TTTQF Chapter 36

Enormous Wealth

“Uncle Zhang, is Brother Daniu free today?”

Taking advantage of a day off from the academy, Jiang Miao hurries over to the Zhang family. These days, he’s been so busy that his feet barely touch the ground. Every day, he’s either selling buns or at home kneading dough and chopping fillings, to the point where his hands are cramping up, yet he still can’t keep up with the next day’s sales.

Uncle Zhang doesn’t go out to drive his cart today. When he sees Jiang Miao, he thinks Jiang Miao wants to hire the cart and quickly comes out to greet him. After hearing his question, Uncle Zhang replies, “Daniu? He’s over by the city gate helping someone carry goods. He won’t be back until the evening. Brother Jiang, what do you need Daniu for?”

“The last time I rode in your cart, didn’t I mention I would need Brother Daniu’s help sometime? Now that I’m overwhelmed with work, I’ve come to find him.” After several days of testing, he discovers this business can be done long-term, which is why he’s seeking help now. Otherwise, if he had informed someone before and then had no work for them, it would have been embarrassing.

Uncle Zhang is delighted upon hearing this, “Do you need him for a short-term job again? How many days this time? I’ll have him inform the foreman.” Helping out at the bun stall is much easier than carrying goods.

“This time it’s not a short-term job; I want to hire a long-term helper.”

“A long-term job?” Uncle Zhang is a bit surprised.

“Yes, a long-term job. I need someone, so if possible, have Brother Daniu drop his current job and come over tomorrow.”

“Sure, I’ll have him quit that job when he gets back.” Uncle Zhang doesn’t hesitate. Although he has only dealt with Jiang Miao a few times, he can tell Jiang Miao is a man of his word..

Since they have agreed, Jiang Miao begins discussing wages with him. Long-term workers are not paid daily; their daily wages are lower compared to short-term workers. However, unlike short-term workers who work one day and rest for two days, long-term workers have a more consistent schedule, which is why most people prefer being long-term workers. Jiang Miao has previously inquired and found that the wages for long-term workers in this area are around 800 Wen to one or two taels of silver per month. He settles on a middle amount and agrees with Uncle Zhang on a monthly wage of 900 wen.

Uncle Zhang has no objections, clearly understanding the local rates. Jiang Miao chats with him a bit more and then hurries back to knead some dough.

That night, Uncle Zhang shares the good news with Daniu and gives him many reminders about working at someone else’s place before allowing him to go.

Before dawn, Jiang Miao carries his load to the courtyard, then takes out the key to open the side door, preparing to head to the morning market. As soon as he opens the door, he sees a dark figure crouching by the door, scaring him so much he almost raises the lock to hit them.

“Brother Jiang?” The person calls out in a trembling voice.

Jiang Miao takes a closer look in the dim light and finds that it is Zhang Daniu. After only two months of not seeing each other, Daniu looks completely different. When he was working for Jiang Miao, though silent, his spirits were good. Now, he looks like an old man, his entire demeanor exuding despondency. As he stands up, patches on his cotton-padded jacket reveal some frost, indicating he has arrived just as the morning bell rang.

“Brother Daniu? Why didn’t you knock? Come in and warm up.” Jiang Miao quickly invites him in.

“No need, aren’t you about to set up your stall? I’ll go with you.” Daniu, looking a bit uneasy, sees Jiang Miao’s load in the courtyard and moves to carry it on his shoulder.

“Don’t rush. You haven’t eaten yet, have you? There are still some hot buns inside. Come in and eat before we get to work.” Jiang Miao, not wanting to be seen as a hard taskmaster, feels guilty for not specifying the time clearly on Daniu’s first day, causing him to arrive so early. He feels obliged to offer him some buns.

Daniu hesitates for a moment but eventually puts down the load and follows Jiang Miao into the kitchen. Jiang Miao brings out some buns and a bowl of hot water, placing them on the table. Daniu thanks him and lowers his head to eat.

“Brother Daniu, you eat here while I go set up the stall. I don’t need two people to set up. Warm yourself up here, and we’ll talk about work when I get back.” With that, Jiang Miao leaves.

However, when he returns after selling his goods, he sees Daniu, who should have been warming himself by the stove, kneading dough with great effort. Besides the dough in the basin, the chopping board is filled with small dough pieces, ready to be rolled out and made into buns.

After days of intense work, the thought of kneading dough makes Jiang Miao’s hands tremble. When he suddenly sees this scene, he is so happy that he wants to cry. It feels so good to have someone to help!

Hearing the noise, Daniu turns around and sees Jiang Miao looking at him with a strange expression. He panics, thinking he has done something wrong. Jiang Miao quickly explains, reassuring him, and only then does he feel relieved.

The two of them work not only faster but also more efficiently. With the help of Daniu, Jiang Miao gets another cart and a frying pan. When setting up the stall, they fry buns in two pans simultaneously, selling many more than usual and naturally earning much more money.

Now, Jiang Miao’s fried buns have become famous, not just on this street but also on several other nearby streets. Often, a batch of fried buns gets bought the moment it is ready.

Daniu is shocked by this, but Jiang Miao is used to it. In modern times, popular stores always have crowds, with people even waiting in long lines for hours. His fried buns are currently unique, somewhat like an ancient version of a modern trendy store.

