The chief steward Cen was named Huan, a single character, and he was the head manager of Wangqiu Tower.
If this were an ordinary restaurant, he would be called the shopkeeper. However, what a chief steward managed was not merely a single counter, but all matters great and small throughout the entire building. This term commonly used among official merchants had been borrowed by others.
“Brother Mo, I’ll take your auspicious words. I’m waiting for matchmakers to come knocking with marriage proposals.” Chief Steward Cen had lost his beloved wife three years ago and had yet to remarry, relying on his eldest daughter to manage household affairs.
Cen Huan had two concubines, but he had been deeply devoted to his late wife and was very fond of his legitimate son and daughter. It was said that he wouldn’t even let his concubines bear children, so as not to dilute the wealth he would leave to his son and daughter in the future.
Among all the parents under heaven, there were those as muddled as Old Master Qiu, and those as strict as Cen Huan.
Mo Zi had no way to judge this, and simply smiled, “Then I must definitely drink a cup of celebratory wine.”
Cen Huan laughed heartily, saying “good” three times in succession.
“Brother Mo, have you come today to collect the account books?” Having finished with pleasantries, turning to serious matters, Cen Huan asked.
When Wangqiu Tower was still just an ordinary restaurant, it had been a property secretly acquired by Qiu Sanniang. A few months ago, the renovated back garden had also been opened, and the element of beauties had been added—naturally, this was Mo Zi’s idea.
However, Mo Zi had also been forced into this by necessity. Because Wangqiu Tower’s business had never been very good, Qiu Sanniang had planned to convert it into a brothel. At that time, Mo Zi’s mind had conjured up an image of Qiu Sanniang as a brothel madam forcing decent women into prostitution, which was really somewhat unacceptable for serving such a mistress. Only then did she contribute the employment concept that originated from the geisha tradition, but was more liberal.
Geisha—never mind that Japan and Korea loudly proclaimed it as their culture, it had actually originated in China first.
Mo Zi didn’t expect Qiu Sanniang to make Wangqiu Tower a pioneer of geisha culture in this time and space. She just couldn’t stand others claiming things they’d learned as their own creation. If they’d put it more modestly, she wouldn’t have been so disgusted.
When Mo Zi mentioned this idea to Qiu Sanniang, she referred to the beauties as Geqiu. This term had now spread widely and sounded much more elegant than courtesans.
“Today I’ve come only to eat.” Mo Zi didn’t look at the menu. She only had a few coins of silver in her pouch. “One bowl of plain noodles.” She set down five copper coins.
“Brother Mo, you’re making me lose face.” Cen Huan pulled the bell cord. “Never mind anything else, just the bell cords you made have been of great help to the building, and others can’t even learn how to make them.”
“Uncle Cen, one matter is one matter. Besides, you and I both work for the young lady. We should understand the principle that even blood brothers must settle accounts clearly. Let me eat my noodles first. While eating, I’ll attend to the young lady’s business, then go back and ask the young lady to reimburse me the five copper coins. You must bear witness that I haven’t overcharged by even a single coin.” Mo Zi heard the music and dance had begun, and turned to see the girl on stage gracefully fluttering her water sleeves.
Cen Huan smiled. Just as he was about to speak, someone knocked and entered.
“Uncle Cen.” It was indeed Zhao Liang, who had earlier shown Mo Zi the way.
“I wanted to call a servant, how did you get summoned instead?” Cen Huan stroked his beard. “That’s fine too. Let me introduce you. This is Brother Mo, our employer’s most trusted confidant. If you want to get ahead quickly, just perform exceptionally well in front of Brother Mo.”
Mo Zi pretended to laugh in alarm. “Manager Zhao mustn’t listen to your chief steward. Performing well before me is not as useful as flattering him. I’m merely a servant running errands for our employer.”
“Zhao seeks no advancement, only that my wife and daughter no longer suffer cold and hunger, and have a roof over their heads. I shall naturally serve our employer like a loyal dog or horse.” Zhao Liang’s words were refined, showing sincerity amid his helplessness.
“Listening to Manager Zhao speak, it seems you’re a scholar?” Though Mo Zi asked this question, she looked at Cen Huan, waiting for him to introduce.
