Green mountains flanked both riverbanks beneath the vast blue sky.
Sitting in the cabin, though the scenery along both shores was extraordinarily beautiful, Zhenniang seemed too preoccupied to appreciate it. She kept pondering Luo Wenqian’s words.
Taking the most suspicious interpretation, perhaps Luo Wenqian’s group had business conflicts with the Qin family and used this warning to prevent the Li family from getting involved. However, truthfully, Zhenniang felt that while this possibility existed, it wasn’t likely. Though Luo Wenqian could be mischievous at times, he was fundamentally an upright person. If there were business conflicts, he should have been able to speak directly about them.
If it wasn’t about business competition, then his warning must have been genuine. If the Qin family truly had connections with the Tatars and was already under Commander Qi’s surveillance, then the Qin family represented danger. However, the Qin family had saved her father’s life – a debt as weighty as a mountain. How could they simply distance themselves as if nothing had happened? Where would their honor be?
But this wasn’t what troubled Zhenniang the most. What truly concerned her was an anecdote in their family genealogy from the future, about how after Li Jincai’s branch seized control of the Li family ink workshop, other Li clan members were naturally unwilling to accept this. One branch of the family, after becoming prosperous several years later, tried to take back the ink workshop from Li Jincai. However, just as they were about to succeed, this branch was suddenly arrested on charges of colluding with the Tatars. In the end, some died, some were exiled – all met tragic ends.
Since it involved charges of collusion with the Tatars, it wasn’t a glorious matter. Thus, this section was recorded only as an anecdote, and the involved family branch was referred to only as “a certain branch.”
Could this “certain branch” mentioned in the genealogy be the Li family’s Eighth Branch? Zhenniang couldn’t help wondering, lightly tapping her forehead with her fist. Calculating carefully, it seemed quite possible. For instance, Li Jingfu’s constant preoccupation was earning money to redeem the Eighth Branch’s share in the ink workshop. The workshop was Old Master Li’s life’s work – how could he ultimately watch the Li family workshop fall into Li Jincai’s hands? Thus, the conflict seemed inevitable. Li Jincai was ruthless, and combining this with Luo Wenqian’s warning, if the Qin family truly had connections with the Tatars and the Eighth Branch became entangled with them, how could Li Jincai not take advantage of this?
Of course, perhaps Li Jincai wasn’t involved at all, and whether the Eighth Branch was indeed the one mentioned in the anecdote remained unknown. Regardless, the matter warranted careful consideration.
The Eighth Branch remembered the Qin family’s kindness, but Zhenniang intended to keep her father from getting involved in their business. Even setting aside Luo Wenqian’s warning, kindness was kindness – it was better kept pure. Mixing in business interests could complicate things. With these thoughts, she left her cabin to find her father in the adjacent one.
In the neighboring cabin, Li Jingfu was drinking tea with Zheng Fuli, listening to him talk about Zhenniang’s affairs in Nanjing.
“Father, why just the two of you? Where are the others?” Zhenniang asked, referring to the relatives heading to Nanjing for development opportunities.
“It’s stuffy in the cabin, they went out to get some air,” Li Jingfu replied. Meanwhile, Zheng Fuli, sensing Zhenniang wanted to speak with her father, excused himself: “I’ll go keep an eye on them.” He then closed the cabin door as he left.
Li Jingfu patted the stool and said to Zhenniang: “Come, sit. Tell me more about Nanjing in detail.”
“Yes,” Zhenniang nodded, then proceeded to describe the Nanjing ink shop and various aspects of Nanjing’s customs and practices. Afterward, she asked, “Father, what are your plans for Nanjing?”
“Well, I don’t have many plans. I just arranged to meet with the Qin family in Nanjing. When we were in Shanxi, they proposed cooperating to open a north-south trading business. I would collect rice, tea, and such from Nanjing, while they would specialize in northern medicinal herbs, furs, and horses. It would work well with one stationary merchant and one traveling merchant to facilitate trade between north and south. However, you know your father – I’m rather lazy by nature, and your eldest brother has his oil press business so he can’t help me. I’m afraid I won’t do it well,” Li Jingfu explained.
The Qin family had proposed this north-south trading business while in Shanxi, but at the time, he was preoccupied with redeeming their family’s share in the ink workshop. He wouldn’t have had capital left to start a trading business, and not knowing the situation at home, the Qin family suggested he check things at home first, leading to this Nanjing appointment.
What Li Jingfu hadn’t expected was that upon returning home, he found their workshop shares had already been recovered, and his children had all made something of themselves. This put more pressure on him as a father, which rekindled his interest in the trading business. However, given his lazy nature, he still couldn’t make up his mind.
“Yes, Father’s concerns are valid. Though I don’t think you couldn’t do it well – you’ve worked very hard – we owe the Qin family a debt of gratitude, and business partnerships often lead to conflicts. Then, whether right or wrong, we’d appear ungrateful,” Zhenniang mused, while also cleverly flattering her father.
This made Li Jingfu laugh, though he then fell into contemplation – Zhenniang did have a point.
