Chapter 71: Placing A Bet
Inside Shi Family Fort.
Old Master Shi stared in shock at the intact and smooth black bear skin before him: “You’re saying Sixth Sister Pei single-handedly killed a black bear?”
Shi Yan nodded: “Yes, Grandfather. If you don’t believe it, why not summon Miss Yun and ask her carefully.”
Doing so was actually somewhat rude.
Old Master Shi was so shocked that he disregarded etiquette and had Miss Yun brought over.
Miss Yun had a slender figure and delicate features. She trained in martial arts every day, so her fair skin had darkened slightly. Her words and actions were straightforward and efficient.
When delivering the bear paw to the county office, she had told the story four times. She repeated it three times in front of General Meng and his son from the Beiping Army. Upon entering Shi Family Fort, Miss Yun was already mentally prepared.
Miss Yun neither exaggerated nor embellished; she simply and plainly recounted once more the events of that day when Qinghe entered the mountains and killed the black bear.
Old Master Shi, with his vast experience, could naturally discern truth from falsehood. He involuntarily drew in a sharp breath and praised Sixth Sister Pei’s unparalleled heroism.
Imagining the fierce and heroic figure of the girl battling the black bear, Shi Yan felt a surge of heat in his chest, inexplicably thrilled. After Miss Yun took her leave, Shi Yan said to Old Master Shi: “Sixth Sister Pei will not remain ordinary in the future, Grandfather. I must go to Pei Family Village again.”
The previous visit was to build a good relationship.
This time, it would be a true investment and wager.
Old Master Shi glanced at his treasured grandson, whose eyes shone brightly: “You’d better think it through. The Shi Family has long enjoyed a reputation for benevolence in Youzhou. Sending some grain to the Pei Clan is no big deal. Even if something happens to the Pei Clan, it won’t implicate the Shi Family. But if you place a heavy bet on Sixth Sister Pei, you might lose everything.”
Did he really think the Shi Family was in the business of charity? All expenditures demanded returns, either now or in the future.
Shi Yan raised his eyes and met Old Master Shi’s gaze: “Grandfather, I trust my judgment and instincts.”
“Sixth Sister Pei will surely have great fortune in the future. Right now is when the Pei Clan is at its weakest and most in need of assistance. Investing at this time is recognizing a hero with keen insight. When Sixth Sister Pei rises to prominence, our Shi Family will reap countless benefits.”
Old Master Shi smiled sardonically: “What if you’re wrong in your judgment and assumptions?”
Shi Yan raised an eyebrow and smiled: “I believe I won’t misjudge a person.”
Grandfather and grandson stared at each other for a long time.
Old Master Shi pondered for a while before saying: “Get engaged first, then go to Pei Family Village.”
Shi Yan refused without hesitation: “I have no plans to marry for the time being.”
Old Master Shi’s brow twitched, and his expression darkened: “Our Shi Family has had only one heir per generation for three generations. Your father died young, leaving you as our only seedling. Marrying a wife, having children, and continuing the family line is your top priority right now. Nothing is more important than this.”
“You value Sixth Sister Pei and want to place a heavy bet on Pei Family Village. I won’t stop you. However, you must get engaged first, handle the marriage after the new year, and bring your Wang Family cousin through the door.”
Shi Yan replied curtly: “I have no plans to marry for the time being.”
Old Master Shi grew angry and slammed his cane heavily on the ground with a thud: “The Wang Family is a Youzhou magnate, with over a dozen silk shops and hundreds of embroiderers. They match our Shi Family perfectly. Mengyi is your consanguineous maternal cousin, with fine looks and figure, skilled in accounting and managing the inner household since childhood.”
“A fine girl like this—what could you possibly be dissatisfied with? Go propose marriage right now!”
Shi Yan said: “I didn’t say my cousin is no good. I have no plans to marry for the time being.”
Old Master Shi was furious and raised his cane to strike: “You brat! Don’t think I can’t see through your little schemes! Let me tell you, abandon that notion at once.”
The cane was raised high but fell lightly.
This was their only seedling; from childhood, he rode on his head, yanked his hair, and tugged his beard. As grandfather, fearing the boy might not manage well, he cheerfully leaned in his head. Spoiled and raised like the apple of his eye, how could he bear to truly strike.
Shi Yan didn’t move a muscle and took several blows.
Even so, Old Master Shi was still annoyed. He tossed the cane aside and cursed loudly: “You brat! I’ve taught you long ago that no matter when or where, you must always protect your own body first. When I swung, couldn’t you dodge or run? I’m angry and might not control my strength—what if I injure you?”
Shi Yan looked earnest: “I am unfilial and disobedient, not listening to Grandfather. It is only right for Grandfather to discipline me. How could I evade.”
He then stepped forward, helped the huffing Old Master Shi sit down, poured a cup of warm tea from the teapot, and placed it in his hand.
Old Master Shi drank a cup of tea and was coaxed for a while; his anger subsided greatly.
However, Old Master Shi still stuck to his position and refused to yield.
Shi Yan neither confronted nor argued directly; while placating him, he prepared a large quantity of supplies, took dozens of men, and went to Pei Family Village once more.
At this time, it was the winter wheat harvest.
In the wasteland reclaimed by Pei Family Village, sparse wheat stalks bore slightly shriveled wheat ears. Dozens of sturdy men waved sickles, laboriously harvesting the winter wheat.
Shi Yan gazed from afar at this group of sturdy men, lost in thought: “These are all Beiping Army men.”
His confidant Dong Dalang craned his neck to look, then whispered a reminder: “Not all of them. Those twenty or so over there look skinny; they aren’t soldiers, more like refugees.”
The Jing Dynasty’s taxes and corvée were too heavy, and with frequent wars along the northern border, there were no small number of refugees and hidden households fleeing into the Yan Mountains. Some turned to banditry as mountain bandits, others came down the mountains to seek refuge with magnates. The Shi Family had tens of thousands of mu of good farmland needing cultivation and had taken in many refugees.
Dong Dalang followed at his master’s side and, accustomed to seeing refugees, recognized them at a glance.
Shi Yan nodded slightly: “Sixth Sister Pei has great ambition.”
The soldiers laboring in the fields had long noticed Shi Yan’s group.
The Shi Family’s grain carriages were all custom-made, wide and sturdy. One after another, over thirty carriages—this momentum and display could not be ignored by anyone with eyes.
“Where did all these carriages come from!”
“Could the carriages all be loaded with grain? Which magnate is this!”
“No wonder Sixth Young Master sent grain—Sixth Sister Pei said they didn’t lack grain. They’ve found a sucker. Quick, look, there’s also a pretty boy. Is Sixth Sister Pei planning to play both sides?”
“Pah! Shut your dog mouth! If Sixth Young Master hears, he’ll beat you to death.”
“Sixth Sister Pei killed a black bear with one strike of her blade! Do you want to learn from Sixth Sister’s power?”
Boos rose all around; the loose-tongued soldier grinned sheepishly and instantly shut up.
Qinghe, who was training on the training ground, received the news and immediately called the Pei Clan women to welcome Young Master Shi together outside the village.
Meng Liulang, who had arrived two days ago, let his displeasure show on his handsome face.
When he had led men here two days prior, there hadn’t been such a grand welcoming display.
