, could I borrow your carriage for a few days? I'll find a place to stay and move as soon as possible."
Qi Zhenzhen looked surprised, "Auntie, you're going to live in the carriage in this cold weather? Absolutely not!"
Auntie Lu waved her hand, "We've lived in makeshift shelters when times were tough. It's not impossible."
"Your husband must have been in great health back then, right? You're both much older now. In this freezing winter, living in a carriage would be unbearable," Qi Zhenzhen said seriously. "There are several empty rooms here. We can tidy up two for you."
With Qi Zhenzhen's suggestion, Zhang Erniu quickly chimed in, "Yes, Auntie Lu, stay here for now. Finding a house takes time, and it's not easy to find a suitable one."
Auntie Lu's eyes welled up, "How can I possibly live here without any reason? It's not appropriate."
"How about this, Auntie? You stay here for now and look for a place. Once you find one, you can pay us by the day," Qi Zhenzhen suggested after some thought.
Even so, it was still a great imposition. Auntie Lu thanked them profusely with gratitude.
They chose the two southernmost rooms in the west wing, the furthest from the main house. Qi Zhenzhen knew Auntie Lu was worried that Grandpa Lu's coughing might disturb them.
After helping them move their belongings into the rooms, Auntie Lu insisted that Qi Zhenzhen and Zhang Erniu leave, pushing them out.
Knowing she felt indebted, they didn't argue but told her to call them if she needed anything.
"Brother Zhang Er, is it difficult to find housing in the county town?" Qi Zhenzhen asked.
"It is indeed difficult. It's also thanks to Auntie Lu that we were able to buy this shop. I searched for days without finding anything suitable. One morning, I was feeling hungry and sat down at Auntie Lu's wonton stall. Auntie Lu was kind and asked me a few questions when she saw my worried expression. Upon learning I was looking for a residence with a shop, she immediately introduced me to the owner. The owner had only one daughter, who had married and moved to the capital and just had a child. The elderly couple missed their daughter and grandson. After discussing it, they decided to move their shop to the capital and settle there permanently. They wanted to sell the house and hadn't found an agent yet. If the house had gone through an agent, we might not have been able to buy it," Zhang Erniu explained.
So that's how it happened. It was fate, in a way. If not for this, Zhang Erniu wouldn't have become close to Auntie Lu. Because Auntie Lu had given Zhang Erniu a good deal back then, a good deed was done, which led to a good relationship. This shows that it's always good to be kind to others.
"Brother Zhang Er, I suspect finding a place to live won't be easy. If we let her stay here directly, I don't think Auntie Lu will agree. Why don't we let her search for a couple of days, and then we can offer her a place to stay? If she refuses, we can charge a symbolic rent. Also, once the shop opens, you and my aunt won't be able to handle everything. We'll be doing business during lunch and dinner. For washing and cleaning, perhaps we can hire Auntie Lu?" Qi Zhenzhen pondered.
Hiring someone was inevitable, and it was better to hire Auntie Lu than a stranger.
In Zhang Erniu's opinion, this was an excellent plan. It not only solved the problem for Auntie Lu and her family of three but would also make things easier for them.
"Zhenzhen, I thank you on behalf of Auntie Lu," Zhang Erniu said earnestly.
Qi Zhenzhen smiled and waved her hand, "It's all about fate when people interact. We are destined to meet."
When she discussed this with Lin Ruixue, she also agreed. They had a connection with the family and the ability to help. Why not?
And so, the Lu family of three settled in.
The next morning, Auntie Lu and Yingzi went out to set up their stall. The single stove was replaced by two, one for cooking wontons and the other for simmering bone broth.
Zhang Erniu and the others arrived early. As usual, they ordered seven bowls of wontons. Following Qi Zhenzhen's instructions, they used bone broth, sprinkled with dried scallop powder, a drop of base soy sauce, and topped with fresh green scallions.
The milky white bone broth, plump wontons, and emerald green scallions looked appetizing.
Zhang Erniu's voice boomed, "Auntie Lu, these wontons are delicious today, and the soup is great. Truly excellent."
People who came out for breakfast looked over, drawn by the sound. The wontons looked different from the usual clear, bland ones. The bone broth in the pot, constantly bubbling, was fragrant.
More and more people sat down, both regular customers and newcomers.
Auntie Lu, while wrapping wontons, kept an eye on the customers, feeling very pleased.
Everyone who ate the wontons was satisfied. Zhang Erniu, seeing that the time was right, asked Yingzi to settle the bill.
"Uncle Erniu, seven bowls of wontons, six wen per bowl, a total of forty-two wen," Yingzi announced crisply.
"It's one wen more than usual? For this bone broth, it's not expensive. A bowl of bone broth elsewhere costs two wen," Zhang Erniu said, counting out the money for Yingzi.
People at nearby tables, who were about to complain, swallowed their words when they heard that bone broth cost two wen elsewhere. Considering this, they were getting a good deal, and the wontons were indeed much tastier. This price was quite reasonable.
At Chenshi, Auntie Lu and Yingzi packed up their stall and returned, both with smiles on their faces.
"Uncle Erniu, we sold a lot of money today. Usually, we sell about thirty bowls of wontons in the morning, but today we sold fifty! That's twenty wen more than usual. In a month, that's an extra six qian of silver!" Yingzi said cheerfully. "Sister Zhenzhen, thank you so much."
"Then, will you cook me a bowl of wontons sometime?" Qi Zhenzhen asked with a smile.
Yingzi nodded seriously, "No problem."
Auntie Lu counted out forty-two wen and handed it to Zhang Erniu. "Erniu, if it weren't for you, my granddaughter and I might have been sleeping on the streets. I can't possibly take money for your wontons. Please take this. As long as you don't mind, I'll handle breakfast for you from now on."
"Auntie Lu, one thing is one thing, you can't count it like that. If you don't take money, how could we possibly sell your wontons again?" Zhang Erniu refused.
Auntie Lu couldn't persuade him and had to give up. She tidied up the things on the cart and then busied herself with other tasks.
They say an elder in the family is a treasure, and it's true. When Qi Zhenzhen was making chili sauce, Auntie Lu watched and offered a few suggestions. The chili sauce she made tasted much better than before.
"We came from Shu. Every household made chili sauce there. It's only become less common since we came to Yunlai Prefecture. In recent years, people hardly eat it anymore," Auntie Lu sighed.