Chapter 61: Settling In

"Reporting to you, sir, I and several other companions do some small business near this Zhu Niu Ji. Thanks to the care of the previous Salt Transport Commissioner, we have been able to conduct this business securely."

He Luoyun cupped his hands in a salute, his smile appearing slightly fawning.

"Upon learning of your appointment, sir, my associates and I have prepared a modest gift; I hope you will accept it. Please rest assured, sir, that we will provide our respects every month from now on."

This two hundred taels of silver was not provided by him alone; two other groups of private salt smugglers like him had also contributed a significant amount.

However, among the three groups, his business was the largest and his strength the greatest, so he was pushed forward to make contact with Chen Mo, the newly appointed Salt Transport Commissioner.

"Besides you, how many other groups are there in this vicinity? How much silver can you provide monthly for me to turn a blind eye?"

Chen Mo did not waste time exchanging pleasantries with the other party, asking directly and getting straight to the point.

"Reporting to you, sir, there are two other groups besides mine." Having said this, he seemed to grit his teeth, and with a hardened heart, said, "We can provide you with one hundred taels every month, sir."

Seeing that Chen Mo did not respond for a moment, he hurriedly added, "Sir, it is not that I do not wish to offer you more, but besides you, we must also pay respects to the Salt Transport General Commissioner and the Salt Transport Department General Manager; we truly have no extra money left to offer you."

Selling private salt is indeed a profit among profits; one could say it is faster than being a bandit robbing for money.

And to sell salt securely, there are far too many people who need to be paid respects.

Chen Mo requires his share, and his superiors, as well as his superiors' superiors, must not be overlooked.

Once the salt is transported out and reaches the place of sale, the local County Magistrate, County Assistant, and various other officials must all be greased.

He Luoyun tosses and turns on every trip, braving the wind and rain, working hard to complete the business, yet eighty percent of the profit must be given away as tribute, leaving him with only twenty percent.

Do not blame the world for wanting to be officials; since ancient times, being an official is too leisurely—sitting securely in high halls, with Gold Jade and beautiful people flying into one's Huai.

Chen Mo nodded lightly, pondering inwardly; he could not possibly know nothing upon arriving here to take office.

His foster father had roughly told him about the situation here in private; there were indeed only three private salt smugglers near Zhu Niu Ji.

The previous Salt Transport Commissioner could get about eighty taels of silver per month.

It had become one hundred taels with him, twenty of which were likely out of respect for his foster father.

"Listening to you, you are quite familiar with our Salt Transport Department General Manager?" Chen Mo asked with a faint, indiscernible smile on his face.

He remembered that he had other things to do upon coming here to take office; if that Salt Transport General Manager was smart, he would not need to do anything, but if he was not smart, then he would have to exert some effort.

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare; I have only met that official a few times," He Luoyun hurriedly shook his head; in front of Chen Mo, he naturally dared not boast or brag anymore.

"I will not see the others; as long as you remain stable and do not cause trouble, I will not interfere with you."

Chen Mo spoke slowly; accepting bribes, although a hidden rule everyone knows,

is certainly not a good thing if too many people know about it. Since He Luoyun has come forward to lead, there is no need for him to see the others.

"Ninety taels of silver per month will suffice, no need for one hundred, but remember, there can only be three groups in this territory; furthermore, if any other incidents occur, I will hold you solely responsible."

Chen Mo did not take the full one hundred taels of silver per month, but instead waived ten taels.

But these ten taels were not waived for nothing; with He Luoyun paying less, if any other private salt smugglers caused trouble in this territory, he would have to clean it up before Chen Mo found out.

Taking a little less money could buy him peace; Chen Mo had no interest in managing these matters.

To him, practicing martial arts and cultivation was the right path.

As for money, he had a need for it, but he was not overly desperate.

Once his cultivation improved and he sat in a higher official position, there would inevitably be more people sending him more money.

There was no need to waste time on this small change now; improving his own strength was the true path.

"This humble one understands." He Luoyun's face showed joy; ten taels of silver was not a small sum for him either.

