A brazier was lit in the courtyard, crackling and popping.
The shishu bustled to and fro in an orderly haste.
Zheng Song was in no hurry to leave; he planned to stay here for two or three days to inspect the shop's daily operations.
He was actually quite decent. Though stern and sparing with smiles, he knew what needed to be done and when. For instance, tonight he had paid out of his own pocket to send someone to the market for wine and food, treating the shop's core managerial staff to a meal—which really was not many people: besides Manager Wang Sheng, there were warehouse keeper Wu Youcai, martial instructor Zhang Neng, and Sun Chuan, a broker from the celadon guild.
Shao Shuyi glanced at Sun Chuan now and then, for the man was not an employee of the shop, but a prominent broker in the trade who held great influence.
Zheng Song's attention was also largely focused on him. Soon after sitting down, Zheng Song urged drinks on him repeatedly, squeezing a few smiles onto his previously tight face. "I have heard that Squire Sun also operates warehouse inns and has amassed wealth spanning several shiploads. It is truly admirable."
"Young Master Zheng must be teasing me." Sun Chuan, squat and plump as a wax gourd, shook his head. "Where did those few shiploads of goods come from? Outsiders might not know, but could Master Zheng be unaware? Out of five shiploads, three are actually her dowry."
"The women of Zhexi are adept at managing livelihoods; they make fine matches," Zheng Song said.
Whether because he had drunk too much or for some other reason, Sun Chuan actually shook his head again. "Master, that is where you are mistaken. This woman has a son; I may not be able to touch much of the wealth she brought with her at all. Moreover, she appointed her own managers, who answer to nobody else. They come marching straight into the main hall whenever they please, which is most unbecoming. She was like this even when her late husband was alive. Over the past dozen years, not only has there been no improvement, but things have grown worse. She frequently goes out on excursions and attends banquets in her own right as a woman. Her late husband could not withstand her, and neither can I."
At this point, the fellow sighed with profound lamentation: "A woman is meant to submit to others, possessing no right to willful authority, bound to the Way of the Three Obediences. What a pity! Today the women of the Zhe region may have husbands, yet it is as if they have none; they may have sons, yet it is as if they have none. In the long run, this spells great misfortune for any household!"
"You go too far, too far." Zheng Song poured a cup of wine for Sun Chuan, saying, "Squire, you have great capabilities; surely you can tame a woman."
Shao Shuyi listened with relish from the side.
Weren't the Zhengs from Quzhou in Zhexi? And Sun Chuan seemed to be from Zhenjiang, as had been mentioned earlier during the introductions.
From the sound of it, Sun Chuan had taken a widow with a son as his wife; it was unclear whether this was his first marriage or second, though likely the latter. And by the looks of it, the customs of Zhexi women were vastly different, bearing none of the rigid Southern Song orthodox decorum of legend—showing their faces openly in public even while their husbands lived.
Not only did they show their faces, they even appointed their own stewards to manage businesses.
Besides doing business, they enjoyed life, going on outings and attending banquets from time to time—presumably "girls' gatherings" without their husbands in tow.
Interesting, truly interesting! Shao Shuyi even felt an odd sense of familiarity.
"Master Zheng may not know," Manager Wang Sheng chimed in with a smile, "a few days ago, the nephew of the foreign merchant Ahmad came by and went straight to Squire Sun's estate, staying for several days. Their bond is clearly extraordinary. If the celadon in our shop is to be sold, it will all hinge on Squire Sun."
Zheng Song hummed in agreement, appearing to concur with Wang Sheng's assessment.
Brokers were by no means simple figures. Most of them were known as "merchant-brokers," who possessed a certain amount of capital or even their own shops and carried on trade themselves.
In addition, they acted as guarantors for other merchants, brokering transactions and collecting commissions.
