As the evening glow filled the sky and dragonflies danced around, another day in Yang Village came to an end. Villagers carrying hoes and baskets passed through the mountain pass and noticed that Cheng Duo's yard was filled with people, and there was an exceptionally wonderful aroma in the air.
Spicy and flavorful, mixed with a gentle evening breeze, it made the people who had worked hard all afternoon and were hungry salivate uncontrollably.
"What's that fragrance? It smells so good!"
"The young master is here again; the hunter must have prepared delicious food for the guests… But it smells too good, what could they be cooking?"
"You're asking me? I want to know too!"
No one dared to go up and ask, so they could only silently inhale the tempting scent as they passed by, then quicken their pace to return home.
Unable to resist the temptation, one person also paced around the pot, growing anxious, "Is it ready yet?"
Realizing that no one responded to him, he endured for a while and urged again, "Is it almost done? The smell is so enticing; can we eat it now?"
Xie Yuan's eyes were fixed on the large iron pot, where the hotpot base was still sizzling and bubbling, and the oil-fried red peppers and various spices were as alluring as captivating beauties, making it hard for him to look away.
With his hands pressed against his grumbling stomach, during lunch, he couldn't eat much as he found the food too hot. Cheng Duo had the cook prepare various bitter gourd dishes and bitter gourd soup for them… He barely had any appetite and only drank some soup. Now, he was hungry, and it felt like his stomach was being scratched from the inside.
Moreover, with such a feast in front of him, he couldn't bear to eat anything else to fill his stomach. The more he smelled the aroma, the hungrier he became. At this moment, he even wanted to grab a piece of dried chili from the boiling oil!
The cook responsible for stirring the pot was being watched by their young master. With his already sweaty forehead, even more sweat beads emerged, and his movements became disoriented.
"Ignore him and keep stirring in one direction," Cheng Duo advised. He sat confidently on a small stool, and by his side, his wife had just cut up some watermelon chilled by the mountain stream. He appeared calm and composed, unlike the ants on a hot pan—Xie Yuan, who seemed to be waiting for something good to happen.
While instructing the cook on adding ingredients, Cheng Duo also reminded Yong Ge to eat more. Yong Ge felt embarrassed and asked for Xie Yuan, "Cheng Ge, how much longer do we need to stir?"
Since it was his wife asking, Cheng Duo couldn't pretend not to hear. He smiled and asked Yong Ge, "Are you hungry?"
Yong Ge nodded. It wasn't just hunger; the fragrance was simply too tempting. After eating two pieces of chilled watermelon to moisten his mouth, just the smell of the spicy peppers made his mouth water.
Yong Ge was already in that state, but the other servants of the Xie family, some sitting, some standing, had already finished their portion of the chilled watermelon, and now they were looking at Xie Yuan with hopeful eyes, hoping that their young master would be in a good mood and share some with them.
After smelling the aroma, who would still want to eat tasteless meals!
Seeing Yong Ge helping to ask, Xie Yuan gave him a grateful look, his eyes watery, and the child was almost crying from hunger!
Before Yong Ge could say anything, Cheng Duo scolded him first, "Serves you right! I offered you lunch, and you didn't eat it. Now that there's watermelon, you still complain about it occupying your stomach."
Xie Yuan pursed his lips, "That thing is mostly water, and I'm already tired of eating it at home."
He felt that Cheng Duo was deliberately teasing him. The hotpot base had been stir-fried since the sun began to set in the west, and it was still not done!
He admitted that Cheng Duo's hotpot smelled incredible!
"When can we put the ingredients in? I'm starving to death!" he urged.
Cheng Duo ignored him and turned to Yong Ge, saying, "It'll be ready in fifteen minutes, and then we'll start eating."
Yong Ge suppressed a smile and nodded. He couldn't help but feel pleased with the special treatment from Cheng Duo. However, Xie Yuan's resentful eyes made him a little uncomfortable.
The other chef had already prepared the side dishes, freshly picked from the fields—crisp lettuce, white radish, green onions, neatly sliced pork, beef, and chicken. Additionally, there were fried tofu, fresh tofu, meatballs, fish balls, and small yellow croaker.
Cheng Duo instructed the cook to divide the stir-fried base into two pots, then added the prepared chicken soup. With the large iron pot, they combined it with a makeshift earthen stove, and the summer hotpot feast began.
As sesame sauce was prone to spoil in hot weather, Cheng Duo only had the cook prepare minced garlic and sesame oil as dipping sauce.
"When the weather gets cooler, you can make pure sesame sauce for dipping. Those who like garlic can use garlic, and those who prefer sesame sauce can use that…" he suggested.
Xie Yuan didn't know if he heard Cheng Duo or not; he just nodded indifferently and started desperately adding meat and vegetables into the pot.
Yong Ge reminded him helplessly, "Young Master Xie, put less; too much will slow down the cooking. Aren't you hungry?"
Xie Yuan said aggrievedly, "But I want to eat everything."
However, he also knew Yong Ge was right, so he reluctantly put down the plate of small yellow croakers.
Xie Yuan looked like a hungry tiger descending a mountain, and as soon as Cheng Duo said they could eat, he quickly picked up a piece of beef, dipped it in minced garlic and sesame oil, and impatiently put it into his mouth—
"Hot! So hot! Hot…" Xie Yuan opened his mouth wide, blowing air to cool the meat in his mouth, but he refused to spit it out.
Finally, when the meat cooled down, he chewed it and widened his eyes in surprise, "It's delicious!"
Cheng Duo also thought the taste was acceptable. If only they had some beer, ice-cold beer and summer hotpot would be a perfect combination.
However, this wish could only be left as a thought. Xie Yuan seemed to have the same idea and said while stuffing his mouth, "Eating this hotpot with a glass of our Xie family's chilled Shihuanying wine would be great! Even if we don't have Shihuanying wine, a glass of chilled herbal tea would do!"
They, as a large restaurant, generally have their own ice cellar. Although the ice can't be preserved for long during the peak of summer and the price is expensive, those who are willing to spend money wouldn't mind the cost of the ice.
Speaking of this, Xie Yuan was reminded of the countless times he complained before, "Tell me, why do you insist on staying in this village that has nothing? What's good about this place!"
It's all Cheng Duo's fault that he couldn't even enjoy chilled Shihuanying wine with hotpot!
Cheng Duo and Yong Ge exchanged a glance, understanding each other without words, and they both had a smile in their eyes: If Xie Yuan knew about the treasure hidden in the dilapidated tomb behind their village, it was even more valuable than their Xie family's business accumulated over several generations. He would definitely not say such things.
Xie Yuan unintentionally swallowed some food and choked. He decided to stop talking and just focus on eating his hotpot!
Compared to the three of them at one table, the other table with two chefs and five servants was much more competitive. Fortunately, they remembered that their young master was right next to them, so they fought for food while keeping their actions reasonable.
Cheng Duo also reminded them to cook the food thoroughly before eating, so as not to have diarrhea at night.
With those two chefs present, he should be able to rest assured, right?