His business was the largest and he had to pay the most; originally, five of those ten taels were his own to pay.

Now that he did not need to pay this portion, it was equivalent to saving it; five taels a month meant a full sixty taels a year.

With these few extra taels, life at home could be a bit more comfortable.

His youngest son had wanted to practice martial arts for a long time; saving more money would allow him to apprentice under a famous master.

He had spent his whole life without getting ahead and was still a commoner, not an official; no matter what, his sons must not walk this path again.

As for ensuring that there were only their three groups of private salt smugglers in this area, Chen Mo did not need to say much; He Luoyun would do it anyway.

Having their three groups in this area was already enough; if there were others, it would infringe upon their interests.

"Then you may rest, sir; this humble one will take his leave. I live at San Jiao Xiang in the west of the town; if there is anything you need of me, just send someone to let me know."

He Luoyun did not dare to stay any longer, bowed deeply, and slowly backed out.

Only after leaving the main hall did he finally let out a long sigh of relief and dare to slowly straighten his back.

Regardless, judging from today's contact, this newly appointed Salt Transport Commissioner was quite easy to talk to.

He Luoyun was not afraid of giving money, only of giving money and still being unable to do business; as long as he could conduct his business securely, the silver given away was worth it.

Chen Mo looked at the silver wrapped in red cloth; he would have to find a way to deposit this money into a bank later.

Otherwise, it was not only troublesome to carry around, but it might also attract thieves.

This money was not a small sum; it was enough to make many people go crazy, even risking their lives to make a grab for it.

"I'll tidy up the house first and get our things organized," Zhao Yu said softly as she walked into the main hall.

The courtyard was very clean, and furniture such as the bed, desk, dining table, wardrobe, and water vat were all ready.

Even the two buckets for drawing water from the well were placed in the kitchen water vat.

But to live like this was far from enough; firewood, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea—these seven things are the first necessities of life.

Not to mention that she also had to help Chen Mo organize the bedding so he could have a good night's sleep, fold clean clothes into the wardrobe, and wash and dry the dirty clothes changed on the road.

These were all things she had to do; it was not tiring, but it was very messy and trivial.

"Mm. I do need to go to the military camp." Chen Mo rose from his chair; since they had settled down, he had to hurry to the military camp to see how the situation was there.

He first wrapped the silver on the table with the red cloth, then took out one ingot and handed it to Zhao Yu.

"Take this; we just moved here, so buy whatever is missing at home. If anyone asks about your identity or background, just say you are the legal wife of the newly appointed Salt Transport Commissioner."

They had just moved here, and it was normal for the local people to inquire about them.

As the new Salt Transport Commissioner, Chen Mo did not need to hide his identity; stating it proactively could also avoid some trouble.

After all, he had no background or status, and having purchased such a large residence right after arriving, it was inevitable that some people would harbor improper intentions.

Proactively revealing his identity would save him from having people scheme against him in ways they shouldn't.

Chen Mo did not fear trouble, but he also did not want to provoke any meaningless trouble.

"I know about this, but there is no need for the silver; I still have quite a bit here." Zhao Yu took a coarse cloth pouch from her Huai, opened it, and showed it to Chen Mo.

Inside was the silver she had saved up from doing business a while ago; judging by the amount, it was about three or four taels.

"How could this be enough? There are quite a few things to buy. You take this first, and if it's not enough, tell me again."

Chen Mo smiled and insisted on thrusting the silver into her hand.

"Then I will keep it for now." Zhao Yu did not decline again, taking the silver ingot, which felt quite heavy in her hand.

In any case, they were one family; if she took this money, she took it, and it would end up being spent on their own family anyway.

Chen Mo helped Zhao Yu draw another vat of fresh water and instructed her not to rush into cooking, saying that later the two of them would first go try the local famous beef rice noodles and horse meat flatbread.

Since they had already arrived, there was no reason not to try them.

After giving these instructions, he finally set off for the military camp.

(End of this chapter)