Reborn: Back to the 1980s Chapter 32 Part 1

Chapter 32: Opening a Shop 

Old Master Zhao couldn't stand it anymore. "I say, you old devil, why are you so impatient?"

Old Master Li ignored him and kept staring at the pot with greedy eyes. Guan Yuan brought out the finished beef jerky: "Grandpa Li, Grandpa Zhao, try some. This is our beef jerky."

Old Master Li was always extremely interested in anything the two kids made, and since the food in the pot wasn't ready yet, this would be a good appetizer. The moment he took a bite, he realized this beef jerky was worlds apart from anything he'd ever eaten before. The meat was fragrant, tender, and smooth. The bits of tendon gave it a satisfying chew without being tough or sticking to his teeth. One bite, followed by a sip of wine—it was simply heavenly.

Old Master Li squinted his eyes, savoring the taste, and finally said, "Not bad, not bad. With skills like this, you two will surely build yourselves a good life in the future." He was so delighted that he tapped the table and sang a snatch of a opera tune about Lord Guan, swaying his head.

[Lord Guan refers to Guan Yu (关羽), a famous general from the Three Kingdoms period who was later deified for his loyalty and righteousness. He is the central figure in a specific genre of Chinese opera known as "Guan Gong opera" (关公戏), which exists across many regional styles including Peking and Cantonese opera.]

Old Master Zhao was also full of praise for the beef jerky. They couldn't stop eating, and in their enthusiasm, they forgot about the hot pot still cooking. Outside, snow was falling thick and fast; inside, the rich aroma of food filled the air. The two old men finished their meal but weren't in a hurry to leave—they decided to stay the night. Old Master Li sent Xiao Zhang back to deliver the message.

It wasn't the first time they'd stayed over, so there were spare rooms for them. After everything was tidied up, Old Master Li asked Zhao Shenggu about their plans for the future.

"We're planning to rent a shop and find someone to run it. Xiao Yuan and I are going to go to school," Zhao Shenggu said, holding Guan Yuan in his arms as he laid out his plans in detail.

Old Master Zhao was delighted to hear this. "Exactly! I've been meaning to say this for a long time. A young lad can't go without an education. The state places great importance on this now. It's only through reading and studying that one can understand the principles of life."

Old Master Li didn't like the sound of that. "What do you mean by that? Are you saying I'm unreasonable?" 

Old Master Zhao could only laugh helplessly. "Oh dear, I'm sorry. I didn't realize I'd lumped you in with that. Unintentional, unintentional, haha!"

Old Master Li snorted, then turned to Zhao Shenggu with a smile. "Although I haven't read much myself, I'm all for you two studying. That shows you have foresight. Good. But you mentioned renting a shop—have you found a location yet?"

Zhao Shenggu nodded. "Yes, we've found one not far from the county government building. We took a look around and saw that the people living there have decent incomes. In fact, most of our braised meat customers already come from that area. This way, they won't have to make the trip all the way to the market."

Old Master Li nodded. Though Zhao Shenggu was young, he was steady and methodical in his ways, and Old Master Li had long treated him as an adult. "That's good. At least now, when we crave your braised meat, it'll be closer."

Zhao Shenggu knew Old Master Li was joking, so he just smiled along. They chatted a while longer before retiring for the night. The next day, Zhao Shenggu and Guan Yuan prepared to head to the county town with the two old men to finalize the shop deal.

The shop they had their eye on was right in the center of the county—government offices on the left, a workers' compound on the right. The shop came with a small courtyard at the back, and the asking price was 1,500 yuan. That wasn't too expensive, but it wasn't cheap either. After several rounds of negotiation, they finally settled on 1,300 yuan.

"And you're registering it under this boy's name too?" the owner asked hesitantly, looking at Zhao Shenggu.

Zhao Shenggu nodded. "Yes, I'm the head of the household. There's no problem transferring it to me." Guan Yuan hadn't really cared whether his name was on it, but Zhao Shenggu insisted: "We're family. Every piece of property we own from now on has to be in both our names." Guan Yuan had no reason to object, so he agreed.

With the brand-new property deed in hand, Guan Yuan and Zhao Shenggu decided to celebrate. And for a celebration, of course, they couldn't be bothered to cook themselves—they ate out in the county town before heading home.

"Once spring comes and the snow melts, we'll go enroll at the school. But first, we need to find someone to run the shop," Guan Yuan said, playing with Zhao Shenggu's fingers as they lay in bed talking, as they usually did.

Zhao Shenggu nodded. "You're right. But it's not easy to find the right person. We'd better look for someone from the village—someone we know well, so we can trust them."

Guan Yuan agreed. Even though he'd had bad luck with his blood relatives—they were all a difficult bunch—there were still plenty of hardworking, honest folks in the village.

"Who do you think we should ask?" Zhao Shenggu always discussed everything with Guan Yuan. As long as it wasn't too far out of line, he'd go along with whatever Guan Yuan decided.

"Brother, what do you think of Guan Shitou's dad?" Guan Yuan suggested, thinking of that honest, simple man.

"Uncle Guan Guo? He's a good choice—steady worker, straightforward, and warm-hearted," Zhao Shenggu said. "But Aunt Li Ying is a bit..."

