Chapter 50: This is not a wise lord, he will be gone sooner or later!
In the middle of spring, influenced by the oceanic climate, the Guanzhong region of Japan entered a state of near-windlessness, with not even the slightest ripple in the air. This condition would likely persist until the plum rain season, and even during the plum rain season, strong winds were rare, causing land temperatures to rise rapidly and the weather to become increasingly warm, with vegetation growing more and more luxuriantly.
Under this warm weather, the retainers, family members, and followers of the Yuan Ye family at Takeuchi Manor simply ate lunch in the courtyard. As the stewed fish had just finished cooking, the retainer A Man was the first to pick up her chopsticks. Without waiting for Yayoi to serve everyone, she grabbed the fattest part from the pot and asked, “Is he still refusing to come out and eat?”
Yayoi dared not provoke her; A Man seemed fierce to her. She obediently replied, “Lord Saburo told us to eat first. He said he’ll talk after he’s done with his work.”
“What is he busy with in his room all day, acting so strangely!” A Man remarked curiously. She tasted the tender fish meat and began to instruct Yayoi, “Add a bit more salt, it’s a little bland.”
“I don’t know, Sister A Man.” Yayoi obediently added a little more salt to the pot but couldn’t answer her question.
Since arriving at the new residence, Yuan Ye immediately assigned tasks to everyone according to his plan: his foolish son would continue to lie around. A Man, A Qing, and Yayoi were responsible for cleaning, but they only needed to tidy up the sleeping areas for now; there was no rush to repair the decaying parts of the house. The Momoi Brothers were to go to the backyard and build a wall to enclose it. While digging for soil, they were to also dig a cellar, as large as possible.
Afterward, he left with the instruction, “A Man is in overall charge. If you have any uncertain matters, consult her first.” He then took money and went out to buy a sack of bean cakes, some bottles and jars, and many strange and peculiar items. He then retreated into his room and refused to come out, not even eating meals on time, requiring them to be cooked separately for him. This had been going on for three days.
For three full days, he remained shut in his room, busy with his work, rarely showing himself. Yayoi was also puzzled but never dared to ask or disturb him.
A Man was just idly muttering a few words out of boredom. She didn’t know, and Yayoi certainly didn’t either. However, three days had reached the limit of her patience. She planned to check what Yuan Ye was doing after eating—it was understandable for Yuan Ye, as the head of the family, not to do manual labor, and she didn’t care about that. But for him to not tell her what he was up to, that was his fault!
She was the kind of person who worried about everything and was extremely curious, wanting to understand everything. After finishing lunch, she wiped her oily little mouth and ordered the Momoi Brothers to drink all the remaining fish soup, not to waste it, and to dig the cellar faster in the afternoon. Then, she marched straight to find Yuan Ye.
She tugged at the door, but it wouldn’t open. She circled around to the window and, finding it open, stuck her head in. The smell was a bit pungent, but she didn’t pay it much mind and directly complained, “What exactly are you doing? Aren’t you managing any of the household affairs? Is this your house or my house!”
“It’s my house and your house!” Yuan Ye had just finished his work and felt his idea was feasible, at least in the laboratory. The reaction was very good. He hadn’t expected A Man to arrive right after he finished. Speaking, he removed his mask, smiling broadly, in a very good mood.
“What exactly have you been busy with?” A Man became even more curious. She propped her hands on the windowsill, preparing to climb in and take a closer look. Yuan Ye quickly pushed her back, giving an excuse, “The smell in here is too strong, it’s bad for your health. Let’s talk outside!”
A Man had no objections; the smell inside was indeed strong, but she was very curious about what Yuan Ye was tinkering with in secret. However, the room was filled with bottles and jars, or else with sulfur, stones, buckets, broken bean cakes, buckwheat grains, and so on. These were all very ordinary items, and she couldn’t see anything particularly special about them.
After looking for a moment, she helped Yuan Ye climb out of the window and followed him to an empty room next door. She then sat down and repeated the same question, “You’ve been shut in for three days, what are you trying to do!”
“Prepare to make money!” Apart from the technical details, Yuan Ye didn’t intend to hide anything from her, as he would need her help. Making money was the most pressing matter.
