Chapter 116: Striving Forward

The young people of the Zhao Family grouped together to buy a plot of land, which was temporarily left idle; they hadn't even begun to draw up the blueprints.

In fact, they were even having internal disputes over what exactly to use it for.

Some felt they should just listen to Wen Gu's suggestion, build a row of storefronts there to rent out, and keep a space for themselves to rest and have fun, while also being enough to disgust the Shen Family brothers.

But others were ambitious and wanted to start some kind of business to prove their abilities were superior to others.

After arguing back and forth for several days, there was no progress at all.

They had money and grain in their hands, but the group had spent quite a lot buying the land together, exceeding their expectations.

As for when the storefronts would be built... that depended on how much it would cost and how large the funding gap was; a rough calculation suggested it was somewhat difficult.

Some elders in the family did not look favorably upon it and would occasionally use their seniority to mock them to their faces.

"Young, after all, and impulsive in their actions."

"It's clear they were tricked into a limp by Wen Gu! They don't even stop to think which branch Wen Gu belongs to!"

"They still have too much money in their hands!"

"If they have nothing to do, they should stay home and practice martial arts, calligraphy, or painting; they will eventually wait for an opportunity. Look at Zhao Han..."

The pressure piled up layer upon layer.

After the Zhao Family youths impulsively bought the land, they became bewildered and began to retreat; some regretted it, and others wanted to wash their hands of it entirely and return to a state of lying flat.

How good it is to lie flat; lying flat means no worries!

Yet just at this moment, a servant who ran over from Jingxing Fang to deliver a message told them that someone wanted to rent a storefront!

Those who were originally at home, feeling lost, weary, and resigned to being mocked, sprang up like a carp leaping from the water.

"What?! This is actually possible?"

They quickly gathered together; they had to figure out exactly what was going on first.

"So it is... they pay a deposit first, and the merchant caravan sees the potential there, so they want to book it in advance? I keep feeling it's unreliable; are they playing us?"

"But that is the famous large grain merchant, the Sheng Family!"

Although they usually had nothing to do, they did pay attention to the trends in the city; the Sheng Family had come twice last year, so they were not unfamiliar with them.

"That place is currently an empty lot! Can they already see the potential?!"

"The rent for that place won't be low! We don't even know what it will be built into, and they want to book two storefronts already?"

The group held an emergency discussion, still not knowing what to do.

This kind of situation—I haven't even exerted any effort, haven't even found the right direction, haven't even reached out my hand, and the money just flies over on its own...

They suddenly felt timid.

Someone worried: "Could the Sheng Family Merchant Caravan be trying to bribe us to scout for secrets?"

"Uh... if it's a bribe, the money is a bit low. Does this count as showing goodwill at most?"

An honest person was confused: "But, is there anything about us that is worth it?"

The people around him looked at him and hammered him one by one.

Although they had no power or reputation, was it necessary to be so blunt?

However, it also relieved that little bit of worry in their hearts.

The more cunning ones said: "Jingxing Fang is Wen Gu's place. Since he has no objections, what objections could we have? He was the one who proposed this in the first place!"

The shrewd ones began their buck-passing technique.

The others nodded in agreement upon hearing this.

That's right!

Even if there is a problem, there is someone above to take the heat!

They usually wouldn't admit that Wen Gu was over their heads, but at this moment, they were quite willing.

"Let's go!"

They set off immediately, finding the carriage too slow, and rode horses over directly.

In their upbringing, horse riding was a required course. Whether one was proficient was one thing, but whether one could do it was another.

Those who usually didn't want to ride horses couldn't care about anything else at this moment.

A group of ten or so young people, riding horses, galloped from the core area of Xinzhou City toward Jingxing Fang, clippity-clop, clippity-clop.

When they arrived, they didn't need to labor or exert themselves; they directly used the Standardized Document provided by the Jingqing Public Office, made slight modifications, filled in the amount and the duration, and waited for the merchant caravan to come by in the autumn and winter of this year for both sides to confirm.

