Chapter 27: Another Live-In Son-in-Law

"First opinion: the total budget of twenty taels of silver is definitely not enough. Using satin or silk, a single piece will cost seven or eight qian in materials alone. Add in the hangers, and you need at least three sample garments in the shop, plus reserve fabric — your budget needs to increase a bit."

Chen Xin finished flipping through the plan Liu Minyou had written and began offering his opinions. The two of them had often attended various review meetings before, so they never worried about the other taking offense and always spoke directly.

Liu Minyou said, "It is a bit short, but we only have fifty taels of silver in total right now, and we still need to make sure Hai Gouzi and the others eat meat every day. If we spend too much, I'm worried we won't even have enough for food."

Chen Xin said, "I'll solve that. There's still one pearl — I'll find a time to pawn it."

"These past few days, with the Jianzhou bandits invading, everyone wants to hold onto hard currency. Pawning is probably not a good idea right now; the pawnshop will definitely drive down the price."

"True, there's no rush. We can add funds later. A few days ago I asked Lao Cai about pawnshop tricks. Before I leave, I'll explain everything to Zhang Da and have him handle it."

Liu Minyou nodded and said, "That kid Dahui is clever enough, but he doesn't apply it in the right places. Every training session he tries to slack off."

Chen Xin glanced at him. "And whose fault is that, with your soft heart? Look at these past few days — once Lu Lvzi got tough, he couldn't dodge it either. He really might not be suited for being a household guard. Once the business grows bigger, we can assign him to other tasks."

Chen Xin used the brush to draw a horizontal line through the budget section and wrote "forty taels" beside it.

"Second opinion: since the main target is the womenfolk of middling households, the profit margin for the traveling saleswomen needs to be higher. These women rarely leave the house; only the saleswomen can enter their halls and chambers. If the cut is too small, they might just go find a tailor shop on their own. Let them set their own prices; we only control the wholesale price."

"If we do that, the pricing will be very chaotic."

"The customers are all in the saleswomen's hands. In the beginning stage, the saleswomen hold the power. Once we grow bigger, we can change the pricing method."

Liu Minyou thought it over and agreed.

"Third opinion: the clothing logo you designed is too complicated. Also, hang tags might be removed by the saleswomen. I want to embroider the logo directly onto the back of the collar and paint it directly onto the hangers with lacquer. So it can't be too complex. That way, those young ladies will see it every day, and slowly we can build the brand."

"That works. I'll revise it. To keep it simple, just write the character 'Lan' and pair it with a five-petal flower design."

"Fourth opinion: your marketing strategy doesn't include the brothel sector. In this era, courtesans are the trendsetters, one of the main consumer forces, and also the best advertising. I hear most of these women's clothes are gifts from their patrons, so the ones paying should be the patrons. We can find some of the larger brothels and first give one piece to the top courtesan. The other women will inevitably want to compete, but the patrons won't come all the way here to buy. We'll place two sample garments and fabric swatches in each large brothel, station someone there, and have the patrons pay to order clothes for these women. These patrons spend freely in the brothels and will certainly visit other establishments, indirectly spreading the word."

"Then do we give the madam a commission?"

"Yes. Think over the percentage."

Liu Minyou nodded as he listened, marking up the paper and noting the revisions. The two talked and wrote, and in half a shichen they had perfected the plan. After Chen Xin checked it over once more, he said to Liu Minyou, "There's fighting lately. Watch the situation. If people are panicking, delay the opening."

"Alright. These next few days I'll observe the situation first, then call Zhou Laifu over to start making two sample garments in preparation."

Chen Xin agreed. Once that was settled, he went to the courtyard and called Zhang Da over, telling him about some of the pawnshop tricks. These were things he had partly heard from Lao Cai. He told Zhang Da to ask around at several shops and figure out the most cost-effective approach.

Zhang Da scratched his head and went back inside. Chen Xin hoped to make these followers think more on their own, train more, so they could sooner take charge of one area independently...

