Сhaptеr 21: Раrtnеrshiр and Gossip
А fеw days еarlier, Zhеn Niаng hаd аlrеаdy askеd Uncle Shui for some cоаl cindеrs. She miхеd thеm with уellоw сlау, shаpеd them into cоаl balls, аnd stored them in thе firewoоd shed.
Now, shе trоttеd intо thе wооdshed, fetсhеd the соаl balls, thеn went tо thе kitchen tо grаb a hаndful of small twigs and lеaves. She lit thе соal stоve, filled a сорpеr kеttlе with соld wаter, аnd рlaсed it оn the stovе.
Bу dinnеrtimе, the kеttlе wаs bubbling аway.
At this рoint, there was no nеed for Zhen Niаng to eхplаin—thе usefulnеss was obvious.
"Zhen Niang, can this coal stove be sold like the insulated bucket?" Zhao Shi asked, her eyes gleaming.
"Mother, I think it will definitely work," Du Shi said, pursing her lips, her face also lit with excitement.
"But we can't make this ourselves; we need Big Brother to do it," Xi Ge'er chimed in. Though young, he was sharp-witted and immediately hit on the key point.
"Exactly. Dalang is already exhausted from his daily work. Taking this on might be too much for him," Zhao Shi frowned.
"Mother, a single chopstick breaks easily, but ten chopsticks bound together are strong. Brothers fight side by side, fathers and sons go to war together. This work is different from the insulated bucket last time—that was just some simple handiwork, not a big deal. But if the coal stove business takes off, it could become a family enterprise. Big Brother alone is too weak; he might easily be swallowed up by others. I think Big Brother should consider asking Zhengshēn or Zhengyan from Ninth Uncle's family to join him as partners. Let's work on this together," Zhen Niang suggested from the side.
Zhao Shi and Du Shi exchanged glances, then looked toward Old Shopkeeper Li and Wu Shi, who were silently drinking tea at the Eight Immortals table.
There was a deep-seated grudge between the eighth and ninth branches of the family.
"You silly girl, what kind of foolish idea is this? Are you asking for a beating?" Seeing her in-laws remain silent, Zhao Shi glared at Zhen Niang.
"Mother, I think asking Zhengshēn might work. He's probably having a hard time too—he came to borrow money from me a few days ago," Li Dalang said honestly, speaking his mind.
"Did you lend it to him?" Zhao Shi glared, while Du Shi looked at him with exasperation.
Li Zhengshēn from Ninth Uncle's family wasn't a gambler like Zhen Niang's father, but at a young age, he had become obsessed with alchemy and Daoist cultivation. He spent all his time hanging around with Daoist priests, infuriating his father, Jingdong, who wanted to break his legs every time he saw him. Ninth Uncle had even declared that Li Zhengshēn would not be allowed back home unless he took off his Daoist robes.
As a result, Li Zhengshēn spent all his time wandering outside, never setting foot at home.
So, lending money to Zhengshēn meant never getting it back. Zhao Shi, who valued every penny as if it were her life, couldn't help but glare.
Besides, Ninth Uncle had already warned everyone not to lend money to Zhengshēn, hoping to force him to give up his impractical alchemy pursuits.
Therefore, lending money to Li Zhengshēn would bring no good at all.
"I happened to get my wages that day, so I gave them all to him," Li Dalang muttered. Du Shi pinched him angrily, muttering, "I asked you the other day—it was payday, so why didn't you bring any money home? Turns out you gave it all to Zhengshēn. Are we not going to live anymore?""You, as for the money, it's fine that you've lent it, but don't bring up the idea of forming a partnership. That Zhengshēn is now completely obsessed with alchemy, not even listening to his own parents—how could he possibly listen to you? Besides, if something goes wrong again, the relationship between our two families will only worsen." Zhao Shi frowned.
"Mother, you can't say that. I think, for the sake of the relationship between our two families, we should actually bring Zhengshēn-ge into the partnership. Although he's currently obsessed with alchemy, he's also short on money right now. We can use that to persuade him to join. Once he enters the world of business, he'll have no choice but to get involved. Then, with Big Brother keeping an eye on him, we might just be able to pull him back from the path of alchemy. When that happens, Ninth Uncle will surely appreciate our family's kindness." Zhen Niang argued tirelessly.
The truth was, being a Taoist priest was a high-risk profession for the future. If things went wrong, it could endanger the entire Li family.
The current Emperor Jiajing was obsessed with alchemy and treated alchemists with great respect. The problem was, Emperor Jiajing would meet his end next year, and the newly enthroned Emperor Longqing absolutely despised these alchemists and Taoist priests. The first thing he did upon ascending the throne was to raise the executioner's blade against them.
