"There's nothing to worry about. We have a fixed amount of braised meat each day and a fixed price, so I know exactly how much we should make each day. The pay would be 25 yuan a month. It usually sells out quickly—three or four hours at most—and then you can go home. Uncle Guan Guo, would you be interested?"
Guan Guo unconsciously rubbed his hands on his pants.
Zhao Shenggu asked again, "Is it that you feel the pay isn't enough?"
Guan Guo quickly waved his hands. "No, no. 25 yuan a month—good heavens, that's more than folks in office jobs make. I'm just worried... worried that if you two pay me that much, will you even have anything left for yourselves? Don't go losing money on this!"
Zhao Shenggu and Guan Yuan both laughed. It was clear that Guan Guo was a decent man. "Don't worry about that," Zhao Shenggu said. "I'd never run a losing business. But I am going out to sell things—I just hope you don't think less of it..."
Li Ying had been stunned speechless by the offer of 25 yuan a month. Now that she'd come back to her senses, she quickly chimed in: "What's there to think less of? We all make a living with our own skills—we're not stealing or cheating. These days, I go to the county town and see all those street vendors; they make good money too." She turned to Guan Guo and said, "Husband, why not take the job? I can handle the team's work on my own."
"Uncle Guan Guo, it's only a few hours a day. It won't get in the way of taking care of your family," Zhao Shenggu added, wanting to ease any concerns he might have.
That made Guan Guo and Li Ying even happier. Earning money and still being able to take care of the family—it felt like a gift from heaven.
Guan Guo took a sip of his drink, his neck flushed red, and said, "Shenggu, Uncle thanks you..." The rest of his gratitude was swallowed in that sip of wine.
With business settled, Zhao Shenggu and Guan Yuan were ready to leave, but Li Ying and Guan Guo insisted they stay for a meal. They couldn't say no to such warmth, so they stayed.
"Shenggu, just let me know when you want me to start, and I'll have everything ready in a snap," Guan Guo said, thumping his chest.
"The shop isn't set up yet. At the earliest, it'll be five more days," Zhao Shenggu said conservatively.
"No problem. Your aunt and I have nothing on our hands right now. We'll help you fix up that shop."
"That works. I was going to hire people anyway. Since that's the case, we'll start counting your wages from tomorrow," Zhao Shenggu said.
Guan Guo quickly waved his hands. "Shenggu, this is just helping out—how can we take your money?"
Li Ying nodded in agreement from the side.
"Why not? I'd have to pay someone else anyway." They chatted a little longer at Guan Guo's place before heading out. Tomorrow they'd need to fix up the shop and hire a few more people, including a carpenter—naturally, that would be Guan Shulin.
Instead of going home, they headed straight for Guan Shulin's house. It was Guan Yuan's first time stepping into their yard. As soon as he entered, he saw a complete mess everywhere—chicken droppings all over the ground and a strong stench of pig manure. Guan Yuan covered his nose; he'd never seen such a filthy yard before.
Guan Mumu was poking at ants in the yard. When he saw Guan Yuan come in, his whole face turned red. He stood there awkwardly, opening his mouth as if to speak but not knowing what to say. Finally, summoning his courage, he asked in a voice as faint as a mosquito's: "What're you here for?"
Guan Yuan actually had a soft spot for Guan Mumu. Even though the kid was always dirty, that was because of his lazy mother. Guan Mumu himself was well-behaved and sensible, which made him quite pitiful.
"We're here to see your dad. Is he home?"
"Ye... yeah," Guan Mumu answered quietly, then ran inside to call his father. When Guan Shulin came out, Zhao Shenggu explained why they'd come. This wasn't Guan Shulin's first time taking work from Zhao Shenggu—he knew the young man was generous—so he agreed readily. He thought about inviting them in for a sit, but when he remembered what a state the house was in, he felt too embarrassed to ask.
As Zhao Shenggu and Guan Yuan left, Guan Yuan turned back and saw Guan Mumu peeking at them from the gate.
The two of them went around the village to hire a few more people, then finally headed home. The next day, everyone gathered at the village entrance at the agreed time. To their surprise, Li Ying showed up too. "There's not much to do at home. Every little bit of help counts."
Since it was offered in good faith, Guan Yuan and Zhao Shenggu didn't turn her down. The group headed to the county town to start fixing up the shop.
The yard behind the shop had once been lived in, so the kitchen was fully equipped. While Zhao Shenggu and the hired helpers busied themselves out front, Guan Yuan and Li Ying worked on cooking in the back.
Li Ying had thought she'd handle the cooking all by herself, but somehow she ended up as Guan Yuan's assistant. The aroma of food was so mouthwatering that it made her stomach growl with craving.
"Xiao Yuan, you're incredibly talented! You're so young, but your cooking is amazing—this is as good as any professional chef's! No wonder your family's braised meat is so delicious. Turns out you're the master chef behind it all!" Li Ying sighed, then thought of her own son, Guan Shitou, who was a year older than Guan Yuan. All he did all day was chase chickens, bother dogs, and bully the village kids. Just thinking about it gave her a headache.
