Mo Sang – CH 235

Chapter 235. Borrowing Talent

Since Li Sangrou returned, Da Chang has been the one constantly going to the construction site, replaced by Datou.

After three or four days of observation, at dinner, when Li Sangrou asked how the inspection was going, Datou sighed before even speaking.

“Sigh, this Manager Gong, everyone calls him Manager Xiaoyi, is hardworking and capable, but incompetent at managing things!

“He has no authority; he cannot control anyone! If he asks someone to move timber for him, and they reply, ‘Busy,’ he immediately smiles obsequiously, saying, ‘You are busy, you are busy,’ and then he goes to move it himself, struggling and groaning. Small pieces of wood are alright, but any slightly larger pieces he cannot move; he’s as skinny as a chick! He has no choice but to go find his uncle.

And then there was the deliveryman. I did not understand what he was doing, but the way he acted was clearly bullying him. He said it was not good enough, but the deliveryman insisted it was, saying he did not understand and should just use it first, and he’d see how good it was. He was so embarrassed that he had no choice but to go back to his uncle.

The craftsman asked him for an advance on his wages, and by the third sentence, he could not hold back and gave it to him!

He’s just not capable of managing anything!” Datou shook his head and sighed.

He was already stupid enough, but this Manager Gong was even worse!

“What about his uncle?” Li Sangrou asked, frowning.

“He’s a little better than him, but still no good. He’s too timid. He’s afraid of me. Why is he afraid of me? Honestly, no one has ever been afraid of me before.

He’s too good-tempered. Only his subordinates listen to him. His son, his apprentices, his nephews—they are all family!

He always tries to negotiate with other foremen with a smile, and if they do not agree, he keeps trying again and again.

Sigh! These two, uncle and nephew, are truly inseparable.” Datou clicked his tongue, sighed, and shook his head.

“We need to find another manager. Such a large operation cannot function without a good manager,” Datou muttered.

Li Sangrou sighed, paused for a moment, and turned to Nanny Zhang, who was focused on eating. “How about I trouble you to manage it for a while?”

“Hmm?” Nanny Zhang looked around; everyone was staring at her. “Me? I’ve never managed a construction site before.”

“It’s like managing a shop or a business; it is all about managing. You can get the hang of it after a day. Anyway, you are idle anyway.” Li Sangrou waved her hand dismissively.

Nanny Zhang nearly choked on her words.

What kind of talk was that?

Well, they were both managers anyway, and she, as the manager, had powerful backing. The Boss was a very reasonable person who would easily wash her hands of things. Besides, she was indeed free.

“Hmm, then I will go take a look tomorrow,” Nanny Zhang agreed readily after a moment’s thought.

“Da Chang, accompany Nanny Zhang tomorrow and let everyone know,” Li Sangrou instructed Da Chang.

……………………

On the day Nanny Zhang went to oversee the Tengwang Pavilion construction site, Lady Fu found the Shunfeng banner. Li Sangrou happened to be there, standing on the steps, looking Lady Fu up and down.

Although Lady Fu seemed much better, her face was pale, and her voice was weak; she clearly had not fully recovered.

“Where’s Hei Ma? Go find Bai-Cheng and have him pick a good physician and bring him over,” Li Sangrou instructed Hei Ma while examining Lady Fu.

“I am better, just a little weak. As long as I travel slowly, I will be fine. I am really better,” Lady Fu quickly explained upon hearing that a physician needed to be called.

“There’s a saying: ‘Home is best, even for a thousand days; travel is difficult even for a short time.’ You probably have not traveled far before. Long journeys are exhausting. What if you die on the road because you are too weak?” Li Sangrou pulled up a chair for Lady Fu, gesturing for her to sit.

Lady Fu, taken aback by Li Sangrou’s comment about dying on the road, was utterly at a loss for words.

While she considered herself straightforward, compared to this Boss, she was incredibly tactful.

The small red clay stove under the eaves was burning just right. Li Sangrou went into the kitchen, found a small clay pot, sliced ​​a honey pear, peeled half a fresh white fungus, boiled the water for a few minutes, and just as it was about to boil, added half a bowl of fermented rice wine. She removed it from the heat when it was almost simmering, ladled it into a bowl, and handed it to Lady Fu.

