TFS – Chapter 79 A Flurry of Activity

“Xiu Ge’er and Mo Ge’er already cleaned up the house and left some food steaming in the pot. They just left not too long ago,” Elder He said with a cheerful smile, informing the two of them.

Even without Elder He mentioning it, they could tell—the courtyard and the house were tidy and well-kept. However, they couldn’t always rely on the two ge’ers to help. Remembering how Li Feng had previously suggested hiring some help, Tang Chunming said, “Ah Feng, why don’t we hire one or two people to help out at home? Sometimes, when things get busy, we can’t take care of everything. Even if it’s just to clean up and cook for the kids, it would still be a big help.”

Elder He stroked his beard and laughed. “I was wondering how long it would take you to finally realize this.”

Tang Chunming rolled his eyes in annoyance. So Elder He had just been waiting to watch him struggle instead of offering a reminder? It wasn’t entirely his fault that he hadn’t thought of it sooner—mainly, their house was much bigger now. Cleaning the front and back courtyards, along with the empty rooms, took a lot of time. On top of that, they had to work on the mountain behind the house and tend to the vegetable garden in the courtyard. He and Li Feng simply couldn’t manage everything on their own.

“Alright then,” Li Feng agreed good-naturedly while holding A’Sen. “I’ll go make arrangements.”

Li Feng had actually wanted to hire help for a while now, mostly because he felt bad for Ming Ge’er. But since Ming Ge’er wasn’t used to having outsiders at home, he had taken it upon himself to do more, hoping to ease Ming Ge’er’s burden.

Finding help wasn’t too difficult. Aside from the villagers in the mountains, there were a few men who had been working on the back mountain for some time. Li Feng had observed their character and decided to hire them as long-term workers. When choosing people, he hadn’t just considered their personalities—he had also discreetly looked into their families. The last thing he wanted was to bring in a nosy gossip. Over time, it became clear that these families were reliable. None of them spread any news about the mountain work to outsiders, which reassured Li Feng.

So he inquired if any of these families had a husband or an elder who was available to help around the house.

In the end, they chose a ge’er in his forties known as Chen Mama. The villagers all called him that—he was a widowed ge’er whose husband had died in military service years ago. Left alone, he had single-handedly raised his son and never remarried. Now that his son was also working on the back mountain, his household was simple and free of complications. Both Li Feng and Tang Chunming felt at ease hiring him.

After meeting Chen Mama, they made their decision quickly. He was not a talkative person but had a warm and gentle smile. More importantly, he was hardworking. Not only did he manage household chores efficiently, but he was also happy to help take care of the children. In his own words, “I’ve been hoping for my son to marry a husband and give me a grandchild. I’d love nothing more than to stay home and take care of a little one.”

Before working for Li Feng’s family, Chen Mama’s household had struggled financially. His son had been unable to marry because they couldn’t afford a proper wedding. Raising a child alone had been tough on Chen Mama, and by the time his son was grown, they still had no extra savings for a bride price. He also didn’t want to settle for an undesirable match just to secure a marriage. So, the matter had been delayed.

But things were finally improving. With his son now working for Li Feng, matchmakers were already starting to visit, proposing potential matches for his son. It seemed that better days were ahead.

With Chen Mama helping out at home, Elder He also had more free time. He could now leisurely stroll around with Doctor Hu, exploring the mountains together. The two of them even took the time to observe Tang Chunming’s grafting techniques, occasionally trying their hand at it when their interest was piqued. As for Tang Chunming, he found himself with a lot more leisure time—feeling like he could afford to slack off a little. Plus, he now had more time to spend with his two sons. The small amount of money spent on hiring help was well worth it.

Even Zhang Xiu and the others commented that they should have done this sooner. Although they didn’t know exactly how much silver Li Feng had brought back, just looking at Tang Ji Whole Lamb Restaurant in the county was enough to tell them that the family was doing well. The restaurant brought in a significant income each month, and even though the coldest days of winter had passed, business was still thriving. Everyone in the village knew that regular shipments of lamb were sent to the county, and while others might be envious, there was little they could do about it.

