The Heir

Сhарtеr 96: Stirring thе Рot

Zhen Niаng’s wоrds lеft Маdam Fang feеling rаther disgruntled. Shе pursed hеr liрs аnd sаid, “It’s nоt thаt I’m saying wе can’t shoulder the resроnsibility. It’s just thаt it pаins mе tо sеe thе fоundаtiоn thаt Huа’er’s father аnd I wоrked sо hard to build being squаndered bу you likе this. Ноw саn I rеst еasy? Мiss Zhеn, I’m not trуing tо сriticizе yоu, but whаt you’vе dоne is fаr too reсkless.”

“Thank уоu fоr yоur advice, Аunt Jingming. Ноwevеr, I’m соnfidеnt in whаt I’m dоing,” Zhen Niаng rеpliеd with a smilе. As for whу she wаs sо сonfidеnt, shе nаturаlly couldn’t еxplain it to Mаdam Fang. Evеn the anаlysis shе hаd sharеd with her uncle-in-law wasn’t something she could discuss with Madam Fang, especially since Madam Fang was connected to Ge Xunlan. Who knew what messy affairs might arise from that? Besides, even if she did explain, Madam Fang wouldn’t believe her and would likely think she was being presumptuous. Still, Zhen Niang added, “I do have an idea, though. If you’re looking to save up for Hua’er’s dowry, Aunt Jingming, why not take advantage of the low land prices now and buy some fields? Who knows, you might end up with an unexpected pleasant surprise.”

“Hmph, that’s nothing but wishful thinking! An unexpected pleasant surprise, indeed? People outside are saying that Lord Hai is incorruptible and impartial, and he especially has it out for the wealthy. Once he arrives in Nanjing, all the land we’ve bought might be seized by the authorities. At that point, if we can avoid getting entangled in a lawsuit, we’ll already be counting our blessings,” Madam Fang retorted, echoing the words of some old scholars.

“It’s just a suggestion. Whether you take it or not is entirely up to you, Auntie,” Zhen Niang replied, pressing her lips together. She had said what needed to be said, and the outcome was no longer something she would dwell on. After all, whether someone could make money often depended on unpredictable fate.

With that, she turned and headed toward the small building in the second courtyard, with Xiao Ya following closely behind.

“Cousin, cousin, wait for me!” Just as they entered the gate to the second courtyard, Hua’er came running over, clutching a small pouch. Zhen Niang turned to look at her. “Hua’er, what is it?”

“Well…” Hua’er hesitated for a moment before shoving the pouch into Zhen Niang’s hands.

Curious, Zhen Niang took it and opened it, revealing several ingots of silver. “What is this…?”

“If Cousin says it can make money, then it definitely can. But I don’t really understand this land-buying business. This is all my savings, so I’d rather leave it to you and Cousin to handle for me,” Hua’er said, her face flushed.

“Hehe, Hua’er is saving up for her dowry!” Xiao Ya, who got along well with Hua’er, teased.

“You little brat! I’ll smack your mouth…” Hua’er, flustered by the teasing, chased after Xiao Ya. The two of them ended up running circles around Zhen Niang.

“Alright, stop fooling around,” Zhen Niang said, feeling dizzy from their antics. The two girls immediately stopped, shrinking their necks sheepishly.

“Fine, I’ll take care of this silver,” Zhen Niang said without further explanation or promises. In matters like this, when the results came in and money was made, that would speak louder than any words.

“Mm!” Hua’er nodded emphatically before scurrying back to the front courtyard.

In the second courtyard, Huang Shi, having heard that everything had gone smoothly, breathed a sigh of relief.

After that, there wasn’t much for Zhen Niang to do. Han Yigui was handling the land acquisition, so there was no need for her to get involved. Zhen Niang threw herself wholeheartedly into the Ink Workshop in her family’s backyard.Now the large ink workshop in the backyard has been properly arranged. Ma Sao's husband has been taking Er Gou out these past few days to recruit workers. Additionally, Zhen Niang also wrote back to Huizhou, asking for a few skilled masters to be sent over to train the workers.

As for the shop, the two original rooms have been merged into one. The original counter, which only reached a little above waist height, made communication with customers very comfortable. Besides the wall behind the counter, which displayed ink price lists and ink products, Zhen Niang also set up a separate display area for high-end ink products on one side. There, elegant seating was arranged, along with some plum bonsai, peach bonsai, orchids, and other potted plants decorating the surroundings. On the tea table, the four treasures of the study were neatly displayed, creating an extremely refined atmosphere—this was for customers to test the ink.

Thus, the overall layout of the Ink Manor was finalized. Of course, all of this was kept behind closed doors, only to be revealed on the opening day.

Now, the neighboring shop owners were all curious about what kind of shop the Li family was planning to create, and this curiosity was exactly the result Zhen Niang wanted.

These past few days, the Han family's land acquisition had also caused quite a stir.

Yao Niangzi had been in high spirits these past two days. On this day, she specifically went out to buy a cut of pork to make braised pork.

"Yao Niangzi, you seem to be in a good mood today," said a clerk from the neighboring Medicine Hall as he swept the floor, addressing Yao Niangzi.

"Of course I am," Yao Niangzi replied.

"What's got you in such a good mood? Just a couple of days ago, you were acting like you were at death's door," the clerk asked curiously.

"Bah, you little rascal! Are you hoping I'd still be miserable?" Yao Niangzi retorted irritably. Just then, the Medicine Hall's shopkeeper, Gong Quanyou, came out with his sleeves tucked, glaring at the clerk. The clerk immediately lowered his head and focused on his work.

