During the first few days of the ninth month, the primary task was moving stock out of the warehouse.
On the second day, the Shen family hired several small boats to lighter away nearly thirty thousand pieces of celadon, delivering them to ocean-going vessels anchored in Liujiagang. With that, both parties completed the handover.
The shop was now completely empty, and fewer hands remained—during slow periods, the hired laborers were naturally dismissed. Aside from Shao Shuyi himself, only seven people were left: internal accountant Yu Yuan, warehouse keeper Song You, courtyard guard Liang Tai, hired hand Cao Tong, Brother Liu, the cook, and her nephew.
With nothing to do, Shao Shuyi decided to take stock of how much money he had. Tucking himself away to count in secret, he found he had nearly seventy guan in paper currency. Stored in the corner of his bedroom were his newly drawn eight dou of rice, six liang of granulated salt, and two jars of pickled vegetables, along with the Mid-Autumn gifts Zheng Guozhen had previously instructed to be given to him—none of which were counted among his cash.
Without realizing it, he had become quite wealthy.
"Four or five months ago, being forced to pay a single fifty-guan ding sent me running for my life. Now I actually have sixty guan—it feels like a dream." Sitting behind the deserted counter, Shao Shuyi felt a touch of emotional reflection.
"What? You're that rich?" A flurry of footsteps echoed outside, and Wang Huadu appeared in the doorway with an impish grin.
Shao Shuyi chuckled in spite of himself, but felt an immediate prick of vigilance.
*I'm getting complacent. Truly complacent!* If someone with wicked intentions heard that you had seventy guan in paper money, it was genuinely enough to get yourself killed. That was no alarmist exaggeration; different people had different thresholds for murder. Take Li Fu, whom he had met back then—his wife had already been pawned off, and the tax collectors were still hounding him. Would a man like that kill for seventy guan? As long as nobody found out, once done, what could anyone do to him?
*Wait. Li Fu?* Shao Shuyi grew thoughtful.
"Xiaohu, I'm talking to you," Wang Huadu said, taking a seat with a grin.
Liang Tai poked his head out from the back door, saw it was Wang Huadu, and ducked back to resume his martial training.
"What did you say?" Shao Shuyi snapped out of his reverie and asked.
"I said Baijianu will be back soon. When he does, let's buy some wine and food so the bunch of us can get together," Wang Huadu said.
"How do you know?" Shao Shuyi asked, surprised.
"It's always around this time of year. This year is already a bit late."
"All right," Shao Shuyi agreed without hesitation.
"I found that house you asked me to look for," Wang Huadu said, bringing up his second matter.
"Oh? Where is it?" Shao Shuyi asked.
"Two li east of here. Four bays, two courtyards front and back, plus half a mu of vegetable plots, over a dozen fruit trees, and an open space behind the house where you can practice martial arts. The original owner fled, so his kinsmen are looking after it. It's cheap—only six guan a month." Wang Huadu paused, then added, "I've got to hand it to you, why do you insist on finding a place like that? You could just pick any unlit house along the streets and alleys. It'd be closer, and it wouldn't necessarily cost that much."
Shao Shuyi smiled. He felt his peasant roots ran too deep; everywhere he went, he wanted to see open land. Yet Liujiagang was a bustling commercial hub, packed wall-to-wall with houses. Where would one find plots of land in town? Going to the outskirts was the only option. It was only because the Old Locust Tree area was slightly remote, giving way to countryside two li out, that Wang Huadu had managed to find one.
"Six guan works," Shao Shuyi said without hesitation.
"How many months will you lease it for?"
"Let's lease it for a year first," Shao Shuyi said. "Though I can't pay a full year's rent up front. Never mind, let's go have a look first."
"Whatever you say," Wang Huadu replied nonchalantly.
"I heard you went back to working at the docks?"
"A lot of foreign ships have arrived lately, so work is easy to find and pays well. I'd be a fool not to go."
"Come work at our shop," Shao Shuyi said with a slight frown. "Laboring at the docks only brings in a few hundred wen a day. If you come here, you'd get at least several dou of rice, several liang of salt, and twenty guan in paper money."
"Spare me," Wang Huadu waved a hand. "I know celadon is lucrative, and selling to foreign merchants and seafaring traders makes even more money, so it's only right that shishu get paid well. But let's wait until you become the shopkeeper. When that happens, I'll happily live off you."
Unable to persuade him, Shao Shuyi let the matter drop and asked, "How has Cheng Ji been lately?"
