Chapter 677: Chapter 679: Worried for Nothing
Jin Qianqian knew full well she had misspoken. She just didnāt want to see Ancient Wen Heng looking so tense and was deliberately trying to lighten the mood.
āI really canāt keep feeding him like this. Heās already had two bowls of soup and so many meat dishes.ā
"Oh, right. With everything going on with me these past few days, you havenāt assigned anything to Le Xi and the others, have you?"
How could Ancient Wen Heng have remembered such things? "Let them get more familiar with the place first. What do you have in mind, darling?"
For Jin Qianqian to ask this, she must have had a plan.
Jin Qianqian said, "Gu Yi is a Scholar, while Gu Xueāer and Le Shun are both child students. We should find a tutor to guide them for a while and see if they can advance further.
"As for the others, do you think you should keep them by your side, or should I have them go to one of my shops to learn for a while?
"If they prove to be capable, I could even lend them some starting capital to give them a leg up."
Ancient Wen Heng replied, "Let them choose for themselves when the time comes. Weāll see if they want to become merchants or low-level officials."
Hearing this, Jin Qianqian didnāt press the matter. Everyone thinks differently, and for someone from a farming family, even being a low-level official was likely far more appealing than being a merchant.
As it turned out, just as Jin Qianqian suspected, six of the remaining seven men wanted to follow Ancient Wen Heng.
The only exception was Gu Le Ping, who chose to stay by Jin Qianqianās side.
Jin Qianqian found this very strange, so she asked him to stay behind. "Will you regret this choice? Shouldnāt you ask your parents?"
Gu Le Ping said with a grin, "Seventh Aunt, I can make this decision myself. Thereās no need to ask my parents."
Jin Qianqian pressed, "But everyone else chose to follow your Seventh Uncle. Why did you make this choice?"
"I think following Seventh Aunt is a great idea. Being a merchant means I can be my own boss, free and unfettered, without having to worry about food and drink. Thatās the life I want."
Jin Qianqian asked again, "Scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants. Do you understand the significance of that hierarchy?"
Gu Le Ping looked unconcerned. "Thatās what they say, but that ranking really only applies to those who donāt have a powerful backer."
At this, he turned with a fawning expression to Ancient Wen Heng, who was sipping water and enjoying the show. "With a mountain like my Seventh Uncle watching my back, I doubt anyone out there would dare to look down on me.
"As an official, you get a meager salary and have to take grief from your superiors. I think being a merchant is much better. This way, my parents wonāt have to work so hard either."
Only then did Ancient Wen Heng put down his cup and look at him. "And youāre not afraid that this mountain youāre relying on, your Seventh Uncle, might prove to be unstable?"
Gu Le Ping froze for a moment, then quickly mimicked one of Li Cuicuiās habits and spat a few times. "We donāt say such inauspicious things.
"Besides, I donāt trust anyone elseāonly Seventh Uncle and Seventh Aunt."
Ancient Wen Heng studied Gu Le Ping intently. He hadnāt stood out in the crowd before, but he was clearly a young man with a mind of his own.
"Since youāve decided, thereās no going back.
"Even as a low-level official, with me looking out for you, there would have been room for advancement.
"Are you sure you donāt want to reconsider?"
Gu Le Ping shook his head. "Iām more interested in buying and selling. Please, Seventh Uncle and Seventh Aunt, grant my wish."
Jin Qianqian smiled and agreed. "Your days of leisure are over, then. Since you want to do this, your Seventh Aunt wonāt go easy on you. Iāll be piling all the dirty and difficult jobs on your shoulders."
Gu Le Pingās gaze was resolute. "Donāt hold back, Seventh Aunt. Iām strong enough to handle any work you throw at me."
Because of that promise, Gu Le Ping would spend a very long time in a state of both pain and joy.
Jin Qianqian truly did hand him over to Minghai, making him get involved in every matter, big or small.
He left at the crack of dawn and only returned after everyone else was asleep.
His other brothers all advised him to change his mind and join them, learning under Old Shi. As relatives of the Inspector General, no one dared to give them a hard time, so their days were quite leisurely.
But Gu Le Ping shook his head and refused. He even tried to persuade his brothers to join him, arguing that his days were incredibly fulfilling and that he was learning a great number of practical skills.
Neither side could persuade the other, so in the end, they simply followed their hearts and went their separate ways.
Opening a shop here was not as simple as it had been in Lu City.
Back then, Lu City was waiting to be rebuilt, and many wealthy people had abandoned their homes and businesses to flee. This made it a simple matter for Jin Qianqian to acquire storefronts and manors.
Yongchang County, however, was a different story. It was home to several old aristocratic families, as well as local officials and gentry who were firmly entrenched here. All the truly good storefronts had long been carved up by these families. If Jin Qianqian wanted to acquire one, it would come down to pure luck.
Since their arrival, Minghai had spent days scouring the whole of Yongchang County. He had put the word out to all the local brokerages, but so far, he had only managed to acquire a single small storefront in a rather remote location.
These last few days, Jin Qianqian had been poring over the simple map drawn by Minghai. Yongchang County was encircled by mountains, leaving very little room to maneuver.
Seeing her brow deeply furrowed, Ancient Wen Heng knew what had been troubling her lately.
"Donāt be in such a rush. If thereās nothing suitable, just let our people rest for a while."
Jin Qianqian sighed. "I thought of that, but while Iām not in a hurry, our people are more anxious than I am.
"They find sitting around the estate incredibly boring, and some have even started competing for chores to do."
Everyone wanted to be valued by their masters. Being forced to sit idly by every day made them feel insecure, terrified they might be sold off again one day.
This made them even more aggressive in snatching up work. Sometimes, three or four people would fight over a single, minor task.
Ancient Wen Heng had heard whispers of this over the last few days and said with a smile, "Isnāt that a good thing?"
Jin Qianqian retorted, "Donāt just stand there enjoying the show. Help me think of a solution."
She pointed to the map. "I was thinking of building a few new storefronts here on the outskirts, but the location is less than ideal."
If we were to open a restaurant, building it in such a remote spot would definitely hurt business. People wonāt travel for half a day just for one meal.
Ancient Wen Heng stroked his chin. "That is a dilemma.
"Even the nearby mountain lands have been carved up by the various families. This place might not look big, but itās actually very difficult to get a foothold."
Jin Qianqian mused, "We could always rent a shop, but that would leave us vulnerable. If they see our business is thriving and decide to kick us out, all our hard work would be for nothing."
Ancient Wen Heng tapped the table and laughed. "Youāre missing the forest for the trees. If you can actually rent a shop, you can get the business up and running.
"Have you forgotten? You have me as your backer. Even if someone wanted to kick you out, theyād have to think twice."
Jin Qianqian smacked her forehead. "Silly me! All of our previous shops were either bought or built by us, so I completely forgot about that option.
"I have a powerful backer now, so of course I donāt need to be afraid of being driven out. I was worrying for nothing."