Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 17 Someone's playing tricks?!
Lu Jia glanced over and asked, "What are the Zhang family doing guarding the imperial envoy? What does it matter to them whether the imperial envoy comes or not?"

"I don't know what happened, but after the imperial envoy arrived in Tanzhou Prefecture, he didn't stop for long and went straight to Shawan County. And I heard that as soon as he arrived, he started paying attention to the merchants at the dock. They must have heard the news and wanted to make their presence known."

The two boys looked at each other and pondered this.

Lu Jia also felt it was about right, and since she had nothing else to do anyway, she went out again when she saw that it was still early.

"Sister, I went to the Chamber of Commerce with Dad today and heard some news."

Just as they stepped out, Li Chang dropped his machete and chased after them. "I heard them mention your shop, saying that the location is good, but the owner is dishonest—sigh, anyway, they said all sorts of nonsense. I gave them a good scolding for you!"

Lu Jia turned around: "Indecent? What are you talking about?"

Li Chang put his hands on his hips, gritted his teeth, and shook his head repeatedly before finally gesturing for her to go outside, avoiding Xie Yi: "They're making things up about Aunt Qiu. You know how it is; there's always gossip around a widow's house. This has probably been going on for more than a day or two, but it just hasn't reached your ears yet. In short, what they're saying is that your shop shouldn't get involved."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jia was immediately jolted awake: "I knew it! No wonder all those business owners were scrambling to rent my shop, but they all acted like they'd seen a ghost and refused to rent it. It turns out someone was pulling strings behind the scenes!"

Li Chang hurriedly said, "I was furious when I heard it too, and I was afraid that Aunt Qiu would be upset if she heard it, and that Yi Ge would be angry, so I came to let you know. You have ideas, and you can definitely find a way to stop this rumor."

Lu Jia took a deep breath, crossed her arms, frowned, and thought for a moment. Suddenly, she glanced towards the Zhang family's direction and asked, "Zhang Qi went to the yamen to curry favor. Where is He Shi? Do you know where she went?"

"They bought a warehouse, and recently they moved their business out of your shop. They bought two rooms upstream and combined them into a large shop. The business is already up and running, and Mrs. He is busy collecting grain. She's probably still in the shop right now."

Lu Jia immediately stopped watching Zhang Qi and said, "You lead the way for me. I'm going upstream to buy two pieces of cured meat to stir-fry with fresh bamboo shoots tonight. You can keep one piece."

Li Chang scratched his head: "Let's leave the food aside. Do we really have to argue about this when I'm helping you with something? Come with me!"

After saying that, he turned and went out into the street.

Xie Yi, who was chopping firewood, watched the two of them run away in a flash. Seeing Da Huang lying to one side, he called it out.

The river is widest upstream from the dock, with a small islet in the middle called Yangmeizhou. There are villages and many inns on the islet. Because the Lianshui and Juanshui rivers surround Yangmeizhou and converge here before flowing into the Xiangjiang River, this is the most prosperous place.

The Zhang family's newly opened shop was indeed thriving. Even though the sun had set, the large black lacquered signboard with the words "Yufeng" still attracted a constant stream of people coming and going.

Lu Jia walked in confidently, but everyone inside was busy, so no one paid any attention to her.

She looked around and saw that behind the beaded curtain on the east side, Madam He was smiling broadly as she greeted two women dressed in silk.

After a brief pause, she walked out and found a shop on the street that was also for subletting. Amidst the scrambling crowd trying to rent it out, she casually asked the shopkeepers around her:

“There’s a rice shop downstream in a good location with reasonable rent. Why do you all insist on crowding here instead of checking out that place?”

"Are you talking about the Xie family's shop?" Lu Jia nodded: "It seems they are surnamed Xie."

"Hey, who would go there!" The man slapped his thigh. "I heard that after her husband died, that Xie family lady had been having an affair with the neighbors, and they've all been caught doing it! I heard that she and her two children haven't done any work all these years, and they've been living off Xie family lady's skills. If anyone rents their shop, won't their backyard be in trouble?"

“That’s right,” several people nearby chimed in. “The ones we rent to on a short-term basis are all small businesses run by husband and wife teams. If something goes wrong, they won’t be able to keep their shops open!”

Lu Jia suppressed her anger: "I'm from Shawan Wharf. How come I've never heard these words before? Where did this come from?"

"If you want to get to the bottom of this, then there's no way to explain it. It's all over the docks now. I'm afraid that apart from out-of-town merchants, everyone knows that in the middle of the night, this Xie family lady's brother wanted to go over and say something to his sister, but ended up blocking her there! You can figure out what happened yourself."

Everyone started talking at once, and the topic immediately became a hot one.

Lu Jia walked out of the crowd with a livid face. Li Chang, who had been listening from the side, also walked up with a tense face: "This must have been done by the Zhang family without a doubt! But who exactly is the person who was blocked from entering? Is he accusing my father or Li Er?"

The rumor spread by the Zhang family must be referring to what happened that night.

Those who showed up at the Xie family that night included Li Er and some people brought by Li Daoshi. Since it was Qiu Niang who was being slandered, then you Er doesn't fit the bill. Damn it, could it be that he's eating melons on his father's head?
Lu Jia didn't answer, but glared at Zhang's shop across the street and snorted heavily. "They really don't learn their lesson! A single storeroom can't even fill their stomachs!"

After saying that, she looked at Li Chang and asked, "Do you know those women who were talking to Madam He just now?"

The Li family had been Taoist priests for generations, and the locals were very devout believers. Li Chang had followed his father around to attend funerals since he was a child, so he naturally knew many people.

Sure enough, he immediately said, "The one in the blue shirt is from the He family of Shitan, and the one with her in the purple shirt seems to be from the Lu family of the same village. Both of them are landlords, so they are probably discussing the purchase of grain."

Lu Jia snorted coldly, turned around and said, "Are you free these next few days?"

"Absolutely!" Li Chang said bitterly. "She even implicated my father. I have to confront the Zhang family about this!"

"Don't bother arguing with them. Your mother is still working as a cook in their household. Listen to me, inquire these next few days about what new deals the Zhang family has made, which families they've partnered with, and how far they've progressed. Also, investigate the backgrounds of the He and Lu families thoroughly."

As Lu Jia spoke, she poured all the copper coins she had earned from selling needles and thread from her purse into his pocket and gave them to him: "Take these and use them for your own purposes."

Li Chang tried to refuse, but Lu Jia insisted, "Just do as I say. When my business takes off, you won't have to work as a laborer at the docks anymore. You're a good-for-nothing. You can work for me."

Based on his integrity and passion, as well as his flawless cooperation with Xie Yi that night, Lu Jia couldn't let him fall behind while pulling Xie Yi along.

Li Chang's heart skipped a beat, then he took the copper coin and nodded emphatically: "Alright!"

(End of this chapter)