Looking north towards the rivers and mountains

Chapter 229 Local Bully

The Zhou father and son hesitated about meeting Mo Tianyou.

Seeing this, Shao Shuyi did not insist, but said that he would stay at the grain shop for a few days and see the sights of Wuxi.

Fortunately, the grain store was big enough to accommodate more than 30 people. They could just set up an empty warehouse and make a few straw mats on the floor.

Shao Shuyi himself stayed in a side room of Zhou Siwen's house.

As night deepened, he lay on his hard bed, listening to the faint boatmen's chants coming from the distant canal, his mind racing with calculations.

Wuxi is a good place, but he can't stay here for long. He'll stay for two or three days at most to get a general idea of ​​the docks, shops, and streets, and then he'll have to go back to Jiangyin to continue consolidating his territory.

On the fifth day, the yellow-clad boat, pulled by a group of boatmen, went upstream towards Yixing.

Shao Shuyi spent a day in the shop, chatting with the Zhou father and son for a long time, and gained a deeper understanding of Mo Tianyou.

Yang Mao was one of his closer subordinates, in charge of the grain and oil business. He was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, broad-shouldered and burly. He had once been a bandit on Taihu Lake, and was famous far and wide for his excellent swimming skills. Later, he was subdued by Mo Tianyou and followed him wholeheartedly.

This man was rough around the edges but shrewd underneath; he was fierce and menacing to outsiders, but loyal and devoted to his own people. The porters outside the North Gate mentioned "Brother Yang 39..."

His tone conveyed both fear and admiration.

If Shao Shuyi wants to get close to Mo Tianyou, Yang Mao is the only way.

On the afternoon of the sixth day of the lunar new year, Shao Shuyi was drinking tea in the backyard when he suddenly heard footsteps coming from the front shop. Judging from the sound, it wasn't ordinary people buying rice; it was several people entering at the same time, their boots making a lot of noise on the blue brick floor.

Then came Zhou Siwen's voice, which carried a hint of deliberate obsequiousness, but it wasn't as natural as when he spoke to ordinary merchants. It sounded more like he had met someone he couldn't afford to offend: "Brother Yang is here. Please have a seat. Dan Chi, bring some good tea."

The boys who were scratching their heads and trying to learn to read in the yard stopped what they were doing when they heard this.

Shao Shuyi put down his teacup, stood up, walked behind the curtain leading to the front of the shop, and listened intently.

"Manager Zhou." A rough, hoarse voice rang out, unhurried yet carrying a lazy air of authority, "It's time to settle last month's accounts."

"Don't worry, Brother Yang, everything is ready," Zhou Siwen said with a smile. "Dan Chi, bring the money from the counter."

Shao Shuyi lifted a corner of the curtain and peeked outside.

There were three people standing in the front of the shop.

Leading the group was a man in his late twenties, burly and broad-shouldered, with a square, bronze-colored face, thick eyebrows, a wide mouth, and a short mustache. He wore a dark green silk robe, with a wide cowhide belt around his waist and a gleaming dagger hanging from it.

Behind him stood two young men, both muscular and strong, with short sticks at their waists, their eyes scanning every corner of the shop.

This is Yang Mao, who came to collect "protection money" at the beginning of the month.

Shao Shuyi lowered the curtain and retreated to the backyard, his mind racing.

He glanced at Liang Tai, Gao Daqiang, Bian Yuanheng and the others, nodded in acknowledgment, then straightened his clothes, lifted the curtain, and strode into the front shop.

"Manager Zhou." He bowed and then looked at Yang Mao, saying, "This must be Brother Yang."

The air in the store suddenly tightened.

The two attendants simultaneously reached for the short sticks at their waists, their gazes shooting over like knives.

Yang Mao didn't move, but turned his head slightly and looked Shao Shuyi up and down. His gaze lingered on Shao Shuyi's gray robe and the blue cloth belt around his waist, and the corners of his mouth turned down slightly.

He wasn't a respectable person; he dressed like a street urchin.

"Who are you?" Yang Mao's voice was indifferent.

Zhou Siwen's expression changed slightly, and he quickly stepped forward to smooth things over: "Brother Yang, please don't be offended. This is Cao She from Jiangyin, a businessman."

.

