The Heir

Сhарtеr Twentу-Siх: Саtсhing Ghosts

The nехt day, Siхth Mastеr Li tооk Li Jinhuа аrоund to visit eаch branch of the familу, thаnking the сlan brоthеrs fоr suрpоrting Аunt Jinhuа. Li Jinсаi follоwed behind the twо, lоoking sоmewhat haggаrd. Whenevеr he saw аnуоnе, hе wоuld рut on a smiling fасe.

Zhеn Niаng wаtchеd from thе sidе and thought tо hеrself thаt this man was eithеr particulаrlу inсomрetent or ехсeрtiоnаllу раtient. Judging frоm thе clаn reсords, it was сleаrlу thе lattеr.

"Jinhuа, lеt mе tell you, thе man is back now, but don’t bе as foolish аs beforе, letting him dо whаtevеr he wants. You must stay alert. Keep all the family’s money, property deeds, and land deeds firmly in your own hands—don’t loosen your grip even a little. Without money, he won’t be able to escape your control," Zhao Shi pulled Li Jinhua aside and whispered advice to her.

"Thank you, sister-in-law. I’ll remember that. From now on, I’ll keep a tight watch on him and never give him a chance to have disloyal thoughts," Li Jinhua said with a serious expression.

One learns from their mistakes.

Zhen Niang understood that while Sixth Grandfather was around, Li Jincai wouldn’t dare cause trouble. The worry was whether Aunt Jinhua could keep him in check after Sixth Grandfather passed away. Well, when the time came, she could have her own elder brother and Zhengshen keep a close eye on him.

In any case, it was better to be safe than sorry.

Afterward, the Sixth Branch of the Li family bid farewell and returned to Li Village.

"Alright, back to work," Zhao Shi waved to her family.

Thus, over the next few months, the Li family entered a period of rapid development. Their silkworm farming flourished, and with the recent growth of the textile industry, the purchase price of silk had risen, driving up the price of silkworm cocoons as well. After two seasons of silkworm farming, the family’s annual living expenses were covered.

Of course, the income from silkworm cocoons was only part of the Li family’s earnings over these months. The most booming business during this time was the Li Family Coal Stove. Her elder brother and Zhengshen, these two cousins, proved to be the best partners. Her elder brother focused on leading the group of brothers from the city gate area to produce the coal stoves, while Zhengshen shed his Daoist robes and used his usual persuasive skills. With Zhen Niang offering some modern marketing tips, the Li Family Coal Stove quickly gained popularity in Huizhou.

Although imitations of the coal stove appeared as soon as it was launched, Zhengshen had followed Zhen Niang’s advice and emphasized the "Li Family" brand from the very beginning of their promotions. As a result, the brand effect became deeply ingrained in people’s minds.

Thus, even though some small but capable merchants entered the market, the Li Family Coal Stove still held half of Huizhou’s market share.

Therefore, the income from the coal stoves constituted the bulk of the Li family’s earnings over these months. However, to expand production, the profits were reinvested. After all, they had started small, but now Li Zhenliang had formally resigned from the oil workshop, built a factory outside the city, and set up his own kiln, officially establishing a proper factory.

As a result, the Li family didn’t have much spare cash on hand. Nevertheless, their progress was evident.

In the blink of an eye, it was already late autumn.

Zhen Niang got up early in the morning and, after finishing her morning chores, carried a shallow wooden grid and took Xi Ge’er with her to set up a stall on Four Treasures Street to sell ink.

The wooden grid she carried was similar to the cigarette racks used by street vendors before liberation. She had specifically asked her elder brother to make it for selling ink.

Having accumulated several months’ worth of soot pigment and exchanged some Pine Soot Carbon with the Ink Workshop, she had used these materials to produce ink over this period.However, at the beginning, the ink did not sell well. After all, ink had largely taken its final form since the Ming Dynasty, and even in later generations, aside from the addition of some mechanized processing, there had been no significant breakthroughs in the ink itself.

Of course, there had been diversification and refinement in formulations, but for people to recognize the value of these things, it required the right opportunity and had to be done gradually.

Zhen Niang was in no hurry either. Now that the family’s finances were much more relaxed, life had suddenly become much easier.

"Second Sister, I want to eat stone cakes." When they reached the entrance of Four Treasures Street, there was a small shop at the street corner. In front of the shop stood a large coal stove, with a flat pan placed on top. In the pan were three large cakes, each pressed down by a large round bluestone. The cake master’s hands hovered in the air, his five fingers pressing down on the stones as he rotated them. The three cakes were pressed as thin as paper by the stones, with oil glistening on their surfaces. A rich aroma of soybean paste mixed with meat wafted through the air, making anyone who smelled it salivate.

