The white-grey stone plaque of “Zhù Family Village” had been washed by rain until streaks ran down from the carved strokes, giving this still relatively new villa an added touch of age.

At the sight of it, the whole party relaxed — safe now, and ready to rest.

Xiang Le wore a clean new set of clothes. When he caught sight of Zhù Ying, an unguarded smile of relief crossed his face. “Your Excellency.”

Zhù Ying said, “You’ve worked hard.”

Xiang Le said modestly, “It is within my duty.”

Behind him stood several familiar faces — among them the Huang Village Head who had previously made the wooden plaque — all among the first group to have come and settled at the villa. Beside them stood a bearded man in the prime of his life, someone Zhù Ying didn’t recognize. The clothing of the group was varied, mixing several ethnic groups, a patchwork of blue, black, and flower patterns.

Zhù Ying’s gaze swept over him. Xiang Le followed her look and explained, “Your Excellency, he arrived at the villa last year. When the cave chieftain Yi Gan moved away, this man wasn’t one of the Brocade Tribe — so he stayed.”

Zhù Ying nodded. “Good. Let’s go inside first and go over it all in detail — let everyone get settled for now.”

“Yes.”

Zhù Ying entered through the south gate and observed the street carefully as she walked. There were more buildings than before, and the population had also grown considerably. The new residences showed clear planning — no haphazard additions or structures thrown up at random. She also recognized quite a few familiar faces along the way: some were “old-timers” of the villa, and some she had seen in the old Suoning stronghold.

To every one she recognized, she gave a nod and a greeting. When she had a particularly clear recollection of someone, she added a word: “Aren’t you so-and-so from such-and-such stronghold? If you’ve come here to the villa, did your mother come too?”

Those she recognized answered cheerfully, “She didn’t want to leave home — said things are good there now that they have fields of their own, so she’s staying. I came by myself.”

Zhù Ying said, “It’s good if home is peaceful.”

She was slowed by conversation, and more and more people gathered around. Zhù Ying cupped her hands in salute to those on both sides, then quickened her pace.

The merchants each made for the inns and shops they knew from before. The Zhù family and the magistrates made for the side mansion. The villa’s residents either crowded around to watch or called out to attract business, just as it had always been.

Inside the side mansion, each person had their more or less established quarters, and everyone was busy unloading luggage. Zhù Ying said to Xiang Le, “Let them be busy. Let’s talk.”

Zhù Da and Zhang Xiangu returned to their room. Villa attendants came to put down the bedding for them. Both lay back on the bed and didn’t want to move, exhaling long breaths to push out the heat stored inside them and draw in a full chest of cool air.

Zhang Xiangu said, “No wonder I used to hear that noble families loved to ‘escape the summer heat.’ It really does need to be escaped.”

Zhù Da said, “Stop your chatter — you said the same thing last year.”

“Then I’ll say it again!”

Hua Jie was busy sorting out affairs inside and outside the side mansion. She paused to instruct Zhù Qingjun: “Go with the others and check over the medicine chests we brought along. We start the charitable consultation clinic tomorrow.”

“Yes.”

Zhù Qingjun bounded out of the room to gather her classmates. A group of little girls, all a year or two older than her and a head taller. One named Hong Jin asked, “Did Teacher ask us to take stock?”

Zhù Qingjun nodded. “Yes.”

“Then let’s get started.”

They gathered all the medicine chests they had brought, took stock of the remaining herbs, and then discovered a few instruments they had forgotten to collect back after treating patients at a stronghold along the way. Hong Jin said, “What do we do? We’ll be going back through the Talang road.”

Her younger sister said, “What’s to be afraid of? Just send someone to retrieve them.”

Zhù Qingjun said, “We could note it down for now. We have backups, so we won’t be held up for current use. There are people coming and going on business here — we can ask someone making the route to bring them back.”

That was a good idea. Hong Jin said, “Then let’s do that. Now let’s begin.”

The little girls were all worn out from the journey and didn’t feel like moving once they had finished.

The one with the most energy was Zhù Ying herself. She let her family and guests rest and settle in, and convened a small meeting with Xiang Le and the others.

Zhù Ying had not been here for half a year. The first thing she did was re-familiarize herself with the people. Besides Xiang Le and Huang Village Head, there were now six more helpers, some familiar and some new.

Xiang Le introduced them one by one. Huang Village Head was no longer the village head — he was now a “steward,” as were all the others present. Huang Village Head could read a little and also handled record-keeping, helped distribute “wages,” and led people in assisting with building construction. The others each had their own roles: some led teams out of the settlement for hunting while also guarding the fields; some kept watch at the gates and apprehended thieves.

