Chapter 160: Forming Cliques, Recruiting Troops And Buying Horses
The marketplace was noisy.
Under the well shed, only Chen Shun’an sat alone.
He closed the last account book, tapping lightly on the yellowed pages with his fingertip.
He realized that being the shopkeeper of Crouching Tiger Well was not so easy.
First, internal and external troubles, with deep-seated malpractices piling up like mountains.
The shopkeeper before last of Crouching Tiger Well colluded with outsiders, shorted water management, and misappropriated public funds. Before the matter even came to light, he was secretly consuming Hibiscus Paste Fire and was dismembered by the Guo Lu Society.
He left behind plenty of bad debts, overdue accounts, and deficits.
The previous shopkeeper of Crouching Tiger Well had been in office for less than two months, hadn’t even warmed his seat, before being ousted by Chen Shun’an. He could only go run Black Sand Well instead. Though he didn’t dare openly defy orders or make trouble for Chen Shun’an.
But he could still slightly disgust Chen Shun’an.
Before leaving, he took away all his cultivated confidants and several second-rate experts.
Leaving the massive Crouching Tiger Well, including two water pumping shop assistants, with only 21 people.
Even Grit Well, that turbid water well, kept over thirty water carriers.
With just these 21 people, there simply weren’t enough hands. Even if Chen Shun’an immediately sold positions to recruit people, it would delay things for a while and definitely affect daily water sales revenue.
Moreover, these 21 people might not all be loyal to Chen Shun’an.
For example, Old Fei San was the most senior veteran at Crouching Tiger Well, with second-rate mid stage strength. He didn’t push carts to deliver water but stayed under the well shed pumping water all day.
He always worked slowly and unhurriedly, and no amount of urging helped.
He clocked in on the dot and clocked out on the dot, never worked overtime. If he had a sore back or waist pain, he definitely took leave. If his stipend was delayed, he was the first to throw a tantrum.
The previous shopkeeper and the one before him had turned a blind eye to him, powerless to act.
No other reason—Old Fei San was Madam Zhao’s relative.
By generation rank, Zhao Guangxi even had to call Old Fei San “Third Uncle.”
How could you afford to offend him?
Treat him like an ancestor!
Second, the landlord’s new policy, a thousand-jin burden.
Zhao Guangxi was so poor his eyeballs turned green, yet he came up with some reform new policy, using four water wells including Crouching Tiger Well as pilots to improve efficiency and income!
Although he delegated authority, aside from not being allowed to sell off the water well, basically everything else was up to the shopkeeper’s discretion.
Yet he set an astonishing figure: Fresh Water Well must hand over profits of no less than 15,000 taels annually!
Corresponding to 1,250 taels monthly, 42 taels daily.
And this was pure profit after dividends.
Chen Shun’an did a quick calculation. To meet this target, daily water sales needed to reach at least 120 taels.
Equivalent to nearly double the current water sales volume!
For Wuqing County, with a basically stable population structure and unchanged inflow and outflow for years, this was an extremely difficult task.
“Traditional water selling methods can hardly achieve this goal. Only reform!”
After sorting out the accounts and calculating the internal and external drawbacks, Chen Shun’an showed no trace of dejection or fear.
Instead, he was clear-minded, like seeing a clean new world after unraveling a cocoon.
Without breaking, there is no establishing.
Chen Shun’an wasn’t afraid of Crouching Tiger Well’s internal and external troubles; he was afraid of it being like stagnant water, still constrained by others.
As long as he had authority, and with Zhao Guangxi backing him, what did Chen Shun’an have to fear!
Chen Shun’an stood up, tucked the account book under his arm, grabbed his top hat, flicked his robe, and headed toward the street.
Seeing this, Old Fei San squinted his eyes and greeted him with a chuckling smile,
“Shopkeeper Chen, where are you off to for some fun?”
Chen Shun’an replied: “Going back to Weihang Street for a bit. Please keep an eye on things, Brother Fei. I’ll be right back.”
Chen Shun’an’s tone was even.