All because Emperor Jiajing believed in the words of alchemists, such as the idea that "two kings should not meet," which led him to never see Longqing again after Longqing became the Crown Prince.
Imagine, a Crown Prince unable to see his own father, caught in the whirlpool of imperial power struggles. Losing the position of Crown Prince might be a minor issue, but losing his life without even knowing how—such a life was filled with fear and anxiety. In his heart, he had long wished to tear those alchemists to pieces.
Therefore, they absolutely could not let Zhengshēn-ge continue down this misguided path of alchemy.
Besides, her own big brother was too honest, while Zhengshēn-ge knew all sorts of people, both good and bad. In business, having broad connections was essential for success. One could say that bringing Zhengshēn-ge into the partnership was a mutually beneficial arrangement.
"Let Zhengliang handle this himself. It might be worth a try." At this point, Old Shopkeeper Li, who had been listening quietly, spoke up.
Old Shopkeeper Li's words were decisive, and the matter was settled. Li Dalang took advantage of the night to go out. During the day, he had responsibilities at the oil mill, and since the coal stove business was still uncertain, he couldn't abandon his duties at the oil mill just yet. As for Li Zhengshēn, during the day, no one knew which remote mountain he was wandering in. So, going at night was the surest way to find him.
The next day, Zhen Niang woke up early again. The coal stove from the previous night had kept the fire going, and there was still a pot of boiling hot water in the copper kettle, so there was no need to get up early to fetch water from the Tiger Stove. However, Zhen Niang was used to waking up early, and when the time came, she automatically woke up and couldn't fall back asleep.
After getting up, she went out again, heading toward the Tiger Stove to help Uncle Shui with some work. She treated it as her morning exercise and a stroll.
When she arrived at the Tiger Stove, it was indeed the busiest time. Zhen Niang skillfully squeezed her way to the front of the stove and sat on a small stool, adding firewood.
"Zhen Niang, where's your copper kettle?" Uncle Shui asked when he saw her arrive empty-handed.
"There's hot water at home, Uncle Shui. I mentioned to you before about the coal-burning stove—the prototype is ready. In a couple of days, I'll have my big brother make one for you too." Zhen Niang said with a smile.
"Great, great, great." Uncle Shui replied cheerfully before busying himself with fetching water for others.
Zhen Niang sat by the stove, adding firewood while listening to the gossip from the people fetching water."Mrs. Fu, what happened to your eye?" someone asked the woman in a dark blue gown.
"What else could it be? Her husband beat her. These men are all black-hearted. When they get angry outside or drink too much, they come home and take it out on their wives and children," a sharp-tongued woman nearby said indignantly.
"There's no way around it. That's just our fate as women. If you were wealthy, you could just bring a husband into your home and see if he'd dare raise his voice," another person chimed in.
"Pah! You think bringing a husband into your home means he'll listen to you? Not a chance. You might end up losing both your person and your wealth. Do you know the Zheng family?" the sharp-tongued woman added.
"Which Zheng family?" someone nearby asked.
"The Zheng family with the goods store at the street corner," the sharp-tongued woman replied.
"What happened to the Zheng family?"
"Nothing happened to the Zheng family, but yesterday I heard some news there. The Zheng family has a daughter-in-law who is the second daughter of Sixth Master Li from Li Village. This second daughter’s younger sister, because her temperament was too weak and her family was worried, brought a husband into her home. The Li family of Li Village, under Sixth Master Li, has a substantial fortune. The son-in-law who entered the household had always been diligent and hardworking. But who would have thought? In the first couple of years, the son-in-law who was brought into the family went to Suzhou with someone from the Zheng family to do business. While there, he secretly took another wife. I heard that wife even had a son already. Just recently, Sixth Master Li began to suspect something and asked the Zheng family to investigate. Only then did they find out. Isn’t that just being utterly cheated? Tell me, what’s so secure about bringing a husband into your home? Men are all the same under heaven," the sharp-tongued woman scoffed.
"Sixth Master Li must be furious," someone else sighed, shaking their head.
Zhen Niang, listening nearby, realized they were talking about her own Sixth Grandfather’s family. The matter concerning her Uncle-in-law Jin Hua was something she had reminded them about when she visited Sixth Grandfather’s house that day.
She had thought Sixth Grandfather wouldn’t get the news so quickly, but she hadn’t expected the matter to have already spread throughout the city.
She wondered how Sixth Grandfather would handle this situation.
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