Chapter 8: An Encounter with a Benefactor

“Scholars must take the world’s well-being as their responsibility, not obsess over money all day…”

Cheng Yuanhui became spirited as he began lecturing his students, passionately expounding on his views.

Pei Zheng showed a rare look of helplessness, nodding repeatedly in agreement.

However, in his heart, he thought differently. Money was a wonderful thing—who wouldn’t like it?

Unlike those pedantic scholars who dismissed wealth as vulgar, Pei Zheng believed they were just envious and bitter.

Pei Zheng had always had a knack for making money. He didn’t think merchants were inferior to others; everyone earned their livelihood through skill. Why should there be distinctions of high and low?

In his previous life, he opened trade routes to the Western Regions, introducing jewelry, gold and silverware, and fine wines, greatly enriching Da Sheng’s markets and broadening the horizons of its people.

Pei Zheng made a fortune, becoming a scholar-merchant whose wealth rivaled that of nations.

When Cheng Yuanhui finished speaking, he glanced at his daydreaming student and paused briefly before asking, “How is your grandmother’s health?”

Pei Zheng’s expression darkened, worry flashing across his face as he shook his head slowly. “Still not well.”

His grandmother suffered from heart disease. When it flared up, she experienced shortness of breath and chest pain, and the episodes had grown more frequent in recent years. Once, it nearly cost her her life.

In his previous life, shortly after his mentor passed away, his grandmother also succumbed to her illness.

Later, Pei Zheng met a Hu physician who revealed that her condition could have been treated, filling him with regret.

He still remembered the prescription, but it required an ingredient unavailable in Da Sheng: ambergris from the distant South Seas.

In his previous life, ambergris was rare and exorbitantly expensive. Even with his vast trade networks, acquiring it was a challenge.

Now, with trade routes to the Western Regions still undeveloped, few in Da Sheng had even heard of it.

As he journeyed from the capital, Pei Zheng had searched tirelessly, to no avail. Was he destined, even with a second chance at life, to watch his grandmother pass away again?

Cheng Yuanhui sighed. “Does this ambergris truly exist?”

He’d heard it was the saliva of dragons—a fantastical notion few had ever seen firsthand.

Pei Zheng, who seemed obsessed with its curative powers, might have been misled.

“Brother, do you think that Siamese man will ever return home?”

A clear, pleasant female voice drifted over from the next table.

“It’ll be tough. Surviving at all was a stroke of luck,” replied a boy in a deep, steady tone.

“I disagree. If he made it here, he can surely make it back.”

The girl’s voice carried a conviction that inspired trust.

The speakers were none other than Xu Sinan and Xu Qianxing.

That morning, they had secretly retrieved a bamboo basket containing jade artifacts and gold chains.

Claiming they were going to the county market, they had actually gone to pawn the items for silver.

Fortunately, the pieces were of good quality, earning them 100 taels.

Xu Qianxing, overwhelmed by the sight of so much money, had laughed foolishly for quite some time.

Xu Sinan converted most of it into silver notes, which she carefully hid on her person, keeping only a few taels in loose silver.

Feeling elated, she decided to treat their “hero,” Xu Qianxing, to a fine meal at a restaurant and bring some food home for their parents.

Xu Sinan was also poring over her grandfather’s navigation charts, studying a route to Siam.

Suddenly, a magnetic and clear male voice interrupted her thoughts.

“Pardon me, I’m Pei Zheng.”

Xu Sinan’s lips curled into a subtle smile. Got him, she thought.

She looked up to see a handsome young man in traditional garb standing beside her—a graceful gentleman who could easily outshine any modern celebrity.

Pei Zheng glanced at the navigation charts before continuing, “I couldn’t help overhearing—did you mention a Siamese man?”

Though he had never been to the South Seas in his previous life, Pei Zheng had heard of Siam, knowing it to be a significant nation in the region.

“That’s right. My father rescued a Siamese man at sea yesterday,” Xu Sinan replied calmly, opting for honesty since the whole village already knew.

