Chapter 138: Sorghum and Maitreya

Zhao Jin's expression turned stern, and Lu Xiangjiu and Su Da immediately shuddered, their hearts filled with shock. They thought to themselves that this young master, despite his youth, was truly intimidating. Instinctively, they felt Zhao Jin was not bluffing.

Though afraid, the offer of several dozen taels of silver a year, with food and lodging provided, was an enormous temptation. Lu Xiangjiu owned some land, but he still had to toil bitterly to support his family. Su Da spent his days perpetually caught between hunger and half-fullness. The ravages of hardship were plain to see on their faces.

More crucially, both men had once known better days. One had run a distillery, and the other had worked his way up to master craftsman in a distillery—positions that guaranteed full bellies and good food. Having tasted good times and then endured bitter suffering, they yearned more than most to return to the past.

They hesitated there for a long while. Being older men, they were past acting on impulse. Lu Xiangjiu finally spoke with reluctance, "Master, these terms you offer are exceedingly generous. Even a government clerk might not earn as much. But this humble one must say this upfront: if the distillery loses money, Master must not hold us to account or demand recompense. Otherwise, this humble one dares not take the job."

Su Da, standing beside him, nodded vigorously. Zhao Jin smiled and said, "I am the owner. Any losses are my affair. As long as you put your hearts into the work, your wages will not be docked."

It was clear that Lu Xiangjiu and Su Da had wrestled with the decision for a long time, yet they still did not agree to sign the contract on the spot. They only said they needed to return home and discuss it with their families.

The moment the two men stepped out, Zhao Jin called Chen Hong in and told him to prepare four hundred taels of silver for use.

Hearing the sum "four hundred taels," Chen Hong's eyes instantly widened. He stared at Zhao Jin and said, "Brother Zhao, we may have money, but we can't throw it around like this. What is Brother Zhao planning to do? If it's something reckless, I won't hand it over."

His earnest expression made both Zhao Jin and Wang Zhaojing laugh. Zhao Jin spoke, "With Erhong as my bookkeeper, I am truly at ease—meticulous, careful, and principled!"

Wang Zhaojing nodded in agreement. Chen Hong's face flushed red with excitement at the praise, but he persisted, "Brother Zhao, you must tell me what it's for. We can't just waste money."

"I'm opening a distillery. Buying land, building equipment, hiring workers—it all costs money. That's why I need this much." Zhao Jin explained in detail. Since he had appointed Chen Hong as his bookkeeper, he would not treat him like a child, but dealt with him seriously and by the rules.

Hearing this, Chen Hong nodded and said, "Then I'll go get it right away. Brother Zhao, remember that everything must have a receipt, or else there's no way to enter it in the books."

Once Chen Hong had left, Wang Zhaojing's expression turned grave. "Brother Zhao, just now I listened to those two craftsmen discuss the brewing process. No matter how I calculate it, it's bound to lose money. Since a loss is certain, why would Brother Zhao willingly walk into such a lesson?"

Zhao Jin smiled and replied, "I wouldn't do it if I didn't have the confidence to avoid a loss."

"How much confidence?"

"Eighty percent."

The exchange was brief. Seeing that Zhao Jin showed not the slightest hint of joking, Wang Zhaojing nodded and reopened his book. Without lifting his head, he said, "Then this younger brother shall wait with eager eyes. Brother Zhao is skilled in both pen and sword, and now it turns out he even understands commerce and brewing. This younger brother is curious to see—is there anything Brother Zhao cannot do?"

That afternoon, Butcher Li delivered another sum of silver. Ever since the various powers south of the city had confirmed that Zhao Jin was backing Butcher Li, the process of taking over Yan Heilian's former operations had gone far more smoothly than before. Many who had been watching from the sidelines, or even secretly resisting, now voluntarily handed over the money.

According to the report from the bookkeeper Sun Dalei had found, neither Chen Ergou nor Butcher Li had falsified anything. Even if they were hiding something, it would not exceed ten percent of the total—a margin within the tolerable range. Zhao Jin, of course, understood that water too pure holds no fish.

Moreover, Butcher Li had also negotiated a deal with them: his butcher shop would regularly deliver pork and large bones. The communal meals here used a considerable amount, and as Butcher Li took his leave, he remarked with deep feeling that whoever worked for Zhao Jin was truly blessed. Aside from those official and gentry households, no family would feed their servants such rich fare.

With about one shichen left before nightfall, a panting Lu Xiangjiu and Su Da returned. Judging by their sweat-drenched faces, they must have run all the way.

"For Master to think highly of us humble ones is our good fortune! We are willing to sign!" Both men blurted out the words without pause.

Their expressions and demeanor were a hundred times more fearful than when they had first met. Lu Xiangjiu, having at least seen something of the world, said in a trembling voice, "This humble one never imagined Master was such a hero. To have been so blind and ungrateful this morning—truly deserving of death!"

People outside the city might not know, but a quick inquiry with acquaintances inside the city immediately revealed Zhao Jin's deeds and exactly what kind of formidable hero he was.

Zhao Jin smiled and reassured them with a few words, then sent Lei Cai, who happened to be there, to the yamen to invite Clerk Ye over.

Ye Wu had received the silver and moved into a new home, and Clerk Ye's standing in the yamen had risen considerably. Everyone had thought he would be thoroughly bullied by Provincial Graduate Yang, never expecting such a clean and decisive reversal. Such a turn of events meant no one dared look down on him anymore.

Of course, Clerk Ye knew exactly where all this had come from, and he now conducted himself in every way as Zhao Jin's subordinate.

