Chapter 5: Qingmu Zhai—Haggling with NPCs?
T/N :- I will be changing Jinxiu Tavern name to Jinxiu Restaurant to make it easier to read and understand.
*****
Qingmu Zhai?
At that moment, Yihuan suddenly heard a voice in her mind: Go to Qingmu Zhai, and you can buy all the ingredients and kitchenware you need.
Yihuan froze for a moment, recalling the small kitchen on the second floor of her shop. She grew excited.
She said to Ah-miao, “After we finish our noodles, I’ll make a trip to Qingmu Zhai to buy some ingredients. You go to the Street Administration Bureau and take care of the matter I mentioned.”
Ah-miao still looked a bit worried. “Miss, you’re asking me to go to the Street Administration Bureau to deal with the issue of the shop being occupied… Do you think they’ll really handle it?”
Thinking of the fierce face of the second owner of the blacksmith shop and the opulence of the Jinxiu Restaurant, Ah-miao felt uneasy. Both opponents seemed powerful and wealthy.
Yihuan smiled and said, “You can’t just go and lodge a complaint directly.” Raising her eyebrows, she added, “Tell them our shop is newly opened, and we want to gift them over a dozen jars of good wine as a gesture of respect. As for the weapons, say they’re tokens of appreciation for their hard work patrolling the streets.”
[Note: The Street Administration Bureau was responsible for maintaining order, inspecting markets, and regulating commerce, akin to modern municipal management or city enforcement offices (chengguan). Gifting officials was a common practice to gain favor and ensure smooth operations.]
Ah-miao made sure to memorize Yihuan’s words carefully and nodded heavily.
—
After finishing their noodles, Yihuan took Lin Yiran and headed toward Qingmu Zhai in the West Market.
“Yiran,” Yihuan said softly, holding Lin Yiran’s hand.
“What is it, Sister?” Lin Yiran looked up, his large eyes shining brightly.
Yihuan said sincerely, “Our shop hasn’t officially opened yet, so for now, you might have to endure some hardships with me.”
Lin Yiran, the legitimate son of the Prime Minister’s household, had lived a life of privilege. Yihuan wasn’t sure if he could adapt to their current frugal circumstances.
Unexpectedly, he replied with determination, “As long as I’m with Sister, I’m not afraid of anything!”
Yihuan smiled and patted his head. “Good. Then how about I make you some donuts later?”
Lin Yiran tilted his head curiously. “What’s a donut?”
As they walked, Yihuan explained, “It’s a big ring… coated with sugar powder…”
The road to Qingmu Zhai was long, but Lin Yiran was so captivated by the description that he didn’t realize how far they had walked. Before they knew it, they had arrived, and he didn’t feel tired at all.
Standing at the entrance of Qingmu Zhai, Lin Yiran hesitated to go inside.
Looking over, Yihuan saw an old man sitting at the shop’s entrance with an angry expression, his face fierce and intimidating.
Yihuan hesitated for a moment as well and asked cautiously, “Excuse me… Are you Shopkeeper Hu?”
The noodle stall owner had mentioned earlier that Shopkeeper Hu was known for his bad temper but was excellent at business.
The old man looked up at her and rolled his eyes. “Who else would it be?”
As expected, he was unpleasant.
Yihuan remained unfazed and tentatively asked, “Hello, Shopkeeper Hu. May I ask if Qingmu Zhai sells yeast?”
Hearing this, Shopkeeper Hu’s expression changed. “You, you…”
He stammered for a while, unable to finish his sentence. He scrutinized Yihuan from head to toe, his mouth shifting between round “oh”s and flattened “eh”s.
Finally, he turned around and called into the shop, “Ah-qiao! Ah-qiao!”
The door curtain jingled as an elegant elderly woman walked out slowly.
She appeared to be in her early fifties, dressed in a deep purple ruqun (a traditional Chinese garment), with her graying hair neatly coiled into a bun adorned with a simple silver hairpin. Her demeanor was gentle and approachable.
Smiling, she asked, “Xiao Huhu, what’s the matter?”
