Chapter 207: Repaying Kindness and Collecting Debts
Kunshan County Li Family Market.
Li Shikuan saw Li Xiaonan off, hands behind his back, and went straight to his nephew Li Wenhua’s house. Standing at the courtyard gate, Li Wenhua called out loudly, “Cui Ye, where is your father?”
“He’s at home, coming, coming!” Li Wenhua responded repeatedly and trotted out, “I was just about to come over. I just saw a cart, it looked like our A Nan?”
“Yes, you hurry and ride a horse, and go to Linhai Town right away. Tell your second brother and sister-in-law to come back quickly, the whole family come back, hand over the shop to Xiao Zhou, and let Xiao Zhou manage the shop from now on.”
“You hurry and go, the sooner the better. Tell your second brother to come back quickly, the sooner the better,” Li Shikuan instructed with a frown.
“Ah? Did something happen?” Li Wenhua’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Nothing happened, it’s about business.
“Doing business is all about urgency. You can only earn copper coins by getting a head start. Can you earn copper coins by being slow? Go quickly!” Li Shikuan glared at Li Wenhua.
“Okay, okay, I’ll go in and change my shoes, and leave immediately.” Li Wenhua trotted inside.
Li Shikuan turned around, walking towards the ancestral hall, and called to the children playing by the roadside, asking them to summon several clan elders to the ancestral hall.
The next morning, Li Shikuan’s second son, Li Wenru, rode back first.
“Didn’t I tell you to come back with your wife? Where is your wife?” Li Shikuan was eating breakfast and, seeing only Li Wenru return alone on horseback, his face darkened, and he asked directly.
This second son of his had never given him a moment’s peace since he was a child!
“She’s in the back, she’ll be here around noon. Cao Shi is with A Min, and they can only travel by cart, it’s too slow. Father said the sooner the better, so I rode back first. Is there a big business?” Li Wenru had never been afraid of his father since he was a child.
Li Shikuan snorted in anger at Li Wenru’s smiling demeanor, tapped his chopsticks, “Eat first!”
Old Aunt Tang had already brought salted porridge and fried rice cakes. She wrung out a wet handkerchief for her second son and quickly cut a dish of salted mutton and two salted duck eggs.
Li Shikuan looked at the dish of salted mutton and shot his wife a look.
This second son of theirs is so useless and unruly, at least half of it is due to his mother spoiling him!
Li Wenru wished he could finish his breakfast in one gulp, but his father ate slowly, chewing each bite ten times. He had no choice but to eat patiently, taking a bite and then pausing, forcing himself to eat slowly.
Seeing that Li Shikuan had finally put down his chopsticks, Li Wenru immediately put down his own and leaned forward to ask, “Father, what big business?”
“A Nan came yesterday.” Li Shikuan gestured for Li Wenru to make tea.
Li Wenru had to suppress his impatience further, stood up, and moved the tea cups and teapot over.
“A Nan said that the case in Linhai Town won’t be resolved anytime soon.”
“That’s what I thought too!” Li Wenru slapped the table, and under his father’s glaring gaze, he quickly added, “I really thought so. I told Cao Shi, you can ask Cao Shi if you don’t believe me… Father, please continue, I’ll make tea!”
Seeing his father’s teeth grinding, Li Wenru shrunk his neck.
“A Nan said that fifty years ago, the taxes paid by the Jiangnan Weaving Workshop were uniformly changed to fifty percent.”
“I also… Father, please continue!”
Li Wenru, facing his father’s almost raised hand, quickly swallowed his words and dodged backward.
“A Nan said that this time might be like fifty years ago, some weaving workshops might have to close down. Even if they don’t close down, they will have to reduce their looms. If this happens, many weavers will be expelled from the weaving workshops. She set off yesterday, starting from Changshu County, to recruit weavers and set up a schoolroom to teach the ti-zong weaving method.”
“That’s what I thought too!” Li Wenru’s eyes shone with excitement.
“I asked you to think! You scoundrel!” Li Shikuan hit Li Wenru on the head.
“I was wrong, Father, please continue.” Li Wenru jumped up, pulled his chair back, and sat down again.
“You scoundrel, don’t you dare interrupt me again!” Li Shikuan was furious.
He had two sons. The elder son was here to repay a debt of gratitude, and this second son was here to collect a debt!
“Your elder brother went to Yangzhou to buy cotton thread. This is a big deal. The thread for weaving fine cloth can only be obtained from Yangzhou. If there are really tens of thousands of looms, if this fine cotton thread isn’t ordered quickly, it definitely won’t be enough. This is a big deal.” Li Shikuan took a deep breath, suppressed the anger in his heart, and patiently explained.
Li Wenru pursed his lips tightly, nodding continuously, not daring to say more.
“Your eldest sister-in-law and Jin Zhu and Yu Zhu are all busy with the looms and collecting fine cloth. They sent word asking for help, saying they are too busy. When your wife returns, have her help your eldest sister-in-law.”
Li Wenru nodded continuously.
“Wenhua is busy with the carts and horses. Otherwise, even without education, he would be better than you! Sigh!” Li Shikuan sighed deeply. He really had no one to use.
“I’m worried about A Nan running around recruiting weavers by herself. You go with A Nan. You’ve been to school for so many years, so you should know a bit more about setting up a schoolroom than others.” Li Shikuan sighed again.
If it weren’t for the fact that he truly had no one else to use, he really wouldn’t want this unreliable fool to follow A Nan.
“Okay! Father, don’t worry. My abilities are no worse than my elder brother’s.” Li Wenru raised his chin, quite confident.
Li Shikuan snorted in anger.
“Father, let me remind you, Yin Zhu’s in-laws, the Hong Family, their fine cloth business, that that?” Li Wenru leaned forward, rubbing his fingers towards his father.
“Do I need you to remind me!” Li Shikuan was furious again. “Your father doesn’t need you to remind him, and the Hong Family doesn’t need your father to remind him!”
“The Hong Family has long been trading timber and collecting looms! That old man from the Hong Family is as cunning as ever! He even put his precious grandson to work. His Hong Family snatched the loom business, and then had Yin Zhu use her dowry to take a stake in the fine cloth business!”
“That old man!”
This exclamation of “that old man” was at least seventy to eighty percent admiration.
“No matter what, they are in-laws, and we are from the same clan.” Li Wenru said with a smile.
Li Shikuan looked at his son speechlessly, and sighed again. This son was truly his burden!
“You rest for a while, pack up, don’t ride a horse, take a cart, bring more luggage. A Nan didn’t bring much. Go to Changshu to find A Nan first. Once you find A Nan, follow A Nan. Remember, you listen to A Nan!”
“Father, don’t worry! You know my abilities, don’t you? Father, please rest assured. Ah! My things are all in Cao Shi’s cart! This is really!” Li Wenru was full of regret.
If he had known, he should have carried his luggage back!
Li Wenru had no choice but to sleep. When Cao Shi returned with several carts, he packed his luggage, ate lunch, and then, driving two large carts pulled by strong mules, he hurried to Changshu County to find Li Xiaonan.
At the Prince’s Estate outside Pingjiang City, Wan Jing also received instructions from her Young Lord. After a cheer, she repeatedly urged them to prepare the cart and people. She hurriedly packed her luggage, got into the cart, and headed straight for Changshu County.
