A middle-aged man with sunken cheeks and a sharp chin held an abacus in his hand, frequently glancing up to check his calculations.
He muttered quickly under his breath, his voice thin but strict, unforgiving of even the smallest mistake, even debiting half a wen more than due.
Seeing Shen Qing and the others enter, the middle-aged man glanced up and down at Shen Qing and asked, "Never seen you before, where are you from?"
"Manager, I come from Hongshan Village," Shen Qing replied truthfully, "May I inquire the honorable surname of the manager?"
"Hongshan Village? My surname is Wang. Where is Chen Youguang?"
"Manager Wang, he's dead," Shen Qing said calmly as he looked up, "A mountain lord appeared in our village, and his entire family perished."
Manager Wang from Wanfeng Building set down the abacus, his expression stunned.
Dead?
Wouldn't that mean all the arrangements he'd made before were now void?
All of a sudden, Manager Wang's mood from Wanfeng Building darkened.
Shen Qing continued, "Our village is an insignificant place, not much to see. I'm a bit more daring, wanted to give it a shot. Manager, what do you think, can you give me a chance?"
Regaining his composure, the manager from Wanfeng Building said, "I want to see your goods first."
Saying this, he walked outside to start examining and selecting from the mountain goods on Shen Qing's cart.
Shen Qing introduced them, saying, "These are freshly caught wild rabbits, and pheasants, and even a new catch of roe deer, all good products from the mountains, please take a good look, Manager Wang."
"These are all quite ordinary items, do you have any rare mountain delicacies?" casually inquired Manager Wang of Wanfeng Building.
Shen Qing responded, "Manager Wang, mountain delicacies aren't that easy to come across. Our village doesn't encounter them but once a month."
Manager Wang from Wanfeng Building said, "I already had an agreement with Chen Youguang, I need to find some mountain delicacies as nourishment for the Song and Dong Family. Can you find them? If you can, I'll take the cartload you've brought."
Shen Qing was momentarily taken aback, picking up on the unspoken implication.
If he didn't agree, he feared this deal wouldn't go through today.
"Manager Wang, please make your request," Shen Qing said.
Dressed in black boots and wearing a half-hearted smile, Manager Wang stared at Shen Qing and said slowly, "I want three things: Blood Bird's Nest, Jade Deer Tendon, and Tiger King's Penis."
Upon hearing these three items, Shen Qing's face immediately showed difficulty.
"Manager Wang, I've never even heard of these, where am I supposed to find them for you?"
"If you don't have them, I won't take the goods in your cart," was the blunt reply.
Shen Qing turned to Zhang Shuyuan at his side and whispered, seeking advice, "In the county city, aside from his place, can we sell to someone else?"
Zhang Shuyuan replied, "Do you know what the Four Great Eastern Families in the county city are involved in?"
"I'm unaware."
"In the county city, there are the Zhou, Wang, Song, and Li families that run four major trades: silk garments and hats, pawnbroking and banking, restaurants and actors, and shipping. It's no exaggeration to say that all aspects of life in Taiping County are dependent on these four families."
Zhang Shuyuan continued, "Wanfeng Building is owned by the Song family; if they refuse to take your goods, you won't be able to sell them anywhere else."
After this explanation from Zhang Shuyuan, Shen Qing's expression soured somewhat.
He knew the people of the county and beyond relied on the Four Great Eastern Families for their livelihood, but he hadn't expected they would be so overbearing.
Manager Wang from Wanfeng Building spoke impatiently, "Have you finished discussing? If you're not willing, don't waste my time."
Shen Qing hastily said, "Willing, very willing. I'll let everyone in our village know to look for them, I'll definitely find them for you, Manager Wang. Please, examine the goods on my cart first."
"Be sure to find them by the beginning of spring, or else pay thirty silver taels to honor the boss," he said.
A jolt ran through Shen Qing's heart, inwardly cursing these bloodsuckers.
Thirty silver taels was certainly not a small amount.
Even the entire Chen Family estate might not amount to that sum.
But now he had no better options, and had to grit his teeth and accept it.
With great difficulty, he'd found this opportunity and he couldn't just give up so easily.
Under someone else's roof, one must bow their head.
Before making a name for himself, he had no choice but to conceal his resentment.
The manager of Wanfeng Building, who stands before me now, must have clung to the Song family's influence to rise to his current position. He certainly has some tricks up his sleeve.
In this county, killing a hunter from a village would be as easy as turning his hand over, but he's not someone I can kill on a whim now.
