Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Ji Xingwang and the others went off to handle their own tasks.

Shen Yuan and Ji Ping'an were dealing with the reward of gold ingots.

Ji Ping'an refused to take any of it.

"Keep all of this for yourself. Record it in the public ledger. Giving half to the old man would be letting him off way too easy."

Shen Yuan smiled and said, "I'm not giving it to Patriarch Ji; I'm giving it to you, Brother Ping'an. Put it in your private account as a nest egg. With some money saved up, you'll have more freedom to act in whatever you want to do later on."

Having someone think of him this way made Ji Ping'an feel comforted and at ease. However, this reward was special; it wasn't something he could just take a share of.

This was the Xie family trying to curry favor with Xiao Yuan; this money belonged entirely to him.

The Xie family would probably give even more later.

He wanted what was best for Xiao Yuan. If Fifth Granduncle was sincere about recruiting him, having the backing of the Xie family would be much better than staying with the Ji family.

As long as it didn't put Xiao Yuan's life in danger, he hoped Xiao Yuan could have the Xie family's patronage.

He could surely go further, reach higher, and do better under their care than under his own.

However, it wasn't the right time to bring this up. The Xie family hadn't taken any further action yet, and he couldn't be sure whether their intentions might eventually harm Xiao Yuan.

Xiao Yuan treated people sincerely and saw him as an older brother.

His words might influence Xiao Yuan's decisions. It was better to wait until Xiao Yuan grasped the deeper implications of these gold ingots before saying anything.

Ji Ping'an said, "I'll figure out a way to keep some of the later rewards for myself. You take these. Honestly, even my father wouldn't dare reach out for a single bit of a reward Fifth Granduncle gave you specifically."

"By the way, I found the people you asked for. I couldn't find Shen Yushu, but I found the five from the yamen." Ji Ping'an switched topics.

Hearing that they had been found, Shen Yuan's mind, which had been foggy from the gold ingots, cleared up. He followed Ji Ping'an's lead and asked, "What are their names and where do they live?"

Ji Ping'an didn't answer directly. Instead, he asked, "Were they the ones who collected the taxes from your family? Did they get rough?"

Shen Yuan didn't hide anything and told him what happened that day.

Ji Ping'an had expected as much, and it made him even angrier to hear it.

Especially considering Shen Nan was so young, left alone at home with an even smaller baby. How could they possibly bring themselves to lay hands on them? It was absolutely despicable!

They were pushing all of Ji Ping'an's buttons.

Assuming that Shen Yuan asking him to investigate them wasn't just about knowing their names, he held back his anger and asked, "What are you planning to do, Xiao Yuan?"

Ji Ping'an understood. "We don't need to wait. Tomorrow after I'm off work, I'll help you lure them into an alley. We'll just give them a beating without them knowing who did it."

"You have clout to lean on now." Ji Ping'an looked at Shen Yuan and said, "If anything happens, I can take care of the fallout."

With the okay to use his influence, Shen Yuan nodded without hesitation. "Good! We'll beat them up tomorrow!"

The two brothers were on the same page, and the matter was settled.

Since he was not short on money at all now, Shen Yuan said to Ji Ping'an, "Brother, I plan to buy a dairy goat and a horse."

Since he had enough for a horse, there was no need to save money by buying a small donkey.

"Good, I'll tell Ji Xingwang. From now on, let him take care of this stuff for you; it'll be faster," Ji Ping'an said.

With Ji Ping'an's approval, it was naturally more convenient to go directly to Ji Xingwang.

Shen Yuan smiled and nodded. "Brother, you're way too good to me! You're even giving me such a capable right-hand man!"

Seeing Shen Yuan happy, Ji Ping'an couldn't help but feel happy too. "Only you would call Ji Xingwang a 'capable right-hand man'."

Among all the Ji family servants who had become managers, Ji Xingwang was the least successful one.

Shen Yuan looked over at Ji Xingwang, who was being pulled aside by Fang Zaoshang and Wang Sanhu to be their audience. He was listening attentively, carefully noting down emotional beats to tell them afterward which parts were good, which needed more oomph, and which needed to be toned down.