Guan Yuan smiled shyly. "I don't know how to explain it. I just like it. It's like the moment I pick up a ladle, I know what to do." Of course, that was just a made-up excuse to cover up his unusual abilities.
Li Ying believed him completely. She slapped her thigh excitedly and said, "I know! This is what they call... talent! That's it—talent!"
They chatted happily in the back, but out front, the shop workers had long since lost focus. The smell drifting from the kitchen made it impossible to concentrate. Honestly, getting a meal cooked by Guan Yuan was more appealing than the wages themselves.
When Li Ying called everyone to eat, they swarmed in. Watching them wolf down food as if they hadn't eaten in centuries, Li Ying—never one to hold back—said, "Take it easy, you bottomless pits! You'll eat Shenggu and Xiao Yuan out of house and home!"
They all knew Li Ying was just joking, but when they glanced at their empty bowls, they still rubbed their heads sheepishly. "Who can blame us when the food's this good?"
Driven by the double incentive of great food and good pay, everyone worked with extra care. The counter that Guan Shulin built even featured intricate carvings, giving it a very upscale look. In the end, the finished renovation exceeded Zhao Shenggu and Guan Yuan's expectations, and they gave each worker an extra yuan.
As they were leaving, one of the village uncles patted Zhao Shenggu on the shoulder and said, "Kid, keep it up. Your uncle knows you've got big things ahead." Then, a little embarrassed, he rubbed his hands together and added, "If you ever need help again, remember to call me. Forget the pay—just this meal is enough."
Everyone around burst into laughter.
Zhao Shenggu suppressed a smile and said, "Will do."
Five days later, the "Shenggu" braised meat shop officially opened. Zhao Shenggu went out specially to buy firecrackers and set them off with a loud crackle. He'd even thought about hiring a dragon dance team, but after searching all over the county town, he found none, so he had to give up on that idea.
To give the new shop a fresh start, they launched beef jerky on the first day, and all braised meat was unlimited with a 20% discount. Old customers flocked in, and even those who usually found the prices a bit steep joined in the excitement. A long line formed in front of the shop.
On that first day, Guan Guo stared at the crowd in utter shock. Good grief—these people were buying such expensive stuff without even a flinch. Li Ying came to help too; she was quick and nimble, handling the meat-slicing. Guan Guo took care of weighing, Guan Yuan handled the cash when they got too swamped, and Zhao Shenggu greeted the customers out front. The four of them divided the work and managed to get through the day.
When they counted the money at the end of the day, they'd made over 500 yuan. Even with the discounts, they'd still cleared a profit of more than 100 yuan. It had been exhausting, so Zhao Shenggu gave Guan Guo and Li Ying a five-yuan bonus each.
They tried to refuse, but Zhao Shenggu said, "Today's our opening day—it's good luck. This won't happen again."
So they accepted the money. Back home, the two sat down and calculated Zhao Shenggu's earnings. When they got the number, they both gulped in unison.
"Good heavens," Guan Guo muttered. "Those two kids sure know how to make money."
Li Ying pinched him. "Listen to me—keep this to yourself. Don't tell a soul, no matter who asks. Shenggu and Xiao Yuan have been more than generous with us. We're not going to be that kind of petty person."
Guan Guo winced from the pinch. "Let go! Do you really think I'd do something like that?"
Li Ying knew Guan Guo's character well enough. He was an honest, straightforward man—a bit of a fool, honestly. If it weren't for her toughness, her in-laws and her younger brother-in-law's family would've bled them dry long ago. "I can tell those two kids are destined for big things," she said. "If we stick with them steadily, who knows what good might come our way." Li Ying wasn't particularly clever, but she had a woman's intuition.
Guan Guo nodded. "That's for sure. Whether they make it big or not, when good fortune falls in your lap like this, you'd be a fool not to cherish it. Besides, they picked me to run the shop because they knew I'm honest." He chuckled. "Now tell me—am I still stupid? What's that saying the village party secretary always repeats... 'Heaven gives everyone a talent for a reason,' right? See? That's me! You've got to hand it to educated folks—they really know how to put things."
Li Ying saw his smug face and pinched him again. "Silly!"
From then on, Guan Guo threw himself wholeheartedly into the job. He learned some math from his eldest son, kept every penny accounted for in clear records, and every day he'd carry the purchased pork back to Zhao Shenggu's place and wash it spotless. If it weren't for the need to avoid any suspicion of overstepping, he would have taken on the braising work himself too.
Guan Yuan was very satisfied with him—quiet, honest, hardworking. For a role like running a braised meat stall, which needed no creativity, he was the perfect employee.
With Guan Guo's help, Guan Yuan and Zhao Shenggu no longer had to brave the winter winds, aside from the braising itself. They used the free time to have Guang Yuan teach Zhao Shenggu some basic characters, chat together, and visit the lotus in the spiritual spring every day. Life became fulfilling and regular.
But Guan Yuan knew that a big change was about to come to Guanjia Village.
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