CHAPTER 399: CHAPTER 380: GOOD PEOPLE ARE BLESSED BY HEAVEN (2)

Sister-in-law Chai asked in surprise, "Something happened? What could happen?"

"The alley is narrow, and a large number of residents live inside. If a resident is careless with fire..." Li Yuzhu said while looking at her.

She didn’t finish her sentence, but she believed Sister-in-law Chai understood her meaning.

Sure enough, Sister-in-law Chai exclaimed, "Third Sister Li, you’re absolutely right! Last New Year’s Eve, when Brother Chai and I weren’t staying at the shop, the kitchen of the family next door caught fire, which spread to the courtyard of our shop and burned the branches of the osmanthus tree. Fortunately, the shopkeeper discovered it in time and woke up the neighbors to put out the fire; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

Li Yuzhu said, "Exactly, all of Sister-in-law’s shop is stocked with flammable items. The shop should not be opened in a residential area. We may be careful, but we can’t guarantee that others will be as meticulous. Moreover, the alley is too narrow, and if something happens, even the water-carrying carts can’t get through."

The kitchen fire at the neighboring house only burned their kitchen’s firewood; rebuilding the whole kitchen would cost no more than ten taels.

But in Sister-in-law Chai’s shop, the goods stored are valued at one to two thousand taels.

Those bundles of candles and paper products can’t bear even a tiny spark.

More importantly, the place is too narrow and can only accommodate pedestrians; carts can’t get in.

The county government has specialized emergency water carts that hurry to wherever there’s a fire.

Sister-in-law Chai’s old shop is still a hundred paces from the alley entrance, and the cart can’t get in.

The old saying goes, better safe than sorry, and Li Yuzhu agrees with Sister-in-law Chai about relocating.

The new shop they’ve moved to is at the front of a wide road that can accommodate four carts simultaneously.

The new shop is also surrounded by other businesses, with fewer residents, and each shop keeps stock inside, so they’ll all be cautious with fire.

This location is perfect for opening an incense and candle shop.

Thanks to Li Yuzhu’s reminder, Sister-in-law Chai no longer hesitated.

Although the old shop was good, it had significant risks. If an accident were to occur someday, not only would all earnings be lost, but they would also bear the blame for causing a fire, which could result in punishment from the county government!

Sister-in-law Chai shared her thoughts with Eldest Young Master Chai.

Eldest Young Master Chai was feeling unhappy about having to move from the old place, but upon hearing Sister-in-law Chai’s reasoning, he suddenly realized.

"With your reminder, the more I think about it, the better it is to relocate. Among the shops in that alley, there’s a snack shop, a noodle house, and others selling goods. Only ours has a large stockpile, and all are flammable. If something goes wrong, we would suffer the most. It’s good to move."

Sister-in-law Chai smiled, "It’s Third Sister Li who reminded us. I was also reluctant at first."

Eldest Young Master Chai laughed and said, "Third Sister Li is truly clever."

With the help of Qin Hu and several government officials, the new shop was all set up, with the items arranged just like in the old shop.

Feeling grateful for everyone coming to help so late, Eldest Young Master Chai invited everyone to have a late-night snack at the tavern across the street.

Halfway through the first watch and before the second watch, it was the busiest time for the tavern.

Eldest Young Master Chai ordered a table full of good dishes, asking the waiter to serve them at the large table by the window on the second floor, where everyone chatted while eating.

Behind a carved wooden screen, three men were drinking.

One person said, "Old Mrs. Zhao is a businesswoman, but she has always done good deeds. Yet her children are all deceitful; sooner or later, they will squander the virtue she accumulated."

"Sooner or later? They’ve already started squandering now! When Old Master Zhao was alive, the interest on the bank’s silver was no more than one qian, but now it’s three qian! Borrow a hundred coins a month and pay back three coins, thirty-six coins a year! Borrow ten thousand coins and pay back three thousand six a year? Who can afford that?"

"Those with family difficulties have no choice but to borrow, easy to borrow, hard to repay."

"Then sell houses, sell daughters, sell sons! How do you think the Zhao family got so many houses and shops? That’s how they got them!"

Li Yuzhu was shocked. So this is how the Zhao family’s wealth came about?

Sister-in-law Chai and Eldest Young Master Chai exchanged a glance but said nothing, both smiling awkwardly as they toasted Li Xing’an and Qin Hu and the others, "We owe tonight’s move to you all; thank you for your hard work."

They are relatives of the Zhao family; what can they say?

"Brother Chai, you’re too kind," Li Xing’an said with a smile.

Qin Hu and others also smiled and returned the toast.

Everyone had other things to do in the morning, so unlike the people at the next table, they didn’t play drinking games. Instead, they only drank a little wine, ate some dishes, had a bowl of noodle soup, and then left the tavern.

They returned to the front of the new shop.

Sister-in-law Chai and Eldest Young Master Chai thanked everyone again.

Qin Hu and the others repeatedly said Eldest Young Master Chai’s couple were too polite as they boarded the cart.

Sister-in-law Chai laughed and said to Li Yuzhu, "Tonight, we’ll have to trouble you siblings to look after our Tianlang again."