By now, a clamor had risen outside the courtyard. Chen Xin opened the door and stepped onto the street. The shoppers on the street had all vanished without a trace. The neighbors of Erdaojie were heading out in twos and threes, carrying grain sacks. Some kept urging others on. A few who were walking too fast would fall, then immediately scramble back up, not daring to pause for a moment, all wearing tense expressions.

Chen Xin saw Jiang Wang's wife, Jiang Wangshi, returning with a grain sack. He went over and asked, "Sister-in-law Jiang, were you able to buy any?"

Jiang Wangshi's face was covered in sweat. She patted the grain sack. "It's all thanks to you telling us early. I rushed to the Dong family grain shop and fought with everything I had just to buy forty jin."

"Did the price change?"

"It's one tael and five qian per dan now. I heard the shopkeeper say it'll go up again tomorrow."

In the blink of an eye, the price per dan had risen by four qian. Truly, chaotic times were good for making money. Chen Xin did a quick calculation and asked her, "Your family has four mouths to feed. Forty jin won't last long."

Jiang Wangshi looked helpless. "Who says it will? That Jiang Wang went to the Tianfei Palace today to sell incense. I could only carry forty jin by myself. Besides, if you tried to buy more, they wouldn't sell it to you anyway. We can only hope the government troops drive the Tatars away soon."

Chen Xin said, "The price will surely rise sharply later. If it's truly not enough, don't go buy grain at those high prices. Come borrow some from us, and just return it when the price drops."

Jiang Wangshi thanked him profusely and hurried back inside to store the grain. Liu Minyou and the others came out at that moment as well. Watching the panicked scene on the street, they sighed inwardly. This was still a battle far beyond the pass. Although the straight-line distance wasn't far, the Shanhai Pass still stood as a screen in between. If the fighting truly reached the walls of Tianjin, who knew how chaotic it would become.

Beside him, Chen Xin suddenly tugged Liu Minyou's sleeve and jutted his chin toward the north. Liu Minyou turned his head and saw Shen Lou's wife, Shen Lishi, also carrying a sack, rushing flustered toward Dongmen Avenue. As she passed in front of them and saw Liu Minyou there, her face flushed red. She lowered her head and walked quickly past. Since that scene the other day, she had rarely been seen out. She looked even more haggard, her clothes even dirtier and more disheveled.

Chen Xin said in a low voice to Liu Minyou, "Why does she blush when she sees you?"

"How would I know."

"I know the reason."

Liu Minyou said, "No need to say it. It'll just be you trying to link me with her. I know it without you saying."

Chen Xin looked at him with a mischievous grin. "See, there you go with your petty mind again. The reason I was going to say is that she took a bowl from you that day and never returned it. Of course she feels guilty and blushes when she sees you."

Liu Minyou: "............"

In the afternoon, Lu Lvzi was not around, so Chen Xin supervised the three men's training. After buying the courtyard, Hai Gouzi and the others trained twice a day. Over the past twenty-plus days, their movements had become uniform and synchronized, carrying a hint of disciplined solemnity. These past few days, Lu Lvzi had been drilling them in simple staff techniques — just the two movements of straight chop and straight thrust. Because Chen Xin demanded they always maintain formation, horizontal sweeps were unusable. Watching their simple, forceful movements, Chen Xin was quite satisfied with Lu Chuanzong's training results.

The clamor outside continued until nearly dinnertime before finally subsiding. When Lu You got off work and came to Chen Xin's place, he complained dejectedly about having been on duty the whole time and unable to buy any grain. Chen Xin generously lent him forty jin of grain. Lu You accepted with thanks. Chen Xin then hoisted twenty jin of grain onto his back, and the two of them went together to visit Lao Cai's household.

Cai Shenju's face was pale from vomiting, but his spirits were still alright. He secretly shot Chen Xin a smug look. Lao Cai, however, was in bad shape — listless and drained. Lao Cai's two wives, likely due to eating less, seemed somewhat better. The principal wife was weeping and complaining to them that when she bought the meat, she had inspected it perfectly well, yet somehow, after eating it, the whole family got food poisoning. Chen Xin hypocritically consoled them for a while and, together with Lu You, presented the grain. Poor Lao Cai's family had suffered terribly yet still felt immensely grateful to Chen Xin. The two sat for a while, then took their leave of Lao Cai's family and returned to Jingdongfang.