After he walked far away, perhaps because Chen Shun’an had called him ‘Brother Fei,’ Old Fei San was suddenly full of energy, as if he had eaten a ginseng fruit.
He felt Chen Shun’an was no different from the previous shopkeepers; they all had to respect and obey him.
After pumping two more buckets of water, Old Fei San groaned nonstop, saying he was stuffed, told the other water carriers to scoop water themselves, and hid under the sunshade brewing tea and fiddling with his tobacco pouch.
Several water carriers sighed upon seeing this,
“Sigh, we’re already short-handed, and Old Fei San still doesn’t know the gravity of things.”
Another shook his head helplessly: “What can we do? He’s got good fortune… I need a break too. I’ve run five or six trips today; it’s like using one person as two.”
“The able should work more. It’s not like you’re short a penny. What’s there to complain about?”
“True… But the landlord has spoken. Our Crouching Tiger Well’s revenue needs to double. Do you think Shopkeeper Chen has a way?”
“Whether he does or not, if he does, great; if not, can he afford to let us go hungry? If there’s blame, it’ll hit Shopkeeper Chen first. Enough talk—I’ll hurry and deliver one more trip. The kids at home cry all day; they’re bottomless pits!”
……
Grit Well.
A crowd of former colleagues, including Sun Xiao and others, seeing Chen Shun’an arrive, called him Shopkeeper Chen left and right, Master Chen this and that, and showered him with flattery.
Chen Shun’an hadn’t come here for a nostalgic revisit or to flaunt his success.
He found Shopkeeper Li.
“Oh, Shopkeeper Chen, what wind blew you here?”
Shopkeeper Li was all smiles but pulled Chen Shun’an aside and asked quietly,
“Why’d you come? Right, you must know about the landlord’s reform by now. Got any countermeasures?”
Chen Shun’an’s expression turned serious, and he said gravely: “To be honest with you, Brother Li, that’s exactly why Chen Mou is here. I’d like to ask for your assistance.”
Favors lie in owing them. Hearing this, Shopkeeper Li patted his chest enthusiastically,
“Shopkeeper Chen, just say the word. With our friendship, anything I, Li Mou, can do, no questions asked—”
“I want to poach your corners, borrow your people.”
Shopkeeper Li’s words cut off abruptly as he stared at Chen Shun’an in a daze.
Poaching talent so righteously?
“Crouching Tiger Well is short on personnel. Chen Mou wants to transfer San Dezi, Scarred Liu, Sun Xiao, and these few over.”
“You’re joking, Shopkeeper Chen,” Shopkeeper Li recovered, looking troubled and waving his hands repeatedly. “Sun Xiao and them are my elite hands here. How can I just give them away?”
“Not taking them outright, just borrowing. Monthly pay from Crouching Tiger Well, personnel records still under Grit Well.”
Chen Shun’an cupped his hands with a smile, a knowing glint in his eyes. “Besides, Brother Li, with these few gone from your roster, don’t you have just the excuse to sell a few more positions?”
Grit Well was just one turbid water well. For years, personnel turnover hadn’t been large, leading to bloat.
Shopkeeper Li had long wanted to sell positions to make money, but one well couldn’t support too many idlers, making it unprofitable.
Chen Shun’an’s words hit him right in the heart.
Put yourself in his shoes, tempt with benefits—that’s the rules of the workplace.
“This…”
Sure enough, Shopkeeper Li hesitated.
Twisting his short beard, he wavered, eyes flickering uncertainly.
“Moreover, Chen Mou has a business deal I’d like to partner with Shopkeeper Li on.” Chen Shun’an pressed his advantage.
“Oh? What business?”
“Observing our water management, for hundreds of years we’ve just collected water fees from one household and delivered to another, sitting on a well’s territory without maximizing its value. So Chen Mou has a method that might turn water into money—one tael of water worth a thousand gold!”
Shopkeeper Li’s eyes showed suspicion as he said,
“Could it be selling drinks, opening a water shop?”
