Chapter 51: Chance Encounter in the County Town

Today is the third day of the first lunar month, and the Shilinyuan Bookstore opened its doors early. Although it was the New Year, business still had to go on as usual. Except for the first day of the lunar month when they took a day off, the bookstore could not close on any other day.

Li Yanqing walked into the bookstore. It was quiet inside, and he originally thought there was no one there. To his surprise, once he stepped inside, he saw the floor filled with youths and children, each holding a book. It was none other than The Great Sage Catches Demons: Red Boy, which he had written himself.

Hearing the shop door open, Manager Luo peeked out from the stairs and looked down. Seeing that it was Li Yanqing, he was so excited that he almost lost his footing and rolled down the stairs. He rushed forward, grabbed Li Yanqing by the arm, and exclaimed, "Master Qing has finally arrived!"

Manager Luo’s grip made Li Yanqing’s wrist ache. He gently broke free and smiled, saying, "Don't be so anxious, Manager."

"You are my life-saving medicine right now! If you hadn't come today, I would have gone straight to your house tomorrow."

"Is it really that serious?"

"It’s even more serious than that!"

Manager Luo invited Li Yanqing up to the second floor, closed the door, and pleaded with a beseeching tone, "Heaven preserve us, I pray the young master has brought me the new manuscripts!"

Li Yanqing chuckled, pulled two manuscripts from his robe, and placed them on the table. A strange gleam instantly flashed in Manager Luo's eyes—there were actually two of them! He snatched up the manuscripts, so excited that he spun around in circles. "They're finally here! I'm saved!"

In truth, Li Yanqing understood Manager Luo's feelings. Wang Gui and Tang Huai sighed every single day, obsessing over reading the next installment as if their souls had been stolen.

The other students at Lushan Academy were much the same. Having bought Wang Gui's books like some addictive medicine, they jingled their copper coins by Wang Gui's ear all day long, urging him to get the next volume for sale.

If Lushan Academy was like this, other places were undoubtedly the same.

Manager Luo finally calmed down a bit, poured a cup of tea for Li Yanqing, sat down, and smiled. "The owner sent people to hound me every single day recently, literally driving me to sickness. I’ve been going to your father daily, asking him to pass a message to you..."

Li Yanqing was momentarily stunned. When had his father ever passed a message to him? Had he forgotten? A quick thought crossed his mind, and he understood: his father must have been afraid of affecting his studies.

"How should these manuscripts be sent over?" Li Yanqing asked.

"I'm leaving immediately. I'll deliver them to Daming Prefecture myself. The owner gave strict instructions to bring them to him the moment the manuscripts arrived."

At this, Manager Luo suddenly slapped his own forehead. "Look at me, muddled with joy! I almost forgot about your payment."

He hurried to the cabinet, retrieved a paper scroll, and smiled. "This is a deposit certificate from the money shop next door. It holds two hundred strings of cash, one hundred of which is the royalty fee for your second and third volumes."

He handed the certificate to Li Yanqing and added, "It still requires your personal signature and seal. Later, we can go to the money shop together to complete the procedure."

Filled with curiosity, Li Yanqing took the mulberry-paper scroll and examined it closely. Of course, this was not paper currency like Jiaozi, but rather something akin to a bank deposit receipt. As early as the Mid-Tang Dynasty, deposit shops had begun offering savings services, not to mention the highly developed commercial economy of the Song Dynasty.

In the early Northern Song Dynasty, this type of deposit certificate had first appeared in the Chengdu region, and gradually spread across the country, becoming a disguised form of currency. However, due to cash-兑现 (cashing) crises, the court abolished private exchange certificates and took issuance into its own hands. During the reign of Emperor Huizong, Qianyin was issued, which was also a type of paper currency.

However, Qianyin could still only be used in certain major cities, and places like Tangyin County did not have it yet. The certificate Manager Luo gave Li Yanqing was a silver deposit voucher from the Hongdengji Money Shop in Daming Prefecture, redeemable only at Hongdengji branches in Xiangzhou, Weizhou, Cizhou, Mingzhou, and Daming Prefecture.

Li Yanqing put down the certificate and asked, "Wasn't it agreed upon as thirty strings of cash? Why has it increased?"

"This is the owner's wish. He is paying you the highest regular manuscript rate for scholars, hoping that the young master will continue writing."

Since the other party treated him generously, Li Yanqing naturally saw no reason to quibble. He smiled and accepted the certificate.