Most of them were young men from the mountain tribes, with only two literate “outsiders from beyond the mountains.” Aside from Huang Village Head, five of the remaining six bore the Zhù surname. The other one was similar to Huang Village Head in background — someone who had entered the mountains in earlier times — and his name was Yuan. He too was literate, though his characters had been taught to him afterward by Xiang Le.

Xiang Le said, “The storeroom is inside the mansion and is being temporarily managed by me.”

Zhù Ying noticed that when the storeroom and wages were mentioned, the steward in charge of gate defense gave a little grimace. She smiled and continued, “About the wages—” Sure enough, she saw that man’s mouth twitch again. The defense steward was someone she knew — a hunter from the old Suoning stronghold, with real skill.

Zhù Ying continued: “Of course they will be paid. Are rotation and rest schedules arranged?”

“Yes.”

Zhù Ying had a word of acknowledgment for each person. Finally she said again how hard they had worked. “Tomorrow the market opens. Everyone please put in a little extra effort to handle your own responsibilities well, and tonight I’m hosting a meal for everyone.” She said this in several languages in turn, and everyone answered in a chorus.

Zhù Ying said, “Xiang Le, you stay a moment.”

Xiang Le oscillated between “feeling fairly confident” and “wondering where I’m still coming up short,” at once hoping Zhù Ying would say he had done everything well, and hoping she would point out his shortcomings. Zhù Ying was not only critical. With those she was close to, after pointing out a deficiency she usually offered a suggestion, and that suggestion often opened up one’s thinking entirely.

He waited to give his report to Zhù Ying.

But when Zhù Ying spoke, she asked, “Are you comfortable here? Settling in all right?”

“Very well. Cooler in summer.”

“Colder in winter, I imagine?”

“Before, I was always on the road wherever my family went — cold in winter, hot in summer. The villa is much better. No eating in the wind and sleeping in the open.” Xiang Le smiled, showing two rows of white teeth.

Zhù Ying laughed and nodded.

Xiang Le then set aside his relaxed expression and reported on the villa’s situation to Zhù Ying: “Since the rescue of the former Suoning household’s bondspeople, the villa’s population has grown by another three hundred and eighty-seven households. Among them, so many adult men, so many adult women. And newborns so many. Over these past six months, twenty-one people have died of illness and old age. Rental grain collected so much, wheat so much, cloth so much. Sheep added so many, horses so many, cattle so many — all arranged for grazing. Ah — the cave chieftain Yi Gan has moved further northwest into the mountains. As a precaution against something untoward, I haven’t dared to occupy the area he vacated; I’m only letting herdsmen go out there to graze by day.

In addition, so many rooms of new housing have been built. Over last year and this year, so many acres of new land have been cleared. The villa has also built for itself so many commercial premises and opened establishments such as a carpenter’s workshop. An ironsmith has also come and settled at the villa. His craft is not exceptional, but he can manage to repair farming tools adequately.

That covers matters within the villa. As for the various strongholds outside the villa — their tax levies were collected at year’s end. You have large and small strongholds totaling so many, with population figures that each stronghold counts only roughly, giving only approximate totals. Their fields total so many, and the taxes drawn from them together come to so much.”

The more Xiang Le reported, the more confident he sounded. Finally he blurted out: “The gains from territorial expansion are extraordinarily rich!”

He handed the account book to Zhù Ying. She flipped through it. What Xiang Le had just reported were the totals for each major category; the book was filled with dense fine entries. More detailed records than a single book could hold were stored in a separate room with information on population and land.

At this moment her annual income amounted to roughly sixty percent of what Fulu County’s entire revenue had been at the time she first arrived.

As Xiang Le had said — the gains from territorial expansion were extraordinarily rich. Without that development, relying solely on the villa to grow gradually, even the population alone would have taken until who knows when to build up.

Zhù Ying closed the account book and asked, “How have you been levying corvée labor? How is it organized and directed?”

Xiang Le said, “Following the court’s corvée levy rules — drawing from half-adults and adults only, not from the elderly, the weak, women, or children. Following your instructions: first priority is building small relay stations, then linking the villa to each stronghold with roads using those relay stations as nodes. Second priority is water management. Then come defensive walls and guard duty for each stronghold. Within the villa itself, there are always about a hundred people on constant duty for gatekeeper, patrol, and constable work.”

“You’re already dealing with bandits.”

“Yes. They’re everywhere, no help for it — we catch them as diligently as we can. None have committed truly grave crimes; no cases involving deaths yet.”

