Shen Moxi put the remaining jewelry back in the box, set it aside, and went out to wash up too.
Before bed, Shen Moxi suddenly remembered something very important. They still had not named the shop, and although she had thought of a few names, she did not know which to use.
After thinking it over, she turned to Song Qi. "Song Qi, we still haven't named the shop. Do you have any ideas?"
Song Qi turned onto his side to look at her. "Call it whatever you want. It's up to you."
Shen Moxi gave a dry cough and turned her head away. "I've thought of a few, but I don't know which is best. How about I tell you and you pick one?"
Song Qi nodded. "Sure, let's hear them."
Shen Moxi scratched her head. "Jungu Clothing, Reluctant to Part with Clothes Clothing, Brocade Clothing Pavilion, Qimo Pavilion, Heart Moves with Clothes Clothing, Yimei Clothing." After listing a few names, she turned to Song Qi. "Which do you think is best?"
After listening carefully, Song Qi smiled. "I think they all sound pretty good."
Shen Moxi rolled her eyes dramatically and gave a haughty huff. "You might as well have said nothing. Of course the names I came up with sound good."
Song Qi laughed heartily at that. "How about Reluctant to Part with Clothes, then? It has a nice meaning."
"All right. When my eldest brother comes tomorrow, we'll tell them. We can't forget the signboard." Shen Moxi yawned and nodded.
Song Qi got up and turned off the light. "It's late. Go to sleep. We can think about the rest tomorrow."
Shen Moxi was already too sleepy to keep her eyes open. She nodded, pulled up the quilt, and fell asleep.
The two of them slept well all night...
Since she did not have to get up early to set up the stall, Shen Moxi had a particularly comfortable night's sleep. As she groggily woke up, she heard Shen Tao and Shen Yuan talking outside.
She was wide awake at once. Seeing that Song Qi had already gone out and straightened his bedding, she immediately got up, dressed, tidied her quilt, and went out to wash up.
After washing and getting ready, she came into the living room and saw Shen Tao talking to Song Yongjun. The two were chatting happily, all smiles.
"Eldest Brother, Second Brother, why didn't you wake me when you got here?" Shen Moxi walked over.
"We figured getting up so early these past two days must have worn you out, so we let you sleep a little longer. A few minutes wouldn't matter anyway." Shen Tao waved a hand.
"You're awake too, lass. Let's have breakfast together. You two haven't eaten either, have you?" Song Yongjun looked at the brothers.
"No, we were thinking we'd eat together once we got to town." Shen Tao shook his head with a smile.
"Eat here. Why waste money eating out? I've already made everything. Wait here, I'll bring it out." Huang Yushan got up and headed to the kitchen.
"Aunt Shan, I'll come with you." Shen Moxi followed her into the kitchen.
Breakfast that morning was egg pancakes. Huang Yushan had gotten up early especially to grind soybeans for soy milk, and there were also some pickled vegetables she had made herself.
Shen Moxi ladled a basinful of soy milk, sprinkled in some white sugar, put a ladle in it, and picked up six bowls.
Seeing this, Huang Yushan hurriedly took the bowls from her. "I'll carry these. Just take the soy milk out. Don't drop anything."
Shen Moxi saw that it really was awkward to carry and nodded. "All right, I'll take this over first."
Behind her, Huang Yushan put the egg pancakes in a basket and the pickles on a small plate, set the plate on top of the bowls, and carried everything out together.
After breakfast, they were ready to leave. Huang Yushan saw them to the door and gave them a few reminders before letting them go.
On the way, Shen Moxi told them about the shop's name and the colors she wanted for the signboard. She wanted old elm wood painted black, with golden-yellow lettering and a seal-style inscription of the three characters of her name, "Shen Moxi," at the lower right of the lettering.
"All right. We'll do the signboard last and let you have a look once it's finished. If it's not right, we'll make it again." Shen Tao nodded after listening.
As they talked, the group arrived in town. Shen Tao wanted to go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy something to bring along, but Shen Moxi stopped him and went to buy it herself.
