It was the twentieth day of the fourth month. Shao Shuyi had not yet officially begun his duties, but having nothing else to do, he saw no harm in starting early to learn the ropes—Zheng Fan’s warning to "not die" still echoed in his mind. He truly could not afford to be careless.
Because he was starting late in the month, the Zheng family prorated his wages. On the first of the next month, he would collect two dou of round-grained rice, one and a half taels of salt, a jar of pickled vegetables, and ten strings of Zhongtong notes. It was quite decent.
As for the irregularities in the account books, Shao Shuyi decided to keep his counsel for the time being. He wasn’t sure if "meddling" would lead to a sudden demise, or if "not meddling" would get him killed by Zheng Song. It was truly a situation where he was damned if he did and damned if he didn't.
He tried to place himself in their shoes. The senior staff of this greenware shop, as well as the Zheng clan’s other stores in Liu Family Port, were almost all people from Quzhou. They were fellow townsmen of the father and son, Zheng Yonghe and Zheng Guozhen. By rights, they should have been trustworthy employees. Yet Zheng Song had specifically installed him at the Old Locust Tree as the accountant. It was hard not to read into it.
Was Zheng Song acting on Zheng Guozhen’s authority? Did Guozhen lack his father’s sentimental attachment to the Quzhou clique? Did they intend to use him—an outsider—to monitor these men and force them to show restraint? Or did they intend to blow the lid off entirely?
Checks and balances were one thing; tearing the lid off was another. For Shao Shuyi, that distinction was a matter of life and death.
He thought a great deal, but lacking sufficient information, accurate judgment remained elusive. In such a situation, the optimal choice was to avoid rash action and not immediately escalate the conflict.
After roughly finishing his review of the ledgers, Shao Shuyi straightened his posture and followed Wu Youcai to the counter in the front courtyard. He found a place to sit, opened his writing case, and began to grind ink.
Wu Youcai was polite enough, answering every question, but his intent to curry favor—and perhaps probe—was patent. Take today, for example.
"Little Hu, you have a reputation as a child prodigy, skilled in both brush and abacus; naturally, you are no ordinary person." Wu Youcai stroked his beard lightly, the wrinkles on his face blooming into a smile. "It is just that the position of accountant is no small matter. We absolutely cannot let foreign merchants and seafarers look down on us; you need presentable attire. I’ve noticed you wearing the same outfit for the past two days—do you lack a change of clothes? It just so happens my disappointing son had two suits made, but they turned out a bit too loose. You have a solid build, Little Hu; they would fit you much better. If you don’t mind, I will bring them tomorrow—""No, no." Shao Shuyi waved his hands repeatedly. "Once I draw my wages, I will have a set made myself."
"My son cannot wear them anyway, so why stand on ceremony? It is no bother. Just consider it a loan; you can pay me back when you are flush," Wu Youcai pressed.
"Forget it," Shao Shuyi laughed. "I don't go out much anyway, and I still have a set of old clothes. It’ll do."
Wu Youcai, having no other recourse, could only offer a chagrined smile. "Very well."
The room fell silent.
Shao Shuyi focused his gaze on the street outside, while Wu Youcai stared blankly, lost in thought.
A moment later, perhaps feeling the weight of the silence or simply unable to hold back, Wu Youcai stole a glance at Shao Shuyi. "I didn't think you’d be coming in today. May I ask what you were up to just now?"
"Checking the ledgers," Shao Shuyi replied straightforwardly, concealing nothing.
Wu Youcai missed a beat, but he kept the smile plastered on his face. "I am getting old; I cannot compare to you youngsters. In the past, I handled the accounts, but I could never quite keep them straight. If there are errors or omissions, Little Hu, please bear with me. If there is anything you really cannot understand, come directly to me, and I will certainly give you a satisfactory explanation."
Shao Shuyi remained noncommittal, offering only a slight nod.
Wu Youcai felt slightly more at ease.
The two tacitly agreed to avoid discussing the accounts further, turning instead to the local scenery of Liu Family Port. For a time, the atmosphere was quite harmonious.
Nothing much happened all morning.
After lunch, Shao Shuyi returned to his room, resting his head on his arms as he stared blankly at the vegetation in the courtyard.
He had already deduced the lay of the land.
Within this greenware shop, there was certainly a faction led by the manager, Wang Sheng. Bound by ties of hometown and blood, they colluded from top to bottom, shielding one another and skimming quite a bit of profit—though to be fair, they were relatively restrained on the whole. Greedy, yes, but not to the point of madness.
Shao Shuyi guessed they sought personal gain through three main methods: allowing the greenware inventory to suffer abnormal "shrinkage," exploiting chaotic bookkeeping to embezzle public funds, and accepting kickbacks from maritime merchants and brokers to sell goods at lower prices.
Of course, these were all conjectures.
But as a workplace veteran, Shao Shuyi knew all too well where the wiggle room lay. Collecting evidence would not be difficult; the only question was how to do it and how to bear the consequences that would follow.
The two meals today had been decent, with meat, fish, and eggs. Wu Youcai had even offered him two sets of clothes—one didn't need to think hard to know they wouldn't be cheap. This was a transparent attempt to rope him in.
Shao Shuyi knew that if he made further demands, as long as they weren't excessive, Wang Sheng would agree—problems that could be solved with money were no problems at all.
After thinking for a while, he sighed softly, rose, went into the courtyard, picked up an axe, and began to split wood.
He had specifically requested the axe and wood himself, and Wu Youcai had handled the arrangements.
Although the older man did not understand, he wouldn't make things difficult over such a matter. He might even secretly mock Shao Shuyi: clearly an accountant now, yet still unable to sit still like a hired laborer, doing rough and clumsy work.
