Chapter 75: White wolf with empty gloves

It was already midnight, and Liu Yanping didn’t dare to disturb the rest of his family. He suppressed the excitement that made his heart race and blood boil, forcing himself to lie down without putting on his coat to find someone to share this excellent idea that had just emerged in his mind at this moment. He forced himself to lay down on the bed.

However, he couldn’t sleep. After thinking of such a method, he was even more excited than when he received the box containing all their family’s savings.

Having sixty-five taels of silver in hand was exciting because it meant he could set foot on the business road, accompanied by a heavy sense of responsibility. But this method, which could allow him to receive a large amount of raw cloth nearly for free, aroused all the ambition and enthusiasm in Liu Yanping’s heart.

He spent the whole night sleepless, his brain too excited. He drifted off only when the rooster crowed at dawn.

But young people are always energetic. The morning in the countryside was always lively with crowing roosters and chirping birds, as well as the voices of people coming and going. Liu Yanping woke up soon.

Feeling no tiredness at all, he got dressed and went to wash up. Then, during breakfast with his family, he shared his thoughts from the previous night with them.

Wei Shi was stunned by his boldness, but Liu Yu firmly gave a single word: “Go for it!”

This one word made Liu Yanping unable to contain his excitement, and he stared straight at Liu Yu.

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Fllkdt bkp nsdnlad, Nkw Zw alxykdle qkax yde pyke, “Flnsde Jasvbla, kq usw’hl xyel wr uswa xkde vs es kv, ts yblye. Rq kv tslp olzz, swa qyxkzu okzz byhl y pbsr kd vbl nswdvu pssd. Rq dsv, obld R vssj swv vbl xsdlu zypv dktbv, R yzalyeu vsze Gwdvkl vbyv kq yduvbkdt byrrldp, ol’zz fwpv nsdvkdwl xyjkdt nzsvblp qsa y qlo xsal xsdvbp. El’al yzalyeu kd vbkp zkdl sq osaj, ps kv’p dsv y ckt elyz.”

G ckt pxkzl pralye ynaspp Nkw Zydrkdt’p qynl. “Xjyu, Flnsde Jasvbla okzz xyjl pwal vs lyad ldswtb xsdlu qsa usw vs srld y pbsr kd vbl nswdvu yde xyaau kdvs vbl Nw qyxkzu okvb rakel.”

Nkw Zw nswzed’v blzr cwv ryv bkp sod qynl blzrzlppzu. “Flnsde Jasvbla, zlv’p dsv vyzj zkjl vbyv yduxsal. Rq xu pjkd tlvp ydu vbknjla, kv osd’v zssj tsse.”

Mbkp nywple Elk Fbk vs zywtb blyavkzu, yde yqvla pbl qkdkpble, pbl prsjl plakswpzu vs Zydrkdt, “Zswa pkpvla kp okzzkdt vs pwrrsav uswa elnkpksd. Kwpv ts yblye yde es kv. Jwv kq usw alyzzu alnlkhl y zsv sq tssep, ol’zz nshla vbl lmrldplp qsa vbl fswadlu swaplzhlp. Rv oswzed’v cl aktbv vs vyjl yehydvytl sq vbl Nw qyxkzu.”

“Xq nswapl.” Zydrkdt oyp elzktbvle vs blya Elk Fbk ytall yde alyekzu ynnlrvle.

Tsolhla, Nkw Zw, tzydnkdt yv Zydyd, pyke, “Ebu esd’v usw ts yzsdt, Mbkae Jasvbla? Rv xktbv dsv cl ps pyql vs ts vs Hblfkydt yzsdl. Rv’p alyppwakdt vs byhl xsal rlsrzl.”

Mbkp pwttlpvksd xyvnble Zydyd’p vbswtbvp rlaqlnvzu. Tl iwknjzu zssjle yv Zydrkdt yde Elk Fbk, vbld qkdyzzu ypjle Zydrkdt, “Rq R fskd kd, okzz vbl xsdlu cl ldswtb qsa vbl fswadlu?”

Zydrkdt pxkzle. “Rv okzz cl. Rq kv’p dsv ldswtb, R’zz pbyxlzlppzu ypj qsa xsal. R’zz ekpnwpp kv okvb Ubldtmkys. Tl nyd yehydnl vbl xsdlu, yde obld R plzz vbl tssep, R’zz ryu bkx cynj.”

“But this is just a thought. I have to get the raw cloth first. I’ll go to the patriarch’s house first, then go door-to-door. If this plan can really work, I’ll talk to Chengxiao.”

Saying that, he was about to leave.