"Manager Ji is always very serious within the scope of his abilities." Shen Yuan's gaze held appreciation. "Moreover, he's brave, daring to strive for his own destiny. If he doesn't know something, he learns and listens, and he never looks down on anyone. He's humble, eager to learn, and full of heart. He's a very good Manager Ji."

As Ji Ping'an listened to Shen Yuan sincerely recounting Ji Xingwang's merits, his gaze remained fixed on Shen Yuan.

He thought: The person who can discover so many shining qualities in an ordinary person is the best one of all.

When it was time to finish work, Shen Yuan and Wang Sanhu packed up and left the teahouse.

Ji Ping'an called Ji Xingwang over. "From now on, help handle any purchases Xiao Yuan needs."

Ji Xingwang didn't dare to neglect the order and quickly nodded. "Yes, Young Master."

As he was about to leave, Ji Ping'an thought for a moment and decided to tell Ji Xingwang what Shen Yuan thought of him.

After listening, Ji Xingwang fell silent for a long time.

So long that Ji Ping'an wondered if he had suddenly spaced out or if he was unwell.

Ji Xingwang, with red-rimmed eyes, said, "Anything related to Xiao Yuan, this humble one will definitely handle it perfectly!"

Before this, no one had ever viewed him so favorably. Whenever the managers reported their accounts together, he was always mocked.

They all said he was incompetent, a useless good-for-nothing.

But Xiao Yuan thought that the person others saw as a waste was good, and even called him impressive.

Ji Xingwang couldn't hold back the prickling in his nose. Someone like him could actually receive such affirmation from such an outstanding person.

He, Ji Xingwang, also had his merits!

Ji Ping'an understood Ji Xingwang's emotions and, unusually, patted his shoulder. "Work hard."

Ji Xingwang trembled, cupped his hands, and bowed to Ji Ping'an's retreating back. "This humble one will not fail your expectations."

And he would absolutely not let Xiao Yuan down!

...

Shen Yuan and Wang Sanhu returned to the village and went to Shen Yuan's house to see the progress.

Today, the old house had been demolished and cleared to lay the foundation.

They had hired thirty strong young men, all diligent and hardworking. With Village Head Liu keeping a close watch, they had almost finished tamping the foundation in a single day.

When the two arrived, Aunt Liu and Aunt Ping, along with their daughters-in-law and daughters, were already getting the cooking fires going.

The dried vegetables that had been mentioned earlier for selling were all kept back to make wild vegetable mush.

Following Shen Yuan's request, the mush was made with millet.

Though it was old millet, it was still far better than wheat bran or tree bark flour.

Many of the families who came to build couldn't get their hands on millet like this. Even if they could, they only ate it once every few days. Where would they get enough millet to eat every day?

In the past, whenever there was construction work, meals were never provided by the hirer. Everyone working on the site knew that Shen Yuan was looking out for his fellow villagers, doing a pure good deed.

To avoid delaying the work, Village Head Liu made it clear: food could be taken home.

But if anyone was found slowing down because they were weak from hunger, they would be sent home immediately.

There was no reason to pay ten *wen* a day, provide two full meals with vegetables and meat, and still have the work delayed because of someone’s own negligence.

The laborers understood this well. Saving a little for their families was one thing, but the priority was absolutely not to delay the work.

Since Shen Yuan allocated eight *wen* per person per day for food, the amount was definitely enough.

More or less, everyone could save a little to take home, letting their families taste the flavor of good grain too.

At noon today, Aunt Ping and the others went to the fish stalls at the county dock to buy fish—big and of good quality. They made fish soup to soak their millet buns in.

The smell of fish practically wafted through all of Dashu Village. Those who hadn’t made the cut stood nearby with their hands tucked into their sleeves, watching longingly, their mouths watering.

But there was nothing they could do—they weren't up to snuff.

Some had a history of petty theft or slacking off. While they might have fooled others during selection, Village Head Liu was the one choosing, and the old man saw right through them.

The laborers hadn’t eaten a meal as good as fish soup with millet buns in years.

With the ongoing wars earlier and the unstable situation afterward, everything felt shaky and uncertain.

