Chapter 53 Unexpected Gain

Although Qianshan Village had the word "mountain" in its name, it actually had nothing to do with mountains at all, being situated entirely on the plains. Qianshan Village lay to the west of Liwen Village, separated by a distance of about two or three miles across vast fields of wheat, facing each other from afar. It was a small village of several dozen households, among whom about eight households belonged to the Li clan.

Li Dongdong was the most successful person among the Li clan members in Qianshan Village. At the age of twenty, he followed a fellow villager to the capital. Initially, he worked as a tavern waiter in the capital city. Being clever, studious, and quick-witted, after five years he used his accumulated savings to set up a tea stall near the Bian River wharf outside the city wall.

A few years later, the tea stall evolved into a tea shed. A matchmaker/broker saw that he was smart and capable, and betrothed his daughter to him. The couple toiled from dawn till dusk, bitterly running their small business.

However, Li Dongdong was bent on making a fortune, so he took a desperate gamble and invested all his savings into the illicit wine trade. Unexpectedly, the illicit wine was confiscated by the authorities, and he lost his entire livelihood. Even the tea shed he had painstakingly operated for seven or eight years was forced to be pawned off to others.

Having reached a dead end, Li Dongdong had no choice but to run errands for his father-in-law to earn a meager living to support his family. Yet he was unwilling to accept defeat. Seeing that he had finally grasped the ropes of the trade and his father-in-law agreed to let him enter the business, he lacked the necessary capital. He was forced to borrow money everywhere, but no one was willing to lend him such a large sum until he met Li Yanqing.

Early on the fifth day of the New Year, Li Daqi and his son rode a donkey along the field paths toward Qianshan Village, which was several miles away. Today, Li Dongdong's household was hosting a banquet. The formal invitation cards had been delivered yesterday, and Li Daqi and his son had accepted the invitation as guests.

Once the New Year had passed, a hint of warmth lingered in the air. The white snow blanketing the fields had melted, leaving only tiny patches in the shadows that weakly resisted the erosion of the warm breeze, shrinking and fading day by day.

Even the thin ice in the small ditches began to show signs of thawing, its surface so frail that no one dared to step on it.

The wheat shoots on both sides of the field paths had emerged, draping the barren fields in a faint layer of green. Looking as far as the eye could see, the tender green landscape relieved the eyes from monotony and was thoroughly pleasing to the sight.

Li Daqi wore a gloomy expression, appearing rather reluctant to attend the banquet. He had yet to fully digest the business philosophy his son had instilled in him over the past two days. He was a scholar; how could he possibly know anything about doing business? Yet his son had pushed him into it like a duck onto a perch. Had the clan leader not been the prime mover behind this venture, he would never have agreed. He would have been completely content earning five or six strings of cash a month—what need was there for so much money?

Seeing that they were about to reach the village entrance, Li Daqi said with displeasure, "If Li Dongdong wants to talk business with me alone, I won't pay him any mind. If you want to talk, you can talk with him."

Li Yanqing smiled and said, "Father only needs to do one thing today: sign and press your fingerprint on a partnership contract. The clan leader will arrange the specifics, and Father doesn't need to worry about anything else. Just eat well, drink well, and we'll head home tonight."

"Then what will you do?" Li Daqi glared at his son and asked.

Li Yanqing patted his bulging book satchel and laughed, "I need to catch up on my homework! School starts the day after tomorrow, and I still have a mountain of assignments left undone!"

In an instant, his son transformed from an old Jianghu business veteran back into an innocent little schoolboy. Although Li Daqi had long been accustomed to this, he sometimes still felt a bit muddled. Who on earth was calling the shots between father and son?

Before long, the father and son arrived at Li Dongdong's home. Li Dongdong's house had also been built with six or seven brick-and-tile rooms, making it a relatively wealthy household in the village. Although he was the youngest of three brothers, his parents lived with him. Whenever he was in the capital, his parents stayed in his house.

"Second Uncle has finally arrived! Welcome! Welcome!"

Li Dongdong and his elderly father personally came to the village entrance to greet them. Although his father was already over sixty years old, in terms of generational rank, he was of the same generation as Li Daqi. The two men addressed each other as brothers as they walked toward the nearby doorway.

"Eldest Nephew, find a room for Qingdi to do his homework. If he doesn't finish it soon, he'll be getting the cane the day after tomorrow!"

Li Dongdong beamed from ear to ear. "Second Uncle, what are you saying? Qingdi is the leader of the youth society and ranked first in the entire county; how could his teacher ever bear to cane him?"

"Without beating, a vessel cannot be shaped. You were often beaten by your father when you were a child, and that's why you turned out successful!"

Li Daqi was quite articulate, and his words left Li Dongdong and his father beaming with delight. The four of them chatted and laughed as they walked through the courtyard gate. Li Daqi went to the main hall to drink tea, while Li Dongdong led Li Yanqing to the inner rooms to work on his homework.

Seizing an opportunity, Li Dongdong expressed his profound gratitude to Li Yanqing, thanking him profusely. If Li Yanqing hadn't pulled strings and bridged the gap for him, how could he ever have obtained this chance to turn his fortunes around?

Although the clan leader had only given him a thirty percent share, he had figured it out: running errands for his father-in-law meant he would forever remain a runner. No matter how much money he made for his father-in-law, he would only ever receive a meager wage.

However, partnering with the clan leader meant he was one of the proprietors. Once the business expanded, a thirty percent share of the profits would be more than enough to make him wealthy.

"Qingdi, I spoke with the clan leader yesterday, and all the details have been finalized. We can sign the contract today. From now on, we are ants on the same rope."

