Of course, this wasn't given away for free. The shop had cost five hundred and fifty taels of silver in total, which could be considered dirt-cheap. Without the turmoil of war, a prime storefront like this on the prefectural seat's main thoroughfare—and of such a large size—could never have been had for less than twelve hundred taels.
It showed just how desperately determined the previous owner was to dump the shop and flee.
Once Manager Zhao left, He Lingchuan could not help letting out a long whistle. Even in the real world, this young master was now a man of property!
"Congratulations, congratulations." Lingguang thrust out a paw before He Lingchuan, demanding a celebratory treat.
He Lingchuan had no choice but to grab a large handful of winter melon milk candies for it. This was a specialty of a neighboring county and wasn't cheap.
How had a perfectly good medicine ape, one meant to be detached from worldly desires, grown increasingly worldly after staying by his side?
While the monkey happily munched on the candies, a servant came in to report once again:
Shan Youjun had arrived.
Shan Youjun certainly hadn't slacked on the first errand He Lingchuan had entrusted to him, bringing along his recommended candidate, Ding Zuodong, before dinner.
Ding Zuodong was dark, skinny, and tall, with a slight hunch in his back—running completely contrary to He Lingchuan's mental image of a head steward.
The moment he laid eyes on He Lingchuan, he bowed deeply. "This humble Ding lacks talent, but I would be honored to serve as an aide under the Eldest Young Master. Whenever you need anything done, you need only summon me to run errands."
He Lingchuan had not yet married or established an independent estate, so Ding Zuodong could not officially serve as a head steward. Instead, he simply styled himself a "companion"—the sort of aide who accompanied wealthy young masters in drinking and merrymaking while running errands on their behalf.
"All right, let me test you." He Lingchuan motioned for him to take a seat. "You know about the new Songyang Mansion branch that opened on the main thoroughfare today, right?"
Ding Zuodong nodded. "It opened this morning. Governor-General He and several clerks from the prefectural yamen attended, and the Li, Zhan, and Shu clans also sent people to show their support."
"Do you know their background? Tell me about them."
Ding Zuodong pondered for a moment, then recounted everything he knew piece by piece.
As He Lingchuan listened, he realized the man not only knew Songyang Mansion's core businesses, but was even privy to gossip about the Marquis of Songyang herself—
Which meant that things known even to a washed-up steward far out in northern Xiazhou were matters He Lingchuan hadn't known the slightest bit about back in Shihuan City!
He Lingchuan marveled once again at how sheltered and uninformed he had been.
Hearing him sigh like this, Ding Zuodong grew a little nervous. "Why does the Eldest Young Master sigh? Did I misspeak?"
"No. The fault is mine."
"...?"
"Shan Youjun thumped his chest and swore to me that you know Dunyu like the back of your hand."
"He exaggerated. I merely know some local marketplace gossip."
"Were you the one managing all of Third Master Shu's original properties?" That was no small feat. As far as He Lingchuan knew, more than half of He Chunhua's assets in Blackwater City were not handed over to Lao Mo, since the head steward's primary duty was handling the He residence's internal affairs.
Yet under Third Master Shu, Ding Zuodong had managed both internal and external affairs—a true model worker.
"Indeed." This time, Ding Zuodong did not feign modesty.
The Shu clan had blocked all his means of livelihood in Dunyu. If he did not want to slink off to the countryside in disgrace to spend the rest of his days in obscurity, he had to secure a position under Eldest Young Master He to break out of this trap and start anew.
"The shop next to Songyang Mansion, the one to the east—how much do you know about it?"
"To the east? That would be a pharmacy, known as Huixiang Hall?"
He Lingchuan thought about it; that did seem to be the name.
"The owner of Huixiang Hall is surnamed Cui, originally from Daji Township. His family practiced medicine for generations, and he's the second generation to settle down in Dunyu. His medical skills are mediocre, however, and for such a prime location, business at Huixiang Hall was only ever so-so. Recently, medicinal ingredients transported from the south have grown scarce, and the war in the north is going poorly. Word has it the Xunzhou army has been pushing steadily forward and even slaughtered two villages in Xin Township, so he probably got the idea to migrate south."