As Xie Yuan ate more, he finally slowed down. After tasting all the side dishes, he started to pick out the small yellow croakers he liked.
"This hotpot is convenient to make, despite the troublesome stir-frying of the base. What about other vegetables, delicacies, and fish? Can they also be used as side dishes?" he asked.
"Of course! In our place, there's nothing that can't be used in hotpot…" Cheng Duo explained the eating style of hotpot to Xie Yuan, summarizing the generally accepted practices from various regions.
After discussing how to eat, the next topic was how to cooperate.
After tonight's "tasting," Xie Yuan had been completely conquered by the hotpot. With his vision, he could clearly see how popular it would become once introduced.
"What I mean is, we open a dedicated hotpot restaurant, and we'll share the cost of the storefront and decoration. I'll provide the recipe, and you'll be responsible for the ingredients and manpower. We split the profits fifty-fifty," Cheng Duo proposed. In fact, this collaboration was already advantageous for him, considering the expensive ancient spices, except for manpower.
"How can that be? Your recipe alone is worth a fortune," Xie Yuan waved his hands repeatedly. Cheng Duo was generous during the whole process of stir-frying, and there was no secrecy. He couldn't just take advantage and not return the favor; that's not how business is done!
Moreover, Xie Yuan believed that Cheng Duo was a person worthy of investment. The more this was the case, the more he couldn't ruin their relationship.
In the end, they reached an agreement. The business plan was as Cheng Duo proposed, but Xie Yuan offered him an additional ten percent of the profits as compensation for the recipe.
Although this business was a joint venture between the two, the recipe was shared. They didn't know if they could adhere to the agreement in ten or twenty years, so this was an advance compensation for Cheng Duo.
Xie Yuan knew that Cheng Duo had already earned thousands of taels of silver by selling Shao Guang wine, so he was not worried about him not being able to come up with the money. However, for the location and decoration of the hotpot restaurant, he would definitely need to discuss with Cheng Duo. So, he hoped that Cheng Duo would stay with him in Twenty li slope for some time until the hotpot restaurant was opened.
Of course, Cheng Duo couldn't agree to this. He originally wanted to be a hands-off boss, especially because involving more people in the business would make the management more chaotic. So, he explained the layout and operation of a modern hotpot restaurant to Xie Yuan, gave him some guidance, and left everything to him.
It wasn't that Cheng Duo was lazy, but the Xie family had been in business for so long and had their own set of operating principles, different from modern times. He said what Xie Yuan needed to know, and if it was something he could adopt, then he could go ahead with it, and if not, he could make his own decisions.
Xie Yuan's family could trust him to manage the family business with confidence, so there was no need for Cheng Duo, an outsider in the business world, to interfere.
Of course, when the restaurant was up and running, he would occasionally check the accounts. Trust was one thing, but he couldn't afford to be fooled, so he had to keep an eye on things.
In fact, Cheng Duo's generosity not only showed his trust in Xie Yuan but also his confidence in himself. Although he didn't care about the hotpot profits now, he could guarantee that whatever he invested, he could take back as much. Therefore, he wasn't afraid of being fooled.
That night, Xie Yuan and his group stayed at Cheng Duo's house. Fortunately, when Cheng Duo got married, he considered the convenience of guests staying overnight, so he bought bamboo beds from the villagers and also had two bamboo mats. Seven people sleeping in the main room didn't feel too crowded.
The other people were used to it since many of them had come from humble origins and had slept on straw stacks and field ridges before, so the bamboo mats were already considered good enough for them.
However, Xie Yuan couldn't help but complain, "What kind of house did you build? You don't even have a guest room. It's so inconvenient!"
"It's almost done, young master. Please bear with it a little longer," Cheng Duo said when he noticed that Xie Yuan was still dissatisfied. "By the way, tomorrow morning, we can cook noodles in the hotpot. If you complain again, I won't prepare your portion."
"!!" Xie Yuan hurriedly laid down and pretended to be dead. Wasn't it enough that he stopped talking!
Cheng Duo knew that people who ate hotpot for the first time would find it hard to forget the taste. Moreover, the food in ancient times lacked oils and fats, so even though Xie Yuan was a young master, he wouldn't experience any negative effects from it. For them, a hotpot meal was always enjoyable, and they would never tire of it.
Seeing Cheng Duo say this, not only Xie Yuan and his servants but even Yong Ge's eyes lit up…
The next day, they indeed had hotpot noodles as planned. The two chefs Xie Yuan brought along were skilled at making noodles. Using pure natural wheat flour, they made noodles that were tender and chewy, with a clear yellow color and translucent edges after being cooked. When they poured a spoonful of steaming hot hotpot soup base over the noodles and sprinkled green chive segments, blanched vegetables, and bamboo shoots on top, it became a heavenly delicacy.
In Cheng Duo's courtyard, everyone held a large bowl in hand, happily eating the hotpot noodles. Some people wolfed down a bowl and immediately rushed to the kitchen to add more noodles, afraid of missing out.
"You guys, why are you fighting over it? Haven't I always made sure you have enough to eat?" Xie Yuan sat on a small stool, scolding his people for behaving like starved ghosts as they fought over the food.
However, his complaints didn't seem very convincing, considering the red oil all over his mouth and how he involuntarily increased his speed while eating the noodles.
Xie San, who was a home-born servant of the Xie family and had risen from being Xie Yuan's book boy to his close servant, spent enough time with Xie Yuan to not be afraid of him. Now, holding a bowl of noodles he had just snatched from the kitchen, he grinned and replied, "Young Master, it's not that you didn't feed us enough. The hotpot is just too delicious! Look at all of us. Once you and Master Cheng open the hotpot restaurant, the people in twenty li slope will definitely rush to eat there, and the business will be booming!"
"Well said." Xie Yuan was pleased with the flattery and didn't mind, so he turned his head to the kitchen door and said, "Hey, come and add more noodles to my bowl!"
The kitchen quickly responded, and then Xie Yuan looked at Cheng Duo and Yong Ge, asking, "Do you want more?"
Yong Ge shook his head honestly, "No, I'm good. How about you, Brother Cheng?"
Cheng Duo replied, "One more bowl, please."
In fact, the bowl they were using was bigger than a person's face. Usually, an ordinary person would be full after finishing one bowl, but the ancient people ate less because of the scarcity of oil and water, making them get hungry quickly.
But this hotpot noodles were different. The thick red oil coating the noodles meant that even after eating the noodles and the soup, one would already feel full. However, it showed how much they loved this hotpot noodles, eating it with a spirit of not stopping until they were full.
Xie Yuan had originally only casually scolded them, but who knew that after they finished breakfast, one of the chefs came over and quietly told him that Cheng's noodle jar was already empty…
How embarrassing!
It seemed he didn't scold Xie San and the others for being starved ghosts without reason. Of course, Xie Yuan was the exception!
Because of this, Xie Yuan, who had originally planned to mooch a few more hotpot meals before leaving, wisely said his goodbyes after receiving the hotpot recipe transcribed by Cheng Duo himself.
