APSIL -Chapter 19 If You Want to Get Rich…

The room was enclosed on three sides by brick walls that had once been whitewashed but were now mottled and peeling with age. In the western corner stood a black-lacquered wooden cabinet, by far the finest piece of furniture in the house. Beside it sat a vessel that was hard to identify as either a clay basin or a pottery pot. Several nameless wildflowers bloomed haphazardly within it, bringing a touch of life to the humble room.

However, Zhang Shou knew they had been freshly dug up from the fields that very morning, roots and soil intact, and hastily replanted there.

A handful of children crowded curiously at the doorway, only to be impatiently shooed away by the adults standing guard. Aside from Zhu Ying, who occupied the room’s only rattan armchair, everyone else either squeezed two or three people onto a narrow bench or perched on tiny wooden stools. Even so, every one of them sat ramrod straight.

Standing in the center of the room, Zhang Shou couldn’t help glancing at the young lady a few more times.

Ever since he had sent word to the Yang family the previous night, this rattan chair had been scrubbed over and over with well water. Once sat upon by countless people, it now carried the mellow sheen that only years of use could produce, lending it a rustic elegance. Yet the only person capable of sitting in it as naturally as though it were an ornate grand chair in a noble mansion was Miss Zhu herself—a young lady who, in many ways, behaved nothing like a conventional noblewoman.

Retracting his gaze, Zhang Shou cleared his throat and delivered a brief opening that sounded uncannily like the start of a village committee meeting.

“Since everyone is here, let’s begin. Old Yang, you go first.”

Old Yang secretly cast a respectful glance toward Zhu Ying before straightening his back proudly and surveying everyone else with an air of authority.

“Today, in the presence of Miss and the Young Master,” he declared solemnly, “I’ll tell everyone about our Rongshui Village.”

The moment he heard the title Young Master, Zhang Shou felt utterly helpless.

He had already warned the old man not to call him that, yet the crafty fellow was clearly doing it on purpose!

Whether it was Old Yang’s overly serious tone or that form of address, Zhu Ying couldn’t help laughing.

The farmers below, who desperately wanted to look at her but dared not stare openly, were struck speechless by the breathtaking smile. Several swallowed nervously, unable to utter a word.

Even Qi Liang, whom Zhang Shou had deliberately invited to attend as one of the younger villagers and who sat quietly listening from the corner, felt his heart pound violently.

Seeing that no one dared interrupt him, Old Yang mistakenly assumed he had intimidated the crowd. Pretending not to notice Zhang Shou’s annoyed glare, he launched into his report.

“Our village used to grow mostly wheat. Thanks to the Young Master’s efforts, the irrigation canal was rebuilt and water was brought into the fields. Over the past two years, we’ve converted much of the land to rice paddies. The sandy land that used to flood before the riverbank was repaired now grows cotton. We’ve replanted trees on the hillsides, and we raise oak silkworms twice a year. Life is far better than it used to be.”

His weathered face glowed with excitement as he continued.

“If the Young Master hadn’t persuaded Madam Wu to spend such a fortune—digging canals, selecting better seeds, buying silkworm eggs and cotton seeds, and even reducing everyone’s rent during the first year—we never could have held on! The harvests from the rice and cotton fields the year before last were only average, and many of the silkworms died. Things improved last year, and from the looks of it, this year will be a bumper harvest!”

“You should know that many officials in the capital come from the south and prefer rice. The north grows plenty of wheat but little rice, so most rice has to be transported from the south. That’s why rice has always been much more expensive here than in Jiangnan. We sell polished rice, not coarse grain. Once it’s sold this year, the profit will exceed the combined earnings of the previous two years! Better yet, there are fish in the paddies themselves, so if people want, they can enjoy meat much more often.”

“As for the cotton fields, never mind the money—every family now has two new cotton-padded jackets to wear. Raising oak silkworms has been even more profitable. During this spring’s silkworm season, everyone earned considerably more. If we hadn’t had powerful patrons backing us, the taxes on cotton and silk might officially be lighter than those on grain, but those tax collectors aren’t reasonable people. Seeing us suddenly become prosperous, who knows how much they would have squeezed from us!”

“So today I’ll make one thing perfectly clear. Whatever the Young Master says in the future, our Yang family will follow without hesitation!”

Though Zhang Shou had been irritated by the old man’s constant use of Young Master, he had to admit Old Yang truly knew how to speak.

This wasn’t explaining the situation at all.

