Chapter 3

Zhang Han, both mentally and physically damaged, had only been awake for a short while and hadn't even exchanged a few words with Zhang Chun before he fell back into a deep sleep.

In his dreams, it seemed that a pair of hands were gently caressing him, extremely tender, making him feel an indescribable comfort and reassurance, a feeling that seemed to have only existed in his childhood.

The next morning, he was awakened by the aroma of food.

Neatly cut pickled white radish strips, a small dish of emerald green snow cabbage, a dish of fried peanuts that glistened with oil, and a few cloves of sugared garlic also placed on a plate. The four small dishes on the tray looked very tempting, and there was a bowl of thick, golden millet porridge steaming hot.

"Grandma, the young master is awake."

As soon as Zhang Han woke up, there was a slight movement, and Zhang Chun, who had been dozing off at the head of the bed, immediately woke up.

This time, the Zhang Han he saw was completely awake, his eyes wide open and bright, completely different from the semi-comatose, semi-conscious state of the past few days.

After all, they had grown up together since childhood, and even though they were master and servant, the bond between Zhang Chun and Zhang Han was deep. Seeing the young master's appearance when he woke up, Zhang Chun was overjoyed, almost jumping up in excitement.

For Zhang Han, the deep thinking and good sleep in the middle of the night had helped him thoroughly sort out his current situation.

Of course, full acceptance would still take time. For the present him, what he needed to do was to accept the current reality: he was now the son of a Jin merchant in the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty. His goal was to stand firm, and other matters could be discussed later.

Zhang Han, who had lost his parents at a young age and had to become independent early, was much stronger than ordinary people in accepting reality.

"Han, you were so foolish. This time was really dangerous, and it made your mother very worried!"

A woman in her forties walked in from the outer room. As soon as she entered, she began to scold Zhang Han.

Her hair was slightly disheveled, and her blue silk jacket was a bit wrinkled, indicating that she had been sleeping on the floor outside. Zhang Han guessed that the hand that had felt his forehead in the middle of the night to check for a fever must have been hers.

This was Zhang Han's mother, Chang Shi, who had always been somewhat strict. Zhang Han subconsciously feared her.

In Zhang Han's eyes, the woman before him was beautiful and had an outstanding demeanor. It was clear that she had been educated in her youth and had a strong personality. However, with Zhang Han's father passing away early, Chang Shi had become the head of the family, and Zhang Han could not help her. This woman had high aspirations and must have suffered a lot, which made her look much older than her actual age.

Thinking of the hand that had caressed his forehead in the middle of the night, and looking at the woman before him, although she was scolding him, Zhang Han felt a pang in his heart. If it had been the old Zhang Han, he would have been repulsed and afraid, but now he felt a different emotion.

Only those who had lost their parents at a young age could understand how Zhang Han felt at this moment...

How many nights had he wished to be scolded by his mother, only to wake up with tears wetting his cheeks...

Zhang Han felt a strange sensation in his heart. The original memories and emotions in his mind were mixed with his own, and with a complex heart, he sat up a bit and said to Zhang Changshi, "Mother, I was wrong this time."

"Hmm?"

Chang Shi was somewhat surprised. This son of hers had been smart since childhood, but his character had significant flaws, being too proud and stubborn, and always stubbornly refusing to listen. Today's sincere admission of fault was something she had rarely seen in her memory.

"I shouldn't have been so angry and neglected my own health..."

"That you can say this, I am very relieved. There's no need to say more. As long as you understand, our family and He Yusheng have hope."

Chang Shi's face showed relief. She sat by the bed and held Zhang Han's hand with her own. The mother and son were blood-related, and at this moment, there was no need for more words.

Zhang Han felt the long-desired mother-son affection, but his heart also tightened.

It seemed that Chang Shi's bad mood was not just because of his health but also because of the troubles and problems with the business, He Yusheng, and the family. The previous Zhang Han, who had been a bookworm and left everything to the chief manager, knew nothing about the family's situation.

"Mother, how is the business doing recently? Is the household budget sufficient?"

Chang Shi was slightly taken aback and looked Zhang Han up and down.

Zhang Han's expression was normal, showing only concern.

"You rest first," Chang Shi said calmly. "No matter what happens with the business or the family, your basic needs will be taken care of."

"Yes, Mother, you're right..." Zhang Han responded, then continued, "After this incident, I realize how foolish I've been. I want to go to the shop and manage the external affairs. There are no adult men in the family, so I should take on the responsibility. I should also understand the family's situation clearly."

Chang Shi's face showed surprise. She looked at Zhang Han again and finally nodded, "I didn't expect that after this serious illness, you have really grown up."

