Chapter 120 — The Huang Family
That night, Xu Jun returned home, a little distracted as he reviewed the ledgers for the first time.
Xie Siquan, having been out drinking, came back and spoke to him. After talking for quite a while without a response, he glanced over and couldn’t help but pinch the ledger in Xu Jun’s hand to take a look. “What’s wrong today? Ever since I came in, I saw you staring at the herb shop’s seasonal revenue. And now… you’re still looking at this?”
Xu Jun snapped out of his daze and pulled back the ledger. “Nothing… just thinking.”
Xie Siquan leaned over to peek, frowning. “What, the herb shop’s accounts are off?” Then, after a moment’s thought, he added: “Those old men in the clan giving you trouble again? Don’t bother with them. They’re used to living safely off the salt fields, so it’s normal they don’t want to get involved in other business. Do what you think best. Anyone dissatisfied—let them come see me tomorrow. I’ll personally explain the rules to them.”
Xu Jun gave him a look and shook his head. “I can handle that. It’s about Xie Jing.”
Xie Siquan raised an eyebrow. “Did he cause trouble?”
Xu Jun chuckled lightly. “No, he’s very obedient, learns quickly and well. Today he even invited me to eat stewed rabbit with him.”
Xie Siquan laughed at that, sat beside him, and poured tea. “That boy likes you, you don’t know. He’s very cautious—remember last time Hu Da went north? Just accompanying him for a short while nearly gave him away. Not to brag, but Jing’er inherited a bit of me. He can sense the slightest disturbance…”
“Yeah. He already knows about our relationship.”
“…”
Xie Siquan’s hand paused while pouring, then continued, handing Xu Jun a cup of tea while he sipped his own. “Oh? What did he say?”
Xu Jun said, “Nothing much—he seemed the same as usual. He also mentioned he has someone on his mind.”
Xie Siquan’s interest piqued. “Who does he like?”
Xu Jun replied, “In Shanghai—someone from the Bai family’s Eastern Courtyard.”
Xie Siquan thought for a moment, recalling the Bai family’s Second Young Master, vaguely remembering his name as Bai Mingyu, though he wasn’t certain. The young master was fairly good-looking, tall and strong, but not very sharp. From his dealings in Shanghai, Xie Siquan could only describe him as honest and respectable toward elders. Every time he saw him, he addressed Xie Siquan with enthusiasm, calling him “Uncle” more frequently than Xie Jing did.
Xu Jun told him about the letter. Xie Siquan said: “Since Jing’er said it, let it be. No need to intercept letters in the future—let them go.”
Xu Jun said, “The Bai family’s reach is too long.”
Xie Siquan smiled. “So what? This isn’t the He Dongting household. I’m not afraid of the Bai family snooping around.”
Mentioning the He family, Xu Jun brought up the dowries he had brought back before, asking how to handle them.
“I’ve set aside the few things my sister liked best and had Bao Bao keep them for Jing’er,” Xie Siquan said, putting down his teacup. Mentioning his sister dampened his mood slightly. He sneered: “The rest of the gold and silver utensils—melted and recast. The He family touched them? Are they worthy for my Jing’er to use?”
Xu Jun nodded. “Alright. I’ll have someone handle it tomorrow.”
Seeing Xie Siquan sitting silently, he added, “I taught Jing’er bookkeeping today. He did well. I don’t see much else to teach. How about tomorrow we take him to the salt fields?”
Xie Siquan nodded. “Do as you see fit.”
Perhaps because of the dowry issue, though he had suffered no loss at the He family, seeing the objects stirred memories. He spent the night unusually quiet.
At night, Xu Jun knew he hadn’t slept.
Xie Siquan was never a peaceful sleeper—always moving around, taking up half the bed, sometimes pressing a leg on someone nearby. Seeing him lying quietly on his side like this, Xu Jun knew it was abnormal—he wasn’t asleep.
Lying beside him, Xu Jun embraced him from behind, letting out a barely audible sigh.
By day, he was domineering and unruly; by night, curled on his side, he seemed fragile. Xu Jun felt him clutch his hand tightly against his chest. He listened to Xie Siquan’s heartbeat and kissed his ear softly, coaxing him to sleep.
