Chapter 106: Go Home

In Yangshan Village, brothers Liu Yanping and Liu Yanan returned home in a rented mule cart. As they arrived at their doorstep and were just getting off the cart, Wei Shi and Liu Yu were still busy working in the inner courtyard, unaware of their return. However, Liu Datian’s son next door had already started shouting, “Master,… Master, Uncle Yanping is back!”

Then another child from a different family echoed, “Grandma, Grandma, Uncle Yanping and Uncle Yanan are back!”

The shout spread from the two children’s homes, startling several neighboring households. “Yanping and Yanan are back?”

People began rushing out of their houses one after another. Sure enough, it was Liu Yanping and his brother. Overjoyed, they hurried towards the Liu family’s door. “Yanping and Yanan are back. Oh, this is wonderful! Your mother and sister have been so worried these past weeks.”

As they spoke of Wei Shi, she and Liu Yu had already rushed out from the inner courtyard. The moment Wei Shi saw her two sons, her eyes welled up with tears. She ran out with small steps to meet them, holding Liu Yanping and Liu Yanan, looking them up and down. Seeing they were fine, the heavy worry she had been carrying for over a month finally lifted. “You’re back, you’re back. I was so worried I couldn’t sleep peacefully for even a day.”

The brothers, Liu Yanping and Liu Yanan, both smiled, “Mom, we’re perfectly fine, don’t worry.”

Liu Yu then stepped forward and called, “Second Brother, Third Brother.”

Liu Yanping patted her hair and said softly, “Chengxiao went back to the county first. He’ll come see you early tomorrow. Second Brother also has good news for you, but we’ll talk about it inside.”

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Hearing this, the villagers were pleased and agreed, no longer lingering at the Liu family’s door, allowing them to have a family conversation.

In the inner courtyard, Liu Chunshan and Liu Datian’s wife, who were working, also came out to see what was happening. Seeing Wei Shi’s family coming in, they smiled and said, “Aunt Wei, you must be very busy now. How about we take today’s work home to do?”

Wei Shi quickly agreed, “Yes, yes. I really don’t have time for work today.”

With her two sons gone for over a month and now back looking worn out, she definitely needed to kill a chicken and a duck to replenish them.

Liu Chunshan’s wife and Liu Datian’s wife understood, smiled, and took the clothes they were working on back home.

Liu Yanan had already paid the cart driver and brought the luggage inside. Instead of heading straight to their rooms, the family gathered in the main hall to talk. Liu Yu quickly poured two cups of tea, not meant for guests, but cold tea kept in a pot to cool down in the hot weather. The brothers drank a cup each in one go.

After everyone had drunk some water, Wei Shi asked, “How did it go? Did you sell all the cloth?”

“All sold.”

Liu Yanping’s eyes shone with pride. This was in the inner courtyard’s flower hall, away from outsiders’ view. He took out a money bag, opened it, and unwrapped an oil-paper package, revealing several silver notes which he placed in front of Wei Shi.

Large denomination official notes—since her mother-in-law passed away, Wei Shi hadn’t seen these in years. She couldn’t help but take a closer look. There were three hundred-tael notes and one fifty-tael note.

Liu Yanan also took out a money bag from his pack and smiled, “Mom, there’s also this.”

A small, heavy money bag of silver, which Liu Yanan had been carrying in his pack.

The brothers had split the money and notes for safety. They used the loose change Liu Yanan kept in his money bag for their expenses on the road.

Wei Shi was speechless, her lips trembling as she said, “So much?”

Even with the money in hand, she couldn’t believe it.

Liu Yanan untied the bag, taking out five ingots of silver—four ten-tael ingots and one five-tael ingot. He grinned, “Mom, this trip, our family, after covering costs and expenses, earned a net profit of one hundred thirty taels.”

One hundred thirty taels! Wei Shi clutched her thumping heart, thinking how her eldest son would have to work at the county office for thirteen years to earn that much!

Liu Yu’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Liu Yanping and Liu Yanan, “Second Brother, Third Brother, tell me and Auntie about your business trip. I’m curious.”

This bit of greediness ran in the family, just like Liu Yanping. He chuckled and said to Liu Yanan, “You tell them, about our journey.”

Liu Yanan, naturally lively, eagerly began recounting how they set off from Anyi County with the boat, headed to Yuanzhou for dyeing fabric, journeyed to northern Zhejiang, and then to Zhejiang Port. He detailed how they rented a warehouse, how Lu Chengxiao and Liu Yanping connected with the Jiangyou merchants, rented a shop in the South Market, and how all their fabrics were snapped up by merchants within hours. He narrated it all vividly.

Wei Shi was stunned, “They rushed to buy them?”

Liu Yanan took a sip of the tea Liu Yu poured, “Absolutely! When the gong sounded, we first heard the noise, and then a large crowd of merchants surged in, followed by a bunch of porters eager for business. We were all taken aback. It was our first time doing business, and we didn’t think through the details—no abacus, no cash box. Luckily, Brother and Chengxiao were quick at mental arithmetic. Otherwise, we would have been in trouble. But it was thrilling; in just a few hours, the shop we rented was emptied, leaving only about twenty bolts of fabric, which Lu Chengxiao sold at a slight discount to clear out.”

