Chapter 65: You Are the Steward

In the clothing shop on Zhenhaimen Street, Liu Minyou was busy at work. Chen Xin had been gone for over a month again. In Liu Minyou's view, they now had a shop and a ship — they could just settle down and live their own lives in peace, and when the time came to leave, they would go to Taiwan or Ryukyu. That was still a whole lifetime.

Shen Lishi was beside him, carefully writing out cards. She was now in charge of production planning. Zhou Laifu's wife attended to customers, Lao Cai kept the accounts as usual, and Lu You handled the storeroom materials and odd jobs. What Liu Minyou actually lacked most was a tailor, but Chen Xin had already placed so many people on the payroll that the burden was too heavy, so Liu Minyou had no choice but to still have Zhou Laifu work night shifts.

"That damned Chen Xin, leaving my clothing shop without even a tailor." Liu Minyou cursed fiercely in his heart. The weather was already very cold, and dresses would soon stop selling. Liu Minyou had racked his brains and, from memory, designed several types of padded jackets and windbreakers. Unexpectedly, sales were decent — especially among traveling merchants, who were very fond of the windbreakers. This month they had sold nearly two hundred again. This Lan Brand clothing shop was starting to gain repeat customers and had earned some reputation among the middle class in Tianjin. Liu Minyou steeled himself and decided he would still hire a full-time tailor; otherwise, efficiency was far too low.

"Proprietor, this is the summary table for this month. Please take a look." Shen Lishi came over and said softly, handing over a sheet of paper. Chen Xin took it and looked it over. This Shen Lishi had originally been the daughter of an official family — she could write and picked things up quickly, just like that troublemaker Deng Keshan. She had quickly learned two-dimensional tables and was quite good with the abacus. If Chen Xin hadn't assigned the superfluous Lao Cai, she could have directly doubled as the bookkeeper.

"We made eighty-three taels this month. Not bad." Liu Minyou looked at the performance and nodded with satisfaction, making up his mind to hire a full-time tailor — ideally Zhou Laifu. He planned to go back this evening and talk to Zhou Laifu about it.

Shen Lishi said softly, "Sister-in-law Zhou, the five garments for the Qu family on Daihemen Street are finished. Perhaps you could deliver them this afternoon."

Zhou Laifu's wife responded with an indifferent grunt. Shen Lishi's face flushed slightly, but she said nothing. She went to tell Lao Cai and Lu You about the materials that needed to be prepared. Lao Cai also gave her a sour look. After she finished speaking, Shen Lishi lowered her head and retreated to her table to sit down.

Liu Minyou sighed inwardly. Because Shen Lou made a scene every day on Erdaojie, calling Shen Lishi shameless, it had stirred up some gossip among the neighbors — mainly suspicions about Liu Minyou. By extension, Lu You's wife had also grown somewhat suspicious of Lu You, though she dared not say it aloud and instead often came to the shop entrance to steal glances. Zhou Laifu's wife had no such worries, but she felt Liu Minyou should not have let this woman come to the shop. She had originally wanted to arrange a match for Liu Minyou, but the two families, having heard Shen Lou's ruckus, both backed out. Lao Cai, for his part, felt this woman was too capable and might well snatch the bookkeeper's job from him. So everyone treated Shen Lishi coldly.

Shen Lishi herself knew she was being pushed aside, but Shen Lou's mother had made the decision for her to come work. At present, her entire family depended on her meager monthly wages to survive, so she was extremely cautious in the shop, terrified of offending anyone. Liu Minyou, afraid of inviting unnecessary trouble, had considered dismissing her several times, but he also found her pitiable and could never bring himself to say it.

So both of them were extremely careful. They were never alone together in the shop, and even when they ran into each other outside, they did not speak. The more this was the case, the more awkward Liu Minyou felt. Every time Shen Lishi spoke to him, she dared not look at him. But after spending a long time together, Liu Minyou found this woman extremely capable. She could read and keep accounts, learned everything quickly, and had a very good sense of how to match clothing. Having been the daughter of an official family, her aesthetic sense was indeed far better than that of any auntie or elder sister. And besides, her appearance was still very pretty.

Liu Minyou stole a glance. She was indeed pretty, very pleasant to look at. It was just that she was often beaten by Shen Lou — her face either bore a black eye or a bump on her forehead, and her expression was haggard every day, which detracted from her beauty.

"Domestic violence." Liu Minyou made a diagnosis. He had never met Shen Lou. The man had broken legs and basically never went out, so Liu Minyou sketched in his mind an appearance similar to Feng Yuanzheng...

Liu Minyou's mind wandered slightly, and he stared a moment too long. Shen Lishi seemed to sense it. She looked up and her gaze happened to meet Liu Minyou's. Liu Minyou hurriedly averted his eyes. Shen Lishi's face reddened, and she quickly buried her head, afraid someone might see.

