Zhang Fangyuan pinched the little Ruili's cheek. The child had grown taller, and his once chubby, soft cheeks weren’t as round and tender as before, the baby fat had tightened. "Who was it that said they wanted to start writing earlier?"
Little Ruili grumbled, unwilling to admit his earlier misjudgment. "I want to eat sour chicken feet."
"But it’s so late, who knows if the market still has any? Let’s have Gancao check." Zhang Fangyuan asked, "Where’s your brother?"
"Brother wasn’t happy with how his writing turned out today. He is in the study practicing."
Zhang Fangyuan held the little one in his arms and glanced toward the study, his brow furrowing slightly. "Your brother used to be a bit more lively back in the village. Since moving to the city and starting school, he’s become even more withdrawn. Make sure you talk to him more, don’t let him bottle everything up."
"Brother isn’t like that. He doesn’t talk much at home, but in school, he recites loudly and even chats with little Xing’er."
Zhang Fangyuan nodded. "Then it must be the studying tiring him out. I’ll have your little Dad make him a honeyed orange drink."
"I want one too!"
Zhang Fangyuan kissed the child’s cheek. "Fine, one big glass for each of you."
Time passed in quiet contentment. Spring turned to autumn, winters gave way to summers, and the little one in his arms grew day by day. Year after year slipped by in the space between waking and sleeping, until three or four years had gone by in the blink of an eye.
"Master Song sent a letter today. He said the cloth merchants in Siyang have been ordering less, and other traveling merchants have taken advantage of the gap. He won’t be coming to Siyang anymore."
Zhang Fangyuan sat in front of the bronze mirror in the inner chamber, trimming the stubble on his lips. Though men of a certain age liked to grow beards to appear dignified and mature, it also made them look older.
So he always shaved carefully, much to Xu He’s amusement. "The children are half your height already. Why bother with all this?"
Xu He, on the other hand, still looked as young and handsome as ever. Zhang Fangyuan mused, of course he did. After suffering hardships early in life, he had slowly regained his health once their lives improved after marriage. These past few years, though they weren’t rolling in wealth, they lived comfortably and lacked for nothing.
Xu He was younger than him to begin with, so it was no surprise he still looked as fresh as a flower.
"You can read letters now?"
Zhang Fangyuan paused mid-shave, his razor hovering at the corner of his mouth.
"With the children studying all these years, I’ve picked up a thing or two. I might not be able to compose poetry like them, but reading a letter is no problem." Even if he encountered unfamiliar characters, he could always ask the two little scholars at home.
Zhang Fangyuan clicked his tongue in admiration. "Quite the diligent student."
"Let’s get to the point."
Xu He set the letter on the table.
Zhang Fangyuan glanced at it and resumed shaving. "Song Yong’s been hinting for a while that he doesn’t want to do business in Siyang anymore. He’s spent half his life traveling, but these past few years, he’s been focusing on stabilizing his shop in Suzhou. Now that it’s settled, he naturally doesn’t want to keep running around."
"If he stops coming, what will happen to the village’s silk?"
Over the years, the villagers had been raising more and more silkworms, relying on the trade for their livelihoods. Their own family had profited handsomely from it too. If the merchant suddenly cut ties, what would they do?
Zhang Fangyuan said, "I’ve had a plan in mind since I heard Song Yong might stop coming. Our village’s silk is top-quality, and our poultry is robust. We might as well form our own trade caravan and head south to Jiangnan."
"Eldest Cousin and Second Cousin have over a decade of experience in goods transport. Let them lead the team, with some skilled hands from the martial school to assist. We’ll only operate the route between Siyang and Suzhou, steady and reliable."
Xu He breathed a small sigh of relief. Since becoming clan head, Zhang Fangyuan had not only overseen weddings, funerals, and ancestral rites but had also been finding work for the clan’s able-bodied men. His standing in the clan had grown increasingly solid.
Zhang Xiaoxuan and Zhang Xiaotian had spent these years working under Zhang Fangyuan’s support, transporting goods that had evolved from small, scattered items to poultry, century eggs, and salted duck eggs, always heading toward Suzhou. Their experience in trade was indeed extensive.
If they added silk to their cargo and established a dedicated trade route, it was entirely feasible. This way, the two older cousins could finally achieve something of their own.
"That’s good. Zhuang Qi has managed the martial school well all these years. Ji’an Martial School is thriving, and the new shop in the east of the city is almost ready to open. Once things stabilize there, we can spare some men from both schools for the trade route."
Zhang Fangyuan agreed. "That’s the plan."
"Alright, enough fussing over that beard. Didn’t you say you had guests to meet in the east of the city today?"
"Exactly because of the guests that I’m making myself presentable."
Zhang Fangyuan rarely put much effort into his appearance,usually he’d wear whatever Xu He laid out for him. The last time he’d put serious thought into his attire was before marrying Xu He, when he was still trying to win the young man over. So Xu He was surprised to see him pull out fine robes today.
"Important guests?"
"Not exactly ours, just accompanying others." Zhang Fangyuan fetched clothes for Xu He as well. "I heard it’s a salt merchant from Jiangnan, incredibly wealthy. If we can establish a connection, it’ll make future business smoother. Even if we don’t, sharing a meal means we’ll have an opening for future dealings."
"If he’s such a wealthy merchant, and it’s not our city’s merchants hosting, wouldn’t it be inappropriate for me to go?"
Zhang Fangyuan said, "It’s still early. Didn’t you say you wanted to visit the bookshop to get good inksticks for Ruijin and Ruili? I’ll go with you to take a look."
Thank you so much for the update!!!!!!!
ReplyDelete