Chapter 512 - 514: Visitors
Chapter 512: Chapter 514: Visitors
Wang Ping’s face was full of excitement. "Sir, by planting according to your method, it looks like this year’s harvest will be much larger.
If this gets reported upward, it’ll be a huge credit to your name!"
He felt he had hitched his wagon to the right star. Ever since Mr. Gu arrived, he had been at his beck and call, practically becoming the Magistrate’s right-hand man. Now, wherever he went, people couldn’t help but look at him with respect.
To go from a complete nobody to the highly-regarded Magistrate Wang in such a short time... sometimes Wang Ping felt as if he were dreaming.
"Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. It’s too early to draw conclusions," Ancient Wen Heng said. This time, he hadn’t used the high-yield seeds from his dimension. Instead, he had pored over numerous agricultural texts, researched effective composting methods from later ages, and guided the old farmers step-by-step to cultivate the land to its current, promising state.
So far, the results seemed quite good. All he could do now was wait for the harvest.
Wang Ping naturally had complete faith in Ancient Wen Heng. For this latest venture, he had even invested his entire life savings.
After Jin Qianqian collected the Silver Taels for Bai Jinglie’s investment, she announced that all partnership spots for the sea trade venture were filled. This took those who were still waiting on the sidelines by surprise.
They had raised enough money in such a short amount of time? It was hard to say if the whole thing was reliable.
If Ancient Wen Heng weren’t the Magistrate of Lu City, many would have assumed it was a scam.
The gossip outside didn’t affect Jin Qianqian in the slightest. She continued working at her own pace, preparing everything that needed to be done ahead of time, one item at a time.
But as things got moving, she found herself short-handed once again.
Now, she could only hope that Hu Dong would receive her letter and quickly dispatch a group of people to her.
＆
Hu Dong, of course, was already prepared. He had started making arrangements back when Jin Qianqian first departed.
’The Master and Madam are in a completely new place,’ he thought. ’They’re bound to need more people.’
In addition to the group he had sent over before, he selected several more reliable shopkeepers and assistants. These were people who could take over immediately upon arrival and keep things running smoothly.
But when he received Jin Qianqian’s letter, he nearly bit his tongue. ’The Madam really is a handful, daring to dream of sea trade.’
After setting aside the group he had already designated to go, he found he truly had no one else available.
With a sigh, he soon had a recruitment notice posted on the city walls. The same was done in other areas where they had businesses, with each shop tasked to recruit one local.
The shopkeepers and assistants from every shop grew anxious. ’It’s one person per post,’ they thought. ’Is Chief Steward Hu dissatisfied with us?’
Once the shops closed for the day, they all swarmed to the Gu Mansion, as Chief Steward Hu had been staying there recently to look after the estate.
"I know why you’re all here," Hu Dong said, not giving them a chance to speak. "The Master and Madam need more staff, so there will be some transfers from among your ranks.
You all should use this time to discuss amongst yourselves. Who is willing to go to Lu City?"
Everyone fell silent. Living in a bustling city, they had all dealt with people from every walk of life, so they knew exactly what kind of place Lu City was.
In the past, they would have been completely against the idea.
But things were different now. The Family Head was the city’s highest official, and the chance to work directly for the Madam could very well be a better career path.
Everyone was wavering. Hu Dong didn’t press them. "I’ll give you a few days to consider it. And don’t worry—an opportunity this good might not even be available to you in the end."
...
Just as Hu Dong had predicted, there was no shortage of ambitious people.
It wasn’t long after the news spread that people began approaching him in private, all asking for a position by the Madam’s side.
What surprised Hu Dong the most was that several of the young masters from Minister Cao’s family were also interested in going to Lu City.
"But does Minister Cao know about this?" Hu Dong felt a headache coming on as he looked at Cao Lijia, who had made a special trip from Shangjing.
’In Shangjing, they’re right under Minister Cao’s nose, which means we have less to worry about.’
’But this is Lu City we’re talking about. These young men are neither scholars nor warriors. If anything happened to them, wouldn’t we just be making an enemy of Minister Cao for no reason?’
"Chief Steward Hu, please rest assured," Cao Lijia said. "I discussed it with my grandfather before I came, and he agreed to let us go to Lu City.
From now on, we are simply assistants hired by the Gu family, nothing more."
Hu Dong was speechless. ’As if I could really think of you that way.’
"Please, Chief Steward Hu, do us this favor. Let us young lads have a chance to get out and see the world."
"To be frank, Young Master Cao," Hu Dong said, "my Madam is preparing for sea transport. Most of the people who go will likely be assigned to the ships. You’d best go back and ask Minister Cao about that!"
"Sea transport?" Cao Lijia’s eyes went wide. This was his childhood dream! Happiness had struck so suddenly. "I’ll do it! I’ll do it even without pay."
"It’s not your decision to make. Anything can happen on the open sea. You wouldn’t want some unforeseen accident to cause a rift between my Family Head and Minister Cao, would you?"
Cao Lijia couldn’t sit still any longer. "Then give me a few more days! I’ll go back and talk to my grandfather. He’ll definitely agree!"
’Even if he doesn’t agree,’ he thought, ’I’ll find a way onto that ship.’
Hu Dong had to give him that much leeway. "Then be quick about it. I have to make my decision in the next few days."
"Done! Just wait for my news." Without a moment’s delay, Cao Lijia turned and left.
Hu Dong was speechless once again.
He had thought the matter would simply fade away, but on the fourth day, Cao Lijia arrived with his brothers, their horse-drawn carriage blocking the entrance to the mansion.
"My grandfather says a man ought to get out there and make his mark on the world! Cowering in a corner, scared of your own shadow, won’t lead to anything great."
Hu Dong was speechless. ’Wasn’t Minister Cao dedicated to training you all to be shopkeepers and assistants? Why the sudden change of heart?’
Cao Lijia’s face was alight with excitement. "When do we leave?
It’s a long journey, after all. What should we prepare?"
"We leave in two days," Hu Dong said. "You can rest in the side courtyard until then. Just remember, once you’re inside the mansion, don’t go wandering off."
The number of people gathering this time was quite large, so Hu Dong had no choice but to have a small side courtyard in the Gu Mansion cleaned out for them. This saved him the trouble of booking rooms at an inn.
"Alright, we’ll go get some rest then. If you need a hand with anything, just let us know. We’re strong."
Hu Dong nodded with a stiff smile. He had no idea if sending these boys over was a good thing or a bad one.
＆
「Outside the main gate of the Huang Mansion.」
Several donkey carts were parked there, and two women caked in dust stood at the head of the group, right before the main gate.
Seeing the visitors, whose clothes were so dirty their original color was hidden, the gatekeeper wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Hurry up and leave. This is no place for the likes of you."
Tian Mi had suffered enough over the past days. She had traveled nonstop, barely daring to rest, only to end up this disheveled and be met with a look of utter contempt.