Xiao Huhu?
Yihuan immediately felt a shiver down her spine, goosebumps rising on her arms.
Shopkeeper Hu pointed at Yihuan and said, “Ah-qiao, look! This girl came to buy yeast.”
Hearing this, Granny Qiao turned to Yihuan, carefully sizing her up before breaking into a satisfied smile. “What’s your name?”
Yihuan found it odd that they would ask for her name just to buy something.
Still, she answered, “Yihuan.”
As the daughter of a convicted official, she deliberately avoided mentioning her surname, Lin.
Shopkeeper Hu stared at Yihuan for a moment and muttered to himself, “She seems smarter than the last girl…”
Granny Qiao, however, smiled warmly, took Yihuan’s hand, and said, “Dear girl, besides yeast, what else do you need?”
Yihuan was puzzled by their odd behavior when the voice in her head suddenly spoke again: These two are NPCs. You can buy all the special ingredients and kitchenware you need from them.
(the “NPC” is a person who exists to fill the gap so that the logic of the perceivable world can be maintained.)
NPCs? Special ingredients?
Yihuan was astonished and asked, “Do you have gelatin sheets?”
Shopkeeper Hu: “Yes.”
Yihuan: “What about low-gluten flour?”
Shopkeeper Hu, growing impatient: “Yes.”
Yihuan: “And heavy cream?”
Shopkeeper Hu, nearly exploding: “We have everything! Do you think NPCs are incapable of stocking goods?!”
Startled, Yihuan quickly offered a conciliatory smile. “I was just asking. I didn’t expect Qingmu Zhai to have such a vast varities. Truly impressive…”
Granny Qiao chuckled. “Yihuan, don’t mind Xiao Huhu. He just speaks a bit loudly but is actually very kind.”
Shopkeeper Hu cast her an affectionate glance. “Ah-qiao, you understand me best. You’re the greatest.”
Yihuan’s goosebumps practically covered the floor. Steeling herself, she said, “Granny, I’ve written down everything I need on this list. Please take a look.”
Granny Qiao took the list with a smile. “Hmm… We have all these, but…” Pausing, she added, “If your food doesn’t get eaten before it spoils, the prices of these ingredients will increase next time.”
“Why?” Yihuan asked reflexively.
Shopkeeper Hu raised his chin and snorted, “Because that’s the rule.”
Yihuan silently rolled her eyes but nodded in agreement. Then she asked, “If the food gets eaten on time, can I get a discount on the next batch of ingredients?”
Shopkeeper Hu jumped up in fury. “What?!”
Granny Qiao: “…”
Yihuan grinned. “What, can’t NPCs offer discounts?”
Granny Qiao hesitated. “Well…”
Shopkeeper Hu’s mustache bristled as he shouted, “I’ve never seen someone so shameless! Bargaining with NPCs?!”
Yihuan looked aggrieved. “Is there a rule against Bargaining?”
Shopkeeper Hu choked, unable to reply.
Granny Qiao frowned thoughtfully. “Well, no…”
After some whispered deliberation between the two, Shopkeeper Hu grudgingly said, “Fine. If your food sells out before it spoils, you can get a ten percent discount next time.”
Seeing she had reached a good deal, Yihuan cheerfully replied, “Thank you, Shopkeeper Hu and Granny Qiao! Please help me pack the ingredients.”
(T/N:- I think that the Shopkeeper’s are some type of system i.e they live in this world to help the fellow transmigrator that’s why they have all the modern items.)
*****
Yihuan and Lin Yiran left Qingmu Zhai with their arms full of supplies, just as the sky turned to evening.
Under the vibrant clouds, their figures—one tall, one short—stretched long in the setting sun.
A little further along, Ah-miao ran up excitedly. “Miss! All the wine jars and weapons on the first floor are cleared out! We can tidy up the shop tonight!”
Yihuan’s eyes lit up at Ah-miao’s announcement. She nodded, saying, “Great! Once we clean up the shop, we’ll prepare for our opening tomorrow.”
