Zhao Ming followed Zhao Song into the house. Zhao Song headed straight for the main courtyard. Seeing his son still following behind him, he stopped and turned back impatiently. “What do you want to say now?”

Zhao Ming, who had been lost in thought and just unconsciously following, came to his senses and looked up at his father. “Sanniang is very clever.”

Zhao Song’s expression softened. “That’s natural. She takes after her grandfather quite a bit.”

“What I mean is, she actually knows Liu Yueshi only occupies Jinyang.” Zhao Ming said, “Among so many household heads in the clan, how many know Liu Yueshi reached Jinyang, and that Bingzhou is still in Xiongnu hands?”

Zhao Song felt his son was being sarcastic again. His just-softened expression hardened once more. “What are you trying to say?”

Seeing his father’s expression change, Zhao Ming retreated two steps to establish a safe distance before saying, “Father, you still have reservations even with me, your son. You should be even more cautious with outsiders.”

Zhao Song pointed at him and scolded, “You’re already so old yet still jealous of Sanniang. She’s your niece—have you no shame? How have I held anything back from you? Which household matter haven’t I told you…”

Once again, Zhao Ming was scolded away by his father.

In less than half a day, news that Zhao Hanzhang had returned with two chests of glass spread throughout the wubao.

Zhao Hu was first to bring people to her door. “Sanniang, Sanniang, where’s the glass you promised me?”

Zhao Hanzhang and Fu Tinghan were in the study selecting books to take with them. Hearing Zhao Hu’s shouting, they couldn’t help but look at each other.

Fu Tinghan had zero interest in social matters. He lowered his head. “You go handle it. I’ll continue looking through the books.”

“Alright.” Zhao Hanzhang could only hand him the bamboo slips in her hands. “Military texts. There should be two more volumes. Find them and bring them along.”

As soon as Zhao Hanzhang left, Professor Fu immersed himself in the books again. He had just discovered that in this era, the exploration of mathematics and science had never ceased, and some problems were quite interesting.

When Zhao Hanzhang reached the front hall, Zhao Hu had already circled it twice. Seeing her, he immediately rushed forward. “Where’s the glass?”

“Seventh Great-Uncle, you’re too impatient. Those glass items are all piled in chests and haven’t been sorted out yet.”

Zhao Hu was puzzled. “Piled?”

“Yes. Do you want glass cups or glass bowls?”

“Doesn’t matter what. Take them all out for me to see. Outside they’re saying you brought back lots of glass. Was it all left to you by your grandfather?”

Zhao Hanzhang had people bring out the best few sets of glass and arranged them one by one on the table for him to see. “Seventh Great-Uncle, how’s the quality?”

After carefully examining them, Zhao Hu nodded. “Not bad. I’ll take them all. What’s your price?”

Zhao Hanzhang asked, “What does Seventh Great-Uncle think they’re worth?”

Zhao Hu thought for a moment. “This is five sets total. I’ll give you fifty gold pieces per set. How about it?”

“Seventh Great-Uncle is truly generous, but we’re family. How could I charge you such a high price?” Zhao Hanzhang said, “For each set of glass here, just give me ten gold pieces.”

Zhao Hu looked at her in surprise. “Are you serious?”

Zhao Hanzhang nodded. “How could I joke with Seventh Great-Uncle about such matters?”

Zhao Hu looked at the glass on the table with suspicion and picked them up to examine again, finding no problems.

He hesitated, uncertain.

Zhao Hanzhang said, “…Seventh Great-Uncle, do I look like someone who would cheat relatives?”

Zhao Hu thought: Actually, a bit, but he couldn’t say it out loud.

After thinking, Zhao Hanzhang said, “Actually, I do have one matter to request of Seventh Great-Uncle.”

Only then did Zhao Hu feel it was real. He sat down at the table. “Speak. What matter?”

Zhao Hanzhang said, “I want to barter two sets of glass with Seventh Great-Uncle.”