However, once this thing becomes famous, imitations will soon appear. Jiang Miao is already prepared for this, having even made a banner reading “The Original Fried Bun” ready to hang on his cart. But he soon discovers that there are very few, almost no, imitations of his fried bun business. For the average vendor, the cost of a flat pan is relatively high, and adding the expense of a cart and rapeseed oil increases the initial investment. If the business fails, it wouldn’t be worth the loss, so they decide to wait and see.

Jiang Miao is naturally pleased with this situation, as it means that his business will remain unique for the foreseeable future.

While Jiang Miao’s business thrives, things are not as pleasant for Pei Che. Ever since his maternal grandfather returned home before the New Year, peaceful days seem to have left him.

“Young master, the old lady sent word for you to go over.”

Outside the study, Chan Yi’s voice comes. Pei Che puts down the book he is halfway through, sighs, and says, “I’ll be there right away.”

He tries to control his emotions and stands up to head to his grandmother’s courtyard.

“Grandmother, what instructions do you have for your grandson?”

Grandmother Pei, who has been turning the prayer beads in her hand with her eyes closed, slowly opens her eyes and looks at Pei Che upon hearing his voice: “Take your younger brother to visit your maternal grandfather’s house tomorrow.”

“Grandmother, we just visited the day before yesterday.”

“Tomorrow, your maternal grandfather is hosting a banquet, and the guests include several high-ranking officials from the court. How can you not attend?” Grandmother Pei notices a fleeting look of resistance on Pei Che’s face and tries to persuade him earnestly, “Che’er, I know you don’t want to go, but now that you have come of age, what harm will it do to you to make more friends? Do you think your grandmother would ever harm you?”

She says it so seriously that Pei Che can no longer remain silent and hurries to say, “I know you mean well, Grandmother, but how can I, without any official position, have the face to socialize with court officials? Why would they even take me seriously?”

Hearing this, Grandmother Pei softens her tone: “Even if they don’t respect you, they will respect your maternal grandfather. They won’t dare to disregard you in his presence. Just go.”

“…Yes,” Pei Che lowers his head, “but I won’t take Mu’er with me this time.”

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t take him with you, but you must go.” After Grandma Pei finishes speaking, she feels that her attitude was a little tough and gently adds, “Grandma is doing this for your own good.”

“Grandson understands. Grandmother must be tired, so please rest. I’ll take my leave now.” Pei Che bows and turns to leave.

In the dimly lit room, a voice softly speaks, “Do you think he’s blaming me?”

Gao Mama replies, “Miss, the young master is so filial; he wouldn’t blame you.”

Grandmother Pei sighs bitterly and says, “Have someone bring Second Master here.”

“Yes, Miss.”

…

“Madam, the Duke has returned from there,” a maid whispers in the ear of a luxuriously dressed woman.

“Go, quickly invite the Duke over!”

“Yes!”

Not long after the maid leaves, a middle-aged man walks in.

“Husband, why did Mother call you over?”

Pei Shiyuan looks at his wife who comes over and replies impatiently, “What else could it be for? It’s about petitioning for the title of heir.”

“Mother’s heart is so biased it’s infuriating! How could a nephew inherit his uncle’s title? We have sons of our own. Even if we’re petitioning for the heir, it should be Min’er, not Pei Che. What does this have to do with him?” Li Yijia exclaims upon hearing this.

“Keep your voice down!” Pei Shiyuan glances around and then gets up to close the door. “The title originally came from his father. If he hadn’t been so young back then, it wouldn’t have come to me.”

“You mean to say, you actually want to petition for Pei Che to be the heir?” Li Yijia asks in disbelief.

“Don’t speak so loudly! If Mother hears you, you’ll be in trouble!” Pei Shiyuan glares at her. The old lady’s hearing is exceptionally sharp.

“So what if she hears? This is outrageous! After we’ve managed the Duke’s household so well, why should he get the benefits?” Li Yijia thinks bitterly. After all, we’re not her biological children. No matter how well she treats us on the surface, once it comes to the title, she’ll turn her back on us in an instant.

“The Feng family is powerful and currently at the peak of their influence. If Old Master Feng speaks up, he will rally many to his cause. It might become impossible not to establish Pei Che as the heir,” Pei Shiyuan says, revealing his greatest fear.

“Pei Che has his maternal grandfather backing him, but my family isn’t without influence either! No, I’ll go to the palace now and speak with the Empress. If she puts in a good word with the Emperor, we can have Min’er established as the heir first. Let’s see what Mother can do to stop it then!” With that, Li Yijia is about to get up.

Pei Shiyuan quickly pulls her back, “Are you crazy? How can you trouble the Empress with a minister’s family affairs? If you want the Empress to suffer criticism, then go ahead.”

“If this won’t work and that won’t work, are we just supposed to watch Pei Che inherit the family estate?” Li Yijia sits down angrily.

“You, don’t be so impulsive! We need to plan carefully. The best way is to make Pei Che voluntarily give up his qualification,” Pei Shiyuan’s eyes flash with a sinister glint.

“You want to ruin his reputation?” Li Yijia’s interest is piqued.

“That won’t work. The fortunes of the Duke of Zhongguo’s household are interconnected. If his reputation is ruined, how would we benefit? Moreover, if something happens to him at this critical moment, we’ll become easy targets. Do you think Old Master Feng is someone to be trifled with? On the contrary, I plan to offer him enormous wealth. Listen to me…” Pei Shiyuan whispers a few words into Li Yijia’s ear, and her eyes light up as she listens.

“Husband, you always have a way. Let’s proceed as you said. I’ll go to the palace to see the Empress tomorrow!”

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