...

Having finished his business in the county town, Li Yanqing planned to head back after lunch.

The street he was currently on was called East Street, the most commercially prosperous thoroughfare in Tangyin County. It boasted three wine houses alone, alongside inns, teahouses, money shops, pharmacies, bookstores, and various eateries. Shops stood shoulder to shoulder, with layer upon layer of shop signs hanging above. Today being the third day of the lunar year, the avenue was already bustling with activity, crowds weaving like a loom, and the wine houses were practically filled to capacity.

Although the people of the Song Dynasty did not traditionally eat lunch, it was not an absolute rule. Laborers and porters, when driven by hunger, cared little whether it was noon or afternoon. Coupled with the fact that many people woke up late during the New Year holidays, missing breakfast made eating lunch quite normal.

At that moment, Li Yanqing noticed a steamed bun shop ahead and strolled toward it. Just as he reached the shop, he heard someone calling his name from behind. Turning around, he saw a young man running toward him—it was none other than Li Dongdong, whom he had met during the clan ancestral rites. Li Yanqing had originally planned to visit his house on the fifth day, and he was surprised to run into him here in the county seat.

Li Yanqing hurried forward to greet him. "Older Brother Dong, what brings you to the county town?"

Fortunately, his father had told him yesterday that this Li Dongdong was of the same generation as him; otherwise, he might have addressed him as "Uncle Dong."

"I came to the county town to buy some things. I caught a glimpse of a back that looked like yours and chased after you all the way. Sure enough, it was you."

Li Dongdong was very enthusiastic. Pulling Li Yanqing along, he said, "You haven't eaten yet, right? Let me treat you to a meal at a tavern."

Li Yanqing pointed to the steamed bun shop. "This place is quite good."

"Bah! What's so great about steamed buns? Come with me."

He pulled Li Yanqing into the Lin Family Tavern across the street, went up to the second floor, and found a window seat. Li Dongdong ordered four or five dishes and a pot of wine, then asked with a smile, "Little brother, what brings you to the county seat?"

"I came to the bookstore to buy some books. What about Brother Dong? Why are you here?"

"To be honest with you, little brother, I came back to my hometown this time firstly to worship the ancestors, and secondly to buy a batch of medicinal herbs to take back to the capital."

"Doesn't Brother Dong sell tea? Why are you selling medicinal herbs now?" Li Yanqing asked, puzzled.

Li Dongdong smiled. "How much can you make just selling a few bowls of herbal tea? It's not even enough for the rent. You have to dabble in other businesses to get by. As it happens, I know a medicine broker who heard I was coming back to my hometown and entrusted me to buy several thousand catties of our Tangyin County specialty—processed Coptis chinensis."

"How much money can Brother Dong make from this trip?"

Li Dongdong smiled and waved his hand. "I wouldn't tell just anyone, but since my little brother asks, I won't hide it. It's this much!"

Li Dongdong held up two fingers. Li Yanqing guessed with a smile, "Two hundred strings of cash!"

"As if! Twenty strings."

Li Yanqing was astonished. "Several thousand catties of medicinal herbs and you only make twenty strings of cash?"

"How much did you expect? I'm just earning a hardship fee. The big money is with the broker; it's his capital. If it were my own capital, I could make at least three hundred strings of cash on this trip alone."

A broker was essentially a middleman who matched buyers and sellers and took a commission in between. Some brokers with capital transformed into middlemen, reaping even greater profits. Li Yanqing had naturally heard of this, but he hadn't expected that Li Dongdong, who appeared quite well-off, would hustle around for twenty strings of cash. It seemed his life in the capital was not going as smoothly as it appeared.

"Brother Dong said the other day that the capital is full of money. Why not do some other business?"

Li Dongdong shook his head. "There is indeed a lot of money in Beijing, but it's not easy to earn. Things like salt, tea, wine, alum, iron, and spices are all state-monopolized. If you dare to meddle in them, at best you lose your shirt, and at worst you face a lawsuit and imprisonment. Moreover, many businesses, even if not state-monopolized, are monopolized by the powerful and elite, who transform into trade guilds and set up all sorts of restrictions. In short, making money requires capital and political backing. Someone like me, with neither influence nor capital, can only run errands or sell a few bowls of herbal tea to scrape by."

"Then why doesn't Brother Dong come back to the county town to do business?"

