Mo Sang – CH 221

Chapter 221. Arriving Home

When Li Sangrou and Datou returned to Chaomi Alley, travel-worn, Chuantiao was squatting at the courtyard gate, lighting a lantern.

“What are you doing!” Datou shouted.

Chuantiao looked up and saw the two of them, letting out a shriek, “Boss’s back!”

In his haste to shout, he nearly set the lantern on fire. Chuantiao quickly blew out the lamp and, carrying the lantern, went to meet Li Sangrou.

“When did we light a lantern at our gate?” Datou asked curiously, pointing at the lantern in Chuantiao’s hand.

Unless something urgent happened, they never lit lanterns at their gate.

Da Chang thought that lighting a lantern all night, no matter where it was hung, was a waste. Li Sangrou felt that for their line of work, darkness was safer.

“It was at the beginning of the month, one dark, gloomy day; you could not see your hand in front of your face. Old Dong twisted his ankle at our doorstep.

Brother Chang said, not knowing when the Boss would be back, and in case it is dark, he suggested hanging a lantern.

It’s only been up for a few days, and this little lantern, so small, uses almost half a jin of lamp oil per night. Brother Chang is really worried about it.” Chuantiao, carrying the lantern, also looked pained.

“You do not need to waste that half a jin of lamp oil anymore,” Li Sangrou said with a smile, watching the group of people rush out of the courtyard.

Turning around the screen wall, Da Chang, carrying a kitchen knife, grinned when he saw Li Sangrou.

“What are we having for dinner?” Li Sangrou asked with a smile, sniffing the air.

“Steamed pork ribs with bean sprouts, tofu, and cabbage. Made sure the ribs are not too big. Let me see what other vegetables we have, and stir-fry a couple more. Or should I ask Hei Ma to go buy some more?” Da Chang, knife in hand, walked inside with Li Sangrou.

“The hand-washed crabs are so fresh!” Hei Ma immediately exclaimed, sticking his head out.

“Hmm, go buy a few jin of hand-washed crabs. And the pear and lily bulb salad with lotus root at the South Bridge, is it open yet? Buy some,” Li Sangrou said.

“And stir-fried lungs! Buy a few more jin,” Datou said, slurping his words.

“You can buy a few other things too,” Da Chang added.

“Alright! Mazha, come with me!” Hei Ma replied crisply, taking money from the basket hanging under the eaves and running out with Mazha to buy groceries.

Da Chang continued cooking, while Chuantiao and Xiao Lu busied themselves boiling and fetching water, letting Li Sangrou and Datou wash up, and then quickly boiling water to make tea.

Li Sangrou took a shower and changed into clean clothes.

Hei Ma and Mazha had already returned from buying groceries, and Da Chang’s two dishes—stewed pork ribs with bean sprouts and tofu, and stir-fried eggs with garlic sprouts—were also ready. The group sat down to eat.

Li Sangrou ladled a bowl of cured pork ribs, bean sprouts, and tofu, letting it cool, and picked up her cup to drink tea first.

“Originally, you said you’d return with the third batch of silk at the end of the fifth month or beginning of the sixth month.

Master Lu received the silk, but you did not. He said Master Wen’s servant’s servant said that Jiangzhou City had been captured by the Shizi, and our business was ruined, so he needed to come back quickly.

Master Lu and Old Meng were very worried,” Da Chang said, eating his cured pork ribs, not stopping to speak.

They did not have the rule of not talking while eating.

“They did capture Jiangzhou City. I went around to Yangzhou City and brought Lady Meng and the others back from there,” Li Sangrou replied, eating pear strips mixed with lotus root.

“That Lady Meng is a formidable woman!” Datou stuffed his mouth full of stir-fried lung, giving a thumbs-up in praise.

After the group finished eating, Hei Ma cleaned up and went to the hot pot restaurant, while Xiao Lu and the others carried water and rags, wiping everything down.

Unexpectedly, the Boss returned suddenly. The house was not very clean, so taking advantage of the late hour when he could not see clearly, he quickly cleaned it up!

Da Chang moved a table, lit candles, and took out his abacus and ledger to prepare for accounting.

“Leave the accounts for tomorrow. How much silk do we have left?” Li Sangrou asked.

“About sixty or seventy percent left. Several large silk shops in town come to me every day, saying they want as much as we have. I have not given them any. I thought it was better for us to stockpile it than for them to.”

“As much as we have?” Li Sangrou raised an eyebrow.

“They do not know how much we have. Old Meng and I only release about ten or twenty cartloads at a time.

The last two batches of silk did not even make it into town; they are piled up in the villages outside Yangwu County,” Da Chang said in a muffled voice.

“Twenty or ten cartloads is too little. Release more as soon as possible. Release them all in the next month or two so they can sell them for the New Year,” Li Sangrou instructed.

