Sweat dripped steadily.
Head Manager Wang’s ears ached, his back ached, his knees ached—his whole body ached. But after waiting for quite a while without hearing Manager Mo say a single word, he wanted to beg for mercy again yet feared the other party’s impatience. So whether to open his mouth or not, he hesitated for a long time. Finally, his pampered knees couldn’t bear it anymore, so he carefully spoke.
“Manager Mo?”
“Ah?” Mo Zi tilted her head, smiling at him with narrowed eyes.
“…” What did that “ah” mean?
Head Manager Wang was somewhat confused again. After being stifled for quite a while, unable to wait for what came next, he could only once more muster his death-defying determination. “Manager Mo, spare me!”
“Where does Head Manager Wang get such words?” Mo Zi’s eyes were perfectly round, as if very surprised. “I’m an impatient person, so I had my brothers invite you out to talk. Who would have thought you’d kneel and beg for mercy, leaving me confused for quite some time. You only called my name without explaining clearly, making it so I couldn’t just casually ask you the reason.”
“This humble one spoke to Manager Mo as soon as I came out!” Several sentences, even.
Mo Zi “ah-ed” again and asked Wei Qing and Min Song on either side, “Did he?”
She was confused, but Wei Qing and Min Song weren’t—they just couldn’t determine what scheme she had in mind, so they could only nod.
“Ah!” The third “ah.” “I must have been busy admiring Hongyu’s scenery and completely didn’t hear.”
Head Manager Wang thought: well, great—turned out he’d knelt for so long in vain and this person hadn’t noticed at all. Thinking this, he was about to stand up himself when he saw Mo Zi glance coldly at him, and his legs went soft again. So it wasn’t that this person hadn’t noticed—it was deliberate torment.
“My sincere apologies. Head Manager Wang only made me wait a while, but because of this misunderstanding, I made Head Manager Wang kneel to me for so long. Please get up quickly. Those who don’t know might think we’re fellow practitioners fighting each other. If word gets out, it won’t sound good—what if Old Master Min brings up some trade regulation?” Mo Zi crossed her arms with a beaming smile.
Head Manager Wang cursed inwardly: damn it, you’re saying everything yourself. But his mouth didn’t dare offend further, repeatedly saying yes.
“Well then, we’ve also delayed quite a bit of time. Let’s get down to business.” Mo Zi pulled out a sealed document from her sleeve. “I imagine Boss Zeng also told you we’re coming today to collect a thousand pine logs.”
“Yes, the boss mentioned it. However—” Although he wouldn’t make difficulties over small matters, major matters had to follow instructions. “I need to see this in black and white. Manager Mo, this is the rule—you understand.”
“Of course.” Mo Zi handed him the sealed document.
That day she had originally said there was no need to draw up a contract, but later Zeng Hai insisted and supplemented one. There were three copies total. Besides her and Zeng Hai each holding one, Muxin Tower also kept a witnessed copy, so she wasn’t afraid of him playing tricks.
Head Manager Wang pulled out a copy from his chest, compared the two, nodded and returned it to Mo Zi. “Correct.”
“Then we can take them away, right? Please trouble the head manager to lead the way.” Even without someone leading the way, Mo Zi could find the pine log pile.
“Manager Mo, I must speak clearly to you first.” Head Manager Wang’s throat rolled. After what just happened, he had psychological shadows, but he couldn’t disobey his employer’s words. He only hoped this young master wouldn’t fly into a thunderous rage and dismember him.
Mo Zi’s attitude was amiable, her patience abundant. “Please speak.”
“According to the agreement, Hongyu is to give Hongyu a thousand pine logs. This is correct. But it also says: to be collected by Hongyu on a certain date of their choosing, the agreement then taking effect. Since you’ve come to collect today, you can only transport the thousand logs away within today. Otherwise, after today passes, this agreement won’t count.” This Manager Mo constantly talked about trade regulations, didn’t she? Then let’s go by the rules.
Head Manager Wang’s heart began to feel smug. Thinking of the humiliation he’d just suffered, now let’s see how the other party cries. The boss was best at manipulating words—who could take advantage of him? Hongyu’s party was only seven people with two horse-drawn carriages. How could they transport a thousand logs away in one day?