Zhao Hu asked, “Trade for what?”

“Grain.”

Zhao Hu said, “Didn’t we just finish summer harvest? Soon we’ll have autumn harvest. With all your land, you still need to buy grain?”

Landowners like them only ever sold grain, never bought it.

Zhao Hanzhang said, “My previous lands went fallow. Now I have quite a large population, and the summer harvest grain isn’t enough. I can only buy from outside, but how can buying from outside compare to buying from clan members for convenience?”

Zhao Hu nodded directly. “Fine, I’ll trade with you. Just two sets though. I don’t have more.”

Zhao Hanzhang looked disbelieving. “Seventh Great-Uncle has so much land. This year’s harvest is decent. Just twenty gold pieces worth of grain and you have none left?”

“Isn’t it all because of Zhao Ming? He says times are hard outside now, the future situation uncertain, won’t let us sell grain outside. Can only sell some to the clan. The rest we all have to store ourselves.” Zhao Hu had long resented Zhao Ming. Seizing the opportunity, he recruited allies. “Relying on his father managing clan affairs, he acts tyrannically in the clan. Those who don’t know would think he’s the future clan leader.”

Zhao Hu lowered his voice. “Sanniang, I know he has many complaints about you too. By rights, your first and second branches are the legitimate lines. Your grandfather was the previous clan leader, your uncle is the current clan leader. What you and Erlang say carries weight in the clan. Why don’t you have Erlang speak up?”

Zhao Hanzhang said, “…Seventh Great-Uncle, Erlang is young and doesn’t understand things. Don’t try to manipulate him.”

“Am I manipulating? I’m thinking of you! If he can argue down Zhao Ming, he’ll have prestige in the clan in the future.”

Zhao Hanzhang silently sympathized with Zhao Ming. It was quite pitiful—leading clan members like Zhao Hu through chaotic times wasn’t easy. Most importantly, he couldn’t just cast people out.

Zhao Hanzhang pushed four sets of glass cups to Zhao Hu. “If Seventh Great-Uncle wants to sell grain for money, why not just barter directly with me? I’m a clan member. Father shouldn’t stop you from selling grain to me. Take the glass cups and sell them. Though you’ve gone a roundabout way, you’ve achieved your goal.”

Zhao Hu thought it over and realized it was true. But forty gold pieces worth of grain wasn’t small. At current grain prices, it could buy…

Zhao Hu secretly counted on his fingers. “Grain prices are rising now. I won’t overcharge you—one hundred coins per bushel of wheat. How about that? So forty gold pieces would be…”

Oh dear, he should have brought the accountant. That’s why he hated bartering most, especially trading precious items for cheap goods. So hard to calculate!

Fu Tinghan got hungry and came looking. Hearing this, he said, “Four thousand bushels.”

Zhao Hu asked, “That much?”

He looked at the four sets of glass cups on the table, hesitating. This was almost his entire summer harvest.

Though he wasn’t short of grain—plenty of old grain remained—still…

Zhao Hanzhang seemed to sense his hesitation. “I can take half old grain, half new grain. But Seventh Great-Uncle must give me some extra old grain.”

Zhao Hu’s brow relaxed. “Give you an extra hundred bushels?”

Zhao Hanzhang agreed immediately. “Deal.”

Zhao Hu had people pack up the four sets of glass cups. As he was leaving, he remembered to ask, “Where did you get so many glass cups?”

Zhao Hanzhang smiled slightly at him. “Seventh Great-Uncle will know later. Go back and have them prepare the grain. When the time comes, I’ll need to trouble Seventh Great-Uncle’s household to help us make a trip to Shangcai to deliver the grain.”

Zhao Hu waved his hand to show he understood.

Fu Tinghan walked to her side, watching with her as Zhao Hu left. “Will Zhao Ming be very angry?”

Zhao Hu’s household grain production ranked in the top five in the wubao. She’d just bought away an entire year’s summer harvest in one transaction.