The night passed without a word.
The next morning, Xie Siquan regained some spirit.
Xu Jun joined him for breakfast. They spoke of teaching his nephew and taking him to the salt fields. Xie Siquan said, “Bring a few extra people. The lower city has been a bit unsafe lately.”
Xu Jun asked, “Bandits again?”
Xie Siquan frowned. “Who knows if that’s true? Those families constantly plead for extensions—they claim they have no money. Since our ancestors were sworn brothers, I can’t rush them. I’ll talk to them again today.”
Xu Jun frowned slightly. “The original contract was clear in black and white. They only invested 4,000 silver to build the wells. Taking the salt fields back is inevitable. After receiving profits for so many years, they still aren’t satisfied?”
Xie Siquan scoffed. “Human greed is endless. They’ve had it too easy. Sooner or later, we’ll settle them.”
That day, Xie Siquan went to the lower city again to negotiate reclaiming the salt wells. Xu Jun didn’t idle either. He arranged a carriage and took Xie Jing to the salt fields.
The Xie family salt fields were divided into two sections. Xu Jun guided him through each and explained the current relationships among Sichuan’s major salt merchants.
Sichuan’s salt trade was roughly split into two factions. One was the old-style merchants, mostly in the upper city. Though Xie Siquan had fought his way up, he relied on ancestral assets, making him a representative of the old-style merchants. The other was the new-style merchants, mostly in the lower city. They had appeared in recent years, were aggressive in business, and willing to risk everything—rivalries between them were fierce and cunning.
Conflict between upper and lower cities had long existed. Though the old merchants were mild in demeanor, some families had incompetent descendants who squandered wealth, even mortgaging salt fields to the lower city. Now, the Xie family dominated the upper city, while the lower city merchants vied to consume and annex each other. No single power ruled there, but tensions were rising.
Sitting in the carriage, Xu Jun lifted the curtain and pointed to a salt field marked with yellow flags. “This owner is Huang Wanxing. The Huang family’s business in the lower city is decent, and they’ve bought a small salt field in the upper city. But this place isn’t very disciplined. If you meet them, don’t be polite.”
Xie Jing glanced outside. “How so?”
Xu Jun said coldly, “They employ dozens of thugs. In the lower city, they’re used to bullying others. Now with property in the upper city, they treat it as their own.”
As he spoke, the carriage jolted with a loud bang. Xu Jun steadied himself and frowned. “What happened?”
The driver said, “Second Master, the Huang family carriage just charged suddenly from the opposite side to cut us off.”
Xu Jun’s face darkened. “Hit them back!”
The driver, skilled and decisive, immediately rammed the Huang carriage, harder than before.
The Huang family horses whinnied, and their passengers seemed unsteady. One could hear low curses from inside.
The two carriages were on a stone road wide enough for both to pass, yet now they were jammed, refusing to yield.
Someone in the Huang carriage shouted: “Is that Second Master Xu?”
Xu Jun ignored him.
They shouted again: “We’re new to the upper city and don’t know the rules. Second Master Xu blocks us—are only Xie family carriages allowed? No one else?”
Xu Jun sneered: “Since you came to the upper city, I’ll teach you. Not just this road—of the eighteen alleys, which one isn’t tied to the Xie family? We built these roads; nearby shops and buildings are in the Xie family name. If you want to cause trouble here, ask your master Huang Wanxing. You dare hit my carriage?!”
There was a pause. The Huang carriage yielded slightly. Then a portly, dignified middle-aged man descended—Huang Wanxing’s trusted steward, Li Chunlin. He wore a spring silk robe, looking like a wealthy man with thick brows and large eyes. He bowed to Xu Jun beside the carriage, but Xu Jun only lifted the curtain, glanced at him, and instructed the driver to continue.
Li Chunlin was left standing on the road. Several Huang family guards gathered, but he waved them off, showing no anger. Stroking his beard, he said, “No rush. Did anyone in Xu Jun’s carriage see this? Send someone to find out who it was.”
