Chapter 390: Married Couple or Business Partners

390. Chapter 390: Married Couple or Business Partners

After saying this, Zhao Jin looked around at his companions and spoke again: "These people have no one to rely on. We are the ones who settled them, gave them homes and fields, let them eat their fill and dress warmly, and kept them safe from bandits. Without us, everything they have now would vanish. Where would they go? Shandong is still plagued by famine everywhere. They might not dare do things on such a large scale in Fengyang Prefecture, but it still happens in every county and village. They have nowhere else to go. They can only loyally attach themselves to us, fight and die for us, and trade their strength and bloodshed for their families' food, warmth, and safety."

"But these ten thousand-plus refugees also need to farm and work. They must produce grain for us, forge weapons and armor for us, and help transport our supplies. They have their own lives to live, too. How many people can we actually pull out? A thousand? Two thousand? We could even send five thousand at once, but only once." Zhao Jin spoke eloquently. The room was utterly silent. Liu Yong kept his head down. Chen Sheng, Ji Xiang, and Dong Bingfeng listened very attentively. Wang Zhaojing's expression was complicated. Only Ruhui seemed the most relaxed, constantly studying the expression of every person in the room.

Zhao Jin hesitated for a moment, then spoke out clearly: "I once told my elders that we can only grow bigger and bigger. If we stop, it's the same as death. Look at the corruption and fall of Kong Jiuying's Kong Family Village—everyone knows what that end looks like. But now, even a small place like Xuzhou is like this. What about when we grow even larger in the future? These ten thousand able-bodied refugees, even if we add the ones from Cloud Mountain Temple, how many men can we actually field?"

"Big Brother, isn't this too hasty? More haste, less speed. If we rush like this and expand so aggressively, there will be trouble..." Wang Zhaojing spoke up.

"Hasty? We don't have that much time to take it easy! In a few more years, in ten more years, in..." Zhao Jin's voice suddenly rose. Halfway through, seeing the astonished looks on everyone's faces, he stopped himself. Could he say that in a few years the Later Jin would rise to power, the Manchu Qing would destroy the Great Ming, and the world would be turned upside down?

It was rare to see Zhao Jin speak so sternly and sharply. Everyone was somewhat surprised. They knew Zhao Jin must be emphasizing something, but they didn't understand why he needed to emphasize it so much.

Wang Zhaojing sighed and frowned as he spoke again: "Big Brother, we're not even twenty years old yet, and we've already taken Xuzhou. What do we need so much territory for? We're not the government, and we don't have any great righteous mandate. This..."

"You asking that is completely unnecessary!" Someone raised their voice. This time, it was Chen Sheng who spoke.

For the usually silent and taciturn Chen Sheng to speak up startled everyone. They were all used to Chen Sheng staying silent during arguments. No one expected him to interject now, and with such intense emotion.

Chen Sheng stood up from his seat, his face dark. He pointed a finger at Wang Zhaojing and said: "We brothers are doing this together. Why do there need to be so many 'whys'? Let me ask you, has Zhao Jin ever screwed us over?"

"Dasheng, I..." Wang Zhaojing tried to argue, but he had barely started when Chen Sheng spoke again: "Let me ask you another thing. Do you think that now you've passed the provincial exam, and will take the imperial exam to become an official in the future, you don't need to hang around with us martial brutes anymore? If that's the case, then leave right now! You have your bright, wide road to walk, and we'll walk our single-log bridge. We won't delay your future prospects, and we won't implicate you!"

"Dasheng! That's enough!" Zhao Jin shouted to stop him.

Wang Zhaojing's face flushed red. He shot up from his seat and stared death at Chen Sheng, saying: "What does my passing the provincial exam have to do with any of this? If I had those selfish, distant thoughts, I would have long gone to study in Nanjing or the capital. My family would have long moved to Yangzhou. How many people have we killed together? And now you say this? What do you mean 'delay'? What do you mean 'implicate'? Explain yourself clearly!"

The refined and cultured Wang Zhaojing erupting like this was even more unexpected. Watching Chen Sheng and Wang Zhaojing glare at each other like two fighting cocks, the others grew anxious too. Zhao Jin stepped directly between them and roared angrily: "What are you doing? Do you want to draw your weapons and fight it out? Both of you sit back down! Now!"

Dong Bingfeng, Ji Xiang, and Liu Yong also hurriedly stood up, but they were at a loss, not knowing whether to pull them apart or try to talk them down. Ruhui over on the other side took a step forward but then retreated, the smile on his face growing even stronger.

Under Zhao Jin's glare, Wang Zhaojing and Chen Sheng both retreated to their seats. Chen Sheng said nothing. Wang Zhaojing hesitated for a long time before speaking: "Big Brother, do you really intend to do this?"

"Yes. I want to take these tens of thousands of refugees into my hands." Zhao Jin answered. He knew, of course, that wasn't what Wang Zhaojing was really asking, but some things could not be said openly.

Wang Zhaojing sat there, his expression shifting. In the end, he sighed and said: "Since Big Brother has made up his mind, your younger brother will give it his all."

No one expected that a discussion about an outsider would cause their own brothers to quarrel. Fortunately, everything that needed to be said had been said, so they simply dispersed and went home. Zhao Jin only kept Liu Yong behind. Dong Bingfeng left twenty cavalrymen in the city and led the horse team back to He Village.

