Chapter 47

The two of them were speaking so loudly outside that it brought Mother Cheng out of the room.

“What are you two talking about that you have to stand out here? Hurry up and come inside.”

The four of them followed Mother Cheng inside the main room, where they found her entire family gathered.

Upon seeing Wang Ren and the others enter, they quickly offered them seats.

Among the siblings present, Wang Ren was the youngest. By rights, there was no reason for them to offer him a seat, yet the sisters-in-law greeted him with cheerful smiles, carrying an earnestness that was absent before.

Wang Ren realized they had something to ask of him.

It wasn’t that Mother Cheng’s family had treated him poorly before; rather, it was the fact that Mother Cheng had three sons, two of whom were married and each had children.

With such a large family living together, there simply wasn’t enough space, making things quite cramped.

Before he came to stay, Cheng Yu’s room was already cramped with two nephews. After his arrival, to make room for him, the two nephews returned to their parents’ room.

The already crowded sleeping quarters became even smaller with the return of one child, making it difficult to turn over while sleeping.

If this situation lasted just a day or two, Wang Ren could manage as a visitor, but knowing that he had fallen out with his family and might not return for an indefinite time and that he might even stay for a long time, the two daughters-in-laws inevitably had their concerns.

It was also because of this situation that Wang Ren mentioned to his Aunt Cheng that he wouldn’t be staying for free and offered to pay 2 copper coins each day as rent.

With some money involved, the two daughters-in-laws naturally wouldn’t have much to say. After all, it was hard for farming families to make money; they relied on their limited land each year, and any extra income, no matter how small, was welcome.

Understanding they had something to ask of him, Wang Ren took a seat without being polite.

“Xiao Ren, I heard that the Zhou family is going to build another house. Is that true? Their house isn’t even old; it’s quite big, with five rooms. Why do they need to build a house again?” Auntie asked directly as she opened the door.

“The Zhou family’s business is getting bigger and bigger.”

Xiao Ren explained. “The few people in their household can’t handle it all, so they plan to hire a few more workers.

However, since their main house is built so beautifully and extravagantly, it wouldn’t be wise to let just anyone come in.

What if someone with dirty hands sees something valuable and steals it? Or what if someone accidentally breaks something? Would they pay for it? No, they wouldn’t.

The Zhou family doesn’t buy cheap goods. One item could be worth what a villager earns in a month or even several months. Why should they just accept that loss?

But if they have to pay for damages, that would be a considerable expense for any family in the village. It would probably take a long time for them to recover. So, it’s better to build a few more rooms to separate things. After all, the Zhou family isn’t short on money for construction.”

Mother Cheng was taken aback.

“I really don’t know what is running through Zhou Jing’s mind. The villagers haven’t even reacted yet, and his family has suddenly risen to prominence. I remember back when Zhou Jing and Shen Mo didn’t have even five rooms of solid brick and tile houses, and they didn’t even own a piece of land for themselves. I bet that if someone had told them back then that they would live this kind of life in the future, they wouldn’t have believed it themselves.”

“Exactly.” Mother Zhou chimed in. “I heard that they pay a decent wage for the laborers, 30 copper coins a day. You see, can you talk to the Zhou family and ask them to keep a spot for your two cousins? It would be nice for them to earn some extra money and make things a little easier at home.”

Seeing that Mother Zhou had spoken up first, Mother Cheng, worried about being left out, quickly added, “My family’s situation is even tougher than yours, you see. You have three cousins…”

The two cousins looked eagerly at Wang Ren as their mother-in-law spoke. Thankfully, Wang Ren had been in sales for a long time and had seen his fair share of big occasions, so he wasn’t flustered by the two women’s intense gazes.

Wang Ren stated directly, “The men from Aunt Cheng and Aunt Zhou’s families are not lazy; they work well. If they want to go work for the Zhou family, I can ask. But whether the Zhou family has enough positions available, I can’t guarantee.”

“But Cheng Yu and Youxin cannot take on any more work,” he added.

Mother Cheng and Mother Zhou asked, “Why not?”

“Don’t forget, Cheng Yu and Youxin are already working with the Zhou family. Their food business is booming, and they will be busy from the afternoon onwards. Cheng Yu and Youxin will definitely have to go help out during that time.

If they leave the work at the house unattended, it just won’t work out. Since they can only do one job, it wouldn’t be fair to ask the Zhou family to pay for two jobs. Even though I have a family connection with the Zhou family, I don’t have that much say.”

Mother Cheng and Mother Zhou immediately said, “We forgot about that. If they can work with the Zhou family for a long time, that would be more suitable.”