It was done in triplicate, with one copy left at the Jingqing Public Office.

Holding the signed and stamped document and the newly received Money Voucher deposit, Zhao Mu looked dazed.

"It's just... rented out like that?"

Beside him, Zhao Kun took the Money Voucher to look at it; he wasn't greedy for this bit of money, he just felt satisfied and had a great sense of accomplishment!

The others felt the same.

"As long as the accounts are clear and it doesn't count as a bribe, does this count as our legitimate income?"

"Definitely! As long as we can get the shops built by the end of the year!"

They were satisfied.

The manager who successfully secured the two storefronts to complete the task was also very satisfied.

Wen Gu, who held the Deed, was even more satisfied.

As long as that group of second-generation youths with mediocre talent gets the storefronts built as soon as possible and waits to collect rent, that's enough—don't go starting some damn business!

Even if that group of people did nothing, they still had advantages far exceeding ordinary people.

Why was the Sheng Family Merchant Caravan willing to pre-book the storefronts?

The political background of Zhao Mu and the others belonged to the first tier of Xinzhou—the "Zhao" of the Zhao Clan!

The Sheng Family already had its own stance; not buying property in Xinzhou had already indicated their attitude, but renting a place was not necessarily reliable, and the identity of the landlord needed to be carefully considered, so they had never found a suitable one. Fortunately, the Sheng Family had old friends and acquaintances everywhere, who could be utilized or rented from for the short term.

Now that there was finally a location he had taken a fancy to, and the landlord's status was secure, combined with comprehensive considerations for long-term development, Sheng Ren finally made his decision.

It was not Zhaohui Fang that received the news first regarding the Sheng Family Merchant Caravan wanting to rent storefronts there; before that, Wen Gu had already sent someone to Zhao Fu.

That the merchant caravan could rent storefronts there had already been tacitly permitted.

Zhao Shaozhu's Council Hall.

At this moment, they were also discussing the Sheng Family Merchant Caravan.

"The Sheng Family's merchant caravan—we still need to guard against them."

The Sheng Family Merchant Caravan's non-interference in politics meant they did not actively intervene in political affairs.

To give an example, if there were a secret letter, the caravan would not take the initiative to transmit it. But if this secret letter were hidden among goods and the employer paid a sufficient reward, they would be willing, under the premise of "not knowing," to help transport these goods to a designated place.

Likewise, if someone were to investigate, they would also cooperate. They would not conceal who the sender and recipient were, or where the addresses were.

"I fear Sheng Ren taking a fancy to that place is also to make it more convenient to probe for information," a scholar said.

Zhao Shaozhu, however, smiled indifferently: "Although there are drawbacks, the benefits are greater."

Zhaohui Fang had rarely done something good for once.

Consequently, that group of young people from the Zhao Family soon received praise from Zhao Fu.

Suddenly, they were collectively exhilarated.

Whether they made money or not was secondary; given their current status and the fact that their surname was "Zhao," as long as they didn't cause any major trouble, they didn't need to worry about starving to death.

What was important was being able to prove they had ability!

"Build the storefronts! Build them!"

"Immediately!"

"Get the design blueprints out quickly!"

"Stockpile the building materials!"

Building materials were currently in short supply; although a lot of timber had been transported via snow paths during the winter, most of the timber in the city had already been reserved by the many wealthy households.

Now that they were cutting in line, they couldn't just seize them by force; they would certainly have to expend a lot of personal favors.

However, it was worth it!

The young people of the Zhao Family, who were idle enough to fight all day, acted as if they had been whipped many times over and became busy like spinning tops.

It had been said that the premises were to be handed over by the end of the year; if that row of storefronts wasn't built by this autumn and winter, they probably wouldn't leave a good impression on the Head of the Family!

A good impression was roughly equivalent to a good future.

They all shared the surname Zhao, but futures varied from good to bad; who would be willing to be left behind by their brothers?

