novelAbuy Chapter 40 Renting a House
Chapter 40 Renting a House
The most important task in the first few days of September is to process outbound shipments.
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the Shen family hired several small boats to transport nearly 30,000 pieces of bronze artifacts to an ocean-going vessel anchored in Liujiagang, thus completing the handover between the two parties.
The shop is now empty, and there are fewer people—when it's not busy, the employees are naturally laid off. Now, besides Shao himself, there are only seven people in the shop: Yu Yuan, the accountant; Song You, the warehouse manager; Liang Tai, the guard; Cao Tong, the clerk; Brother Liu; the cook; and his nephew.
Bored, Shao Shuyi decided to take stock of his money. He secretly counted it and found he had nearly seventy strings of cash. The eight dou of rice, six liang of salt, and two jars of pickled vegetables that he had just received, along with the Mid-Autumn Festival gifts that Zheng Guozhen had entrusted to him, were kept in the corner of his bedroom and were not included in the count.
Without realizing it, he had become so rich.
"Four or five months ago, I was forced to flee on the spot by a single ingot of cash, and now I actually have seventy strings of cash. It's like a dream." Shao Shuyi sat behind the empty counter, feeling slightly emotional.
"What? You're so rich?" Footsteps sounded outside, and Wang Huadu appeared at the door with a grin.
Shao Shuyi chuckled, but at the same time, he was also somewhat alarmed.
He's gotten too cocky! If someone with ill intentions heard you had seventy strings of cash, they might actually kill you. This isn't an exaggeration; the standard for killing varies from person to person. For example, Li Fu, whom he met, had his wife pawned and was being pressured to pay taxes. Do you think he would kill someone for seventy strings of cash? As long as it's done discreetly, what can you do about it?
"Huh? Wait a minute. Li Fu?" Shao Shuyi seemed to be deep in thought.
"Little Tiger, I'm asking you a question," Wang Huadu said with a grin as he sat down.
Liang Tai peeked out from the back door, but upon seeing it was Wang Huadu, he retreated back to continue practicing martial arts.
"What?" Shao Shuyi asked, snapping out of his daze.
"I said Baijianu will be back soon. When he does, we'll buy some food and drinks and have a get-together," Wang Huadu said.
"How did you know?" Shao Shuyi asked curiously.
"It's usually around this time of year, but it's already a bit late this year."
"Okay." Shao Shuyi agreed without further ado.
"The house you asked us to find has been found," Wang Huadu said, bringing up the second matter.
"Oh? Where?" Shao Shuyi asked.
"It's about two miles east of here. Four houses, two courtyards, half an acre of vegetable garden, more than ten fruit trees, and an open space behind the house where you can practice your skills. The original owner ran away, and his relatives are taking care of it. It's cheap, only six strings of cash a month." After Wang Huadu finished speaking, he paused and then said, "I'm impressed. Why do you have to find a house like this? Just find any house in the street that doesn't have lights on at night, nearby, and you don't necessarily need this many."
Shao Shuyi smiled. He also felt that he was too much of a country bumpkin, always wanting to see land wherever he went. But Liujiagang was a very commercial place, with houses standing side by side. Where could you find farmland in the city? He could only look in the suburbs. Only this place near the old locust tree was a little out of the way, just two miles away from the countryside, which was how he found it.
"Six strings of cash is fine." Shao Shuyi said without hesitation.
"How many months?"
"Let's put the rent on for a year first," Shao Shuyi said. "But we can't pay the rent for a whole year. Never mind, let's go take a look first."
"I'll listen to you," Wang Huadu said indifferently.
"I heard you're working at the docks again?"
"Recently, many foreign ships have been coming, so it's easy to find work, and the pay is good. Why not go?"
"Come to the inn." Shao Shuyi frowned and said, "A dockworker earns only a few hundred coins a day. If you come to the inn, you'll at least get a few pecks of rice, a few ounces of salt, and twenty strings of cash."
"No need," Wang Huadu waved his hand and said, "I know that blue and white porcelain is a good business, and selling it to foreign merchants and sea travelers makes even more money, so it's only right to increase expenses. But let's wait until you become the manager before we talk about it. Then I'll come and eat your wares."
Having no other option, Shao Shuyi abandoned the idea and asked again, "How is Cheng Ji doing lately?"
