Republic of China, 1928: Starting from a Wonton Shop

The 24th day of the twelfth lunar month is the day for sweeping away dust.

Li Chunsheng got up very early. Last night, Lao Wu and Xiao Wu rushed out after receiving their reward money, saying they wanted to buy some things for their relatives back home before the New Year. Li Chunsheng didn't point it out. In this world, asking less and doing more is the best way to survive in the long run.

He pushed open the window, looked at the thin layer of ice that had formed on the well platform in the backyard, and breathed out a puff of hot air. He was closed for the day, but not being open didn't mean there was no work. In Beijing, besides skills, the most important thing in doing business was managing things.

He went back into the house and took out two envelopes that he had divided up the night before from a hidden compartment on the kang (a heated brick bed). Each envelope contained ten silver dollars.

"Brother Chunsheng, are we really not opening today?" Ya Ya rubbed her sleepy eyes and poked her head out from the west wing.

"Take a good rest today," Li Chunsheng said with a smile, patting her head. "I have to go out for a bit. I'll let your mother know later."

Longxing Teahouse is bustling with morning tea. The teahouse is filled with steam and the smell of tobacco. Ma San is sitting with his legs crossed, spinning a pair of iron balls in his hands. Several of his men are around him, reporting on the collection of taxes from each street.

"Oh, Manager Li, what a rare guest!" Upon seeing Li Chunsheng, Ma San gestured for his men to step back. "The Lunar New Year has just passed, and instead of staying home counting your silver dollars, you've come here for tea?"

"Third Master, you flatter me. We are truly grateful for your help and support," Li Chunsheng said, sitting opposite him and pushing the envelope over. "This is just a small token of my appreciation. After the New Year, the shop will still rely on you, Third Master. Thank you for your hard work, brothers. This is my way of treating everyone to a meal."

Ma San glanced at it and knew it was a heavy load. He laughed and didn't refuse: "Brother Li, you're a man of principle, and I, Ma San, am not the kind of person who takes advantage of others. Let me give you a heads-up, things haven't been peaceful in the south lately. The soldiers are causing a ruckus. Be careful when you're buying goods, and don't get too close to those shady characters."

Li Chunsheng knew that Ma San was giving him some pointers, so he cupped his hands in thanks and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Third Master."

After leaving the teahouse, Li Chunsheng went straight to the police station. Fatty Liu was lying on a chair, warming his hands over a charcoal fire. He didn't even lift his eyelids when Li Chunsheng came in.

"Mr. Liu, I wish you a Happy New Year in advance." Li Chunsheng gently placed the envelope and wine tickets on the table.

"Little Li, you're so sensible." Fatty Liu tucked the envelope into his pocket. "I've heard your restaurant is quite righteous."

Li Chunsheng cursed inwardly. This patrolman was even more ruthless than the Black Tiger Gang. Was he reminding him to take more next time?

"Chief Liu, it's all thanks to you keeping things in order," Li Chunsheng said with a smile. "I heard that Chen's Wine Shop still has quite a few good wines. I'll tell Boss Chen, and you can go and get them later."

Fatty Liu wasn't really addicted to alcohol; he was fine with drinking, but he couldn't refuse either. "Hahaha, Boss Li, you're too kind! If you need anything at the shop in the future, just come to me. I'll arrest him and lock him up for a couple of days. I guarantee he'll have to call you grandpa when he sees you!"

Li Chunsheng smiled and agreed, but in his heart he thought: If we expect you, fat man, to catch ghosts, you'll probably extort two dollars from the ghosts themselves.

After taking care of the two, Li Chunsheng returned to the restaurant. Yunniang had already cleaned the place inside and out. She had changed into a plain gray cotton-padded jacket. Although it was still old, the small floral pattern around the collar accentuated her still charming face, adding a touch of beauty to it.

"Let's go, sister-in-law, Yaya, let's go to the White Pagoda Temple." Li Chunsheng waved his hand and led the way out of the shop.

The White Pagoda Temple Market was one of the most famous temple fairs in old Beijing. It was held every four or five days, and before the Lunar New Year, it became one of the most bustling places in all of Beijing.

Li Chunsheng wanted to call a rickshaw, but Yunniang refused.

"It's just a short walk, it'll only take half an hour to get there."

Li Chunsheng was helpless. In the freezing cold of Beiping, walking for half an hour was really going to be a nightmare, but it wouldn't be right for him to take the carriage and make Yunniang and Yaya walk.

When the three of them arrived at Baima Temple, Li Chunsheng was sweating slightly.

"Selling candied hawthorns! Big red berries!"

"Making clay figures: Sun Wukong! Zhu Bajie!"

Shouts and calls rose and fell.

Li Chunsheng generously took out five copper coins and bought Ya Ya a string of candied hawthorns. The little girl held the candied hawthorns, reluctant to eat the shiny sugar coating, and just licked it with her little tongue again and again.