A night passed. Before dawn, Chen Xin roused Hai Gouzi and the others and trained again in the courtyard. Since hearing of the Jianzhou bandits' invasion, the three followers' training enthusiasm had grown even stronger. Not long after the morning bell rang, Lu Lvzi returned, his face glowing, his spirits high. Chen Xin quietly asked him, "How much silver did you spend last night?"

"One tael and five qian. That damn top courtesan wanted five taels — couldn't bear to part with it."

Chen Xin laughed. "When we get back, there'll be enough silver. You can try the top courtesan then. But you still need to set aside enough for your family first."

Lu Lvzi nodded. "Brother Chen is right. If it weren't so far from home, these few taels of silver would have been taken back to them. It'd be enough for them to eat for a long time."

Chen Xin handed the training over to Lu Lvzi, discussed the clothing shop further with Liu Minyou, and then packed up some clothes. By then, half the morning had passed.

According to the proprietor's arrangement, they were to set sail tomorrow. Today was already their last day in Tianjin. He suddenly recalled that inexplicable rendezvous. His heart stirred, and he went out, heading toward the Wen Temple. After passing the spirit screen, he arrived again outside the Dacheng Hall. He glanced left and right at the entrance. The hall was still sparsely occupied, and he didn't see that Miss Zhao either. If Confucius knew someone was using the Dacheng Hall as a dating spot, he'd probably come back to life just to beat someone.

"Old Zhang, go take a walk by yourself. Don't wait for me. I need to pay respects to the Sage Confucius — it'll take a long time."

Just then, Miss Zhao's voice came from outside. Chen Xin, after all, had a guilty conscience. He hurriedly hid inside the hall doorway, not daring to let Old Zhang see him.

"Miss, the Lady specifically said I am not to leave your side for even a step. These past few days you keep wanting to come to the Wen Temple — the Lady is still blaming me. I..."

"I know. I'm praying for my father's blessings. If there are too many people, it won't be efficacious. Just wait for me at the door."

Miss Zhao's tone was firm, borrowing a bit of Chen Xin's reasoning. Old Zhang didn't understand it, so she had no choice but to agree.

After waiting a moment, light footsteps sounded, and Miss Zhao's figure appeared at the doorway. Today, her upper garment was a white sleeveless jacket, and below she wore a multicolored pleated skirt. The pleats were dyed in five alternating colors. As she walked, the pleated skirt swayed, a riot of color that made Chen Xin's eyes light up. She entered, looked left and right, and spotted Chen Xin behind the door. A look of delighted surprise appeared on her face, and she was about to call out to him.

Chen Xin quickly waved his hand and pointed outside the door. Miss Zhao hastily covered her mouth and moved to the corner of the doorway, to a spot where Old Zhang couldn't see. Lowering her voice to the barest whisper, she complained to Chen Xin, "You little rascal, why did you only come today? You've made me run back and forth for days."

Chen Xin said, "What do you mean I didn't come? I've been here waiting for you every single night. Haven't slept for days because of it. You never wrote that I should come during the daytime."

Miss Zhao blinked, her face full of disbelief.

Chen Xin, worried that Old Zhang might come looking if they took too long, urged Miss Zhao, "How many old women are you buying?"

"Who wants to buy old women from you."

"Then what other important business does the young lady have with this humble student? I only sell old women."

Miss Zhao couldn't help herself, her eyes curving into crescent moons again: "I'm here to buy an idea from you."

Chen Xin was stunned: "That stuff is expensive — I wonder if the young lady has brought enough silver."

"Pah, I'll only give one copper coin. If you won't sell it to me, I'll go to my mother and file a complaint — I'll say you flirted with me that day."