Li Dongdong gave a bitter smile. "Once you go to the capital and see the world, you won't look back at a small county town like this. To be honest, while the county town is nice, there's too little money. That steamed bun shop just now—I know the owner. A family of five works from dawn till dusk, exhausting themselves to death, and they only make six or seven strings of cash a month. They can't even afford to hire a hand. Hiring a shop assistant in Tangyin County nowadays costs at least three strings of cash a month.

"Things are a bit more expensive in the capital; it takes five strings. My teahouse can't afford to hire anyone either. I'm responsible for preparing tea and boiling water, while my wife runs the front and sells tea. At most, we make a dozen strings of cash a month, yet I put on a false front of wealth when I return to my hometown, pretending to be a big shot from the capital."

Li Dongdong had originally only meant to say that Tangyin County was too poor, but as he talked, he ended up baring his own situation. Coupled with the few cups of wine he had drunk, his speech became uninhibited, spilling all his secrets.

In truth, this was also the bitterness in his heart. Usually too afraid to voice it, he could only pour out his grievances to a half-understanding child like Li Yanqing. Nor was he afraid that Li Yanqing would spread it around—after all, few people believed what children said.

Li Yanqing actually had a few thoughts of his own. He knew it was not easy to make money in Tangyin County, and even harder in Lushan Town. Take Uncle Hu, for example, who slaughtered pigs, hauled goods, and did heavy labor for others while still farming his own land; after all these years, he had only saved a few dozen strings of cash. His father was even more pitiful, having saved a mere ten strings of cash over four years.

Prices in the Great Song Dynasty were not high; rice in the capital cost only about thirty cash per dou, and even cheaper in the fertile grain-producing plains. A dou of wheat in Tangyin County cost only fifteen cash. For ordinary farming households, food and clothing were not an issue; the biggest problem was having no cash on hand.

If one wanted to make money, one had to set their sights on the capital. Therefore, he was quite interested in this Li Dongdong. Coincidentally, Li Dongdong lacked capital, while he, Li Yanqing, had it. If the two sides could cooperate, it would be an avenue for investment. More importantly, Li Dongdong was a fellow clansman; tied together by family lineage, Li Dongdong wouldn't dare to scam him.

"How much capital did Brother Dong use to buy the medicine this time?"

"Actually, not that much. About a thousand strings of cash. Deducting labor and boat freight, I should end up making a thirty percent profit in the end."

Li Yanqing had two hundred strings of silver on him, which could certainly be invested. However, he couldn't rush into this matter; it was best to talk with the clan head first.

"When does Brother Dong plan to return to the capital?" Li Yanqing asked again.

"I'm still collecting goods right now. It'll probably be around the end of the month."

Li Dongdong was an extremely shrewd man. The reason he wanted to rope in Li Yanqing was not because Li Yanqing could write a few couplets, but because he had heard from fellow clansmen that the clan head held Li Yanqing in very high regard. If Li Yanqing was willing to put in a good word for him before the clan head, perhaps he could borrow money from the clan head.

Li Dongdong no longer wanted to run the teahouse; his patrons were all rough laborers from the bottom rungs of society who couldn't spend much, and moreover, his wife was constantly harassed by those rough men while tending tables. Over the past few years in the capital, he had gradually figured out how things worked. He wanted to switch careers and become a broker; with capital, he could make even more.

At this thought, Li Dongdong picked up a piece of food for Li Yanqing with his chopsticks and smiled. "Can Brother Qing put in a good word for me with the clan head?"

"What kind of good word?"

"I want to collect a bit more medicine this time, but I don't have enough capital on hand. I'd like to borrow five hundred strings of cash from the clan head, but he doesn't trust me. Alas, I'm at my wit's end!"

Li Yanqing smiled and said, "If you only want to make money for yourself, I guess the clan head won't agree. You should think about making money together with the clan, where you also profit—wouldn't that be better?"

Li Dongdong fell silent for a long time, then let out a low sigh. "What you say makes sense. Fighting for a living out there all these years, watching many people around me strike it rich and find their paths, yet lacking capital and unable to borrow money anywhere... I've never considered cooperating with the family. You've reminded me with a single sentence."

Li Yanqing smiled. "How about this! I'll speak with the clan head. I also have some capital here that I can invest. You, me, plus the family—let's cooperate together so that all three parties benefit."

Li Dongdong’s spirits instantly lifted. "Then it's a deal! Once my little brother has talked it over with the clan head, come to my house the day after tomorrow, and we'll discuss the details."