Chapter 254: Strike First

It was not easy for Liang Zhuzi’s twelve households to find this livelihood, and Village Chief Liang did not want to ruin their business because of himself.

Third Grandpa looked at Village Chief Liang; although he knew Village Chief Liang had no choice, they could not forgive him for this reason.

"We will not stop Zhuzi’s business because of your mistake. As for the rest, there’s no need to say more, a mistake is a mistake," said Third Grandpa.

After hearing this, Village Chief Liang heaved a sigh of relief, bowed, and gave a cupped fist salute: "Thank you, Brother Gu."

Whether Gu’s Workshop forgave him was not important, as long as they did not take it out on Zhuzi and the others.

Village Chief He looked at Village Chief Liang and asked, "When did Village Chief Sun come to find you? How come I didn’t know about it?"

Village Chief Sun must have been plotting this for quite some time.

Village Chief Liang replied: "He found me yesterday afternoon. It was one of his nephews who came running to tell me, saying Village Chief Sun had urgent matters and needed me to hurry to Beigou Village. By the time I followed that young man to Village Chief Sun’s family in Beigou Village, the chiefs of the other four villages were already there, in the midst of a feast."

"We were halfway through eating when Village Chief Sun revealed his plan to us."

"At the end, he told me to say the words I just mentioned. He said to watch for his gesture, and as soon as he signaled, I was to stand up and speak."

"Originally, I was unwilling, but Village Chief Sun said that this was for the livelihood of all the villages; we can’t just watch them remain so poor, while... Gu’s Workshop is so wealthy."

"Village Chief Sun said we weren’t there to snatch the recipe, just to help Gu’s Workshop sell their products. After all, someone needs to sell the things Gu’s Workshop produces, so instead of giving the business to others, it might as well be us."

Village Chief Liang was well aware that Village Chief Sun’s words were deceitful, and if they really got Gu’s Workshop’s tofu and seasoning spices, Village Chief Sun would at most share a tiny portion with them while keeping the rest for himself, selling it in his own shop and taking the opportunity to hike up prices.

"Anything else?" Third Grandpa asked: "Does that Village Chief Sun have any backing?"

Village Chief Liang shook his head: "No more, that’s all I know."

Village Chief He laughed and said, "Village Chief Sun’s backing has long since fallen. He obtained his position as village chief because his grandfather’s sister married Tianfu County Magistrate as a concubine. But now, Village Chief Sun’s grandfather and great-aunt, as well as that County Magistrate, are all deceased. As for Village Chief Sun’s cousins, I haven’t heard of any in office."

"He can still maintain his position as village chief mainly because he is crafty. But with County Captain Jiang protecting you, you don’t have to be afraid of him."

Gu Jinli chuckled after listening, realizing that Village Chief Sun became village chief by relying on his ancestors’ grace, so they really didn’t need to fear him.

Third Grandpa and the others felt much relieved after hearing Village Chief Liang and Village Chief He’s words.

"Liang Zhuzi, come over to weigh the tofu," said Gu Dashan, calling Liang Zhuzi and the others over to begin weighing tofu for them.

Liang Zhuzi and his group were quite skilled; they had now rented a mule cart and travelled to sell tofu and seasoning spices in Daxing Town, Rong Family Town, and Baihe Town.

Renting a mule cart was not cheap, but it did help them expand their tofu and spice business from one town to three towns.

After learning of this, Village Chief He clenched his fists regretfully and, pulling some favors, rented a mule cart to transport He Dacang, He Wanli, He Dasu, and others to Hukou Town, Xianggui Town, and Yonglu Town. Not only did it reduce their travel time, but it also expanded their business to another town, which was quite impressive.

The Gu’s Workshop is now producing more tofu, so they have more at their disposal. Despite expanding the business into an additional town, the tofu they transport every day still isn’t enough to meet demand.

And not to mention the spices. Gu’s Workshop is currently rushing to meet Elder Lei Wu’s order for spices, and they can only provide so little each day; it’s simply not enough to sell.

"Alright, that’s nine hundred jin of white tofu and ten jin of spices. You all give it a taste first, and after a quarter of an hour, press your handprints before leaving," Gu Dashan reported the count to Liang Zhuzi and the others, repeating the daily routine.

"Eh, sure thing," Liang Zhuzi responded and, together with his people, began the taste test by dipping the white tofu into the spices.

"Brother He, here’s today’s tofu for you—nine hundred jin and eleven jin of spices," Gu Dashan had become very familiar with the morning work routine, quickly weighing out the tofu for He Dacang and the others, and bringing over the spices.

He Dacang and his people were delighted to hear the amount, "Brother Gu, how come there’s an extra four jin of spices today?"

"Old Zhu’s and Brother Wang’s wives have been grinding spices recently and are getting the hang of it, so I’m giving you a few extra jin," Gu Dashan explained, and then hurried them, "Quick, taste the tofu and spices, don’t delay your own business."

"Eh, we’ll taste it right away." He Dacang and his people hurriedly dipped the white tofu into the spices and tasted it on the spot.

Qi Kangming had been watching from the side, and the more he watched, the brighter his eyes shone. Those who came for the tofu and spices had to taste two pieces from every box and had to eat them dipped in spices.

After eating, they squatted down in the workshop to chat. A full quarter of an hour later, they finally stood up and said to his uncle, "Brother Gu, the tofu and spices are fine. Brother An, come, let’s press our handprints."

Then, the cousin would take out a ledger and have them press their handprints on it, finally saying, "Once the handprint is pressed, if anything happens to the tofu or spices, it’s on you, and it has nothing to do with Gu’s Workshop."

Qi Kangming had never seen such a method of picking up goods, where the goods had to be inspected on the spot, and a handprint was required as proof afterward.

Moments later, Gu Dashan and the rest had finished the early morning’s work and sent Liang Zhuzi and He Dacang on their way. Then the family called over the village chief, inviting him home for breakfast.

The village chief knew that the Gu Family wanted him to look after Gu Daya’s family and, without decline, went with them happily.

Gu Jin’an didn’t join them for breakfast as he was in a hurry to get to school. After gulping down a bowl of soymilk and grabbing two bean dregs cakes, he left.

Before leaving, he said, "Third Grandpa, dad, Xiao Yu, don’t worry, I’ll talk to the teacher about the issue with Village Chief Sun."

Gu Dashan hesitated, "Is it really necessary to trouble the Shang Family and Jiang Family? After all, Village Chief Sun hasn’t done anything bad yet, right?"

Their family had already imposed on the Shang and Jiang families quite a lot, and if possible, Gu Dashan preferred not to inconvenience them further.

Even though Xiao Yu had saved Scholar Shang’s daughter, even the biggest favor couldn’t stand up to such continuous trouble.

Gu Jin’an said, "Dad, don’t worry about troubling the teacher. If Village Chief Sun hasn’t made a move yet, we should take him down now before it’s too late."

As the saying goes, strike first to gain the upper hand.

Third Grandpa said, "Good Brother An is right. Dashan, don’t stop him, let Jin’an handle it. He knows what he’s doing."

"Alright, then speak well with Scholar Shang," Gu Dashan agreed.

"Eh, got it, dad," Gu Jin’an replied and, after properly tying up his trouser legs, jogged away.