—o—o—o—

Having settled the agreement with Wang Ren, the next day during the morning shift, he brought his cousins along.

“Brother-in-law, my cousins are all skilled workers. They won’t slack off while working. Do you think you could let them stay to help us build the house?” Wang Ren asked.

“Sure.” Zhou Jing replied casually. As long as they were willing to work hard, it didn’t matter to him whether they were Wang Ren’s relatives.

The men helped load the sausages and duck products onto the cart. Zhou Jing, standing by the mule cart, looked uneasy and reminded them. “It’s just you and Xiao Di at the stall. Remember not to argue with anyone. If there are any issues, you can ask Constable Yang, or just pack up and come back.”

“You don’t need to worry; it’s not our first time selling at the market.” Shen Mo replied with a smile, sitting at the back of the mule cart.

“I just feel uneasy not being there. How about this: Wang Ren, you go with Shen Mo and Xiao Di to deliver goods to the shops and the restaurant. After you finish the deliveries, you can continue with your sales.” Zhou Jing instructed.

“Brother-in-law, don’t worry. I’ll make sure to deliver to these shops on time. I wouldn’t dare delay your business.”

After Wang Ren talked to Zhou Jing, he and Cheng Yu jumped onto the cart, just as they were about to take the reins, an elderly woman came running up from behind, her small cloth bag bouncing as she hurried along.

“Zhou family’s husband, wait for me…”

Shen Mo turned around and saw that it was Wang Gui’s wife, Mrs. Wang, who had rented them the mule cart.

Wang Ren pulled the reins to a stop, and Shen Mo asked. “Mrs. Wang, are you going to the town?”

Mrs. Wang rushed over, panting as she stood by the mule cart to catch her breath for a moment.

Once her breathing had settled, she slowly said, “My elder sister lives in the town. Today is her sixtieth birthday, and I’m going to wish her well.”

Shen Mo smiled and said: “That’s a joyous occasion! Congratulations, Mrs. Wang. Hurry up and get in the cart.” After helping Mrs. Wang into the cart, Wang Ren finally urged the mule forward as she settled in.

As they approached the edge of the town, Shen Mo asked, “Mrs. Wang, where does your sister live?”

Mrs. Wang replied, “On West City Street.”

The few people on the mule cart were not familiar with the town. However, because Zhou Jing had conducted business there a few times, they had come along to the town several times, but many of the streets were still unknown to them.

Shen Mo asked, “Aunt Wang, we are not familiar with the town. How about you wait until we deliver the goods to the shop, and then we can ask for directions to take you there? What do you think?”

“Oh, how can that be?” Aunt Wang replied with dissatisfaction. “My elder sister is celebrating her sixtieth birthday; once it’s over, it’s over. In previous years, my husband would have taken me to the entrance early, but this year it’s because you borrowed my family’s mule cart that he hasn’t sent me. I’m in a hurry to get there to help my sister with the preparations; if I’m late, it will be too late.”

Aunt Wang’s words made it sound as if Zhou’s family had used their mule cart for free—without paying their Wang Family.

Wang Ren was the youngest son of the village chief; his father was the highest official in the village. Given this background, no one had ever spoken to him in such a manner, leaving him momentarily stunned as he glanced at Shen Lin.

At this moment, even Wang Ren, an outsider, couldn’t help but feel irritated. His tone became heavier as he said, “Aunt Wang, where exactly is your elder sister’s house? We still have goods in the cart, and they need to be delivered urgently. The inns and shops in town are waiting for them.”

Aunt Wang, clearly impatient and seemingly unwilling to speak with them, turned her face away and pointed carelessly in a direction.

“Almost there, just turn down that way.”

Wang Ren, in no good mood, replied, “Which way? Be more specific.”

“It’s over there. Can’t you see it?”

“I don’t know where your elder sister’s house is. How am I supposed to know if you don’t tell me?”

This place was far from the bustling streets of the town, and at best, it could be considered the outskirts. The uneven houses scattered across the fields looked no different from those in Wangjia Village, and there was no obvious sign that it belonged to the town.

At the gate of a fenced yard, Aunt Wang jumped off the cart. After landing, she still acted as though she were in charge, giving orders to Shen Mo, “Remember to come pick me up later in the evening.”

The others on the mule cart were furious, with Shen Lin’s face turning red and his neck swelling with anger—looking like he was on the verge of exploding.

Yet, Shen Mo remained calm and composed.

