Chapter 8

The young lahu looked at the dagger and his face turned grim.

The lahu in the north and the ruffians in the south were all people living on the fringes of society. Brawls were trivial matters, and they had also done things that involved bloodshed, such as extortion, fraud, and deception. In the south, they were known as ruffians, while in the north, the lahu were usually gang leaders or association heads. The head of a large association might be a clerk or a constable in a government office, with an official identity as a cover. They could have hundreds or even thousands of followers, or as few as dozens. They used various means to make money. If they committed too many evil deeds, the local government would clean up a batch, and there were examples of dozens or even hundreds of people being killed at once. However, if one became a lahu, they had to be willing to risk their life; otherwise, they should just farm or beg.

Zhang Han's dagger did not scare the lahu. What worried them was Zhang Han's resolute attitude. As people who dealt with conflicts daily, the lahu could tell at a glance whether someone was bluffing or truly determined to fight. The Zhang Han before them, though calm on the surface, exuded a fierce determination that the lahu present could all sense.

"Master Zhang, it's just a matter of a few dozen taels of silver. Why talk about life and death?" The young lahu smiled sinisterly, took a step forward, and said, "Put down the dagger, and we can talk."

Zhang Han smiled, fidgeting with the dagger, and said, "If you take another step, there will be blood. I don't know whose blood it will be, but to be honest, I have also studied martial arts for a few days and am not completely helpless. I won't let you bully me."

The Jin merchant family indeed had a tradition of teaching their children martial arts. In those days, large merchants not only hired martial artists to protect their homes and escort goods but also taught their own children martial arts. During the Jiajing era, due to the rampant Wokou pirates, the Jin merchants sent a 500-strong martial arts team south to fight the pirates. At the end of the Ming and the beginning of the Qing, legitimate security companies began to appear, and by the mid-Qing, they were thriving. The northern martial arts and security industry owed more than half of its development to the Jin merchants.

Zhang Han's posture also showed that he had studied martial arts. His legs were slightly apart, his stance was solid, and he held the dagger firmly without trembling or panic. The four lahu all looked hesitant, not because they were cowardly, but because it was not worth it to cause a death today.

...

Less than two li away, in a lane on the south street of Linxing New Fort, Li Yuchun and Liang Hong were sitting in the east wing of the Li family house, drinking.

It was completely dark, and two bright candles were lit in the room. The usual vegetable oil lamps were not lit because they produced too much smoke. On the table were strips of radish and peanuts. After drinking three cups, Li Yuchun's wife brought a plate of boiled chicken, the steam rising, and the meaty aroma made the children playing nearby swallow their saliva.

Liang Hong smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, come and have a drink. Let the nieces and nephews come and eat too."

Li Yuchun's wife, of course, did not drink, but she did have the heart to call her children to eat some chicken. Seeing Li Yuchun's expression was not good, she quickly excused herself and took the children to the kitchen to eat rice with chicken broth.

Liang Hong took a sip of wine and sighed, "I didn't expect you to live so frugally now, Brother Li."

Li Yuchun glanced at him and said, "You live a carefree life, eating fish and meat every day, but what have you accomplished? What property have you acquired?"

Liang Hong put down his chopsticks and smiled, "I would like to, but the store hasn't improved in recent years, and there's no profit. What can I use to buy property? I'm not like you, Brother Li, who followed the old master early and bought a lot of land."

Li Yuchun shook his head and said, "It's true that I bought an estate, but the harvests in recent years have been poor, not worth mentioning."

When Zhang Yun's old master was alive, the business was good, and Li Yuchun, as the third clerk, received a hundred or more taels of silver each year, which he saved up. Following the old master, he bought a lot of land along the Yang River in Tiancheng and Zhenlu. Although it couldn't compare to the Zhang family's thousands of acres, it was still a substantial estate, and he felt he had done right by his ancestors. His life was also very prosperous.

Unfortunately, good times didn't last long. Now the business was difficult, and worse, the weather was bad, and the harvests decreased year by year. Li Yuchun was not a heartless person and couldn't bear to see the tenants sell their children. So he reduced the rent, which made the estate unprofitable and required a lot of effort.

Actually, the situation in Shanxi Datong was still better. The situation in Shaanxi was truly dire, and the consequences would appear in a dozen years. Given the Chinese farmers' endurance, it was clear how bad the situation was when they started large-scale rebellions.

Li Yuchun didn't understand these big issues; he just wanted to get out of his own困境.

"Wait until your nephew scares the young master, making him afraid to come to the store. You can talk to the mistress. At this point, we three will have to take over the business. To be honest, I don't have much silver, so I plan to sell all my estates. Old Zhou has a lot, but you need to think of a way early."

