A fire brazier had been lit in the courtyard, crackling and popping. Hired laborers came and went, busy yet orderly.
Zheng Song was in no hurry to leave; he planned to stay for two or three days to inspect the shop’s daily operations. He was actually quite decent. Though serious and reserved, he knew how to conduct himself. Tonight, for instance, he had paid out of his own pocket for wine and food from the market to treat the shop's key management personnel. There were only a few: besides the Manager Wang Sheng, there was the Warehouse Officer Wu Youcai, the Martial Master Zhang Neng, and the greenware guild broker Sun Chuan.
Shao Shuyi glanced at Sun Chuan, intentionally or otherwise. He was not an employee of the shop, but a famous broker in the industry with significant influence.
Zheng Song’s attention was also mainly focused on him. Not long after sitting down, he frequently toasted him, his previously tight face squeezing out a trace of a smile. "I hear the Squire also operates a hostel-warehouse and has already amassed several ships' worth of wealth. It is truly admirable."
"Young Master Zheng must be mocking me." Sun Chuan, built like a squat winter melon, shook his head. "Outsiders might not know where my few ships of wealth came from, but surely you know? Of the five ships, three are actually dowries."
"Women of West Zhejiang are skilled at managing livelihoods; they make good matches," Zheng Song said.
Sun Chuan, perhaps drunk or for some other reason, shook his head again. "Sir, that’s not quite right. She has a son, so I may not be able to get much benefit from the wealth she brought with her. Moreover, she appoints her own managers, who are not under my authority. They sometimes enter the inner chambers, which is quite improper. It was like this when her late husband was alive, and after more than ten years, it has not only failed to change but has grown even worse. She often goes out to attend banquets, despite being a woman. Her late husband couldn’t restrain her, and I cannot restrain her either."
At this point, the fellow let out a heavy sigh. "A wife must submit to others; she has no absolute authority of her own, only the Way of the Three Obediences. What a pity! Nowadays, women in Zhejiang may have husbands, yet it is as if they have none; they may have sons, yet it is as if they have none. If this goes on, it will bring great misfortune upon families."
[TN: Way of the Three Obediences — Confucian moral code requiring a woman to submit to her father, husband, and son.]
"Too far, you go too far." Zheng Song poured a cup of wine for Sun Chuan. "The Squire has great ability; you naturally can subdue a woman."Shao Shuyi listened with great interest from the side.
Wasn't the Zheng family from Quzhou in West Zhejiang?
Sun Chuan seemed to be from Zhenjiang, as introduced earlier. Judging by his words, Sun Chuan had married a widow with a son. It was unclear if this was his first marriage or second, though likely the latter. The customs of West Zhejiang women were clearly quite different; there was absolutely no influence of the Southern Song ritual ethics—they openly showed their faces in public while their husbands were still alive.
Not only did they show their faces, but they even appointed their own stewards to manage business. Aside from commerce, they also enjoyed life, going out to banquets from time to time—probably "ladies' gatherings" without their husbands.
Interesting, really interesting! Shao Shuyi even felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
"There is something the Sir does not know." Manager Wang Sheng laughed from the side. "A few days ago, the nephew of the foreign merchant Ahmadin came and went straight into the Squire's home, staying for several days. Their friendship is clearly not ordinary. If the greenware in the shop is to be sold, it will still depend on Squire Sun."
Zheng Song grunted acknowledgment, appearing to agree with Wang Sheng's words.
Brokers were no simple characters. Most were called "broker-merchants"; they often possessed assets or even shops, doing business themselves. In addition to this, they acted as guarantors for other merchants, negotiated trades, and took commissions. The government often registered them, so they were frequently called "Official Brokers", and some even became tax farmers for the Maritime Trade Superintendency, acting on behalf of the government to collect taxes. Their status was no small matter. Those not registered by the government were "private brokers", whose status and influence were much smaller. Sun Chuan was a famous Official Broker in the greenware trade.
"Easy to say, easy to say." Sun Chuan drank a cup of yellow wine, narrowed his eyes at Wang Sheng, and chuckled.
Shao Shuyi sat upright and still, sometimes appearing to listen, sometimes offering an awkward accompanying laugh.
He was a newcomer and not yet qualified to speak on this occasion; being able to accompany them at the lowest seat was already due to luck. However, he did not mind. Instead, he used the opportunity to silently listen for useful information and evaluate the people present.
Of course, while he pondered others, others pondered him. Whether it was an illusion or not, he always felt that Manager Wang Sheng was glancing at him, intentionally or otherwise. The Warehouse Officer Wu Youcai and the Martial Master Zhang Neng were doing much the same.
Shao Shuyi’s nerves suddenly tightened.
The master's agent, Zheng Song, is right here; why are you secretly watching me instead of sizing him up or currying favor with him?
At the very least, if you won't look at Zheng Song, you should look at Sun Chuan. He’s the God of Wealth for this greenware shop, a one-man trading hub. You must deal with him often; even for the sake of your own interests, you should use wine to talk with him more and build connections.
There was a problem. Associating this with Zheng Fan inexplicably telling him twice not to die, Shao Shuyi felt a chill rise from the bottom of his heart.
He didn't know how long they had been drinking, but just when Shao Shuyi was feeling a bit dizzy, Sun Chuan turned his gaze, looked at him, and smiled. "Is this the newly recruited accountant of your esteemed shop?"
Zheng Song put down his wine cup. His eyes were reserved and calm, surprisingly not drunk at all. He introduced him: "A maritime ship household from Zhangjing. He has had the reputation of a child prodigy since childhood and is excellent at arithmetic, so he was recruited to be an accountant."
"Youcai can finally relax a bit," Sun Chuan said, looking at the Warehouse Officer Wu Youcai with a smile that was not quite a smile.
