TIPS – Chapter 96

At this moment, Cao Dazhi—the man whose name was being shouted all over the inn—was secretly trying to flee. Just now, he had been greeting guests in the main hall. The moment he saw that group of people rush in, he knew something was wrong. He never would’ve imagined that an ordinary rich outsider could actually mobilize all the stewards to come after him.

It wasn’t like he hadn’t preyed on guests staying at the inn before, but those people had always accepted their misfortune and never came back for revenge. What he hadn’t expected was that this time, not only did the two guests survive the fall from the Stone Stele Forest—which no one ever came back from alive—they had even managed to bring back an entire group of stewards, grandly marching in to arrest him.

What else could he do but run for his life?

“H-he-he… I saw him sneaking off that way…” A waiter, who had just been wondering why Cao Dazhi was acting so suspicious, pointed nervously.

“Move! After him!” the man shouted, releasing the waiter and leading a group of burly men to give chase.

“We’ll wait here,” Song Jingwei said, pulling the young man beside him down to sit.

The innkeeper saw this and hurriedly came over in person with a pot of tea. He poured the tea himself, smiling apologetically as he said, “Dear guests, I truly apologize. That Cao Dazhi…” He still didn’t know exactly what Cao Dazhi had done. What worried him was whether this matter would implicate him and the inn.

“He colluded with thugs to rob and extort guests staying at the inn,” Song Jingwei said matter-of-factly, noticing the innkeeper’s expression change. “This is Cao Dazhi’s wrongdoing. By rights, your establishment shouldn’t be implicated. However…”

“However, what?” The innkeeper wasn’t a fool. He knew full well that this wasn’t the first time Cao Dazhi had done something like this. But why had no one ever gone to the stewards before? Why did it have to blow up today? Clearly, it was because the person in front of him had an extraordinary status—enough to make even the stewards from the town come out in force.

“Whether or not it was all his idea, we can’t say. He is one of your inn’s staff, after all. If something happens, the inn is naturally the first place people will question.” Song Jingwei wasn’t wrong.

“Of course it was all his doing—we would never stoop so low!” the innkeeper quickly assured. He really hadn’t been involved. They were just ordinary folks—he might have had the thought, but not the guts. “Young master, I hope you can speak a few kind words for our little inn, so our reputation isn’t tarnished.”

“Hmm…”

“But you were indeed frightened while staying at our inn.” The innkeeper softened his tone. “As an apology, we’ll return double your lodging fee. Please accept it as a token of our regret.” As he said “double,” he subtly turned his chubby palm underneath the table—meaning it would actually be five times the amount.

Truthfully, five times the lodging fee wasn’t much at all. Song Jingwei didn’t really care. But even a mosquito is still meat—since the silver was being offered, of course he wouldn’t refuse.

“That’s very considerate of you. If this really was all Cao Dazhi’s doing, naturally only he will be held responsible.”

“Heh heh, yes, of course.” Hearing this, the innkeeper quickly and deftly packed a pouch of money and quietly handed it to Song Jingwei.

With a small gesture from Song Jingwei, he passed it instead to Shen Junxi.

Shen Junxi stared blankly at the pouch. So… they just got a bag of money? He had been listening to the conversation the whole time, and all he gathered was that this was some kind of compensation. But a whole bag? That seemed a bit excessive. And in his experience, businessmen were usually stingy—why would they so willingly hand out money?

“Take it,” Song Jingwei told him. If they didn’t accept it, the innkeeper likely wouldn’t feel at ease.

“Okay…” The young man hesitated, then reached out to take it, still confused as the innkeeper continued to smile brightly. This only made him more bewildered.

Song Jingwei found the young man’s reaction amusing and couldn’t help but smile. He leaned in and whispered, “What are you afraid of? Someone’s giving you money—it’s not like it’s coming out of your pocket. You’ll need to get used to this kind of thing when traveling. Don’t be timid, understand?”

His intimate whisper, paired with the warm breath brushing his ear, made the young man nod earnestly, his cheeks flushing slightly.

It didn’t take long before the leader of the stewards returned, dragging a thin and scrawny young man with them—it was none other than Cao Dazhi, the one with the mole on his face. He had tried to escape through the back kitchen and had nearly made it into a side alley, but two strong men suddenly appeared and caught him on the spot.

Now disheveled and covered in grime, Cao Dazhi knew very well his fate would be grim.

“Young master, take a look—is this the one?” the leader asked, shoving Cao Dazhi forward to stand before Song Jingwei.

“That’s him.” Song Jingwei gave him a quick glance, then nudged Cao Dazhi, who was bent over, with his foot. “Where are your accomplices?”

“…” Cao Dazhi opened his mouth, but didn’t dare say a word. If he ratted out those people, there wouldn’t be a single corner left in Shiku Town where he could hide.

“He won’t talk. What do you all think?” Song Jingwei turned to the leader of the stewards—this kind of forced confession was best left to the professionals.

