Shop rental

"Brother! Brother! Why are you back so late? The food's cold!" Qin Liuliu had been at the inn all day, waiting for Tang Feng to return for dinner. She thought he'd be back in the afternoon, but it was already dark when she finally saw him. She couldn't help but complain. Tang Feng, a little embarrassed, ruffled Qin Liuliu's hair and said, "You're back a bit late, are you hungry? Look what I brought you." Tang Feng took a cloth bag from his pocket, opened it, and placed it in front of Qin Liuliu. "Try this. I didn't expect to be able to buy Yan Yun's osmanthus sugar cake in Shanghan. The old innkeeper happens to be our boss. Seeing we were having a good chat, he gave me a few pieces."

Upon hearing that it was osmanthus cake, Qin Liuliu immediately perked up. She grabbed a piece from Tang Feng's hand and swallowed it in one gulp, her cheeks bulging like a hamster. Seeing this, Tang Feng quickly poured Qin Liuliu a glass of water, then pretended to be angry and tapped her head, "What's the rush? I'm not eating it. What, are you afraid Liu Yiwan will take it from you?"

Tang Feng had been in Shanghan for over half a year. He had leisurely enjoyed his journey, eating and drinking his way to Fuyang. Compared to Xiling, Fuyang was more like a marketplace, with rows of caravans, bustling markets, and a dazzling array of goods. Tang Feng wasn't exactly a spendthrift in Xiling, but the things in Shanghan were truly irresistible. He finally understood what it meant to have a strong shopping desire. Looking at his increasingly empty purse, Tang Feng fell into deep thought. He remembered Qin Jiujiu telling him before he left that if he ran out of money, he should tell his family, and she would send him banknotes. If Tang Feng had heard those words when he was sixteen, he would probably be writing a letter by now. But now that he was an adult, asking his family for money again seemed inappropriate. After much deliberation, he decided to open a shop in Shanghan to manage his finances.

A while ago, Tang Feng asked Liu Yiwan to find a trustworthy landlord to rent a shop so he could sell some things to supplement his savings. Unexpectedly, the landlord turned out to be from Yanyun, which instantly made Tang Feng feel much closer to him. The siblings seemed like honest people, and the rent was incredibly low. After a few words, they decided to sign the lease agreement, and this morning they went to pick it up.

Tang Feng contacted several shops to purchase goods, ordering a few sample items. He had already sent Liu Yiwan to pick them up the next day. Liu Yiwan, with a piece of hay dangling from her mouth, looked at Tang Feng sideways. "Young Master... I'm not trying to be mean, but can we really run a shop? You've never been in business before... If it goes bankrupt due to poor management, wouldn't we lose even more? You might as well just write a letter to Miss Jiu. Our family is well-off; it won't hurt you."

"Family big my ass!" Tang Feng slapped Liu Yiwan on the forehead. "Do you think our family's money grows on trees? It only comes in and never goes out. Do you think I'm a money-grubber? Besides, how do you know I haven't done business before?"

"Young master... you've been in business? How come I didn't know that?"

Tang Feng, seeing Liu Yiwan's irritating expression, kicked him in the butt. "Do I need to inform you beforehand whether I'm doing business or not? Let me tell you, several bosses are sending sample goods tomorrow. If I don't see the sample goods in the shop by tomorrow afternoon, you can prepare to be sacrificed to the heavens!" Liu Yiwan rubbed his butt and muttered that the young master was really violent. He thought to himself, with the young master's bad temper, how could the young marquis not only tolerate it but also think about it so much that he couldn't eat or sleep? Thinking of Qin Jiujiu, who was still in Xiling, he shook his head. Indeed, Miss Jiujiu was more virtuous.

The next morning, before dawn, a commotion erupted outside. Liu Yiwan sat bolt upright, opened the window, and peered out. Seeing a disturbance at the inn's entrance, she was about to go out to investigate when she bumped into Tang Feng.

"Young Master?"

"Go down and see if anything's wrong," Tang Feng said, still half-asleep, his belt dangling from his hand as he came out. Liu Yiwan frowned. "Young Master, I can go. If you go out like this, I won't know how to explain it to the young Marquis."

Tang Feng glanced at Liu Yiwan. "Oh ho, you've become sensible now? Before, you would have knocked on my door and dragged me out of bed for something like this. Alright, alright, go on! Don't forget to tell me if anything interesting happens."

Liu Yiwan received his orders and went downstairs to watch the commotion. It took him a great deal of effort to squeeze in, and he saw a ragged beggar lying in the middle, blocking the caravan on horseback. The leading merchant was whipping the beggar, and the onlookers were pointing and whispering about him.

"Auntie, what's wrong?"

"Oh dear, this young man is a slave in the caravan. He can't walk anymore, saying he hasn't eaten for days. Look at him, tsk tsk tsk, and this is the capital city!" Liu Yiwan shook his head repeatedly after hearing this. Slaves were people who had lost money doing business in other countries and couldn't return home. Most of them joined caravans as slave laborers to try and get back. If they were lucky enough to escape back to their home country, they were considered lucky; if they couldn't escape and were discovered by the caravan leader, they would be beaten to death.

How much is this slave?

