Lin Xiaoman took out the two taels of silver she had received as compensation and pressed them into Lin Goudan’s hand. “Here’s two taels of silver, Second Sister has it. Take it and give it to your older brother so he can use it for now. Don’t worry too much about what happens next—maybe things will work out eventually. After what happened today, the clan elder won’t let your brother marry Miss Chen either.”
Lin Erhu nodded. “Right. Tell your brother not to dwell on it. Our grandmother is old; who knows, maybe Mother will take her away one day.”
A glimmer of hope flashed in Lin Goudan’s eyes. “Second Brother, are you serious?”
Lin Erhu nodded. “Why would I lie to you? Have I ever lied to you before?”
Lin Goudan racked his brain. He had never been the sharpest tool in the shed, and he seemed to recall being tricked by this second brother more than once.
But looking at Lin Erhu’s sincere gaze and then at the silver in his hand, he dared not speak his mind. He was afraid that if he said anything, his second brother would take back the silver, and his older brother wouldn’t get to study.
He scurried back to Lin Wenyao and pressed the silver into his hand. Under Lin Wenyao’s surprised gaze, he explained where it came from. By the time Lin Wenyao looked toward the courtyard gate, Lin Xiaoman and Lin Erhu had already left, their small figures fading in the distance.
Clutching the silver tightly, Lin Wenyao’s eyes turned red. He had spent eighteen years focused solely on his studies, and now, at last, he could tell who was a human being and who was a demon.
Lin Xiaoman and Lin Erhu arrived again at the clan elder’s house. Lin Youwang was in the middle of lecturing, with his wife occasionally chiming in. “As the old saying goes, ‘marry a wife for her virtue.’ It means you have to keep your eyes open when choosing a partner. Old Lady Lin is foolish herself, and the wife she picked for Daniú is no good. Bringing a woman like that into the family ruins not just three generations—that household is finished. From now on, whether we’re marrying off daughters or taking in wives, we need to carefully consider their character. Don’t bring any troublemakers into this family.”
“That’s right. Your father is correct. When choosing a wife, you must look at her character. Someone like my eldest son’s wife is excellent.”
Hao, Lin Daqiang’s wife, beamed at her mother-in-law’s compliment. “That’s because Mother taught me well!”
The two women exchanged smiles, the atmosphere warm and harmonious.
Lin Xiaoman called out, “Second Grandpa, Uncle Daqiang…”
Lin Youwang and Lin Daqiang assumed something else had happened with Old Lady Lin and sighed in unison. “Xiaoman, what’s your grandmother done now?”
Well, look how they’d scared the clan elder’s family. Her grandmother really was something.
Lin Xiaoman was caught between laughter and tears. “It’s not about my grandmother. I actually had something to discuss with Uncle Daqiang earlier, but I didn’t get the chance.”
“Oh, so you do have something to talk about? Come on in, then.” Lin Daqiang visibly relaxed. The Lin clan was too poor; he had become clan elder only because his father fell ill and the role was thrust upon him. Over the past few years, dealing with all the big and small issues in the clan had been a heavy burden.
Back when Xiaoman’s parents were still alive, the clan had managed to scrape by following their lead. After they passed away last year, the earthquake had dealt another blow to the clan’s fortunes. Without any knack for making money, Lin Daqiang—barely over thirty—had already gone gray.
Second Grandma asked Hao to bring two stools for Lin Xiaoman and Lin Erhu to sit on, then went inside herself to pour two bowls of sugar water. “Xiaoman, Erhu, have some sugar water to quench your thirst.”
“Thank you, Second Grandma.” Lin Xiaoman and Lin Erhu accepted the sugar water, expressed their thanks, and drank it.
Most villagers were poor. Visitors were usually offered plain cold water; sugar water was a special treat.
“Uncle Daqiang, Erhu and I sold hot pot chicken in town today. Business was great, but we couldn’t keep up. We were wondering if you could help us find a few trustworthy people.”
“Oh, that’s it? Alright, I’ll go ask around right away.”
