Chapter 12: So Distressed, I Want to Go See for Myself

The evening glow reluctantly faded into the clouds, and darkness gradually settled in as lights flickered on throughout the Guardhouse.

Frustrated, Li Xia couldn’t understand what Yan’s mother and Yan Chaonian were so worried about. In his view, such a golden opportunity should be seized to directly eliminate Jiang Wencheng and his son—avenge the past!

Yan’s mother felt that if they didn’t make things clear today, that scoundrel would surely cause trouble, so she spoke up, “It’s not about lowering others to boost yourself. You used to kowtow to the county magistrate, who held a noble title of Earl. What could you possibly do by going to his door?”

“The guards and servants of the Manor wouldn’t even give you a chance to act. Your brother-in-law is a fifth-rank official, and with just a word, he can reduce you to nothing, wasting your whole life. Do you think you can handle that?”

Li Xia opened his mouth but then closed it in frustration. Yan’s mother continued, “Yuan Shen has given you face, and you think he’s easy to talk to. But if he withdrew that face, you wouldn’t even get past the front gate of the Guardhouse. The Chaijin Workshop would have to close in three days—that’s the reality.”

“Think about what the Li family’s situation was like before Yuan Shen.”

What situation?

Before his brother-in-law became an official, their family struggled too. He had often seen the old man bowing and scraping before officials. But since Yan’s father rose to power, life got better for the Lis. Then they acquired the Manor, and officials hardly troubled them anymore. Later...

The Manor was gone, Yan’s father fell from grace, and the Li family suffered the consequences...

“Sis, you know I mean no harm to Niannian. I’m not like the old man—I just hate seeing her bullied all those years. You didn’t see that little monkey, ragged and yet so arrogant. I wanted to rush in and pull his pants down to give him a good beating.”

Indeed, Li Xia had pretended to look for someone early that morning just to witness the whole chaos. The Jiang father and son were pitifully defeated—it was wrong to have disturbed his blanket!

They should have just thrown a bucket of cold water on him and frozen him solid.

Yan’s mother forbade him from getting involved in this matter again. No matter how bad Jiang Wencheng’s character was, he was still the Master of the Manor. “Don’t bring trouble upon my son-in-law.”

“Back when Niannian was a proper wife of the Guardhouse, not someone to be ashamed of, why hide this matter from the outside world?”

In the past two days, Yan’s mother had also thought it over. Although Yan Chaonian was no longer connected to the Manor, Jiang Chongyuan still remained in the Jiang family. The Jiangs wouldn’t want to see Yan Chaonian remarried—it wouldn’t be good for Jiang Chongyuan.

Jiang Wencheng was blinded by passion back then, but after three years, he should understand the stakes and wanted her Niannian to return.

Yuan Shen was at a critical point in his career. If Jiang Wencheng intended to suppress him, success was uncertain, but causing some trouble was possible.

“It’s best not to let Jiang Wencheng know that Niannian has married. He should have as little contact with her as possible.”

Though straightforward, Li Xia was not foolish. Once explained, he understood but felt resentful. He also thought they should spare no expense to support their nephew by marriage, ideally crushing Jiang Wencheng. How bitter it was to have such an outstanding nephew-in-law hidden away by the Li family.

After a quick wash and dusting himself off, Yan Chaonian returned. “I’ve decided to go take a look.”

Before Li Xia could object, she shared her plan. “Since they know I’m at Chaijin Workshop and will wait for me there, sooner or later they’ll dig up more information. I have some status after all. If the authorities come looking directly at the workshop, can the workshop claim ignorance?”

“Instead of letting them keep asking around about me, I might as well step forward and avoid being too passive.”

Yan’s mother had something to say, and Li Xia was uneasy, but Yan Chaonian had made up her mind. “Early tomorrow, I’ll head to the workshop. I’ll deliberately let his men wait for me there, then naturally follow them to the inn. Don’t worry, I won’t give him any money. I want to see how pathetic he really is.”

Yan’s mother thought it over and didn’t oppose. She trusted Yan Chaonian to handle things, and Li Xia had no way to argue—his niece wouldn’t listen to him.

“Second uncle, be very careful with the Chaijin affair. Those merchants must be well entertained. Such a big operation must sell all the fabric once it’s made.”

With more weavers, the scale of the workshop needed to expand. More people meant more matters to manage and more merchants to accommodate—no room for carelessness.

Li Xia was thorough and said they had agreed with all the merchants that once Chaijin was finished, Chaijin Workshop would host a banquet to thank the merchants who traveled from afar.

“Too bad we don’t have a garden in the city, no place to host a large gathering.”

Yan Chaonian was also pondering this. Their tea garden had produced its first batch of new tea this year, but it lacked reputation and couldn’t fetch a good price unless given to the merchants...

Wait a moment.

“Second uncle, come inside. I want to discuss something with you.”

At first, the imperial court controlled brocade production, setting limits on how much each family could produce. Ordinary people, no matter how wealthy, found it hard to get their hands on it. But when a few years ago the court relaxed restrictions, allowing private trade, the brocade industry in Rong City truly came to life.

Within a year, dozens of brocade workshops opened, followed by fierce competition for the best weavers, then struggles over cotton and silk, as everyone wanted the best materials. Silk farmers became active, with every village raising silkworms and every household planting mulberry trees. Mulberry leaves became a key factor in rural prosperity.

Afterward, some began occupying land to plant mulberry groves and set up silkworm farms to be self-sufficient.

The Li family, seizing the opportunity, bought a hill to plant mulberry trees, though it was somewhat late and the location was not ideal. Unlike other estates, it was not close to the city and could not build facilities to entertain merchants.

“Sending tea? Not selling it?”

The hill the Li family bought also had tea trees. Silkworm manure fertilized the tea plants, which flourished, producing fine leaves. The Li family planned to sell the tea to make money.

“I’ve thought it through. With so few tea trees, how much good tea can they produce?”

Yan Chaonian calculated and planned to process the tea and specially make a batch of tea tins branded with the Chaijin Workshop logo. “Each tin holds two taels of tea, and we’ll give an amount proportional to the orders placed...”

Before she finished, Li Xia slapped his thigh. “I get it. You want to use the tea to lure those merchants. Our tea is excellent but not for sale—if they want our tea, they have to buy our fabric, right?”

Yan Chaonian smiled playfully. “Second uncle is truly the sharpest mind in our family.”

Li Xia smiled proudly but then glared at her. “Looks like you’re not afraid anymore, even teasing your second uncle.”

They were close in age, spoke frankly without reservations, and got along well.

“I’ll discuss with grandpa and eldest uncle. Tea shouldn’t be a problem. We still need to find a garden or a villa not far outside the city—now that we have money, it’s time to invest in property.”

Li Xia placed a hand on his hip and still worried. “Be careful when you meet your ex-husband tomorrow. Yuan Shen is on his way back. Watch out he doesn’t come back and break your legs.”

Yan Chaonian laughed and shook her head. “Stop defaming him. When has he ever laid a hand on anyone?”