Rebirth: Not Being a Waste - Chapter 78

After Zhang Shu, Huang Tianhang, and the others hand over the contract to the government, they take their carriage to the dock.

Li Yan, Zhou Nan, and Yu Xiaoliu have already moved out a thousand kilograms of dried vermicelli and are stacking them on a wooden board, waiting for inspection.

Zhang Shu gets off the carriage first, then leads Huang Tianhang and the others to the goods. “Brother Huang, take a look. Everything is here. You can open as many bags as you like.”

Huang Tianhang and the others don’t stand on ceremony. They walk over, open a sack in the middle, and pull out a few strands of vermicelli.

The texture is dry to the touch. They casually snap a few strands and find them to be the same as before, which reassures them.

“No problem, weigh it!” Huang Tianhang waves his hand. Zhang Shu brings out a scale and begins weighing. In fact, they’ve already weighed everything beforehand. Each sack contains one hundred kilograms, packed tightly. Here, ten sacks add up to a thousand kilograms.

After verifying the weight, Huang Tianhang’s men start loading the goods onto their carriages. Most carry one sack at a time, but Zhang Shu hefts one on each shoulder and walks over carrying two bags at once.

“Brother Zhang Shu, you’re really strong! With a physique like yours, you’d be great at martial arts.” Huang Tianhang’s eyes light up as he speaks.

“Brother Huang, you’re flattering me. I just have a bit of strength, nothing special.” Zhang Shu smiles. At his age, it’s impossible to start learning martial arts. Picking up a few self-defense techniques from his father-in-law and brother-in-law is enough. He has no intention of taking the military examination.

Once the dried vermicelli is loaded onto the carriages, Huang Tianhang rubs his hands together. “Uh, Brother Zhang Shu, do you have any more? We’d like to buy some more.”

Zhang Shu looks at Huang Tianhang and hesitates slightly before replying, “There are still about four thousand kilograms left, but…”

“Oh, don’t start with ‘but.’ Haven’t you figured me out by now? Just sell me another fifteen hundred kilograms. You know, I’m an old customer, right?”

Huang Tianhang shamelessly calls himself an old customer—even though he hasn’t even paid the balance for the previous batch.

Zhang Shu pretends to hesitate, prompting Huang Tianhang to continue, “Brother Zhang Shu, if there’s anything on your mind, just say it. If it’s within my power, I’ll do my best.”

Summer is approaching, and the heat has been intensifying. If they don’t prepare enough food, his men will suffer again.

Zhang Shu smiles. “Since Brother Huang put it that way, I’ll be direct. I plan to keep doing this business long-term, but if I have to make the trip every time, I’ll end up spending half the year on a boat. Over time, that’ll be too much for me to bear, and I won’t be able to take care of my family. My relatives are old and weak—they really need me around.”

Huang Tianhang immediately understands. “Brother Zhang Shu, what are you suggesting?”

“I’m thinking that since Brother Huang is in the escort business, your routes must cover a wide area. If anyone along the way sees this vermicelli and shows interest, I hope you’ll spread the word and tell them they can find me in Shuitou Village, Anping County, Qingzhou Prefecture.”

Huang Tianhang laughs. His impression of Zhang Shu improves. At first, he thinks Zhang Shu might try to raise the price, but instead, Zhang Shu has a long-term vision. This method of promotion essentially means Huang Tianhang will be advertising for him for free.

“Brother Zhang, I can tell you’re going to make something of yourself. When you get rich, don’t forget to take care of my business!” If people are interested but find the journey inconvenient, his escort agency will also benefit from additional transport contracts.

Zhang Shu knows his intentions have been seen through, but he remains calm. This is a mutually beneficial arrangement—nothing shady about it.

The deal is struck, and Zhang Shu takes Li Yan and the others back to the ship to move another fifteen hundred kilograms for Huang Tianhang.

After deducting the ten taels of silver deposit, Huang Tianhang hands over another eighty-eight taels to Zhang Shu. Once the silver and goods are settled, they part ways at the dock.

Yu Xiaoliu and the others have remained silent throughout the transaction, but once Huang Tianhang’s group leaves, Yu Xiaoliu can’t hold back. He immediately gathers around Zhang Shu.

“Brother Zhang Shu, you’re incredible! You just made so much money in the blink of an eye!” He can hardly imagine having that kind of wealth. Even if he combines the lifetime earnings of all his family members, it probably wouldn’t amount to half of what Zhang Shu just earned.

“Stick with me, and I guarantee you’ll make just as much one day.”

“Heh, I don’t even dare dream of that. I just want to work with you, Brother Zhang Shu, and save enough to marry a wife one day.”

Li Yan smacks him on the back of the head. “Look at you, aiming so low. Do you even know how much raising a child costs?”

Yu Xiaoliu turns and glares at Li Yan with resentment. Ever since he’s gotten to know him better, the image of Li Yan as the cold, serious young man that the village gossiped about has completely shattered.

Zhou Nan, watching Li Yan lecture Yu Xiaoliu, can’t help but smile faintly.

Zhang Shu also looks at them happily, unaware that his brother-in-law is keeping an eye on him for Li Mujin’s sake. Now that he has some money, he can’t be allowed to go somewhere where any man might make mistakes. Once Li Mujin gives birth, he has to make sure Zhang Shu travels with him. Otherwise, one of them will gain a broader perspective while the other remains stagnant. If that continues, they’ll have less and less to talk about, and when they have nothing in common, they’ll likely have to rely on their child to maintain their relationship.