“So you’re saying we shouldn’t open this trading business?” Li Jingfu raised his eyebrows, looking at his daughter for confirmation.
“Yes, it’s better not to,” Zhenniang nodded firmly at her father.
“Then won’t your father just be eating idle rice?” Li Jingfu said somewhat sheepishly.
“Father, how can you say that? You brought back so much gold – you should enjoy life now,” Zhenniang said with a giggle, then raised her eyebrows: “Of course, if you could help me at the ink shop, that would be best. There are many things in the Nanjing shop where it’s not convenient for me to take the lead. With Father’s support, I’d feel much more confident.”
“When are you ever not confident? I’ve seen how you carry yourself in the workshop – your manner rivals your grandfather’s when he was manager,” Li Jingfu couldn’t help laughing. He had watched his daughter directing workers at the Li family workshop, her orders followed without question, and the entire workshop showed clear respect. It truly amazed him – this girl used to just be a foodie, who could have guessed she had such capability?
He continued: “Your mother mentioned this to me too, and I certainly want to support you. But I caused such trouble for the workshop before – I’m rather ashamed. Even if I want to support you in the workshop matters, I’m afraid my abilities fall short of my intentions. I’d have trouble commanding respect in this regard.” Li Jingfu scratched his head.
“Father, have you considered starting over?” Zhenniang stared at her father.
“Start over? What do you mean?” Li Jingfu looked at his daughter.
“Rise again where you fell. Father, Grandfather once told me that you had quite a talent for ink making. I inherited this from you, but unfortunately, your somewhat lazy nature left that talent unfulfilled. If you could start again from the basics of smoke collection, step by step, combined with your original foundation, the final results wouldn’t be bad. I think Grandfather would be very pleased,” Zhenniang said, encouraging her father.
When she spoke with her grandfather about her father, he often mentioned her father’s ink-making abilities as a child, always with a sense of pride in his successor. But things hadn’t turned out as hoped – truly, life rarely goes exactly as planned.
“You girl, you’ve found quite a difficult task for your father. But I survived the harsh northern territory, so alright – I’ll rise again where I fell. Your father will start from the beginning,” Li Jingfu said, showing considerable spirit. He wanted people to know that he, Li Jingfu, was no longer the wastrel he once was.
He also needed to contribute his share to the Li ink business. The debts he incurred in the past, he would repay himself.
“Yes, Father, you can do it!” Zhenniang smiled happily.
“You rascal, you’re worried about managing the clan’s nephews and using your father to set an example, aren’t you?” Li Jingfu said, torn between laughter and exasperation.
“Ah… how could that be? Father’s overthinking,” Zhenniang was startled at first, then understood her father’s meaning.
Several clan nephews had come this time, and there would be more and more. Although when leaving home, everyone had agreed to start from the bottom with hard work, inevitably each person harbored hope that Zhenniang would assign them tasks with little work, good pay, and more authority than responsibility. This was a common problem in many family businesses of later times, eventually supporting many who ate without working.
If Zhenniang strictly followed the rules step by step, the family would inevitably label her as harsh. But now, with her father learning ink-making from the beginning, the other nephews would have nothing to say.
Realizing this, Zhenniang looked at her father innocently – she truly hadn’t had this intention. She had purely been worried about her father falling into the Qin family’s trap and finding him something else to do, but it seemed to have worked out well accidentally.
With matters settled this way, Zhenniang’s mind was at ease.
The journey continued for over ten days, nearly half a month’s voyage. Having grown accustomed to the travel, it didn’t seem too slow. When Zhenniang’s group arrived at Nanjing’s Qinhuai dock, it was the nineteenth day of the first month.
When the Li family group disembarked, there was no one from the ink shop to meet them.
“Strange, usually during these days, people from the ink shop come to inquire about boats from Huizhou. How is there no one to meet us?” Zheng Fuli muttered. They had quite a lot of cargo this time – the shop should have sent carts to receive them.
“What, no carts to meet you? Why not take our carriage?” Luo Wenqian offered from the side. Yan Xilai had brought a carriage to meet him. Seeing Li Jingfu at this moment, Yan Xilai recognized him as Uncle Fu and glanced questioningly at Luo Wenqian, clearly wondering why Uncle Fu was with the Li family.
However, Luo Wenqian ignored his look.
Having fought fiercely with Luo Wenqian in the Northern Territory, Li Jingfu naturally wouldn’t accept his kindness now, so he waved his hand and flatly said: “No need.”
“Thank you, Brother Luo, but we have too many people and too much cargo to trouble you,” Zhenniang smiled and clasped her hands in thanks from the side.
“Mm,” Luo Wenqian nodded and said no more, then left with Yan Xilai in the carriage.
“Well, we did depart a few days late – perhaps the shop is too busy to attend to this. Let’s hire our carts back,” Zhenniang then said to Zheng Fuli.
Zheng Fuli nodded – this was their only option. Having spent a year in Nanjing, he knew his way around well. After looking around the dock for a while, he soon hired three large carts: one for cargo, and two for both people and cargo. Thus, the group set off in the carts toward Official Street inside Jubao Gate.