At this time, news about the wine distillery had finally spread throughout the village, sending Pingshan Village into another wave of excitement. Even those who usually stayed home, like the ge’er and mama, came out to ask their neighbors and friends:

“Is it true that we can really brew wine?”

“Will it actually sell?”

“Did Li Feng’s family really establish ties with the Rong family, the imperial merchants?”

“This isn’t just a rumor, is it?”

For ordinary commoners, even seeing a yamen officer would make them too nervous to speak, let alone having dealings with imperial merchants. Unlike regular traveling merchants, imperial merchants had direct connections to the emperor himself. Even the county magistrate would have to treat them with the utmost respect.

Anything associated with the word “imperial” instantly multiplied in value and prestige.

Although the Great Qing Dynasty prioritized agriculture over commerce, merchants were not heavily restricted. There were no laws forbidding merchants from wearing silk, nor were there bans preventing their descendants from taking the imperial exams within three generations. To ordinary people, wealthy merchants were already considered big, influential families, let alone imperial merchants. Some people even joked that imperial merchants paved their floors with gold bricks and dressed their servants in silk. The exaggerated rumors made Tang Chunming chuckle.

Meanwhile, families who had just bought vegetable seedlings from Li Feng’s household began reconsidering another matter—should they listen to the village head and plant sorghum?

Most households already planted some sorghum, but only on poor-quality land—fields too barren for rice or wheat, which were cash crops used for trade and tax payments. Sorghum, being coarse grain, was mostly grown for household consumption.

“We might as well plant it. We’re already growing sorghum anyway, and last year, Ming Ge’er’s sorghum fields had a great harvest. Plus, we’ll be signing contracts. The distillery will buy back all the sorghum for brewing, so we won’t lose money.”

“That’s right! Just look at Li Feng and Ming Ge’er, and the families working with them—have they ever lost money in anything they’ve done?”

“But what’s this about buying shares in the distillery? Should we invest? I heard those who invest will get a share of the profits once the wine is sold.”

After much discussion, the villagers came up with two ways to buy shares in the distillery:

1. Families with cash could invest directly by contributing silver.
2. Farmers growing sorghum could invest their sorghum harvest as their share in the business. This meant that instead of selling their sorghum for silver, they would exchange it for a stake in the distillery.

This arrangement had to be clearly agreed upon in the contract, and it would only apply for this year’s harvest. If a farmer changed their mind after the harvest, they could sell their shares back to the distillery or to existing shareholders, but they could not transfer shares to outsiders from other villages.

Some bold families directly followed Li Feng’s lead—not only investing money but also signing contracts to count their sorghum crops as part of the investment costs. Since they had already started growing vegetables at home, they knew they would have income once the vegetables were sold, ensuring they wouldn’t face a period of hardship. The families that made the largest initial investments were overjoyed once the distillery started operating and generating returns. Their gamble had paid off, and now, the more cautious and conservative families were envious, regretting their hesitation. After all, they had been too timid to take the risk.

Zhang Xiu, Wang Mo’s family, and Uncle Liu had known about the distillery plans early on. When the village head announced the project, they were among the first to respond. Watching the hesitant villagers, Zhang Xiu privately cursed them for being fools—after all, this was essentially free money that Ming Ge’er was bringing to the village, yet some people were still overthinking it. He and Dashan not only planned to invest money and sorghum but also intended to work at the distillery once it was up and running.

The Qian family was also considering this opportunity. Qian Defu’s parents, after some thought, took out their carefully saved retirement silver and handed it to the village head. Since they were still capable of working, they had no intention of relying on their son for support in the future. Given Qian Defu’s personality, they had little hope that he would take care of them in their old age. Instead, it was better to earn and control their own money. As parents, they were more clear-headed and pragmatic than their son.

However, he was still their son, so the elderly couple called Qian Defu over to ask about his decision. Deep down, they wanted to guide him in the right direction. Unexpectedly, the conversation quickly soured, and they ended up angrily scolding him and sending him away.

“He’s like this now—there’s no point worrying about him anymore. At least we have another son who is filial and obedient,” said Old Qian, his eyes filled with disappointment.