It did not take long for Clerk Ye to hurry over. He drew up the employment contracts with the two men. Once the contracts were signed, Zhao Jin saw Clerk Ye off first, then returned to the room.

"The distillery must be opened inside the city. Is there any difficulty with that?" Now that the relationship between them had changed, Zhao Jin got straight to the point.

Lu Xiangjiu and Su Da were even more at a loss than before. The reason they had rushed back to sign the employment contracts was because they had found out what kind of man Zhao Jin was. They now knew that this young master, despite his youthful appearance, had dozens of lives on his hands. How could common folk like them dare quibble with such a figure? Whatever he said, went.

They had never imagined that after signing the contracts, they would actually receive a full year's wages in advance. Holding the gleaming silver—several dozen taels—in their hands, an amount matching what they might earn in several years, even over a decade, their hearts were truly shaken. They stood there, stunned.

Zhao Jin asked again, and only then did the two men snap out of it. Lu Xiangjiu quickly said, "There's no difficulty. A distillery has a strong smell, so you can't get a good price selling the house or land. Besides, there are plenty of vacant houses and compounds in Xuzhou right now. Those empty ones have probably been sitting unsold for ages. We can just go and negotiate to take them over."

Zhao Jin nodded and spoke again, "Brewing requires equipment and materials. Whatever you need, just say the word, and I'll have it all bought for you. As for manpower, I plan to use you two as the experienced hands. Everyone else will be apprentices."

"The owner thinks of everything. We don't need to buy too much equipment. Those shuttered distilleries are bound to have inventory left. We can buy it all up together—the sky pots, the earth pots, the floor vats, all the various tools in the cooling hall. Other people would have no use for that stuff if they took it home; it's probably still locked up in the courtyards. This humble one will go have a look first thing tomorrow morning and then report back to the owner." Su Da rushed to speak.

With the contracts signed and the master-servant relationship established, Su Da was already showing signs of competing with Lu Xiangjiu, vying to speak up and make an impression.

"Apprentices are fine. As long as this old man is watching over the pot, it doesn't matter if they know nothing at all. They can just follow along and learn." Lu Xiangjiu's words also carried a hidden meaning.

"You two decide how to handle things yourselves. Once everything is ready, I'll come over to make the arrangements." Zhao Jin said with a smile, then his smile faded. "I have one rule here: nothing that happens inside the distillery is to be spoken of to outsiders. Anyone working in my distillery—their family and relatives may not open another distillery outside, nor even hold shares in other distilleries or wine shops. You two have already found out what kind of man I am. You can imagine the consequences of not following my rules. Do you understand these words?"

Zhao Jin's expression was calm, but Lu Xiangjiu and Su Da both shuddered in unison and hastily agreed.

With the day's business concluded, both men, who lived outside the city, needed to hurry back home before the gates closed. As they were leaving, Su Da could not help but turn back and ask, "Owner, are we really going to use sorghum to make the liquor?"

"We are!" Zhao Jin's answer was firm. Lu Xiangjiu and Su Da exchanged stunned glances and quickly took their leave. Both instinctively touched their chests—over thirty taels of silver for the year was already in hand. As agreed beforehand, whether the distillery profited or lost had nothing to do with them. Then let this young master do as he pleased. They would just treat it as humoring a rich man's game.

Their subtle reactions and gestures did not escape Wang Zhaojing's eyes. Wang Zhaojing could even guess exactly what they were thinking, but seeing Zhao Jin brimming with confidence, he found it hard to say anything.

Training over, Zhao Jin headed home, making a point to stop along the way and buy a few jin of fresh fruit. Now that he was, more or less, earning his own money, buying a few things was only normal. The street vendor absolutely refused to take Zhao Jin's money, saying only, "For you, sir, to grace my stall—that is this humble one's good fortune." After much back-and-forth refusal, Zhao Jin had no choice but to accept it.

The day had gone smoothly in every way, but when Zhao Jin arrived home, he found his mother, He Cuihua, in the courtyard, scolding Zhao San and his wife.

"... What are you doing believing in that deceitful nonsense? Am I not giving you money for medicine and treatment? Don't you know how many people have been ruined, their families destroyed, by believing in this?" He Cuihua, in full shrewish fury, was an imposing sight, hands on her hips, her voice carrying far.

Zhao San and his wife kept apologizing profusely, "We two were just muddle-headed. Auntie, please forgive us this once."

Seeing Zhao Jin return, He Cuihua finally stopped her tirade, still fuming. Before Zhao Jin could even ask, she burst out angrily, "These two muddle-headed fools—who knows when they set up a shrine to some 'Eternal Mother' in their quarters and took those cursed incense pouches. Every bit of their monthly wages went straight to buying incense..."

Having explained this much, He Cuihua's anger flared up again. She turned back and continued, "Zhao San's illness got better because he pulled through it himself, not because some deity blessed him! If some immortal really was protecting you, how did you end up fleeing famine to Xuzhou city?"

Her words grew harsher and harsher. Zhao San and his wife could not even lift their heads. Zhao Jin interjected with a few questions from the side and finally understood clearly what had happened.

Six days ago, Zhao San had caught a wind-chill and was resting at home. Though He Cuihua was calculating, she was not stingy, and she gave Zhao San's wife money for a doctor and medicine. But when Zhao San's wife went to find a physician, she ran into someone who told her that there was no need to spend money—if she only worshiped Maitreya Buddha and the Eternal Unborn Mother with a sincere heart, the illness would be cured.