Zhang Shu doesn’t understand his brother-in-law’s careful planning. He’s simply delighted to see that only half of the goods remain. Since there’s no concern about the market, the spring potatoes planted in the villages of Lin County can also be harvested without worry.

Then, Zhang Shu thinks of someone. He hands a purse to Li Yan and asks him to take Zhou Nan, Yu Xiaoliu, and Xiaohu out shopping. Meanwhile, he gets on the carriage and heads to see Old Hu.

Old Hu has returned home once before and has now come back with goods. At that moment, he’s sitting in the yard, chatting with some merchants.

Hearing a knock at the gate, he walks over with his slightly plump body to open it. When he sees Zhang Shu, he beams and welcomes him in. Seeing that the two have business to discuss, the other merchants tactfully return inside.

Old Hu pulls Zhang Shu to sit down. “I knew you’d come, Brother Zhang! Did you close the deal? By the way, did you bring some dried vermicelli for me? Are my tools for selling sour and spicy vermicelli still around?”

Zhang Shu grins. “Even if I forget anyone else, I wouldn’t dare forget you, Brother Hu. There are still 2,500 kilograms of goods on the ship. Just tell me how much you want.”

“You have that much?”

“There are still some unfinished ones at home that I haven’t brought over yet.”

“Alright, I’ll take about 500 kilograms to sell in Nanhai County. Sour and spicy vermicelli is more popular in winter—now that the weather’s warming up, I don’t need as much.”

That’s true. Lin Family Inn has already gone back to the village to buy dried vermicelli before Zhang Shu even arrives. Their menu is diverse enough, they aren’t affected by seasonal demand.

“Alright, I’ll deliver it to you tomorrow morning.”

“Great!” Old Hu laughs, then adds, “I heard you offered the escort leader 30 wen per jin. How about this—I’ll also give you 30 wen per jin, since you transported it all the way here.”

“No way!” Zhang Shu refuses sternly. “That would be too much, Brother Hu. The price stays the same as before. How could I suddenly increase it?”

“But didn’t you have shipping costs this time? By the way, which ship did you rent? How much was the daily fee?”

Zhang Shu shakes his head. “The boat costs me nothing.”

“Nothing? How is that possible? Just tell me where you found such a deal—I want in on it too!”

“Brother Hu, I’m not joking. Here’s what happened…”

Zhang Shu then tells Hu Caiwang everything about encountering river bandits and surviving. He hasn’t dared to tell his family, fearing they would worry. But with Hu Caiwang, who also makes a living at sea, he can speak freely.

As he listens, Hu Caiwang’s expression shifts multiple times. When Zhang Shu finishes, he lets out a long sigh. “That’s just how life at sea is. You can make money fast, but you’re gambling with your life. Natural disasters and human dangers are inevitable. I had an old friend who didn’t make it last year…”

The topic is heavy, and for a moment, they sit in silence. Then Old Hu changes the subject. “So you saved Young Master Nan from Nantong Grocery Store? The one whose uncle is an official in the capital?”

“Brother Hu, you know him?”

“Who doesn’t?” Hu Caiwang smirks, eager to gossip. “His father—now that’s a man who spoiled his concubine and neglected his wife! Everyone in our county knows about it. He treated that concubine and her son like royalty. But he forgot one thing—the legitimate daughter of the Gu family from Qingzhou Prefecture is no pushover. That woman is nothing like that scheming concubine who relies on her looks. At first, she was patient. But once Young Master Nan came of age, she immediately took control. Whether it was the household or their businesses outside, now if that Nan fellow wants to spend money, he has to ask her first. Otherwise, he only gets fifty taels of silver a month—not a penny more.”

“Fifty taels a month?” Zhang Shu, now well-off himself, is still surprised to hear the number.

“That’s nothing! Plenty of people spend money like water. It’s just that folks in our small county don’t have the means. They throw around silver the way we toss copper coins, without a second thought.”

Zhang Shu notices that Hu Caiwang seems to look down on Young Master Nan’s father but speaks highly of his mother. Curious, he asks about it.

Hu Caiwang chuckles. “Most women are seen as weak, but I believe that whether you’re born a man, ger, or a woman, you need to stand on your own two feet. If you blindly rely on others, what happens if that person falls one day? Take me, for example. My wife is fierce—a real ‘Hedong Lion’ back home. But she’s the pillar that lets me do business without worry. Even if I lost everything gambling, I know she could still keep the family afloat. If my wife were some delicate, helpless flower, I’d be in trouble.”

(Translator’s Notes: The term “Hedong lion” (河东狮, He Dōng Shī) comes from the Chinese idiom “河东狮吼” (He Dōng Shī Hǒu), which translates to “the roar of the Hedong lion.” It is often used to describe a domineering or fierce wife who scolds her husband loudly and forcefully.)

Zhang Shu thinks Hu Caiwang is quite open-minded. He reflects on it—if Li Mujin ever becomes a ‘Hedong Lion,’ he’d probably feel reassured rather than frustrated.

Because of his conversation with Hu Caiwang, Zhang Shu makes up his mind. He has to take Li Mujin out to see more of the world. Only by broadening his horizons can he develop his own perspective and grow in a way that benefits them both.