“You can cook?” Lady Fu had watched Li Sangrou peel and slice the pear with dazzling speed since she took the small clay pot, and then watched her peel the white fungus and add the fermented rice wine, utterly astonished.

“I do not compromise when it comes to food. Try it.” “Li Sangrou smiled.

Lady Fu ate bowl after bowl of unsweetened sweet soup, exclaiming in delight, “It’s really delicious! So refreshingly sweet!”

Li Sangrou sipped her tea, watching her finish. Just then, the sound of Hei Ma’s voice rang out from outside the courtyard gate—the physician had arrived.

Hei Ma slurped down the remaining half-filled pot of soup while the physician intently took Lady Fu’s pulse.

After a moment, the physician finished taking her pulse and looked at Li Sangrou with a smile: “She’s just too weak. Nothing else is seriously wrong. Just make sure she eats and drinks well, walks around a bit each day, and rests.”

“Can she travel long distances? Like to Jianle City?” Li Sangrou asked with a smile.

“She’s too weak. Even if she makes it to Jianle City, she will fall seriously ill. If there’s no rush, let’s postpone it until after the New Year.” The physician bowed and replied.

Li Sangrou thanked the physician, stood up, and saw him off a couple of steps. Watching Hei Ma accompany the physician out, she turned back to Lady Fu. “You are only in your thirties; you have a long life ahead of you. There’s no rush. Go back and take good care of yourself.”

Lady Fu stood up somewhat disappointedly. “Alright, then I will go back. I will come again after the New Year.”

……………………

Madam Meng’s trusted and capable manager was indeed exceptionally capable and efficient. Within two or three days, she had gotten the hang of things, and the construction site was spotless and orderly, a far cry from before.

She knew the backgrounds, personalities, and temperaments of the twenty or thirty foremen on the site perfectly. Using a few small incidents as leverage, she combined harsh measures with sweeteners, leaving the foremen either completely subservient or too afraid to even look her in the eye.

As for the timber and paint suppliers, that was business, her specialty. She first checked their accounts, then their materials, and then announced she had selected a few more suppliers, thoroughly subduing each business.

On the afternoon of the third day, Li Sangrou strolled to the construction site. Looking at the clean and tidy site from afar, she saw Nanny Zhang sitting upright under the newly erected thatched shed, with the managers of several suppliers standing respectfully outside.

Li Sangrou did not approach, only observing from a distance for a while before leaving.

That evening, Nanny Zhang returned, drinking the clay-pot soup that Da Chang had finally managed to successfully prepare, and told Li Sangrou about the construction site.

“…That kid Xiaoyi is really smart. With his intelligence, he should have been born to be a carpenter, but he’s so skinny, he cannot even push a plane, not even now.

I do not know who he learned it from, but he can tell how much timber there is just by looking at it and measure it precisely. Is that not amazing!

That pavilion over there—they need to build a coffered ceiling in the middle. I was overwhelmed by Master Jia’s drawings, so he just stood in the pavilion, looking here and there, and he knew how to build it. He drew up the design, and I asked several foreman carpenters, and they all said it would save labor and materials and be sturdy and easy to use.

Such a person; it is a shame he ended up in the Boss’s hands.

It’s only because the Boss can use him. Otherwise, someone like him, not even a carpenter, who would use him to calculate such a large amount of work? But his skills are not really apparent on smaller projects.”

Nanny Zhang’s eyes crinkled with a smile as she spoke of Xiaoyi.

“Besides carpentry, what about earthwork? Does he understand it?” Li Sangrou asked.

“Yes, he does. Carpenters are responsible for calculating materials; the other workers have to follow their instructions.

He’s very accurate at calculating stone and bricks, too. He says he thinks the moat, stonework, and earthwork are similar to carpentry. I do not quite understand, but he seems genuinely knowledgeable, and the foremen are quite impressed.”

Nanny Zhang genuinely did not understand these things, but she knew how to judge people.

“Hmm, take a closer look. If he’s really capable, once the Tengwang Pavilion is finished, send him to Yangzhou to help out,” Li Sangrou said casually.

“I heard he’s getting married…” Nanny Zhang interrupted, changing her tone. “That’s alright, the whole family can go; it will just cost a few extra taels of silver.”

