Chapter 5, Li Caitou

As evening approached, Qin Fengyi returned home with her father. Just as they entered the door, Li Caitou sprang out again. Qin Fengyi was extremely curious, "What are you doing here again?"

As a good person, one should not consume the vegetables from the house of a bad person, thought Young Master Qin

Qin Fengyi asked, "Sister Qionghua, is your family similar to Xiaoxiuer's family?"

There was also a saying, "In the past, children were just playful; as for boys, how many of them are not mischievous"

Qin Fengyi understood this and said with a sigh, "This procurement is really making a big deal out of a small matter; I never took it to heart. At first, it was just a bit of fun. Forget it, after all, I did scare Xiao Xiuer earlier, so why should I take away her means of livelihood again"

Qionghua smiled, "At present, following the young master, I have no worries about food and clothing, so what difficulties could there be?" If it weren't for the young master of her family suddenly becoming enlightened and turning into a good person, Qionghua probably wouldn't have spoken so freely about her own matters

This is the first time in two lifetimes that Qin Fengyi has performed a good deed and received a reward for it. He immediately ordered a servant to carry a basket of eggs to show off to his mother. Mrs. Qin did not have a good impression of the Li family, particularly because of the daughter from the Li family who had caused her son to fall seriously ill. However, Mrs. Qin was ultimately a believer in Buddhism. Upon seeing the basket of eggs, all uniformly white and clean, it was evident that they had been carefully selected. The blue cloth covering the eggs was washed spotless, and it was embroidered with floral patterns. Mrs. Qin remarked, "Since their family has come to apologize, let it be. Fortunately, A Feng is fine; otherwise, if anything were to happen to A Feng, just wait and see how I would settle scores with them!"

Lanyue smiled, "Young Master, how would you know about the affairs of the outside world? For these rural families, if they encounter those who cherish their daughters, it is one thing; but if they meet those who do not care for their daughters, selling them by weight is not a rare occurrence. Not to mention other families, even among the maids in our household, many were bought from outside. Although some were sold out of necessity due to family circumstances, there are various reasons for this."

Of course, there are also thoughts in my heart, perhaps it is just a momentary enthusiasm, and after a few days, this interest may fade, likely revealing its true nature which would no longer be valued

Qin Fengyi said, "What? Li Caitou has entrusted you with this."

Qin Fengyi was unaware of how others discussed him. The day before, he had gone out with his father, which felt quite novel to him, and he thought that doing business was not such a tiring job after all

"Alright," Qin Fengyi said, "I have made up my mind. From now on, I will be a good person and, even more so, a filial son. Mother, from now on, whenever you go out, just call me, and I will ride my horse to protect you. If people see this, it will also show our prestige, won't it?" This made Mrs. Qin laugh continuously, while Mr. Qin snorted, "Oh dear, now you want to be a good person and a filial son. So, does that mean you didn't have such plans before?"

Li Caitou hesitated, appearing as if he wanted to say something but did not know how to begin. Although Qin Fengyi seemed somewhat confused and did not understand Li Caitou's demeanor, Old Master Qin immediately grasped the situation. He said to Li Caitou, "You go find the person in charge of purchasing, and Ah Feng will come in with me."

Qin Fengyi said, "Father, I have already rewarded him. He came over with good intentions, and it would not be appropriate for us to accept his eggs. He has a son who is said to be studying, so I had Lanyue prepare a set of writing materials as a reward for him."

The maid Qionghua brought in a cup of milk and sighed, "The saying about grasping the moon makes sense. Speaking of others, even for myself, if it weren't for a bit of luck that allowed me to be sold to our household, I wouldn't know what my life would be like."

Oh dear, that Li Caitou, looks so dark and unassuming, like an honest person, but little do we know, his cunning is darker than his face

What happened to Xiao Xiuer? Did I not send her back?

Qin Fengyi was accustomed to a leisurely life and was somewhat reluctant to go, but thinking of the outcome in the "dream," she readily agreed, saying, "Alright, then tomorrow morning, I will go to the shop with you, Father."

At this point, Qin Fengyi finally understood what her father meant by saying that she "still did not understand." It seemed that her father had long seen through Li Caitou's malicious intentions. Qin Fengyi truly felt sorry for Xiao Xiuer; how could she have such a father? Qin Fengyi asked Lanyue, "This Xiao Xiuer is his biological daughter, right?" Initially, Qin Fengyi felt that she was doing something wrong, but unexpectedly, apart from Xiao Xiuer, the Li family members were quite willing.