He Cuihua was a broad-minded woman who could figure many things out on her own. By all rights, Zhao Jin's wedding was a joyous occasion, a weight off her mind, and she should have been smiling happily all day. Yet He Cuihua spent the entire day not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

When a daughter-in-law enters the household, after greeting the in-laws, she should take the initiative to manage the household chores and show filial respect to the elders. The son also shouldn't neglect his new bride; he should stay home to keep her company and chat, the whole family reunited in harmony and happiness.

But the Zhao household was completely different. Xu Zhenzhen did go to the kitchen to cook, and her skills were passable—four dishes and a soup could be considered quite a feast. However, the maids had helped prepare everything beforehand. The Zhao family daughter-in-law just did the stir-frying and tidying up herself. After eating lunch with the two elders, the servants busied themselves with clearing and washing dishes. After accompanying them for a few words of chat, Xu Zhenzhen excused herself and returned to her room.

When another family's daughter marries into your home, you can't treat her poorly. Her own son had run off early to busy himself with work, so she figured her daughter-in-law would feel neglected. He Cuihua thought about going over to offer a few words of comfort. But the moment she stepped into the neighboring courtyard, she was startled. Inside the yard, maids were running back and forth clutching account books. Outside stood a dozen or so middle-aged men who looked like managers and foremen, constantly relaying messages and answering questions.

When these people saw He Cuihua approach, they all hurriedly bowed in salute. He Cuihua took one step into the courtyard, then retreated with a wry smile. Her daughter-in-law was so busy; she'd better not go in and delay important matters.

By the time the sky was growing dark, Zhao Jin finally returned with a stern face. While directing people to prepare dinner, He Cuihua grumbled to Zhao Zhentang: "I thought getting married would make him settle down and live a proper life at home. Look at this—the young couple is busier than the other. This doesn't look like a newlywed home at all; it's more like a government office."

"Nonsense. A government office isn't as busy as they are. The kids are busy with their own affairs; let's not meddle and worry needlessly. Worrying is useless anyway." Zhao Zhentang was very philosophical about it, saying this with a laugh as he drank.

Dinner was eaten by the family of four together. Xu Zhenzhen had brought over quite a few servants, so Zhao San and his wife were automatically promoted to the steward class. The Meng siblings also had much less to do and were quite happy about it. The servants from the Xu household had worked in a grand mansion before and naturally looked down on the Zhao family servants from this humble household with no proper rules. Looking down was one thing, but the fully armed household guards outside the Zhao residence gave them a shock, making these servants from a wealthy family behave with considerable restraint. So the atmosphere was one of general satisfaction all around.

After spending a little time with his parents, Zhao Jin and Xu Zhenzhen returned to their own courtyard. When they were alone, Xu Zhenzhen also disliked having too many servants and maids attending in the yard. The maid Meixiang only stayed in the side room, ready to be called upon at any time.

As was his routine, Zhao Jin trained in martial arts after dinner—donning armor, wielding his spear, and tempering his body in the courtyard. When he finished and went inside, tea and snacks were already prepared, the tea cooled to just the right temperature for drinking.

Xu Zhenzhen, however, was not looking at account books or doing needlework. She was walking slowly around the room. Zhao Jin looked over in surprise. Xu Zhenzhen smiled and explained: "Your wife has been busy all day; my mind is too tired. When it's dark and there's nothing to do, I always like to walk slowly around the room. It helps empty my mind. Otherwise, I can't sleep at night and am even more exhausted the next day."

"Warm the room up a bit more. Soaking in a bathtub would be even more comfortable." Zhao Jin said casually. There were many ways to relax the body; a hot bath was very effective.

Unexpectedly, after he said this, Xu Zhenzhen stopped walking and looked over at him in surprise. This made Zhao Jin feel strange too, wondering if he had said something wrong.

"Husband, before I came to the Zhao family, I thought about many things. I've managed household affairs for so many years and have my own habits and rules everywhere. With a husband managing such a large operation, I assumed you must be decisive and ruthless. I thought my way of doing things would greatly annoy and irritate you. I was prepared for that. If there was anything my husband disliked, I would try my best to follow your way. I never expected my husband to be so considerate." Xu Zhenzhen said, puzzled.

Zhao Jin didn't feel there was anything unusual about this at all; it all seemed perfectly natural. He smiled and said: "You have your habits, I have mine. If they don't interfere with each other, there's no need to change. Isn't it better to live your own life in ease and comfort?"

"Your wife still finds it strange!" Xu Zhenzhen laughed lightly, but did not continue the topic. She resumed her slow walk around the room.

When Zhao Jin was changing clothes, Xu Zhenzhen came over to help. Her movements were not very practiced, even somewhat stiff. Married life, after all, needed time to adjust. Zhao Jin himself didn't mind. Once everything was tidied, Zhao Jin stopped Xu Zhenzhen and asked: "Is the Xu family still short of workers?"

Xu Zhenzhen was taken aback, but immediately answered: "Of course we are. Every winter at year's end, the laborers, shop assistants, and craftsmen are all anxious to go home. Even if we increase their wages, they're unwilling to stay. The coal pits and mines are manageable, but shutting down a single iron furnace ruins it—the cost in labor and materials is too great. The refugees we took in this year are perfect for the work. The Xu family should do better this year than last."

The meaning in her words was very firm: the Xu family was short of people, and they had no intention of releasing the several thousand refugees they had already absorbed. Zhao Jin naturally understood. It seemed the transition from daughter of the Xu family to daughter-in-law of the Zhao family would still take some time.

"If there were even more laborers, would the Xu family be willing to take them?" Zhao Jin asked with a smile.