Shao Shuyi couldn't be bothered with that. He just split the wood with force, strike after strike.
After eating well and sleeping soundly, he felt there were some things he could start preparing—such as physical training. Of course, to the outside world, he claimed that as a newcomer, he felt uneasy eating and living in the shop for free, so he was helping out by chopping firewood and doing what physical labor he could.
As he swung the great axe, his mind actually began to clear.
The Art of War teaches: first secure yourself against defeat, then wait for the opportunity to defeat the enemy. Following this logic, what he ought to do now was verify the “criminal evidence” against Wang Sheng and the others, but not necessarily hand it over right away. He could secretly hold it as leverage, waiting until he had a clear grasp of the situation before making his move—what Zheng Song wanted from him was, in fact, quite clear.
Wang Sheng had managed the greenware shop for many years and enjoyed the deep trust of the old master, Zheng Yonghe. In his early days, he might have been cautious, but over the past two years, he had grown increasingly arrogant, exposing all kinds of flaws—perhaps he noticed them yet simply could not be bothered to care. That was arrogance.
Beyond these matters, Shao Shuyi felt he needed to slowly accumulate wealth.
He didn't love money, but he couldn't stop others from loving it. In this world, being able to exchange wealth for favors, prestige, and even influence was a win no matter how you looked at it. He was still young and couldn't do anything major, but that didn't stop him from saving for a rainy day.
Crack! After the last piece of wood was split asunder, Shao Shuyi wiped his sweat, straightened his back, and stared ahead.
The sound of footsteps approached.
A moment later, the shop's hired laborer, Shitou, arrived in a hurry, presenting a gift box. Respectfully, he said, "A friend of the manager sent some Fangfeng Tongsheng Powder from Dadu. He ordered me to bring a box to the accountant. Also—"
"Also what?" Shao Shuyi asked softly, gripping the axe.
"A Nestorian Christian named Wang Huadu is asking to see the accountant. He is waiting at the door right now," Shitou added.
"Wang Huadu?" Shao Shuyi pondered for a moment. "Invite him in."
Shao Shuyi ultimately did not accept the box of Fangfeng Tongsheng Powder, letting Shitou take it back.
This medicine was relatively popular in the North and often seen in the great cities of the Jiangnan region, a staple item for wealthy and powerful families. There was no need for him to accept such a valuable gift. Moreover, he was very suspicious of what this medicine actually did. Was it harmful? Was it addictive?
In such a delicate situation, wasn't taking medicine indiscriminately just looking for death?
Not long after, Shitou and Wang Huadu walked in one after the other. After bowing, Shitou quietly departed.
Wang Huadu looked at the firewood covering the ground and sighed. "Little Hu, isn't life treating you a bit harshly? An accountant still has to help chop firewood?"
Shao Shuyi was amused. "I asked for this myself, to practice my skills. If I can chop wood, naturally I can chop people."
Wang Huadu spoke instinctively, as if hearing something incredible. "Little Hu, killing people and chopping wood are different. If you practice blindly like this and go down the wrong path... injuring yourself would not be worth it."
Shao Shuyi’s interest was piqued. In modern society, unless someone practiced martial arts as a specific hobby, who would understand these things?
So he asked curiously, "I heard from Baijianu that your family has been a relay household for two generations. Do you know martial arts?"
Wang Huadu looked helpless. "The original relay households were almost all converted from military households. Furthermore, there are plenty of maritime ship households who know martial arts—surely you know that?"
Shao Shuyi was left speechless. Thinking about it carefully, it made sense. The original maritime ship households were actually amnestied pirates. It was just that his own neighbors didn’t know killing techniques, causing him to subconsciously overlook this point.
On further reflection, it seemed that decades ago, maritime ship households were allowed to carry weapons when transporting grain. He didn't know when the ban started, but it led to many ship households neglecting their killing skills, gradually becoming no different from ordinary, able-bodied men. But if one said a few families still passed down the skills, that was entirely possible.
"What brings you to see me?" Shao Shuyi formed a plan in his mind.
"Our stored grain won't last more than a few days," Wang Huadu said with some embarrassment. "I plan to go to Shanghai to seek refuge with relatives, so I came to say goodbye."
"Do you have to go?" Shao Shuyi invited Wang Huadu into his dwelling.
Wang Huadu looked around, envious. "This residence is really nice."
Shao Shuyi smiled. "I am an accountant, after all; I can't be squeezing onto a communal bunk with the laborers."
Wang Huadu nodded. "Little Hu, you really are different now; you’ve escaped the sea of bitterness. When Baijianu returns, his jaw will probably drop."
"I have received benefits, so naturally I won't forget my old brothers." Shao Shuyi patted him on the shoulder. "Why not simply stay? You can live at my place. If you are worried about your livelihood, I can draw some money and grain on the first of next month. Subsidizing you a little won't be a problem. What do you say?"
Wang Huadu was somewhat surprised.
To be honest, he hadn't been very close with Shao Shuyi before; they could hardly be considered "old brothers." Strictly speaking, he had known Kong Tie since childhood and was closer to him.
"That wouldn't be appropriate..." Wang Huadu hesitated.
"What's inappropriate about it?" Shao Shuyi laughed. "I actually need to trouble you to do something for me."
Hearing this, Wang Huadu felt slightly more at ease. "What is it?"
"It is exactly what we were just talking about," Shao Shuyi lowered his voice. "Help me find someone skilled in martial arts. I want to learn self-defense."
Wang Huadu was stunned, stammering, "Learning martial arts is not something that happens overnight."
"How could I not know that?" Shao Shuyi said nonchalantly. "I have plenty of patience."