A big rogue meets a little rogue. Chen Xin could only say helplessly: "Then what kind of idea does the young lady want to buy? Raiding houses and robbing homes, or killing people and setting fires — I don't know anything else."

Miss Zhao's eyes shifted: "You're full of tricks — help me think of a way. I don't want to get married."

So this little girl had gone to so much trouble to find him for this reason. His mind started racing, and he casually said: "Leave home and become a Buddhist nun, then you won't have to marry."

"What's so good about being a nun? I don't want to be any of those three kinds of nuns. Think of something else."

Chen Xin had already been scheming in his head, taking the chance to probe about the proprietor's family situation. He said to Miss Zhao: "If the young lady wants me to come up with an idea, you must first tell me who wants you to marry, and why you refuse to marry. Only then can this humble student prescribe the right medicine."…

"Both my mother and my father want me to marry. I don't want to. At home, my mother and father both dote on me and listen to me. If I marry into someone else's family, I'll have to obey my parents-in-law — what's good about that?"

"I'd say you haven't studied your Lessons for Women well enough. At home you obey your parents — there's no principle that says parents should obey you."

At that moment, another person finished paying respects and walked toward the entrance. The two quickly shut their mouths and pretended to worship the Ten Worthies. Once the person had left, Miss Zhao turned to look at the entrance — Old Zhang wasn't peering around there — and then continued in a low voice: "My father only has two children. My brother hasn't been back for ages. I'm the only one at home. My mother and father both dote on me, so of course they listen to me."

Chen Xin said: "So that means the proprietor only has you and your brother. If you marry out, who will look after them in the future?"

"Exactly. Originally my mother wanted to find me a matrilocal son-in-law. Recently, for some reason, she's started looking for a matchmaker to find me a husband's family."

In his previous life, Chen Xin had been something of a matrilocal son-in-law himself. His wife was the daughter of the company's biggest shareholder. Although his career had soared, at home his wife was always the dominant one, and he had to watch her moods to some degree — you could say there were pros and cons, and he felt it deeply. Hearing this, he looked up at the woman before him. Miss Zhao was pretending to worship the Ten Worthies. From the side, Chen Xin could see the outline of the young girl's profile, as delicately beautiful as a landscape painting. He secretly praised her in his heart — far prettier than his former wife.

He thought over his wording and probed: "So it's not that you're unwilling to marry — it's just that you don't want to marry into someone else's family, afraid that your parents-in-law and husband would mistreat you."

Miss Zhao blushed and nodded again: "Exactly. My mother had always said she'd find me a matrilocal son-in-law, but these past few days she suddenly started talking about finding me a husband's family."

Hearing this, Chen Xin guessed that the proprietress and the proprietor had reached some agreement, or that Miss Zhao was indeed getting older and they dared not delay any longer. This was originally an opportunity for him, but he was still rather hesitant about being a matrilocal son-in-law. Having finally gotten a new life, if he went right back to his old situation, it hardly seemed worth it.

Unable to decide on the spot, he used a stalling tactic: "I'll go back and research the relevant policies and regulations on this issue, and give you a reply within thirty working days."

"Working days? No way. My mother is pressing hard. Once my father returns this time, it'll be settled. How could I wait thirty days for you? You have to come up with a solution today, or else I'll go to my mother and file a complaint against you."

Chen Xin had been caught by the throat by this little woman — a rare case of being blackmailed — but he couldn't produce an idea on the spot. He could only plead: "Young lady, you're making this hard for me. How could I think of something in such a short time? If you truly don't want to marry, you still have to rely on your mother. You need to figure out why she's no longer insisting on finding you a matrilocal son-in-law. Only by knowing the reason can you come up with a solution, right?"

"No, you have to come up with something today. Don't think I don't know — you're going out with my father too. Once you leave tomorrow, where am I supposed to find you?"

Chen Xin began to regret coming to this rendezvous today. Now he didn't dare leave either — what if this little girl got vicious and really went to file a complaint against him? All his planning during this period would be ruined. Thinking of this, he had no choice but to put his brain to work and think seriously.