"Proprietor, this batch of goods has been inspected. Do you want to take another look?" Lu You happened to come over and interrupt. Liu Minyou seized the chance to go to the side and check the goods, escaping the awkwardness.

A burst of footsteps came from outside the main door, and Zhang Dahui's voice carried in: "Brother Liu, I'm back."

Liu Minyou heard this and ran out happily. He saw Zhang Dahui standing at the doorway with a face full of delight. "Dahui, come in quickly. Why were you gone so long? Where is your Brother Chen?"

"Let me get a drink of water." Zhang Dahui found a tea bowl for himself. Lu You quickly lifted the warming pot from the charcoal stove and poured for him. Zhang Dahui grinned and drank, then said to Liu Minyou, "Brother Chen is still behind. I'm afraid it'll be another two days. He sent me back first to prepare some things."

"Prepare what, that it's so urgent?"

Zhang Dahui glanced at the others in the shop, pulled Liu Minyou outside the door, and then said in a low voice, "One hundred sets of red padded jackets, one hundred sets of some kind of training uniforms. He wants you to start making them. Hmm, he said they need to look imposing — the shoulders need cotton padding, and they should be crisp and straight. He said you'd understand. The clothing is to be made by your shop. I still have to go elsewhere to buy some bedding and food."

"Why is he buying so much?"

"Brother Liu, you don't know — Brother Chen is really formidable now. He's now an Honorary Battalion Commander, and he cursed out the Eunuch Faction right in the Ministry of War. He's famous in the capital; even the teahouses are talking about him. On the road this time, he recruited fifty trackers to bring to Weihai."

"That bastard. Does he look like someone who wants to live a peaceful life?" Liu Minyou ground his teeth in his heart. Chen Xin stirring up such a huge commotion was obviously not about going to Weihai to live a quiet little life.

"Also..." Zhang Dahui paused. "Brother Chen bought a wife on the road. Said she's going to be the young mistress."

"Ah?! Bought? That's against the law — no, I mean, how can that be?"

"He said it's fine. He said he just took a fancy to that woman."

Liu Minyou was a bit stunned. He had never once thought about buying and selling people. His brain stalled for a moment. What kind of scenario was this — the office director going out and buying a woman to bring back? He asked blankly, "Is that woman as beautiful as a celestial fairy?"

Zhang Dahui's brows twisted together, his mouth tightly shut. He held it in for a long while before shaking his head and saying, "Brother Liu, when they arrive, you'd better see for yourself."

"Huh?!"

Two days later, in the courtyard on Erdaojie.

"Aiya, this courtyard is far too small. Master, why did you have to give so much silver to those poor trackers? If you'd kept it, you could have bought a big courtyard. Look — there isn't even a second-entry hall. Tell me, if someone comes to visit in the future, won't I be seen? The place I lived before was a three-entry grand compound — idle people couldn't enter the rear quarters, and there was even a spirit screen in front of the gate. This winding corridor is also too narrow. And look at these windows — only a single layer? Two layers are much more practical."

Xiao Jiahua wore an exaggeratedly bright red outfit, like a walking red envelope. She stood in the middle of the courtyard, head high and chest out, gesturing and criticizing everything around her. Zhang Erhui, Hai Gouzi, Zhang Dahui, Wang Daixi, Liu Minyou, and Lao Cai stood in a circle, staring at her dumbly.

Chen Xin had only returned today. Lu Lvzi and Zhu Guobin were lodging outside the city with those trackers. Liu Minyou had rushed back to the courtyard to see Chen Xin's wife, and thus he met this Xiao Jiahua before him.

Liu Minyou looked at the red-envelope-like Xiao Jiahua in front of him and quietly asked Zhang Dahui beside him, "Was she originally some family's young lady? How does she seem to know everything?"

Zhang Dahui said carefully, "She was a... maid who served a young lady. So she saw a lot and learned a lot."

"Oh, a maid. Then why does she put on such airs?"

Zhang Dahui said, "This is nothing. On the road, her airs were even greater. Even getting onto the donkey cart, she had the trackers' wives lift her up."

"Chen Xin allowed her to act like this? Where is he?"

"Brother Chen is drinking tea in the shop front."

"Drinking tea? He's got it good — brings back a young mistress like this and hides away by himself to enjoy some peace and quiet."

Liu Minyou headed angrily toward the shop front. He had only taken a few steps when Xiao Jiahua spotted him. "You there, come here."

Liu Minyou looked — Xiao Jiahua seemed to be speaking to him. Out of politeness, he stopped and said to her courteously, "Miss Xiao, what do you—"

Xiao Jiahua, still looking at the house, casually cut him off: "You're the steward. From now on, don't call me Miss Xiao. Call me Young Mistress."

