The Heir

Сhарtеr Thirty-Twо: Еnemies Сross Pаths Nаrrоwlу

Тhе group еntered the house and sаt dоwn. Zhen Niаng cаrеfullу еxрlаinеd tо Sеventh Grаndmother evеrуthing she knеw about the mеdicinal ink fоrmulations. Оf соursе, shе tеmрorarilу withhеld the mаttеr оf the Еight Trеаsures Five Gаllblаdders Ink, аs it was still uncleаr what outcоmе Еunuch Yаn’s situation would bring. It wаs bеttеr to dеlау thаt disсussiоn for nоw.

Whеn the tоpiс turned to Еunuch Yаn’s сirсumstanсеs, Sеvеnth Old Madаm suddenly remarked, “Аctually, this оld woman bеlievеs Еunuch Yаn may not truly be in trouble.”

“Why do you think so, Seventh Sister-in-law?” Old Shopkeeper Li asked.

Zhen Niang listened attentively, eager to hear her Seventh Grandmother’s insights.

“Do you remember the turmoil the Luo Family faced a few years ago, Old Eighth?” Seventh Old Madam countered, taking a sip of tea.

“Of course I remember. That time, it seemed Yan Shifan was arrested and imprisoned, and Yan Song nearly lost his official position. At the time, the prefectural government had the entire Luo Family under control, and several major ink workshops in Huizhou were waiting to carve up the Luo Family’s assets, believing their end had come. Yet unexpectedly, Yan Shifan managed to turn things around in the end, and the Luo Family’s influence grew even stronger than before,” Old Shopkeeper Li said.

Because of this incident, the Huizhou prefect also suffered repercussions.

“Exactly. Think about it—back then, the Luo Family was in such dire straits, yet they managed to turn things around in an instant. It shows how unpredictable the world can be. Now, looking at Eunuch Yan’s situation, if there were truly a problem, wouldn’t the Imperial Guards have arrested him directly? Why would they drag it out like this? When have the Imperial Guards ever been so sluggish in their work? This suggests the Luo Family is still hesitating whether to truly take action against Eunuch Yan. Since the Luo Family has reservations, it means there might still be some room for maneuver,” Seventh Old Madam explained.

“That makes sense,” Old Shopkeeper Li agreed.

Zhen Niang sighed inwardly, impressed by her Seventh Grandmother’s deep insight. No wonder, over the years, she had managed to sustain the Li Family Ink Workshop as a woman alone. It was no easy feat!

Regarding the possibility of a turnaround, Zhen Niang speculated that someone in the court might have already begun targeting Yan Shifan. Judging by the timing, it was likely around this period.

The Luo Family was probably hesitant for this reason.

After some casual conversation, Seventh Old Madam took her leave.

During dinner that evening, Zheng Shi couldn’t help but express her remorse: “Ah, it’s all my fault. If it weren’t for my troubles, the medicinal ink matter wouldn’t have caught Eunuch Yan’s attention.”

Earlier that day, Li Jingdong had caused a scene, and everyone now knew that the Li Family’s Eighth Branch had become entangled with Eunuch Yan’s household due to their visit.

Having lived most of his life, Old Shopkeeper Li possessed life experiences far beyond the ordinary. He understood the situation clearly and maintained a broad-minded perspective, not letting the matter weigh on him.

As for Zhen Niang, knowing the Luo Family’s eventual fate, she guessed that Eunuch Yan’s troubles were likely a false alarm and thus didn’t dwell on it too much.

However, aside from Old Shopkeeper Li and Zhen Niang, the rest of the Li Family couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

“Aunt, let’s not scare ourselves. As I’ve said, Eunuch Yan is the ink supervisor. He heard about my medicinal ink and called me in to inquire about it. Who can say I did anything wrong?” Zhen Niang raised her head and said.

“Jingkui’s wife, this isn’t your fault. Don’t take all the blame upon yourself. Stay calm; everything will be fine,” Old Shopkeeper Li reassured her, setting down his chopsticks."Exactly, exactly, just eat in peace." Wu Shi chimed in optimistically from the side. Of course, she wasn't as clear-sighted about matters as Old Shopkeeper Li, nor did she have a solid grasp like Zhen Niang. She was a complete fatalist, believing that all things in life were arranged by heaven—you couldn't avoid them no matter how hard you tried, so there was no point worrying about them.

"Yes, sister-in-law, it's not your concern. If anything does happen, it's all because this girl Zhen Niang insisted on showing off." Zhao Shi added with a hint of irritation.

Well, in the end, it turned out to be Zhen Niang's fault.

Zhen Niang knew her mother was deliberately saying this to comfort Zheng Shi, so she didn't argue and just kept her head down, eating quietly.

But as she lowered her head, she noticed Du Shi kicking her older brother, who was also eating silently beside her. This reminded her of what Du Shi's mother, Shen Shi, had mentioned when she visited that morning.

Her sister-in-law was probably too hesitant to bring it up herself and was urging her husband to speak.

Sure enough, Li Zhenliang, unable to resist Du Shi's nudging, put down his chopsticks and said, "Grandfather, Grandmother, Mother, the oil mill where I used to work is being sold by the owner. Du Da and Du Er want to partner with me to take over the oil mill. What do you all think?"

"I do know about that oil mill you worked at. The business was quite good. By the way, why does the owner want to sell it?" Old Shopkeeper Li asked.

"The owner is returning to his hometown and can't manage it anymore," Li Zhenliang replied.