Cheng Duo also breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good. You go back first and make arrangements. I'll come to twenty li slope in a few days when I'm free."
It wasn't easy to feed this group of gluttons, and he couldn't expose his space. If they didn't leave soon, he would have to go to the village to buy more food in a few days!
"By the way, I split half of the stir-fried hotpot ingredients for you. The ones without added water can be stored for a while. Take them with you. The chef might have made some differences in the soup base when he tried it himself, so you can use it as a reference back home."
Xie Yuan was delighted, "Really? That's such a great thing! Uh, I mean… Brother Cheng, you're so thoughtful."
Cheng Duo rolled his eyes at him. How could he not see what Xie Yuan was happy about? "You've had two hotpot meals in a row, and you're still not tired of it?"
Xie Yuan fidgeted, "Well, uh, it's not that… I want to take it back for my parents to taste it, you know."
"Eat it if you want, but don't eat up all the special hotpot ingredients I saved for you," Cheng Duo warned.
Xie Yuan nodded as if he was crushing garlic, exuding an air of joy, "I know, I know, Brother Cheng, don't worry."
The more he said this, the more worried Cheng Duo became…
But never mind, since Xie Yuan himself found the spices, he could just keep an eye on the chef and have him stir-fry it again when he visits twenty li Slope next time.
"Oh, by the way, I have something to ask you."
"Brother Cheng, go ahead!" After emptying Cheng's noodle jar and receiving benefits from Cheng Duo, Xie Yuan felt a bit embarrassed, so he was eager to help now.
"It's like this. Yong Ge's father is currently in Yu Fang Mountain, and his elder brother broke his leg over there. If the guards from your commercial firm have time, I'd like to ask them to go and deliver some herbs and food to them."
"That's easy, I'll arrange it when I get back." Xie Yuan readily agreed, not even asking for money from Cheng Duo.
"Cheng Duo…" Yong Ge looked at Cheng Duo with joy, and he was soon held by Cheng Duo's hand. "Now you can rest assured, right?"
Yong Ge blushed, and although Xie Yuan had been teasing them with winks and nudges all this time, he didn't want to break free, "Yeah."
Xie Yuan might not look serious on the surface, but after being shown around and taken care of by Cheng Duo for two days, he also had some thoughts in his mind.
He rode back to twenty li Slope on horseback, not even bothering to wipe off the sweat on his forehead, and rushed excitedly into his own courtyard.
He entered the main house first, only to find it empty. Then he turned and went to the study, where he saw his husband, Shen Anyue.
"An Ge!"
Shen Anyue was painting at the moment, and Xie Yuan's sudden appearance startled him, causing his hand to tremble and the ink to drip onto the painting, ruining the view of the mountains.
"Young Master!" The servant, Shen Si, exclaimed in surprise.
Shen Anyue's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and he directly tore the ruined paper and took out another clean sheet to repress it. "Get rid of it."
Shen Si took the paper, glared fiercely at Xie Yuan, and left.
Xie Yuan also felt a bit embarrassed. Half of the script he had prepared in his heart disappeared in an instant. He stammered, "I'm sorry, An Ge, I didn't know you were painting…"
Shen Anyue was cold and aloof, not even looking at Xie Yuan, asking coldly, "What's the matter?"
"Ah?" Xie Yuan was dumbfounded, completely different from his usual savvy and capable self.
"You came back suddenly to find me. Isn't there something you want to say?" Shen Anyue's gaze was cold, and his tone was indifferent.
Being looked at so coldly by his husband, Xie Yuan's enthusiasm when he returned home had already dissipated a lot, and his carefully prepared script was all over the place. "Um, that, I… just got something very delicious from Brother Cheng. It's called hotpot. We plan to do business together, using this hotpot… An Ge, I specially brought a portion back. Let's have a hotpot dinner with my parents tonight?"
After stumbling through his words, Xie Yuan secretly cursed himself. His husband came from a scholarly family and hated to hear about such "business" matters.
He was afraid he had annoyed him again…
Sure enough, after hearing him out, Shen Anyue's expression turned even colder, with a hint of mockery at the corner of his mouth. "No, I haven't had much of an appetite recently. It wouldn't be good to affect my father and mother's banquet. Please understand, husband."
"Then, should we eat separately?" Nervous, Xie Yuan came up with another bad idea.
Shen Anyue lowered his gaze and said nothing, while Shen Si muttered in a small voice, "Young Master, if you do that, it'll make things difficult for our Young Master."
Xie Yuan actually thought about it and awkwardly tugged at the corner of his mouth, "I got it wrong."
Xie Yuan, who came back in high spirits, returned dejectedly. He didn't dare to mention having a hotpot dinner together as a family. Feeling disheartened, he left and had the kitchen prepare a portion to be delivered to the yard. Then, he returned to the study in the front courtyard.
"Humph, you said you have no appetite, but he didn't even show any concern. At least come back to have dinner with you. I've inquired; the Young Master hasn't gone to the master and madam's yard, so I don't know which little fox he's accompanying!" Shen Si returned after a round outside, muttering angrily.
Shen Anyue glanced at him but didn't say anything.
Shen Si was brought out from the Shen family by him, and even though he had many faults, he couldn't possibly drive him away just because he was fond of him.
Moreover, Shen Si dared to be so bold in front of Xie Yuan because of his indulgence…
Thinking of this, Shen Anyue smiled self-mockingly. As the son of a convicted official, he dared to show off and act willfully in front of his parents. Letting him be impudent and give him face, wasn't it all due to Xie Yuan's indulgence?
Back then, he knew nothing and was brought home by Xie Yuan, even officially married. He almost believed it… Unfortunately, he later heard the truth.
A hint of coldness flickered in Shen Anyue's eyes. If only he hadn't suddenly turned back and overheard what Xie Yuan said to his parents, he could have continued to deceive himself…
"Never mind, I'm hungry. Set the table." Shen Anyue waved his hand.
Shen Si answered, and when he came back with a tray, his expression had changed, "Young Master, Young Master, is this the hotpot that Young Master mentioned? It smells so good!"
He had been sniffing it all the way and almost got himself lightheaded!
Shen Si looked greedy, and Shen Anyue also showed a curious expression, putting down the book in his hand, "What is it? Bring it over for me to see."
The lingering aroma in the air was indeed enticing, and it carried a hint of spiciness, which aroused the appetite he hadn't felt for a few days.
The kitchen provided a dipping dish, and Shen Anyue picked up a slice of bamboo shoots coated in chili oil, dipped it in the sauce dish, and then took a small bite of white rice.
"How is it, Young Master? Is it delicious?" Shen Si swallowed, his eyes expectantly asking.
Although Shen Anyue had long ceased to be particular about eating silently, he still swallowed the food in his mouth and gracefully nodded, saying, "The taste is excellent."
No wonder Xie Yuan was so excited. If they used this hotpot to open a restaurant, it would surely be successful.