"You could pretend to attempt suicide, and resolutely refuse to marry."

"No. If I do that, afterward my mother will definitely assign a bunch of maids and old women to watch me — I won't even be able to leave the house."

"Then say your heart is set on Buddhism, and you want to become a female lay devotee."

"Female lay devotees still have to marry."

"Well, then just say you're still too young..."

"I'm not young. I'm already seventeen in real years."

Chen Xin secretly glanced at her chest and muttered: "Who says it's not small... Forget it, then say you like women."

Miss Zhao's eyes went wide: "I don't have that kind of bosom friend — don't talk nonsense."

"Then you like men?"

Miss Zhao blushed. Just then, another person happened to pass by, so she held back from hitting Chen Xin. She only heard Chen Xin say: "That's all the ideas I have."

"No. If you can't think of something good, I'll call Old Zhang in right now and say you flirted with me."…

Chen Xin was at his wit's end and could only say: "Anyway, I only have one last idea. If this one doesn't work, even if you call in Ox-Head and Horse-Face, there won't be any more."

Miss Zhao looked at Chen Xin seriously for a long moment, and finally nodded: "Then hurry up and say it."

"The last method: since your mother once planned to find a matrilocal son-in-law, it means she must have had some reason. It was just hard to find one, so she switched to finding you a husband's family. So, you tell your mother you already have someone in your heart, someone who can be a matrilocal son-in-law."

Miss Zhao listened and said: "That's your idea? If it were that easy to find one, they'd have found one long ago. This doesn't count."

Chen Xin had to say: "I'll suggest a candidate for the young lady, but you must promise not to get angry when you hear it."

"Fine, hurry up and say it."

"You really won't get angry?"

"Really."

"You forced me into this."

"Say it."

"Cai Shenju!"

"I don't want him. He's not even older than me."

"Young lady, look — Shopkeeper Cai has followed the proprietor for so many years, they know each other inside out. Cai Shenju may be a bit young, but he has quite a bit of his father's steady character. Besides, young Cai works under your father — how would he dare bully you?"

Miss Zhao thought for a moment, then shook her head again: "No, Mother definitely wouldn't agree. Old Cai's family circumstances can't compare to ours, and Cai Shenju can't even read. I'm not willing either — unless he were a scholar."

At this point, Miss Zhao suddenly stared at Chen Xin with a strange look in her eyes. Chen Xin's heart cried trouble, and sure enough, he heard her say: "I heard you passed the Licentiate exam?"

Chen Xin hurriedly denied it: "That was many years ago. Now, aside from keeping accounts, I don't recognize any other characters."

"Hmph!"

Miss Zhao looked him over carefully. Chen Xin, the scoundrel, was still very handsome — quite pleasing to the eye, otherwise he wouldn't have been chosen by the shareholder's daughter. Because both her parents had been overseas, her family's style was different from ordinary families, but after all, she was still too embarrassed to say she wanted to pick Chen Xin as the candidate. Yet an idea had formed in her mind. She turned her back to Chen Xin and thought for a while. This man, though glib-tongued, was indeed good-looking, had studied, and she'd heard his character was reliable — he was a candidate after all.

Miss Zhao lowered her head in thought, her face slowly reddening. Not daring to speak with Chen Xin any further, and just then Old Zhang called from outside, she hurried out, leaving Chen Xin alone.

Watching her leave, Chen Xin felt uneasy. He still hadn't decided whether to be this matrilocal son-in-law or not. There were certainly advantages — he could get a very good starting point in this era. He guessed this proprietor's overseas income must be considerable. He'd heard there was also an eldest son. In ancient times, the eldest son generally inherited the family property — he'd never heard of a son-in-law taking the lion's share. But if there was an eldest son, why did the lady want to recruit a matrilocal son-in-law? Before figuring out these questions, he didn't dare make a rash decision.

In the end, he reached no conclusion. He shook his head and sighed: "Could it be that I really am fated to be a matrilocal son-in-law?"