Chapter 148 Opening a Store

Chapter 148 Opening a Store

Cheng Lanzhou reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, his tone filled with affection: "Judging from your eyes, are you planning something again?"

Yes, yes, yes!

Jiang Yutang nodded hurriedly like a chick pecking at rice, leaning forward slightly, her tone filled with excitement: "I want to open a small shop near the camp!"

Cheng Lanzhou raised an eyebrow at her: "A small shop? What do you sell? Not your weird and wonderful trinkets, are you?"

"Not entirely, or you could call it a general store."

Jiang Yutang counted on her fingers: "We could sell some everyday soaps and shampoos, and also stock up on some wound medicine, candy, and the like... Think about it..."

She moved closer to Cheng Lanzhou, leaning in closer.

“If my second brother wants to develop agriculture, I can sell some more seeds and fertilizer. You don’t know how bad the cotton here is. I had to go through a lot of trouble to get those few beds last time.”

Cheng Lanzhou pondered for a moment, his gaze falling on her energetic face, and slowly asked, "Where do you get the goods for your little shop?"

Jiang Yutang rested her chin on her hand and pondered for a moment. Before she could speak, he saw his face darken and his tone become noticeably tense.

"Could it be that you still have contact with the merchant who delivered the goods to you before?"

He hadn't forgotten how the businessman had selflessly followed Jiang Yutang to provide support.

Seeing his furrowed brows and jealous expression, Jiang Yutang couldn't help but laugh out loud and quickly shook her head: "What are you thinking?"

She put down her teacup and explained earnestly, "I received a letter a few days ago. The merchant is now engaged and will soon marry the daughter of a local grain merchant. My relationship with him is purely business, and there will be no further involvement afterward."

"Besides, when it comes to business, I doubt anyone would complain about having too much money, and his channels are indeed reliable."

Cheng Lanzhou clearly didn't believe it, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked at her, his face practically screaming "I won't allow it."

"You mean you still want to get your goods from him? Can't you switch to someone else? There are plenty of peddlers around the camp. Their goods may be more ordinary, but they're reliable."

Jiang Yutang tugged at his sleeve, her tone slightly coaxing: "You've all seen it along the way. The goods he supplies are not only rare and of high quality, but also exceptionally durable. Other peddlers simply couldn't get these things."

Seeing that Cheng Lanzhou remained expressionless, but with a hint of hesitation in his eyes, she knew what he was worried about, so she softened her tone and persuaded him.

"Our goal is to make Danzhou better, isn't it? Opening small shops can not only make life more convenient for the people, but also boost the vitality of the surrounding areas. It's a win-win situation."

As she spoke, Jiang Yutang raised her hand, her expression extremely serious: "I assure you, apart from necessary business dealings, I will absolutely not have any further involvement with that businessman. Are you at ease now?"

Looking at the sincerity in her eyes and the slightly flushed cheeks, Cheng Lanzhou felt a surge of jealousy, perhaps from her hasty explanation, which instantly dissipated, leaving only helplessness and doting affection.

“The idea is good, but opening a shop around the camp requires approval. I’ll talk to the garrison commander about it, and I can also help you coordinate the site.”

"Really! My husband, you're so wonderful!" Jiang Yutang threw herself at Cheng Lanzhou and affectionately took his hand.

Upon seeing this, Doctor Xu hurriedly turned his head away, pretended to boil water, and got up to leave.

Cheng Lanzhou's ears turned red, and she coughed lightly as she gently pushed Jiang Yutang away: "It's just that your leg injury hasn't healed yet, so the initial preparations might be a bit difficult."

"I can start planning!"

Jiang Yutang clapped his hands, staring at the ceiling in thought: "Once my leg is healed, I can finally get down to the ground and practice. Fourth Brother can help me with the accounts, Third Brother can lend a hand when he's free, and Eldest Brother... Eldest Brother can help me write the signboard!"

Doctor Xu walked over carrying a water bottle, smiling and agreeing, "Miss Jiang has a clever mind; this is a good idea."