“Just listen to the nonsense he spouts! Saying that the royal merchant title might be a scam and even suggesting that Li Feng’s family is colluding with outsiders to cheat the villagers out of their silver! Old man, how did we end up with such a useless son? And he even married that good-for-nothing!” Old Madam Qian angrily pounded the kang (heated brick bed).

That Sun ge’er had been causing trouble, but ever since Doctor He warned that if he didn’t take care of himself properly, he might never be able to bear children, he had finally calmed down. Now, he stayed in bed all day, minding his own business, barely even paying attention to the young boy he had brought with him.

With less trouble at home, the old couple was at least spared some embarrassment in front of the villagers. Even though they had divided the household, any disgrace still reflected on them. But Sun Ge’er’s past antics had already cost them a fortune—bowl after bowl of expensive medicine prescribed to protect the pregnancy had drained their savings. On top of that, they frequently had to summon Doctor Hu, which even dampened the festive atmosphere of their New Year celebrations.

When Qian Defu returned home, he saw Qin Goudan standing in the courtyard, his expression dark. Ever since returning from the mountains that time, he had never shown the boy a kind face. That incident had truly terrified him—he had nearly fallen into the jaws of a hungry wolf and barely made it back alive. And all of it was because of that brat. If not for the fact that Sun Ge’er was pregnant with his child, he would have sent the boy back to Qin Family Ridge long ago.

“You’re back,” Sun Ge’er said softly from the kang, hearing the noise. “Did Father and Mother call you over for something?”

“It’s nothing. Just focus on taking care of yourself. You don’t need to worry about anything outside. In a couple of days, I’ll be heading out for a trip, and I’ll have Mother come over to look after you for two days.” Qian Defu didn’t tell Sun Ge’er anything about what was happening in the village. Ever since the incident at the end of last year, the people who used to associate with him no longer dared to. They were afraid that if something went wrong and the child was lost, Sun Ge’er would blame them for it. After all, they had witnessed how he went to demand justice from Ming Ge’er. Since no one visited him anymore and he himself didn’t go out, he remained completely unaware of what was happening in the village.

Sun Ge’er’s face paled when he heard that Qian Defu was leaving. Helplessly, he said, “Husband, why are you leaving at a time like this? You know that Mother doesn’t like me at all. I…”

“If I don’t go out and earn money, where would we get silver to buy your medicine?” In the past, whenever Sun Ge’er looked this pitiful, Qian Defu would have immediately softened, comforting and doting on him. But now, he just frowned impatiently before turning around and walking away.

Not long after, Qin Goudan entered the room and saw his mother looking disappointedly in the direction where Qian Defu had left. He sneered twice in a mocking tone, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he turned and left, disappearing from the Qin household. No one knew where he went or what he was up to.

Sun Ge’er called out Goudan’s name from inside the house, but no matter how much he called, his son did not return. He frowned slightly but then comforted himself, “It’s fine. Goudan has always been attached to me. Once I give birth to this child, I’ll be able to bring his heart back to me.” Before this child was born, he didn’t dare to chase after Goudan the way he used to. He was truly afraid that if he lost the baby, Qian Defu would abandon him. Without a child, no matter how much he humbled himself and tried to please Qian Defu, he would never be able to win back a man’s heart.

The Zhao family had another dispute over the distillery, but this time, it wasn’t within Old Madam Zhao’s household. Instead, it was among the Zhao clan members on the Third Great-Uncle’s side. They had disagreements about their stance on the distillery and Li Feng and Tang Chunming’s partnership, and their long-standing dissatisfaction with Third Great-Uncle finally erupted during this opportunity.

Some wanted to join the distillery. Though they had never tasted Tang Chunming’s wine—since it had only been served at the wedding banquet and, aside from Sixth Uncle, no one from the Zhao family had attended the wedding—they had heard plenty about it. They knew Tang Chunming didn’t like them and wouldn’t welcome them, and they also feared that attending would cause another conflict with Third Great-Uncle and Old Madam Zhao. However, just because they hadn’t tasted the wine didn’t mean they couldn’t ask around. Everyone who had attended the wedding had nothing but praise for both the food and the wine. Though the compliments seemed almost exaggerated, one thing was certain—the wine he brewed couldn’t be any worse than what was sold in the town’s distilleries.