“If you want to ride back with us, Aunt, you’ll need to be ready before the end of midday.” Shen Mo said calmly.

Aunt Wang paid no attention to what Shen Mo was saying.

She waved her hand dismissively as if shooing away a fly, muttering under her breath, “You’re using my mule cart, and you still dare to leave me behind.”

She pushed open the gate, and the chickens and ducks inside clucked and quacked as they rushed toward her. The large black dog in the yard barked a few times, signaling to its owner that there were visitors.

Mrs. Wang’s elder sister was a hunched old woman, dressed in a bright red robe for her birthday, though her feet were clad in old, tattered cloth shoes that had been patched up.

Seeing Mrs. Wang, she beamed with joy, her toothless grin widening.

“Why are you here so early today?”

Mrs. Wang pursed her lips and gestured toward the mule cart.

“One of the little troublemakers from the village has recently started some business and borrowed our mule cart to use. They’re delivering goods to the town, so they brought me along on the way.”

“Oh,” Mrs. Wang’s elder sister replied, standing on her toes to get a better look at the cart. She saw it was loaded with overflowing baskets, though she couldn’t tell what was inside. Several men and a ger were sitting around the edges of the cart.

“The baskets on that cart are all goods to be delivered to the town’s shops? That must make quite a bit of money. I wonder what kind of business they’re in?” Mrs. Wang’s elder sister asked curiously.

“They’re selling sausages and duck products,” Mrs. Wang replied.

“Ah! Is it the Zhou Family, the one that’s become really popular in town recently? A lot of shops and inns sell their food, and some of those inns are the best in town!” she exclaimed in surprise.

People in the village, including Mrs. Wang, knew that the Zhou family’s business was doing well in town, but they all assumed it was just a small-time operation, only earning a bit more than the average family selling vegetables.

At most, they thought it was enough to make one or two silver coins a month. Even that had made many families in the village envious, believing the Zhou family had struck it rich.

Mrs. Wang had always thought the same. Now, hearing her elder sister say this, she couldn’t quite believe it, clicking her tongue twice in disbelief.

Her elder sister said, “With so many goods waiting to be delivered to the shops, why did they drop you off at my house first? Aren’t they in a hurry?”

Mrs. Wang, feeling proud, lifted her head high with satisfaction.

“Hurry? So what if they’re in a hurry? They still had to drop me off first. After all, they’re renting our mule cart. If they upset me, they’d be afraid my husband wouldn’t rent it to them anymore. Without the cart to transport their goods, no matter how much business they have, everything would come to a complete stop.”

Mrs. Wang’s elder sister had intended to advise her, but then she thought about how, even though she lived in the town, her life was not as comfortable as Mrs. Wang’s, who lived in the countryside.

It seemed that Mrs. Wang had her own way of navigating the world, so her sister swallowed the rest of her words.

By the time Shen Mo returned from escorting Mrs. Wang and they rushed back to town—they arrived at the shop an entire hour later than usual.

Both the morning market and breakfast hours had passed, and many customers who had come for breakfast were disappointed to find there were no sausages or duck products available. Some grumbled a few complaints to the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper, enduring the complaints while also facing losses, was not at all pleased.

“What happened with you today? Is it because the owner didn’t come along that you’re not doing your job properly? You’re much later than usual—breakfast service is over. Do you know how much money this is costing me?” he said angrily.

Wang Ren and Cheng Yu bowed their heads apologetically, repeatedly offering their apologies, but the shopkeeper wasn’t willing to let it slide.

This couldn’t go on, and with so many more deliveries still to be made, it was clear that if they continued to delay business for others, every shop would show them the same displeasure.

Zhou Jing was not present, so Shen Mo became the master of the house, and he alone had to take charge of the situation.

Fortunately, though Shen Mo was born into a farming family and lacked much knowledge or experience, his understanding was not shallow.

“I am very sorry; today’s situation was an accident. I promise it will never happen again. Of course, I also understand that in business, apologies are worthless and don’t bring any profit. So, what do you think of this? After all, I only delayed your breakfast, and there’s still time for lunch and dinner. I’ll give it to you at a lower price, 16 coins per catty.”

“Big brother-in-law, have you forgotten what brother-in-law said? Aren’t you afraid of him getting angry when you return? He made the rules very clear back then.”

Cheng Yu also chimed in, “Yes, the master just gave his word, and now you’re cutting prices on your own. Isn’t that slapping the Boss’ face?”