"You're hoping to buy a bow and arrows from him, aren't you?" Wang Huadu said with a laugh.
"Nothing gets past you," Shao Shuyi chuckled.
"Forget about it," Wang Huadu said. "A decent foot bow won't go for less than a hundred guan. Even if a military household steals and sells one on the cheap, it'll still run you at least two dan of rice."
Shao Shuyi hummed in thought.
He had spent twenty-five guan on the bronze hand cannon, so a foot bow costing three or four times as much was indeed steep. But he truly needed one now, preferably with some arrows, for his preliminary training.
He had trained under Cheng Ji seven or eight times and had already mastered everything he needed to know; he had even practiced three or four times under Cheng Ji's supervision to correct improper form. What he needed most now was sheer volume of practice. Previously, conditions had not allowed it—living inside the celadon shop made it hard to practice archery openly. Now that he planned to rent a house, he had the space; all he lacked was a bow and arrows.
"Does Cheng Ji really have one?" Shao Shuyi wanted to be sure.
"Those scoundrels in the Great Capital Battalion would sell you their wives and children if the money was right," Wang Huadu said with theatrical exaggeration. "It's just a bow! If you fork over the cash, they'd dare unbolt a bowl-mouthed cannon for you."
Shao Shuyi burst into laughter. "I have a way to buy it."
Wang Huadu looked skeptical.
"Do me a favor and make a trip back to Taicang. Ask Cheng Ji how much a bow costs," Shao Shuyi said.
"New or used?" Wang Huadu asked. "New ones won't be delivered until the eleventh month, and they probably won't sell you one anyway. An old one is actually pretty good and cheaper, too."
"Either is fine," Shao Shuyi waved a hand. "Just tell him that if he trusts me, let me put thirty guan down. I'll pay off an old bow in two months or a new bow within three. I can even tack on an extra ten or so guan above the original price."
Wang Huadu knew nothing of such "financial innovations" and listened with a look of utter bewilderment.
"Fine, I'll go ask," he eventually agreed with a nod.
Toward evening, Shao Shuyi kept Wang Huadu at the shop for dinner.
The cook worked diligently, enlisting her nephew to wrap two full bamboo trays of fox nut starch wontons—Shao Shuyi privately wondered if she had some kickback arrangement with the merchant selling fox nut starch.
He had eaten these wontons once before; truth be told, the flavor was rather peculiar.
The mutton filling was seasoned with dried tangerine peel powder and minced ginger, wrapped in dough rolled from fox nut starch, dropped into boiling mutton broth until cooked, and then scooped out.
Into the mutton broth went one sheng of fragrant japonica rice; once cooked through, the wontons were returned to the pot.
Meanwhile, in a separate oiled wok, two sheng of cooked chickpeas, two ge of ginger juice, and two ge of Chinese quince juice were stir-fried together before being tipped into the broth with the wontons and rice, finished off with chopped scallions, salt, and other seasonings.
Wontons served with rice and chickpeas were something he had never tasted before, and he still found it hard to get used to. But Wang Huadu, along with Yu Yuan, Liang Tai, and Song You who joined later, ate with immense relish.
Shao Shuyi smiled wryly to himself. With such generous ingredients, rich nourishment, and all-you-can-eat portions, what more could anyone ask for?
Despise Wang Sheng, understand Wang Sheng, become Wang Sheng—oh, right, Wang Sheng hadn't died after all. Following a weeping confession before Old Minister Zheng Yonghe, he had retired straight back to Quzhou to live out his days, even retaining a modest share of his private wealth.
"I have to get rich," Wang Huadu sighed, patting his round belly after wolfing down dozens of wontons. "Brother Shao, in our bunch, you might not be the best fighter, but you definitely have the sharpest mind, and you're ruthless enough. From now on, I'm throwing in my lot with you. I don't ask for much—just let me eat meat on a regular basis."
"Throwing in your lot, my foot!" Shao Shuyi wiped his mouth and scolded with a grin. "We're all brothers here. Once we strike it rich, who's going to forget anyone?"
"That's what I love to hear," Wang Huadu beamed.
Yu Yuan nodded solemnly from the side.
Liang Tai silently ate his wontons, but his ears pricked up.
Song You glanced around at them, quietly eating his wontons.
******
With the master away, Shao Shuyi naturally called the shots in the shop.
After arranging for Liang Tai and Song You to keep watch over the shop, he stepped out laughing and bantering with Yu Yuan and Wang Huadu, heading east.