Lin Daqiang finally relaxed completely. Hiring people was a minor matter. The autumn harvest was over, and everyone was idle at home with no work. As long as word got out, people in the village would jump at the chance; they just had to pick those with good character.
Lin Xiaoman stopped him, though. “Not so fast. I have another idea to discuss with you, Uncle Daqiang. Erhu and I are still young, after all, and there are bound to be things we overlook. Erhu wants to go back to the academy next year. Even though business is good, I can’t manage everything on my own. What I came to discuss is the possibility of working with the clan as partners. I’ll provide the shop and the secret recipe, and the clan can provide a few people to run the business. After deducting costs and wages, the remaining profits will be split between me and the clan.”
Lin Daqiang perked up at this. Half of the Lin ancestral hall had collapsed last year, and many of the ancestral tablets had been damaged, but there had never been money for repairs. He had brought it up a few times, but almost no one in the clan was willing to donate.
Hedong Village had no notable clan-owned industries. After covering medical expenses and food for the clan’s widows, orphans, and elderly each year, the public accounts were nearly empty.
Sometimes, his own family had to fill the gaps. That was why, despite not wanting to be clan elder, he had been forced into the role. No one else wanted the thankless, poorly compensated position.
Now, hearing Lin Xiaoman’s proposal—that partnering with her in business would bring some income to the clan, no matter how small—caught his attention. Even a mosquito’s leg had some meat on it.
Still, he felt it might be unfair to take a cut of Lin Xiaoman and Lin Erhu’s hard-earned business. “Xiaoman, think it over. Money is no small matter. We don’t want to shortchange you.”
Lin Xiaoman smiled. “Uncle Daqiang, I’ve already thought it through. As long as you find trustworthy people, I have no problem.”
“But…”
Lin Youwang was annoyed by his son’s hesitation. “Why are you being so wishy-washy? Just give Xiaoman and Erhu a bigger share when dividing the profits. I’ll decide on this. After deducting costs, the siblings get seventy percent, and the clan takes thirty.”
Lin Xiaoman’s original intention in partnering with the clan was to give them a stake. That way, if conflicts arose with Old Lady Lin in the future, the clan would be more inclined to side with them.
With the clan’s backing, troublemakers at the shop would also be fewer.
She had initially considered a fifty-fifty split. If the clan elder disagreed, she would have accepted forty percent for herself and sixty for the clan. She hadn’t expected Lin Youwang to offer her seventy percent outright.
Thinking about the money they had earned that day, Lin Xiaoman felt seventy percent was too generous.
But seeing Lin Daqiang nod in agreement, she didn’t argue further. She and Erhu had the ability to travel to the other place. If the clan remained in such dire straits, they could always help come up with more ways to earn money in the future.
“Xiaoman, figure out how many people you need, and I’ll go find them right away.”
Lin Xiaoman calculated. “Two for the kitchen, two as waitstaff for now, and two for washing vegetables and dishes. In a few days, when the big wok is ready, I plan to make hot pot skewers too. That’ll need at least four more people for skewering…”
Lin Daqiang might not have been the most capable clan elder, but he was certainly efficient. He counted on his fingers. “That’s ten people. Alright, I’ll go round them up.”
He turned to leave in a flurry but was stopped again by Lin Xiaoman. “Uncle Daqiang, I’m not finished. Besides people for the shop, I also want to hire some folks to help build a wall around our house and tidy up the inside. Could you find us some good masons? If there are many people idle, we can hire more. We might as well fix up the main room too.”
“Alright, I’ll find plenty of people.” Lin Daqiang quickly selected candidates in his mind. Despite his occasional struggles as clan elder, he did have some management skills.
After Lin Daqiang left, Lin Youwang remarked after a pause, “Xiaoman, are you planning to become an absentee boss?”
Lin Xiaoman smiled. “Second Grandpa is truly sharp. When Erhu goes back to school, it won’t be proper for me, a young woman, to always be out in public. I’ll have to rely on you and Uncle Daqiang to handle things.”
Lin Youwang chuckled. “What’s there to ‘rely on’? You’re thinking of the clan even when earning money. If anything, I should be thanking you. But have you considered finding an accountant?”