Moreover, their potential business partner was a royal merchant. When Rong Yue had visited, they had caught glimpses of him from a distance. Just the sight of the guards and attendants following him was enough to intimidate them. Ironically, that overwhelming power only strengthened their trust in Li Feng’s family.

So, after gathering all this information, they remained optimistic about the village’s distillery. As long as they invested silver, they would surely make back their capital and even earn a profit in the future. For farmers who had spent their lives relying on the land, this was like an opportunity falling straight from the heavens. If they missed out on this chance for nothing, they would be so furious they’d want to kill someone.

However, Third Great-Uncle refused to budge on this matter. He claimed that this was the Li family’s business, and the Zhao family shouldn’t get involved. The Zhao family was a scholarly household and couldn’t tarnish their ancestors’ reputation. He warned that if anyone dared to participate, he would break their legs and expel them from the Zhao family. He insisted that the younger generation should focus on farming diligently and supporting scholars, as Zhao’s rise to prominence was just around the corner.

“Reading, reading! And what did we get? We funded Zhao Laosan, that ungrateful bastard!” Many Zhao family members were resentful. Last time, Zhao Daniu had taken all their hard-earned silver and run off to who knows where, probably enjoying himself somewhere. And now, they were expected to keep paying? Dream on! If Zhao Laosan failed, were they supposed to keep funding another one? In the end, all they would be raising were ingrates.

“Look at Sixth Uncle’s family now. They used to be worse off than us, but now? Who among us can compare to their current life?”

“Exactly! We should learn from Sixth Uncle. Whether or not we acknowledge the Zhao family’s ancestors isn’t up to Third Great-Uncle alone. When we fled here during troubled times, we were only a branch of the Zhao family, not the main line.”

“That’s right! If we keep funding scholars like this, our own sons won’t even be able to afford their school fees in the village anymore. Even if our boys aren’t academically gifted, being literate is still better than being illiterate.”

“Exactly! Once the distillery starts running, it’ll need a lot of workers. Are we really just going to sit back and watch others make money?”

Their resentment kept building up. When Third Great-Uncle opposed them yet again, they finally exploded. A few families no longer showed him the respect they once did. They stormed off on the spot, declaring that it was time to elect a new clan leader—someone more capable. Third Great-Uncle was getting old and too stubborn in his ways.

This time, Third Great-Uncle was so furious that he coughed up blood. He lay on his bed, but it wasn’t Zhao Laosan’s family taking care of him. His favorite, Zhao Laosan, was still in the county and couldn’t come back. Instead, he was being cared for by his own son and grandson—relatives he had long ignored. Though they looked after him, they showed him no warmth. To them, it was clear that Third Great-Uncle had been competing with Ming Ge’er out of sheer stubbornness, but he shouldn’t have gambled their future in the process.

“Father has indeed become more confused over the years,” said Third Great-Uncle’s youngest son. “The older he gets, the more he clings to the past glory of our ancestors. But has he ever considered that those honors didn’t belong to our branch of the family? They belonged to the main Zhao lineage. How much of that glory did we even benefit from? We’re still just farmers, making a living off the land. How could we ever dream of anything more?”

This was the same son who had refused to take silver to Zhao Laosan in the county last time. Because of his refusal, the silver was ultimately taken by Zhao Daniu, who ran off with it. After that, Third Great-Uncle had even blamed his youngest son, saying that if he had just gone, the silver wouldn’t have been lost.

Among his sons, this youngest one had spent the most time by his side and understood his father’s thoughts better than anyone. That’s why he found his father’s thinking so ridiculous. Who was Zhao Laosan, really? He didn’t even care much for his own biological brothers. Would he truly help his clan members in the future? They called him a white-eyed wolf, and they weren’t wrong. Back when Old Madam Zhao tried to sell Ming Ge’er and their little nephew, did Zhao Laosan really have no idea? More likely, he just turned a blind eye and let them do as they pleased. Thinking about it this way, it sent chills down his spine.