“Second Brother,” Liu Yu stopped him and said, “Ask him if there are others traveling with you. I’ve heard that merchants traveling by boat often encounter river bandits. If possible, it’s better to have a few more people traveling together.”

Liu Yanping knew she was worried about their safety during the business trip. He nodded and said, “Alright, I’ll bring it up. Don’t worry.”

With that, he hurriedly went to the patriarch’s house.

As Yanping expected, as he went from house to house, although some of the clan members hesitated, they couldn’t resist the temptation of adding thirty wen to each piece of cloth and the promise of returning the dyed cloth if it didn’t sell.

Dyed cloth was worth much more than undyed cloth. It sold for five to six hundred wen per piece in the cloth shop, which was four times the profit of selling raw silk and more than twice the profit of selling raw cloth to the cloth dealers. This was a guarantee, and even if Liu Yanping’s business trip went smoothly and all the cloth was sold, each piece would still earn thirty wen more than what the outside cloth merchants offered.

Every household in the clan planted at least two to three mu of ramie, yielding six to nine hundred catties of ramie fiber per year, which could be woven into one or two hundred pieces of cloth.

This was the harvest of three seasons, with spring alone producing fifty to sixty pieces. With each piece earning an extra thirty wen, this meant an additional fifteen hundred wen in income. The extra profit from a season’s worth of raw cloth sales could cover the selling price of two mu of ramie fiber for three seasons. Who wouldn’t be tempted?

However, most households were still hesitant between the immediate cash and an additional one tael and five mace. Even though Liu Yanping had already anticipated the worst-case scenario for them, the Liu family had been living off the land just like them for these years, so even though the conditions were tempting, the Liu clan still felt a bit apprehensive and didn’t dare to agree too easily.

There were some astute ones, however, who asked Liu Yanping for details.

“Who are you going with to do business? Without someone leading, can you find the right path?”

“Whose house did you visit? Has anyone agreed to give you cloth on credit yet?”

Liu Yanping also understood the clan members’ concerns. He smiled and said, “I’m going with a friend who runs a cloth shop. I’ll follow his route, and he’ll take me along.”

At this point, he didn’t reveal the banner of the Lufeng Cloth Shop. He just said a few vague words.

The clan members responded with understanding noises. Then, when asked if anyone had agreed yet, Liu Yanping answered truthfully, “The patriarch’s house, Uncle Da Tian’s house, and Uncle Chunshan’s house have all agreed. I still don’t know when I’ll set off. I need to ask my friend. So, before I leave, I’ll weave as much cloth as I can.”

“Weave as much as you can, and you’ll get paid accordingly,” the person’s heart stirred. Yanping left for the next house, and the person went to the patriarch’s house to inquire about the news.

By the time they arrived, there were already seven or eight people there, all of them there to inquire about the same thing. Their questions were direct: “Liu Yanping came to our house and said he wanted to buy this spring’s raw cloth on credit. I heard your family agreed?”

The patriarch had already answered this question several times by now. He smiled and nodded. “Yes, we agreed. Thirty wen will be added to each piece. If it doesn’t sell, he’ll dye it and return it to us. The cost of dyeing will be considered compensation. This is what Wei Shi instructed. We should take care of our own clan’s interests first when such opportunities arise.”

The man chuckled, clearly tempted. But farmers, you see, toil all year round and want to see cash as soon as possible. They don’t understand things like trading, having only heard bits and pieces about it. Some merchants have become wealthy, while others have lost everything, and some unlucky ones have encountered bandits and been left with nothing.

If the cloth can be returned if it doesn’t sell, that’s not a problem. What they fear is that Yanping might be cheated out of the money while he’s away, leaving them with neither cloth nor money. As for losing both money and goods, that’s too ominous, almost like cursing someone. They kept quiet about that and only asked the patriarch, “He said he’s going into business with a friend who runs a cloth shop. Do you know which cloth shop it is?”

There were only a few cloth shops in town.

The patriarch smiled. “Of course I know. How could I not? You’ve all seen him. It’s the young lad who helped the Lu family during the last two busy farming seasons, the third young master of the Lufeng Cloth Shop in the county.”

The groups of people inquiring suddenly became excited.

“What? Lufeng Cloth Shop? So, the young lad who helped with farming is the third young master of the Lu Feng Cloth Shop?”

“Since when did their family know such a big shot?”

“Does Yanqing know him? He’s a constable in the county.”

The patriarch smiled. “Regardless of how they know each other, if it’s the third young master of Lufeng leading this trip, I think it’ll work out. Yanping is offering a fair price, thirty wen more per piece than the cloth dealers, and he also promises to return the dyed cloth if it doesn’t sell. There’s really nothing to worry about. If there are any risks, you all know the characters of Wei Shi and the Yanqing brothers. They wouldn’t default on their debts.”