Li Yuzhu chuckled, "Sister-in-law Chai, don’t say that. Once you’re settled, it will be our shop’s turn to busy with renovations, and then my Jingjing will need your help too."

Sister-in-law Chai laughed, "Jingjing and Tianlang are as close as brothers, refusing to part. Now, it’s as they wished, our shops are next to each other."

Li Xing’an and Eldest Young Master Chai laughed together, both saying it was such a coincidence.

Li Xing’an, Li Yuzhu, and Qin Hu, along with the others, boarded the cart and left.

When they arrived at the county government, Qin Hu and several government officials went to the office to rest, while Li Yuzhu and Li Xing’an went to the back of the County Magistrate Mansion.

Li Jing and Chai Tianlang were playing with Li Lixing in the room, not yet asleep.

Li Yuzhu walked into the room to see them playing.

Li Jing immediately said, "Auntie, you haven’t come to play with me lately."

Li Yuzhu smiled and said, "Jingjing, Auntie has good news to tell you."

Li Jing immediately said excitedly, "What good news?"

Li Yuzhu said with a smile, "I have acquired a shop, and it’s next door to Brother Tianlang’s parents’ shop. From today onwards, whenever we come to the county town, you can play with Brother Tianlang."

Li Jing blinked his eyes, "Are Brother Tianlang and I neighbors now?"

"Yes, the two shops are right next to each other," Li Yuzhu said with a smile.

Li Jing cheered, "That’s great."

He happily hugged Chai Tianlang.

.

It was too late, so Li Yuzhu and Li Xing’an didn’t disturb the County Magistrate and his wife, and they each went to their own rooms to rest.

In Li Yuzhu’s room, Chun’er served her.

With Chun’er’s care, she bathed and changed clothes, then slept soundly.

In the past few days at the Zhao family, taking care of Old Mrs. Zhao, she hadn’t slept well.

She thought she could sleep until she woke up naturally.

However, early the next day, quite a few people talking outside woke her up.

Half-asleep and half-awake, Li Yuzhu heard someone say, "This is terrible, there’s a fire in Qingfeng Lane!"

The voice was panicked.

"The official had already sent people there early this morning."

"Oh dear, that alley is so small, water carts can’t get in."

"We can only rely on people to carry in water bucket by bucket."

"That will be slow, by the time the water gets there, everything would be burnt."

"Just last year’s New Year’s Eve, there was a fire there once, why did it happen again?"

A fire, meaning a conflagration.

Water conquers fire, so when there’s a fire, they wouldn’t say ’fire’, they’d say ’water’.

For good fortune.

Although water comes rushing in, after it subsides, the damage is relatively less.

Fire comes gently, but after it leaves, everything is destroyed.

After a fire, nothing on the surface of the ground survives.

In ancient times, there were mostly wooden houses, so people feared fires the most.

Li Yuzhu’s sleep was scared away, and she pushed off the quilt and got out of bed.

Chun’er happened to push the door and enter the room.

"Miss Li, are you awake?" She placed the copper basin she was holding on the stand, "Here’s hot water, miss, wash your face."

It’s already the end of August, and the elderly and children were wearing lined clothes.

The water was cold in the morning and evening, and in the County Magistrate Mansion, hot water was used for washing faces.

Li Yuzhu thanked her and started washing.

After getting ready, as she pushed the door and walked towards the County Magistrate’s Wife’s house, Li Xing’an hurriedly came over.

"Third Sister, Third Sister!"

Li Yuzhu stopped walking and looked at him, "Third Brother, what’s going on, why are you in such a hurry?"

"There was a fire last night." Li Xing’an patted his chest, exhaled, and said, "Guess where it was?"

Li Yuzhu shook her head, "I heard it was in Qingfeng Lane, where’s that?"

"That’s the alley of Brother Chai’s old shop!" Li Xing’an shook his head, "It’s such a coincidence, such a coincidence."

Li Yuzhu said, "I remember that alley wasn’t called Qingfeng Lane."

Li Xing’an said, "The alley has two names, going in from the east it’s Qingfeng Lane, from the west it’s Siping Lane. The reason being, many, many years ago, the two shops at the entrance of the two alleys both wanted to name the alley after their own shops. They wouldn’t accept each other’s names, so the nearby people took two names."

Li Yuzhu wasn’t concerned with the origin of the alley’s name, she was only concerned with how serious the fire was.

"Were there any casualties?" Li Yuzhu asked anxiously.

If there were injured, she wouldn’t need to have breakfast.

"No, but a shop and a half were burned." As Li Xing’an said this, he started laughing, "Does this count as good people being helped by heaven?"

Li Yuzhu’s face turned dark, "You’re still laughing? No casualties, but there’s property damage!"

"The whole burned down shop was Brother Chai’s old shop, the one that’s half burned is a shop selling pots and pans." Li Xing’an laughed, "These are all Zhao family shops, of course, it’s funny to me."

Li Yuzhu felt slightly relieved, "So the completely burned down one was Brother Chai’s empty shop..." But after a while, she worriedly said, "The Zhao family steward is unreasonable, might he think Brother Chai sabotaged intentionally and set the fire?"

The Eldest Young Master Chai and his wife emptied the shop in the first half of the night, and in the latter half of the night, it caught fire. That’s a case of washing clean in the Yellow River being impossible.