"What the Squire says is extremely true." Wu Youcai shook his head and smiled bitterly. "This old man is not skilled in learning and only roughly understands writing and calculation. The various affairs in the shop have long left me battered and exhausted. Now that Little Brother Shao is here to share the burden, that is best."
Shao Shuyi's heart moved.
So, in addition to being the Warehouse Officer, Wu Youcai actually concurrently held the post of accountant. This was the first he had heard of it—though it was quite normal. Whether Zheng Song was sparing with words or looked down on him, he simply hadn't mentioned this. As for whether Wu Youcai had a full-time accountant before, it hadn't been mentioned at all.
The shop seemed very unregulated. The Warehouse Officer was concurrently serving as the accountant and cashier, and was a fellow townsman of the shop manager. If this continued for a long time, it would be strange if problems didn't arise.
But then again, Wang Sheng, Wu Youcai, and even Zhang Neng were fellow townsmen from Quzhou. Aren't Zheng Song, and even Zheng Guozhen and Zheng Yonghe, also from Quzhou? Employing people from one's native place has pros and cons; it all depends on management. Looking at it now, the Zheng clan did not seem entirely at ease with these fellow townsmen either.
"Little Brother Shao is only fifteen years old, yet he has become an accountant; it truly makes one marvel. Thinking back to when I was fifteen, I was still fooling around in the village." The Martial Master Zhang Neng finally spoke his first sentence of the day.
Between his words, he stared at Shao Shuyi with burning eyes, seemingly envious, yet also harboring a degree of wariness.
Shao Shuyi smiled at him and raised his wine cup in a distant toast, his movements very seasoned.
Zhang Neng's eyes flashed; he raised his cup and drained it in one gulp. Shao Shuyi also drained his cup, his face becoming even more flushed. Sun Chuan watched all this with a beaming smile, as if watching some amusement. Zheng Song took everyone's actions into his eyes but said nothing, only focusing on urging them to drink.
For a time, both guests and host were happy, and the atmosphere was quite harmonious. Near midnight, the simple banquet finally dispersed.
Shitou appeared beside Shao Shuyi like a wandering spirit and whispered, "Accountant, please follow me."
Shao Shuyi nodded and followed behind him openly. The two soon arrived in front of a room at the innermost part of the West Wing in the backyard.
Shitou entered the room, lit a candle, and bowed. "This will be the accountant's residence from now on. There are two rooms in total; the inner room is for living, and the outer room holds account books and other items. The Manager has ordered that since the accountant has just arrived and has drunk a lot of wine, you may do as you please for the next few days and need not start work immediately. The dining hall is in the front courtyard; you may eat daily with the Manager, the Warehouse Officer, and the others, or have it sent here. If there are any other shortages, just mention them directly, and the Manager will handle them as appropriate."
Shao Shuyi listened silently, then cupped his hands. "Thank you for your trouble."
Shitou returned the bow and whispered, "If there are no other orders, I will take my leave."
"Wait," Shao Shuyi added. "Who lived here before?"
"Warehouse Officer Wu. He moved out yesterday; it has already been swept clean." Shitou finished speaking and looked at Shao Shuyi again.
"You may go," Shao Shuyi said.
Shitou gave a response, turned, and disappeared into the night.
Shao Shuyi looked around his new dwelling. It was originally one room, but being relatively spacious, it had been partitioned with wooden boards into an inner and outer room—one for work, one for rest.
It was actually quite nice, at least better than his original small courtyard. There was a bed, mats, bedding, various pieces of furniture, a brush, ink, paper, and an inkstone, and he could eat with the senior staff. Who would dare say this treatment wasn't good?
The only cause for concern was that this greenware shop was not simple; hidden currents lurked beneath the calm surface, and one could suffer a loss if not careful.
Shao Shuyi was no fool. Drawing on his workplace experience from a later era, he knew there had to be a hidden vested-interest group within the shop. After all, he himself had once issued fake invoices, padded reimbursements, and taken kickbacks from clients. Even across hundreds of years, human nature does not change.
Thinking of this, he secretly reminded himself to be alert, to observe first, and to figure out exactly what was happening. In any case, he didn't quite believe the Zheng clan had hired him as an accountant for no reason; there must be something fishy about this.
Just then, the sound of footsteps approached. Shao Shuyi looked up and saw Zheng Song and Wu Youcai, so he stepped forward and bowed.
Zheng Song didn't speak; he only roughly looked over the furnishings in the room, finally letting his gaze fall on a wooden chest. He slowly paced over and lifted the lid.
Shao Shuyi looked over and discovered it seemed to be a tool chest containing an abacus, writing brushes, a brush rack, seals, various inkstones, scissors, knives, hammers, letter paper, envelopes, and other odds and ends.
Zheng Song turned around and looked at Wu Youcai.
Wu Youcai immediately stepped forward.
"Forget about tomorrow. Starting the day after tomorrow, you will train him for ten days. By the beginning of the Fifth Month at the latest, all affairs must be handed over to the new accountant. Can you do that?" Zheng Song pointed at Shao Shuyi as he spoke.
"Sir, rest assured. This old man will certainly do his utmost and hold nothing back." Wu Youcai stopped halfway, then piled smiles all over his face. "To tell the truth, I am originally a Warehouse Officer; holding the concurrent post of accountant has long left me physically and mentally exhausted. Having someone to share the burden can be considered a liberation."
Zheng Song ignored his smile and only said to Shao Shuyi, "Learn well. Don't forget how you got this job. If there are mistakes, weigh the consequences yourself."
"I understand," Shao Shuyi immediately stated his position.
Zheng Song nodded, said no more nonsense, and turned to leave.