Seeing Zhao Shenggu's conflicted expression, Guan Yuan burst out laughing. "You mean Aunt Li Ying is a bit too feisty, right?"

Zhao Shenggu nodded. "Aunt Li Ying is really something."

"I don't think it's a problem. It's because Guan Shitou's grandpa and the rest are so biased. If Aunt Li Ying weren't tough enough, they'd have eaten her alive. Honestly, she's a good person—kind-hearted and hardworking."

Li Ying was known throughout Guanjia Village as a diligent worker. But since Guan Shitou's grandparents favored their younger son and were always trying to take advantage of Guan Shitou's family, Li Ying had gradually become more assertive.

"If you say it's fine, then it's fine. Let's go ask them tomorrow and see if Uncle Guan Guo is willing."

"How much should we pay them?"

"Right now, a worker's monthly wage is about 20 yuan. We shouldn't set it too high—I think 25 yuan a month is about right."

After settling the hiring matter, they remembered they hadn't visited the lotus in the spiritual spring for a few days. Since they had some free time, they went inside.

The lotus in the spiritual spring was still fresh and lovely, but its petals drooped downward, looking listless. Sensing Zhao Shenggu and Guan Yuan's presence, the lotus perked up instantly, its bud lifting high, its two leaves swaying back and forth as if overjoyed.

Guan Yuan was amused by the lotus's reaction. Remembering that they'd promised to visit every day but hadn't kept that promise, he stroked the bud even more gently.

The lotus seemed to sense Guan Yuan's feelings and rolled around in his hand like a spoiled child. Guan Yuan laughed. "Brother, it's so cute!"

"So now you think it's cute? Who was it that said it was a demon in disguise and told me to stay away from it, hm?" Zhao Shenggu teased. 

Guan Yuan retorted, "Well, it is a demon, but since it's this silly, it can't really do much harm. I guess I'll let it be cute."

The lotus wilted a little when it heard Guan Yuan call it silly, but perked right back up when he called it cute, rolling its bud around in his hand endlessly.

The two stayed in the space for quite a while before heading out. That year, Zhao Shenggu and Guan Yuan talked and played with that lotus almost every day, and Guan Yuan grew fonder and fonder of it.

The next day, instead of setting up their stall, they went together to Guan Guo's house. When they arrived, Guan Shitou was chasing chickens around the yard. When he saw Guan Yuan, his eyes lit up. "Boss! What goodies did you bring me?" 

Just then, Li Ying came out to gather firewood and smacked him on the head. "All you think about is eating!" 

Guan Shitou pouted after being hit. "Can't you just talk nicely? Why do you always have to hit me?"

"Hey, you little brat, you dare talk back to me?" Li Ying reached to grab his ear, but Guan Shitou dodged and ran off. Li Ying let him go and quickly welcomed Guan Yuan and Zhao Shenggu inside. "Shenggu, Xiao Yuan, come in and sit on the kang. We just bought some meat today and made a stew. You're not leaving until your bellies are full!" Li Ying spoke with such warmth that Zhao Shenggu was genuinely touched.

"Thank you, Aunt Li. We're here to see Uncle Guan Guo. Is he home?"

"He is, he is! On a cold day like this, where else would he be? Come in, come in, don't freeze out here!" Li Ying warmly pulled Guan Yuan and Zhao Shenggu inside. "Husband! Hurry, Shenggu and Xiao Yuan say they need to talk to you!" Li Ying called toward the backyard.

Guan Guo answered from a distance and came inside shortly after. "Shenggu, what brings you here?"

"You two sit. I'll go get some sunflower seeds for you to snack on," Li Ying said, holding out a plate.

"No need, Aunt Li. Please don't go to any trouble," Zhao Shenggu politely declined. 

"Oh, don't be so formal. It's nothing fancy, just something to nibble on," Li Ying said and went into the other room.

"Right, right, let your aunt get them," Guan Guo said as he brought out some wine and set it on the small kang table. He asked Zhao Shenggu, "Want some?"

Zhao Shenggu waved his hand. "I don't drink yet."

Guan Guo paused, then slapped his own forehead. "Right, right, you're still young! You carry yourself like a grown man, so I keep forgetting your age. Haha!"

Li Ying put the sunflower seeds on the table and was about to head to the kitchen to cook when Zhao Shenggu called her back. "Auntie, please sit too. I have something I'd like to discuss with both of you."

Li Ying looked puzzled. "What could you possibly need to discuss with me?"

Zhao Shenggu pulled Guan Yuan into his arms and adjusted his clothes before speaking. "It's like this—I've been selling braised meat..."

Before he could finish, Guan Guo cut in: "Yes, we know all about that. I heard it's going pretty well. Don't tell me some city folk are giving you trouble? That won't do—nobody from Guanjia Village gets pushed around by outsiders. Tell me, Shenggu."

Guan Yuan was taken aback by Guan Guo's wild imagination, and Zhao Shenggu could only let out a helpless laugh. "No, no, it's not that. Our braised meat sales are doing fine. But next year, Xiao Yuan and I are both going to school. We've just rented a shop in the county town, and we're looking for someone to help run it. It's not too tiring—we'll prepare the braised meat every day. You'd just need to sell it and collect the money."

Li Ying and Guan Guo were both taken aback. It was Li Ying who recovered first. "You're trusting such a big business to someone else?"