The Heir

Сhарtеr 55: Li Jincai's Тhоughts

"Yоu gаvе them apроintment lettеrs inside the rеd еnvеlореs?" Li Jingdong askеd Zhen Niang, watching the two mеn dеpаrt.

"Yes." Zhеn Niаng nоddеd.

"You'rе quitе kind-hеаrtеd," Li Jingdong rеmarked.

"It's not ехaсtly kindness, just leаving some rоom for оthеrs. Ма Shifu wоrkеd in thе ink workshoр fоr fifteеn уеars, аnd Mаstеr Jiang for еlеven. Еven if they didn't аchieve grеаt mеrits, theу still put in hard work. Му оpеn асtiоns hаvе truly еmbаrrassеd them. Вut if I didn't do this, we wоuld be tоо рassivе. I hаd nо сhoice," Zhеn Niang explainеd.

"True enоugh. You've fullу leаrnеd yоur Seventh Grandmother's methods," Li Jingdong shook his head. Then, turning serious, he asked Zhen Niang, "Alright, let's set that aside. Now tell me, what do you plan to do about Tian Jiazheng's requisition of the pine timber?" Li Jingdong, seated in his wheelchair, inquired—this was the urgent matter currently facing the ink workshop.

"We can only give it to him," Zhen Niang said to Li Jingdong.

But as soon as the words left her mouth, Li Jingdong's cane struck her leg heavily. "No."

Zhen Niang winced in pain, nearly jumping up, feeling somewhat annoyed. How could Uncle Jingdong hit people so casually? "Uncle Jingdong, I know you don't want this batch of pine timber requisitioned because of Ninth Uncle, but now the Tian family holds the Tribute Ink Privilege. There's no way around it. We can't really let the Ink Affairs Bureau seal our doors, can we? That would truly fall into the Tian family's trap."

As she spoke, Zhen Niang paused briefly before continuing, "Besides, the Tian family will have to offer something of equivalent value in exchange for requisitioning this pine timber."

While speaking, she rubbed her leg—Uncle Jingdong hadn't held back.

Little did she know that her grandfather had previously gone to Li Jingdong's house and given him several hard strikes with a cane. Li Jingdong was now retaliating—blatant revenge.

Of course, Li Jingdong's strikes were still lighter than Old Shopkeeper Li's.

"Do you think I'm only doing this for your Ninth Uncle? I've worked in the ink workshop for decades. Do I not understand the stakes? Do you know what period this is? It's the Pine Blight period! Large areas of pine trees are dying. In Huizhou now, century-old pines are rare treasures. The soot pigment material for the Li family's top-grade Black Jade Pine Soot Ink is precisely century-old pine. Now, the pine soot for making this ink is gone, and the inventory of this ink is nearly depleted. Once this ink runs out, the Li family will have to withdraw from this market segment. Add to that the fact that the Li family's oil soot ink can't compare to the Cheng Family's. In that case, the Li family can only compete in the low-end market. But other small workshops cut costs however they can. Can the Li family do that? What about the Li family's centuries-old reputation?"

Li Jingdong fired off a series of questions. Though his expression remained cold, his eyes held pain.

"Uncle Jingdong..." Zhen Niang was about to explain when Li Jingdong raised his hand again. "Exchange? What can the Tian family offer? No amount of money can buy back an opportunity. You want the Tian family to exchange for pine forest logging rights? Don't even think about it—that's wishful thinking. Even if the Tian family agreed, I'm certain they would have all the mature pines cut down before handing the forest over to you. Ten-year logging rights? Have you calculated how long it takes for a pine tree to grow? What would you even be able to cut by then?"

Li Jingdong spoke at length, finally venting the words he had bottled up for days."How is that wishful thinking? Under normal circumstances it would be impossible, but now is the time of the Pine Blight. The Tian family might not refuse. And even if the Tian family has already cut down the mature pines, so what? Uncle Jingdong, although Zhen Niang wants the logging rights to the pine grove, what she wants isn’t the trees—it’s the oil. Pine Resin Oil, the Pine Resin Oil buried underground."

As she spoke, Zhen Niang repeated what she had told her own grandfather earlier.

After hearing Zhen Niang’s words, Li Jingdong’s eyes suddenly widened, staring straight at her. Zhen Niang did not avoid his gaze but met it directly, her expression firm.

"Get a carriage ready for me. I’m going out of the city," Li Jingdong said to a nearby assistant. Hearing is not as reliable as seeing; without witnessing it firsthand, Li Jingdong would never feel at ease.

Zhen Niang naturally said nothing more and followed him out of the city.

Soon, the group arrived at Li Village. They did not go to Sixth Grandfather’s house but headed straight for the pine grove. Without calling for outsiders, Zhen Niang began digging directly. Beneath the old tree stumps, they indeed unearthed Pine Resin Oil.

Although Li Jingdong specialized in engraving printing blocks, he came from an ink-making background and had studied soot pigment extensively. As soon as he held the Pine Resin Oil in his hands, he could assess its quality and estimate the grade of soot pigment it would produce.

He was certain that the soot produced from burning this Pine Resin Oil would far surpass that from the pine wood itself.

"Good… good…" Li Jingdong said excitedly several times.

"Uncle Jingdong, if we can secure the logging rights to the Luo Family’s pine grove for ten years, just think how much of this Pine Resin Oil is buried in that land?" Zhen Niang asked with a smile.

Li Jingdong nodded and sighed. "Yes, as long as we secure the logging rights to the Luo Family’s pine grove for ten years, the Li family will not lack Pine Soot Carbon for the next few years—and it will all be top-grade."