“Yeah, it was better before. At least he didn’t ask us to hand over our silver. But now, all he cares about is Zhao Laosan. He doesn’t even care about his own grandson anymore. How much wealth do we even have? We’re not expecting Father to leave anything for his grandchildren, but we have to think about our own children.”

“But he’s our father. What are we supposed to do? And now, with him coughing up blood, if we do anything more, we’d really be unfilial. If we push too hard, it might cost him his life, and we can’t bear that responsibility.”

“So what else can we do? Maybe we should keep this from Father for now? We can secretly talk to the village head and discuss things privately. And we should also get some clarity from Ming Ge’er on this matter.”

“Sigh…”

They were the ones left to clean up the mess their father had made. What was so wrong with Ming Ge’er? Why did their father have to go head-to-head with him? If he looked down on someone just because they were a “ge’er”, then why was he making such a big deal out of it now?

While some members of the Zhao family were preparing to split from Third Great-Uncle, and even his own children were planning to disregard his orders, Tang Chunming also heard about how Third Great-Uncle had been so enraged that he coughed up blood. It was Sixth Uncle who told him.

Zhao Sixth Uncle hadn’t given up his small business of using an ox cart to transport villagers to town. He made the trip once a day, traveling between town and Pingshan Village, except on days when the weather was too bad with heavy rain or snow. That day, as he passed by Li Feng’s house on his way back from town, he purposely stopped his ox cart to tell him the news. Since the two of them didn’t lower their voices, Tang Chunming overheard everything, including the full details of how things unfolded.

His intention was to warn Li Feng and Ming Ge’er to mentally prepare themselves because those Zhao family members who wanted to split from Third Great-Uncle would likely come looking for Ming Ge’er, and when that happened, it would surely be a headache to deal with.

Tang Chunming found the whole situation utterly ridiculous. That things had escalated to this point was almost like some bizarre village scandal.

Just how much resentment had Third Great-Uncle’s actions stirred up for the Zhao clan members to consider either electing a new clan leader or outright splitting from him? As for an old man being so infuriated that he coughed up blood—Tang Chunming felt no pity whatsoever. His heart remained cold, devoid of even the slightest trace of sympathy.

From the first time he met Third Great-Uncle in this village, he had known that the man disapproved of him. Though he had managed to leave the Zhao family thanks to the old man’s pride, he was well aware that Third Great-Uncle didn’t like him—not because of the actual conflict but because he had exposed the Zhao family’s dirty affairs for everyone to see. In Third Great-Uncle’s view, Zhao family matters should have been handled internally. But if he had truly stepped forward to arbitrate, would he have ever really sided with Tang Chunming and Ah Lin?

That would have been nothing more than a daydream!

Maybe he could suppress Old Madam Zhao and Wang Chunhua’s greed once, but he wouldn’t have been able to stop them a second or third time. In the end, he and Ah Lin wouldn’t have had a much better fate than before. Even if their lives were pushed to the brink, they might have ended up like Sixth Uncle’s ge’er, Da Lian. Or perhaps, their fate would have been even worse. At least Da Lian had married out of the Zhao family and still had Sixth Uncle to seek justice for him.

But he and Ah Lin?

Just thinking about it made Tang Chunming’s heart grow cold.

“What about Zhao Ama and Wang Chunhua?” Tang Chunming asked curiously.

“Them?” Sixth Uncle sneered. “Those two old hags? Their hands are only open to take, never to give. Do you really think they’d be willing to hand over their silver to help you set up a distillery?”

Sixth Uncle knew them well enough to easily guess what was going through their minds. In their eyes, the distillery probably belonged to Ming Ge’er alone, so why would they ever invest their silver into it? If Zhao Laosan were here, maybe he’d be able to see reason—after all, he had seen more of the world outside.

But now, Sixth Uncle felt that it was a good thing Zhao Laosan had gone to the county town. At least this way, he wouldn’t be around to disgust Ming Ge’er any further.