“Ha! He won’t get off easy then!” The leader immediately kicked Cao Dazhi hard, making him cry out in pain. He barked, “Speak! Where are your accomplices? If you don’t confess honestly, I’ll let you experience what it’s like to have your hands and feet broken!”

Cao Dazhi turned pale from the pain, cold sweat breaking out on his face. He realized he’d miscalculated. If he stayed silent and refused to give up his partners, he’d still end up miserable. These stewards were no saints—they were practically local bullies themselves. Trembling, he murmured, “Don’t hit me… I’ll talk…”

“Then talk!” the leader barked, shooting a smug glance at Song Jingwei. These petty criminals always needed a beating to be honest—just one kick and the guy was spilling his guts. Easy.

“Y-Yes… I… I’ll take you to them.” Cao Dazhi stammered, and only when the pain in his leg eased a bit did he crawl up from the ground.

And so the group once again marched out of the inn in a grand procession. Cao Dazhi led them to a hideout commonly used by the local thugs and hooligans. These types were cautious by nature and constantly changed locations to avoid being caught. But this time, they’d kicked the iron plate—ran into someone who didn’t just want revenge, but wanted it now—and that someone had brought twenty-something strong men to launch a surprise surround-and-capture operation.

They watched as the panic-stricken gangsters scattered like chickens and dogs, only to be caught one by one and forced to squat in the courtyard.

“What do you plan to do with these people?” Song Jingwei asked.

The leader grinned and replied, “We’ve got a government-run quarry around here. We’ll send them all there to do some hard labor.”

Now that was a creative punishment—more effective than jail. Song Jingwei asked, “How long will they be working in the quarry?”

“Heh heh, that depends—up to five years, or as little as three. All depends on their behavior,” the leader said proudly. “Our town might be a bit rough, but you’ll rarely hear about serious crimes. That’s because the quarry work is brutal. Heh heh, after a couple years there, they’ll understand what it means to behave themselves.”

“That makes sense.” Three to five years of hard labor was no light punishment.

“So, young master—are you satisfied with how they’ll be dealt with?” the leader asked.

“Very. You’ve handled this well. Having fair and capable stewards like you is a blessing for Shiku Town.”

“Heh heh heh.”

“Let’s go find a bright, comfortable place and have a proper meal,” Song Jingwei said, straightening his clothes and inviting the group of men to a restaurant. Treating people to meals after asking for favors—well, that was a habit he wasn’t likely to shake.

It was early afternoon, the sun was warm, and the weather had turned just a bit milder. After enjoying a not-quite-lunch meal with the men, it was already getting late. Song Jingwei turned to them and said, “To tell you the truth, I came here this time for your town’s rock-grown tea plants. I’ve already negotiated the price with some local tea farmers, but I’m a bit worried about the transportation.”

The leader replied, “What’s there to worry about? Every year someone comes to buy tea plants from our town and hauls them away just fine.”

“It’s the transport I’m worried about. I bought exactly ten thousand tea saplings.”

Everyone at the table sucked in a breath. “Ten thousand saplings?” That was a serious business deal.

“Exactly. If one cart can carry three to five hundred saplings, we’d need twenty to thirty carts. And it’s not about the number of carts—it’s about whether they’re reliable.”

“No need to worry about that,” the leader said, realizing that Song Jingwei was probably still shaken from the earlier extortion incident. Laughing, he said, “Leave the carts to me. I’ll personally find honest and dependable drivers for you—no one will try to scam you!”

Song Jingwei smiled and said, “That’s excellent. If you’re willing to help, then I can rest easy.”

“No problem at all!” The leader knew full well that once you take someone’s favor—or their food—you’re obliged to help them in return. And besides, this wasn’t a big ask.

That very afternoon, Zhao Yanming brought a group of workers to dig up the tea saplings. Meanwhile, Song Jingwei and Shen Junxi brought a long line of horse-drawn carts. The whole group headed into the mountains in a grand procession. They didn’t take the narrow path A’Ji had led them on before, but rather a wide, cart-accessible road—far smoother and easier by comparison.

Zhao Yanming remarked, “Getting this many carts together so quickly—it’s impressive.” He had been worried about this before, but it turned out the client had solved the issue on his own. These two outsiders were more capable than he’d expected.

“Thanks to a friend’s help—it wasn’t something we managed on our own,” Song Jingwei replied with a smile.

“I see,” Zhao nodded, understanding. Of course, they must’ve made arrangements and inquiries before coming here.

Only the young man sitting beside him knew—this had nothing to do with any “friend’s help.” His wife had planned all of this from the beginning. Everything he did was the result of planting seeds and reaping rewards. Every step had been deliberate.