It was practically a public declaration of loyalty.

With Old Yang taking the lead, everyone else immediately voiced their agreement in unison, each trying to outshout the others. Only when Zhan Jin, standing beside Zhu Ying, could no longer endure the noise and covered her ears did the villagers sheepishly quiet down.

Zhu Ying, however, wasn’t bothered by the commotion.

Though she appeared to be listening attentively, she kept glancing toward Zhang Shou, her thoughts occupied by what he had told her before inviting her here.

So he really is deeply respected in this tiny village…

But what exactly does he want me to help him with?

“What Old Yang described,” Zhang Shou began, “is merely the journey from scraping by to having enough to eat, and from having enough to eat to living comfortably. That alone still takes years. As for going from comfort to true prosperity—that’s even harder.”

Since the village lay close to the capital, he paused.

The phrase ‘If you want to get rich, build roads first’ almost escaped his lips before he swallowed it back.

After all, the village wasn’t far from the main road. The connecting road had been well built, wide enough for carts and horses, making transportation easy. Otherwise, the Zhao Duke’s carriage couldn’t have reached the village in the first place.

The village already possessed excellent natural conditions.

Taking a quiet breath, he continued seriously.

“If we truly want to become wealthy, then the village can’t keep looking so rundown. We need to renovate the houses. Because before long, people from the capital will be arriving one after another.”

Zhu Ying looked astonished.

“A-Shou, what do you mean?”

Turning toward her, seated in the center of the room like its hostess upon the rattan chair, Zhang Shou smiled.

“Now that the eldest daughter of the Duke Zhao’s household has come to stay in this little village, don’t you think certain people, upon hearing the news, will come flocking here?”

Thinking he still doubted what she had said earlier at the Zhang residence, Zhu Ying let out a dissatisfied snort.

“I already told you—they can be ignored. They wouldn’t dare cause trouble! And if anyone does, I’ll make sure they regret it!”

“They may not stir up trouble,” Zhang Shou replied with a smile, “but what if they decide to stay here just as you have? Those people behave recklessly even in the streets of the capital. How much worse would they be in the countryside?”

Watching Miss Zhu begin to bristle, he deliberately winked.

“So, once the harvest is finished, we’ll dry the grain, thresh it, mill the rice—and then immediately start renovating the village houses.”

The moment he said this, both Zhan Jin and Liu Yin, who had been quietly watching him, were utterly shocked.

Liu Yin blurted out, “Are you planning to use Miss as bait so those young nobles come here and spend money staying in the village?”

Before she could finish, Zhu Ying interrupted domineeringly.

“How is that using me? A-Shou is absolutely right! Those fellows really would swarm here like flies. They’re a bunch of useless idiots who know nothing except trailing after me all day. They have no ambition, no sense of responsibility, and they’re more trouble than they’re worth!”

Having spent years teasing the spoiled young aristocrats of the capital under the indulgent protection of her father and grandmother, Zhu Ying wasn’t offended in the slightest by what sounded suspiciously like Zhang Shou’s plan to make use of her arrival.

On the contrary, she was eager to see it happen.

“But if you’re renovating the village houses just so they can stay here, that’ll never work. They might not even think much of your own residence, let alone these village homes. Every one of those fools is richer than the last, more extravagant than the last, and pickier than the last.”

Zhang Shou wasn’t surprised by her reaction.

Even though he had expected she wouldn’t mind, seeing her enthusiastically join in nevertheless made him smile inwardly.

This young lady truly had an interesting personality.

In some respects, she and he were remarkably alike.

Chuckling, Zhang Shou said, “The village renovations are precisely to ensure they don’t stay in the village. Otherwise, the whole place would be turned upside down, disturbing everyone’s peaceful lives.”

The villagers immediately nodded in vigorous agreement.

There were no local bullies here, and government runners rarely visited except during tax season. But anyone who had been to the city had witnessed arrogant rich men running wild, and no one wanted the hopeful life they had finally built to be ruined.

Seeing everyone support the idea, Zhu Ying remained puzzled.

Smiling, Zhang Shou explained, “While the village is under renovation, it’ll be full of dust and construction. How could those pampered nobles possibly agree to live here? And they certainly won’t tolerate sleeping in tents.”

The more Zhu Ying listened, the more curious she became.

“A-Shou, stop keeping us in suspense! Where exactly are you planning to have them stay?”

“Heh…”

Zhang Shou smiled mysteriously.

“I have my own clever plan.”