The authorities often registered them in official registers, so they were frequently called "licensed brokers." Some even became tax-farmers for the Maritime Trade Supervisorate, collecting taxes on behalf of the government, which gave them no small standing. Those unregistered by the government were private brokers, possessing far less status and influence. Sun Chuan was a well-known licensed broker in the celadon trade.
"You flatter me, you flatter me," Sun Chuan said, sipping a cup of yellow wine and squinting at Wang Sheng with a chuckling smile.
Shao Shuyi sat upright, at times putting on an attentive expression, at other times forcing an awkward smile along with the rest.
He was a newcomer, not yet qualified to speak on such an occasion; even sitting at the foot of the table was purely by happenstance. But he didn't care about that. Instead, he took advantage of the seat to quietly absorb useful information, studying the people present.
Of course, while he was studying others, others were studying him. Whether it was his imagination or not, he felt that Manager Wang Sheng cast intentional or unintentional glances at him a few times, and warehouse keeper Wu Youcai and martial instructor Zhang Neng did much the same.
A cord in Shao Shuyi's heart tightened instantly.
Zheng Song, the master's representative, was right here—why weren't they reading him or currying favor with him, instead of stealing glances at me?
Even setting Zheng Song aside, they could at least look at Sun Chuan more. He was the celadon shop's god of wealth, a walking exchange market. They must deal with him often; even from the standpoint of personal interest, they ought to use the wine to talk to him more and build connections.
Something was amiss. Recalling how Zheng Fan had twice inexplicably warned him not to die, a chill rose from the bottom of Shao Shuyi's heart.
No one knew how long they had been drinking. Just as Shao Shuyi was beginning to feel a little woozy, Sun Chuan shifted his gaze toward him and smiled. "Is this young fellow the new accountant your shop recruited?"
Zheng Song set down his cup, his eyes calm and restrained, showing no drunkenness at all. He introduced, "From a boat household in Zhangjing, known since childhood as a prodigy, excellent at arithmetic, so he was recruited to serve as accountant."
"Youcai can finally relax a bit," Sun Chuan said with a faint smile, glancing at warehouse keeper Wu Youcai.
"The squire speaks the truth," Wu Youcai said, shaking his head with a bitter smile. "This old man is poorly skilled, possessing only a passing acquaintance with reading and numbers. The various matters in the shop have had me at wit's end for a long time. Having Brother Shao here to share the burden could not be better."
Shao Shuyi's heart stirred.
So Wu Youcai, besides being the warehouse keeper, had also been serving concurrently as accountant. This was the first he had heard of it. Actually, that was normal: whether Zheng Song was sparing with his words or simply looked down on him, he had never mentioned it to his face, nor had he brought up whether there had been a full-time accountant before Wu Youcai.
This shop seemed exceedingly disorderly.
The warehouse keeper concurrently served as accountant and cashier, and was a fellow townsman of the store manager. If things went on like this, it would be a miracle if no problems arose.
Then again, Wang Sheng, Wu Youcai, and even Zhang Neng were fellow townsmen from Quzhou, but weren't Zheng Song, Zheng Guozhen, and Zheng Yonghe from Quzhou as well? Employing fellow provincials had its pros and cons, depending entirely on how one managed them. Looking at it now, the Zhengs did not seem particularly trusting of these fellow townsmen either.
"Brother Shao is only fifteen, yet he has already become an accountant. It is truly astonishing. When I was fifteen, I was still idling about in my village," martial instructor Zhang Neng finally spoke his first words of the day.
As he spoke, he stared fixedly at Shao Shuyi, his eyes showing what seemed like admiration, yet also a hint of wariness.
Shao Shuyi smiled at him and raised his cup in a toast across the table, his movement remarkably polished.
Zhang Neng's eyes flickered, and he drained his cup in one gulp.
Shao Shuyi drained his as well, his face growing even ruddier.
Sun Chuan watched it all with a beaming smile, as if enjoying a good show.
Zheng Song took in everyone's gestures without comment, merely continuing to press wine upon them.