Liang Hong's eyes twinkled, and he smiled, "I may seem careless, but I have saved some silver."

Li Yuchun nodded and said, "We will pool our silver to buy the store and the goods. Next, I will buy grain from my old uncle, which will be profitable. Then I will travel more to ensure I can collect some grain every year."

Liang Hong knew that Li Yuchun, besides approaching the Fan family, had other plans. Collecting grain was a good idea, but it would be hard work and would involve dealing with local ruffians. Some things couldn't be solved just by throwing money at them.

But there was no need to say more. What Li Yuchun valued in Liang Hong was his connection to the Fan family, a super-rich family with millions in assets. With more money, they could cultivate more officials, and their influence would be greater. Connecting with the Fan family would ensure a bright future.

As they talked, the conversation was almost over. Li Yuchun didn't eat much, just drank cup after cup of wine.

Liang Hong understood his thoughts and consoled him, "Brother Li, you don't have to be so upset. Although what we're doing isn't right, we don't have bad intentions. The young master is too young, and the mistress is a woman. Without someone to manage the business, how can it be done? Even if you explain your plans to the family, it would be very troublesome, let alone..."

"Old Uncle."

Liang Hong didn't finish his sentence when someone pushed open the door and stepped in.

"Liang Xing is here."

Liang Hong's eyes sparkled, and he pointed to the seat next to him, smiling, "Sit down and have a drink."

"I dare not drink," Liang Xing, the young lahu and the leader of this operation, said with a guilty look, standing at the door, "The job wasn't done."

"What happened?" Liang Hong asked, "Didn't you see the person?"

"I saw him, but I couldn't get the job done. Your young master is young but brave. He's not a street fighter, but he has a fierce spirit..."

At this, Li Yuchun stood up abruptly, surprised, "Did you fight with him?"

"No," Liang Xing quickly shook his head, "Old Uncle repeatedly instructed us not to fight with the master. He pulled out a dagger and was ready to fight to the death. We had no choice but to leave. I thought I should report to Old Uncle, so I came here quickly."

"Is that so?"

"How is that possible?"

Li Yuchun and Liang Hong both exclaimed in surprise.

They had watched Zhang Han grow up. Everyone knew he was a bookworm, but he carried a dagger and was willing to fight to the death, even scaring off a lahu like Liang Xing. He must have some real determination.

"This is bad."

The two looked at each other, seeing the bitterness in each other's eyes. If they couldn't scare Zhang Han, they had no reason to continue manipulating things. Zhou Fengji would certainly not join them, and their plan to buy the store and start their own business was doomed to fail.

Liang Hong felt a wave of relief. Fortunately, he had spoken to the young master before coming here. Even if the plan failed, he still had some room to maneuver with the young master.

Zhang Han wasn't scared by the lahu, but he was scared by his mother when he got home.

The courtyard was lit with many lanterns, from the entrance to the main house, and the side wings, with over ten lanterns lighting up the yard, making it bright and festive.

Zhang Han looked at Zhang Chun and asked, "When did we change the rules? Why are there so many lanterns?"

Zhang Chun also looked puzzled and said, "I don't know. We've never done this before, unless it's the Lantern Festival."

Both master and servant were puzzled, and Zhang Chun's fear was somewhat hidden.

In the alley earlier, the young master was resolute, dagger in hand, the blade gleaming.

The lahu didn't attack, didn't even say any harsh words. The leader, a sinister young lahu, said a few polite words and then turned and left.

Zhang Chun was puzzled. How did the young master become so brave?

To say Zhang Han had studied martial arts, but it was sporadic, and his skills were mediocre. He couldn't even match one of the lahu, let alone four.

Zhang Chun didn't count himself as part of the "one." He was just a filler...

But it was strange. With that stand, the lahu left politely. Later, Zhang Han explained with a smile, "They saw I was young and my mother doted on me. They thought if they scared me, nothing would happen, and they wouldn't let me go out easily. Then, the rest would be easier... But if I stood up to them, they wouldn't dare to hurt me. If the news spread, how could they face others? No master would want a manager who did such things, so they must have been repeatedly instructed not to fight with me..."

In Zhang Han's view, this was a minor matter, and he didn't hold a grudge. But the current situation was strange, and he couldn't quite understand it.

The main room was brightly lit. A maid saw Zhang Han return and quickly lifted the curtain. As Zhang Han entered, he felt a wave of warmth, making him feel comfortable.

He took off his fur coat and outer jacket, revealing a sky-blue robe. At fifteen or sixteen, he had not yet grown a beard, and with the warmth, he looked rosy and handsome, like a graceful young man.

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