“I can’t possibly accept this! It’s too precious…!” When Xu Enda heard that the bottle of medicine Yan Liqiang passed to Hu Haihe was for the palace and was very expensive, he hurriedly waved his hands from the bed.
“Why not? At the end of the day, I am the cause of this incident. How can I leave this matter alone? Rest up for the next few days. After you recover, I’ll be counting on you to work for me. The terms we discussed before will stay the same. All of you will work for me after this!”
Xu Enda’s eyes immediately glistened with tears upon hearing Yan Liqiang. Words couldn’t come out from his quivering lips. He had expected this incident to ruin his rare opportunity. Little did he imagine for things to take a new turn — the opportunity wasn’t ruined and both parties suddenly grew closer. They could finally rest assured after knowing each other’s backgrounds.
Little Wu and the others who brought Yan Liqiang here looked at each other rather excitedly. Living as one of the poor people at the bottom of the Imperial Capital’s social class, meeting someone like Yan Liqiang and being hired for a decent long-term job under him was a rare opportunity. Perhaps this would change their destinies.
“But this medicine is really too precious…”
“Nothing can be more precious than a life!”
“Cousin, this is Commandant Yan’s goodwill. You should just accept it!” Hu Haihe said when he saw that Xu Enda was still too shy to accept the offer.
“Haha, don’t call me Commandant Yan from now on, Haihe. You’re treating me like a stranger. Since I’m the youngest here, just call me Liqiang!”
“How can we possibly do that? That is too inappropriate!” Hu Haihe immediately shook his head.
“Yes, yes, we can’t be inappropriate and disrespectful…!” Even Xu Enda who was lying on the bed shook his head.
“I’m not here on the job as a commandant of the Imperial Cavalry Unit right now. So there’s nothing inappropriate about this!”
“Uhm… uhm… why not just have everyone call you Manager Yan!” Little Wu suddenly interjected from the side.
In this world, the term ‘manager’ was used instead of domineering forms of address such as ‘boss’. Managers held the same meaning as bosses. Shopkeepers on the streets were referred to as managers and the owners of extremely wealthy merchant groups were also referred to as managers. Hence, ‘manager’ was an extremely versatile word.
Upon hearing Little Wu, Yan Liqiang mulled over the matter for a moment before breaking into a smile. “Well then, everyone may address me as Manager Yan from now on. It is indeed a little inconvenient to come outside as a commandant since it’s easy to attract unwanted attention. Haihe may also address me as Manager Yan as long as we are not at the army base!”
“Sure!” Hu Haihe nodded before his expression turned a little sour. “I’m afraid I won’t be seeing you around at the military base even if I wanted to…” He forced a smile.
“Why not?”
“I recently just settled my big brother’s funeral and the seventh day of his death. I am the sole surviving son of my clan now. Since it is against the Imperial Cavalry Unit’s rules for only sons to serve in the military, I just turned in my resignation from the Imperial Cavalry Unit two days ago!”
“What are you doing now then?”
“Nothing yet for now. A few brothers who resigned from the Imperial Cavalry Unit are now working as law enforcers at the Law Enforcement Offices in the Imperial Capital. They are thinking of getting me in through connections so that I can earn a living and settle my career there…” Hu Haihe looked helpless. “My parents are busy finding me a wife so I can get married by the end of this year and make babies. However, I’m not that into the idea of becoming a law enforcer or getting married so soon…” Hu Haihe steeled himself and looked at Yan Liqiang with a burning gaze. “I want to cultivate. By the time I am powerful enough, I will annihilate those Blackwind Bandits and avenge my brother…!”
Yan Liqiang murmured to himself a bit. Although working as a law enforcer didn’t seem too bad, it wasn’t ideal in the long run. When the catastrophe strikes in a few years, it won’t be easy for him to leave the Imperial Capital with his family as a civil servant due to his work commitment. The job wasn’t worth it if it might possibly put his entire family at risk. If Hu Haihe chose not to be a civil servant, it would be easier for him to leave in due time. This would in turn guarantee his family’s safety.
Thinking up to this point, Yan Liqiang told Hu Haihe, “It’s fine if you don’t want to be a law enforcer. You can work for me if you don’t mind! I happen to need more workers. I’ll be able to rest assured with you around!”
“Ah, seriously?” Hu Haihe’s eyes instantly lit up as he looked at Yan Liqiang.
“Of course!” Yan Liqiang nodded.
“Great, then I guess it’s perfectly appropriate for me to call you Manager Yan from now on!” Hu Haihe was suddenly energized.
“Aren’t you going to ask me what you’ll be doing?” Yan Liqiang questioned him with a smile.
“I was just wondering about that when my cousin told me they found a good long term job with decent benefits last time…” Hu Haihe chuckled. “In any case, I’m sure we won’t be abused with you as our manager…!”