In the capital region, many businesses derived from water.
Opening a water shop was one.
Actually quite simple: boiling water.
After all, for ordinary folk, gathering firewood to boil water was time-consuming, laborious, and too costly.
Better to go to a water shop, spend a copper coin, and fill a full pot of boiling water conveniently.
Many water shops even mixed egg drop soup or decocted medicine for you.
Besides direct water sales, these were the ways Shopkeeper Li could think of to generate money from water.
Chen Shun’an shook his head and said,
“No.”
Chen Shun’an said righteously: “Now in Wuqing County, evil spirits rage outside, harming the people; inside, paste fire poisons, harming body and life. Chen Mou, though unworthy, has learned a method to prepare talisman water called ‘Ran Yi Calming Water.’ It not only extends life and increases longevity but also calms the mind and aids sleep, regulating the soul chamber.
Well spring water, immortal dew—Chen Mou wishes to use this calming water to heal the people, making the townsfolk strengthen the body.
At this point, Chen Shun’an paused, then sighed and said,
“It’s just that making this water is quite difficult, time- and money-consuming, so charging a bit of water fee is only right.”
Ran Yi Calming Water?
Shopkeeper Li looked astonished, but inwardly disbelieving.
Besides, Old Chen never got up early without profit; no matter how grand the talk, Shopkeeper Li didn’t buy it.
Half an incense stick later.
A small bowl of diluted divine water down the hatch.
Shopkeeper Li felt a clear spiritual energy rush straight to the top of his head, sweeping away days of mental unease.
He suddenly widened his eyes, staring intensely at Chen Shun’an, and asked urgently: “Shopkeeper Chen, this water… how much can you make in a day?”
Even with Shopkeeper Li’s experience, he was secretly shocked by Ran Yi Calming Water’s effects, far surpassing the calming drugs in Wuqing County’s great pharmacies.
Once mass-produced and launched, making piles of gold daily wouldn’t be empty talk!
Chen Shun’an smiled faintly: “How much can be prepared isn’t the key—or rather, Chen Mou doesn’t plan to sell this water directly.”
“What do you mean?”
Chen Shun’an continued: “Things are precious when scarce, vessels honored by immortals. Shopkeeper Li, suppose one night, treasure light suddenly shoots from our water wells, auspicious clouds rise, the shadow of a flying immortal circles on a crane… From then on, our water wells become treasure wells, and the water from our hands becomes immortal nectar.”
Chen Shun’an said meaningfully: “How many people do you think would break down the threshold just to beg for a drop of calming water?”
Shopkeeper Li was no fool; his pupils shrank slightly as he instantly understood.
Chen Shun’an wanted to…
Create a god!
More precisely, weave stories for Crouching Tiger Well and Grit Well, adding tales of gods and ghosts!
You say this calming water uses how many rare medicinal herbs, nine boils and nine steams, countless processes, how rare it is—folks don’t understand or care.
But say it’s bestowed by the Queen Mother of the Jade Pond, born from the essence of sun and moon, and manifest divine power in public, and the people will swarm.
After that, the two discussed the matter in detail and hit it off.
Like ‘limited quantity’ to maintain Ran Yi Calming Water’s scarcity.
Like ‘sincerity brings spirit’—whether you get the water is another matter.
Even if you obtain Ran Yi Calming Water, it’s not 100% effective. If your heart isn’t sincere, your will not firm, it’s just like ordinary water.
Like ‘seek cultivation in time’—once proving Ran Yi Calming Water’s value and replicability, immediately seek cultivation to pull Zhao Guangxi into the united front.
Share risks, unite allies, win together.
Chen Shun’an had thought it through clearly from start to finish.
Relying on himself alone, it was extremely hard to divide water and bestow dew, harvest wishes and incense in the surging undercurrents of the Sacred Dynasty.
Hide your tools on your person, wait for the right moment.
Hide yourself within a faction, quietly stir up wind and rain without seeking fame or profit, and make a fortune quietly.
That was the long-term way.