"If that's the case, taking it over might be worthwhile," Old Shopkeeper Li said after a moment of thought.

"Brother, can you handle it? There's a lot involved in running an oil mill. With just the coal stove workshop, you're already practically spending all twenty-four hours there." Zhen Niang chimed in from the side.

It wasn't that she meant to make things difficult for Du Shi. First, the Du brothers were truly unreliable people. Second, she was speaking the truth—focusing on one thing at a time was important. With the coal stove workshop already keeping her brother fully occupied, how could he possibly have the energy to manage an oil mill as well?

Since he lacked the capacity, a partnership wouldn't be a wise move.

Of course, she was only offering a reminder. The final decision was beyond her control.

Hearing Zhen Niang's words, Li Zhenliang grew hesitant. He was someone who focused solely on his work, without the ability to juggle multiple tasks. Even with the coal stove business, he only oversaw production, while the external dealings were handled by Zhen Niang. He hadn't given it much thought before, but now that she mentioned it, he realized he truly couldn't manage both.

"I think we should forget about the partnership. Our eldest son doesn't have the capability for it. One should only take on what they can handle. It's better to focus wholeheartedly on developing the coal stove workshop and not get involved with the oil mill. If the Du brothers are short on funds, our family can lend them some money, and they can repay it once their business picks up. Father, what do you think?" Zhao Shi quickly interjected.

This had been her plan all along.

"Hmm, that's true. Success lies in focusing on one thing. I think that works," Old Shopkeeper Li agreed, then turned to Du Shi and asked, "What do you think, eldest daughter-in-law?"

With Old Shopkeeper Li's shrewdness, he naturally understood that it was Du Shi who truly wanted the partnership.

Although Du Shi was somewhat disappointed that the partnership didn't materialize, she was still satisfied that they could borrow money, which would at least give her mother some reassurance.

So she nodded and said, "Yes, I'll listen to Grandfather."

The matter was settled just like that. Du Shi would need to find out exactly how much money the Du family still needed.Li Zhenliang saw that the matter was settled and the meal was finished, so he stood up. "Grandfather, Grandmother, I'm going to the workshop. The weather is getting colder, and the wind is strong. It looks like it might snow soon. The workshop can't be left unattended."

"Go ahead." Old Shopkeeper Li waved his hand. The early days of starting a business were always particularly difficult.

Li Zhenliang bid farewell to everyone and went out carrying a windproof lantern. Du Shi hurriedly saw him off outside the door. The wind howled outside, bitingly cold, and the windproof lantern swayed back and forth in the wind.

That night, a cold wind blew all night long.

The next day, when Zhen Niang got up, the entire courtyard was already covered in pure white—it had truly snowed. Xi Ge'er excitedly rolled around in the snow. Zhen Niang didn't even bother lighting the coal stove first; she decided to fetch some hot water from the Tiger Stove to warm up.

Since the Li family introduced the coal stove, fewer people had been fetching hot water from the Tiger Stove. Zhen Niang had specially given Uncle Shui a large coal stove. Every day, Uncle Shui would cook some porridge on it, fry some pancakes, set up two old tables at the entrance, and incidentally started selling breakfast.

At the city gate tunnel, every day, carts transporting goods into the city would get stuck here for quite a while. As a result, Uncle Shui's breakfast stall business was surprisingly good.

Today, with the snow, the Tiger Stove area was even more crowded, and carts of goods blocked the entire road, making it impassable.

Shouts and curses filled the air.

"Hey, Lao Si, what are you carrying there?" Several young men, clearly transporters, sat chatting by the Tiger Stove. One of them pointed at what another young man named Lao Si was holding and asked.

"A few pig gallbladders," Lao Si replied.

"What are you doing with those? No wonder it smells so fishy," the first man said, covering his nose.

"You don't know—Eunuch Yan is collecting these things and offering a high price. I spent all yesterday afternoon trying to get these," Lao Si explained.

Zhen Niang was standing nearby, waiting in line, and overheard their conversation. She naturally understood—pig gallbladder was one of the ingredients in the Eight Treasures Five Gallbladder Ink, and fifteen were needed.

"What does Eunuch Yan want pig gallbladders for?" someone nearby asked curiously.

"I heard it's for making medicine. He needs fifteen of them," Lao Si said.

"I wonder if he's collected them all yet. My uncle's family is in Yuliang, and I heard from my cousin that they might be slaughtering a pig today," one of them said.

"Eunuch Yan only gave the order yesterday at noon, so he definitely hasn't gotten them all yet. You should hurry and get some," Lao Si urged.

"Alright!" the man responded, jumping up and pushing through the crowd in a hurry, knocking people aside.

Zhen Niang was also pushed back and accidentally stepped on someone's foot.

"Sorry," she said, steadying herself and quickly turning to apologize.

"It's Zhen Niang. It's fine," the person said with a smile. It was Tian Benchang, whom Zhen Niang had met once before.

This really felt like fate bringing enemies together. Zhen Niang patted her forehead. Since nothing was wrong, she didn't say anything more and continued waiting in line.

"Zhen Niang, a gentleman does not stand beneath a collapsing wall. You really shouldn't provoke Eunuch Yan. If you have any difficulties, tell me, and I'll ask the Luo Family to help plead your case with Magistrate Fang," Tian Benchang said, standing beside Zhen Niang.

Magistrate Fang was the commander of the Imperial Guards.The two were already the center of attention, and now, standing off to the side talking, they naturally drew a wave of whispers from those around them.