Chapter 104: You’re Unwilling, I’m Unwilling
The next afternoon, A Wu and his cousin Wang Yuting rushed to Cai Lian Lane.
The two had stayed at the Li family’s for a few days and were most familiar with Mei Jie. Upon entering the courtyard gate, they first greeted Mei Jie.
Li Xiaonan stood at the courtyard entrance, looking at the two horses tied to the hitching post.
She had heard A Wu talk about how precious these two horses were countless times; these horses ate several hundred copper coins worth of fine feed each month.
A Wu and his cousin were people she had hired, and the horses of her hired people, alas, must be considered her own retinue.
If these weren’t horses, but a dog, a cat, or a bird, it would be better. Dogs and cats could be considered pets, but horses definitely had to be counted as tools of production.
Not counting the people, just these two horses would cost almost an ounce of silver a month.
She only had less than twenty-five taels of silver in total.
Alas, this business had to get started quickly; one day’s delay was one day’s loss.
“You said the Young Lord sent us to you to get work. What kind of work do you have?” Wang Yuting asked, approaching Li Xiaonan.
“I want to do some small business, but I’m a woman, and only ten-odd years old, so I can’t command respect. I need a man to stand outside, pretending to be the shopkeeper. That’s all.” Li Xiaonan leaned against the doorframe, looking into the courtyard.
In the courtyard, A Wu fetched a bucket of water and took it to the backyard for Mei Jie, then strode over.
“What kind of work are we supposed to get from her?” A Wu asked Wang Yuting, pointing at Li Xiaonan.
“He said to pretend to be the shopkeeper,” Wang Yuting said with a frown.
“Pretend? Are you trying to deceive someone? That’s definitely not possible; you’re not that kind of person. Are you solving a case? That’s not it either; you don’t have an official position. Is this pretense a task assigned by the Young Lord?” A Wu asked a string of questions.
“None of that. I’m just doing business myself,” Li Xiaonan said, looking at the two.
“It’s inconvenient for a young lady like her to be out in public doing business,” Wang Yuting added by way of explanation.
“That’s all? Is there anything else? Are the goods for your business valuable? Do you need someone for protection?” A Wu asked again.
“No, none of that. Just pretend to be the shopkeeper and stand there, doing nothing,” Li Xiaonan said, her shoulders slumped, looking at A Wu.
“Isn’t that like a scarecrow? You called us over for such a role? You clearly know how important the work I and Yuting have at the wharf is!” A Wu said, hands on her hips, glaring at Li Xiaonan.
“I originally wanted to hire a white-bearded old man in his fifties or sixties; he’d be cheaper and look more reliable than you. It was your Young Lord who insisted on assigning you to me,” Li Xiaonan said unceremoniously.
“This is preposterous!” A Wu exclaimed, hands on her hips, her shout carrying considerable force.
Li Xiaonan glanced at her sideways.
“I’m going to find the Young Lord. The Young Lord definitely doesn’t know you want a dummy! How important is my work at the wharf!” A Wu pushed her cousin and headed out.
Li Xiaonan leaned against the doorframe, watching A Wu and Wang Yuting mount their horses and leave, waving goodbye.
It would be best if they didn’t come back after leaving.
In just over half an hour, Wang Yuting in front and A Wu behind, they dismounted in Cai Lian Lane and entered the courtyard with dejected expressions.
Li Xiaonan was sitting under a tree writing, and when she saw them enter, her shoulders drooped.
Alas, she knew it would be a wasted trip.
“Did you see your Young Lord?” Li Xiaonan asked, putting down her brush.
“We didn’t even see Master Shi,” Wang Yuting said, carrying a small bamboo chair and sitting next to Li Xiaonan. “Someone who claimed to be Master Shi’s servant came out and relayed a message: the Young Lord assigned a task, and there’s no reason to pick and choose. He said for us to follow you and work hard.”
A Wu also carried a small bamboo chair and sat down heavily, looking dejected.
“Did you sign a contract of servitude?” Li Xiaonan asked.
“Of course not. We are considered to have pledged allegiance to the Young Lord; we are not selling ourselves into slavery,” Wang Yuting said, bewildered. Why was she suddenly asking about this?
“Then why don’t you leave that Young Lord? The world is vast; you can go wherever you want. Once you leave, he won’t be able to control you anymore,” Li Xiaonan suggested.
A Wu glared at Li Xiaonan, while Wang Yuting wore a wry smile. “Since A Wu and I left home, we’ve been living in constant fear of everything. Only after following the Young Lord have we been able to sleep soundly night after night.
“You know who she is,” Wang Yuting said, gently patting A Wu. “Where else can we find someone like the Young Lord? Who else would know who she is, not only pretend not to know but also use her like a man?”
“Alas, business is business, and being a fake person is being a fake person. Perhaps you won’t do this business for more than three or five days.
“I don’t think you seem like someone who can succeed in business at all,” Wang Yuting said, looking at Li Xiaonan with sincere eyes.
Li Xiaonan was so provoked by her last sentence that she wanted to spit in her face.
“You can’t live in my home. Regarding this business, my eldest sister and second sister can’t know about it, nor can Mei Jie. You…”
“He said we should stay at the tea house opposite, and eat there too. He said there’s a row of empty rooms in the backyard of the tea house,” Wang Yuting interrupted Li Xiaonan.
“Then you should go to the tea house first. Tomorrow, at the beginning of the hour, I’ll come to the tea house to find you. The business needs to get started quickly.
“Hurry and leave, Mei Jie is coming,” Li Xiaonan said, glancing out of the corner of her eye and seeing Mei Jie approaching from the backyard with a handful of leeks, quickly urging the two to leave.
………………………………
Prince’s Estate Villa.
Gu Yan sat by the study window, refolding a thick stack of letters he had just finished reading, placing them into envelopes, and tapping them onto his desk.
The letters were from his mother, who had written at length about various household matters since his southward journey. At the end, she casually informed him:
Second Madam Pan had stayed in Pingjiang Prefecture for some time last year and had recovered much in health and spirit. This summer, Second Madam Pan planned to go to Pingjiang Prefecture to escape the heat. Eldest Miss Shi and several other young ladies would accompany Second Madam Pan, staying at their Prince’s Estate Villa as before. He was asked to look after them.
Gu Yan glanced sideways at his mother’s letter.
During the Spring Festival, his mother’s flower viewing parties had all been in vain. It was heard that the Shi family, especially Miss Shi and Second Madam Pan, were very pleased.
They probably truly believed that his broken engagement was just a lovers’ quarrel. After all, they were not as foolish as Wan Jing. Wan Jing at least knew she wasn’t smart, while Miss Shi and the Shi family thought themselves very clever.
Let them come.
Gu Yan stood up, put the letter into the letter box, and walked to the window. After thinking for a moment, he turned and walked out.
He was going to Linhai Town, and tonight, he planned to stay in Linhai Town.
Niu Cheqian had been in Linhai Town for nearly two months and had likely recorded quite a few figures.
This trip, he should go into the Maritime Tax Bureau for a look.
Gu Yan came out, mounted his horse, and, surrounded by guards, attendants, and servants, headed straight for Linhai Town.