She thought for a moment, knowing that she would eventually have to hand over the business to her son. The previous Zhang Han was just a bookworm, but now it seemed that she could gradually reveal the true state of affairs to him, so he could help her.

Deciding, Chang Shi pondered and said, "Our He Yusheng sells all kinds of goods, including tea, oil, paper, cotton cloth, and southern goods, but our main business is grain. In recent years, the weather has been getting worse. In Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Zhili, there have been poor harvests for the past two years, and some counties have almost no harvest at all. With less grain, prices have soared. We mainly sell to the Tartars, but they don't recognize our reduced production and still buy at low prices. As a result, our profits have been thin, and we have suffered significant losses in the past two years."

"Losses" meant that they were losing money and eating into their capital.

Zhang Han frowned. Originally, he had thought that the family was wealthy based on the room's furnishings, the size of the courtyard, and the fact that the Zhang family had over a dozen servants and was descended from a famous minister. He did not expect that the business was actually losing money.

"The business was founded by your grandfather. He brought out less than 5,000 taels of silver from Puzhou, effectively splitting from the family there. Over the years, we have accumulated over 20,000 taels of silver in the cellar, the shop and inventory are worth 11,000 taels, and we have nearly 10,000 acres of land in Tianchengwei, worth about 3,000 to 4,000 taels. Other items, mules, carts, and this courtyard add up to about 2,000 taels. In the past few years, we have lost about 3,000 to 4,000 taels. The losses are not too much yet, but if this continues, we will have to close the business..." Chang Shi's face showed regret. "I am just a woman, and I thought I could maintain the family business, but I couldn't... If you can maintain this family business, your mother will be able to face your grandfather and father in the afterlife."

Zhang Han slipped on his cotton shoes, lifted the thick cotton curtain, and stepped out of the warm room.

Zhang Chun had been waiting outside with a large fur coat. Seeing Zhang Han come out, he quickly helped the young master put it on.

Zhang Han's illness had already recovered, and he had moved from the cold study to the east room with a heated kang. The weather in this era was so cold that it was hard for later generations to imagine. The average temperature was around minus 30 degrees, and it snowed heavily every few days. Zhang Han had been sick for about five or six days, during which there were two heavy snowfalls. Although the snow in the courtyard had been cleared, the roofs were still covered with snow, and everything in sight was white.

Zhang Han looked at the scene and shook his head slightly, muttering, "This must be the beginning of the Little Ice Age."

Although Zhang Han was a merchant who had fought his way up from the bottom, he had already washed his hands of business two years before his穿越. He read political and historical books every day and was very smart, not to the point of having a photographic memory, but he could remember important things.

The disasters in the late Ming Dynasty were due to the Little Ice Age, which lasted about 70 years, from the Wanli to the Tianqi and Chongzhen periods. Coincidentally, after the Shunzhi period, the Little Ice Age ended, and the introduction of crops from South America into China helped the Manchu rulers achieve the so-called "Kangxi-Qianlong Prosperity" despite their poor governance.

When Chang Shi mentioned the rise in grain prices and disasters in various places a few days ago, Zhang Han understood what was happening.

Others might hope that the weather would improve in a few years and grain prices would fall, but Zhang Han knew that this was impossible.

Grain prices would only continue to rise and would not fall. There might be minor adjustments in some areas, but overall, conditions would worsen year by year.

Chang Shi said she was useless and that a woman could not maintain the family business, but Zhang Han knew that this had nothing to do with his mother. Under the current trend, even if the old patriarch, Zhang Yun, were reborn, he would still suffer losses.

The only ones who would not suffer losses were the big players who monopolized grain purchases and controlled grain prices.

Zhang Han sighed and muttered, "In business, you have to monopolize. Otherwise, you can only eat the crumbs that others drop, and whether you can even get them depends on their mood."

If the old patriarch, Zhang Yun, were here, he would probably give his obedient grandson a big thumbs up... Zhang Han's muttering hit the nail on the head.

Unfortunately, the only one present was Zhang Chun, who had dark circles under his eyes, making it like a beautiful gesture to a blind person.

Zhang Han looked at his companion and comforted him, "Zhang Chun, I hit you that day when I was confused. Don't hold a grudge."

It was funny to think that among all the穿越ers, only Zhang Han had hit someone upon arrival...

"Master, what are you talking about? I wouldn't dare," Zhang Chun shrank back, still a bit afraid.

In the past few days, Zhang Han had given Zhang Chun the feeling that he had changed. Zhang Chun felt inexplicably nervous around Zhang Han.

"Don't call me 'Master' anymore. If I'm going to work at the business, it doesn't sound right to keep calling me 'Master.'"

"Okay, I'll call you Young Master."

"Alright, that's fine."

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