Pei Zheng’s dark eyes lit up instantly, his hands tightening involuntarily. After days of fruitless searching, he had finally found a glimmer of hope.

“May I ask, young lady, if I might meet the Siamese man?”

“Of course,” Xu Sinan replied cheerfully, her eyes glinting with a barely perceptible light.

From the moment the two refined individuals at the next table entered the inn, Xu Sinan had taken note of them, subtly listening to their conversation.

When she heard the name Pei Zheng, her heart leaped with excitement. In the chronicles of Da Sheng, The Merchant Biographies, the very first chapter was dedicated to him.

Xu Sinan racked her brain for details from the historical texts. Pei Zheng was destined to become a merchant whose wealth could rival kingdoms!

Her own goal was to become the wealthiest person in the land. What better role model than him? If she could forge a connection, it would be a fortuitous stroke indeed.

When the topic of ambergris came up, Xu Sinan knew her chance had arrived and deliberately mentioned the Siamese man.

“Thank you,” Pei Zheng said, his thin lips curving into a faint smile.

The dilapidated thatched hut was unusually lively, with people crowded both inside and out.

“Xu Niangzi, is he really a Siamese?” Aunt Gao asked, scrutinizing De Can.

To her, he didn’t look much different from the people of Da Sheng, though there was something peculiar about him—like the strange blackness of his teeth.

“He is,” Zhu Wanrou replied wearily. She had lost count of how many times she had answered that question today.

Normally, she stayed at home caring for her children and managing household chores, rarely socializing with the villagers. The sudden influx of people to her home had left her overwhelmed.

Her husband, Xu Shuisheng, had gone out fishing early that morning, and her two children had gone to the county. She was left alone to deal with the chaos.

“Did he really float here on a piece of wood?” Aunt Zhang asked.

Zhu Wanrou forced a smile and nodded.

If only De Can could speak the language of Da Sheng, she thought. He could explain himself to all these aunts instead of me.

“This man can’t stay at your house forever,” Aunt Li said with concern.

The Xu family’s second branch was already struggling. If not for Zhu Wanrou’s natal family’s support, they might not even have enough to eat, let alone feed another mouth.

Zhu Wanrou glanced at Aunt Li gratefully. She was the only one truly considering their family’s predicament.

Sighing, she replied, “What else can we do? We can’t just throw him out.”

“If you ask me, you should report him to the village head…”

Aunt Li stopped mid-sentence, remembering that the village head had just donated 200 taels of silver to rebuild the Tianfei Temple under pressure.

Cui Jinfeng, who had pushed for the donation, was still kneeling in the temple, likely harboring a grudge against the Xu family’s second branch. It might be wise not to provoke her further.

Meanwhile, a young woman who couldn’t squeeze into the cramped hut stood idly outside, cracking sunflower seeds.

She suddenly spotted a team of horses and carriages approaching from a distance.

Excitedly, she shouted, “Look! Horses!”

Horses were a rarity in the village. Most families considered themselves lucky to own a donkey.

Especially in recent years, when even feeding people had become a struggle, who could afford to keep livestock?

The crowd surged outside, craning their necks to get a better look.

“There really are horses!”

“And not just one!”

“Why do they seem to be heading this way?”

“Look at the young man on horseback—so dashing!”

The people inside the hut rushed out, leaving De Can relieved. He wasn’t some rare creature to be ogled endlessly.

Zhu Wanrou also let out a sigh of relief, grateful for the brief reprieve from the commotion.

“Mother, we’re back!”

Xu Qianxing’s booming voice rang out, living up to his reputation for being heard before seen.

Zhu Wanrou eagerly stepped out to greet her children but froze when she noticed the strangers accompanying them.

Dressed in fine garments, the newcomers were dismounting their horses, their aristocratic demeanor unmistakable.

“Mother,” Xu Sinan called as she stepped down from a carriage. “This is Young Master Pei from the capital. He wishes to meet De Can.”