"Yao Niangzi, did you manage to sell the land you held? I heard the Han family is buying up land in large quantities," Gong Quanyou asked Yao Niangzi.

"Exactly, you hit the nail on the head, Shopkeeper Gong. Thankfully, with the Han family buying land, I didn't lose everything I invested. Still, I ended up losing over five taels of silver," Yao Niangzi complained, though her face was beaming with joy.

People are strange—when they earn a little less, they look miserable, but when they suffer a loss, even losing a little less can make them overjoyed.

"What's going on with the Han family? Are they so rich they're itching to cause themselves trouble? Buying so much land at a time like this—isn't that just walking right into trouble once Lord Hai arrives?" said Yao Zhong, the owner of the cloth shop, stepping forward.

"Bah, what are you talking about? If it weren't for the Han family buying land, I'd still be worried sick," Yao Niangzi glared at her husband.

"Tsk, that's a separate matter," Yao Zhong waved his hand dismissively.

"Not necessarily. Since ancient times, there's been a principle in business: 'When others abandon, I acquire; when others acquire, I give.' In the current situation, isn't everyone abandoning farmland? The Han family acquiring when others abandon aligns perfectly with business principles," said Gong Quanyou, stroking his three-goat beard.

"So, you're saying the Han family did the right thing by buying land?" Yao Niangzi asked again.

"I can't say for sure. After all, the ways of the world change in the blink of an eye," Gong Quanyou replied.

For a moment, this left Yao Niangzi feeling torn between hope and anxiety."Alright, you were so desperate and frantic not long ago, have you already forgotten the lesson?" Yao Zhong said. As a cloth merchant, his sole focus was selling cloth, and he was most annoyed by his wife's habit of meddling in everything.

"Fine, I was just saying." Yao Niangzi waved her hand, recalling the overwhelming despair she felt not long ago, which still left her with lingering fear. No matter how profitable that land might be, she dared not touch it again.

Zhen Niang stood at the entrance of her family's shop, listening to all this with complete calm.

Meanwhile, at the Xu residence.

"Second Brother, what's going on? Who are these people that suddenly appeared? How dare the Han family step in to buy land at this time? Don't they already have a lot of land stockpiled? I was waiting for them to dump it at a low price. Where did they get the nerve to keep buying land recklessly? Could it be that you leaked something?" Xu Da paced back and forth in the study, glaring at Xu Er.

This entire scheme in Nanjing was laid out by them and some others. Just when success seemed within reach, an unexpected obstacle emerged out of nowhere, completely ruining their well-laid plans.

"I'm not sure either. Although my wife usually interacts with Madam Han, I didn't reveal even a hint of this matter to her, so she couldn't have leaked anything to the Han family," Xu Er said.

"I think we should invite Second Sister-in-Law over and ask her," Xu San, who was sitting to the side, suggested.

Normally, Xu Er stayed in Nanjing, while Xu Da and Xu San were in Songjiang. It was only because of this land turmoil that the three Xu brothers had gathered together recently.

Xu Er nodded, opened the door, and sent a maid to fetch his wife.

Shortly after, Second Madam Xu, née Zhou, arrived.

"Madam, what exactly did you tell Madam Han about buying land?" Xu Er asked.

"I didn't say much. Back when we were converting rice fields to mulberry fields, the Han family was in the silk business. They wanted to acquire some land to plant mulberry trees, and I, along with a few other ladies, said we’d invest as well, so we bought a little land at the time. Later, as land prices kept rising, Madam Han felt that flipping land was quite profitable, so she bought large amounts of it. Who would have thought that once news of Hai Rui’s arrival spread, land prices suddenly plummeted? That’s how things are now. I don’t know much else, and I have no idea why the Han family is suddenly buying land again," Second Madam Xu, née Zhou, explained.

"In that case, find an opportunity in the next couple of days to invite Madam Han out and ask her," Xu Er said.

"Alright. It’s the season for outings anyway. I’ll invite a few ladies, including Madam Han, to visit Cheng’en Temple. I can ask her then—it’ll be more natural that way," Zhou said.

"Good, let’s do that," Xu Da nodded.

...

The sun was bright and clear. Early in the morning, Zhen Niang was pulled by Huang Shi from the Ink Workshop to the Han residence.

A young lady shouldn’t spend every day in the smoke-filled smoke generation shed, covered in soot.

"Zhen Niang, don’t blame your aunt. I misunderstood you before," Madam Han Li said, holding Zhen Niang’s hand in the Han family’s small pavilion, her face filled with gratitude. Regardless of whether this matter would succeed, Zhen Niang had used the Li Family Ink Workshop’s assets as collateral to help her out of this mess. How could Madam Han Li not understand this?

"Aunt, what are you saying? Aren’t we family?" Zhen Niang helped Madam Han Li sit down, smiling cheerfully."Yes, family. If it weren't for family, who would be willing to lend a hand?" Madam Han Li remarked with some emotion. The warmth and coldness of human relationships during this period had truly taught her a lesson.

As she spoke, Madam Han Li casually pulled Zhen Niang to sit beside her. In the past, she had found Zhen Niang displeasing no matter how she looked at her, but now she found her pleasing in every way. Looking at her delicate appearance, she thought Zhen Niang truly matched Bai'er well.

Zhen Niang had no idea what was going through Madam Han Li's mind. She simply sat beside her with a cheerful smile, chatting with her aunt and second aunt-in-law.