“Hmm?” Da Chang frowned and looked at Li Sangrou.

“Tanzhou and Hongzhou, we should be able to take them within the year or so. Both places produce excellent silk.” Li Sangrou lowered her voice.

“Uh, alright!” Da Chang nodded quickly.

“This,” Li Sangrou said, pointing to the treasury silver escort slip wrapped in oilcloth that Datou had casually placed on the windowsill, “you will deliver it tomorrow… Who did you hand over that 1.2 million to? Then give this slip to Prime Minister Dai as well.”

“Prime Minister Dai is very polite. Once, I went to see the Seventh Master, and just as I left the Ministry of Works, I ran into Prime Minister Dai. He stopped me, asking if I was busy or something, and after asking for a long time, he said that I was not home and if I needed anything, I should just go to him, do not be shy.” Da Chang lowered his voice.

“Another time, Minister Wu was riding by in his carriage on the road near our door, and he had someone call me over. He asked me the same thing for a long time and also said that if I needed anything, I should just go to him.

He is too kind.” Da Chang looked at Li Sangrou, his brows furrowed.

Li Sangrou slowly hummed in agreement. “Just be respectful. These prime ministers are very cunning and scheming; you cannot go to them for help.”

“That’s what I thought too. If anything happens, there’s Seventh Master,” Da Chang said, breathing a sigh of relief.

For his matters, Seventh Master was enough.

Hei Ma finished cooking in the pot, walked over in a few steps, and squatted down next to Li Sangrou. Seeing Da Chang was silent, he said, “You’ve made up your mind? You’ve made up your mind, so I will speak.

Boss, you know, Seventh Master and Eleventh Master have been tricked again!”

“Hmm?” Li Sangrou raised an eyebrow.

“They were really badly scammed.

In the past two years, Jianle City has become increasingly crowded. Business is booming in all the Tianshui Alleys. Many outsiders who cannot find a place there head east from the Water Gate all the way to Jingde Temple. That area has become quite lively.

They are all from out of town. It is novel and much cheaper than Tianshui Alley! Seventh Master and Eleventh Master often go there.

Once, Seventh Master and Eleventh Master went to a restaurant, ate and played, and were stopped in the courtyard by several men who claimed to represent respectable women. They accused Seventh Master and Eleventh Master of raping respectable women. They demanded money first, but then, upon learning that Seventh Master was the son of a high-ranking official, they said his sister had never seen outsiders before and demanded that Seventh Master take his sister into the mansion as a concubine. After a lot of intimidation, they got Seventh Master to write a document.

Seventh Master would not dare take her home as a concubine. He did not even dare let his wife know he was going to the Dongshui Gate. He had no choice but to come to me.”

Hei Ma proudly gave a thumbs-up, pointing back at himself.

Li Sangrou glanced at him sideways, sipping her tea, listening to him continue.

“I heard it. After all, it is Seventh Master’s business; we cannot ignore it, right, Boss?

Da Chang was busy; Old Meng was busy too. Perfect, Old Dong was free, so I went to find him and discuss this matter.

After discussing it with Old Dong, we needed to see things clearly first to see if they are truly respectable women. Just in case, Boss, do you not think?

I only went out once. I went in, and Old Dong hid outside. Actually, it did not need to be so complicated. It was obvious at a glance. That respectable woman definitely is not respectable. What respectable woman would open a prostitution business?

Originally, as soon as I heard what Seventh Master said, I knew they could not be from a respectable family. However, you, Boss, instructed me not to be careless in anything.

After this trip, we saw things clearly. Old Dong and I discussed it. We could not keep this from Seventh’s wife, no matter what.

Old Dong went to that group of swindlers, claiming to be an old servant of the Prime Minister’s mansion, on Seventh Master’s orders, to deliver two taels of silver for household expenses. He told them how kind Seventh’s wife was, how the entire Prime Minister’s family, from the Old Madam to Seventh’s wife, came from a scholarly background; how well-read they were, how the whole family spent their free time reading; and how kind and generous they were.

Old Dong really knows how to make things up. The very next day, that whole group showed up at the Pan Mansion, claiming to be Seventh Master’s mistress, carrying a document written by Seventh Master, wanting to kowtow and offer tea to Seventh’s wife.”

Hei Ma clicked his tongue.

“Seventh’s wife is really something. Neither Old Dong nor I saw what happened afterward; we only heard about it from Ting-Xi later.

Ting-Xi said that his Seventh Madam, with just a few words, knew what kind of people those were. She kept things calm on one side and reported it to the authorities on the other.

There are village officials outside the city gates, are there not? One question, and it was crystal clear. They were trying to extort money with a goose head, even daring to do it at the Prime Minister’s gate. As Old Dong said, ‘Ignorance is bliss.’