Mrs. Qin smiled and said, "What riddle are you two playing this time?"

Old Master Qin nodded his head, significantly changing his opinion of his son

Qin Fengyi pondered for half the night, yet still did not realize where his understanding fell short. He was currently doing all good deeds, and Xiao Xiuer was untouched; it was merely Li Caitou's business. Initially, he was unaware, but now that he knew, he naturally would not take away the means of livelihood from him. So what else was there that he did not understand? Qin Fengyi specifically called for the servant Lanyue to inquire about the vegetable delivery from Li Caitou's family. Lanyue replied, "With you, the eldest young master, personally giving the orders, how could the buyers dare to have any objections? Naturally, they will still have him deliver the vegetables. In fact, I wanted to mention this to you yesterday, but unfortunately, I couldn't find the opportunity."

Who in the world does not eat salt

Lan Yue nodded, "Of course, for I still have some face in front of the young master. During those days when the young master was recuperating at home, he could not see you, so he turned to me for help. In fact, delivering vegetables is a trivial matter. Our master and mistress are both kind-hearted people, but they were just momentarily upset. Since the young master is safe and sound, how could they truly hold a grudge against his family? Li Cai-tou entrusted me, but it is not entirely about delivering vegetables, is it?"

Qin Fengyi exclaimed, "Whether you want to speak or not, I won't ask anymore? I just don't believe that there is something your father can understand that I cannot!"

Naturally, it is nothing to worry about Qin Fengyi said with a candid expression

Qin Fengyi snorted, "Shameless dog!" completely oblivious to what she had done earlier, which was even worse than what Li Caitou had done

Grabbing the moon and squinting, "Young Master, you are unaware that Miss Xiu'er is not very willing, which is foolish. But Li Caitou is willing, otherwise, how could we have so smoothly brought Miss Xiu'er to our home that day? The Li family knows this very well; otherwise, would they not search for such a big girl if she went missing?"

Old Master Qin nodded and said, "Then it shall be."

Madam Qin did not wish for me to discuss the affairs of the Li family. She smiled and said, "My child, come sit beside your mother. Riding back and forth on horseback, are you not tired? This time, you did not even take a break. First, have some tea and rest a while."

Old Master Qin smiled and said, "Alright, since you are so eager to improve yourself and you are now grown up, tomorrow you will come with me to the shop to learn how to do business. You are the only heir in our family, and the family business will eventually be yours."

Old Master Qin glanced at his son and asked him, "Is it really settled?"

"Young Master, it depends on how you put it," said Lan Yue. "As for the engagement that Xiao Xiuer arranged, it is merely with an ordinary family. Even if she gets married, the betrothal gifts are only three to five taels, and her future will consist of nothing but the impoverished life of serving her in-laws and her husband. However, if she comes to our family, both our Master and Madam are generous people, and you, the eldest young master, care for her. Not to mention our concubines, even our maids enjoy a standard of living that is far superior to that of rural maids in terms of food, clothing, and daily necessities."

Qin Fengyi actually received many gifts since childhood, but he felt that among all the gifts given with heartfelt gratitude, this one from Li Caitou was the first. Li Caitou must have been grateful for his kindness, which is why he presented him with a basket of eggs

In fact, when it comes to other businesses, there are certain methods and strategies involved in conducting trade. However, the salt merchants are an exception; the salt tax has always been under the jurisdiction of the imperial court. These major salt merchants obtain salt licenses from the court, which allows them to engage in the salt trade.

Li Caitou smiled and said, "I just came to ask, how are the eggs that the young master is eating?"

Mother, seeing how Father is acting, you should understand that this matter cannot be revealed to us in a short time. Father enjoys putting on an air of mystery!

Mrs. Qin was very pleased and laughed, "Then in the future, when Mother goes to the temple, I will still call for you."

Qin Fengyi said to Lanyue, "You continue speaking, is it that Li Caitou has come over, or does he still want Xiao Xiuer to make something for me?"

Qin Fengyi hurriedly said, "How can you say you are heartless? You are doing the right thing!" She then spoke to Qionghua, "You have never mentioned these matters. If you encounter any difficulties, just let me know."

Qin Fengyi followed her father to her mother's courtyard, feeling somewhat dazed along the way. Mr. Qin said to her, "What is there to be confused about? It seems the vegetable vendor has changed. He came yesterday to deliver eggs, hoping to curry favor with you and make some connections."