Back at Zhao Yanming’s house, he immediately led the workers out to start digging up the tea saplings. Before leaving, he asked Song Jingwei and Shen Junxi if they wanted to come along. Song Jingwei replied, “We’ve been traveling non-stop for days, and we’re really exhausted. How about you go on ahead today, and we’ll join you tomorrow?”

“Alright.” Zhao Yanming arranged accommodations for them right away and said, “It’ll probably take about three days to dig out all the tea saplings. You’ll need to wait a bit.”

“No problem. As long as we have a place to stay, that’s enough,” Song Jingwei said. Digging up ten thousand tea saplings in just three days was actually pretty quick. Not all of the workers Zhao brought back were digging—he had assigned a portion of them to handle the saplings right after they were unearthed. So, from Song Jingwei’s perspective, their efficiency was decent.

Zhao Yanming said, “Since you’re transporting them a long way, we won’t do too detailed a job cleaning them up. You can trim the roots again when you replant them.”

“Alright,” Song Jingwei nodded. Every evening after dinner, he would sit down to consult Zhao Yanming on tea farming techniques.

Shen Junxi came from a tea-growing family as well, so he had a basic understanding of the work. Listening to Zhao’s experience with Song Jingwei now gave him plenty of insight. Seeing his wife so serious and dedicated—transforming from a pampered young master who knew nothing about farming into someone relying on the land for a living—moved him deeply. If his wife could take farming so seriously, what excuse did he have not to learn, not to dive in?

“In general,” Zhao explained, “tea trees prefer mild climates, plenty of sunlight, and loose soil. They don’t do well in overly damp environments. Your land isn’t far from here, so it should be suitable for growing tea.”

“It’s not far at all. There’s tea farming there too,” Song Jingwei said, then smiled. “The village is actually called Tea Mountain Village.”

“Haha,” Zhao laughed. Upon hearing the name and realizing that the other party came from a long line of tea farmers too, he warmed up even more.

Three days flew by, and at last, the ten thousand saplings were all dug up. However, figuring out how to load them onto carts turned out to be a hassle. Thankfully, Zhao Yanming had experience with buying tea saplings over the years, and it wasn’t long before he helped them come up with an efficient method.

The silver they brought from home had been spent almost completely on this trip. Now that everything was finally ready for the return journey, both of them felt a surge of joy.

Sitting in the covered cart, the normally quiet young man smiled and signed, “I miss our son. I wonder how he’s doing?”

“He’s definitely doing well—eating, sleeping, growing. What else could he be doing?” Song Jingwei smiled. Of course he missed the child too, having been away for so long, but he was more reserved and didn’t show it as openly.

“Mhm.” Shen Junxi nodded, his face glowing with happiness.

“This trip has been hard on you,” Song Jingwei turned his head and said. He had originally planned to make the journey alone—thankfully, Shen Junxi had come with him. He wasn’t arrogant enough to think he could’ve handled everything alone. Things would’ve gone much rougher.

“…,” Shen Junxi looked at him, stunned for a moment, then quickly signed, “It wasn’t hard.” His smile faded a little as his expression softened with concern. He continued to sign, “You were the one who had it hard.” If not for the family, for the betterment of their lives, his wife wouldn’t have to run around like this at all.

“Me?” Song Jingwei looked away and said, “I just wanted to earn more silver for you and our son.”

Shen Junxi, sensitive to such things, immediately reached out and grabbed Song Jingwei’s hand resting on his knee. He didn’t like hearing that. It made them sound like they weren’t truly one unit—as if he and the child were separate from Jingwei. That wasn’t right. He shook his head, looking at Jingwei, silently asking him not to say things like that.

“I used to think that way,” Song Jingwei said, then gave the young man a mischievous smile, clearly teasing.

“…!” Shen Junxi froze for a second, then lit up with joy. How could he ever be upset at being teased by Jingwei? He was delighted. His first instinct was to gleefully throw his arms around Song Jingwei’s shoulders, grinning from ear to ear.

“Don’t get smart with me. What I meant was, I used to want to earn more silver for you two—now, I want you to earn your own silver.” Song Jingwei cleared his throat and added, “I’m not made of iron—I don’t want to live a hard life forever.” He had once longed for a life of leisure, but somewhere along the way, he ended up piling more and more on his plate.

“…,” Shen Junxi clung tightly to him, signing cheerfully: “We’re a family. I do the labor, you make the money to support the family.”

“Pfft, why can’t you make the money to support the family?” Song Jingwei retorted. The cart bumped a little as it rolled along, making the two of them sway slightly, though their bodies stayed close together.

“I do the labor. You manage the money,” the young man signed, solemn and serious.

Song Jingwei chuckled and said in a mock-serious tone, “Alright then, I’ll start assigning you some real tasks. But you still have to take good care of the baby.” Over time, Jingwei had come to think of childcare as Junxi’s main job—because he did it so well.

“Mhm.” The young man nodded happily, not feeling the least bit burdened. As long as he had his family by his side, no amount of hardship could dim his joy.