Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 63 Butler
Li Chang pulled the cart, and Shen Qingzhou, He Qu, Tang Yu, and a donkey cart full of gifts arrived at the Su family's residence.

The Su family is not located at the dock.

They live in the northern suburbs, in a village not far from the Xiang River.

As soon as we entered the village, we could see a village surrounded by rice paddies in the distance. In the center of the village, there was a large mansion covering an area of ​​ten acres. This was the Su family. It had high walls and a large courtyard, with a huge pond in front of the gate, which was full of lotus leaves.

The Su family's residence is surrounded by another ring of houses, which are the branch families of the Su family.

When the donkey cart arrived at the door, Li Chang knocked. The door opened quickly, but the gatekeeper peeked out, glanced at them, and asked gruffly, "Where are you from?"

Li Chang handed over some money: "My boss is the Zhang family on Xichun Street. Because we just opened a new shop, I came to pay a visit on the orders of the head of the family."

The doorman took the money and closed the door again.

Li Chang had never encountered such a situation before and was at a loss for what to do. Shen Qingzhou remained calm and told him to move the gifts from the car one by one to the door.

The door reopened shortly afterward.

The doorman said, "Come in."

Shen Qingzhou then got out of the car, walked to the lintel with his hands behind his back, looked at the plaque with the inscription "Yan Shu" on it, and went inside.

The Su family's courtyard was deep and secluded, and the servants led them to a side courtyard next to the front yard.

They weren't even allowed to enter the main hall, clearly treating Shen Qingzhou and the others as ordinary servants.

Shen Qingzhou had his own purpose in coming here. He wanted to find out something from the Su family that Su Mingxing himself wouldn't tell him. So even though he was being snubbed, he remained calm and composed.

After entering, they exchanged a wink with He Qu, and the two of them made an excuse to inquire about the mansion's outhouses before leaving.

By this time, it was already getting dark. May and June are the rainy season in Shawan, and thunder rumbled in the sky. In addition, it was indeed getting late, and the Su family's small courtyard seemed extremely deserted.

Halfway through a cup of tea, no one from the Su family had come out yet. Li Chang couldn't sit still any longer and wanted to go out and urge them, but He Qu returned, exchanged a glance with Shen Qingzhou, and then stood at the door.

A moment later, footsteps sounded outside, and a man entered with a servant. His face bore a resemblance to Su Mingxing, so Shen Qingzhou stood up and cupped his hands in greeting: "I greet you, sir."

Su Da didn't stop walking. Halfway up the table, he glanced at him a few times, then sat down and said, "Are you Zhang Qi's sister's housekeeper?"

Although arrogant, his words were still relatively mild. Shen Qingzhou knew that the generous gifts prepared by Lu Jia had worked, so he also lowered his posture: "That's right."

Su Dadao said, "This Xie Zhangshi is a woman, and she knows some manners. Unlike that Zhang Qi."

Shen Qingzhou replied, "Our boss used to make a living in the capital in his early years. Even if he is not good at etiquette, he should still pay his respects to the person in charge of Shawan Wharf."

"Moreover, the second master of the Su family holds a position in the capital, so this cannot be neglected."

Su Da looked at him and asked, "Judging from your accent, you're from the north too?"

“That’s right. My father was a former subordinate of our master in the capital. After the Xie family fell into decline, none of us could find good jobs. Over the years, we’ve been moving between a few official households. This time, we’ve been summoned by our master to come to Shawan to continue our service.”

Su Da began to look at him seriously: "Whose families have you worked for?"

"I've been to so many places, it's embarrassing to admit," Shen Qingzhou said, looking at him. "I wonder which families you are familiar with, sir? Perhaps there are some I have served."

"Do you recognize the Liu family, the Vice Minister of Works?"

Shen Qingzhou slightly raised his lips: "Lord Liu Zheng's steward is surnamed Lü. He invited me to work in the manor for a few months. So, you're quite familiar with the Liu family, sir?"

"That's not quite right."

As Su Da spoke, he picked up the teacup and brought it to his lips. He glanced at him again halfway through before taking a small sip.

Shen Qingzhou continued, "Lord Liu's career has been thriving in recent years, with a string of achievements. He is a favorite of Grand Secretary Yan. He is currently serving as Vice Minister of Works. This time, the cabinet is advocating for the reform of river transport throughout the country, and Vice Minister Liu is shouldering a heavy responsibility."

"you know too?"

Su Da's eyes gleamed. This young man, barely twenty years old, who had been entrusted with the responsibility of managing the family in a time of crisis, had, despite his usual composure, revealing his true intentions.

Shen Qingzhou remained calm and said, "I've only heard about it. We ordinary folks are hardly qualified to get close to these important people."

Su Da glanced at him sideways, took another sip of tea, and placed the cup on the table.

"Go back and tell your boss that she's very kind. From now on, just follow the rules when doing business with her."

"Thank you sir."

Shen Qingzhou bowed and left the Su family home.

Su Da looked at his straight back from behind, slightly displeased, but then looked at the huge pile of gifts on the side and suppressed his displeasure.

Since Xie Yi's apprentice, the old accountant, switched jobs to Lu Jia's side, Li Chang also resigned from his job at the dock and devoted himself to following Lu Jia. Recently, he has been learning bookkeeping with Xie Yi.

Upon entering the city, Shen Qingzhou dropped Li Chang off at the shop entrance and immediately said to He Qu and the others, "The Su family must have some connection with the Liu family recently. Go back tonight and see if you can find any clues from the Su family. If not, go to see Zhou Sheng, the Assistant Prefect of Tanzhou Prefecture."

After the two left, Shen Qingzhou also got off the carriage, looked up at the distant lightning, and mingled with the still bustling crowd at the dock, walking towards the large group of merchant ships moored below the embankment.

The Su family owns their own boat.

Among this large fleet of merchant ships, three of the Su family's large ships were loading cargo.

……

The torrential rain pounded against the eaves with a loud crashing sound.

Lu Jia peeked out several times, but none of the people who went out came back.

Just as they were feeling uneasy, the half-closed courtyard gate opened, and Xie Yi and Li Chang rushed in.

The two men were soaked to the bone, but several ledgers remained intact, hidden under their clothes.

Lu Jia said, "If the rain is too heavy, don't come back. There's plenty of room in the shop."

Xie Yi took off his shirt and dried his hair: "These are the accounts I painstakingly compiled, and I brought them back specifically to show you."

Lu Jia took the items and examined them, then looked up in surprise: "You made all of these?"

"of course!"

"You've made great progress!" Lu Jia was genuinely surprised.

Xie Yi put her hands on her hips, snorted, and took the bundle from Li Chang's hands, slamming it down in front of her: "Not only are the accounts well done, but look at my calligraphy practice lately, and the articles I copied!"

The Lu family opened the bundle, which was filled with several notebooks covered in writing.

Upon closer inspection, the handwriting was indeed neat and tidy, completely unlike the appearance of someone who had just started studying under the old scholar.

"Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Who changes their nature? I've always been this studious!"

Xie Yi dodged the book and quickly went back into the house.

Lu Jia shrugged and looked at Li Chang: "How's the Su family matter going?"

"It went quite smoothly. It's just that I couldn't understand what Brother Qin and Su were talking about those days."

Li Chang scratched the back of his head.

(End of this chapter)