Zhù Ying said, “Literate people are still too few — that really isn’t good. Without literacy, many things simply can’t be done. Two of our stewards are practically half-blind.”

Xiang Le said, “The villa’s small school has already been built. It’s just lacking teachers. When the Old Master comes, he sometimes goes to sit in the little temple and go through the literacy primer with the children. The steward positions are also short-staffed, so for now we make do.”

Zhù Ying nodded. “I know. I’ve brought more literacy primers along. Have everyone start learning from them. Draw people from each stronghold — a few young people from each one. They don’t need to study too deeply — just learn enough simple official language, writing, and arithmetic. Otherwise they can’t even keep their own accounts clear. And for teachers — I’ll think of something.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll still be staying half a month. I’m going to oversee this matter myself. The courier network also needs to be tightened up — to ensure that instructions travel up and down efficiently.”

“Yes.”

“Start getting in brick, stone, timber, and earth. I’m going to need them.”

“Yes. May I ask what construction project? So I know how much corvée labor to prepare.”

Zhù Ying said, “Not too many people needed — building workshops. The villa has too few types of workshops. Even granted that the villa can trade with merchants from beyond the mountains, the strongholds below — they still have to have their own, even if not perfect. You need them in emergencies.”

Xiang Le said, “I’m afraid craftsmen will be hard to find in sufficient numbers on short notice. After all, this is the mountains — craftsmen from beyond don’t want to come in. Recruiting at high wages might bring in one or two, but trying to fill the full need that way probably won’t work.”

“Mm. Select people who are honest and willing to work. Half a month from now I’ll take them back down the mountain with me. Don’t we have the official workshops? Send them there as apprentices. After two years of learning, they come back and run their own workshop here and take on apprentices themselves — and it all takes root.”

Xiang Le thought: that was the same approach used with the sugar mill to begin with. “Yes.”

“I’ve brought Hou Wu along. He said he’s already talked things over with you about the defense arrangements here?”

Xiang Le flushed slightly. “Yes. Uncle Hou Wu is the real expert. I’m nowhere near him.”

“You each have your own strengths. He was a career soldier — he only came to me because of an injury. If not for that, you’d never get to know him. He is a man who has seen blood.”

Xiang Le drew in a quiet breath. “Before, I thought he was just telling stories.”

“Back to the matter at hand.”

Zhù Ying said one thing; Xiang Le agreed to one thing. After several matters, Xiang Le took out paper and brush from the pouch at his waist and began writing things down.

These matters had an overarching framework against which they could be measured — the model of governance from the lowlands. One who planned it fluently, the other who grasped it just as smoothly.

Finally, Zhù Ying asked, “One more thing — do you miss home?”

“A man’s ambitions span all directions.”

“But there are people who miss you.”

“Ah…”

Zhù Ying said, “I passed through Fulu and saw your mother. She thinks of you constantly.”

Xiang Le sighed. He did miss home a little.

Zhù Ying said, “It was hard on you, spending half a year in the mountains without even being able to go home for the New Year. How could she not worry? And there’s another matter — at New Year, she came to the compound to pay respects, and when I returned I was told she’s worried about the marriage prospects of both you and your sister.”

Xiang Le gave a slightly vexed mutter. “Really!”

Zhù Ying asked, “What do you think about it?”

“I’d be happy either way,” Xiang Le said, “as long as she’s a good woman.”

“Still, it’s worth giving it some thought. I can’t very well speak to Third Lady about this, but you and I can talk about it. Marriage is a major affair — don’t be careless about it. Taking a wife means you must treat her well — naturally — but it also means treating yourself well. Don’t look only at the present; look also at what lies ahead.”

“Your Excellency?”

Zhù Ying said, “You three siblings — and now Xiao Yu added to the group — I have watched all of you. Your ability in handling affairs is there. Given the opportunity, you are not inferior to anyone.”

“These are small tricks, all of them. Just following Your Excellency’s instructions.”

Zhù Ying waved her hand. “Small tricks? You are by my side, and I assign you tasks. First you must complete the assignments I give — how grand can you get? I’ve watched you all. Is the family thinking of acquiring farmland? Running a business, accumulating a family estate, and meanwhile having the children study, hoping to break out of your current station entirely — is that it?”

Though Xiang Yu was still an “apprentice” at the sugar mill, this apprentice was clearly nothing like an orphan laborer. The boy was reading, and had even asked Zhù Lian for help with his lessons — that much Su Zhe had reported back. And seeing that Zhù Ying was approachable, he sometimes also brought a book to ask her a question or two. Neither one got in the other’s way.

Zhù Ying also knew about the Xiang family buying up land and hiring people to clear it.