Landowners and county magistrates collected more and more taxes, and in increasingly varied ways. Just managing to pay the taxes was struggle enough. Who had a spare copper coin to buy meat?

The fish soup and millet buns at noon moved the laborers to tears, but also filled them with energy.

Village Head Liu was amazed—working on a full stomach really gives you strength!

The evening meal wasn’t ready yet, so everyone continued working.

Seeing Shen Yuan arrive, Village Head Liu hurried over, smiling as he reported the day’s progress.

Nothing major, and the progress exceeded expectations.

Shen Dong and the others saw Shen Yuan return and put down the bricks they were carrying to run over. The little ones had been working all day, sweat beading on their foreheads.

With no cloth towels here, Shen Yuan was worried his brothers would catch a chill, so he used his sleeves to wipe their sweat.

The weather was a bit warm now, and there was wind at night. The coarse cloth was thin and would dry overnight if washed, so it wouldn’t delay wearing it tomorrow.

Shen Yuan reminded his brothers, “Look at you, all smudged like little kittens. Remember to bring cloth towels tomorrow and wipe your sweat right away. Otherwise, the cool wind at night might make you catch a chill.”

Shen Dong nodded calmly. Shen Xi hugged Shen Yuan’s waist and wouldn’t let go, whining for his big brother to wipe it for him. Shen Nan tugged at the waistcloth hanging from Shen Yuan’s waist, lowered his head, and whispered a soft “Mm.”

The laborers also noticed Shen Yuan but, as Village Head Liu had instructed, they focused on their work and didn’t stop to chat.

Shen Yuan casually sat on the ground, listening attentively as his brothers talked about what they’d done that day, responding earnestly without brushing them off.

He praised them appropriately, making the three little ones blush with delight, feeling thrilled.

Then Aunt Ping called out loudly, “Time to eat!”

The laborers gradually put down their tools, and Shen Yuan led his three brothers to the meal.

The men held clay bowls they’d brought from home, lining up in an orderly fashion to get their food one by one.

Aunt Ping had set aside meals for Shen Yuan and Shen Dong and the others separately. Village Head Liu led them directly to eat.

Shen Yuan held a clay bowl filled with wild vegetable millet porridge.

It was thick and hearty, seasoned with better-quality coarse salt, with little grit or sand.

It had the fragrance of rice and vegetables, savory and delicious—completely different from the bitter wild vegetable mush they usually ate at home.

Shen Yuan looked ahead and asked Village Head Liu, who was also holding a bowl of porridge, “Uncle Liu, is that Shen Liushu? Why isn’t he coming to eat?”

“He was like this at noon too. He insists on waiting until everyone else has gotten their food before he stops work to get his. I tried telling him to take a break, but he wouldn’t listen. The kid’s stubborn; don’t worry about him.”

After saying this, Village Head Liu took a sip of the millet porridge and was nearly overwhelmed by how good it was, closing his eyes in enjoyment.

Swallowing the porridge quickly, he added, “Xiao Yuan, don’t go persuade him either. If you do, he’ll feel even more ashamed to come. After what happened earlier, not letting others play with Xiao Dong and the others, he’s been torn up inside. The better you treat him, the worse he feels. He's too ashamed to face you, so he only dared to come out today after you left.”

Not just Shen Liushu—even Village Head Liu was surprised when he learned Shen Yuan intended to let Shen Liushu work too.

But then he thought, the kid had saved Shen Nan, and that was a huge favor. That's a separate matter.

Unaware that Shen Yuan had promised to help Shen Liushu find his brother, Village Head Liu assumed Shen Yuan was repaying the earlier favor. Since the villagers all wanted their pay in hand, Village Head Liu needed to prepare to distribute the wages later, so he didn’t chat with Shen Yuan for long.

Shen Yuan sat on the side with his brothers, eating from his bowl, and didn’t stop Shen Liushu, just watched.

Suddenly, Shen Xi said, “Big brother, can Brother Liushu’s older brother really be found?”

Shen Yuan shook his head. “I don't know either.”

“I kind of hope he can find his older brother,” Shen Xi said seriously, holding his clay bowl. “If you went missing, big brother, I’d hate every kid in the world who still had their big brother.”