Chapter 358: Grasshoppers After Autumn

What is called style? This is called style.

Style is showing off elegantly.

It emphasizes being unintentional.

The Second-in-Command immediately stood up and bowed deeply to him: "We were blind. I don't know which noble family Young Master He belongs to?" Come to think of it, this youth being able to escape the Demon Nest Swamp safely, and the Spider Queen giving him the passage token, this matter itself was not simple at all.

"I am a guest from afar, accidentally washed into the Demon Nest Swamp by the great flood of the Hanhe." He Lingchuan waved his hand. "I have no roots or basis here, and no one recognizes me."

"No problem, no problem. In the coming months, the Shi Gate caravan will be your home." The Second-in-Command was all smiles. "We will definitely send you safely to Ling Xu City."

"Then there is another trouble." He Lingchuan looked toward the Gan mansion. "I lost my luggage after falling into the water and have nothing left, not even enough to prove my identity."

"That's easy to handle; just go to the government office to get a replacement." The Second-in-Command clapped his hands. "Why don't I take Young Master He to the government office now and get your identity sorted out directly?"

"That would be great. However, Gan Sanye Gan came just a quarter of an hour ago, threatening that without his nod, I wouldn't be able to leave Wu Ze County."

"Gan Sanye Gan? A quarter of an hour ago?" The Second-in-Command seemed startled, waving his hand with a smile, "It doesn't matter, let's go."

Gan Sanye Gan had already been here and threatened this Young Master He?

This was truly a divine assist; the Second-in-Command was overjoyed and had to use all his effort not to burst into wild laughter.

He Lingchuan smiled and stood up.

Before falling out with Gan Sanye Gan, he had decided to change to another merchant group to enter Beijia; otherwise, the journey was long, and who knew if the Gan family would take the opportunity to retaliate?

They had just gone downstairs when the carriage was already parked at the restaurant entrance.

Wu Ze was, after all, a county seat; from Yuan Zhi Restaurant to the government office was only a quarter of an hour's journey.

With the help of the Second-in-Command of the Shi Gate Chamber of Commerce, He Lingchuan's identity was handled very easily. In fact, these merchant groups often used manpower, carriage drivers, waiters, or martial artists from other places, and they also had to help people get these things done, so they already had a complete set of procedures.

He Lingchuan learned from his conversation with the Second-in-Command in the carriage that the Shi Gate Chamber of Commerce was founded thirty years ago; the current head, Shi Congshan, and the second-in-command, Shi Congshui, were brothers who had taken over the chamber from their father seven years ago and continued to work hard.

This time, the identity Shi Congshui arranged for He Lingchuan was He Xiao, a distant relative of the Shi family who had come from his hometown to Wu Ze County to work for the Shi family chamber. The Shi Family Chamber of Commerce had three people handling materials, all of whom were on-site, and He Lingchuan was just one of them.

He Xiao was He Lingchuan's childhood name, which he had changed after he was three years old.

A quarter of an hour later, He Lingchuan walked out of the government office with his freshly minted identity.

The Second-in-Command smiled: "We have booked a bathing room in Purple Bamboo Garden. Brother He has come from afar, so let's first wash away the dust and fatigue of the journey. We'll talk by candlelight tonight, how about that?"

The Shi Gate Chamber of Commerce was as enthusiastic as the Gan family was cold to He Lingchuan.

"I wouldn't dare refuse; I'll let the Second-in-Command spend the money." He Lingchuan wasn't pretentious and laughed, accepting it.

Zhu Erniang giving him the passage token was equivalent to giving him the power to choose the merchant group. Right now, these were all things he deserved; on the contrary, it was the Gan family's reaction that was abnormal.

Less than two quarters of an hour after they left, someone entered the government office, handed a red envelope to the minor official managing the accounts, and instructed:

If a tall, handsome youth of seventeen or eighteen comes to handle documents in the next few days, don't approve it! That youth's background is unknown, and he might be a mountain bandit.