Liu Yu asked, “How much did you make?”

Liu Yanan gestured with his hand, “Over seven hundred taels in just half a day. The money filled a big bag. From that single trip, our family earned ninety taels!”

“Four taels a day for shop rent, selling over seven hundred taels worth of goods in half a day,” Liu Yu’s heart raced. “Choosing the right shop location is indeed crucial.”

Four taels a day sounded exorbitant, but the profit it generated was astonishing.

With a sigh, she asked Liu Yanan, “What happened next? Did you bring goods back on the return trip?”

Liu Yanan nodded vigorously and described their journey to Wuxing Mountains, “We brought back over six hundred taels worth of raw silk, which we sold in Hongdu Prefecture. Yu’er, you should have seen the scene along the river outside Hongdu Prefecture—full of merchant ships. We had to wait a long time just to dock. But the rewards were great. Can you believe it? We didn’t even have to find buyers. The cloth shops in the city were waiting at the docks, asking about the price as soon as they saw the raw silk.”

He explained how they sold the silk without even entering the city to pay taxes—the buyers handled all that. “We sold everything.”

Liu Yanping added, “We didn’t dye the silk ourselves, so we earned less. But it was easier. We visited some cloth shops in the city and found that if we had our own shop, the profit margin would be nearly three times.”

A profit margin of three times made Wei Shi marvel, but she was puzzled, “If it’s so profitable, why doesn’t everyone do business? Did you really not encounter any problems on your journey?”

Both brothers shook their heads. They had agreed not to mention the incident with the river pirates to avoid worrying their family in the future.

Liu Yanping, being thoughtful, knew that mixing some truth with fiction made the story more believable. He said, “There’s always some risk. We’ve heard of merchants being robbed, but it doesn’t happen often. Those robbers usually target easy prey. We traveled in a group of six, all skilled and cautious.”

He pointed to his clothes, “Dressed like us, big gangs wouldn’t bother, and small ones wouldn’t dare. It was pretty safe.”

He laughed, easing Wei Shi’s worries. Besides, the brothers were already home, and nothing could be more reassuring.

After recounting their adventures, Wei Shi checked the time, “Put away the money first. I’ll boil some water so you two can wash and change into clean clothes.”

After spending most of the month on the boat, where bathing conditions were poor, especially on the smaller return boat compared to the large one they rented initially, Liu Yanping and Liu Yanan were eager for a good wash. But Liu Yanping stopped her, “Wait, Mom, there’s no rush. Let me distribute the silver first.”

Wei Shi and Liu Yu waited as Liu Yanping quickly divided the 395 taels of silver on the table into two parts: one part with two 100-tael silver notes, and the other part with the remaining 195 taels.

Liu Yanping kept the 200-tael silver notes for himself and pushed the remaining 190 taels towards Wei Shi and Liu Yu. “I’ll exchange those 200 taels in the county tomorrow to settle the debts for the cloth. The remaining 195 taels, 65 taels are for you and Yu’er, and the 130 taels profit will be used to open an embroidery shop.”

Liu Yanping’s idea of distribution left nothing for himself or Liu Yanan. Liu Yu was taken aback. “Second Brother, I don’t need that much. There’s no rush to open a shop. Eldest Brother is still looking for a vacant shop in the county. You and Third Brother should keep the money as working capital.”

Liu Yu knew that after experiencing commerce, her two brothers wouldn’t just return to farming in the village. They would certainly embark on another journey.

Liu Yanping smiled, “I started the first trip without any capital, and it turned out well. The second trip should be fine too. With the hemp harvest coming, the villagers will likely be willing to give me credit for the cloth again. When it comes to dyeing and travel expenses, I can always get the money from you.”

Wei Shi nodded, “That makes sense. Use the money where it’s needed most. Keeping my 20 taels doesn’t serve much purpose. Take it all.”

Wei Shi pushed the entire 195 taels towards Liu Yu, only reminding her to keep the door to the west wing locked. She knew that besides the recent earnings from selling ready-made clothes, Liu Yu also had Lu Chengxiao’s 130 taels. Combined with the 195 taels, there was over 300 taels in total.

Hearing this, Liu Yu didn’t protest further. Since the shop would benefit the family and she would have a share, she agreed, “Alright, I’ll keep it all together.”

As she carried the silver to the west wing, Liu Yanping asked Wei Shi, “Has Eldest Brother found a shop yet?”

Wei Shi shook her head, “It’s not easy. Shops in good locations that do well have been established for years. Few people give up their businesses midway. There are a couple of places, but their locations aren’t ideal.”

“Got it,” Liu Yanping nodded. “This isn’t something that can be rushed. I’ll ask Uncle Lu tomorrow in the county. He does business on the main street and might have more information than we do.”

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