For a merchant family to escape its station, each had its own methods. In the end they all sought some form of official standing, which would stabilize the family for generations. The Xiang family was just one variety of this pattern.

Xiang Le said, “Yes, there are some aspirations along those lines — though nothing that would overstep the law.”

Zhù Ying said, “Let’s not analyze that. You three siblings have rendered real merit and real labor over these years, and your character is not bad. As for household registration, don’t trouble yourselves over it — I’ll see to it.”

A faint smile came to Xiang Le’s face. He lowered his voice and said, “My late father told me that our ancestors were not merchants originally. Later, through a division of property and hard times, they had no choice but to take to trade for a living. Someone wronged them — a dishonest person — and with a stroke of a brush on the official register it was done. We never used to care, but now it seems we’ve harbored a certain wish after all.”

“That wish isn’t unreasonable. But let’s come back to the matter at hand. Since your mother wants to discuss your marriage, and you have no objection to marrying, go home and talk it over.”

Xiang Le smiled. “Yes. I won’t be away too long before coming back.” He was already planning it in his mind: he had his own small courtyard within the villa. If his wife were willing, he could bring her here. If she weren’t willing to come into the mountains, she could stay at home with his mother and he would make visits back from time to time.

Zhù Ying said, “This is a major life event — don’t rush it. I’m giving you leave. Just go and make arrangements for the match. If you can meet the young woman and spend a little time getting to know each other, so much the better. People get to know each other through time together — don’t end up in a resentful marriage. Slack off on the effort now, and you’ll be making it up later.”

“Yes.”

Zhù Ying said, “For this half-month, you still need to handle your current affairs well. Did you forget everything I just said?”

Xiang Le ran through his notes and repeated back the several matters from earlier. Zhù Ying said, “Off you go. When we go back down the mountain this time, you’ll travel with me. As for the villa here — the family is conveniently getting out of the summer heat, and as long as the stewards have things in order, I’ll be back down the following month. No need to worry. Sort out the household matters properly first — they really are important. If you want to go far, you need the home to be at peace. Don’t let it slip.”

“Yes.”

“When the match is decided, send me an announcement.”

“Yes!”

“Off you go.”

Xiang Le left with the small notebook in which he had written down the day’s matters. Zhù Ying then went through some of the records kept in the side mansion. The number of literate people in the entire villa was small, and Xiang Le had been doing many things single-handedly. Many records were not as detailed as in the lowlands, but he had already done his best.

Zhù Ying thought for a moment: the villa guards she had brought down from the mountains already knew several hundred characters and could recite the literacy songs — she would use them! She would sweep through a basic literacy campaign first. Then, if any promising seedlings emerged, she would pluck them away and bring them to the prefectural office or enroll them at the foreign academy for further study. These people had no need to sit for examinations or become scholars. They just needed to be useful at the villa.

What she needed was — practicality.

After reviewing the records, she went to the storeroom. The keys to the storeroom were as good as decorative to her, but she still walked to the storeroom entrance, had someone fetch the steward Huang, and had the storeroom opened. She looked over what was stored inside — grain, cloth, furs, medicinal herbs — each category arranged in order.

Outside the storeroom, able-bodied men with dogs walked patrol circuits. A few cats were kept loose in the area — a calico, a tabby, and a black — lying lazily in the sun. When the black cat saw Zhù Ying, it arched its body, gave a long stretch, licked its tongue, and lay back down.

Zhù Ying said to Steward Huang, “My elder sister also keeps a cat, and the thing has gotten quite plump.”

Steward Huang carefully said, “Comfortable creature, comfortable in body — how could these ratcatching cats here compare to the one in Your Excellency’s home? An entirely different breed.”

Zhù Ying smiled. “Mine too was just picked up from somewhere. There’s also a dog back in the capital that I didn’t bring along…”

Steward Huang said, “I’ve kept four dogs in my time — every time one died, it was grief all over again. Now I don’t want to keep them anymore. Then one day I saw a puppy on the street, looking just exactly like the first dog I’d ever kept. Couldn’t help myself and brought it home.”

Zhù Ying asked, “The puppy had no owner?”

“It had one — but who can keep a whole litter alive? I traded two catties of meat and bones and took it home.”

Zhù Ying said, “What a good deal. I should go get a few too.”

Steward Huang pointed at the patrol dogs. “Your Excellency wants some? Why trade for them? These ones right here — before much longer there’ll definitely be puppies.”

Zhù Ying said, “That saves bones, then. Before I was too busy and didn’t pay the cats and dogs much mind. Now I’ve got a little time and feel like keeping them.”