"Since I've made the decision, I'll go to the Northern Garrison Commander's place today and take the opportunity to finalize the reporting."

Cheng Lanzhou put down his teacup, stood up, and said, "You can rest and recover at the clinic. If you need anything, have someone come to me."

Jiang Yutang nodded vigorously, watching him leave the clinic, her mind already starting to plan the layout of the small shop.

Cheng Lanzhou was gone for the entire day.

As evening fell, the tents lit up with warm yellow lights. Yun Shi sat down at the table with a bowl of milk tea, frowning as she asked, "Why haven't I seen Jiu Ze and Huai Yu all day? What have they been up to?"

Jiang Yutang peeled an orange and explained, "Lanzhou told me today that he was going to my second brother's place to discuss official business of expanding agriculture. I guess the matter is tricky and he hasn't finished yet."

Madam Yun nodded knowingly, then sighed, "And what about your third brother?"

"I don't know," Jiang Yutang shrugged.

The tent flap was lifted, and Jiang Huaiyu walked in, bending over, carrying a heavy bamboo basket in her hand.

"Where have you been all day?" Yun asked worriedly.

Jiang Huaiyu scratched his cheek: "I went to the market today and bought some things."

He placed the basket on the table, which contained some fruit and simple daily necessities.

Jiang Yutang's gaze was drawn to a small porcelain jar. He picked it up and asked, "Third Brother, what is this?"

"This is hand cream, for applying to the hands."

Jiang Huaiyu explained, "I saw that my mother and two sisters-in-law were sewing and washing clothes all day long, and their fingers were covered with needle marks and calluses, so I bought a few jars of this because I heard it could moisturize hands."

Jiang Yutang felt a warmth in her heart, unscrewed the porcelain jar, scooped out a small piece, and applied it to her hands.

Her hands were rough and oily, with a pungent, greasy smell. She frowned and quickly wiped them off with a handkerchief: "This is so hard to use, it's greasy and smells awful."

Jiang Huaiyu's expression froze for a moment, and she said in a panic, "Is it really not working? The shop owner said it was quite good..."

Yun picked up a jar of hand cream, opened it, smelled it, and comforted her, "Things are different now than in the capital. Resources are scarce, and it's good enough to have something to use. Huaiyu is so thoughtful."

The Mu and Zhu families nodded in agreement.

He scooped out a little and applied it to Xiaoxiao's hands, smiling as he thanked her, "It's very moisturizing, thank you, Third Brother."

Jiang Huaiyu forced a smile, but couldn't hide the regret in her expression.

Seeing this, Jiang Yutang patted his arm to comfort him: "It's okay. Come with me to the clinic tomorrow and let Dr. Xu give you her self-developed flower cream to try. It smells much better than this and isn't greasy at all."

No one knows when Jiang Jiuze returned; he disappeared as soon as it was light the next day.

"Looks like he's really busy." Jiang Yutang looked at the empty bed and the deserted tent.

Jiang Huaiyu and Jiang Yutang went to the clinic. As soon as they arrived at the door, Doctor Xu looked up and saw the two of them. His eyes instantly lit up with an uncontrollable smile.

"What brings General Jiang here today?"

Jiang Yutang smiled and got straight to the point: "He came to ask you for some flower balm."

"Of course!" Doctor Xu agreed excitedly, turned around and quickly went into the inner room. Soon after, he took out a delicate little porcelain jar from the cabinet and handed it to Jiang Huaiyu.

Jiang Huaiyu quickly accepted the gift with both hands: "Thank you, Doctor Xu."

Doctor Xu raised an eyebrow at him and asked curiously, "Is this flower ointment to be taken back for Madam Jiang to use?"

Jiang Huaiyu scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly and chuckled vaguely, "No..."

Jiang Yutang was taken aback.

If it's not for Mother and the others, then who is it for?

She turned her eyes to look at Jiang Huaiyu, and saw that his ears were slightly red, but he had an undisguised faint smile on his face, like a young man in early spring.

Cheng Dai'er's face flashed through my mind instantly.