Shen Anyue fell in love with hotpot at first taste and particularly enjoyed eating it with rice. Unfortunately, he seemed to have eaten only a few bites from the white porcelain basin, and before he knew it, it was empty…
Feeling a bit unsatisfied, Shen Anyue looked at the empty basin and paused for a moment with the chopsticks before turning his attention to another plate of side dishes.
Actually, it was no wonder that the kitchen had given him so little; he had never been a big eater, and they probably didn't expect him to finish it in one go.
"Young Master…" Not just the kitchen, even Shen Si didn't expect his Young Master to finish the entire dish.
He had been thinking of tasting some leftovers himself, but now, only the soup remained!
Shen Anyue felt a bit embarrassed, "Sorry, I forgot about you… How about you go to the kitchen and ask if they can bring you another portion?"
Actually, he now had the impulse to mix the leftover soup with rice, but with Shen Si standing there, he felt a bit embarrassed to act on it.
"I'll go right away!" Shen Si rushed off in a hurry. At this moment, he had no idea that the kitchen had already been picked clean by people from the other yards, and there was no portion left for him.
What's even more despairing for him was that by the time he returned, his Young Master had already mixed the soup with rice!
Looking at the servant who had written all over his face, looking as if he had been struck by lightning, Young Master Xie put down his chopsticks in embarrassment, "Well, don't look at me like that. When husband's hotpot restaurant opens, I'll take you there first to try it…"
Shen Si: Burst into tears!
While Shen Anyue and his servant almost clashed over a bowl of hotpot, Xie's father, who had tasted the delicious hotpot, smelled a business opportunity and personally came to find his son.
"Is this hotpot you had from the kitchen today the one given by Cheng Duo?" Xie's father asked.
"Yes, Cheng Duo and I have decided to open a restaurant together, specializing in this hotpot. Father, this hotpot is even more delicious when cooked on a small stove right at the table. Moreover, as autumn and winter approach, inviting a few friends to enjoy a steaming hot and delicious meal, we could even sell a lot of alcohol alone."
Hearing this, Xie's father glared at him, "If it's more delicious when cooked on the spot, why did you let the kitchen prepare it and bring it to us?"
"I didn't want to make you and mother endure the heat of cooking in such hot weather, that's why." Xie Yuan's eyes shifted, and he made a playful excuse.
Xie's father snorted, "I know you well enough. Look at what you've become now! You'd rather stay alone in the study than eat with us in the main courtyard. How long will you protect him?"
In Xie's father's eyes, as long as his old wife allowed Shen Anyue to stay with them day and night, it was already good enough. Yet, he actually made his son afraid to eat with them just because Shen Anyue was aloof and disliked serving them!
A fallen child of an official, what right did he have to be so arrogant?
Even though Shen's father had students all over the country and they were willing to give face to the Xie family for Shen Anyue's sake, as three years passed, the help Shen's family could provide the Xie family had become meager. Why should his son continue to suffer?
What made Xie's father even more intolerable was that Shen Anyue, being the legitimate wife, was unable to conceive, and he still didn't let his son visit his two concubines' rooms. At this rate, when would they be able to hold a grandchild?
"I'm telling you, Xie Yuan, if your room remains quiet this year, you must divorce that infertile man for me!"
"Father, what are you saying? It's not Anyue's fault if there's no progress! The two you picked for me haven't shown any results either, have they?"
"It's not his fault that there's no progress, but could it be your fault?" Xie's father was furious. His son had no face left due to his precious husband, and he dared to accept responsibility for such matters!
They had listened to his nonsense back then, thinking that he married Shen Anyue for the sake of the Xie family's business. Yet now, Shen's most promising student, the magistrate of Suyang Prefecture, Tao Heng, had been transferred to another prefecture, and his son still refused to divorce Shen Anyue.
Now he realized what it really was: he favored Shen Anyue himself!
"Father, let's talk about business. Why are you going off on a tangent? Let's discuss the real matter, the real matter…" Xie Yuan saw that his father's expression wasn't good and quickly steered the conversation back to the business.
To divert Xie's father's attention, Xie Yuan meticulously explained the agreement he had made with Cheng Duo, and also mentioned some feasible suggestions Cheng Duo had given him. He praised, "Brother Cheng is truly remarkable. The Shao Guang wine he presented not only brought immense popularity to our Xie's Restaurant, but now whenever people in Wudu County think of good wine, they think of Xie's Restaurant!"
"And this hotpot, such a superb delicacy, I don't know which master came up with it, but Brother Cheng wasted no time in teaching it to me. Besides these suggestions, he said I could have full decision-making power…"
Xie's father stroked his beard, showing a thoughtful expression. "I always felt that this person's background wasn't simple. Now, according to what you're saying, his insight might be no less than ours."
Xie Yuan also felt the same and nodded. Seeing this, Xie's father quickly reminded him, "If he refuses to reveal his origins, you mustn't go around prying."
"Dad, am I that reckless?" Xie Yuan sighed. He wanted to build a good relationship, not offend anyone.
After discussing further, Xie's father agreed to move the Xie family's storefront on Pipa Street, renovate it, and open a hotpot restaurant for Xie Yuan.
After his father left, Xie Yuan let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he brought Cheng Duo into the conversation at the critical moment; otherwise, his father would have kept on nagging.
Xie Yuan wasn't afraid of his parents, but he was worried that they might not be able to deal with Shen Anyue and go on to harass him instead. That's why he accepted the two concubines his mother arranged for him without hesitation and, to demonstrate loyalty, he hadn't stepped into their rooms for the past two years.
He knew that, as a merchant's son, he wasn't worthy of his husband's status. Even if Shen Anyue didn't like him and was indifferent towards him, he didn't want to let go.
Occasionally, Xie Yuan felt that he was quite despicable. He knew that what Shen Anyue wanted was a talented and knowledgeable partner who could discuss poetry and literature. But he wasn't that kind of person. Whenever he read, he dozed off, and he was a mess when it came to music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
What he excelled at was precisely what Shen Anyue detested…
After seeing how well Cheng Duo and Yong Ge got along, Xie Yuan had always thought that his cold heart could be warmed up if he persisted. However, when he saw how affectionate the couple was, he inexplicably felt a bit uneasy. Was he torturing Shen Anyue like this?
Shaking his head to dispel these thoughts, Xie Yuan decided not to dwell on them. He'd better think about how to arrange things and send supplies to Cheng Duo tomorrow…
》》》
(T/N: I hope there is an extra for these two's happy ending)
After Xie Yuan left, the molds Cheng Duo ordered from the carpenter arrived quickly. He had initially ordered one hundred molds, and since they were square and didn't require much carving, the carpenter delivered them promptly.
The carpenter's surname was Luo, and Cheng Duo had paid five coins for the mold, which totaled five hundred coins for one hundred molds. After Cheng Duo and his husband inspected the molds, Carpenter Luo nervously asked, "How are they? Are they usable?"