It was her shop being renovated, and she was the owner. She should pay for this sort of thing herself. How could she let her eldest brother pay?
Shen Moxi went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy a carton of cigarettes. After looking over the varieties, she settled on Colorful Butterfly. These cigarettes were suitable for them to smoke. If she bought anything better, they would probably be so pained by the expense that they could not bear to smoke them. She also bought a packet of white sugar, and since she had heard there was a child in the family, she bought a packet of White Rabbit milk candy too.
After making her purchases, she had the clerk wrap them up before taking them out.
Once outside, she handed the gifts to Shen Tao. When they met the man, the others would still have to discuss things with him; she was only coming along to get acquainted.
Shen Tao took them to the nearby residential buildings. After asking for directions along the way, they finally found the comrade they were looking for.
"His name is Hong Jin'an, and he's thirty-four this year. His family circumstances used to be poor, so he married late, not until he was thirty. His child is over three now. He's known around here for his meticulous renovation work. He does a very good job on every project he takes on, and he's very conscientious," Shen Tao said as they walked.
Shen Moxi nodded after hearing this. "As long as he's meticulous. What worries me is someone who cuts corners. That causes even more trouble later. In this kind of business, it all comes down to trust."
They reached apartment 301 on the third floor, and Shen Tao stepped forward to knock.
"Who is it?" A woman's voice came from inside. Presumably, it was Hong Jin'an's wife, Lanzhi.
The door clicked open. A young woman poked her head out and looked at the four people outside in puzzlement. "You are?"
"Hello, sister-in-law. We're here to see Brother Hong. We'd like him to renovate our shop," Shen Tao said with a smile.
"Oh, you're looking for A Hong. Come in and wait a while. He went downstairs to buy some liquor." Lanzhi smiled and opened the door to invite them in.
"Thank you, sister-in-law." Shen Tao nodded with a smile and led the others inside.
Shen Moxi looked around the little apartment. It was very small, with one bedroom and one living room, but for people of this era, it was already quite good.
"Have a seat. I'll get you some water." Lanzhi closed the door and brought over a few small stools, then went to the table to get cups and pour water.
"Don't trouble yourself, sister-in-law. We're not thirsty." Shen Tao quickly stood up and waved his hands.
"It's no trouble. You've walked all this way. Rest a little and have some water," Lanzhi said with a smile.
She poured four cups of water and brought them over one by one. Shen Moxi stood and accepted hers with both hands. "Thank you, sister-in-law." The other three also took theirs and thanked her.
Lanzhi had just sat down to chat when a child began crying in the bedroom. She stood up apologetically. "Please sit for a while. The child's awake. I'll go check on him."
"It's all right, sister-in-law. We came too unexpectedly and woke him up." Shen Tao waved a hand.
After a short while inside, Lanzhi came out carrying a little boy. He was still crying as she brought him out, but when he suddenly saw several strangers outside, he stopped at once and stared straight at them.
"Xiaobao, say hello to your uncles and auntie." Lanzhi sat down with the child in her arms.
Xiaobao looked at Shen Moxi, then Song Qi, then Shen Tao and Shen Yuan in turn. His lips puckered, and he looked ready to cry again.
Seeing this, Shen Moxi took the paper parcel from Shen Tao and opened it. "Sister-in-law, we bought a few things for Brother Hong and the child. Can Xiaobao eat candy yet? Give him a piece."
Lanzhi stared at the gifts for a moment, then waved her hands. "Sister, I couldn't possibly accept these. Take them back. They're far too expensive."
Shen Moxi placed the gifts in her hands. "Sister-in-law, it's our first visit. It's only proper. Just consider it us making friends."
Shen Tao nodded too. "That's right, sister-in-law. Please don't refuse. Just consider it us making friends."
Seeing that they seemed sincere rather than merely polite, Lanzhi nodded and accepted the gifts. "Then thank you, sister."
Xiaobao's eyes had lit up at the sight of the candy. When he saw his mother take it, he clapped his hands and cried, "Candy... candy... eat!"