But as for the future…
"The goods in your cart are worth about ten taels silver in total. I'll also take the mink and some pheasant feathers, and I'll give you an extra five taels silver, making it fifteen taels in total," the manager of Wanfeng Building declared, swiftly manipulating the abacus in his hands, and offered Shen Qing a price.
"Can the price be raised a bit more? It's too cheap," Shen Qing said.
The manager of Wanfeng Building snapped the abacus shut, a displeased look on his face, and said firmly, "I'll add half a tael of silver, don't even think about any more. If Chen Youguang hadn't pestered us so, the Song family would have sent their own merchants to collect, and this opportunity wouldn't have fallen to you."
Shen Qing suppressed the thoughts in his mind, quickly plastering a smile on his face and said, "Thank you, Manager Wang, for your support. I hope you can overlook this small token of my respect."
While speaking, Shen Qing discreetly slipped a string of large coins into the palm of Manager Wang of Wanfeng Building.
With this, Manager Wang's expression finally eased slightly, "I can tell you're smart. I like dealing with clever people."
"I'll be straight with you. Seeking those delicacies from the mountains is not a deliberate action against you, but rather an opportunity given to you by the Boss. Some young masters in the Boss's household have reached critical stages in their Martial Arts training and need these mountain treasures for nourishment. If you bring them in, the Boss will surely reward you."
After hearing this, Shen Qing put on an immensely grateful facade and responded, "I see, thank you for letting me know, Manager."
He wisely chose not to inquire further about the thirty taels silver from the Boss.
As for the subtleties of the situation, he had already deduced a thing or two.
Having put away the abacus, Manager Wang of Wanfeng Building motioned for his men to start unloading items from the cart and then had the accounts office give fifteen taels silver to Shen Qing, "What's your name?"
After counting the silver taels and ensuring there were no mistakes, Shen Qing replied, "Responding to Manager, my surname is Shen, with a given name of Qing."
"Shen Qing, is it?" Manager Wang of Wanfeng Building nodded and said, "I'll remember you. You can bring goods here in the future. If you do well, I can give you the business of mountain products from seven or eight villages around Shicheng Mountain."
Faced with the tempting promise laid out by Manager Wang, Shen Qing verbally accepted the offer, expressing his thanks repeatedly, "I will certainly do my best."
Manager Wang of Wanfeng Building waved his hand dismissively and dismissed him, "There's nothing else for you here."
"Then I will take my leave," Shen Qing respectfully expressed his thanks a few more times before leaving the backyard.
Watching Shen Qing's departing figure, Manager Wang Qiyao of Wanfeng Building couldn't help but take a few more glances, appearing to be deep in thought.
An underling approached him and said, "Manager, should we give some instructions to the people outside the town?"
"The Boss's orders are paramount, and we cannot be short of mountain delicacies. Have you made it clear to the hunters from the other villages?"
"Rest assured, Manager. Every hunter that came has received the instructions. We won't fail you," the underling reported.
Wang Qiyao's expression turned serious as he ordered, "I don't care by what means, but you must gather all three types of these mountain delicacies before spring arrives. That fellow named Cai is not on good terms with me and is surely looking for ways to sideline me. I absolutely can't let him take over as the head shopkeeper of Wanfeng Building."
"Manager Cai is certainly not as well-connected as you, Manager Wang. The head shopkeeper position will undoubtedly be yours in the future," a nearby underling quickly flattered.
Wang Qiyao gestured for the underling to leave, then walked over to the spot where Shen Qing had unloaded his goods and picked up the mink.
"This mink is of good quality and should fetch about six taels silver. I've earned an extra tael, haha."
...
Upon exiting, Shen Qing carefully calculated his earnings for the day.
In total, he had made fifteen taels silver.
Of that, nearly five and a half taels were from the fur and other goods he had traded, especially the mink, which had earned him quite a lot.
The remaining almost ten taels silver were from the mountain products from the entire village.
After deducting costs, he stood to make a net profit of about five to six hundred wen.
This sum was almost equivalent to twenty days of his uncle Shen Ershi's earnings.
Even if he ate fine grains every meal, he could now afford it.
What's important is that this venture wasn't as reliant on luck as hunting; it was stable.
No wonder Chen Youguang had set his sights on this trade.
Including his total earnings, he had made almost six taels silver this time.
It was enough to be considered a windfall, a small fortune.
The days ahead were looking much brighter.
He now had some confidence to pursue the practice of Martial Arts.