"They are usable." Cheng Duo nodded and had Yong Ge return to the room to get the money. He then asked Carpenter Luo, "I saw that the unicycle cart you used to deliver the molds was quite convenient. Can you make one… well, make two more for me? Also, besides the square brick molds, I need two hundred more for the thick tile molds."
Carpenter Luo gasped, "So many?"
"Not much. If there's a need for more later, I'll come to you again," Cheng Duo said to Carpenter Luo, who was amazed by the large order. However, when Yong Ge came out with the silver to settle the payment, Carpenter Luo became happy again.
Apart from the fact that making molds was an easy job that earned him five hundred coins in less than half a month, he was eager for Cheng Duo to continue placing orders with him.
After bidding farewell to Carpenter Luo, Cheng Duo looked at the messy courtyard and frowned, "We have all the tools now. Tomorrow, I'll find someone to build the house at the mountain pass."
Otherwise, everything would pile up in the house, making it inconvenient for him, and there would be the risk of accidentally dropping something and harming Yong Ge.
"Sure, I'll find people to make mud bricks tomorrow," Yong Ge said enthusiastically. He and Cheng Duo had discussed that Cheng Duo would handle building the house and kiln, while he would gather the village women and men to make mud bricks.
The mud bricks needed some time to dry, which would be perfect once the kiln was built.
Cheng Duo, seeing Yong Ge all pumped up, affectionately kissed his forehead, "Then, my husband, you'll have to work hard."
Yong Ge knew Cheng Duo was teasing him, so, in return, he didn't hold back and gave a kiss to Cheng Duo's chin, blushing afterward.
Cheng Duo embraced his little husband's slender waist and kissed him thoroughly. Given that they had been intimate for most of the previous night after being unsealed with great difficulty, Cheng Duo kept it brief this time and didn't go overboard.
As they needed to find people to work, the two went to the village together in the afternoon, but they parted ways at the crossroads. Cheng Duo went to Uncle Li's house, while Yong Ge carried the wild rabbits they agreed upon and headed to Shanzi's house.
Shanzi happened to be home and was surprised and delighted when he saw the rabbits, "You really caught rabbits?"
"Of course." Yong Ge nodded proudly, pointing at the wound on the rabbit's neck, "See, I shot it. The hole is still there."
"Yong Ge, you're amazing!"
Yong Ge also thought he was quite remarkable. Just two or three months ago, he couldn't have dreamed of being able to shoot a rabbit with an arrow.
Shanzi's younger siblings were also excited to see the rabbits. His elder sister, Xiao Hui, even brought a bowl of sweet syrup for Yong Ge. Don't underestimate this small amount of syrup – she rarely gave it away, and only when her younger brother cried uncontrollably would she feed him a bit to soothe him.
"By the way, Cheng Duo and I plan to build a brick and tile workshop. Do you and Hewazi want to help us make mud bricks?" Yong Ge briefly explained the process of making mud bricks and added, "Ten mud bricks cost one coin, and we'll need as many as possible…"
Shanzi's eyes lit up instantly. Before Yong Ge finished speaking, he couldn't wait to respond, "We're going!"
Hewazi was also excited. According to Yong Ge, making mud bricks wasn't difficult; the only challenging part was pounding the clay into the molds with force.
But that wouldn't deter them. They had already done heavy tasks like fetching water and chopping wood at home. How could they be afraid of two palm-sized mud bricks?
"Yong Ge, can I also help?" eight-year-old Xiao Hui hesitated for a moment before asking earnestly.
"But Xiao Hui, if you go, what about Xiao Xing and Mai Ge?"
"Yeah, Xiao Hui, Mai Ge and I will handle it. You can stay at home and take care of your younger siblings. There's still laundry and cooking to do at home, and Xiao Xing can't manage it alone," Hewazi quickly persuaded.
Though Xiao Hui felt disappointed, she realized that her second brother spoke the truth, so she didn't insist further.
Yong Ge understood her feelings; she was afraid of poverty and saw this opportunity to earn money, so she didn't want to miss it.
Many others shared the same idea. After leaving Hewazi's house, Yong Ge went to Aunt Qian's house. Aunt Qian, Yu Ge, and even Yu Ge's three sisters-in-law agreed to help the next day.
Aunt Qian's daughter-in-law cautiously asked, "I have a younger brother who also married into our village. Can I invite him too?"
"Sure, but let me be clear: if he doesn't work well and the mud bricks don't meet the standard, I'll send him away directly." Yong Ge had learned many things from Cheng Duo during this time and could look quite stern when necessary.
"No, no, my younger brother is well-behaved. I promise he'll be obedient."
She wanted to say something, but Aunt Qian stopped her, "Forget about your family. They're used to taking advantage of you and bullying you. Don't let them get you into trouble when it comes to earning money."
After Aunt Qian said that, she glanced at Yong Ge, and he immediately added, "That's right, whoever is brought here is responsible for their work. I won't go easy on anyone."
Though she couldn't let go of her family, she could only sigh and say, "I'll listen to Mother."
After Yong Ge left, she rushed to her younger brother's house to share the good news with him. Unexpectedly, she caught her several sisters-in-law bullying her younger brother, throwing their clothes into his room.
She was furious and scolded her younger brother angrily, "Are you made of clay? They ask you to wash clothes, and you just do it? Forget about them! Tomorrow, I'll take you to earn money!"
"Earn money? How?" One of the sisters-in-law scoffed, looking disdainful.
Was money so easy to come by? Their family couldn't even make a few coins!
She glared, "By making mud bricks! Ten mud bricks for one coin. You can earn as much as you want!"
"What? Making mud bricks can earn money?" One sister-in-law instantly changed her expression, eager to get more information from Aunt Qian's daughter-in-law.
Aunt Qian's daughter-in-law coldly snorted, "I won't hide it from you. Yong Ge is the one hiring people. His hunter husband is not to be trifled with. He's cunning and resourceful. For people like you, who won't even wash your own clothes properly, if you go, you'll be kicked out!"
"You're just exaggerating, you…"
Several sisters-in-law were angry and immediately started arguing with her. Consequently, the news that Yong Ge was hiring people to make mud bricks spread throughout the village before it was even dark.
"Have you heard? Yong Ge is hiring people to make mud bricks. Ten mud bricks for one coin!"
"Is it true? Why didn't I know about this?"
"Aunt Qian's daughter-in-law quarreled with someone, and she said it herself. How can it be false?"
"What's so difficult about making mud bricks? I can do it too! Yong Ge needs more people, so I want to go and ask."
"Let's go, let's go! Let's go together while it's not yet dark. Many people are going."
"Ah, why didn't you say so earlier…" The people who joined the conversation hurriedly followed along.
Half of the village's people crowded outside their homes, keeping a considerable distance away. Some people continued to arrive…
"Yong Ge, I heard your family is hiring workers. Do you think I'd be suitable?"
"Is it true that you're paying one wen for ten mud bricks? Count me in! I've been playing with mud since I was three!"
"Yong Ge, Aunt Cuihua watched you grow up. You should hire me instead of others…"
When Yong Ge opened the door, he was bewildered and instinctively looked at Cheng Duo.