"You want to buy bows and arrows from him, right?" Wang Huadu asked with a smile.
"Nothing can be hidden from you." Shao Shuyi also smiled.
"Forget about it," Wang Huadu said. "A decent bow won't cost less than a hundred strings of cash. Even if the soldiers sell it cheaply, it'll still cost at least two shi of rice."
Shao Shuyi grunted in response.
He spent twenty-five strings of cash on the bronze hand cannon, and the bow cost three or four times that amount—it was indeed expensive. But he really needed a bow now, preferably with some arrows, for his initial practice.
He'd already learned archery from Cheng Jin seven or eight times, mastering the essentials. He'd even practiced under Cheng Jin's supervision three or four times, correcting some of his mistakes. What he needed most now was plenty of practice. Before, the conditions weren't right—living in the ware shop made it difficult to practice openly. Now that he planned to rent a place, the conditions were met; all he lacked was a bow and arrows.
"Does Cheng Ji really have it?" Shao Shuyi wanted to confirm.
"Those bastards in Dadu, they'd sell even their wives and children to you if you had money," Wang Huadu said in an exaggerated tone. "It's just a bow; if you can afford it, they'd dare to dismantle a cannon."
Shao Shuyi laughed heartily and said, "I have a way to buy it."
Wang Huadu did not believe it.
"Could you please go back to Taicang and ask Cheng Ji how much a bow costs?" Shao Shuyi said.
"New or used?" Wang Huadu asked. "The new ones won't arrive until winter, so they probably won't sell to you. The used ones are actually not bad either, and they're cheaper."
"Anything is fine." Shao Shuyi waved his hand and said, "Just tell him that if he trusts me, he can pay thirty strings of cash upfront, the old bow in two months, and the new bow in three months. I can even add ten or so strings of cash to the original price."
Wang Huadu didn't understand this kind of "financial innovation" and just listened blankly.
"Okay, I'll go ask." He finally nodded.
In the evening, Shao Shuyi invited Wang Huadu to have dinner at the shop.
The cook worked very hard, bringing her nephew along, and wrapped two whole trays of chicken head powder wontons—Shao Shuyi suspected that she might have some connection with the chicken head powder vendor.
He had eaten this wonton once, and how should I put it, it felt a bit strange.
The mutton filling is mixed with dried tangerine peel powder and minced ginger. It is then wrapped in dough made from chicken head powder, cooked in mutton soup, and then scooped out.
Add one liter of fragrant rice to the mutton soup, cook until done, and then add the wontons from earlier.
Next, heat oil in a separate pan and stir-fry two liters of cooked peas, two cups of ginger juice, and two cups of papaya juice. Add this mixture to the meat broth containing wontons and fragrant rice, and finally add chopped green onions, salt, and other seasonings.
He had never eaten wontons with rice and beans before, and he wasn't used to them. However, Wang Huadu, as well as Yu Yuan, Liang Tai, and Song You, ate them with great relish.
Shao Shuyi chuckled to himself. With such generous ingredients, such rich nutrition, and such an open supply, what more could you ask for?
Despise Wang Sheng, understand Wang Sheng, become Wang Sheng—oh, right, Wang Sheng actually didn't die. After crying and complaining to his old master Zheng Yonghe, he went straight back to Quzhou to retire, and even kept a small amount of private wealth.
"I must become rich and powerful." After eating dozens of wontons, Wang Huadu patted his round belly and sighed, "Brother Shao, among our group, you may not be the strongest fighter, but you are definitely the smartest and most ruthless. From now on, I will work for you. I don't ask for much, just enough to eat meat regularly."
"What's all this talk about risking your life!" Shao Shuyi wiped his mouth and laughed, "We're all brothers. When we become rich and powerful, who would forget the others?"
"I love hearing you say that," Wang Huadu said with a smile.
Yu Yuan nodded seriously from the side.
Liang Tai ate his wontons silently, but his ears perked up.
Song You glanced at them and silently ate his wontons.
******
With the boss away, Shao Shuyi naturally has the final say in running the shop.
After arranging for Liang Tai and Song You to stay behind at the shop, he led Yu Yuan and Wang Huadu out of the shop, laughing and joking, and headed east.