“Me too.”

“Are you doing well these days?”

“Yes.”

“You haven’t set aside your skills and trade from before?”

Steward Huang said, “Not at all! If Your Excellency wanted another plaque made or some furniture built today, I could still do it!”

“You’re still taking on apprentices, building houses — you had a hand in the little school too, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Come, let’s go have a look.”

Zhù Ying meandered along making casual conversation, all idle domestic chitchat — from cats and dogs to craftsman skills, then to the little school. Steward Huang’s guard slowly dropped without him realizing it. Zhù Ying had drawn out his life for the past half year: he no longer did much carpentry work on his own, Xiang Le paid him a steward’s salary, and this salary corresponded basically to what Xiang Le had recorded in the accounts.

Steward Huang also had two carpentry apprentices who could now do simple chairs, stools, and tables. Zhù Ying glanced at the two young apprentices as well. One wore blue; the other wore black. Both called out when they saw Zhù Ying: “Your Excellency!”

Zhù Ying said, “Not bad — your master says you can work independently already?”

The blue-clad youth, twelve or thirteen years old, grinned. “I can make quite a few things now!”

The dark-clothed youth’s smile was less easy than his senior fellow apprentice’s, carrying a touch of shyness. “Just a few things.”

Zhù Ying looked them over — good builds — and asked, “With a frame like yours, I’d have expected you to be drawn to swords and spears rather than carpentry.”

The blue-clad youth said, “I thought about it too — Master said if I wanted to, I could, he wouldn’t stop me. But they weren’t reasonable, so I stopped wanting.”

“Oh?”

Steward Huang said, “Aiyo, those Zhù soldiers. They can’t count properly, and still claimed I’d shortchanged them. But really…” When he brought it up, his anger flared. He simply couldn’t let it go!

Steward Huang’s mouth ran on once opened. “Even if you can’t count, when things are laid out in stacks — all the same size and length — how can you say there was a shortage? It’s just that they felt they didn’t get to skim anything! These two boys, because they’re my apprentices, got laughed at.”

Zhù Ying heard it all and said, “When languages don’t match and people have only just started working together, misunderstandings are normal. No misunderstanding would be the strange thing.”

The Zhù soldiers in question were the defense steward, also a hunter from the old Suoning stronghold. He had taken the Zhù surname when he came under Zhù Ying’s banner. His old name was not pleasant, but he happened to have a little skill in fighting. Coming to the villa, he had been tested by Hou Wu’s inspection of the villa’s “defenses” and evaluated by Xiang Le, and had finally risen to the “steward” position in charge of gate defense.

Zhù Ying finished with Steward Huang, then — it not yet being fully dark — she turned deliberately and came face-to-face with the Zhù soldier on duty.

The Zhù soldier was deeply excited to see Zhù Ying, and his face never stopped smiling. “Master! Oh — Your Excellency!”

Zhù Ying walked along beside him, the two of them chatting as they went. She asked when he had arrived, how things were going, and he answered everything. Zhù Ying said, “If there’s anything you need to discuss, you can come and speak with me. If you can’t find me, talk to Xiang Le — that works too. If you need something practical, you can also go to Steward Huang.”

At the mention of “Steward Huang,” the Zhù soldier gave a cold snort. “He’s not a good man!”

“What makes you say that?”

The Zhù soldier said, “He takes things from the mansion.”

“How do you know?”

“I saw it!” The Zhù soldier said. “Goods come in and go out — he always manages to get a share for himself!”

The “surplus” — or rather the small spillages and odds and ends — from weighing out grain or distributing rations to people like the Zhù soldier, the bits that fell on the ground, were being collected by Steward Huang and taken home. The Zhù soldier found Steward Huang’s habit of taking these bits and pieces home rather distasteful.

Zhù Ying nodded and said to him, “Hold off on your anger. I’m aware of this now.”

The Zhù soldier went away pleased.

Zhù Ying looked up — the sky was nearly dark, the drums had started, and the city gates were slowly closing. She returned to the side mansion and got ready for the evening banquet.

The magistrates all planned to stay at the villa for a few more days before heading home, and one evening didn’t matter to them. The dinner party was not for serious discussion.

Until the next day, when the market opened, they all made a circuit of the market and then gathered again in the side mansion.

Xi Jin raised a matter with Zhù Ying: “Your Excellency, now that the Yi Gan family has gone, shall we push a bit further in?” He made a gesture of pushing outward with both arms encircling space.

Lu Guo also said, “Yes! He’s the Suoning family’s in-law, after all! His household has plenty of bondspeople and plenty of grain!”