Chapter 60, “Lotus Society

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In Qinghe County, before Tian Mi even had the chance to bully anyone, someone had already come to bully her—how laughable!

When it came to skills, she could handle a few thugs like they were children.

When it came to backing, the acting county magistrate was her little uncle, and the head of the guards was someone she had saved.

As for wealth, her silver could crush these thugs into the ground.

When the thugs saw Tian Mi coming toward them with a wooden stick and a fierce look in her eyes, they were immediately scared.

Ignoring their pain, they knelt down and begged for mercy.

“We were wrong!”

“We won’t dare do it again!”

“We just wanted to earn a living!”

Who would have thought that this girl, looking like an immortal fairy, was actually a fierce goddess?

Tian Mi clapped the stick in her hands and said, “Weren’t you all so powerful? Hm? Axe Gang? Who’s your boss? Come out and let me see!”

The burly leader replied, “Our boss was killed by people from Prince Yu’s side. We’re just trying to survive. Grandma, I know we were wrong, we won’t do it again.”

So they were just small fry. When the cat’s away, the mice play.

They had just wanted to start their little business when they ran into Tian Mi, this Buddha!

One step and they were in deep trouble.

Tian Mi said, “From today on, I’m the one in charge of this dock…”

What should she call herself?

“This dock will now be run by my Lotus Society. Anyone who dares to engage in forced trade here will have their legs broken by the Lotus Society. Now, get lost!”

As soon as the thugs heard this, they scrambled to their feet and fled.

Tian Mi noticed that some of her people had also been hurt. Her eldest uncle had taken a punch to the eye, and it was a bit swollen, making him look somewhat funny. However, since his eye was still open, it didn’t seem serious.

Her eldest cousin was helping him up.

“Uncle, are you okay?” Tian Mi asked.

“It’s fine. Anyone who dares to bully us, I’ll beat them to death!” her eldest uncle responded.

Tian Mi couldn’t help but laugh. Her eldest uncle, who had never fought anyone in his life, was almost being led astray by her.

Xu Feiyan was excited. If you’re unhappy, just beat them up—that felt so good!

Growing up, she had always seen Tian Mi kick anyone who displeased her, and it was so impressive.

Heh heh heh!

Autumn Three to Autumn Eight hadn’t expected their young mistress to be this powerful. They were following her into a fight, and it gave them a strange sense of warmth.

Usually, it was the boys who fought, but today they were accompanying their mistress into battle. It felt a bit strange, but there was a glint in their eyes that hadn’t been there before.

The group hurriedly unloaded the herbs from the ship. It took two trips to move everything.

Her eldest uncle said, “Your grandmother has chosen a good date. June 20th is an auspicious day, so we’ll open the shop then.”

Tian Mi replied, “Great!”

Opening the shop was a big deal, so she needed to pick the right day.

Tian Mi took a large amount of herbs and fire lye back to the house.

Most of the herbs were modern spices, which were considered medicinal in this era.

She also took some pharmaceutical ingredients, but she didn’t plan on making too many types of medicines. She would focus on remedies for external injuries, replenishing energy, and emergency life-saving drugs.

She had already bought a stone mill and a donkey. For the past few days, Tian Mi had them grinding flour and rice flour.

Now they could start grinding the thirteen-spice powder.

Unfortunately, pepper didn’t exist in this era, though Tian Mi had some in her space, along with seedlings. However, this region wasn’t suitable for growing it.

But that didn’t matter; she already had a crushing advantage.

She assigned the task to Autumn Four and Autumn Six. These two kids were especially meticulous. They organized the ingredients well, each spice in a separate jar, and managed everything neatly.

The two young men immediately went to prepare.

Although the kitchen had already been renovated, it would take a few more days before it could be fully used. Once ready, many things could finally be set in motion.

The next day, Tian Mi was in the courtyard with Sister Hui, playing with the children.

Qiu San came to report, “Miss, the group from the Axe Gang outside yesterday would like to meet with you.”

What’s this? They still have the nerve to be dissatisfied!

Tian Mi said, “Take them to the front hall!”

If they were dissatisfied, Tian Mi didn’t mind letting them get beaten a few more times.

