SPMT : Chapter 73: Preparing to Open a Shop

After bidding farewell to their parents, Xiao Jingting and Xu Mu’an left quietly. Shortly afterward, Xiao Jinfeng and Mu Shuyu also departed discreetly.

The two brothers arrived at the outskirts of the city one after the other. With such large debts hanging over their heads, Xiao Jingting immediately inspected the fields upon reaching the outskirts. Meanwhile, Mu Shuyu, who had envied Xiao Jingting’s land in Tuqiu Village, was now eager to see his own.

Xiao Linfeng and Wang Lu had given some land with spirit plants to Xiao Jingting and Xiao Jinfeng. Inspecting his fields, Xiao Jingting found them in good condition with favorable locations, unlike Tuqiu Village where encounters with beasts were frequent.

After inspecting his fields, Xiao Jingting went to see Xiao Jinfeng’s. The superior fields were acceptable, with spirit plants recently harvested. However, the middle-grade fields were just starting to grow, and the inferior fields were in poor condition.

“Why is it sandy soil?” Mu Shuyu furrowed his brows, looking at the fields ahead where a few spirit plants grew crookedly.

Sandy soil was notorious for being unsuitable for spirit plants, often causing them to wither. Many sandy fields remained idle due to frequent losses from planting spirit plants.

Xiao Jinfeng’s face darkened. Although he didn’t say it, he felt uncomfortable receiving the least amount of land from his parents, and discovering that fifteen mu of it was sandy soil made him even more uneasy.

Mu Shuyu patted Xiao Jinfeng’s shoulder. “Forget it, having something is better than nothing.”

Xiao Jinfeng nodded. “You’re right.”

“Second Brother, let me exchange these fifteen mu of land with you,” Xiao Jingting suggested, looking at the sandy land.

Xiao Jinfeng was surprised. “Exchange with me?”

Xiao Jingting nodded. “Yes, let’s exchange.”

Mu Shuyu interjected, “Jingting, I know you’re doing this for our good, but my brother and I can’t take advantage of you.”

“Second Sister-in-law, you misunderstand. I want this sandy land for a reason. Sandy soil is ideal for growing watermelons,” Xiao Jingting explained.

In his spatial jade pendant, Xiao Jingting had brought watermelon seeds from his previous life. He claimed to have found the seeds in the mountains and planted some in Tuqiu Village, where the watermelons turned out delicious and well-received.

The first batch was consumed by their family, but Xiao Jingting planned to expand cultivation and sell more. However, his parents’ people arrived before he could do so.

Mu Shuyu was taken aback. “Does the book say that watermelons are most suitable for sandy soil?”

Xiao Jingting nodded. “Yes! Watermelons thrive in sandy soil. I was thinking that after they succeed, I could grow more. These few mu of sandy land are perfect.”

Xiao Jinfeng thought for a moment. “Jingting, you’ve helped Second Brother so much already. Just take these fifteen mu of sandy land as a gift.”

Xiao Jingting smiled wryly. “Second Brother, if you don’t take advantage of me, how can I take advantage of you? I can’t manage so much land alone.”

Xiao Jinfeng chuckled. “Alright, but these fifteen mu of sandy land will only be exchanged for ten mu of good land.”

After inspecting their fields, the brothers went to see the land given to Xiao Qingyan by their parents. As expected, Xiao Qingyan’s land was the best in quality among the three brothers.

Returning to their temporary lodging on the outskirts, they noted that their parents had several nice temporary residences on the edge of the fields, with each person allocated one.

“Parents are something, giving Second Brother all sandy land, but fortunately, I need it,” Xiao Jingting remarked.

“Before giving out the land deeds, it seems they consulted with Big Brother and Sister-in-law,” Xu Mu’an said casually.

Xiao Jingting sighed. “If that’s the case, it’s not surprising.”

“By the way, is sandy soil really suitable for growing watermelons?” Xu Mu’an asked.

Xiao Jingting nodded. “Yes! Sandy soil has good air permeability, strong root metabolism, poor water retention, and high sugar content in watermelons.”

Though Xu Mu’an didn’t quite understand, she nodded in admiration at Xiao Jingting’s explanation.

“I also want to plant some spirit fruits. With the weather warming up soon, I’m thinking of making chilled spirit fruit slushies, which I’m sure will be popular,” Xiao Jingting said.

Xu Mu’an thought for a moment. “It’s better to use local spirit fruits. If we use too many other types, it might raise suspicion.”

Xiao Jingting nodded. “That’s what I was thinking too.”

After harvesting the spirit plants left by Xiao Father and Xiao Mother in the fields, Xiao Jingting earned twelve thousand silver, making his finances more comfortable.

He hired a few more people to help with planting.

“Back already? How was the shop scouting?” Xiao Jingting asked Xu Mu’an.

Planning to open a fruit beverage shop, Xiao Jingting had sent Xu Mu’an to the city to scout for shops. He had long planned to open a shop but had been worried about getting into trouble without a background.

“There are several suitable ones, but let’s not talk about that for now. When I came back, I found that the house had been ransacked, and Xiaofan said his toys had been tampered with,” Xu Mu’an said.

Xiao Jingting paused. “A break-in!”

Xu Mu’an shook her head. “Doesn’t seem like it. Nothing is missing. I think someone was looking for spirit treasures.”

Xiao Jingting sighed. “Ever since our reliance on spirit treasures was exposed, people have been eyeing us.”

“Maybe it’s a thief from within the family.” The original owner’s older brother always thought he was hiding a lot of good stuff.

Xu Mu’an sighed. “Alright, let’s not dwell on it. Let’s tidy up first.”

“Okay, let’s brew some fruit wine when we have time. After a while, when the shop opens, we can sell it there,” Xiao Jingting said.