Yan Liqiang scanned the room. “I’ll have someone buy out a publishing house and a workshop in the Imperial Capital. We’ll be making newspapers!”
Hu Haihe, Xu Enda, and the rest in the room exchanged glances when they heard Yan Liqiang say newspapers. Everyone looked at each other blankly, completely clueless on what a newspapers was.
“Umm… what is a newspapers, Manager Yan?” Little Wu asked in a low voice while scratching his head.
“I can’t explain it to you in a sentence, but you all will know soon enough!”
At this moment, the door was pushed open again. A girl about the age of eleven or twelve obediently came in while holding a bowl of medicine. “Big brother, the medicine is ready. You should take it now…”
By the time Xu Enda emptied the bowl of medicine, Yan Liqiang noticed he looked rather tired. He left ten taels of silver at Xu Enda’s home and told him it was an advance salary. Little Wu and the others were told to stay put to look after Xu Enda, just in case someone came to find trouble again. Yan Liqiang then bid his farewell and left Xu Residence with Hu Haihe, telling them that they were going out to do something.
“Who exactly is that Guo Si? Will you be able to find him, Haihe?” Yan Liqiang asked as soon as they were out of the Xu Residence.
“Guo Si is a swindling thug around here. He’s a fighter, though he doesn’t really have any sort of prominent background. Many fellow brothers of mine from the Imperial Cavalry Unit are law enforcers in the Imperial Capital now. I happen to be real close with a few of them. They will definitely be able to sniff out that bastard at my request!” Hu Haihe seethed.
Yan Liqiang narrowed his eyes too. “There won’t be much trouble after we manage to find that bastard. We’ll proceed according to your proposed plan just now — throw him into prison and find someone to end him. Take this silver for your arrangements. It’s not worth it to soil our hands for this kind of thug…” Yan Liqiang pulled out a silver promissory note with the value of five hundred taels of silver and handed it over to Hu Haihe while speaking.
As soon as Hu Haihe noticed the value of that silver promissory note, he quickly waved his hands in shock. “Ah, that’s too much! A simple wine treat for my friends would be enough to finish off that bastard…”
“Just take it. You will need it to form and preserve long-lasting relationships. When you work for me in the future, I will be at Deer Villa for most of the time. Since I won’t be able to come out any time soon, I will need your help to run many errands that will cost money. You keep the change and use it whenever needed!”
Hu Haihe glanced at Yan Liqiang again, then accepted the silver promissory note. He carefully put it away and nodded earnestly. “I will go get people to find that bastard Guo Si now…!”
“Don’t be so hasty. Guo Si just assaulted someone here last night. He’s most likely hiding somewhere today and lying low to avoid attention. It’ll probably be very difficult to find him during these two or three days. Let me bring you to meet someone else first!”
“Alright!”
Yan Liqiang led Hu Haihe directly to the Mingxiang Teahouse, near the Imperial Capital’s West Glorious Gate. They both entered the teahouse and went upstairs. Yan Liqiang spotted Fang Beidou already sitting cross-legged in a comfortable corner that was partitioned off with a screen on the second floor. He was sipping tea while enjoying a storytelling performance.
Fang Beidou was dressed in gorgeous silk robes and had a new haircut. He didn’t look like a daoist priest at all. Since the incident of him running naked hadn’t died down, Fang Beidou still kept a fake bushy beard. Based on his appearance, anyone would be fooled into thinking he was some sort of shopkeeper or wealthy man. Who would expect him to be a daoist priest cultivating in the mountain and also be the very same person behind the naked run incident that was still on everyone’s lips?
Fang Beidou rose upon Yan Liqiang’s arrival and turned his gaze to Hu Haihe. “This is…”
Yan Liqiang introduced Hu Haihe and Fang Beidou to each other to acquaint them.
“How is it going? Are there any updates?” Yan Liqiang immediately asked as soon as he was seated.
“Hahaha, who do you think is doing work for you?!” Fang Beidou laughed heartily, then pulled out a few property deeds from his chest and slapped them on the table. “Shunyi Bookstore has four branches scattered across the Imperial Capital. It also comes with a decent printing workshop that occupies an area of several dozen mu at the foot of Mount Longqi. The facility is fully equipped and ready to operate at any time. The owner is an old man who wishes to return home to Cang Province. Therefore, as soon as we agreed on a price, he handed over all the branches of the Shunyi Bookstore and the printing workshop. The printing workshop also comes with a manor. Since the owner found it too troublesome to sell them separately, I bought them together. I have visited the manor and it seems pretty decent with a few smaller courtyards, so I’ll be living there in the future…”
“No worries. There’s no harm in buying another manor!” Yan Liqiang smiled. “As long as we manage to secure the bookstores and the printing workshop…”
“Would you like to visit the bookstore and manor?”
“Of course I do, we’re talking about our huge purchase here…!”