The minor official weighed the red envelope; there was about one tael of silver inside, so he agreed very readily:

"Don't worry, leave it to me!"

If they didn't want to handle it, there would be a hundred reasons.

When the carriage arrived at Purple Bamboo Garden, He Lingchuan learned that this was the most beautiful hot spring facility in Wu Ze County. Walking in, it was surrounded by bamboo, with birds singing and mountains quiet, and the smell of sulfur everywhere; one could often hear voices but see no one.

There were public hot spring pools here, as well as private bathing rooms. The one booked for him by the Shi Gate Chamber of Commerce was a private bathing room, enjoying a steaming hot spring all to himself; if he was thirsty or hungry, he just had to ring a bell, and a big-eyed maid would come in to deliver food.

In a place busy with trade, this kind of bathing facility was most popular with officials and merchants; one, to relax the body and mind, and two, for private negotiations.

He Lingchuan had been sleeping in the open in the Demon Nest Swamp for over ten days, at most soaking in cold water twice, and had to be on guard against yellow eel crocodiles stealing attacks at all times; how could it be refreshing? As soon as he entered Purple Bamboo Garden, he felt his whole body itching, so he quickly got into the hot spring to soak until his bones were loose and his muscles soft, then scrubbed off the old dust of years.

The maid was also exceptionally enthusiastic; she delivered some fruit and didn't leave, wanting to massage his bones.

She was used to seeing greasy, fat, middle-aged and elderly men here, and occasionally wanted to wash her eyes with a handsome young man with a great physique.

Don't say, her technique was actually quite good.

The strength was moderate, and she was very accurate in finding the acupoints.

He Lingchuan chatted with her casually and asked about the Shi Gate Chamber of Commerce.

The maid was enthusiastic and answered every question. The former president of the Shi Gate Chamber of Commerce was straightforward and not as slick as ordinary merchants; until he passed away, this chamber was unknown locally, and it only improved after the Shi brothers took over.

Currently, the largest chamber in Wu Ze County was still the Gan Family Chamber of Commerce; when Gan Qing was alive, his methods were tough and he occupied all the resources. The Shi Gate Chamber of Commerce was less than a quarter of its size and couldn't rank in the top five in Wu Ze County, but its business was still complete. The Shi brothers specialized in timber and miscellaneous business, which was quite decent.

But with the Gan family there, the Shi Gate Chamber of Commerce couldn't get enough to eat.

"I heard from the waiters under them that the best thing to praise about this chamber is that they don't delay wages; they settle them when they should." The maid said, "Other chambers delay a bit of time, or settle in installments."

"Does the Gan Family Chamber of Commerce do that too?"

"They do too; these are all conventions." The maid sighed. "Like us, sometimes we are also delayed for ten days or half a month."

Reputation is more important than gold; these two brothers cherished their signboard.

After the maid finished her work and left, the room was steaming, and He Lingchuan felt his bones becoming more and more relaxed, but sleepiness surged up; after falling asleep, he didn't even have a dream.

This was the most comfortable sleep he had had since being washed away by the great flood of the Hanhe.

Not long after, someone knocked on the door.

The Second-in-Command had arrived, and the First-in-Command also appeared.

The three of them ordered a table full of wine and food and chatted in the bathing room.

The Shi brothers had traveled north and south, seen all kinds of strange anecdotes, and they were all side dishes for the wine; while He Lingchuan had experienced many thrilling events, and casually taking one or two out to talk about was equally wonderful.

He Lingchuan didn't mention it, and the Shi brothers didn't ask about his intention to go to Ling Xu City, nor did they probe his background, only saying they would definitely send him safely.

In fact, they already knew from Steward Zhao that He Lingchuan was from the Yuan Nation.

These two people spoke with great skill, making people feel very comfortable, and their intention to make friends was very obvious. For example, the Second-in-Command proposed on the spot that Song Yang Prefecture had a branch in Ling Xu City, hoping that He Lingchuan could make an introduction for both sides after arriving, to act as a bridge.