Xu Mu’an nodded. “Sounds good.”

“Just add some spirit spring water sparingly, don’t add too much,” Xiao Jingting instructed.

Xu Mu’an nodded. “Don’t worry, I understand.”

“How much does a shop in the city cost?” Xiao Jingting asked.

“I found one in a good location. If we rent it, it’s three hundred silver a month,” Xu Mu’an said.

Xiao Jingting rubbed his chin. “Three hundred silver is quite a lot, but your husband now has money.”

Xu Mu’an smirked smugly. “With a pile of debts to pay off, dare you say you have money?”

Xiao Jingting chuckled awkwardly. “Well, your husband is in the entrepreneurial stage now. Once this stage is over, then I’ll have money.”

Xu Mu’an smiled. “Before, I saved some money. Renting a shop should be enough. Let’s rent it for six months first.”

Xiao Jingting nodded. “Okay.”

At the Xiao residence,

“Madam, we didn’t find anything,” a black-clad person reported to Zheng Peier.

Zheng Peier sighed lightly. “As expected.” Sending people to search was just wishful thinking.

High-grade spirit plants were not easy to preserve. Without suitable tools, the spiritual energy in the plants would gradually dissipate after a few days. The higher the quality of the spirit plant, the more delicate it was.

“Madam, just after Xiao Jingting left, Xiao Jinfeng also departed. Now these two brothers are standing together, which is not favorable for Master Xiao Qingyan!”

Zheng Peier clenched her teeth. Of course, she was aware of this, but Xiao Jingting and Xiao Jinfeng had a very good relationship now, and it was difficult to sow discord between them. She had just heard that Xiao Jingting exchanged ten acres of good land for Xiao Jinfeng’s sandy land.

Fortunately, Xiao Linfeng and Wang Lu loved Master Xiao Qingyan the most.

“Xu Mu’an went to the city today,” Zheng Peier said.

“He seems to be inspecting shops; he must be planning to open one,” said the black-clothed person.

Zheng Peier squinted. “I didn’t realize before that Xu Mu’an had such abilities. He even wants to open a shop.” Indeed, this world was full of surprises. Xiao Jingting had just left, and Xu Mu’an was already taking charge.

Once they confirmed their decision to open a shop, Xu Mu’an began shuttling back and forth between the city and the countryside every day. Despite being busy, she was happy.

Meanwhile, Xiao Jingting focused on nurturing various spiritual plants. Watermelons, though not high-grade spiritual plants, tasted good and could be grown quickly using the Art of All Things. Grapes followed the same principle. Additionally, Xiao Jingting planted some fruit trees, though they had not yet grown.

One evening, Xiao Jingting sat at the table with five or six barrels of fruit juice placed before him. Xiao Jinfeng and the others gathered as judges.

“This is grape juice, this is snow cloud fruit juice, this is watermelon juice, this is green sprout fruit juice…” Xiao Jingting pointed to more than a dozen kinds of fruit juice and introduced them. “Try them out and give some feedback.”

Xiao Xiaofan applauded. “Great! You’ve come to the right person. I’m the best at eating.”

Xiao Jingting: “…”

Xiao Xiaodong glanced at Xiao Xiaofan and said unkindly, “Drink less, so you won’t wet the bed at night. Mother and Father just gave you a new blanket.”

Xiao Xiaofan

blushed. “I haven’t wet the bed in a long time. Don’t say nonsense.”

Xiao Jinfeng tasted each fruit juice, occasionally emitting a bright light from his eyes.

Mu Shuyu drank the juice, his face full of admiration.

Xiao Xiaofan grabbed one of the fruit juices and drank it eagerly, as if he were a thirsty person in the desert.

Xiao Xiaodong was much more reserved, tasting each fruit juice a little, his eyes rolling around, indicating he was lost in thought.

Xiao Jinfeng said, “Jingting, your fruit juice tastes very unique.”

Xiao Jingting had worked part-time at a beverage shop during his university days and had some knowledge of fruit juice recipes. Applying this knowledge in this world unexpectedly yielded excellent results.

Xiao Jingting nodded. “Yes, I’ve researched some fruit juice recipes.”

“Your fruit juice is sure to sell well,” Xiao Jinfeng said.

Xiao Jingting smiled. “In addition to fruit juice, I plan to brew some fruit wine for sale. The pricing of fruit wine will be higher, but we’ll take it slowly.”

Xiao Jinfeng nodded. “Yes.”

“When do you plan to open the shop, Jingting?” Xiao Jinfeng asked.

“The shop location is almost settled, and other things are ready too. It should be in the next few days. Brother, I can’t leave right now, so if the shop opens, I’ll trouble you to take care of it,” Xiao Jingting said.

Xiao Jinfeng nodded. “You can rest assured.”

Xiao Xiaofan raised his hand. “I can help.”

Xiao Xiaodong gave Xiao Xiaofan a sideways glance. “Help? What help can you provide, aside from eating?”

Xiao Xiaofan looked at Xiao Xiaodong indignantly. “I can do a lot of things. I can help move things. Brother, your strength is so weak, what can you do?”

“Humph, I can help with accounting and collecting money,” Xiao Xiaodong said arrogantly.

Xiao Xiaofan looked at Xiao Xiaodong. “Brother, you’re talking big. What if you collect the wrong amount of money and end up losing money?”

Xiao Xiaodong’s face turned cold. “How could I collect the wrong amount of money?”

Xiao Xiaofan shrugged. “Who knows?”

Xiao Jingting listened to the banter between the two little devils, raising his eyebrows. His two little devils were very enthusiastic!

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Rain : Me running because I’m late posting ;-;  argh When I’m done translating, I’ll set up the automatic publication so that you always receive the chapters at the same time, 10:30 AM UTC then Midnight for the week-end. :*