“I can’t possibly accept this! It’s too precious…!” When Xu Enda heard that the bottle of medicine Yan Liqiang passed to Hu Haihe was for the palace and was very expensive, he hurriedly waved his hands from the bed.
“Why not? At the end of the day, I am the cause of this incident. How can I leave this matter alone? Rest up for the next few days. After you recover, I’ll be counting on you to work for me. The terms we discussed before will stay the same. All of you will work for me after this!”
Xu Enda’s eyes immediately glistened with tears upon hearing Yan Liqiang. Words couldn’t come out from his quivering lips. He had expected this incident to ruin his rare opportunity. Little did he imagine for things to take a new turn — the opportunity wasn’t ruined and both parties suddenly grew closer. They could finally rest assured after knowing each other’s backgrounds.
Little Wu and the others who brought Yan Liqiang here looked at each other rather excitedly. Living as one of the poor people at the bottom of the Imperial Capital’s social class, meeting someone like Yan Liqiang and being hired for a decent long-term job under him was a rare opportunity. Perhaps this would change their destinies.
“But this medicine is really too precious…”
“Nothing can be more precious than a life!”
“Cousin, this is Commandant Yan’s goodwill. You should just accept it!” Hu Haihe said when he saw that Xu Enda was still too shy to accept the offer.
“Haha, don’t call me Commandant Yan from now on, Haihe. You’re treating me like a stranger. Since I’m the youngest here, just call me Liqiang!”
“How can we possibly do that? That is too inappropriate!” Hu Haihe immediately shook his head.
“Yes, yes, we can’t be inappropriate and disrespectful…!” Even Xu Enda who was lying on the bed shook his head.
“I’m not here on the job as a commandant of the Imperial Cavalry Unit right now. So there’s nothing inappropriate about this!”
“Uhm… uhm… why not just have everyone call you Manager Yan!” Little Wu suddenly interjected from the side.
In this world, the term ‘manager’ was used instead of domineering forms of address such as ‘boss’. Managers held the same meaning as bosses. Shopkeepers on the streets were referred to as managers and the owners of extremely wealthy merchant groups were also referred to as managers. Hence, ‘manager’ was an extremely versatile word.
Upon hearing Little Wu, Yan Liqiang mulled over the matter for a moment before breaking into a smile. “Well then, everyone may address me as Manager Yan from now on. It is indeed a little inconvenient to come outside as a commandant since it’s easy to attract unwanted attention. Haihe may also address me as Manager Yan as long as we are not at the army base!”
“Sure!” Hu Haihe nodded before his expression turned a little sour. “I’m afraid I won’t be seeing you around at the military base even if I wanted to…” He forced a smile.
“Why not?”
“I recently just settled my big brother’s funeral and the seventh day of his death. I am the sole surviving son of my clan now. Since it is against the Imperial Cavalry Unit’s rules for only sons to serve in the military, I just turned in my resignation from the Imperial Cavalry Unit two days ago!”
“What are you doing now then?”
“Nothing yet for now. A few brothers who resigned from the Imperial Cavalry Unit are now working as law enforcers at the Law Enforcement Offices in the Imperial Capital. They are thinking of getting me in through connections so that I can earn a living and settle my career there…” Hu Haihe looked helpless. “My parents are busy finding me a wife so I can get married by the end of this year and make babies. However, I’m not that into the idea of becoming a law enforcer or getting married so soon…” Hu Haihe steeled himself and looked at Yan Liqiang with a burning gaze. “I want to cultivate. By the time I am powerful enough, I will annihilate those Blackwind Bandits and avenge my brother…!”
Yan Liqiang murmured to himself a bit. Although working as a law enforcer didn’t seem too bad, it wasn’t ideal in the long run. When the catastrophe strikes in a few years, it won’t be easy for him to leave the Imperial Capital with his family as a civil servant due to his work commitment. The job wasn’t worth it if it might possibly put his entire family at risk. If Hu Haihe chose not to be a civil servant, it would be easier for him to leave in due time. This would in turn guarantee his family’s safety.
Thinking up to this point, Yan Liqiang told Hu Haihe, “It’s fine if you don’t want to be a law enforcer. You can work for me if you don’t mind! I happen to need more workers. I’ll be able to rest assured with you around!”
“Ah, seriously?” Hu Haihe’s eyes instantly lit up as he looked at Yan Liqiang.
“Of course!” Yan Liqiang nodded.
“Great, then I guess it’s perfectly appropriate for me to call you Manager Yan from now on!” Hu Haihe was suddenly energized.
“Aren’t you going to ask me what you’ll be doing?” Yan Liqiang questioned him with a smile.
“I was just wondering about that when my cousin told me they found a good long term job with decent benefits last time…” Hu Haihe chuckled. “In any case, I’m sure we won’t be abused with you as our manager…!”