This was the unique stone cake of Huizhou. Once Xi Ge’er saw it, he couldn’t take another step.

Zhen Niang was also drooling at this point. In her previous life, every time she visited She County, she would buy these cakes to eat. So she took out some money: "Boss, two please."

"Coming right up!" the boss shouted, taking two palm-sized pieces of oiled paper from the table, wrapping the lower part of the cakes, and handing one each to Zhen Niang and Xi Ge’er.

The outer skin of these cakes was pressed so thin by the stones that the diced fatty meat inside had completely melted into oil, thoroughly saturating the entire cake. When bitten into, the outer skin was crispy, while the oil-soaked soybean paste inside was exceptionally soft. In short, it was incredibly delicious.

The siblings each ate one with great delight. Then, under a nearby locust tree, they set up their stall by opening the two wooden lattice frames they carried on their backs and laying them out on the ground. The compartments were filled with various types of ink.

From Pine Soot Ink to Oil Soot Ink and even Lacquer Soot Ink, they had them all. Additionally, Zhen Niang had also made two pieces of Medicinal Ink. Although it wasn’t the Eight Treasures Five Gallbladders Medicinal Ink, this type of Medicinal Ink was still excellent, offering remarkable efficacy for Fire Sores.

"Young lady, here to sell ink again?" As soon as Zhen Niang set up her stall, she saw a plump woman around thirty years old, carrying a blue basket, walking by.

"Yes, Auntie, going to buy groceries?" Zhen Niang quickly stood up to greet her. She had been selling ink for a few days now, and this auntie could be considered one of her regular customers.

From the first day she started selling ink, this auntie had said she would buy one to try. In the following days, she kept coming back to buy more, saying that everyone in her family found it good and she wanted to buy some to give to relatives.

"Mhm." The auntie nodded and added, "Give me another stick of Oil Soot Ink."

"Of course!" Zhen Niang said happily. This woman always bought ink in the morning while shopping for groceries, helping her get the day started.

Zhen Niang took out two cardboard boxes, placed two sticks of Oil Soot Ink inside, and handed them to the woman.

The woman paid and then took her leave.

Just then, a commotion broke out not far ahead, and many people couldn’t help but head in that direction.

"Uncle, what’s going on?" Xi Ge’er, who loved excitement, tugged at a passerby and asked curiously.

"The Immortal Maiden of the White Lotus Sect is catching ghosts," the man said.

"Catching ghosts? For whose family?" Zhen Niang also asked curiously.

"For Zheng Sanniang from the Zheng Rice Shop. I heard she’s possessed by a ghost, so her two brothers invited the Immortal Maiden to catch it. Everyone’s going to watch." After saying this, the man stopped chatting with Zhen Niang and her brother and hurried off.Xi Ge'er couldn't sit still upon hearing this and said to Zhen Niang, "Second Sister, let me go take a look."

Meanwhile, Zhen Niang was pondering: Zheng Sanniang from the Zheng Family Eatery? Wasn't that Aunt Zheng, Zheng Lamei? Zhen Niang's heart tightened involuntarily. All this talk about ghost possession was pure nonsense.

Historically, the White Lotus Sect had existed for a long time. Some members genuinely practiced kindness, observed vegetarianism, and healed the sick, while others exploited the sect to amass wealth and harm people.

"Alright, let's go together," Zhen Niang replied. By now, she too couldn't sit still. She packed up her stall, slung the wooden crate over her shoulder, and pulling Xi Ge'er along, jogged with the crowd.

Soon, they arrived at the front of Zheng Family Eatery.

At that moment, the entrance to Zheng Family Eatery was completely blocked by a crowd of onlookers.

Zhen Niang pulled Xi Ge'er and squeezed their way to the doorstep of a neighboring sundry goods shop. Standing on the steps, they looked into the crowd. They saw Aunt Zheng tied to a chair, while an Immortal Maiden of the White Lotus Sect brandished a sword in front of her.

"What on earth is going on here?" Zhen Niang asked the shopkeeper of the sundry goods store.

"What's going on? Business at Zheng Family Eatery hasn't been good lately. The lady of the Zheng household has recently taken up belief in the White Lotus Sect. Somehow, she started saying there was an evil ghost in the house that had driven away the God of Wealth, so she invited an Immortal Maiden to take a look. As soon as the Immortal Maiden arrived, she claimed the evil ghost had possessed Zheng Sanniang. Isn't that nonsense? It's just a few sores on her face! But the Immortal Maiden insisted they were Evil Ghost Sores, evidence of the evil ghost's possession. Now they've tied up Zheng Sanniang and are tormenting her. What a sin." The shopkeeper shook his head.