Seventh Master and Eleventh Master both got beaten—several times. Quite pitiful, tsk,” Hei Ma said with a look of sympathy.

“Seventh Master knows you did him a great favor, right?” Li Sangrou asked, looking at Hei Ma.

“I did not tell him. Old Dong and I discussed it and decided it was best not to say anything. Old Dong said it is called ‘leaving after the deed is done.'” Hei Ma flicked his sleeve.

……………………

The next morning, Li Sangrou entered Shunfeng Shop very early.

Just as she finished tidying up and sat down, Lu Hepeng rushed over. Seeing Li Sangrou, he stopped, let out a long sigh, and wiped his sweat.

Li Sangrou looked at him speechlessly.

He’d been holding his breath since the fifth month? That must have been difficult.

“What exactly happened in Jiangzhou? Are you alright?” Lu Hepeng stepped forward, frowning as he asked.

“Did Master Wen not say he sent someone to tell you? Did he not tell you? The Shizi has captured Jiangzhou City; what else could it be?” Li Sangrou retorted.

“Whatever you say, Boss.” Lu Hepeng’s lips twitched slightly. “Alright, it is good that you are back.

“Regarding Jiangzhou City, it is said that Master Wen was instrumental in it. There was a lavish article, supposedly written by Prime Minister Du himself. Boss, you will have to change the story. It was Master Wen who took Jiangzhou City. Do not get the person wrong.”

“That’s true.” Li Sangrou raised an eyebrow. “It was indeed Master Wen’s great achievement.”

It was indeed Wen Cheng who went to take over Jiangzhou City; the credit was not wrong.

“Boss, can you take a break for a while? Are you going out again before the New Year?” Seeing that Li Sangrou looked well, Lu Hepeng felt relieved and asked with a smile.

“I have not decided yet. It is still early before the New Year. I heard you’ve been involved in a few lawsuits since you came back?” Li Sangrou asked, looking at Lu Hepeng.

“How did you know, Boss? They were all minor cases.

One such case occurred in Zheng County. One of our post station’s grooms got drunk while on duty, and a group of twenty or thirty mules and horses ran off, ruining eleven and a half mu of someone’s crops.

The post station manager compensated them with two hundred jin of dry wheat per mu, covering twelve mu. The manager’s family also owned land, better than the damaged mu—a good harvest yielded about a hundred fifty or a hundred sixty jin; a bad one, even at seventy or eighty jin. Logically, that was quite a lot, but the family said compensation in grain was not enough; their eldest son had to work at the post station.

The manager refused, and the family complained it was not enough, so they filed a complaint with the magistrate.

The magistrate said damaging grain was a serious crime, not just compensation, but a punishment. He sentenced us to compensate four hundred jin per mu. The post station manager disagreed, so he sent a letter to Manager Zou, who then passed it on to me.

I only went once, to the prefectural yamen, to file a complaint against the Zheng County magistrate for improper handling. They fined us, but the wheat they fined should not have been given to the farmers. If they could make money from this, they could have earned one or two times more. This money comes too easily. It is not a good thing; it will corrupt the local customs.

Later, it was changed. They still had us compensate at two hundred jin per mu, plus a fine of two thousand four hundred jin of grain to be handed over to the granary.

The other matters are also minor. Do not worry, Boss.”

“What about the groom?” Li Sangrou asked.

“His wages were deducted, and we will never use him again. This was handled by Manager Zou. He said that this time the mules and horses ran off to eat the crops, which is a minor matter. What if it were a major military dispatch? That would be terrible.

Manager Zou is known for being ruthless, but he did the right thing this time,” Lu Hepeng explained for Zou Wang.

“Hmm.” Li Sangrou nodded in agreement; this arrangement was appropriate.

Shunfeng paid high wages, but their rules were strict.

Lu Hepeng rambled on a few more before taking his leave.

Li Sangrou opened the account book to review the accounts.

……………………

Around noon, Qing-Feng delivered military reports. Li Sangrou carefully read through each report, even throwing the brocade pouches into the fire to burn. As the sun began to set, she was about to stand up and check on Guo’er and Xiu’er at Zhang Mao’s house when Pan Dingbang burst in.

“You are really back! I thought Ting-Xi had mistaken you again; he was wrong last time.

When did you get back? Just now? That does not seem right. You are finally back! Where have you been?

Oh, right! You are in the silk business now? Da Chang, tsk! You are quite something now, a big, big manager!”

Li Sangrou, noticing the odd tone in Pan Dingbang’s voice, raised an eyebrow and asked, “Did Da Chang offend you?”

