Great Tang Idyll - Volume 4 Chapter 41

“Do you think Zhang Zhong knows about this, or is he unaware?” After the people from the Zhang family leave, Liu Shaoqing, staring at the chest of copper coins, asks the other three. While he signs the deal, it is natural that the other three families have to be involved when the business is carried out.

In order to pay off their debts, the four set aside their pride and are willing to do whatever it takes to make money. With three hundred strings of cash, they can make at least half the profit from making shrimp paste in a month. If the work done for free by the servants is factored in, they can make even more.

This deal is a win-win, no matter how you look at it, but something feels off. Liu Shaoqing can’t help but feel a bit uneasy, despite his growing happiness.

Cao Herui walks around the box of coins and says, “They probably don’t know. If they did, why would they have someone come looking for us? Even with a shortage of workers, it wouldn’t be hard to spare some common folk. Something doesn’t feel right here.”

“We’ve paid the deposit and written the receipt. Even if they don’t want to buy it, we can still sell it ourselves. We need to send someone quickly to buy jars and catch shrimp. Otherwise, we’ll have to compensate them if we can’t deliver.”

Liu Shaoqing can’t think of what might go wrong, so seeing the opportunity to make money, he quickly instructs people to start working. He also stops selling the rice cakes and keeps them for his own family to eat.

The other three make similar arrangements, and their servants go out to carry out the tasks. After an hour, the people who go to buy jars return first. They aren’t hauling carts filled with jars but are each carrying only two jars, adding up to more than thirty jars in total.

“Master, we couldn’t buy the jars. When we went to the place that sells them, they were all sold out. We bought these from private homes. Usually, these jars cost about ten coins, but now they cost fifty, even up to a hundred coins. We thought they were too expensive, so we didn’t buy them.” After placing the jars carefully on the ground, the servant reports to Liu Shaoqing.

He stares at the jars for a moment before asking, “Didn’t you ask the place where you bought the jars? When will they have more? Didn’t you go to the kiln where we burn the jars?”

“I went to the kiln, but they don’t allow outsiders to fire jars anymore. They’re firing for the Great Official—no, it’s something Zhang Zhong requested. So there are no jars. The place where we buy them also imports from there, and now they’re out. It’ll probably take about half a month before they can fire more. I asked where all the jars went, and they said the young master and young lady of the Zhang family bought them to grow flowers, using the jars to store soil. Maybe we should go ask the Zhang family?” The servant speaks cautiously, knowing that the master has been in a bad mood lately.

“Ridiculous! Flowers? Why use jars instead of flowerpots?” Liu Shaoqing explodes. “They’re doing this on purpose, hoarding all the jars. A half month? We won’t be able to make shrimp paste in time! Hurry, buy them, even if they cost a hundred wen each. What are we going to do if we can’t deliver?”

Liu Shaoqing realizes what has been happening. No wonder the Zhang family’s servants are talking about a deal and paying a deposit—they have been waiting for this.

“It turns out they have bad intentions. One jar costs one hundred coins. Twenty strings of cash would buy two hundred jars, but we still need to pay for the salt first. The family has finally saved some money, and now we have to spend it again. Hurry up and get it done, or there will be no shrimp!”

Cao Herui finally understands why something feels off, but it is too late to act. People in his family are already buying jars and catching shrimp, and all their efforts are focused on that.

The jars are bought at inflated prices, but by evening, the shrimp catchers return empty-handed. There are no boats to go out to sea, and no nets to catch the shrimp. They try catching shrimp on the beach, but they can’t catch any, no matter how hard they work. They are unfamiliar with shrimp fishing—how many can they catch in one night?

The only place where they can actually catch shrimp is Qinzhou Bay, but fishing there is prohibited, as the area is reserved for dolphins.

The four men are now dumbfounded. The most naïve of them all is Liu Shaoqing. He writes the contract, and if he can’t deliver the goods, he will have to pay compensation. He has no money to begin with, and now he will owe even more, making his situation even worse.

Thinking about it, Liu Shaoqing looks at the other three and says, “Let’s think of a solution. It would be best if we could get a few boats and some nets. Otherwise, we’ll have to pay out all the money this time. The money owed to Zhang Zhong and this receipt are two different things. Zhang Zhong’s debt can be repaid slowly, but if this doesn’t go well, we’ll end up becoming servants to his servants.”

“We need to think this through carefully. After all, it was you, Brother Liu, who wrote the document in such a hurry. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have turned out like this. We still need to catch the shrimp, but as for the money, I can only contribute ten strings of cash to buy some salt and other things. It should be enough for dozens of jars.”