Unlike before, Cheng Duo didn't step in to protect him this time; instead, he gave Yong Ge an encouraging look.
Yong Ge understood and gathered his thoughts. "Everyone… uncles, aunties, elder brothers, elder sisters… please calm down and listen to me."
Raising his hands, Yong Ge started speaking, initially stammering a bit, but feeling a gentle hand supporting his back, he gained confidence, and his voice became firm.
"I did hire people for making mud bricks, but we already have enough workers for the first batch of molds."
The crowd felt disappointed for a moment, but Yong Ge's words soon lifted their spirits. "However, once the next batch of molds is ready, I will hire more people. Everyone will have a chance, so please don't worry."
"When will the next batch… those molds be ready?" someone in the crowd asked, voicing their most pressing concern.
"Well, I forgot to ask Carpenter Luo…" Yong Ge scratched his head, looking embarrassed.
His bashful appearance diminished the sense of unfamiliarity from the news he just announced, and the people kindly smiled.
"Well, then we'll go ask Carpenter Luo ourselves!"
They wanted to say a few good words to Cheng Duo, but turning their heads, they saw half of his face obscured by the shadow of the gate, making it difficult to discern his expression.
Since Cheng Duo remained silent throughout, some feared he might be unhappy. After exchanging a few words with Yong Ge, the crowd slowly dispersed, returning to their homes.
After everyone had left, Yong Ge turned around and looked expectantly at Cheng Duo. "Cheng Duo, did I say the right things?"
"Correct." Cheng Duo smiled and leaned closer, kissing Yong Ge's lips. "This is a reward. Our Yong Ge is so smart and teachable!"
Yong Ge's eyes lit up instantly, and his gaze towards Cheng Duo was full of affection. He thought Cheng Duo was fantastic, teaching him archery, writing, and now letting him handle matters. No other husband was as good as his Cheng Duo!
Cheng Duo quickly covered Yong Ge's eyes. "Stop looking at me like that. We haven't had dinner yet. Remember how hungry you were last time when your stomach growled in the middle of the night?"
Yong Ge's eyes, unable to see, still curved into a smile. He did it on purpose; he wanted Cheng Duo to like him more…
While the two were sweetly interacting, someone felt that Cheng Duo's silence meant he was displeased with Yong Ge acting on his own, leading to a conflict between the two.
The following day, one of the men introduced by Li Erniu to help Cheng Duo build the house came to plead with him, seemingly wanting to get his family member into the mud brick-making team.
"Master Cheng, my husband follows me wherever I go. Let him work on the mud bricks; he can help you too. It would be beneficial for both of us. Besides, he's much more capable and stronger than the man you hired. In my opinion, once a girl marries, she should listen to her husband. Don't let him climb over your head just because you pamper him…"
As he spoke, Cheng Duo's expression grew darker, but the man thought he hit the nail on the head, so he became more and more confident.
"Don't blame me for being straightforward. No matter how handsome this boy is, it's just the same when the lights go out at night."
The surroundings gradually quieted down, and even the bustling crowd making mud bricks not far away heard him.
"Yong Ge…" Aunt Qian and Yu Ge felt a little worried. This man cared about his face, and Cheng Duo being criticized in public might lead to trouble for Yong Ge when they returned home.
"Wu Lahei, stop talking!" Li Erniu knew it wouldn't end well, so he reached out and pulled the man away.
Wu Lahei was not from their village, so he didn't know how fierce Cheng Duo could be. He didn't know if he should intervene if things got messy.
Soon, Li Erniu realized he didn't have to struggle with the decision. His vision blurred, and Wu Lahei was lifted by his collar and held up. "Since you can't do anything without your husband's service, then go back. I don't need someone like you here."
After a dismissive remark, Wu Lahei was casually thrown to the ground in an open space nearby.
Since it was overgrown with weeds, Wu Lahei didn't suffer any significant injuries. He got up while holding his buttocks and stammered to Cheng Duo, "Master Cheng, you, you misunderstood. I said those things for your own good. Look at my husband, with just a few beatings from me, he obeys me completely, and he doesn't dare to oppose me…"
"He's a dog, not a husband." Cheng Duo's face remained cold as he glanced at Wu Lahei. "My Yong Ge can invite whoever he wants. As long as he's happy. Besides, for now, it's just mud brick-making, but when the workshop is built, he will have just as much say!"
Wu Lahei opened his mouth to say something, but Cheng Duo's next words silenced him. "Only men with no abilities fear their husbands riding on their heads and even resort to beating them. Your narrow-mindedness is revolting. Get lost before I have to lay my hands on you."
Cheng Duo's face was full of disgust, and although he didn't actually use violence, his effortless act of throwing Wu Lahei out made the other men working on the house aware of how formidable he was.
The others exchanged looks, and not a single one of them spoke up for Wu Lahei. After all, Cheng Duo had offered such generous compensation for the work, and they still wanted the job.
Moreover, they were tired of Wu Lahei boasting in front of them about how obediently he could make his husband behave. They had long grown weary of him.
With no one supporting him, Wu Lahei left with an embarrassed expression.
He was gone, but Li Erniu and the other villagers began to think deeply due to Cheng Duo's words.
They had witnessed Cheng Duo's abilities during this time. He could take on a dozen men alone without breaking a sweat. Even Zhao Shugen's foreman tried to please him, and he knew the young master of the Twenty Li Slope's restaurant…
Did such a person genuinely believe that only those without abilities feared their husbands' dominance? Did the wealthy people from the Twenty Li Slope think the same way? When they went there, they rarely saw people from the city beating their husbands and wives…
So, did they stand out because they thought they lacked abilities and acted arrogantly?
Cheng Duo didn't know that because of his words, the men in the village refrained from laying hands on their wives starting from that day. As Cheng Duo showcased his increasing prowess and showered affection on Yong Ge, others began to follow suit. Unknowingly, the status of the wives in Yang Village started to rise.
Of course, this rise in status was also due to Yong Ge's willingness to treat them well. As they started earning money, their confidence soared.
Grateful to Yong Ge, the other husbands started to look up to him, and it became natural for them to follow his lead.
However, Yong Ge had no clue about this. He blushed under the teasing gazes of Aunt Qian and others. From time to time, when no one was paying attention, he stole glances at Cheng Duo.
Despite the numerous men working in that area, Yong Ge could always spot his Cheng Duo with a single glance. Because he was the tallest, the most handsome, and his work was the most efficient!
Cheng Duo's perception was honed in the apocalypse, so every time he turned his head, he caught Yong Ge in the act of stealing glances. Seeing him nervously lower his head, Cheng Duo couldn't help but smile. Despite working so close to each other, why did his little brother still have such a strong sense of attachment?
Cheng Duo and the others first constructed a warehouse near the bamboo forest, a cool and dry location. By this time, Yong Ge and the others had already piled up a considerable number of mud bricks. So in the afternoon, Cheng Duo gathered everyone to move the bricks into the warehouse and settled the payment for their work.