As dusk approached, a fishy evening breeze blew across the river in the distance.
The three walked along the river embankment for two miles and arrived at the residence that Wang Huadu had chosen.
The first thing that catches the eye is the half-acre vegetable patch in front of the door, which is now full of lush green vegetables, a sight to behold.
A trellis had been erected on the courtyard wall, covered with vines. Upon closer inspection, however, they turned out to be things like loofah and broad beans.
Upon opening the courtyard gate, one sees overgrown weeds, indicating that the area has not been tended to for a long time.
The window paper was mostly torn, and the window frame had a musty smell.
The well rim was covered in moss, the well pulley was still there, the wooden bucket had rolled to the side, and the rope was gone.
No wonder it only costs six strings of cash! Shao Shuyi chuckled to himself.
However, he didn't mind; after cleaning and furnishing the place, it would be habitable. What he needed most right now was private space, as living in the shop was quite inconvenient.
"Pretty good." After looking around, he nodded, which was considered his approval.
Wang Huadu felt slightly embarrassed, but seeing that Shao Shuyi had no objections, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Although there are vegetable fields and fruit trees here, strictly speaking, it belongs to the jurisdiction of the Records Office, so the rent cannot be too cheap. The Records Office is usually set up in the administrative center at the level of a circuit, "to manage the affairs of the households in the city. If there are too few citizens, the Records Office will not be set up, and the attached county will take over the management of the people." Liujiagang is special because there is no Records Office in Taicang.
"After work, I'll hone my martial arts skills here." Shao Shuyi struck a pose with his back bent, and said happily, "Liang Tai is skilled with a knife; I'll bring him along then."
"Brother Shao, have you grown taller?" Wang Huadu looked Shao Shuyi up and down and said, "You seem to have gotten stronger too."
Yu Yuan nodded seriously again.
Seeing his serious expression, Shao Shuyi couldn't help but chuckle. What a cutie!
"I also feel like I've grown taller and stronger." He nodded and said, "Now I eat more meat and fish in a month than I did in the past ten years. If I exercise more, I should be able to grow even taller."
"Shall we have Cheng Ji come here to teach from now on? Next time, have him bring the anchor axe; you should learn that too," Wang Huadu said.
"But we don't know if he'll be willing to come; it's dozens of miles away," Shao Shuyi said.
"If he doesn't come, I'll look down on him." Wang Huadu raised his voice and said, "What's a few dozen miles when we're brothers who fought together? If you ask me, he shouldn't have taken any more money."
"Hey, don't do that," Shao Shuyi interrupted him, saying, "Ask him if he'd like to come by boat; that would be faster. At worst, give him more grain and money each month. But don't give it directly; that would be too embarrassing. If you have time, visit him regularly. Don't go empty-handed; bring him some gifts. He has elderly parents and young children to support; he has a heavy burden. Don't mistreat him."
After saying that, he counted out ten strings of cash and stuffed them into Wang Huadu's hand, saying, "Take this and use it first, I'll give it to you next time."
Wang Huadu accepted it with a chuckle, then looked at Yu Yuan.
Yu Yuan subconsciously took a half step back and stammered, "I... I gave my monthly allowance to my elder brother, and I only have two strings of cash on me."
"Give it to me." Wang Huadu took a step closer and stretched out his hand.
"Stop bullying them," Shao Shuyi said with a smile.
Wang Hua reluctantly withdrew his hand, stuffing the banknotes into his pocket as he said, "Brother Shao, you should start saving some money. You'll need to buy a bow and arrows sooner or later, and it'll cost a lot. Besides, have you thought about buying a boat?"
"Buy a boat?" Shao Shuyi was startled. Was this a "huge asset" that he could actually access?
Wang Huadu looked at him, smiled mysteriously, and said, "It's a shame you're a seafarer! Nowadays, countless people wish they didn't have a ship and would try every means to fraudulently register their ships under someone else's name."
Shao Shuyi understood.
He suddenly thought of Li Fu. That poor man was forced to transport grain simply because his family owned a boat.
If he buys ships from other seafarers, can he guarantee that he won't be conscripted to transport grain? This is a question, but it's not unsolvable.
"Let's wait a bit, we don't have the money on hand right now," Shao Shuyi sighed.
He understood Wang Sheng more and more.