Chapter 58

Chapter 58

Zhong Yizhu had just heard Pei Mu's question when he nearly blurted out a "yes."

But he was no longer a child. The word "yes" lingered on his lips, yet he swallowed it back down.

The world imposed many restrictions on the young man and women. Back in the Zhong Mansion, he couldn't even leave the residence whenever he wanted. It was only because his father often took him out that he got to see many things others hadn't.

Of course he wanted to go with Pei Mu.

But this trip wasn't for fun. Trading meant traveling with a merchant caravan. He was worried the caravan might not want a young man tagging along. He feared that his face would bring them trouble again. He worried their little stall would fall apart without them. And what excuse could they give for both of them leaving the village for so long?

Zhong Yizhu carefully covered with his fingers the cracked areas on Pei Mu's hands. They really ought to buy a medicinal ointment instead, he thought, distracted, his mind a jumble of chaotic echoes.

Before Pei Mu had brought up this possibility, he hadn't even dared to imagine it. But now that Pei Mu had mentioned it, he couldn't help picturing it.

What was Quzhou Prefecture like? Was it similar to Rongyang Prefecture? Would there be many spices he had never seen? Would there be other advanced incense-making techniques?

Amidst this turmoil of thoughts, Pei Mu turned his hand over and grasped his, speaking pitifully: "Come with me, Zhu Ge'er. I'm so clumsy—what if I buy the wrong spices?"

Pei Mu had thought it through clearly. With Liu Zhenhan as a threat, he definitely wouldn't feel comfortable leaving Zhong Yizhu alone at home, let alone letting him run the stall by himself.

Trading would be arduous, but he knew Zhong Yizhu would want to go. Zhong Yizhu loved new things. Perhaps Quzhou Prefecture would have other spices he liked. In any case, he would just keep a close watch. He could only rest easy with Zhong Yizhu by his side.

Zhong Yizhu instinctively said no first: "You're not clumsy." Still hesitating, he said, "What if I become a burden and mess things up..."

"How could you ever be a burden?"

Pei Mu hugged him tightly. The young man was still thin and frail, tucked safely in his arms.

"If I can't take good care of you, then I'm the one who's useless. You will never be a burden."

"You're not..." Zhong Yizhu grabbed Pei Mu's clothes, his voice was muffled. Despite his many concerns, at the thought of the upcoming journey, his eyes couldn't help lighting up.

...

There were two months left until New Year's. After the late rice harvest, the village had fully entered the off-season for farming.

But it was only an off-season for farming. Hardworking families always had chores out the wazoo—chopping firewood, making charcoal, doing odd jobs—always trying to scrape together a few more copper coins to buy clothes for the children next year or acquire some new tools and utensils.

Wang Ping'an's family was no exception. Their income came almost entirely from the fields, meaning they lived at the mercy of the heavens. If the harvest was poor, there was no one to complain to, so they saved as much as they could on ordinary days.

Wang Ping'an and Chen Xiaorong discussed going to town to see if any households were hiring. Chen Xiaorong wanted to go too, but Wang Ping'an wouldn't allow it. Some households in town did hire young men for work, but those were all odd jobs like washing clothes and dishes. In winter, the water was freezing, so there were many such openings. But the wages were low and the work torturous. Last year, Chen Xiaorong had worked washing clothes for half a month and ended up with frostbite all over his hands. So Wang Ping'an absolutely refused to let him go again.

Wang Ping'an felt sorry that Chen Xiaorong had married him only to endure a frugal life. He wasn't good with words, but his actions never lacked. He made the decision firmly: "You take good care of the house. I'll handle the money, don't sweat it."

Chen Xiaorong sighed softly but didn't give up. His winter vegetables had been well-tended this year, growing plump and fresh. Maybe he could pick some and sell them in town? He wondered if they would sell.

Both husbands were willing to suffer more for each other. But jobs in town weren't easy to find. Wang Ping'an had worked one job but couldn't find another suitable one, and even that one cheated him on wages—truly exploitative.

One day, when Pei Mu visited, the two were in the yard selecting freshly picked vegetables to take to town.

Seeing Pei Mu enter, they both instinctively looked behind him. Surprised not to see Zhong Yizhu, they were a bit puzzled.

Wang Ping'an smiled and invited him inside. Since they were close friends, Pei Mu didn't beat around the bush. He asked directly if they would be willing to take on a manual craft.

The two exchanged glances, looking at Pei Mu in confusion. Pei Mu took a wooden box from his pocket and handed it to them. "Make these. About a hundred to two hundred each month, three coppers each. If you're willing, I'll teach you. Later, if more are needed, as long as you can handle it, I'll give them all to you."

Wang Ping'an and Chen Xiaorong were still processing. They couldn't figure out why Pei Mu had suddenly handed them such a job. A hundred boxes a month meant at least three hundred coppers—already enough to delight them. And then Pei Mu said even more would be needed later, leaving them dizzy with excitement.

Wang Ping'an was handy and often repaired farm tools, so making boxes wasn't too hard for him. Besides, Pei Mu had said he would teach them... Wait. Wang Ping'an realized: if Pei Mu already knew how, why give this work to them?

Wang Ping'an asked directly. Pei Mu gestured for them to go inside and briefly explained Zhong Yizhu's incense business.