Within a few days, the Jingxing Fang construction site, which had already been saturated with personnel, had new work again.

The well-informed Idlers quickly passed this important information to every ward.

Winter had already passed, and as the temperature was visibly rising, it would become increasingly dangerous outside. Commoners who urgently wanted to earn food and firewood rushed over in a scramble.

As for wages, whether settled monthly or semi-monthly, in the current situation, it could save a poor family from starving to death.

Therefore, the construction site basically settled daily, or every two or three days; any longer would be inappropriate and would also damage the Zhao Family's reputation.

The amounts on Money Vouchers were too large, and issuing physical goods was inconvenient to manage, so the newly opened construction site decisively exchanged them for Jingxing Fang's Grain Tickets.

The laborers were all quite pleased.

The Idlers had also been very proud these past few days. Having the opportunity to secure some benefits for their neighbors meant that if they encountered trouble in the future, there would be people to help them out.

In this world, small folk like them could not last long if they fought alone.

For instance, with this new construction site opened by the Zhao Family, they had notified their neighbors as soon as they sensed the movement.

The laborers who were successfully hired now all had to be grateful to them.

Construction site break time.

People from the same ward gathered together to chat, including both laborers and Idlers.

A thin laborer touched the Grain Ticket in his sleeve pocket again, confirming it was still there, before he let out a sigh of relief. This was his two days' wages.

The Idler beside him saw this, lowered his voice, and said quickly: "Stop touching your sleeve pocket all the time; are you afraid others don't know you've hidden Grain Tickets in there?!"

It was only because they were familiar neighbors that he specifically reminded him. Otherwise, a street-roamer like him wouldn't hold back!

The laborer looked around nervously and replied in a low voice: "Yes, yes, I'll remember!"

He couldn't help but be nervous; this was something that could keep his whole family alive.

He had fallen ill during the autumn and winter and hadn't been able to make it to the recruitment for the city's outer defensive works; his family had relied entirely on his wife taking on some sewing work. But even ordinary wealthy households were living tightly these days and didn't often have work to hand out.

After he recovered, he had wanted to come to the Wanfu Garden construction site to work, but he had been too frail at the time and wasn't selected. Life was tight, and he usually couldn't bear to eat an extra mouthful of food.

It was only after hearing the news brought by his neighbor a few days ago that there was another recruitment that he steeled his heart to eat more grain to build up his strength for a few days. Fortunately, he was successfully selected and stayed at the construction site to work.

But he still felt uneasy in his heart, and he asked in a low voice: "Should I exchange all the Grain Tickets I got for grain?"

The Idler beside him had been asked such questions many times and smiled indifferently, saying:

"Grain Tickets can only be used at the canteen to exchange for cooked food. If you want to stockpile grain, exchange them for dry cakes; they can last for several days. It's fine now that it's cold, but they won't last long once it gets hot. Actually, this is better; if you really exchanged them for rice or wheat, it would be a waste of firewood to go back and cook it. Can you go out and chop firewood yourself? Or can you afford to buy firewood and Coal?"

The laborer remained worried, as they had encountered disasters before: "What if the grain merchants raise grain prices again, and the canteen follows suit and raises prices..."

The Idler was about to reply casually when he caught a glimpse of a certain Clerk surnamed He. His tone turned solemn, and he raised his voice: "You don't need to worry about that! Do you know who is in charge of the rice market in Xinzhou City now? It's Chief Manager Shen!"

He then bowed toward the direction of the Jingqing Public Office in a very affected manner: "That is Ward Chief Wen's own uncle! I wouldn't dare guarantee it for other places, but in our Jingxing Fang, grain prices can't possibly be chaotic!"

He Da, who had just passed by, curled his lip: Pretentious! Too pretentious!

And "our"—are you a resident here?

Could it be that while your body lives outside, your heart is here?

That wasn't impossible.

As long as these Idlers didn't break the rules of the ward, he generally didn't bother with them much.