Among them, Sister Da Zhuang received the most, a total of eighty wen, and it had only been five and a half days. The second-highest earnings went to Qian's elder brother, who appeared quiet but was actually very diligent, earning a total of seventy-eight wen in one go.
Receiving their wages, everyone felt excited. Yong Ge decided to give them a break, allowing them to rest well.
Upon returning to the village, Aunt Qian and the others proudly showed off the money they earned, and those who heard their stories were moved to tears. Some even rushed to Carpenter Luo's house, reminding him to hurry up and get to work.
To this, Carpenter Luo could only smile wryly. Did they know that every time they came to urge him, they stood in the yard and delayed his work?
As some people felt happy, others felt upset.
Sha Yang's mother and his sisters felt far from joyful because they knew that as long as Feng Ge was around, Yong Ge would never consider hiring them!
Sha Yang's second sister had married within the village, and when she saw the joy on Aunt Qian and others' faces at the village entrance, her eyes turned red with jealousy. She turned back and went back to her parents' home.
It so happened that as soon as she returned, she saw her mother forcing Feng Ge to carry a slop bucket to the pigsty.
Seeing him come out of the kitchen holding the slop bucket, looking disgusted and constantly retching, Sha Yang's second sister felt no relief. Instead, she sneered and taunted, "Serves you right! Who asked some people to cling to others' families? Your in-laws don't like you, and your husband is annoyed by you to the point of not wanting to sleep at home. Carrying slop buckets is nothing compared to what a shameless person like you deserves. You're lucky that you're just getting off with this!"
Feng Ge raised his head at her words, his eyes full of resentment, and he moved the slop bucket. Sha Yang's second sister was taken aback and instinctively took a step back. "What are you looking at? I don't believe you'll dare to splash me with slop!"
She was probably afraid that Feng Ge would lose control and act recklessly. While she stepped back, she loudly called her mother, "Mother, come out quickly! This little rascal is acting up again! He wants to splash me with slop!"
"Does he dare!" Sha Yang's mother scolded, coming out without asking for an explanation. She went straight to Feng Ge and pinched him fiercely, saying, "Bad omen, how dare you bully my second daughter? You've gone too far!"
Feng Ge cried out in pain and loosened his grip, accidentally spilling more than half of the slop bucket onto Sha Yang's mother, drenching her. Of course, he couldn't avoid it himself and got a little splashed.
"Ah!" Sha Yang's second sister screamed.
Sha Yang's mother was also furious and splashed water from the water tank onto herself to wash off the slop. Then she grabbed a broom and started chasing after Feng Ge in a fit of rage. "I told you to let go, deliberately letting go! You heartless and rotten little brat, why don't you go die!"
While avoiding her attacks, Feng Ge shouted back, "Sure, I'll die! I'll hang myself at your doorstep tonight!"
"Are you daring enough to do it? Go ahead, I won't stop you!" Sha Yang's mother had already seen through Feng Ge's empty threats, or else she wouldn't have forced him to move the slop bucket.
Sha Yang's second sister also reacted and hurriedly came forward to help. The whole yard was filled with a foul smell, and chaos ensued. Even the neighbors who came to watch the commotion didn't dare to get too close…
Upon seeing Feng Ge being beaten and hearing about it, some busybodies went to find Wu Guihua. Wu Guihua had just come down the mountain with a heavy load of lumps of arrowroot, and she was drying them in the courtyard.
Arrowroot lumps, a type of starchy root, are ground into powder after drying, and they are tasteless. Wu Guihua used to despise them and found the work of digging them tiresome.
The soil on the mountain was hard, and these roots grew deep in the ground. The entire family of three had to work together, with Changsheng and his father digging, while she carried them. Every day, they worked until they were exhausted, and she didn't even want to move a finger.
Wu Guihua had a tired and numb look in her eyes as she squatted on the ground, skillfully rubbing the mud off the arrowroot. She didn't even bother to raise her head when she heard the busybodies approaching with a message.
In Wu Guihua's view, although the Sha Yang family treated Feng Ge poorly, their family's condition was there. If Feng Ge wanted to find something to eat, he could always find it, and Sha Yang's mother wouldn't let him starve.
But it was different for them. After the incident of marrying someone else on behalf of another family, no one in the village, unless they were foolish, would ever lend them money again. As the saying goes, helping the needy is different from helping the destitute. If they lent them money now, it would be like supporting them. They didn't even have a piece of land, and who knows when they would be able to pay it back?
It was only now that Wu Guihua realized the hardship of Li Wang and Yong Ge, especially when she sought help from her mother's family after their family ran into trouble. In the past, when she carried things back, her brother-in-law and sister-in-law would greet her with smiles from afar, but now they turned away as soon as they saw her, as if she were some dirty thing.
Her father even refused to let her into the house, stating that he didn't have such a shameful daughter and wanted to sever relations with her.
Wu Guihua was truly frightened. During the winter when her second brother broke his leg, she witnessed firsthand how difficult their lives were.
At that time, she just wanted their whole family to starve to death and not drag anyone else down…
But now that hard times had fallen upon her, she experienced the fear of having no one to turn to for help.
Wu Guihua regretted her past actions. Her life used to be good, but she had gradually worked herself into her current situation. Yes, it seemed to have started with Feng Ge marrying someone else, and there were two incidents… all because Feng Ge wanted to marry.
Wu Guihua was superstitious, especially after Feng Ge married into the Sha family, who seemed to have been making jokes every other day.
She gradually felt that Feng Ge might have an unlucky fate, not only harming his family but also those around him… Now, she didn't want to get involved with him anymore, partly because of this reason.
Actually, Wu Guihua had thought about going to ask Yong Ge for help after he started recruiting workers in the village. However, she was afraid of Cheng Duo, so she only went to ask Third Madam and some relatives from the Li family, but no one was willing to help her.
She had been such a bad person before, and everyone was afraid of getting involved in her mess.
Cheng Duo had a difficult personality, and now he had met a nobleman and was buying land and building a brickyard. They also wanted to benefit from him. At this time, to offend him for Wu Guihua, they were not that stupid!
Moreover, many people were eyeing Yong Ge's position. Even their own family members couldn't secure a place there, so why should an outsider benefit from it?
Everyone didn't notice that as the brickyard was built, Yong Ge recruited more and more people to make mud bricks. The villagers instinctively distanced themselves from Wu Guihua's family.
It seemed like an unwritten rule; even when Li Mancang and Li Changsheng passed by in the village, everyone pretended not to see them and avoided any greetings.
Li Mancang would initiate greetings himself, but others would quickly walk away, afraid of being seen as having a close relationship with them.
Li Mancang became increasingly silent, focusing only on his work every day. Li Changsheng, on the other hand, became even more reserved. Ever since he had spoken about his parents' intentions for Yong Ge in front of everyone, people believed that his honest and simple demeanor was an act.
Li Changsheng felt ashamed and couldn't even raise his head. However, his family needed to eat, so he could only follow his father, acting like an invisible and silent person.