Yan Liqiang scanned the room. “I’ll have someone buy out a publishing house and a workshop in the Imperial Capital. We’ll be making newspapers!”
Hu Haihe, Xu Enda, and the rest in the room exchanged glances when they heard Yan Liqiang say newspapers. Everyone looked at each other blankly, completely clueless on what a newspapers was.
“Umm… what is a newspapers, Manager Yan?” Little Wu asked in a low voice while scratching his head.
“I can’t explain it to you in a sentence, but you all will know soon enough!”
At this moment, the door was pushed open again. A girl about the age of eleven or twelve obediently came in while holding a bowl of medicine. “Big brother, the medicine is ready. You should take it now…”
By the time Xu Enda emptied the bowl of medicine, Yan Liqiang noticed he looked rather tired. He left ten taels of silver at Xu Enda’s home and told him it was an advance salary. Little Wu and the others were told to stay put to look after Xu Enda, just in case someone came to find trouble again. Yan Liqiang then bid his farewell and left Xu Residence with Hu Haihe, telling them that they were going out to do something.
“Who exactly is that Guo Si? Will you be able to find him, Haihe?” Yan Liqiang asked as soon as they were out of the Xu Residence.
“Guo Si is a swindling thug around here. He’s a fighter, though he doesn’t really have any sort of prominent background. Many fellow brothers of mine from the Imperial Cavalry Unit are law enforcers in the Imperial Capital now. I happen to be real close with a few of them. They will definitely be able to sniff out that bastard at my request!” Hu Haihe seethed.
Yan Liqiang narrowed his eyes too. “There won’t be much trouble after we manage to find that bastard. We’ll proceed according to your proposed plan just now — throw him into prison and find someone to end him. Take this silver for your arrangements. It’s not worth it to soil our hands for this kind of thug…” Yan Liqiang pulled out a silver promissory note with the value of five hundred taels of silver and handed it over to Hu Haihe while speaking.
As soon as Hu Haihe noticed the value of that silver promissory note, he quickly waved his hands in shock. “Ah, that’s too much! A simple wine treat for my friends would be enough to finish off that bastard…”
“Just take it. You will need it to form and preserve long-lasting relationships. When you work for me in the future, I will be at Deer Villa for most of the time. Since I won’t be able to come out any time soon, I will need your help to run many errands that will cost money. You keep the change and use it whenever needed!”
Hu Haihe glanced at Yan Liqiang again, then accepted the silver promissory note. He carefully put it away and nodded earnestly. “I will go get people to find that bastard Guo Si now…!”
“Don’t be so hasty. Guo Si just assaulted someone here last night. He’s most likely hiding somewhere today and lying low to avoid attention. It’ll probably be very difficult to find him during these two or three days. Let me bring you to meet someone else first!”
“Alright!”
Yan Liqiang led Hu Haihe directly to the Mingxiang Teahouse, near the Imperial Capital’s West Glorious Gate. They both entered the teahouse and went upstairs. Yan Liqiang spotted Fang Beidou already sitting cross-legged in a comfortable corner that was partitioned off with a screen on the second floor. He was sipping tea while enjoying a storytelling performance.
Fang Beidou was dressed in gorgeous silk robes and had a new haircut. He didn’t look like a daoist priest at all. Since the incident of him running naked hadn’t died down, Fang Beidou still kept a fake bushy beard. Based on his appearance, anyone would be fooled into thinking he was some sort of shopkeeper or wealthy man. Who would expect him to be a daoist priest cultivating in the mountain and also be the very same person behind the naked run incident that was still on everyone’s lips?
Fang Beidou rose upon Yan Liqiang’s arrival and turned his gaze to Hu Haihe. “This is…”
Yan Liqiang introduced Hu Haihe and Fang Beidou to each other to acquaint them.
“How is it going? Are there any updates?” Yan Liqiang immediately asked as soon as he was seated.
“Hahaha, who do you think is doing work for you?!” Fang Beidou laughed heartily, then pulled out a few property deeds from his chest and slapped them on the table. “Shunyi Bookstore has four branches scattered across the Imperial Capital. It also comes with a decent printing workshop that occupies an area of several dozen mu at the foot of Mount Longqi. The facility is fully equipped and ready to operate at any time. The owner is an old man who wishes to return home to Cang Province. Therefore, as soon as we agreed on a price, he handed over all the branches of the Shunyi Bookstore and the printing workshop. The printing workshop also comes with a manor. Since the owner found it too troublesome to sell them separately, I bought them together. I have visited the manor and it seems pretty decent with a few smaller courtyards, so I’ll be living there in the future…”
“No worries. There’s no harm in buying another manor!” Yan Liqiang smiled. “As long as we manage to secure the bookstores and the printing workshop…”
“Would you like to visit the bookstore and manor?”
“Of course I do, we’re talking about our huge purchase here…!”