Rumors were running rampant right now, which shook morale the most. He Lingchuan chuckled. "The location of that shop is quite good, wouldn't you say?"
"That's a prime storefront! Were you looking to buy it?" Ding Zuodong considered for a moment. "What terrible timing. If you had looked into it two days earlier, I could have gone and negotiated a price for you."
"Can it not be done now?"
"At noon I ran into a clerk from Huixiang Hall. He said the shop was just sold, right before Songyang Mansion opened next door." Ding Zuodong sighed. "Once the sale is sealed, there's nothing to be done."
He Lingchuan's mind stirred. *Before Songyang Mansion opened?* Wasn't that before he even went there?
The Marquis of Songyang had clearly told him she had only bought one shop.
From the looks of it, she had bought both, quietly transferring one to He Lingchuan.
Then again, who would complain about owning too many shops in such a prime location?
He Lingchuan suppressed his doubts. "If you had been sent to negotiate back then, what kind of price could you have gotten?"
This time Ding Zuodong calculated for a good while before saying, "I could have tried to push it down to five hundred taels."
He Lingchuan burst into laughter. Reaching into his robes, he produced the property deed to Huixiang Hall and spread it out before him. "Not an exact hit, but not far off. The purchase price was five hundred and fifty taels."
Ding Zuodong looked at it with great surprise and delight. "Ah! So the Eldest Young Master bought it. What an eye!"
"It will remain Huixiang Hall, its purpose unchanged, as I need medicinal herbs for my cultivation." He Lingchuan asked him, "How about I leave its management to you from now on? In ten to fifteen days at the shortest, or forty to fifty days at the longest, the situation in Xiazhou will stabilize. As for the transport routes back and forth into the interior, you needn't worry too much." He was a member of the He family. Even if the transport convoys refused to carry goods for others, would they dare refuse his?
"Rest assured, Eldest Young Master, I will handle it properly." Ding Zuodong stood up and bowed to him. "Third Master Shu originally owned medicine shops as well, and I was the one managing them."
"You have the connections—wonderful!" He Lingchuan pulled him back down into his seat. "You and Shan Youjun are quite a pair. One loves to stand, and the other loves to kneel."
Both men chuckled.
He Lingchuan added, "From now on, you may just call me Boss. Well, you also know I've just arrived in Dunyu and need to acquire some assets here. When you see something suitable, buy it for me."
Ding Zuodong could not help leaning forward. "Resource enterprises are acceptable as well, yes?"
He Lingchuan gave a slight smile. "Of course."
The so-called resource enterprises referred to mines and timber on land, as well as fisheries and salt from lakes and rivers. Although these daily necessities circulated openly in the markets, mines, timberlands, fisheries, and salt flats were not enterprises ordinary merchants could touch.
Those were provincial-level monopolies, overseen by appointed officials.
Even if sellers wished to offload them during this chaotic period, whoever stepped up to take them over needed the proper qualifications.
In Dunyu, it went without saying: originally, only the four great clans held such qualifications.
Now, however, a family surnamed He had forced its way into the mix.
Ding Zuodong was overjoyed and shot to his feet once more. "I'll head back right away and draw up a detailed list!"
He Lingchuan waved a hand. "No rush. Let me be upfront with you first: I only have a hundred thousand taels on hand."
Ding Zuodong pondered briefly. "If spent shrewdly, that is plenty. Good assets are all cheap these days. Eldest... Boss, rest assured, I will save where saving is called for and spend where spending is due."
He Lingchuan smiled and tossed him a ten-tael silver ingot. "Go get yourself a new outfit first. Working under me, you can't be dressed too shabbily. Use whatever's left to buy some fruit and pastries for your kids; tell them it's on me."