Their family was gradually marginalized in the village. Soon, the latest news from Cheng Duo's brickyard made their existence even more awkward.
The brickyard started to buy firewood from outside, and Cheng Duo paid a fair price of two wen per ten catties. He bought a large quantity of firewood, and everyone was eager to help. Not just in Yang Village, but villagers from surrounding areas also started to go to the mountains to chop firewood and make money.
In ancient times, families were large because contraception was not common, leading to numerous children. With so many able-bodied individuals and limited job opportunities in the village, they could only rely on such work to make ends meet.
With this earning opportunity arising, every household was excited. Even children as young as six or seven years old helped their parents with work.
However, Li Mancang's family couldn't earn any money. They saw the villagers' faces getting better day by day, with everyone looking healthier and happier. Even families with several single siblings started looking for brides…
This shift in status made Li Mancang's family increasingly uncomfortable. The Sha family also faced a similar situation because the people in charge of buying firewood for the brickyard were Aunt Qian's three sons.
They hated Feng Ge. Not only did Li Mancang's firewood get rejected, but even Sha family's firewood was also rejected. Although Sha's second daughter's in-laws were better off and were not directly implicated, they still restricted Sha second sister from returning to her mother's home easily.
Li Mancang's and Sha Yang's families were ostracized, and Cheng Duo initially didn't know about it. But even after knowing, he didn't interfere and accepted Qian eldest son's actions as default.
After all, it was his money, and he could choose to give it to whomever he wanted. In modern businesses, there were also customer blacklists, so why couldn't he refuse to do business with people he didn't like?
On the other hand, Cheng Duo felt a bit overwhelmed. He had no experience in making clay bricks, and even with a recipe, it couldn't possibly cover all the details. So he experimented several times before successfully producing qualified bricks.
But once the clay bricks were made, he had to start renovating his own courtyard, so he had to run between the brickyard and the construction site, busy as a bee.
Yong Ge wanted to help, but he had only learned from Cheng Duo for a little over a month, and he could only manage the work for making clay bricks. Moreover, with the increasing number of people making clay bricks, he had to count during the day and then ask Cheng Duo to help with the bookkeeping at night…
The problem was with the bookkeeping. Cheng Duo was busy, and although Qian's three sons knew how much firewood they had weighed and how much money they had paid, they couldn't read or keep accounts.
It was convenient to pay for the firewood on the spot. However, while this might work for a short time, in the long run, it might give rise to some undesirable thoughts. Anyway, it was quite a lot of firewood stored in the warehouse, and Cheng Duo couldn't go there to weigh it every day to see how much was collected and used.
Furthermore, when the brickyard received orders in the future, he needed to have a record; otherwise, he wouldn't even know if he was losing money.
Initially, Cheng Duo wanted to ask Li San Ye for advice, but unexpectedly, someone was even more enthusiastic and came to him.
This person was Liu Shusheng.
Liu Shusheng was weak and unable to carry heavy loads. Although he was a student, the money he earned from copying books every month was barely enough for survival. People in the village rarely wrote letters, and there were even fewer requests for him to write contracts like Cheng Duo. After all, most villagers would never sell their land in their lifetime.
In the past two months, Liu Shusheng had fainted from hunger a few times at home, and his hands trembled while copying books. Seeing that he was on the brink of starving, he couldn't care about his dignity anymore and reluctantly asked his neighbors for food.
Of course, given his personality, he was not the type to borrow food and not return it. After filling his stomach, the next day he brought two books to his former classmates and, with a blushing face, exchanged them for money.
As the saying goes, where there's one, there's another. Once he had crossed that line, the threshold became much lower.
However, Liu Shusheng's family was poor, and they didn't have many books to begin with. Moreover, due to poor preservation, the books had wrinkled and turned yellow. Such books naturally couldn't be sold for a good price. After selling a few times, he could barely scrape by with a meal, but soon he ran out of money.
When he heard that Cheng Duo's brickyard was buying firewood, the whole village was bustling with excitement, but Liu Shusheng felt anxious. He had criticized Yong Ge several times before, and he even felt a bit of pity and admiration when someone paid attention to Yong Ge…
Of course, Cheng Duo might not necessarily know about this, as the last time he was caught peeking, nothing happened to him.
But Liu Shusheng didn't dare to sell firewood openly like the villagers. He was afraid of Yong Ge or Cheng Duo remembering what he had said. He valued his reputation and couldn't imagine becoming like Wu Guihua or the Sha family…
Thankfully, Liu Shusheng eventually came up with an idea. He couldn't appear in person, but his neighbors could, and every day they had to carry over a hundred catties of firewood to sell.
He could easily offer one wen and ask his neighbors to carry the firewood for him and exchange it for money.
However, Liu Shusheng didn't consider the difficulty of selling firewood and instead overestimated his own strength. After laboriously collecting a full load of firewood, he couldn't carry the heavy burden while descending the mountain, and the basket fell, causing him to tumble down the hill.
He didn't know whether he was lucky or unlucky, as he didn't break any bones from the fall. Instead, he hit his head and remained unconscious for a whole day and night.
Until the second day when Yu Ge, who was cutting grass, found him…
In fact, Liu Shusheng woke up several times on the way, but due to his injuries and weakness, he couldn't manage to get up. He thought he was going to die, so Yu Ge's appearance was like a lifesaver.
Even so, when Yu Ge helped him up and gave him a piece of candy, Liu Shusheng was stubborn and refused to accept it.
Seeing him like this, Yu Ge got annoyed, and in a fit of anger, he forced the candy into Liu Shusheng's mouth and scolded him, "Do you think I want to save you? I just don't want you to die here and soil this land! Look at yourself, do you think those sage books can feed you or clothe you? Preaching big words won't help. If you have the ability, go take the scholar's exam!"
Thanks to Yong Ge's help, Yu Ge had made new friends during this time, earned money from work, and no longer felt as inferior as before. In his current emotional state, he didn't hold back while scolding Liu Shusheng.
Liu Shusheng's face turned red upon hearing the words. "I, I… What does a little kid like you understand? I can't explain it to you!"
Yu Ge was also annoyed and stood up. "You're right, what does a little kid like me know? I won't tarnish the innocence of a scholar like you… Anyway, you're awake now, so get up and go home."
Yu Ge took a couple of steps forward, then stopped. "If I were you, I would fill my stomach first before thinking about all those miscellaneous things. If you can't even support yourself, how can you expect others to follow your teachings like they're listening to a sage? Look at Cheng Duo. He leads us all to make money, and one word from him is more effective than a hundred words from you."
After saying this, he walked away without looking back.
Liu Shusheng thought that Yu Ge really wouldn't care about him anymore, but to his surprise, not long after Yu Ge left, two villagers came and brought him back home.
That night, Liu Shusheng couldn't sleep and kept thinking about Yu Ge's words, wondering if he had come to understand something. This time, when Cheng Duo wanted to recruit an accountant, as soon as he showed a little interest, Liu Shusheng was the first to offer his help…