He had lost a lot of money previously to boost his reputation and ensure his safety. After all, many medicinal materials were exchanged for only grains, which were not tasty to eat and not valuable to sell, essentially resulting in a loss.
Therefore, he was left with only seven or eight kan of money. With that, he had to renovate the house and decorate it well. Moreover, the family had grown, and the consumption of rice and meat was too high. With just this money, he definitely couldn’t sustain them. As for saving, forget it. Not to mention that he himself pursued a high quality of life and was very “fussy” in ancient times. It was simply that loyalty in the world doesn’t come without reason, and he didn’t possess an innate aura of leadership. A Man, and even Yayoi and the Momoi Brothers, were only willing to follow him for a full meal, good food, and a better life. If their daily meals were changed to black bean rice, even with extreme frugality, it would only cause these people to become estranged and leave him, which would be a slow form of suicide.
He was a very realistic person who didn’t believe in manna from heaven. He believed that effort yielded results and was willing to provide comfortable living conditions in exchange for others’ assistance. This kind of “loyalty” made him feel more at ease, so he had to start making money and refill his wallet. This was the current top priority!
“Make money?” A Man was stunned for a moment, but then her Dou Dou eyebrows furrowed, and she immediately became energetic. She liked money too, her eyes began to sparkle, and she excitedly asked, “How do we make money? Are you planning to…”
Yuan Ye didn’t play coy and directly asked, “Do you know soy sauce?”
“Soy sauce?” A Man was stunned again, feeling it was different from what she had imagined. She asked with a confused expression, “I know, who doesn’t? It’s just the sauce left over from brewing miso, right? Monks like to eat it, and wealthy merchants and court nobles also like it. What about it?”
“So, can it be sold? What’s the price?”
A Man became even more confused, her Dou Dou eyebrows drooping. She scratched her face and asked strangely, “If there is any, of course, it can be sold. The price isn’t cheap either, about the same as sake. A go is about three to four mon of good money!”
“That means three to four kan of money per koku?”
“Hmm, you can’t calculate it like that. There’s a difference between selling by the retail unit and selling by the bulk koku. Selling one koku at a time is only about two kan of money, and shopkeepers need to make a profit too!”
Yuan Ye mentally calculated the cost and nodded slightly, “It’s good enough to get two kan. Being too greedy isn’t good; it can easily attract trouble.”
A Man looked at him carefully and finally began to understand, saying with some disbelief, “You’ve been cooped up in your room for three days, ignoring everything, and you came up with this terrible idea? To make money by selling soy sauce?”
She was truly speechless, having gotten her hopes up for nothing. She had thought Yuan Ye had come up with a killer move after three days of confinement, like a poison that could kill three thousand people at once, and was planning to lead the whole family to raid the warehouses of Takeuchi Manor. She had observed carefully for the past two days; this was an important supply transfer station for the Oda Danjō no Chū family. The warehouses were messy with all sorts of things, and there was definitely a lot of money. It would be worth a quick raid and escape. But after Yuan Ye’s long rambling, this was it?
Making money by selling soy sauce?
This was a joke. This guy was still that young master with no common sense, almost like an idiot!
It was foolish of her to have believed him!
Yuan Ye never expected that in A Man’s mind, “making money” was equivalent to “robbing.” After all, he had always thought of A Man as a “righteous original ninja” who would travel four hours for a six mon favor to save him. He asked strangely, “What’s wrong with selling soy sauce? Isn’t that a legitimate business? As long as it makes money, what’s the difference from doing anything else? How could it be a terrible idea?”
The good idea of selling soy sauce was something he had thought about for a long time!
He had landed in the Japanese Medieval Period, and he absolutely dared not leak modern scientific and technological knowledge. Otherwise, if he accidentally caused the Japanese Medieval Period’s national strength to grow rapidly, leading to invasions and plunder of the Great Ming, who would dare to bear that responsibility?
For example, as an engineering student who grew up in a large machinery factory, it would be no difficulty for him to craft a flintlock gun with a little preparation time. But he absolutely dared not craft one; he couldn’t bear that responsibility—no one else would dare either. A single mistake could make him a sinner of the nation!
Therefore, he could only choose to produce things that already existed in the Japanese Medieval Period and could not enhance national strength. Furthermore, the parts involving modern knowledge had to be completed by him independently, ensuring 100% that no secrets would be leaked, only then would he dare to use them to make money to support himself.