"Then tomorrow, when the Tian family’s representative comes to discuss this, will Uncle Jingdong step in and pressure the Tian family?" Zhen Niang asked. When it came to external negotiations, it was better for Uncle Jingdong to handle it.

Li Jingdong took this responsibility without hesitation and nodded.

Then, uncle and niece exchanged a knowing smile.

Li Jingdong added, "Zhen Niang, you’re impressive. Speaking of which, Jingfu was never better than me in anything, but he did have one thing—he fathered a good daughter. It’s just a pity about Jingfu… sigh…"

Hearing Li Jingdong’s sigh, Zhen Niang realized that Uncle Jingdong must already know about her father’s situation. She wondered where he had heard it, as her family had not yet announced it to their relatives. She asked, "Uncle Jingdong, do you know about my father?"

"Yes. After you left this morning, your grandfather came to see me. He gave me a few whacks with his cane before telling me about your father," Li Jingdong said.

"Oh," Zhen Niang nodded, finally understanding why Uncle Jingdong had come around so quickly. It seemed Grandfather’s beating, combined with her father’s situation, had helped him let go of some past grievances.

Zhen Niang now realized that the earlier whack she had received from the cane was not undeserved.

"By the way, when will the family hold the ceremony?" Li Jingdong asked again.

The so-called ceremony naturally referred to the funeral. Even without a body, there should at least be a cenotaph.

"Mother says that since we haven’t seen the body, Father might still be alive—after all, trouble-makers live for a thousand years. So, we’ll hold off for now and wait until my eldest brother goes to Suzhou to investigate further," Zhen Niang replied.

"That’s fine. Without seeing the body, there’s still hope," Li Jingdong nodded.

"That’s the reasoning," Zhen Niang agreed.

As the two were talking, Li Jincai arrived on the mountain with several villagers."Brother Jingdong and Zhen Niang, when did you come up the mountain? What brings you here? You should have stopped by the estate to let me know, so I could have arranged some help." Li Jincai called out warmly from a distance.

"It's nothing much, just came with Uncle Jingdong to check on the pine blight situation," Zhen Niang replied. She didn't trust Li Jincai, and since matters with the Tian family hadn't been discussed yet, she naturally couldn't let him know about the pine resin oil in advance.

"Hmm." Li Jingdong gave an ambiguous grunt. He was a man of few words to begin with, and coupled with his slight disdain for Li Jincai, he wouldn't waste a single word.

Li Jincai didn't mind Li Jingdong's coldness. After all, everyone knew Li Jingdong's temper had become odd since his legs were crippled.

Then everyone headed down the mountain together.

"Zhen Niang, I heard the old madam left the ink workshop to you?" Li Jincai moved closer to Zhen Niang and asked.

"Is there something you need, Uncle-in-law?" Zhen Niang took a slight step away, glancing at him. The news that Seventh Grandmother had left the workshop to her had long spread everywhere. Moreover, this man had likely been keeping a close watch on the workshop's affairs all along. His question clearly wasn't out of ignorance but to lead into his next topic. So, Zhen Niang didn't answer Li Jincai's question and instead directly inquired about his underlying meaning.

"Nothing much, really. Mainly, there's no work for me on the estate. Besides, doesn't our Sixth Branch have a share in the ink workshop? I was thinking if I could join the workshop and learn the trade. After all, as a member of the Li family, it would be embarrassing to know nothing about ink-making." Li Jincai said with a hint of resentment.

The corner of Zhen Niang's mouth lifted slightly. This man was truly adept at scheming and smooth-talking. According to his logic, joining the Li Family Ink Workshop was for the sake of upholding the Li family's reputation.

Beside them, Li Jingdong also glanced at Li Jincai, his eyes narrowing slightly as he calmly assessed Li Jincai's intentions.

Sixth Grandfather seemed quite at ease about the workshop, but this son-in-law appeared uneasy.

"Although the old madam left the workshop to me, the workshop belongs to the Li family. Moreover, as you said, Uncle-in-law, Sixth Grandfather does have a share in it. Since you have such filial piety and want to share Sixth Grandfather's burden, there's naturally no problem with you joining the workshop to learn. However, this idea of yours still needs the approval of Sixth Grandfather and Aunt." Zhen Niang said.

Her words pointedly highlighted Li Jincai's status, implying that if he wanted to enter the workshop, it wasn't enough for him to propose it himself; Sixth Grandfather and Aunt had to bring it up for it to matter.

Originally, as a transmigrator, Zhen Niang held no prejudice against men who married into their wives' families. But this man's motives were too heavy-handed; he needed to be put in his place.

"Of course, of course. I was just sharing my thoughts. I'll naturally discuss it with your aunt when I return." A flicker of displeasure crossed Li Jincai's face before he replaced it with a resentful smile, then moved ahead to lead the way.

"I think his intentions aren't pure. If your Aunt Jinhua brings it up, will you really agree to let him into the workshop?" Li Jingdong said, watching Li Jincai's back ahead.

"If Aunt really brings it up, of course I'll let him in. Refusing such matters would hurt feelings. Besides, the more impure his intentions, the more we need to keep him close, so we can keep an eye on him at all times. Don't you think so, Uncle Jingdong?" Zhen Niang countered.

As the saying goes, to understand a person, you must get close to them; to strike at a person, you must also get close to them.Zhen Niang understood clearly that as long as Li Jincai mentioned it to Aunt, Aunt would definitely bring it up to her. After all, this wasn’t about going somewhere far away—it was right under the eyes of the Li family. Li Jincai couldn’t pull any tricks, so Aunt would likely give Uncle-in-law that much face. Even Sixth Grandfather would probably turn a blind eye.

“As long as you know what you’re doing. I won’t tolerate any nonsense either,” Li Jingdong snorted coldly.