However, he quickly discovered that not one person on the other side looked dejected.
“Head Manager Wang is truly kind-hearted. Thank you for reminding me, but I already know about this point.” Zeng Hai played word games, but Mo Zi was also an expert at this. When drawing up the contract, she already knew Zeng Hai wanted to renege. Otherwise why would he so kindly insist on black and white documentation?
“Eh?” Head Manager Wang suddenly felt uneasy. “Then—can Manager Mo collect the thousand logs today?”
“Naturally. Moreover, we’re also too embarrassed to come disturb your Hongyu repeatedly, aren’t we?” Mo Zi was fully confident. “Head Manager Wang, let’s select the wood first.”
“Select the wood?” Head Manager Wang was stunned, unable to react. He pointed to a pile of inferior-grade lumber not far away. “We’ve already prepared it.”
Mo Zi walked over, looked and touched it, then straightened up shaking her head. “I don’t want this wood—too inferior.”
Head Manager Wang couldn’t help sneering coldly. “Manager Mo, you’re getting it for free to begin with. Don’t be so picky.”
“Can’t say it that way. You just told me about the agreement, and I’ll tell you about the agreement too. The same phrase: to be collected by Hongyu on a date of their choosing. ‘Collected’ means my Hongyu selects and takes away ourselves. As long as it’s pine logs within your Hongyu Shipyard, within a thousand logs, I’ll take whatever I want.” The two characters for “self-collect” were added by Mo Zi. Zeng Hai thought it just meant Hongyu would come transport the wood themselves—exactly what he wanted, so he didn’t think much of it.
Head Manager Wang nearly fainted, supported by his already trembling subordinates behind him. “Manager Mo, this… this…” Being able to take away a thousand logs was already a huge surprise. And now pick any she wanted? Oh heavens!
At this point, how could Mo Zi waste words with him? Relying on her skill at looking at and feeling wood, before long she found where Hongyu stored their top-grade quality wood. She had Min Song and Wei Qing take out the pre-prepared tags to distribute to everyone—wherever she pointed, tags with the two characters “Hongyu” were hung.
Chou Yu, Zan Jin and the others jumped up and down hanging tags joyfully, while Head Manager Wang and his people looked ashen-faced, nearly unable to breathe.
At this moment Mo Zi’s eyes only had wood—not a shred of sympathy. She just thought that although Zeng Hai was stingy, he really did have quite a lot of good wood. Suddenly, the texture under her hand changed—it was maple wood.
“Manager Mo”—called so many times, he felt this was truly a demonic grasp. Head Manager Wang’s expression, which had been about to cry, became somewhat fierce. “You’ve selected enough, right?”
Mo Zi’s hand patted the maple wood. Standing up to leave, her expression seemed smiling yet not smiling as she nodded. “Look at me—my eyes are dazzled from picking.”
“Since you’re done picking, please leave.” Head Manager Wang also threw caution to the wind. Whether the pine logs were good or bad didn’t differ much in price. Most importantly, send away this plague god. At worst, he’d pay this loss out of his own pocket.
“Almost.” Mo Zi had Min Song and Wei Qing count—she didn’t plan to take even one log less.
Head Manager Wang now only knew how to exhale, not inhale. Hearing her leisurely answer, he wanted to tremble all over.
At this moment, commotion suddenly came from the riverbank.
Mo Zi looked, then turned to Head Manager Wang with a grinning smile. “They’re here.”
Head Manager Wang felt her speaking two words at a time was deliberately making him jump in fright. Though his heart felt ice cold, he still involuntarily turned his gaze to see what was happening on the river surface.
There was nothing much—an old passenger boat operated by oars that absolutely couldn’t hold a thousand logs. Although it was packed full with over twenty men, each holding a bamboo pole in their hands—
So that’s how it is!
Head Manager Wang was Zeng Hai’s wife’s maternal cousin—he’d never worked on boats and knew nothing about shipbuilding. But having muddled through for so many years, he suddenly understood what Mo Zi was going to do.