Shen Mo said, “No, you’re both wrong. The current situation is entirely different from you, salesmen, who were lowering prices on your own. I am representing the attitude of the entire Zhou family’s business. Besides, this isn’t about cutting prices; this is compensating for the losses. We’ve caused a loss to their shop, and we can’t just let it go and make them bear it on their own. We need to show our stance.”

The shopkeeper said: “You are really Zhou Jing’s husband. Unlike other wives/husbands who can’t handle big matters, you’ve dealt with this situation fairly well, so I won’t hold anything else against you. But next time, you must be on time, or I’ll terminate our contract with you.”

Shen Mo agreed and made further promises before withdrawing.

“Madame, what are you thinking? Are you really going to lower the price for every shop today? Aren’t you afraid the master will blame you when you get back?” Cheng Yu asked.

“Brother Jing wouldn’t blame me. If he were here, he would do the same. That’s enough, no need to persuade me any further. Just do as I say. If anything happens, I’ll take full responsibility. Brother Jing definitely won’t hold it against you.” Shen Mo replied.

The others stopped trying to dissuade him. In every shop they entered, before the shopkeeper could even speak, Shen Mo offered today’s goods at cost price as compensation for the delay. He then repeatedly apologized, promising there wouldn’t be a next time.

Although there was still some dissatisfaction, they knew this was the maximum compensation Zhou’s family could offer.

Sausages and duck products were still meat, and the cost was clear: fatty meat was 20 coins per catty, and lean meat was 15 coins per catty. Making sausages required a mix of both, and there were also labor costs to consider, which added up to quite a bit.

With Shen Mo offering the price of 16 coins, the shopkeepers understood that it was essentially just the cost price, with no profit, meaning they were essentially working for free for a day.

They accepted it and felt that Zhou’s family was trustworthy, demonstrating that they would take responsibility for the losses without needing to be asked.

They hoped that such delay would not occur again in the future.

Having delayed for an hour and missed the morning market meant that many business matters had been set back, causing them to return nearly two hours later than usual.

Zhou Jing waited anxiously at home until he finally spotted the mule cart approaching the village.

He hurried over and, upon seeing Shen Mo sitting there unharmed, he felt a wave of relief wash over him.

“Why are you so late today?”

“Isn’t it all because of Mrs. Wang?” Shen Lin couldn’t contain his frustration and began to rattle off everything that had been bothering him throughout the day.

“Because of her ruckus, we were late delivering goods to the town and missed the breakfast time. The shopkeepers were not happy and pressured my Big Brother for an explanation. He had no choice; fearing a loss of credibility, he had to lower the prices as compensation. Brother-in-law, you can’t blame my Big Brother for this; he did it for the sake of the business.”

The more Zhou Jing listened, the tighter his brows furrowed.

However, he turned to Shen Mo and said, “Xiao Mo, you did the right thing. In business, credibility is of utmost importance; I can’t afford to lose that. I not only don’t blame you for this but also want to thank you. If you hadn’t made that decision at the time, who knows what kind of losses our family would have faced? I truly feel lucky to have married such a wonderful husband like you.”

Zhou Jing often expressed such sweet sentiments, never caring about the occasion or the place.

At first, Shen Mo felt so embarrassed that he wanted to find a hole to hide in.

But over time, as he heard these words more frequently, he grew accustomed to them and no longer felt as affected.

Shen Mo was even able to respond normally: “Brother Jing, what Mrs. Wang did was not right, and I feel frustrated about it too. We do use her mule cart, but we rented it and paid for it; we didn’t borrow it for free. Those are two different matters.”

“If she’s going to act like this, it felt like renting her mule cart is not supporting her business, but rather her family is supporting ours. If that’s the case, we won’t be borrowing her cart anymore.”

Zhou Jing’s expression darkened. “Not only that but when our current business with her is up, we shouldn’t renew the contract with her family.”

“Alright, I’ll go return the mule cart now and settle the accounts from the past few days. Starting tomorrow, we won’t use her mule cart anymore.”

“But if we don’t use her mule cart, whose cart will we use? The families in the village that have mule carts have had disputes with us in the past, which is why we didn’t rent from them; otherwise, we wouldn’t even be relying on her family.” Shen Lin asked.

“We won’t use anyone else’s cart; I plan for us to buy one for ourselves,” Shen Mo replied.

As the one managing the finances, he was well aware of the family’s current situation, so his tone was casual as if discussing spending mere 20 or 30 coins on food.

Shen Lin then remembered that they had already earned around 20 or 30 silver coins, which was only a third of their profits.

Considering that Zhou Jing was the major stakeholder, Shen Mo estimated they had at least a hundred silver coins to spare.