He was also in a difficult situation. If he had landed in the Great Ming, he would probably be contemplating how to synthesize sealant and craft a steam engine by now. He wouldn’t have so many troubles!
He was different from the protagonists in transmigration novels from Qidian. Those novel protagonists were definitely not as miserable as him. He was completely dancing with shackles on his feet, and he had to dance brilliantly and skillfully, otherwise, he might be beaten to death, starved to death, or even be condemned by the public and die without illness. It was truly very, very difficult.
However, he couldn’t explain these things to A Man. He could only emphasize to her, “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing. I can definitely make money. I have… um, I’ve come up with a new method for brewing soy sauce using bean cakes!”
A Man was stunned. She remembered that other Kura-bito artisans （ and brewers ） brewed soy sauce using beans, and they had to be good beans. Those wealthy people were truly particular when it came to their food; they ate the best of everything. How did it become bean cakes for him?
But it didn’t matter!
She still had drooping Dou Dou eyebrows and looked at him with the expression one would use for an idiot, saying speechlessly, “You clueless fellow, I really don’t know how to talk to you! Even if you can really brew soy sauce with bean cakes, so what? Do you know how long it takes to brew a vat of soy sauce? It takes a whole year! Soy sauce sells for about the same as sake, it’s expensive, and it looks profitable, but it’s hard-earned money! You have to guard that broken vat for a whole year, and only after a year will you make money!”
“I know that, but I told you I have a new method, so just listen to me first!” Yuan Ye had no patience to continue accepting her doubts. He only needed to know that soy sauce could be sold and that there was a profit. He stood up directly and said, “It’s okay if it fails. I still have plan B… um, I have plan B, plan C, and plan D. As long as our luck isn’t completely terrible, one of them will succeed. Making money won’t be a problem!”
A Man thought he was beyond saving and wasn’t listening to advice at all. She stood up, shook her hands, and left, saying irritably, “Fine, this is your house, do whatever you want! Anyway, I’ve said what I needed to say. If you don’t listen to the words of the wise, you’ll regret it sooner or later. Do as you please!”
Yuan Ye didn’t mind her unpleasant tone. He wasn’t foolish and could tell if she genuinely cared about him. He just called out, “Gather everyone in the main hall. I’ll assign some tasks!”
A Man couldn’t even be bothered to speak anymore. She waved her hand as a sign of assent and went to summon the people. But along the way, she grumbled and complained incessantly, very dissatisfied that he wouldn’t humbly accept advice—this is not a wise ruler, he’ll be finished sooner or later!
A Qing was weeding and repairing the fence in the front yard. She loved this quiet and elegant courtyard and was working very happily. The usual cold expression on her small face was gone, and even the little bun on her head was bouncing cheerfully. But soon, she saw A Man walking over with an unhappy expression and tilted her head in surprise.
A Man didn’t stand on ceremony with her. She waved her hand casually, “That guy is calling everyone to gather. You go to the main hall and find him now.”
A Qing wiped her hands and asked softly, “What’s wrong, Sister?”
“Don’t even mention it. That guy is like a dung beetle that’s hungry and is looking for death again!” A Man had already turned towards the kitchen to call Yayoi, still muttering complaints, “I can’t be bothered to say more; it’s not worth getting angry over. You’ll know when you go there. That guy is going to start messing around again!”
She had originally thought that after Yuan Ye moved to Takeuchi Manor, with fewer poor people around him and having established a connection with Oda Nobunaga, he could find a way to curry favor with Oda Nobunaga, get some land to farm, and improve their lives a bit, so they wouldn’t just have expenses without income. But she didn’t expect him to be the same as always, still messing around!
Making money by brewing soy sauce, how is that possible? After a year, can that be called making money?
In this unfortunate era, who knows if they’ll even be alive in a year. Turning all their remaining money into bean cakes and brewing soy sauce to pile up in the backyard, isn’t that the same as throwing it all away?
It’s a pure waste. It would be better to give it to her to eat!
In any case, she saw that Yuan Ye was finished. She estimated that they would still need to execute the original plan: after eating all of Yuan Ye’s money and rice, she would take him to beg for food and have him sell fake medicine for money!