……………………

As the twelfth lunar month approached, and Da Chang was busily preparing for the New Year, Meng Yanqing and his men returned one after another, weary from their journey.

Meng Yanqing was in high spirits. He chatted with Li Sangrou about the events of the past month, his voice filled with excitement and a mix of emotions.

“I used to hear the Boss say that the marketplace is like a battlefield. To be honest, I used to think that doing business was nothing compared to a war.

After witnessing this whole affair, I realize how true the Boss’s words are. Strategic planning and deployment are no less demanding than fighting a battle.

Since the Commander-in-Chief captured Jiangzhou City, the first to arrive from Jiangbei were not grain merchants but rather the major silk merchants.

When the Boss asked Manager Ying to host a meal for the Jiangbei merchants, it is said that silk merchants made up more than half the attendees, more than double the number of grain merchants.

These silk merchants were in a frenzy back then.

They arrived early, but at that time, the commander-in-chief had not even conquered Hongzhou yet. Even the stretch from Jiangzhou to Yuzhang City was not very peaceful, let alone the smaller prefectures and counties outside.

I heard that a few bolder merchants went out to collect silk, but they failed and were robbed by scattered soldiers from the Southern Liang, with several people even dying. These men dared not go out again, gathering in Yuzhang City to wait for the commander-in-chief to reclaim Hongzhou and restore peace.

When we arrived, the commander-in-chief was still out there mopping up the remnants of the Southern Liang forces. In some places, the fighting was still fierce, and things were not peaceful yet. These early-arriving merchants were all holed up in Yuzhang City, waiting idly.

Later, the Boss instructed Manager Ying to consolidate the businesses in Jiangbei. Hearing it was the Boss’s order, these businesses readily agreed without much persuasion and pledged to obey Manager Ying’s commands.

Then, the Boss asked Manager Ying to speak with Nanny Zhang. This conversation revealed something.

I only learned about this later from Manager Ying telling me.

Nanny Zhang said that every prefecture and county in Hongzhou Road had weaving workshops, some with many, some with few, some large, some small, but all had them. Even the smallest county had at least a dozen looms, and most of the silk they produced was sold to Jiangbei.

After the war broke out between Jiangbei and Jiangnan, all the silk threads and silk from the weaving workshops piled up.

These workshops bought cocoons in advance, for a fixed period of three years, with a thirty percent deposit. It is said that almost all the workshops were pawning their looms, cocoons, and silk to make ends meet.

When Manager Ying heard about this, he and the silk merchants discussed it all night. The next morning, he borrowed silver from Nanny Zhang, hired brokers, and went to pawnshops in various prefectures and counties to collect collateral from weaving workshops.

Manager Ying said he mentioned this to me once before, but I did not pay attention. The Boss had instructed me on matters related to rice and grain.

Later, after they had collected as much collateral as possible from the weaving workshops in the prefectures and counties, Manager Ying then started collecting rice and grain.

Manager Ying and his team bundled the silk and cocoons with the rice and grain matters together. There were many intricacies involved. I was too busy later to pay much attention, but I heard the methods were incredibly varied and fascinating.

As soon as Manager Ying and his men made their move, the rice and grain merchants in the various prefectures and counties, being experts, panicked. Desperate, they started causing trouble—thirty or forty incidents in total, big and small.

Fortunately, our Boss was very thoughtful. We all carried the commander-in-chief’s handwritten orders, so as soon as they made a move, we immediately suppressed it.

It was agreed that business is business, and we could not resort to violence.

Many of the rice and grain ships have already sailed, going upstream along the river, first to Ezhou, then from Ezhou to Xiangfan, then from Xiangfan to Jianle City, and from Jianle City southwards.

Many of the silk ships have also been shipped. Silk is light, so it can cross the river directly and return by land from Huangmei County.

Manager Ying wants to see all the grain ships depart before he sets off again, so they should reach Yuzhang City in the next day or two.

According to Manager Ying, just a few days after the operation began, a guild leader named Zhang approached him, essentially seeking peace. Manager Ying said it was too late; once the attack was launched, the arrow was already released.

Manager Ying also said that after this incident, the rice and grain businesses in Jiangzhou are essentially ruined.” Meng Yanqing clicked his tongue in delight.

Li Sangrou listened intently, leaning back in her chair with a smile.