But He Da himself was a former street-roamer and knew very well how restless this bunch of people were, so he had to keep a close eye on them and patrol several times every day.

The He family was on the verge of rising up; he would fight to the death against anyone who ruined his future!

Not far away, only after He Da had walked far off did the Idler continue to chat normally with the laborers from the same neighborhood, informing them of the rules here.

After a short rest, the Idler took the laborers to the grocery store next to the large canteen.

"You can save up your Grain Tickets; you can buy quite a few things here," he said.

What the laborers bought most here were water jugs and food boxes.

At the canteen in Jingxing Fang, when purchasing food with Grain Tickets, some categories came with free hot water. Therefore, many laborers would buy a large-bellied pottery water jug after saving up enough Grain Tickets, which they could take back for their families to drink.

During the Great Plague, they also knew not to drink raw water indiscriminately.

But firewood was expensive!

Going out to chop wood was dangerous, and the areas near Xinzhou City had all been cleared. They couldn't afford to burn Coal either, so in the past, they could only hold onto a fluke mentality and drink raw water.

Now that buying cakes came with hot water, and boiled water was safe, they were naturally happy. They could afford the pottery water jug by saving up Grain Tickets, and the whole family could use it.

There were also food boxes, which made it more convenient for them to bring food home.

The new laborers followed the Idler around for a circle, and they had a plan in their hearts.

Once people had a goal and hope, their mental state would be boosted by several levels!

The Idler looked left and right, then whispered to the laborers from the same neighborhood:

"Most of the items in the grocery store are fired from the kilns in the neighboring Qingyun Fang. Sometimes, when some defective or flawed products are fired, they aren't recycled and are sold at a low price."

The laborers' spirits lifted.

"Where? Where are they sold?"

As long as it didn't affect the main function, they were very willing to buy seconds!

The Idler sneered: "What kind of beautiful dream are you having? Everyone is short of everything right now; those with well-informed sources have long since divided them up, and they never even make it to the grocery store!"

He said mysteriously: "However, considering we are neighbors, if you need them, I will find a way to get some for you."

He had a sworn brother who knew Brother Yu Er of Qingyun Fang, and he said he could help get some goods after a while.

Since they were all neighbors, he wouldn't make much; he would just earn a little pocket money.

The laborers naturally thanked him repeatedly. They wanted to save every bit of their wages they could; if there was a channel to buy seconds, they were naturally even happier.

Facing everyone's gratitude and flattery, the Idler was very proud, but since he hadn't gotten the goods yet, he didn't want to appear too ostentatious.

"Ahem, there is also a boutique shop over there, but it's not something we can afford to consume; it's all for the officials and nobles to buy."

Not far from the grocery store, there was also a boutique, but they only took a glance from the outside and didn't dare to go in. If they accidentally bumped into something and broke it, they couldn't afford to pay for it.

Qingyun Fang.

Yu Er was writing a work report.

He wasn't like He Da and Tao San who hung around the Public Office all day; he lived in Qingyun Fang and couldn't frequently show his face in front of Wen Gu, but he very wisely used his work performance to maintain his presence.

The defective goods coming out of the kilns allowed him to grasp some information.

The Zhao Family also had large kilns for firing ceramics outside, but the defective products from those kilns were first supplied to the military workshops in the Outer City District; that was the Zhao Family's foundation.

After the autumn and winter seasons passed, the military workshops outside added quite a few troops, and there were temporarily no surplus goods to supply the people in the Inner City District.

Nowadays, everything was in short supply. For the bottom-tier populace and the Soldiers, daily necessities like pots, bowls, basins, and ladles were precious private property, even if they were seconds.

Yu Er used the defective products from the Qingyun Fang kilns to scout the path and build an information network.

The information received by the commoners in the marketplace was very limited, but at the same time, for the sake of survival, they could also be very sharp.

In the chaotic times of the Great Plague, those who could live until now could not be anything but sharp!

Yu Er didn't care about others, but if there were any movements unfavorable to their Ward Chief... hmph hmph!