Chapter 68
Upon receiving the news that the Ji family had finalized the accounts, everyone grew excited.
Those with tasks at hand or not all set them aside and hurried to the Ji residence.
After being away for nearly half a year, aside from returning safely and seeing their wives, children, and elders in good health, this was the one thing they had been looking forward to.
After all, words alone meant nothing—only actual silver in hand was real. Raising a family depended entirely on this.
Having gone through this venture, they still had no idea how much money they would actually receive.
The first day back home had been filled with celebration, but as time passed, inquiries about the money began to surface, both openly and discreetly.
Not that they could blame their families for being fixated on money—desperation had driven them to take such a risky merchant journey in the first place.
With a pile of debts at home and urgent expenses, the threat of starvation was no joke.
When the villagers from both sides met, their spirits were high, and they greeted each other with smiles.
As they walked together, they speculated about how much they might receive.
By the afternoon, Huo Shu saw that everyone had arrived promptly—no one wanted to delay when it came to collecting money.
The sooner it was distributed, the sooner they could rest easy. Huo Shu placed a bag of silver on the table and announced, "The accounts have been mostly settled. The final calculation is forty taels per person."
The villagers couldn’t contain themselves at the mention of forty taels. "Forty taels?!"
Ji Taoyu took the opportunity to hand out the account statements. "This includes both wages and bonuses. Everyone, take a look. If there are any discrepancies, speak up now."
"Say whatever needs to be said. Let’s settle everything today to avoid future disputes. Once time passes, it’ll be harder to clarify things."
Their faces flushed with astonishment as they eagerly took the statements.
"Triple wages, plus over ten taels in bonuses!"
"Wang Yong, read it for me. I don’t know all the characters."
"I’ll read it. Look here, it’s all clearly written."
The study quickly erupted into chatter as they examined the accounts, mentally calculating the sums.
No one outright complained about the amount—after all, who would ever refuse more money? But their surprised tones betrayed their true thoughts.
For farming families barely scraping by on ten-odd acres of land, a year’s gross income from the fields might barely reach ten taels.
Those with more productive land might raise livestock, and men could take on side jobs during the farming off-season to supplement their income.
At best, a household might earn twenty taels in a year.
But that was the entire family’s income. After accounting for food, clothing, taxes, and other expenses, frugal households might save two or three taels. Those in tougher situations often ended up in debt.
A single mishap in a year could force them to sell land after the autumn harvest.
With less land, life went on, but year after year of struggling could eventually reduce them to tenant farmers or servants.
Though these farmers had broadened their horizons on this journey, no amount of experience had ever put silver directly into their pockets.
Hearing that each of them would receive forty taels left them dizzy with joy, almost disbelieving.
After reviewing the accounts and seeing the breakdown of the sum, they felt more assured.
Four months away, with their lives hanging by a thread—several times, they had nearly lost them.
Though they had privately grumbled and feared along the way, seeing the final tally made it all worth it.
This sum was equivalent to two full years of income for their entire families, and with no deductions. It was more than they could have saved in half a lifetime.
With such a windfall, who could possibly be dissatisfied?
"No issues, none at all!"
One by one, they voiced their agreement.
Huo Shu nodded. "If there are no objections, I’ll distribute the money. Once received, sign or mark your acknowledgment, and this journey will be concluded."
"Yes, good! Very good!"
They eagerly assented.
Ji Taoyu picked up his brush. "For those who borrowed money in advance to buy goods, the amount will be deducted from the forty taels. It’s all recorded here."
"Understood."
Forty taels was a heavy sum, enough to weigh down their belts.
But no one minded such a nuisance. In fact, they’d gladly welcome this problem every day if they could.
The distribution to the eleven men proceeded swiftly. After verifying the amounts, they signed or marked their receipts.
Never had they pressed their fingerprints so eagerly.
With money in their pouches, the quick-witted among them were already planning how to spend it.
Ji Wenliang let the others settle their accounts first, stepping forward last to collect his share.
At the sight of the gleaming silver, his grin stretched ear to ear.
Ji Taoyu glanced at the ledger, noting only one name remained. He looked up at Ji Wenliang and smiled. "You’ve got patience. Everyone else was scrambling to get their money first."
"Well, I’m right here in the village. Letting the others go first doesn’t hurt."
Leaning in, Ji Wenliang whispered, "You and Brother Huo aren’t going anywhere. Even if someone else got skipped, my pay wouldn’t be missing."
"True. Even if we had to sell the pots and pans, we’d make sure you got yours. If we didn’t, Father would pay you out of his own pocket."
Ji Wenliang’s grin widened.
"I knew from the first moment I met Brother Huo that he was someone extraordinary. Following him was bound to lead to success."
He rested his elbows on the table, confiding in Ji Taoyu. "You have no idea how annoying Third Aunt has been. Cousin Yuan Fei actually stuck with Eldest Uncle’s work crew this time instead of running off halfway. She’s been bragging about how capable he is to anyone who’ll listen."
"But it’s not just that. Lately, she’s been coming over to our place, saying my parents shouldn’t have let me join the merchant group, that I should’ve been like Yuan Fei. She gets a kick out of putting down us younger ones. And she keeps feeding my mother all sorts of gossip from town, making her worry sick."
Ji Wenliang raised his eyebrows again and said, "Now, not only have I returned safe and sound, but I’ve also earned so much money, enough to make my cousin’s earnings look like peanuts. Third Aunt must be fuming with rage by now!"
Thank you for the update!!!
ReplyDelete