She was overthinking it—these people were completely obedient!

The two leaders from the other day, along with a man in his thirties who looked like a scholar, arrived. They carefully sat down, clearly nervous.

Qiu San accompanied Tian Mi into the front hall.

When the three of them saw Tian Mi come in, they immediately stood up.

After Tian Mi sat down, the scholar spoke first, “Miss Tian, I hope you’re doing well. I was once a minor steward in the Axe Gang, my name is Zhou Yaozu. I’m sorry to trouble you today.”

Tian Mi observed their attitude and realized they weren’t here to cause trouble.

“Speak. What’s the matter?”

Zhou Yaozu explained, “The situation is like this, Miss Tian. Qinghe County is a place for business, and the dock is where the locals make their living. If you’re planning to manage the dock, there needs to be some kind of regulation, or else there will be fighting and even deaths over jobs.”

Tian Mi was surprised. She had only mentioned managing the dock casually, but these people were taking it seriously.

“I’m not managing anything. I’m just a leisurely rich woman,” she thought to herself.

Tian Mi was momentarily stunned.

Then Zhou Yaozu and the other two men suddenly knelt down and said, “Miss Tian, we would like to join the Lotus Society. Please accept us.”

Zhou Yaozu continued, “In the past, when no one was managing the dock, the merchants would depress the prices so much that many people couldn’t survive. Although the Axe Gang had done some over-the-top things, they did ensure that the workers had a guaranteed wage. Miss Tian, the people here have suffered for over a year. They just want to live normal lives. Since you’ve said you’ll manage the dock in front of everyone, we ask that you create a regulation so that things can proceed normally. Otherwise, the workers will be oppressed by the merchants who lower prices.”

Tian Mi understood. This was essentially asking for a labor union.

But what did it have to do with her?

However, a well-run labor union could be a big force!

With that, Tian Mi could not help but think that not only could she be a rich woman, but she might also become a leader!

This was incredible!

But she didn’t know how to run something like this.

Tian Mi asked, “What kind of regulation do you think would be appropriate?”

Zhou Yaozu replied, “Previously, the Axe Gang charged a transport fee based on the weight of the ships, which was then divided among the workers. This way, the workers had a fixed wage, and the merchant charges were also set. The workers typically received 80%, with the remaining 20% going to the gang.”

He only mentioned the original intention of the Axe Gang but didn’t talk about the gang’s later fraudulent and bullying actions.

Tian Mi thought this sounded good! This was something she could do. Tian Dabiao would love it—this was right up his alley.

Tian Mi asked Qiu San to call Tian Dabiao over.

Sure enough, when Tian Dabiao arrived and heard the situation, he said, “This is a good thing! We can do business with a group of brothers and make money—it’s a great opportunity. Daughter, I can handle this.”

Tian Mi felt this was too easy! Such a good thing, shouldn’t someone else be fighting for it? Why did it fall on her?

Of course, others weren’t competing because they couldn’t beat her! In a place like the dock, where force and power mattered, they simply couldn’t win against her.

Now that it looked like the business would actually happen, Tian Mi felt a little hesitant. She asked, “Are there any precautions?”

Zhou Yaozu replied, “You need to be careful of managing the people under you. Don’t let them develop evil thoughts or greed, and don’t forget the original intention.”

Hearing this, Tian Mi understood. The Axe Gang had definitely gone down the wrong path in the end.

Tian Mi assigned Qiu Si and Qiu San to assist Tian Dabiao and work with Zhou Yaozu to understand the daily operations of the dock.

What started as Tian Mi casually mentioning the Lotus Society had unexpectedly turned into a real organization.

Zhou Yaozu, along with Feng Si and Chen Daniu, all joined the Lotus Society.

Tian Mi insisted that all transactions should be mutually agreed upon by both parties, and no one should be allowed to bully others. Feng Si and Chen Daniu nodded in agreement.

In reality, they were just villagers from the area. They had worked as porters for the Axe Gang, but after the gang was defeated and disbanded, they had been arrested to work on repairing the city gates. After being released by Bai Mucheng, they came to work at the dock and eventually came up with the idea of rebuilding the Axe Gang.

The business venture started and immediately collapsed!