Night had already fallen by the time Shao Shuyi reached the Old Locust Tree.
As he stepped off the boat, he looked back over the river. The lights of ships and fishing boats clustered together in a dense, magnificent spectacle.
Liujiagang, Taicang, and indeed Pingjiang Circuit as a whole remained the undisputed financial core of the realm, unmatched anywhere under heaven.
He walked all the way to the celadon shop. Cao Tong, also known as Shitou, heard the commotion from his watch post, lit an oil lamp, and unlatched the door.
"The accountant is back quite early," Shitou murmured softly.
Shao Shuyi could not tell whether this was sarcasm or simple observation, so he gave only a vague nod.
"Didn't get yourself a new robe, Accountant?" Shitou asked again.
"Hm?" Shao Shuyi looked down at what he was wearing.
He possessed only two sets of clothes. One was the new outfit the scar-faced man, Zheng Fan, had taken him to buy; the other was patched, which happened to be the one on his back. In truth, he had intended to buy another set, but he was completely out of money.
The grain stipend he had collected had already been spent. On top of that, he had given Wang Huadu more than ten guan in paper currency, leaving him truly penniless.
At the thought, Shao Shuyi felt a slight twinge of regret. Playing the generous, magnanimous "big brother" was not an easy role to maintain.
"Why fret yourself over so much?" He offered a forced smile and said, "Lead the way for me."
As he spoke, he gestured toward the oil lamp in Shitou's hand.
Rendered speechless, Shitou lowered his head and led the way in silence.
"Shitou, did anything happen in the shop today?" Shao Shuyi asked suddenly halfway through their walk.
Startled, Shitou answered in a rush, "The shop wasn't open today, so nothing much happened. The shopkeeper was on his rest day, leaving only the warehouse keeper here. Around noon, someone from the brokerage came by, saying celadon was selling briskly in Qingyuan and many foreign merchants couldn't buy enough, so they wanted us to prepare more stock. Warehouse Keeper Wu has already gone to report this at the shopkeeper's house."
"Can the shopkeeper decide such a major matter?" Shao Shuyi asked, surprised.
"He'll probably have to go to the old residence on Salt and Iron Creek tomorrow to seek instructions," Shitou said in a subdued voice.
Shao Shuyi gave an understanding "oh" and fell silent.
The two soon reached the outside of the accounting office.
Shao Shuyi voiced his thanks and, in the dim glow of the lamp, fumbled out his tinder stick to light a candle.
Seeing that nothing else was needed, Shitou bowed and took his leave.
Candle raised, Shao Shuyi swept his eyes briefly over the room. Relieved to find the furnishings untouched, his mind settled.
Setting the candle down on the low table, he slipped off his shoes, rested his head on his crossed hands, and leaned back against the daybed, lost in thought.
This was his habit: every so often, he would quietly review his previous goals, plans, and their execution.
As things stood, he had accomplished his primary objective of bettering his circumstances—of that there was no question. Building upon that, he had even made an additional stride forward by engaging Cheng Ji of the Crossroads Army to teach him various skills.
This was an absolute necessity, for no one could ever guarantee they would not find themselves in a fight for their life. Acquiring an extra killing skill was of immense benefit to securing his safety.
Beyond that, he had even secured a discreet channel for purchasing military equipment on a small scale. Perhaps it could hardly be called discreet, given that the half-starved warriors of the Crossroads Army, their eyes practically glowing green with hunger, were brazen enough to sell anything and certainly did not sell to him alone.
As for the future...
Never mind. It was better to sort out the business right here in the shop first.
On certain matters, he had resolved to play dumb for the time being. So long as Zheng Song did not press him, he could keep up the act for a very long time.
***
"Hearing that the accountant must be worn out from traveling back and forth, I cooked up some Qima porridge today to restore your strength." Early the next morning, the cook carried over a large bowl of thick millet porridge, her face beaming with an excessively broad smile.
Shao Shuyi glanced around, and seeing that he was the only one in the dining hall, sat down and picked up the bowl. "Where did this yellow millet come from?" he asked.
"Some folks grow it in Liujiagang," the cook explained. "Few people in Jiangnan eat millet, so they buy a little just to mix things up. For a mere three to five dou, it's hardly worth bringing in from the north."
Shao Shuyi nodded and looked down into the bowl again.
This was the second time he was eating this so-called Qima porridge. It was said to nourish the spleen and stomach and replenish vitality; Shopkeeper Wang Sheng was especially fond of it.
He had no idea whether it truly held such efficacy, but the porridge was thick and simmered in meat broth, containing shredded meat, chopped scallions, and fine salt. It tasted quite good and was genuinely nourishing—ideal for an adolescent youth like him who was still growing.
"Your accent sounds remarkably like the shopkeeper's and the warehouse keeper's. Are you from Quzhou?" After finishing a bowl, Shao Shuyi made small talk while gesturing for her to ladle another.
"That's right, all of us hail from Xiazheng Township." The cook briskly took the bowl, her plump hips swaying as she turned to leave.
Shao Shuyi grew pensive.