Catching the silver, Ding Zuodong's solemn expression softened. Back when he managed Third Master Shu's properties, would hundreds or thousands of taels have even caught his eye?
Alas, times had changed and fortunes fallen; even a hero could be humbled by a single copper.
The last time his grandson had clamored for iced cheese, he hadn't had the heart to spare the money for it.
Ding Zuodong bowed deeply to He Lingchuan. "This Ding will surely spare no effort and serve to the utmost."
Pointing at Shan Youjun, who had listened in the entire time, He Lingchuan said, "Take him to Huixiang Hall to get him patched up. Return a lively, top-notch fighter to me as soon as possible."
It was late by now. After bowing and expressing their thanks, the two took their leave.
Once they departed, Sun Hongye finally spoke: "Boss, you laid your cards on the table after meeting him just once?" People in this era generally preferred keeping their wealth hidden.
"Do not use those you suspect; do not suspect those you use. A man driven into a corner can be trusted," He Lingchuan said with a chuckle. "If the day comes when he's once again the formidable Steward Ding, then I might have to keep an eye on him."
He was certain Ding Zuodong would clutch tightly to this final straw to revive his fortunes, pouring heart and soul into working for him.
At least for quite some time.
"Shan Youjun and Jiao Tai served as captain and vice-captain when they were rangers in the north. Raiding camps, ambushing, scouting, intercepting—they've done it all, and killed plenty of men. Shan Youjun is steady and shrewd, while Jiao Tai is blunt and fiercely loyal," Sun Hongye said. "When I tracked Shan Youjun down, he had already visited the jail cells twice. He told me that as long as Jiao Tai was saved, their lives would belong to the Boss."
"Do they have families?"
"Neither of them."
"Very well. Once Jiao Tai is out, have them swear a blood oath to follow me." He Lingchuan patted his shoulder. "You handled this matter splendidly. Keep up the good work." Buy one, get one free—he had gained Ding Zuodong out of nowhere.
Ding Zuodong had passed his interview smoothly; hopefully the fellow would pull his weight just as reliably later on.
...
Amid the mixed and turbulent feelings of Dunyu's populace, five days slipped swiftly by.
For three of those days, He Chunhua and his younger son ate, slept, and worked inside the prefectural yamen, only stepping out to conduct inspections everywhere. When He Chunhua finally returned home on the evening of the fifth day, he was met with Madam Ying's resentment, which practically spilled past the courtyard walls.
"Madam, I had no choice in the matter!" After great effort calming his wife, the couple bathed, changed, and the family of three sat down to a lavish dinner.
He Lingchuan was missing.
He Chunhua hadn't seen his eldest son in days either. In the past, He Lingchuan would drop by the yamen, but now that the father had no time for the son, was the son not even bothering to look for his father?
"Where is Chuan'er?"
"Where is my brother?"
Father and son asked in unison.
"He went out early this morning without saying where. You only sent word at noon that you were coming home tonight, so I couldn't find him either," Madam Ying said wistfully. "Each of you busier than the last, leaving an old woman like me all alone to guard this vast mansion."
Father and son hastily apologized. He Yue smiled. "Doesn't Mother have her own amusement, too?"
The mansion renovations Madam Ying supervised were ongoing, clattering and clanging relentlessly from dawn to dusk. The reason he and his father hadn't come home for three days, aside from being busy, was to escape the noise.
Madam Ying hummed a soft snort without disputing it. Truth be told, she was having quite a lot of fun.
After dinner, He Chunhua returned to the study.
The head steward Lao Mo brought tea for rinsing the mouth and closed the door behind him.
"How have things been at home these past few days?"
"Everything is running smoothly, without incident," Lao Mo said. "Except that Madam was dissatisfied with the corridor in the west wing and demanded the foreman tear it down and rebuild it."
"And the household expenses?"
Lao Mo reported several key figures, none exceeding He Chunhua's expectations. "We have just arrived in Dunyu and have yet to secure our footing. We must still spend conservatively; we cannot afford to be lavish."
Chapter 234