Cao Herui sees things are getting difficult, his eyes flicker, and he offers ten strings of cash. Though a lot for an ordinary person, it is still far from enough for shrimp fishing and paste-making.

Feeling a bit guilty for his words, Cao Herui adds, “I’ll leave my servants with Brother Liu for these days. Think it over carefully, and if you come up with a solution, let me know.”

The other two also contribute ten strings of cash each and hand over their servants to Liu Shaoqing, saying they are making arrangements, so naturally, Liu Shaoqing will be responsible for their meals.

Liu Shaoqing looks at the three faces, each of them so calm, their expressions unreadable. He understands—they are all the same. If he were in their position, he would have done the same. But now that it is happening to him, it feels deeply unsettling.

There is nothing else to say. Liu Shaoqing nods and says, “Thank you, all three of you. When I make money, I’ll definitely need your help. Then we can all relax together.”

“Okay, okay, Brother Liu, don’t worry. If you don’t have a boat, you can ask someone to make a raft with wood and catch shrimp in the sea. There are usually more shrimp at night.” Fan Jianxi tries to comfort him.

The other two also speak some comforting words, offering encouragement.

Liu Shaoqing no longer has the energy to deal with the three men. He mutters a few words and goes back to his room to think of a solution.

“Xiaobao, what should we do with all these jars?” In the mansion, Wang Juan looks at the pile of jars and asks Zhang Xiaobao with a smile.

Wang Juan is genuinely pleased that while Zhang Xiaobao is busy managing state affairs, he still finds time to plot against Liu Shaoqing and the others. This time, he is only plotting against one person, but it is far from simple.

“To make shrimp paste. The vegetables grow quickly here, and the harvested vegetables can be made into pickles directly. Then they’ll be sent to places with less salt and sold at a lower price. They’re edible vegetables that contain salt, so many people will buy them. After that, we’ll start picking small vegetables to make pickles with shrimp paste. This is how Jinzhou side dishes are made. Honestly, I think it tastes just okay, but many people like it, just like kimchi. I’m not talking about the kimchi from the island country, but the authentic kind from Sichuan, which many people buy. I don’t mind eating such food. I just want to create more jobs for the locals. The baskets used by the locals to weave Jinzhou side dishes aren’t made of plastic, but of rattan. With so much shrimp paste, we can’t let it go to waste. As long as we establish a brand and control this place with our chamber of commerce, we’ll be able to provide long-term jobs for the local people.”

Zhang Xiaobao has already started planning for what will happen after his father leaves. To build a place, one must ensure there are things to support its long-term development. He isn’t the type to just take advantage, make money, and walk away. He wants to take on some responsibility. He can’t live his life for nothing.

This is what Wang Juan admires most about Zhang Xiaobao. It is a remarkable shift in thinking for someone who specializes in making money to also focus on developing industry. With his ability, Zhang Xiaobao could easily make money, but without productivity, the more money he makes, the more people will suffer.

Wang Juan’s evaluation of Zhang Xiaobao is that he isn’t a bad person. If you call him a good person, many good people would disagree. If you call him a saint, you’d be punished by God.

“Xiaobao, are you really a bodhisattva? At least the common folk think your father is one, but they don’t know it’s all you.”

“I’m not a bodhisattva,” Zhang Xiaobao replies. “Those who can go to hell and guard it have that ability. As for me, if I’m going, I’ll repent myself. Buddha, say so. Amen.”

Zhang Xiaobao chuckles. He enjoys tricking people now and then. Some people are really gullible.

Wang Juan is amused when she hears him say that and says, “Xiaobao, you’re like the Bodhisattva in Journey to the West, full of evil intentions. You made others suffer so much on their pilgrimage, found a decent excuse to suppress them under the mountain, and then used them. You’re clearly making fun of them. I know what you’re planning this time. Although it seems like a small plot, it’s not simple. You’re trying to sow discord and create conflicts between the four of them. You’re like having a sore on your head and pus on your feet. You’re completely corrupt.”

Zhang Xiaobao chuckles and says, “Don’t worry, take your time. I’ll make the conflict between them bigger and bigger. Tomorrow, I’ll have someone discuss the deal with Cao Herui.”

“You’re still like a child, always playing pranks. Forget it, they deserve it. It’s their fault for not surrendering directly when your father arrived here.” Wang Juan has no doubts about Zhang Xiaobao’s abilities. If he cheats one person today and another tomorrow, all four of them will be finished.

Zhang Xiaobao hasn’t lied to anyone for a long time. He just thinks it is a way to relax. Sometimes, lying is addictive.

He thinks about the plans of the four men and adds, “There are two more. Let them go. If they can really cause trouble for my father, that would be great.”