“Think it over yourselves. If you want stability, wait for the cloth dealers to come and offer the same price as in previous years. If you want to make a few extra coins, you can give it to Yanping. He’s in a hurry to get it. The departure time isn’t set yet, and he might not be able to weave too much cloth at home for now. Otherwise, I’ll give him all my spring cloth. Anyway, my family will have several daughters-in-law starting tonight, taking turns working through the night to weave cloth. We’ll weave as much as we can.”

This was where Yanping excelled. He hinted to the patriarch about going with the Lu family but didn’t say much outside. Letting the patriarch handle it gave his words much more credibility than if he had said them himself.

Although the Lufeng Cloth Shop had risen recently in the county, it couldn’t be denied that they were big, had good quality materials, and a wide variety. In just a few years, they had surpassed the old shops to become the top choice in Anyi County.

Hearing that Yanping was going into business with the third young master of such a big cloth shop was a great relief for everyone. Originally, those who were tempted by the extra thirty wen per piece and the guarantee of returning dyed cloth if unsold now had even more confidence. They believed that if the cloth was bought on credit, they would be able to get their money back.

Starting night shifts in turns, everyone sighed inwardly.

The patriarch seemed to be contemplating something and said, “Oh, there’s one more thing. Wei Shi and her niece have started a business making clothes now. Didn’t you ask if Dadian and Chunsheng’s families also agreed? They did. Dadian’s wife and Chunsheng’s wife are both working under Wei now, and it’s quite profitable. You can go and inquire for details.”

“Wei Shi is in the clothing business now?”

“I haven’t heard that their family has opened a shop.”

Before the patriarch could explain further, someone else chimed in.

There were no secrets in the small village. In the current village, those who lived close to the Liu family, or close to Dadian’s and Chunsheng’s families, had long noticed Dadian’s and Chunsheng’s wives going to Wei’s place early in the morning and returning late at night, sparking curiosity among the villagers.

Though none of the three families had publicized it, there were people who knew that Dadian’s and Chunsheng’s wives were working for Wei Shi and her niece. It had only been a few days since they were hired, so the news hadn’t spread widely yet.

One person who knew about it happened to be at the patriarch’s house.

“It’s true. Someone from my family went to check it out. Dadian’s and Chunsheng’s families are both making clothes under Wei Shi’s guidance. They’re paid by piece and the clothes are of good quality. I heard that even the cheapest one goes for two coins, and the expensive ones sell for two or three guan. Wei Shi’s niece handles the cutting and embroidery, and they only do the sewing. Once they finish, Yanan takes them to the shop outside to sell, and they sell quite well.”

“Does the girl Liu Yu know how to embroider?”

The person nodded. “My family asked Dadian’s mother, and she said that Dadian’s wife has been making a few dozen wen every day for the past few days, and she takes the earnings home immediately. So, both families agreed to give credit for the cloth to Yanping without hesitation. If Yanping’s business doesn’t work out, Wei Shi and her niece’s business is thriving. There’s nothing to worry about.”

One of the inquirers chuckled, “If you’re so confident, why did you come to the patriarch’s house to inquire?”

The person chuckled. “I was just curious. It seems like their family is suddenly getting prosperous, doing both clothing and cloth collection. I came to the patriarch’s house to listen.”

As this news spread, more and more families were willing to give cloth credit to Yanping. Starting from mid-morning, families approached by Yanping went to the Liu family to give their responses. They saw what Wei Shi and her relatives were doing with the clothes, and there was nothing to worry about. They were all willing to give cloth credit to Yanan and asked when he would collect it. Starting today, everyone in their homes would weave linen day and night.

Yanpig knew this would work out. Once someone took the lead, everyone else would follow. Not just their clan members, but probably other families in the village would also come knocking.

He bid farewell to Wei Shi. “Mother, I’m going to the county town to inform Chengxiao about the situation.”

One was to finalize the specific itinerary, two was to see the situation on Chengxiao’s side, how much cargo he could carry, and three was to convey to Chengxiao that he should let more people accompany him.

Wei Shi knew this was business, so she waved him off to go about his business.

Sansukini: I don’t know what the title alludes to.. Hehehe… So I googled it and White Wolves with Empty Gloves (“空手白狼” (kōng shǒu bái láng)) means to underestimate someone based on their appearance. Someone might look simple on the outside but they might have some hidden skills. So apt. Anyways, Thank you for reading. It’s the business and getting rich part of the story and Chengxiao and Liu Yu’s brothers will have some adventures on the way.

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