Chapter Thirty-Six: The Rebellion You Desired

Li Qing arrived at Xiyuan’s Liao Studio as promised, only to find that the place was not as she remembered. It was far livelier now: several strange new buildings had sprung up, and the flow of people was noticeably busier. Every few steps, she would encounter villagers beaming with joy—some were farmwives leading little children, others were farmers with hoes slung over their shoulders, and there was even someone walking by with a deer strapped to his back.

“Hey there, Old Tiger Lei, you’re early today!” called a clerk from the grain and oil shop. “Only one deer this time?”

The man addressed as Old Tiger Lei laughed heartily. “As long as I meet my quota, that’s enough. I want to get some extra practice in at the shooting range today.”

“Then better hurry, before you miss out on a good spot. Wu Yi’s already been training inside for half the day!” the clerk replied.

Li Qing continued forward, aware of the curious glances the villagers cast her way. In Luhe Valley, it was customary for girls of marriageable age to keep out of sight unless they were already betrothed. For Li Qing to stroll about so unabashedly—did it mean she’d found herself a husband?

A slight blush spread across her cheeks. When she reached her destination, Xu Wenshan had already been waiting for quite some time.

“You’re here? I’ve been waiting ages,” Xu Wenshan said. “Let’s get right to work.”

He stood and gestured for her to follow. Li Qing, unsure of his intentions, trailed after him.

“As I mentioned before, I run a small business and need a manager—you might say, a shopkeeper,” he explained.

Li Qing tilted her head. “I don’t know the first thing about doing business.”

“That’s all right,” Xu Wenshan replied. “Everything’s written down in black and white. You just need to supervise and make sure the rules are followed.”

With that, he handed her a small booklet. She opened it to find page after page of rules—fixed wages, leave policies, pensions—the sheer volume made her head spin. She quickly shut the booklet again.

“Everything you need is in there. Just follow the procedures. If you’re unsure, shadow me for a day and you’ll get the hang of it,” he reassured her.

Li Qing nodded. Xu Wenshan led the way out, heading toward the shop.

He took her around the Liao Studio, showing her the ropes. The workers were all experienced; as he’d said, her main job was simply to oversee them.

Once the tour was done, he said, “That’s essentially all there is to it. If you’re willing, the pay is 450 wen a month.”

“Wait... 450 wen?” she echoed in disbelief.

“Is something wrong?” Xu Wenshan asked.

“You mean, every month—450 wen?” Li Qing repeated, emphasizing the monthly figure, certain he must have misspoken.

“That’s right, 450 wen a month. And that’s just for the probation period. After three months, if you pass, your official salary is 600 wen a month.”

Li Qing felt as though she’d been hit by a galloping horse, dazed and overwhelmed. “That’s over seven strings of cash a year! For such simple work, that much money—are you sure this is just a small business?”

Xu Wenshan chuckled. “You’re quick with calculations. It is just a small business, though sometimes, unexpected situations crop up...”

At that moment, Afa came running, shouting, “Young Master! Something’s wrong—seriously wrong!”

Xu Wenshan frowned. “Who’s in trouble?”

“The Guo family! They’ve brought a crowd and surrounded my family’s shop!”

…

Xu Wenshan hurried to the archery range entrance, the first person he saw was Old Zhang, the butcher.

“Young Master Xu, they…” Old Zhang forced a wry smile, pointing outside the gates.

Xu Wenshan looked out to see a dense crowd, all eyeing him with open hostility.

The Guo family had finally arrived.

But Xu Wenshan was neither flustered nor surprised—he had expected this. He was about to set out on distant business ventures and had no idea how long he’d be gone. He’d already drawn most of Luhe’s key figures to his side, but hadn’t yet struck back at his adversaries. If he failed to keep them in check, who knew what trouble they might stir up in his absence? It was just as well—the Guo family had finally come seeking a confrontation.

Guo Xin narrowed his eyes at the teenage boy before him, realizing he’d underestimated him. He’d thought Xu Wenshan just a frivolous wastrel, but it turned out the boy was a sparrow—one careless moment, and he’d leap up to surprise you.

Anyone could see that with their swelling numbers, the Guo family would soon overtake the Xus. This last struggle of the Xu family had to be crushed.

“Why, if it isn’t Uncle Guo. What brings you here today? Shopping for meat?” Xu Wenshan called out first.

“Drop the pretense, Xu Wenshan! Was it you who told the hunters to deliver all their meat to your house lately?” Guo Xin shouted.

“I never forced anyone,” Xu Wenshan replied. “They bring their game to my place of their own accord. It’s fair trade—willing sellers, willing buyers.”

“Bah!” Guo Xin spat on the ground. “With all that meat, you think you can eat it all? You just want to keep them from trading with me! I, Guo Xin, have ruled Luhe Valley for years. Even your father wouldn’t dare lord it over me like this!”

Since the pretenses were dropped, Xu Wenshan was blunt. “And who do you think you are, that I should even bother with you?”

Guo Xin, incensed, let out a cold laugh. “Fine, then I’ll just stand right here.”

Xu Wenshan narrowed his eyes, sizing up the Guo family’s crowd. There were elders and children, even Guo Xin’s youngest son stood there with a slingshot in hand.

Old Zhang glanced at Xu Wenshan and sighed. The young master had backbone, but he was still too inexperienced. Old Zhang had only come to work here for the good wages, never expecting to get dragged into this feud between the Xu and Guo families.

In this remote corner of Luhe Valley, the law meant little—the real question was who had more people on their side. Normally, everyone got along and joked together, but when conflict flared, might made right.

That was where the Xu family was at a disadvantage. No matter how wealthy Xu Changshui was, his family had only one son per generation; all the useful relatives were long since dead. Without kin, who would help the Xus when trouble came?

Old Zhang thought the young master was being reckless to pick a fight at such a time.

The Guo family’s crowd loosely hemmed in the entrance to the archery range, blocking outsiders from entering. Hunters coming to deliver game were shoved away, unable to complain openly.

Guo Xin called out, “Xu Wenshan, listen well! As long as you refuse to close this grain and oil shop, I’ll stand right here! With us here, no one goes in or out! Let’s see who can outlast the other!”

It was late spring; if the game wasn’t butchered soon, it would spoil quickly. If the Guo family wouldn’t budge, Xu Wenshan’s business would indeed grind to a halt.

Standing beside him, Li Qing swallowed nervously. Her voice trembled as she said, “Now I finally understand why you offered me such a high salary.”

Xu Wenshan gave an embarrassed smile. “Cases like this are very rare, honestly. I swear I’m not deceiving you.”