Qin Fengyi originally wanted to be a good person, but unexpectedly, she was disrupted by Li Caitou, which was truly disappointing! She felt that Li Caitou was a stumbling block on her path to being a good person, and immediately instructed Lanyue, "Tell the purchasing department that they are no longer allowed to procure from Li Caitou."

It's okay, what's wrong?

No amount of provocation is effective; Master Qin simply refuses to speak

My family is not as well off as Xiuer's. At least her family hasn't sold her. Qionghua said, "As for my family, they not only sold silver but also came to look for me. At first, I thought they wanted to redeem me, but it turned out they were inquiring about how much my monthly salary is. When I was a little maid, they didn't come to see me. Now that they heard I've made something of myself, serving by the young master's side, they came knocking, lamenting about how difficult life is at home, but their true intention is just to get a share of my salary."

Qin Fengyi could not understand, "Hasn't it always been you who sent it?"

Who said she was willing? With that demeanor of Xiao Xiuer, does she look willing? Xiao Xiuer even told me before that she is already betrothed in her village.

Qin Fengyi hurriedly said, "You didn't give it to them, did you?"

Isn't that so

"What else is there to discuss?" Qin Fengyi was puzzled. As for Li Caitou, he had not had much interaction with him. Initially, it was simply because he found the little Xiuer charming, and he would occasionally engage in conversation with her when Li Caitou delivered vegetables. Little Xiuer was quite articulate, and through their exchanges, Li Caitou was able to approach the young master Qin. Otherwise, a person like Li Caitou would hardly have the opportunity to converse with the young master Qin.

Old Master Qin smiled with his eyes and glanced at his son, saying, "You, you still don't understand." With a smile, he lifted his foot and entered the house first. Qin Fengyi hurried to catch up with his father, wanting to ask for clarification, but his father was deliberately being cryptic; no matter how he asked, he simply would not say a word.

Qin Fengyi merely accompanied his father to the shop, to meet the shopkeeper and listen to his father discuss the accounts. Although Qin Fengyi understood not a word, fortunately, after that 'dream,' he resolved to become a good person. Perhaps the 'dream' was too vivid, Qin Fengyi himself had become much more composed than before. Even though he did not understand the accounts, he knew to put on a serious demeanor while listening. Moreover, he was quite good-looking, which certainly worked to his advantage. Even if he was just pretending, he was still young, only sixteen years old. The shopkeeper and the staff, upon seeing him, privately remarked, 'The young master seems like a different person; he has truly made progress.'

"Oh dear, my young master, how could you be so confused?" Lan Yue personally served tea to the young master and said, "Our family is of such a distinguished lineage, with such grandeur, and you, young master, possess such remarkable character. It is not my intention to speak frivolously, but the young ladies of Yangzhou are waiting to become your concubines; there are not fewer than 800, if not 1,000. As for Xiao Xiu, she must have burned incense in her previous life to catch your eye, young master; this is her fortune. Our family is of such a distinguished lineage, with such grandeur, and you, young master, possess such remarkable character. It is not my intention to speak frivolously, but the young ladies of Yangzhou are waiting to become your concubines; there are not fewer than 800, if not 1,000. As for Xiao Xiu, she must have burned incense in her previous life to catch your eye, young master; this is her fortune. As for the Li family, if you, young master, take a liking to their daughter as a concubine, how could they not be pleased?"

"It is my fortune, Li Caitou, that the young master likes it." Li Caitou's old face broke into a beaming smile as he said, "Young master, shall I continue to deliver vegetables and eggs to you as per the old custom?"

What is there to give? Since you have sold me, I consider the grace of nurturing me as my repayment. From now on, we owe each other nothing, so why bring up matters of money?" Qionghua said as she served the milk, adding, "That's how it is; many people say I am heartless.

Lan Yue chuckled slyly and whispered, "What could it be? It's just about Xiao Xiuer's matter"

"Alright, alright," Master Qin instructed, "Give him a red envelope and send him on his way." After all, it is not a major issue

Of course there is, but I was not as clear-headed as I am now before

"What a hassle, not tiring at all. No wonder you like to go to the temple to worship the Bodhisattva. I also feel that after a trip to the temple, my heart becomes much clearer," said Qin Fengyi as she took a couple of sips of tea.

The Qin family's salt business has never had to worry about sales.