A small favor that could also build a personal connection; He Lingchuan naturally agreed immediately. However, the Shi Gate Chamber of Commerce of the Fu Nation wanted to hook up with Song Yang Prefecture? The First-in-Command Shi Congshan introduced that the Fu Nation actually produced some specialties that Song Yang Prefecture needed, such as gold mud...

"Does the Fu Nation also produce gold mud?" The Floating Life precious blade was planted from gold mud, and He Lingchuan still had a little left.

"No, no, gold mud is blended from various materials, and every weapon sect has its own secret recipe. The Fu Nation produces two basic materials for gold mud, which every weapon sect uses." First-in-Command Shi Congshan smiled. "If we can supply Song Yang Prefecture, the Shi Gate Chamber of Commerce's reputation will naturally rise."

Since they had requests for the youth in front of them, they wouldn't sneak an attack on the road. He Lingchuan knew they were handing him a reassurance pill.

Whether it was the Shi brothers or the Song Yang Prefecture Master Li Qingge, they seemed to like investing in potential stocks they favored. If they turned into dragons in the wind and rain later, they could help them.

Merchants all hoped to build wide connections, but the current Gan family was clearly an exception.

He Lingchuan asked about Gan Sanye Gan, and the Second-in-Command, who had already drunk, boasted, and chatted with him, waved his hands with a red face:

"That's a prodigal thing! A doting mother spoils her son; no one in the Gan family manages him, and no one in Wu Ze County can manage him!"

"He has a group of fox friends and dog buddies around him, with crooked paths and all kinds of people, and even ropes in many officials in the government office, acting like a bully in Wu Ze County. Those who oppose him or the Gan family will always be dealt with by him. Gan Qing values this point, so he doesn't discipline him. Anyway, the high-ranking officials and nobles, out of respect for Gan Qing, won't bother with him."

Hearing this, He Lingchuan felt a little ashamed. In the past... he seemed to be like this too.

Perhaps there were some things Gan Qing found inconvenient to do, so he let his third brother do it for him.

He Lingchuan knew this kind of trick too well.

First-in-Command stroked his chin and said: "When Gan Qing was alive, he had endless money to spend; now that the pillar of the family has collapsed, I see he won't be glorious for many days. Brother He will go west to Ling Xu City with the Second in a few days, so he doesn't need to be disturbed by him."

"Why keep mentioning these grasshoppers after autumn?" Shi Congshui raised his cup. "Come, drink!"

If this trip went smoothly, the Demon Nest passage token would soon belong to the Shi Gate Chamber of Commerce, and they would also make friends with a character like He Lingchuan; these were all good things!

The Shi Gate Chamber of Commerce was in too much need of an opportunity to raise its head.

￥￥￥￥￥

The next day, the news of the Gan Family Chamber of Commerce's helmsman Gan Qing meeting with misfortune spread in Wu Ze County, and people were discussing it on every street corner.

Old Madam Mao and Second Master Gan were immersed in grief, completely unaware.

It was Gan Sanye Gan who listened to the increasingly outrageous rumors outside, his face becoming uglier.

This group of lowly people actually spread rumors that he hired mountain bandits to kill his eldest brother! The reason was just that his eldest brother had quarreled with him before leaving, which had been heard by servants.

Why didn't they say that the kid from yesterday was greedy for money and killed for it? Whether at home or on the street, everyone seemed to be pointing fingers behind his back.

Gan Sanye Gan was already full of anger, until his attendant told him the new bad news:

That kid who walked out of the Demon Nest Swamp with Zhao Fu, that kid who made him lose face so badly yesterday, successfully handled his documents yesterday! Gan Sanye Gan slammed the table and stood up: "How is that possible? Didn't they say that kid couldn't get it?"

The force was too great, and his hand hurt.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 359 =====