“It would be best if the rice and grain shops were abolished. As for the brokers, see if we could let them operate independently, each running their own rice and grain shops—just a small shop would suffice. They would only assess the quality of the rice and grain, providing a place for trading. When the rice and grain shops are as numerous as individual shops, scattered like stars across the sky, then the so-called market will emerge.”

The next morning, Ying Shouyu arrived outside Yuzhang City with the grain ship. He hurriedly entered the city to see Li Sangrou, but after only a few words, she told him to go back first. Ying Shouyu rushed out of the city, weighed anchor, and headed home.

“If I travel quickly, maybe I can make it home for the New Year.”

……………………

The day Ying Shouyu arrived in Yuzhang City was also the ten-day deadline for the Tengwang Pavilion writing competition, the day to determine the top three winners. Li Sangrou did not go to the garrison commander’s office; instead, she went directly to the outside of Tengwang Pavilion, waiting for Wen Cheng to submit his rankings.

The final day’s essays and poems were delivered to Wen Cheng yesterday around dusk. Fortunately, this last batch consisted of only two minor, poorly written poems.

Since taking on this task from Gu Xi, Wen Cheng had been extremely cautious. He sent a servant to copy them daily, reviewing them himself before asking Governor Luo and the accompanying Hanlin scholars for a detailed critique.

Writing was a matter of utmost importance, not to be taken lightly.

Li Sangrou had just arrived at the Tengwang Pavilion construction site and entered the small thatched hut where Nanny Zhang worked when Gu Xi arrived as well.

Li Sangrou looked Gu Xi up and down. Gu Xi was wearing a dark blue silk cloak with a silver fur lining, looking refreshed and energetic.

Li Sangrou could not help but smile and ask, “When did you get back? Did you not say you were going to check out Changsha?”

“Yes, I saw it. I arrived this morning. Just in time for your first judging session.” Gu Xi looked very energetic.

“Master Wen is incredibly meticulous. He could not just look at it himself; I heard he also invited Governor Luo and those Hanlin scholars. They looked at it again and again, examining it so meticulously!

Yesterday, I had Hei Ma go and tell Bai-Cheng to tell his master that it absolutely must be delivered before the end of the day today.

In case he ranks first, second, and third, and someone was not present, we will have to deliver it to their home. Otherwise, it will be too late.” Li Sangrou glanced at the small water clock in the corner of the shed.

“When I came over just now, it seemed like the judging was almost finished.

He really put in a lot of effort. He keeps saying that literature is a matter of a thousand years. That’s just how he is—always so careful and cautious; it is annoying.” Gu Xi agreed with Li Sangrou’s words.

Li Sangrou hummed in agreement, glancing again at the water clock. It would not be long before Chenmo arrived.

“Shall I go check?” Hei Ma asked, perched at the shed entrance, looking up. Li Sangrou was looking at the water clock, and so was he.

“Looks like they are here,” Gu Xi gestured.

Li Sangrou tiptoed. Directly ahead, a man and a horse galloped towards them.

In this crowded place, only an elite soldier from the garrison commander’s office could ride so fast.

The man and horse quickly reached the construction site. Bai-Cheng jumped directly from his horse into the bamboo enclosure, heading straight for Hei Ma, who was hopping and waving its arms high.

Bai-Cheng rushed forward, over the horse, and presented Li Sangrou with a stack of documents.

“The top three are labeled ‘One,’ ‘Two,’ and ‘Three.’

All the articles have commentary. Our master said these commentaries were jointly considered by him, Governor Luo, and several Hanlin scholars and are quite fair. Whether or not to use them, please let the Boss decide.” Bai-Cheng first greeted Gu Xi, then reported with his hands clasped.

“Thank you for your trouble, sir.” Li Sangrou bowed in thanks, picked up the top three articles, and handed them to Hei Ma. “Go read them, give them the silver, and be respectful.”

“Yes!” Hei Ma’s reply was loud and crisp; he loved this kind of work!

Datou, Mazha, and Chuantiao, each carrying a plate covered with a large red silk cloth, followed Hei Ma, running and walking along the connecting corridor.

“Go and take a look.” Gu Xi gestured to Ru-Yi.

He was not entirely at ease with Hei Ma.