For a time, hosts and guests enjoyed themselves thoroughly, and the atmosphere seemed exceedingly harmonious.
******
Near midnight, the modest banquet finally broke up.
Like a wandering ghost, Shitou appeared beside Shao Shuyi and whispered, "Accountant, please follow me."
Shao Shuyi nodded and followed behind him with an easy stride.
The two soon arrived before the innermost room of the western wing in the back courtyard.
Shitou went in, lit a candle, and bowed. "This will be the accountant's quarters from now on. There are two rooms in all: the inner room is for living, while the outer room holds account books and other belongings. The manager instructed that since the accountant is newly arrived and drank heavily tonight, you may take things at your leisure these next few days without having to start work immediately. The dining hall is in the front courtyard, where you may take your daily meals with the manager, the warehouse keeper, and the others, or you may have them brought here. If there is anything you lack, simply ask, and the manager will see to it as appropriate."
Shao Shuyi listened in silence, then cupped his hands. "Thank you for your trouble."
Shitou bowed in return, whispering, "If there are no other orders, I shall take my leave."
"Wait," Shao Shuyi called out. "Who lived here before?"
"Warehouse Keeper Wu. He moved out yesterday, and it has already been swept clean." Having spoken, Shitou looked at Shao Shuyi again.
"You may go," Shao Shuyi said.
Shitou answered and turned, vanishing into the night.
Shao Shuyi looked around his new quarters.
One could tell that this had originally been a single large room, rather cavernous, which had been partitioned with wooden boards into an inner and an outer room—one for work and one for rest.
It was actually quite good, certainly better than his old cottage compound.
There was a bed, a mat, bedding, various pieces of furniture, brush, ink, paper, inkstone, and he could even eat the "special spread" alongside the manager and the other seniors. Who could say this treatment was anything less than generous?
The only concern was that this celadon shop was not simple; beneath the placid surface of the lake ran hidden undercurrents, and a single slip might cost him dearly.
Shao Shuyi was no fool. Reflecting with his workplace experience from the modern world, he knew there must be a covert vested-interest clique inside this shop. After all, Shao himself had fabricated invoices, submitted bogus expense claims, and pocketed client kickbacks more than a few times in his past life. Even across hundreds of years, human nature remained unchanged.
With that in mind, he quietly reminded himself to stay vigilant, observe first, and figure out what was really going on. In any case, he hardly believed the Zheng family had hired him as an accountant for no reason at all; there was definitely something fishy about this.
Just then, the sound of footsteps approached. Shao Shuyi looked up to see Zheng Song and Wu Youcai. He stepped forward and bowed.
Zheng Song said nothing, merely casting a cursory glance over the furnishings before fixing his eyes on a wooden chest.
He strolled over slowly and lifted the lid.
Shao Shuyi peered over and found it was apparently a toolbox containing an abacus, writing brushes, a brush rest, seals, various inkstones, scissors, a knife, a hammer, letter paper, envelopes, and other miscellaneous odds and ends.
Zheng Song turned around to face Wu Youcai.
Wu Youcai stepped forward at once.
"We will skip tomorrow. Starting the day after, guide him for ten days. By the beginning of the fifth month at the latest, transfer all affairs entirely to the new accountant. Can you do it?" Zheng Song pointed at Shao Shuyi and asked.
"Rest assured, Master. This old man will certainly devote every effort and hold nothing back," Wu Youcai said, then beamed with a flattering smile. "To tell the truth, I was originally just the warehouse keeper, carrying accountant duties on the side. I have long been utterly exhausted; to have someone share the burden is truly a relief."
Ignoring his smile, Zheng Song said only to Shao Shuyi, "Study hard. Don't forget how you got this post. If anything goes wrong, weigh the consequences for yourself."
"I understand," Shao Shuyi declared immediately.
Zheng Song nodded, wasting no more words, and turned to leave.
Chapter 13