Cen Huan could indeed read the room, and thus answered, “Manager Zhao is a Scholar who failed the imperial examinations three times. Now his family is so poor they have no rice to eat, and he had no choice but to come out seeking livelihood. Though I saw he was young and had no great strength, he could write beautifully and was quite clever, so I hired him to manage miscellaneous affairs in the inner hall. He learns quickly and can lend a hand.”
“Indeed clever. Otherwise, how would he know I was our employer’s person the moment I entered the inner hall?” Mo Zi smiled kindly.
“I saw the jade tablet hanging at Brother Mo’s waist, which was the same kind the chief steward had shown me.” Zhao Liang replied cautiously.
He was a Scholar, yet didn’t possess the typical scholar’s arrogant pride—or perhaps such pride had been worn away by hardship. As for the jade tablet he mentioned, it was indeed issued by the Qiu Mansion. This jade tablet had been specially carved for Qiu Sanniang, with cloud and water patterns on it, secretly containing her given name, and also serving as her merchant’s mark.
“That’s also good memory.” Cen Huan praised his subordinate to Mo Zi. “I only showed it to him once.”
Mo Zi also said, “Previously, I waved the jade tablet right in front of someone’s eyes, and he still didn’t understand what it meant. Thought I was some beggar who’d snuck in from somewhere and wanted the guards to chase me out.”
Cen Huan laughed loudly again. “Zhao Liang, the person Brother Mo is talking about is my eldest son. That fellow just grows tall but doesn’t grow brains, far less capable than my second son.”
“However, Brother Mo, you came that day wearing a patched shirt. You can’t entirely blame my son.” Blatantly protective.
“I was just saying. Your eldest son has excellent martial skills. Without him, Wangqiu Tower couldn’t maintain order. Just in the future, don’t let him act as a steward in the inner hall anymore, or he’ll frighten away a whole string of refined people.” Mo Zi rested the back of her hand against her chin, grinning broadly.
“Brother Mo speaks truly. Last time after startling you, I punished him by having him sweep leaves in the garden. As a result, his clumsy hands and feet even scared several newly arrived Geqiu. This got me severely scolded by Mistress Qin, and I nearly couldn’t save face.” Cen Huan shook his head repeatedly. “That boy was taught to be wild by his master.”
Mistress Qin was the matron Qiu Sanniang had hired to manage the Geqiu. She played the zither beautifully and had once been Qiu Sanniang’s instructor.
“Uncle Cen, you wouldn’t refuse to give me even a bowl of plain noodles, would you?” Just talking, another half hour had passed.
“Look at me, I really did forget.” Cen Huan slapped his forehead and said to Zhao Liang, “Manager Zhao, please have the kitchen bring up a bowl of plain noodles.”
“Yes.” Zhao Liang went down.
Seeing Mo Zi gazing thoughtfully at the closed door, Cen Huan said, “Do you feel the same as I do, that it’s a pity?”
“I see his manner is refined and polite, and I heard you say he’s also intelligent. Why did he fail three times?” Was the imperial examination really that difficult? The college entrance exam also required ten years of cold window study, with much to memorize and recite. Could it really be harder than the eight-legged essay? Mo Zi truly found this hard to believe.
“I was also puzzled at first. Later, when his wife and two children moved into the garden, I heard her say that Zhao Liang studied just fine normally, but once he entered the examination hall, his words became meaningless, and the essays he wrote were like those of a completely different person. After taking the exam three times, having sold all the valuable things in the family to scrape together travel expenses, the whole family couldn’t survive anymore, so he gave up.” Cen Huan said it was truly a pity.
“So it’s stage fright. As long as he does his work well and can support his family, perhaps after seeing more of the world, this ailment will gradually be cured.” Mo Zi smiled faintly. “You should appropriately encourage him to try again and not give up studying. If by chance he passes next time and becomes a top scholar or third-place finisher, our Wangqiu Tower will also share in the glory.”
Cen Huan’s eyes brightened, and he quickly said, “Reasonable, very reasonable.”
Before long, the noodles arrived, personally delivered by Manager Zhao.
After thanking him, Mo Zi asked, “Uncle Cen, is your second son here? If so, please trouble him to come see me.” She wanted to find someone to “chat” with.
“He’s been in the accounting room all day. I’ll have him come in two quarters of an hour, so you can eat your meal properly.” After Cen Huan finished speaking, he left with Zhao Liang, closing the door behind them.