When the cook brought over the second bowl of Qima porridge, he smiled again and remarked, "Xiazheng Township truly produces fine people. Is Guard Zhang from Xiazheng as well?"
"Not him. He's from Longyou County, and few of the lads under him are from Quzhou either—mostly locals from Liujiagang," the cook replied.
Shao Shuyi chuckled and took the bowl, digging back in.
This woman was clearly not the sharpest tool, or she would not have been relegated to tending the stoves. Her words carried an unmistakable chain of disdain: she took immense pride in being from Xiazheng and looked down even on Zhang Neng, who hailed from Longyou, a county under the same Quzhou prefecture, let alone people from Taicang.
Yet the very Accountant Shao she was waiting on happened to be a Taicang local, at least in this lifetime.
"I've been at the shop for twenty days now, and business seems exceedingly slow. We haven't sold much celadon at all. How are we supposed to get by?" After slurping down half the bowl, Shao Shuyi squeezed out a fretful expression and sighed.
Whether out of sheer foolishness or having been completely taken in by his performance, the cook actually tried to comfort him: "Accountant, just put your mind at ease. This shop isn't going under. In a few days, Squire Sun from the brokerage will be here. Celadon sells by the thousands and tens of thousands, gone in the blink of an eye. The mere three or five pieces sold on ordinary days aren't even worth notice to the gentlemen."
Feigning astonishment, Shao Shuyi said, "Squire Sun is merely a broker; could he truly possess such capability?"
"Squire Sun is capable beyond measure!" Seeing that this educated accountant, who could read and keep books, was ignorant of Squire Sun, the cook felt a touch of pride and explained, "Among the foreign merchants and seafaring traders arriving at Liujiagang, there are easily dozens who have dealt with him. One comes this year, another next year, and yet another the year after that, but no matter which year they arrive, they only deal with Squire Sun. Every sixth month, he takes his sons and nephews to stand on the docks, watching from afar as the seafaring merchants disembark, and welcomes them straight home. The merchants make themselves right at home, lodging at Squire Sun's estate, clinking cups and sharing drinks on the closest of terms.
"Whichever kiln's celadon Squire Sun claims is good, that is the one the merchants buy. If he says to buy at one guan, the foreign merchants would never offer two. Even Young Master Zheng and Shopkeeper Wang must stay on good terms with Squire Sun.
"Relying on this connection, Squire Sun has amassed who knows how much wealth. Nowadays, his two sons have also become brokers, though word is he'll only allow one of them into the celadon brokerage in the end. I wonder if anyone has proposed a match for that young lad yet..."
Noticing the cook's thoughts drifting further and further off course, Shao Shuyi hastily steered the conversation: "In that case, Squire Sun is well acquainted with both Young Master Zheng and Shopkeeper Wang? I found Young Master Zheng rather aloof, whereas Shopkeeper Wang is genial. I imagine Squire Sun must be closer to Shopkeeper Wang?"
"Why, of course!" The cook sat down and said animatedly, "When the shopkeeper bought an estate by Lake Tai, Squire Sun presented a congratulatory gift of fifty ding!"
Shao Shuyi maintained an impassive expression, yet inwardly he was stunned. Fifty ding—what an astonishingly lavish gift. What kind of relationship did they share to warrant that?
"Accountant, you're fifteen this year. Do you have your eye on any young lady? If you truly have no one—" Perhaps because they had been chatting for so long, the cook grew bolder. Sizing Shao Shuyi up and down, she actually intended to act as matchmaker for him.
"Too early, far too early," Shao Shuyi declined in haste, feeling rather awkward.
"It's not early at all!" The cook wore a look of utter incomprehension.
To her mind, plenty of men and women were already having children by fifteen; that was the age to take a wife or marry. Fifteen could hardly even be called a boy anymore—it was adulthood, a time to shoulder the heavy burdens of a household, to serve as an official, conduct trade, or plow the fields... Why couldn't he take a wife? She could not understand it in the slightest.
"The Qima porridge is truly delicious. Could I trouble you for another bowl?" Shao Shuyi quickly finished the remaining half bowl, handed it to the cook, and said with a smile.
The cook hesitated as if wanting to say more, but in the end, she agreed, taking the bowl and walking toward the kitchen.
After downing three large bowls in a row, Shao Shuyi returned to his quarters to retrieve his toolbox and account books, then headed toward the counter in the front yard.
By now, he felt a slight pang of regret.
The cook was foolish, but Wang Sheng and Wu Youcai were shrewd men. Even though no outsiders had been present during that conversation, if the cook repeated any of it and it reached the ears of Wang Sheng and the others, it would bode ill.
At best, they would view him as a busybody who liked prying into other people's private affairs.
At worst, they would suspect he harbored ill intentions, covertly keeping tabs on his colleagues.
Yet what was done was done, and lamenting it was useless. If they found out, so be it; what of it? Knowing more about his surroundings worked to his advantage, saving him from blundering blindly into someone else's trap and dying without even understanding why.
Taking his seat behind the counter, Shao Shuyi began a new day of work.
Chapter 19