Li Yanqing rolled his eyes. What kind of phrasing was that? Li Dongdong hastily apologized with a flattering smile, "I was just joking with my little brother. From now on, we share weal and woe to achieve prosperity together!"

That was more like it. Li Yanqing then asked, "Can this medicinal herb venture still make it in time?"

"No problem at all. I made my acquisitions early this time; I only had to run to Yongji Township to collect all the herbs from my father-in-law. After making a trip to a few other townships, I can wrap it up in just a few days. Furthermore, the clan leader has agreed to let me use the clan's cargo boats to transport the goods, which will save a considerable amount on freight costs. As soon as the river thaws next month, we can set off. This time, we'll make at least three hundred strings of cash."

"And what about after that?"

Li Yanqing cared more about long-term plans. This was his father's meal ticket for the future and had to be built solidly. He pressed further, "What are your plans for the future?"

"Of course I have them!"

Li Dongdong rubbed his hands, unable to contain the excitement in his heart. Beaming, he said, "I discussed it with the clan leader yesterday: we can go into the grain business next year. Tangyin is a major grain-producing county, and the prices of both wheat and millet are half as cheap here as in the capital. If we buy wheat directly from the farming households, it will be even cheaper. Transporting it to the capital to sell to the major grain merchants, after deducting all taxes and expenses, will yield a profit margin of at least twenty percent. Although the profit isn't as high as that of medicinal herbs, its advantage lies in being safe and stable—something the court encourages. By running a few more trips, we can recover our capital within a year."

As he spoke, Li Dongdong's eyes were filled with longing for the future, and his gaze brightened as if stacks of copper coins were glittering in his eyes.

Li Yanqing thoroughly approved of this idea. Bianjing had a population of a million, and its daily consumption of grain was enormous. Moreover, in the late Northern Song Dynasty, the court had already lost control over the capital's grain supply, relying entirely on a few major rice guilds to feed the entire city. The grain business was not only steady but offered long-term benefits, making it even more suitable for a large landowning family like the Lis. This was bound to be the clan leader's idea; he must have been plotting it for a long time, and he himself had merely arrived at the opportune moment.

Just at that moment, the door creaked open, and two young girls walked out one after the other. The one in front was slightly younger, around four or five years old, wearing a bright red cotton-padded jacket with her hair tied in double-bun knots, possessing an oval face, delicate eyebrows, and rosy, blushing cheeks—she looked quite pretty and well-behaved.

The girl behind her was much older, in her early teens, dressed similarly to the younger one. Though not exceptionally pretty, her skin was fair and clear. She held a handful of roasted melon seeds in her hand and was busy cracking them open with her teeth.

"Third Uncle!" the younger girl ran forward and called out sweetly.

Li Dongdong's eyes crinkled with a smile. "Good little Xier, you have such a sweet mouth!"

However, the older girl behind her sized up Li Yanqing and asked, "Third Uncle, where did this little monkey crawl out from?"

"Don't talk nonsense!"

Li Dongdong's face darkened as he reprimarded, "Hurry over and greet Uncle Qing!"

Li Yanqing almost burst out laughing. He had actually become "Uncle Qing"! These two girls must be Li Dongdong's nieces. He puffed out his chest, preparing to receive the greetings of his junior.

The younger girl obediently stepped forward and curtsied respectfully, "Hello, Uncle Qing!"

The older girl behind her paused for a moment. To actually call this little brat "uncle"? Her face flushed red, and she muttered under her breath, "I won't call him that!"

"If you don't call him that, Uncle won't give you New Year money next year!"

Li Dongdong clearly knew how to make his eldest niece surrender. The young girl had no choice but to shuffle forward reluctantly, barely managing a curtsy to Li Yanqing, who was several years younger than her: "Greetings, Uncle Qing!"

Li Yanqing nodded with satisfaction, casually grabbed two handfuls of cash from his book satchel, and handed them over. "This is... New Year money from Uncle Qing. Go and play!"

"Thank you, Uncle Qing!" The younger sister stretched out her hands and happily received the money.

Meanwhile, the older girl snatched the cash with a blushing face, glared fiercely at Li Yanqing, and bolted away like a puff of smoke.

"Older Sister, wait for me!" the younger sister chased after her.

Watching their retreating backs, Li Dongdong remarked, "Those are the two young lasses from my eldest sister's household. They came to play at my house today, and I'm sorry to have put Qingdi to such expense."

"It's just a few cash coins; it's all for good fortune in the New Year!"

"That's true!"

Li Dongdong knew that Li Yanqing was a little financial magnate who could pull out two hundred liang of silver—he was much wealthier than himself, so a few cash coins truly meant nothing to him. Thus, he said no more and invited Li Yanqing into the room to do his homework, while he himself went out to welcome the guests.

The room where Li Yanqing did his homework was used by Li Dongdong's family to store miscellaneous items. The main consideration was that it was relatively quiet, free from disturbance by guests, and happened to have a desk and chairs.

Li Yanqing sat down by the window, took out paper and brush, and prepared to write. As he ground the ink, he surveyed the room. It was piled high with various old and discarded household goods: a copper lamp that leaked oil, a coarse bowl with a chipped rim, a stool with a broken leg, a bamboo mat with holes, and so on. It seemed it hadn't been touched in ages, and a thin layer of dust covered everything.

This must have been tidied away by the elderly folks, who couldn't bear to throw anything out. At that moment, Li Yanqing suddenly noticed a short sword propped beneath the leg of a cabinet. A thought stirred in his heart; he stepped forward, lifted the cabinet slightly, and pulled the sword out.