The spacious courtyard was empty.
Zhang Qiquan and the tooth man walked in front, surveying the terrain, discussing prices and asking details.
Zheng Ruqian had his hands clasped behind his back. He had to maintain his identity as a young master, while also calculating in his heart how much it would cost to fix a corner of the room, repair a wall, and whether it would exceed the budget.
Jiang Sheng, on the other hand, shook her head. She felt that this residence was too empty and too big. The vegetables that grew here were all inedible kinds, unsuitable for living, and could easily starve people to death.
Unexpectedly, she saw tears in Fang Heng's eyes, and was instantly taken aback.
All thoughts of vegetables and food floated to the back of her mind. The young girl's face was filled with worry, and afraid that third brother was shedding tears secretly, unwilling to let others know, she slowly slowed her pace.
After everyone else had walked to the front, she carefully moved next to Fang Heng and lightly held his hand.
Without words, without calling out, just the simplest accompaniment.
In Fang Heng's tearful eyes, he saw the little girl who only came up to his chest. The thick sadness in his heart that could not dissipate finally eased a little.
"Third brother, what's wrong?" After waiting a long time, Jiang Sheng finally asked softly.
Fang Heng lowered his head. "I miss mother."
Jiang Sheng was surprised.
Mother? Was she like Auntie Zhang, who would give piggyback rides and braid little pigtails? But Auntie Zhang was right here. Jiang Sheng didn't feel any longing.
Could she be closer than Auntie Zhang? Would she hug Jiang Sheng? Would she put little pants on Jiang Sheng? Or would she...
What would she do?
Jiang Sheng couldn't think of anything else.
Mother was just a symbol. She only saw third and fourth brother with tears brimming in their eyes, but didn't know why their eyes were brimming with tears. Jiang Sheng sighed like a little adult.
In fact, she shouldn't have thought so much. Because being alive was good enough, having enough to eat was even better, and having big brothers was already the best. Jiang Sheng was not greedy.
Who was it that said, know contentment and constant happiness?
"Don't cry, third brother." She took out a small handkerchief from her sleeve, stood on tiptoes and whispered in Fang Heng's ear, "I heard auntie say we're having braised pork elbows for dinner tonight."
Although Fang Heng's eyes were full of tears, when he saw the glistening liquid flowing from the corner of his sister's mouth, his eyes dried up again. He helplessly held up his thumb to wipe away her drool.
"Oh!" Jiang Sheng exclaimed. "It must be because the braised pork elbows smell too good."
To the point where she started salivating before even eating them, just from recalling the smell she happened to catch a whiff of when passing by someone else's door occasionally.
All of Fang Heng's sadness dissipated. He pulled Jiang Sheng along gigglingly to catch up with the others.
"In the future, when third brother earns money, I'll buy you braised pork elbows, cartloads of them."
Up ahead, Zhang Qiquan and Zheng Ruqian seemed to be haggling with the tooth man.
Behind them, a black head peeked out from the high wall of the garden, dressed in black clothes, as if confirming something.
After a long time, he finally finished confirming. Just as he was about to climb down, he accidentally stepped on a broken roof tile from years of disrepair.
With a "crash" sound.
Fang Heng was the most alert. He immediately turned his head, but only saw a fleeting shadow, thinking it was an illusion.
The others were even more confused, thinking they were hearing things.
Only Zheng Ruqian suddenly grabbed the tooth man's sleeve urgently, "A roof tile over there broke. This house is too dilapidated. Thirty taels is too expensive. You have to give me a discount."
The tooth man was annoyed from all the haggling. "Fine, fine, twenty five taels, that's it, okay?"
They finally signed the contract happily in the courtyard.
Outside the courtyard, the new county magistrate rubbed his buttocks that had cracked into eight pieces from the fall, baring his teeth in pain with tears streaming down his face.
"Sir," his little attendant whispered behind him, "Should I write a letter?"
He suddenly twisted his head back furiously, "You're the sir, you can't climb walls. You made me, the sir, climb."
The sir had also fallen on his butt.
The little attendant shrank his neck and didn't dare speak.
The new county magistrate gritted his teeth. "Write, write, write. Just say it's confirmed that she is the eldest young miss's son."
The little attendant quickly took out paper and brush from his sleeve, licked the ink stick, and sloppily wrote the two words "confirmed" on it.
A snow white carrier pigeon flapped its wings and landed. After having its foot ring attached, it flew away gracefully again.
Only then did the new county magistrate breathe a sigh of relief. He patted the mud off his buttocks and leisurely walked away.
From afar, he could still hear the little attendant asking, "Sir, back to Xieyang County? You're the magistrate of a county now."
"Can I not go back?"
"You can't."
"Then why did you ask?"
Renting a large courtyard with two adjoining residences for twenty five taels in the city, really was extremely cheap.
But before Zheng Ruqian could gloat, the tooth man took the silver and receipt and dashed away like a wisp of smoke.
As if afraid they would change their minds.
Zheng Ruqian stared wide-eyed, feeling a little suspicious in his heart.
Luckily Zhang Qiquan was there to reassure, "Don't worry, it's just a little old. We can hire people to fix it up tomorrow."
Right after he finished speaking, the place where the sound came from earlier collapsed.
A tear slid from Zheng Ruqian's eye corner to the edge of his mouth.
The next day Zhang Qiquan found plasterers and roof tilers to repair the entire house, while also using the tilers' connections to spread the word about hiring pork processing workers.
Working five hours a day would earn five copper coins, paid immediately that same day.
At the end, Zhang Qiquan added, "Limited to ten people."
It wasn't that ten would be enough, but if you don't limit the number, they won't hurry over anxiously, and won't wait patiently to be selected.
As for five copper coins per person per day, it was temporary worker wages, each responsible for different procedures to prevent the cured meat recipe from leaking out.
After selecting excellent suitable workers from among them, they could then switch them to long term contracts, register with the yamen, and earn more money. But at the same time, they would also bear legal responsibility.
These were all things Zheng Ruqian had learned from Zhang Qiquan.
After the workers were hired, they had to find suppliers.
Salt and spices were not difficult. They just needed to register with the government and they could buy large quantities of slightly cheaper salt. This was the Great Yu Dynasty's leniency towards cured products, but only limited to cured products. If you secretly resold them, it would be a crime.
What remained was large quantities of stable, good quality, cheap pork.
Zheng Ruqian was familiar with this. Early on, he had taken his siblings, especially fifth brother Changyan, by carriage towards the market.
They were excited with high hopes for the workshop.
Zheng Ruqian had even prepared to strike it rich.
But several neatly dressed men blocked their way at the alley entrance.
Zheng Ruqian's pupils instantly contracted then dilated. His hands subconsciously pulled the reins taut. There were only five words in his mind, "Don't tell me, again?"
Last time it was the county magistrate's wife sending thugs to kill in revenge for her younger brother.
Now who was it?
Who was it?
But before they could ask, the few men pounced over, pulling out long swords and stabbing towards their throats, trying to kill them in one strike.
Their target was Fang Heng!