Dusk was settling over the land, and an evening breeze carrying the briny scent of water blew in from the river nearby.
The three followed the river embankment for two li, arriving before the compound Wang Huadu had found.
What first caught their eye was the half-mu vegetable plot out front, currently lush with verdant greens—a sight that lifted the spirits.
Trellises had been propped against the courtyard walls, smothered in creeping vines. A closer look revealed luffa gourds, hyacinth beans, and the like.
Pushing open the courtyard gate, they were greeted by wild, overgrown weeds, untended for who knew how long.
The paper on the window lattices was torn in many places, and a faint smell of decay drifted from the wooden frames.
Moss covered the rim of the well; the windlass was still in place, but the wooden bucket lay cast aside, its rope nowhere to be seen.
*No wonder it only costs six guan!* Shao Shuyi scoffed inwardly.
Still, he didn't mind. A good sweep, a bit of tidying up, and some basic furnishings would make it perfectly livable. What he needed most was privacy; living inside the shop caused too many inconveniences.
"Quite decent," he said with a nod after walking a lap around the grounds, signaling his approval.
Wang Huadu had felt slightly self-conscious, but seeing that Shao Shuyi had no complaints, he breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
Though this place had vegetable plots and fruit trees, it technically fell under the jurisdiction of the Office of Municipal Affairs, so rent could never be dirt cheap. Offices of Municipal Affairs were usually established at circuit-level administrative seats "to manage urban households and citizens; where urban residents are few, no Office of Municipal Affairs shall be set up, and the adjacent county shall govern its people." Liujiagang was an exception, since not even Taicang had an Office of Municipal Affairs.
"Once I'm off work, I'll hone my martial skills right here." Shao Shuyi dropped his waist into a stance, saying with delight, "Liang Tai is skilled with a saber. I'll bring him along when the time comes."
"Brother Shao, haven't you grown taller?" Wang Huadu looked Shao Shuyi up and down. "You look sturdier, too."
Yu Yuan nodded solemnly again.
Seeing his deadpan expression, Shao Shuyi could hardly suppress a chuckle—what an adorable kid.
"I feel like I've grown taller and broader too," he agreed. "I've eaten more meat and fish this past month than in the previous ten years combined. With some solid training, I should be able to gain another inch or two."
"Shall we have Cheng Ji come teach you here in the future? Next time I'll have him bring an anchor-axe. You should learn how to wield that too," Wang Huadu suggested.
"Who knows if he's willing to come. It's dozens of li away," Shao Shuyi said.
"If he refuses, I'll look down on him," Wang Huadu said, raising his voice. "Brothers who fought side by side shouldn't care about a few dozen li. If you ask me, he shouldn't even be taking your money anymore."
"Come now, don't be like that," Shao Shuyi cut him off. "Ask him if he's willing to take a boat; that would be faster. At worst, we'll give him a bit more grain and cash every month. Don't hand it over bluntly, though—that looks crass. When you have free time, drop by his home now and then. Don't go empty-handed; just bring some gifts. He has elderly parents above and young children below, carrying a heavy burden. We can't treat him poorly."
With that, he counted out ten guan in paper currency, thrust it firmly into Wang Huadu's hands, and said, "Take this for now. I'll give you more next time."
Wang Huadu took it with a grin, then glanced over at Yu Yuan.
Yu Yuan reflexively took half a step back, stammering, "I... I gave my monthly pay to my elder brother. I only have two guan on me."
"Hand it over," Wang Huadu stepped closer, thrusting out a hand.
"Stop picking on him," Shao Shuyi said with a laugh.
Wang Huadu sullenly pulled his hand back, stuffing the paper notes into his shirt. "Brother Shao, you really ought to save up some money. You'll have to buy a bow and arrows sooner or later, and that won't be cheap. Besides, have you ever thought about buying a boat?"
"Buying a boat?" Shao Shuyi started. Was that kind of "major asset" really something he could touch?
Wang Huadu looked at him with an enigmatic grin. "And you call yourself a boat household! These days, countless people wish they didn't own a boat at all, racking their brains to fraudulently register their vessels under other people's names."
Shao Shuyi understood.
His mind suddenly went back to Li Fu. That wretched man had been conscripted to transport grain simply because his family owned a boat.
If he bought a boat from another boat household, could he guarantee he wouldn't be conscripted for grain transport corvée himself? That was a serious question, though by no means unsolvable.
"Let's wait on that. Money's tight right now," Shao Shuyi sighed.
He understood Wang Sheng more and more.
Chapter 40