He and Zhong Yizhu naturally trusted the couple completely. Earlier, they hadn't yet established themselves, and they didn't know if the business would last, so there were too many uncertainties to share it. Now that they planned to develop further, there was no need to hide it from their closest friends and family.

Giving the box-making work to the couple was a decision they had made together. Since Pei Mu planned to go into the spice trade, they needed someone else to take over this task. Ordering from the county was an option, but after thinking it over, they felt that Wang Ping'an and his husband would probably need this job more.

Although Wang Ping'an wasn't a carpenter, making these boxes didn't require high skill—just a steady hand and attention. So Pei Mu had come to them during the off-season.

He planned to go to Quzhou Prefecture after the New Year, so he had time before then to teach them.

Wang Ping'an and Chen Xiaorong were stunned, mouths agape. How had they started an incense business in Songyun County? How could they need over a hundred wooden boxes a month? After a long moment of shock, they remembered the story of how Zhong Lao'er had built his fortune, and then recalled the dirty tricks the Zhong family had played on Zhong Yizhu and his mother. Their surprise gradually faded as realization dawned: Zhong Yizhu was hiding this not from the villagers, but from the Zhong family in the prefectural city.

The two sighed and exchanged glances. Chen Xiaorong said, "You're struggling in the early stages of business. As your big brother and brother-in-law, we've got to help out. Wood from the mountains is free. There's no need to pay three coppers like an outsider—half a copper or less is fine."

Knowing Pei Mu and Zhong Yizhu's personalities, Chen Xiaorong added, "Sure, once you're rolling in it, you can bump it up again."

Pei Mu looked at them steadily, his heart warming. After a moment, he said, "A fair price is a fair price. Brother Ping'an and brother-in-law know Zhu Ge'er—he'd never take advantage of family. Don't worry, we can afford it."

Seeing his insistence, they finally agreed. At least they would put in the utmost care and detail, which was more reassuring than hiring outsiders.

After they agreed that they would come to his place the next day to learn box-making, Pei Mu took his leave.

He went directly to Songyun County.

Since the latter part of October, Pei Mu had stopped going up the mountain much.

During the off-season for farming, many people went to the back hills to gather firewood and hunt. Farmers weren't as skilled as seasoned hunters at catching game, but a group working together could always snag some pheasants or hares. They'd take them to town, split the coppers, and count it as extra income.

In previous years, Pei Mu had hunted big game in the deep mountains, rarely crossing paths with villagers. In winter, wild animals had no food source, many grew desperate. It was far more dangerous than usual, like snatching food from a tiger's mouth. But if he caught something good, the price he could get in town or county was the highest of the year.

Now that he didn't go deep into the mountains, his usual hunting grounds were crowded with people. Half-grown boys were running all over the hills chasing game. When he shot an arrow, someone would soon come running. They'd stare at each other, not sure who the prey was for. Pei Mu couldn't be bothered to argue with a bunch of kids. He pulled his arrow and headed down the mountain.

He'd been thinking about finding other work, but now that he had decided on the spice trade, naturally he had to prepare in advance.

Around noon, the Songyun County docks were packed with people. The boatmen blew their whistles, and on the shore, dock workers used flags to direct the boats to moor. Then they pulled out ledgers to check with the cargo masters coming off the boats and recorded the goods.

Once registration was complete, the porters boarded to start unloading. Merchants who'd gotten wind of it or had long-term transactions sent representatives or came in person to wait for their goods. The place was buzzing with activity.

Among the crowd, Pei Mu spotted a familiar face. He pushed through, catching a break to ask the cargo master's subordinate—the manager in charge of shipments—about the prices of spices.

The manager saw Pei Mu was a stranger and didn't look like a merchant, so he didn't quote a price at first. The nearby spice stall owner also recognized Pei Mu and quickly said to the manager, "Manager Zhou, this guy's just a stallholder selling incense pellets. He can't buy much at all. He's just trying to get wholesale pricing on retail stuff. Don't waste your time on him, Manager."

These boat charterers usually didn't sell retail. They only handled large quantities, having a minimum order size. Below that, they wouldn't trade. Naturally, the more you take, the more wiggle room on price.

Manager Zhou frowned at Pei Mu. Pei Mu gave a slight bow without saying much, glanced at the spice stall owner, and turned to disappear into the crowd.

A while later, he stopped a pale-faced servant. Before the servant could look impatient, a copper coin fell into his hand.

The servant immediately broke into a smile. "What can I do for you, sir? But first, I have no say in the goods. I'm in a hurry to buy food for the manager and the gentleman. Keep it short."

Pei Mu looked at the bustling dock, where boxes of spices were being weighed. He said, "I just want to ask about the spice prices."

The servant looked at Pei Mu oddly. Since it wasn't that big of a secret, he jingled the copper in his hand and quickly whispered all the prices to Pei Mu.

Day after day, Songyun County dock was a hive of activity. Pei Mu hung around there for many days, not only learning the wholesale prices of spices shipped from Anchuan Prefecture but also getting a rough idea of the prices for goods sent to Rongyang Prefecture.

He now had a clearer picture. The next step was to choose a merchant caravan to travel with. But first, he had one last thing to do.

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Author's note: I agonized for a long time over how to write Xiao Pei's career line. I'm probably too predictable—I really don't want the young couple to be apart more than they're together. I don't know why, but as I'm writing, I keep feeling like the story's about to wrap up. Couldn't make it a long chapter, so here's a little red envelope for everyone.