“Look at what you are saying! How could he possibly offend me? Your brother is so sensible; how could he possibly offend me? Even if he did, would I hold it against him? I am a magnanimous person; no matter what, I would not hold it against him, not even for your sake, right?

Let me tell you, these brothers of yours, let’s not even talk about them; they are all good. Hei Ma and Da Chang, let me tell you, Hei Ma is truly good! Really good! Righteous! Da Chang, well, he’s good too; we cannot say he’s bad, right?

You said… Sigh, never mind!” Pan Dingbang said indignantly.

“You bought silk from Da Chang?” Li Sangrou looked at Pan Dingbang knowingly.

“How did you know? Did Da Chang tell you? He even accused me first?

I did not ask him to buy silk. I was just casually asking, and he immediately shut me off, not even giving me a sliver of hope! What’s there to buy? I did not even get to say the word ‘buy’!” Pan Dingbang fanned himself vigorously, clearly furious.

“Why would you buy silk? For your Ah Tian? Your Ah Tian is rich; she would not be short of money for silk, would she?” Li Sangrou asked in surprise.

“It was not me buying it. Why would I buy silk? I do not even care what I wear. It was not me; it was Eleventh.

You know Eleventh. He does not have much money, but he loves to put on airs. He asked me to give him some silk as a gift. Let me tell you, in Jianle City now, giving silk as gifts is the most respectable thing to do!

I was just asking for Eleventh.” Pan Dingbang’s fanning subsided.

Li Sangrou glanced at him sideways.

He and Eleventh could only give gifts to courtesans. Anything else, no matter where it was given, required prior arrangements from their families. They were lucky if they did not pocket a few coins; they would never spend a penny of their own money!

“That’s what I instructed them to do. We only do big business. If you want to buy, it has to be at least a hundred bolts. We do not sell in small quantities. Otherwise, with so many acquaintances in Jianle City coming to buy silk in three or five bolts, my Shunfeng shop would become a silk shop. How could I do business like that?

Da Chang and the others would not dare not to follow my words.

You cannot blame Da Chang for this; blame me.

Do you still want this silk? I will give you a hundred bolts,” Li Sangrou asked with a smile.

“A hundred bolts?” Pan Dingbang’s eyes widened.

“A minimum of a hundred bolts, no less. Do you want it? I will deliver it to the Ministry of Works.” Li Sangrou looked serious.

“A hundred bolts? I would not dare take that! Where would I put it? I am impressed by your generosity. Forget it, forget it, I do not want it!” Pan Dingbang waved his hand, his mood noticeably improving. “If I dared to take it, would you really give me a hundred bolts? You know the price of silk these days, right?”

“Five taels of gold per bolt? Ten taels of gold? Who cares about the price? Money is like dirt, but brotherhood is worth a thousand pieces of gold! A hundred bolts, two hundred bolts are fine too; you really do not want them? That’s enough for you and Eleventh to shop around Tianshui Alley for almost a year,” Li Sangrou asked again.

“Shop around Tianshui Alley? Eleventh and I,” Pan Dingbang stammered. “We do not have the money to shop around Tianshui Alley. A hundred bolts is too much.

Forget it, forget it, it is better not to have it. Eleventh is better off without money; if he has money, he’s bound to cause trouble. You do not know that. Never mind, let’s not talk about it anymore; it is alright now!” Pan Dingbang swallowed the fact that he and Eleventh had been tricked.

“It’s a bit embarrassing; let’s not talk about it.

Sigh, besides, Little Eleventh is not in Jianle City anymore. He just left. Did you not know? Eleventh was transferred to work with my Second Brother!” Pan Dingbang sighed deeply.

“How would I know? Is he already gone? Your Second Brother is still in charge of the horses.”

Li Sangrou genuinely did not know. The transfer of a low-ranking official like Eleventh Master Tian, a sixth or seventh grader, was not reported in the military reports.

“He left the day before yesterday.

My Second Brother said he’d be in charge of the horses until after the war, but that’s a long way off.

Let me tell you, my Second Brother’s job is really tough. He came back once in the fifth month, all dark and thin, reeking of horse urine.

I do not know if Little Eleventh can endure it, but now that he’s in my Second Brother’s hands, he will have to endure it, whether he likes it or not. My Second Brother is ruthless, and he’s very close to Eleventh.

Sigh, Little Eleventh is going to have a tough time.” Pan Dingbang said it was miserable, but looking at his expression, it was not miserable at all; in fact, he seemed quite pleased.

“And what about you? Little Eleventh has already gone off to train; has your father not made any plans for you?”

“This battle has gone on for so long; victory is assured. Does your father not want to send you out, too, to train and earn some merit?” Li Sangrou looked at Pan Dingbang and asked with a smile.

Pan Dingbang paused for a moment, then his expression changed. “My father seems to have mentioned it once…”