Miscalculation! The boss miscalculated! First he anticipated this Manager Mo wouldn’t see the trap in the wording, and also anticipated Hongyu had no ships available and no silver to spend, but underestimated the other party. One wrong step, every step wrong.
The men jumped off the boat, put down their bamboo poles, and with rapid steps, following instructions from Mo Zi’s people, carried the pine logs one by one to the riverbank and arranged them neatly.
The old boatman took out bundles of hemp rope, while those four who were very good at fighting made a trip to and from Hongyu’s entrance, their hands also carrying coils of rope.
Mo Zi walked toward the riverbank, and Head Manager Wang involuntarily followed. Although he guessed Hongyu wanted to use log rafts to transport the pine logs away, lashing rafts was very laborious work. A thousand logs, twenty per raft—that would be fifty rafts. It was already noon—wouldn’t they be lashing until tomorrow?
But this time he didn’t dare feel the slightest smugness, because he already knew this young manager before him was extremely formidable. Underestimate once, receive one lesson.
He heard Manager Mo call the old boatman Old Guan. The two spread out rope that already had loops tied and knots made. Slipping them over the pine logs and pulling tight, in just these few back-and-forth motions, they completed a raft in one quarter-hour. Just the wood was arranged unevenly, with gaps at the head and tail like missing teeth, and some rope loops empty.
He thought they were rushing and being careless, but that wasn’t it. When Manager Mo and Old Guan finished the second log raft, they connected the head and tail of the two rafts—actually linking the rafts. After these two finished, the men watching on the side all followed suit. The ropes were already prepared—they just needed to use some strength and skill, so the more they did, the more practiced they became, and the more practiced, the faster. Even someone like him who didn’t understand raft-lashing could see clearly.
As he predicted, twenty logs per raft, but five rafts connected—a hundred logs per linked raft. In less than two hours, just like this, raft after raft was pushed onto the river surface. Teams of two or three, poling with bamboo, going downstream with the current.
Today’s weather was particularly good. The wind blowing on the river surface was at just the right moderate strength. Watching the rafts drift leisurely, he originally thought it must be Heaven helping Hongyu, but then thought no—it was most likely all within this person’s calculations. Hongyu’s location was also downstream from Hongyu. If it had been upstream, the raft method couldn’t be used.
Cold sweat dripping profusely—their Hongyu had been completely eaten alive by this person!
Mo Zi watched as the people she’d brought departed one by one on the linked rafts, while the last long raft was being dragged into the water by Zan Jin and Chou Yu. Her heart finally settled completely. Don’t look at how calm she appeared on the surface—actually inside she would still get nervous.
“Brother Mo, let’s go!” Chou Yu called to her.
Mo Zi took two or three steps and jumped onto the raft. Not caring that the hem of her clothes got wet, she turned to face Head Manager Wang.
The river flowed leisurely, the raft slowly beginning to move.
She clasped her fists with a smile. “Head Manager Wang, today I benefited greatly from your care. Please also help me thank Boss Zeng once more for letting me understand what fellowship among peers means.”
Head Manager Wang’s face was full of wrinkles like banana leaves. He cursed inwardly that this person gained an advantage and still acted virtuous, yet forgot it was clearly his employer who brought this on himself.
Mo Zi saw those shipyard workers, women and children on the shore staring blankly at her. Her thoughts turned and she called out loudly again, “My Hongyu has been in business not long. Whether lumber or people, we’re critically short. Thanks to Boss Zeng’s generosity—eternally grateful.” Putting these words out there, whether people could understand depended on individual fortune. After all, she was opening doors for business—she wouldn’t use people who lacked perception.
Head Manager Wang lacked perception and was currently cursing up a storm in his heart.
The slanting sun shone from the east. The log rafts traveled out through a stretch of shimmering mountain scenery. A loud clear voice sang a river song—
The boat maiden from Dongri Lake yo
Turn your head back yo
Elder brother poles the bamboo yo
Walking on the wave peaks yo
Pick a red lotus flower yo
Give it to maiden to hold yo
Maiden holds it in her heart yo
Elder brother becomes maiden’s bridegroom yo
This is today’s second update, also the bonus chapter for the 210 January pink tickets.