Liu Yiwan was engrossed in watching when she heard a familiar voice from the crowd. She turned sharply and saw her young master leaning against a pillar of the inn, cracking sunflower seeds! Although Tang Feng's voice wasn't loud, everyone turned to look at him, including the caravan leader. Seeing the increasingly awkward atmosphere, Liu Yiwan ran to Tang Feng and whispered, "Young Master, didn't you say you'd tell me when we got back?"

Tang Feng nonchalantly spat the sunflower seed shells from his mouth onto the ground and said, "I've thought about it, and the melon seeds I eat myself taste better. Listening to others describe the melon seeds always feels like they've been chewed and stuffed back into your mouth—it's no fun." Tang Feng patted the crumbs off his hand, walked over to the merchant slave, squatted down, and said, "As a merchant slave, you certainly have guts."

The merchant slave laughed loudly, spitting out blood and froth from his mouth as he increased the intensity of his movements. "My lord, I'm already like this, what am I afraid of? There's an old saying in my family: 'A barefoot man isn't afraid of someone wearing shoes.' Why would I be afraid of him?"

Tang Feng nodded. "You have guts. I'll give you a way out. Do you want it?" Hearing Tang Feng's words, the merchant slave immediately sat up. "Master, I believe you, but don't try to fool me! If you can give me a way out, I will naturally repay you with my life."

"Give your life? I'm giving you a way out just so you'll give your life?" Tang Feng stared at the merchant slave for a while before continuing, "You'll naturally be useful in the future, so just be obedient."

Tang Feng then plopped down in front of the merchant slave, looked up at the caravan leader, and said, "Let's talk about the price! I'm a businessman too, and I've got my eye on this merchant slave. Whatever the price, I'll pay."

"Since we're all businessmen, I'll name my price: fifty taels for this merchant slave."

Seeing the caravan leader's outrageous demand, Tang Feng couldn't help but laugh. He turned to the merchant's slave and said, "Did you hear that? You're worth quite a bit there." Then he said to the caravan leader, "To be honest, I'm quite sincere, but... I don't see any sincerity in you. If you're willing, I'll buy it for twenty-five taels of silver. If you're not willing... I can't help it. Everyone saw it; it's not that I don't want to buy, it's just that his price is too high and completely unbelievable. I'm sorry, you'd better go around him!" Tang Feng then turned his back to the caravan and sat down cross-legged. The caravan leader, seeing Tang Feng's behavior, was somewhat indignant and raised his whip to lash him, but Liu Yiwan grabbed the whip, pulled him off his horse, and pinned him to the ground.

Tang Feng smiled, stood up, dusted off his clothes, and stood in front of the foreman. "I'm a very reasonable person. If I say I'll pay, I'll pay. Whether the deal is done or not is up to you."

Although the leader was unwilling, he was suppressed and had no choice but to nod in agreement, "Don't look so aggrieved. I think the goods the caravan is importing are going to Yan Yun."

"So what...so what?"

"Not so good," Tang Feng shrugged. "Let me tell you something: you'll earn much more selling in Lanxi than in Xiling."

The leader broke free from Liu Yiwan's grasp, looked at Tang Feng, and asked with some confusion, "Why should I believe you? Just because your accent sounds like a native of Yanyun?"

"Believe it or not, it's up to you. I don't care. Whether you make money or not, it's not going into my pocket. Liu Yiwan, give him the money." Tang Feng finished speaking and was about to leave when the leader behind him called out to him, "Wait! I trust you. I've been traveling the trade routes for so many years, and I've seen all sorts of people. I know you wouldn't lie to me. I don't want this money. Keep it to treat that merchant slave! Once a merchant slave is injured, he loses his value. I have no use for him. We'll meet again."

After seeing the caravan off, Tang Feng turned to Liu Yiwan and said, "What are you standing there for! Help him back. Are you waiting for me to help him? Hurry up and find me another doctor." Then he patted the merchant's slave on the shoulder, "From now on, you'll be working for me! I haven't even asked your name yet. You'll help out at my shop from now on, room and board provided, and you'll still get your salary."

"Sir, I will never forget your great kindness, I will follow you from now on. Don't worry, I've been in Shanghan for over ten years, you can ask me anything. My name is Bugu, you can just call me Old Bu."

Although a lot had happened since early morning, Tang Feng hadn't forgotten that he needed to pick up the goods today. As soon as Liu Yiwan brought the doctor, he sent him off to pick up the goods without even catching his breath. Seeing Liu Yiwan's resentful eyes, Tang Feng shrugged, spread his hands, and then told him, "It's fine if you don't go. If I run out of money, I'll just leave. I'll die on the battlefield, not in a foreign land."

"Master" Bugu had changed his clothes, washing away the mud and blood. He now sported a mustache, thick eyebrows, and large eyes, looking quite like a businessman at first glance.

Tang Feng nodded in satisfaction as he looked at Bu Gu's attire. "The shop hasn't opened yet, so I had Liu Yiwan pick up the goods. Please support the shop more in the future. I can tell you have more experience in business."

"Alas! Nothing can escape your discerning eyes. I came from my hometown to do business, and after more than ten years of hard work, I can't say I've made a fortune, but at least I'm financially secure. But in the end, I made a mistake and was ruthlessly swindled out of my entire fortune by a rival, which is why I've become a merchant slave in a caravan. Since you trust me and saved my life, rest assured, I will naturally do my best to support your shop."