Chapter 61: The Approaching Mid-Autumn Festival
In this world, the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, the Mid-Autumn Festival, remains one of the most important holidays.
Symbolizing reunion, the Mid-Autumn Festival is a rather sensitive day for Li Yi, often evoking certain long-buried memories.
However, Li Yi had long since learned to hide those emotions deep in his heart, making it difficult for anyone to detect.
Tomorrow would be the Mid-Autumn Festival that Xiaohuan had been eagerly awaiting. For the simple-minded young girl, every festival was something to look forward to, often counting the days on her fingers ever since Li Yi taught her arithmetic.
Today, Lao Fang and his companions did not go to the streets to sell candied hawthorns. On festive days like this, they deserved a break to relax.
In the past, when the family was struggling financially, a bowl of thin porridge with just a handful more grains of rice was considered a festival meal.
Nowadays, with silver flowing in daily, even eating rice topped with meat every day carried no financial strain.
Economic stability dictates lifestyle improvements. With their circumstances improving, Lao Fang and the others naturally raised their expectations. Yesterday, when they returned from the streets, they had already bought wine, meat, and other essentials to prepare for Mid-Autumn celebrations.
When Li Yi examined the goods they brought back, he unexpectedly found mooncakes among them. Calling them mooncakes was generous—they were essentially dough with filling. After taking a bite, Li Yi was immediately reminded of the flavor of five-nut mooncakes from his previous life.
...
Walking along the broad streets of Qing’an Prefecture with Xiaohuan, the little maid’s wide, curious eyes darted around, marveling at everything she saw. Li Yi, however, had other matters on his mind.
Over the past few days, he had been refining his methods to improve the distillation apparatus for alcohol, making significant advancements in the formula for Ruyi Dew. Soon, it would be ready for production.
Ruyi Dew was unlike candied hawthorns. From the beginning, Li Yi had positioned it as a high-end product. After all, the cost of distilling alcohol was significant, requiring several vats of liquor to produce even a small bottle of Ruyi Dew. If the price was set too low, a few sales would leave him bankrupt.
This created a new problem.
Since Ruyi Dew was intended to debut as a high-class product, it could not be sold like candied hawthorns. Li Yi imagined Lao Fang holding two bottles of Ruyi Dew, calling out to passersby and mysteriously whispering, “Brother, interested in some Ruyi Dew?”
The thought was absurd, resembling someone hawking dubious products or strange remedies.
Clearly, a roadside stall would not suffice to match the product’s intended image. If Li Yi wanted the business to thrive, he would eventually need to expand to perfumes, soaps, and even strong liquors—all of which would require a dedicated storefront in the bustling Qing’an Prefecture.
However, renting a shop in Qing’an Prefecture’s prime areas was as challenging as opening a store in a major commercial district of a modern metropolis. The annual rent alone was astronomical.
After asking around, Li Yi learned that even a modest shop outside the busiest areas cost seventy to eighty taels of silver per year. Renovations and furnishings would push the cost to at least one hundred taels.
This left Li Yi in an awkward position.
His entire fortune amounted to just one hundred taels. Renting a shop would leave him without funds for purchasing liquor and materials for Ruyi Dew. But without a shop, how could he sell Ruyi Dew?
Lao Fang and the others would not think of such problems. If Li Yi didn’t explain, they might simply treat Ruyi Dew like candied hawthorns, selling it without concern. To them, both were profitable treasures without much distinction.
The issue of money could not be solved immediately. Li Yi decided to think of a solution after returning home.
...
Xiaohuan held two bolts of fabric that Li Yi had bought for her to make new clothes. Her eyes curved into crescents, her face brimming with joy.
In the past, the family had no spare money for new fabric. Most of Xiaohuan’s clothes were hand-me-downs from Liu Ru-Yi.
Liu Ruyi was tall, and her clothes were too large for Xiaohuan. Liu Ru-Yi, though taller than Xiaohuan, was closer in size. Her clothes could be slightly altered to fit Xiaohuan.
This was common practice among ordinary families. Even Li Yi, upon noticing Xiaohuan’s patched clothes, had decided to bring her out today.
At this time, ready-to-wear shops did not exist. To make clothes, one had to buy fabric and sew it themselves or commission a tailor—though the latter was far more expensive. Most struggling families opted for the first option.
This gave Li Yi an idea. Would opening a ready-to-wear shop here be profitable?
It was only a fleeting thought for now. Li Yi had too many responsibilities at hand to manage another endeavor.
...
Around noon, Li Yi and Xiaohuan found a small roadside stall to grab a quick meal. Despite the humble appearance of the food, it tasted surprisingly good and was very affordable.
Unlike modern times, eating at roadside stalls carried no worries about recycled oil, offering peace of mind. Li Yi even noticed that the stall owner gave them slightly larger portions than the other customers—perhaps because of their appearance.
This realization brought him a hint of satisfaction. Who would have thought that one day, he could benefit from his looks?
After eating, they strolled around the streets a bit more, purchasing a few items. Due to the approaching Mid-Autumn Festival, the streets were busier than usual.
Li Yi couldn’t help but marvel at the natural beauty of ancient times. In this era without cosmetic surgery, double eyelid operations, or nose implants, all the beauties were genuine. Lightly adorned with simple makeup, they exuded natural charm. Li Yi saw several women along the way who could have starred in period dramas in his previous life.
Naturally, his little maid Xiaohuan was also quite the budding beauty. Though still young and with a bit of baby fat on her cheeks, in a few years, she would undoubtedly blossom into a true beauty.
Having been surrounded by three stunning women at home, Li Yi’s immunity to beauty had significantly increased compared to his past life. Even when passing by gorgeous women, he merely glanced appreciatively before turning his attention to... other beautiful women.
As they passed a particular spot on the street, they noticed a crowd gathering and shouting. Li Yi had no interest in joining the commotion, but Xiaohuan glanced curiously. Seeing Li Yi walk past without stopping, she quickly looked away and followed him.
“Someone’s actually willing to spend one hundred taels of silver...”
“That’s way too generous!”
...
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