Hei Ma, holding three articles aloft in one hand, plunged into the crowded corridor, peered at them on tiptoe, retreated from the corridor, circled around, rushed to the notice board, jumped onto the large rock behind it, coughed loudly, and shouted:

“Quiet down! By order of our Boss! I am here to announce!

Third place: Zhou… Zhou…” Hei Ma hesitated, not daring to mispronounce the word. He glanced at Ru-Yi, quickly jumped down from the rock, and approached him, pointing to the character “Pei” after “Zhou,” asking, “How’s this character pronounced?”

“Pei.” Ru-Yi almost wanted to cover his face on the spot.

He had heard Seventh Master Pan mention Hei Ma’s poor pronunciation before, but he had not expected it to happen at a time like this!

“Third place, Zhou Pei!” Hei Ma jumped back onto the rock, roaring, his momentum undiminished.

Ru-Yi looked up, filled with admiration at the imposing Hei Ma. With that kind of spirit, it seemed Ru-Yi’s literacy had actually gotten him through!

A burst of applause erupted in the corridor as a young scholar was pushed forward by his companions.

He nimbly squeezed his way to Zhou Pei, swiftly lifting the red silk covering a tray to reveal five-tael silver ingots shaped like blooming flowers, and presented the tray to Zhou Pei.

Zhou Pei glanced around at his companions, holding up the silver ingots with his folding fan, and said with a smile, “Alright, we have our money for drinks today. Let’s go to Wangjiang Tower later; it is on me.”

“Second place! Qian Wei!” Hei Ma, standing taller, immediately shouted “Second place!” after seeing Zhou Pei take the silver.

At the other end of the corridor, a young scholar, his face beaming with joy, was pushed forward by his companions.

Mazha, tray in hand, rushed to Qian Wei, abruptly pulling back the red silk and presenting five large, ten-tael silver ingots arranged side-by-side.

Qian Wei, dressed in a worn cotton robe, blushed slightly. Looking at the ingots, he hesitated. Using only one hand, he feared he could not carry them all; using both, he felt it would be too unseemly.

Mazha lifted the tassels at the four corners of the red silk beneath the ingots, turning it into a large pouch. Lowering it slightly, he presented the tray to Qian Wei.

Qian Wei hurriedly grabbed the tassels and lifted them, the weight pressing down on his hand.

“First place! Gao Yun!” Hei Ma craned his neck, watching Mazha present the silver ingots, and roared again, louder than the previous two.

A group of people outside the corridor applauded, and a man about thirty years old was pushed forward.

Datou rushed forward, presenting a tray with two large silver ingots, adorned with ribbons and frosting, simple in design, each bearing the silver stamp of Hongzhou Prefecture of the Great Qi Dynasty.

In the connecting corridor, Da Chang and Xiao Lu squeezed through the crowd, pasting Wen Cheng’s comments onto the backs of their respective articles.

The corridor was packed with people, both inside and out. Those who had written articles eagerly sought to see the comments, while those who had not also jostled to read them.

Commentary was where true knowledge and skill were revealed.

Gu Xi, in the work shed, watched the commotion around the corridor intently, laughing as he watched.

“Ever since you posted this notice, Shouzhen has assigned people to take turns guarding the area, quietly listening in.

They say they are listening to opinions, but mostly it is scorn. It is not that they think they will not get the silver, but they think you are ungrateful and cannot possibly critique truly good articles.”

“You think I am rude, huh?” Li Sangrou calmly added what Gu Xi had omitted.

“Yeah, I’d say you are a female bandit,” Gu Xi added bluntly.

“If I were judging, these three pieces definitely would not get a rating; I could not understand them,” Li Sangrou said with a shrug and a smile.

Gu Xi chuckled, quickly coughing to cover it up, but then laughed again, lowering his voice, “I cannot either. I can understand them, but I cannot see what’s good about them. Luckily, I have Shouzhen.”

“It’s almost noon. I was going to invite you to Wangjiang Tower for fresh fish, but that Zhou Pei guy is treating them to something at Wangjiang Tower…”

“That’s perfect; let’s watch the show,” Li Sangrou interrupted Gu Xi with a smile.

“That’s true. Let’s go first and find a private room where we can watch the show,” Gu Xi gestured to Li Sangrou.

The two of them walked out of the construction site, heading towards Wangjiang Tower.