"Chunsheng, spend less. It's not even the New Year yet, and there are expenses everywhere," Yunniang whispered a reminder from the side. She was used to living frugally and couldn't bear to see Li Chunsheng wasting money like this.

"Sister-in-law, money is meant to be spent." Li Chunsheng strolled through the crowd, looking at the various people around him. There were fashionable women wearing fur coats and sunglasses, and homeless people squatting in the corner, dressed in rags, begging for a cold steamed bun.

Li Chunsheng walked up to a stall selling cloth and silk. The fabrics here were mostly homespun cloth and twill cloth commonly worn by northerners, with a small amount of high-quality woven cloth transported from Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

"Shopkeeper, get a few feet of good fabric for my sister-in-law," Li Chunsheng said to the stall owner, pointing to a bolt of dark purple twill fabric.

Yunniang quickly waved her hand: "No, no! I stand at the counter all day long, it would be a waste to wear such fine fabric."

"Sister-in-law, you're now a waitress at Li's Restaurant, representing the reputation of our establishment." Li Chunsheng deliberately put on a stern face. "If you're dressed in rags, the customers will think that I, the owner, am stingy and that my waitresses don't even have money to buy clothes."

The stall owner, quick to read the room, immediately chimed in, "Yes, ma'am, look at this color! It suits your age perfectly and makes your skin look even whiter!"

Yunniang couldn't refuse, so she had to let Li Chunsheng have the tailor take her measurements.

Although his family ran a restaurant, the snacks at the temple fair still held a unique charm for Li Chunsheng. After being reborn here, he hadn't actually tried any of the street food of this era yet.

They came to a stall selling millet porridge, which was made from millet flour, topped with a thick layer of sesame paste, and sprinkled with salt and pepper. Li Chunsheng didn't ask for a spoon, but instead taught Ya Ya to slurp it up by turning the bowl around.

"Brother Chunsheng, why isn't this sesame paste spreading out?" Ya Ya asked curiously.

"This is called single-layer sesame paste, and it's savory and delicious," Li Chunsheng explained patiently.

As I walked into the latter half of the market, there were more stalls selling jewelry and secondhand items.

The items here were a mixed bag, including agate thumb rings from a former Qing dynasty prince's palace and crudely made copper hairpins by a country blacksmith. Li Chunsheng looked around the pile of scrap metal and finally his gaze settled on an inconspicuous silver hairpin.

The hairpin was very simple in design, with only a faint plum blossom carved at the end.

"Shopkeeper, how much is this?"

"Hey, young master, you have a good eye. This is genuine old silver. It's a bit worn, but the more you polish it, the shinier it gets." The stall owner gestured, "One silver dollar."

"Five qian," Li Chunsheng bargained without looking up. "This hairpin has lost its patina and needs to be polished again. Five qian of silver. If you don't sell it, I'll go to the next buyer."

The stall owner looked pained, but in the end he still stuffed the hairpin into Li Chunsheng's hand.

Li Chunsheng took the hairpin, turned around, took Yunniang's hand, and placed the silver hairpin into her palm.

"Chunsheng, what are you doing!" In front of so many people, Yunniang felt her face burning.

"This is a gift for you, sister-in-law. I noticed that the hairpin you used to wear is broken."

Just as Yunniang was about to speak, a commotion arose in the distance.

"Make way! Make way! This is a police station investigation! Everyone, kneel down!"

Li Chunsheng frowned, shielding Yunniang and Yaya behind him. He saw a group of police officers in black uniforms shoving several small vendors carrying loads. The leader was Liu Pangzi's brother-in-law, known as Dog Skin Old Six.

"Sixth Brother, what's going on here?" Seeing this, Li Chunsheng knew he couldn't avoid it, so he simply stepped forward and quietly slipped a handful of copper coins into the dog-skinned man's hand.

When Dogskin Old Six saw that it was Li Chunsheng, his fierce expression softened, and he lowered his voice and said, "Manager Li, I'm sorry, but the higher-ups have issued a notice saying that important supplies have been lost in the southern suburbs. The whole city is under martial law and a search for suspects is being conducted. Anyone who is an outsider or has no guarantor will be taken away for questioning."

Li Chunsheng's heart skipped a beat.

He turned around and glanced at Yunniang, who looked bewildered. "Sixth Brother, what do you think?" Li Chunsheng looked at Goupi Laoliu and pointed to Yunniang and Yaya behind him.

Dogskin Old Six nodded. "Manager Li, you're a local, you should go back now."

"Thank you, Sixth Brother." Li Chunsheng quickly took Yunniang and Yaya's hands and quickened his pace.

Along the way, Yunniang noticed the tense atmosphere. "Chunsheng, has something serious happened?"

"It's alright, sister-in-law. These days, with war and chaos, there's bound to be a couple of searches every day."