Zhang Dahui saw trouble brewing and hurriedly introduced, "Young Mistress, this is Brother Liu—"

"Steward Liu, quickly help me and the Master tidy up a main room."

Wang Daixi saw Liu Minyou standing there with a dark face and feared he would get angry. She quickly stepped forward and said, "Young Mistress, I'll help you tidy up. The room on the right side is the one Brother Chen used to live in. I'll have it ready right away."

Xiao Jiahua turned her head to look at the main house and asked doubtfully, "Which side is the right side? Quickly point it out to me."

Wang Daixi went to the door of Chen Xin's room and said, "This one. Young Mistress, would you like to take a look?"

Xiao Jiahua suddenly let out a loud laugh. "So my Master used to live here. Fine, let's take a look. The main thing is the bed must be big. And you, maid — from now on, don't call him 'Brother' this or that. Call him Master." With that, she went inside with Wang Daixi.

Liu Minyou entered the shop front full of pent-up anger. Chen Xin and Song Wenxian were inside, leisurely drinking tea.

"You... This is your wife?" Liu Minyou had originally intended to curse Chen Xin out, but seeing Song Wenxian present, he held it in.

Chen Xin saw Liu Minyou and broke into a grin. "Brother Liu, I trust you've been well since we parted."

Song Wenxian chuckled. "Brother Liu, you've come just in time. I've been treated as the steward by Brother Chen's wife this entire journey. Now I can finally hand over this errand."

Liu Minyou said angrily, "Since when did Director Chen turn into a human trafficker? You don't even know her, and you took her as your wife? And even if you were going to buy one, you could at least buy a... buy a somewhat reliable one. You go tell her — I am not your steward, and Wang Daixi is not her maid."

Chen Xin, not the least bit angry, said with a grin, "Brother Liu is right. I'm not her husband either."

"She's already gone to tidy up a room for you two. She might even want to buy a big bed. That posture means the wedding is happening tonight. And you still say she's not your wife?"

"Just ignore her. I'm certainly not sharing a room with her. I actually bought her to be a maid." Chen Xin dared not tell Liu Minyou that he had bought her as a hostage — otherwise Liu Minyou would curse him to death.

"A maid?" Liu Minyou's head was full of question marks. "Then why does she call herself the young mistress?"

This still didn't stump Chen Xin: "I took pity on her — she was freezing to death. Otherwise, how could I ever engage in buying and selling people? It was out of kindness. I planned to have her be a maid to serve Zhao Xiang, and possibly take her as a concubine later. I said possibly later. But it turned out that after I exchanged a few extra words with her, she went around everywhere saying she was my concubine. Isn't that right, Mr. Song?"

Song Wenxian said with a beaming smile, "That is indeed the case. But at present, she's still a maid, and yet she's already ordering us stewards around like oxen. If she really becomes the young mistress someday, I wouldn't dare set foot in your house."

Chen Xin watched Song Wenxian help smooth over the lie, then spread his hands toward Liu Minyou. Liu Minyou, hearing that Miss Xiao had nearly frozen to death, felt his heart soften. Though this woman was a bit odd, a human life mattered more than anything else.

Liu Minyou fixed his eyes on the two of them and said, "So that's how it is. I was just saying, how could your taste be so poor? If it was to save a life, then it's forgivable. But you still have to tell her — I am not your steward, and Wang Daixi is not her maidservant." Having said this, Liu Minyou walked off in a huff.

Song Wenxian said to Chen Xin, "Brother Chen, you seem a little afraid of your cousin. What's the story there?"

Chen Xin gave a wry smile. "I don't know either. I'm just a bit afraid of his nagging — he's like an old woman."

"But your cousin has a point. This Xiao Jiahua is truly out of line. Brother Chen, you really have the patience of a saint. Now I understand why her former proprietor wanted to return her. If I'd run into this Xiao Jiahua, I'd have given her a beating first — how could I let her shout and yell like that, with no sense of decorum at all?"

"Mr. Song, you are mighty indeed. But I find this Xiao Jiahua rather interesting — her daily shouting and yelling helps relieve the boredom."

Song Wenxian was about to continue when suddenly Xiao Jiahua's loud shout came from the courtyard: "Steward! Steward! Bring in the rouge I bought!"

Chen Xin remained as leisurely as ever. In any case, Liu Minyou had already returned to the shop, and in a couple of days he would take Xiao Jiahua away — let her make as much fuss as she wanted. Xiao Jiahua called out a few times but saw no sign of the steward, and continued shouting in the courtyard.

Song Wenxian found it stifling to listen to, and had no choice but to stand up and say, "Brother Chen, even if Mount Tai collapsed before you, your expression would not change. You are destined to be a famed general like Grand Commander Qi. Your elder brother here lacks that level of cultivation, so I'll play the steward for you one more time."

Chen Xin said with a grin, "Then I'll have to trouble Brother Song."