"From Jiangyin?" Yang Mao turned around to face Shao Shuyi, arms crossed, his large frame resembling half a wall. "What kind of business do you run?"

Shao Shuyi cupped his hands in greeting and said unhurriedly, "Brother Yang, I make my living by working at the docks and on waterways. I have a few boats and dozens of men in Jiangyin, transporting goods for others. I came to Wuxi this time to see if there's any business I can do."

"Cargo transport?" Yang Mao's gaze swept over his face twice, then he suddenly laughed, revealing a set of yellow teeth. His smile was filled with undisguised contempt. He said, "A boat from Jiangyin coming to Wuxi looking for work? The docks in Wuxi belong to Brother Mo, the porters belong to Brother Mo, and you, an outsider, come here to steal our food? You've got some nerve."

The two attendants also laughed, their laughter short and mocking.

Shao Shuyi neither laughed nor got angry; he just stood there calmly.

Liang Tai didn't smile either; his face remained expressionless.

Tie Niu glared angrily, as if to say, "You are so rude, you deserve to die."

Gao Daqiang glanced at the three men and then looked away, seemingly uninterested.

Bian Yuanheng chuckled coldly, responding sharply.

Shao Shuyi waited until Yang Mao's laughter stopped before continuing, "Brother Yang, you've misunderstood. I'm not here to steal food, I'm here to deliver it."

"Deliver food?" Yang Mao's smile faded, and he looked somewhat puzzled.

"I have a dock in Jiangyin, on the banks of the Yangtze River. There are no customs offices or archers from the patrol bureau." Shao Shuyi took half a step forward, lowering his voice so low that only Yang Mao could hear him. "From the Yangtze River southward, all the way to Wuxi, the journey is smooth."

Yang Mao's expression changed.

He stared at Shao Shuyi, remained silent for a few moments, then slowly loosened his arms from his chest and placed his right hand on his belt.

Zhou Siwen and his son apologized and quietly left with their two employees.

"You've got some nerve," Yang Mao said, his voice unreadable.

"Brother Yang, how can you do business if you're not bold enough?" Shao Shuyi laughed. "Let's go back to what we were talking about earlier. Business is about mutual benefit. Master Mo has connections in Wuxi, and I'd like to send salt here. The price will be lower and the quality better than what Master Mo is currently getting. Brother Yang, why don't you go back and tell him? If he's interested, I can send over a sample first, free of charge. Master Mo can inspect it and be satisfied before we discuss the rest. Is that enough?"

Yang Mao did not answer immediately.

He sized up Shao Shuyi for a few moments, then suddenly asked an unrelated question: "How long have you been staying in this grain and oil shop?"

"One day."

"What's your relationship with Manager Zhou?"

"Introduced by an old friend."

Yang Mao hummed in agreement and didn't say anything more.

He knew Zhou Siwen was a fairly honest and cautious person. Someone Zhou Siwen could vouch for wasn't, at least, the kind of charlatan who spouted empty promises.

"You said you could deliver the salt to Wuxi, what would the price be?" Yang Mao suddenly asked.

"One tael and three mace per jin," Shao Shuyi said. "Master Mo is getting his goods from Zhu Chen now, so the price must be quite high, right? How about one tael and five or six mace? For the first batch, I can pay after the goods are delivered, how about that?"

"Zhu Chen has been delivering goods for Brother Mo for six or seven years," Yang Mao said. "You think you can just replace him like that? What gives you the right?"

Shao Shuyi chuckled and said, "I've long heard of Mo Laohu's reputation, but I didn't expect him to be so spineless. What makes him so great? Because I can save Master Mo money and make him uproot the other salt sellers. Isn't that enough? Zhu Chen gets his salt from the Zhejiang West Saltworks. First, he has to feed the corrupt officials at the saltworks, and then there are checkpoints, patrols, and archers along the way, each layer skimming off his profits. Naturally, it's expensive by the time it reaches Wuxi. If it's more than 1.5 taels and delivered to Master Mo, how much profit is left?"

Standing behind Shao Shuyi, Bian Yuanheng couldn't help but laugh out loud, saying, "Brother Cao, the salt we deliver to our subordinates is only about one or four ounces per pound. I thought Master Mo was some kind of powerful figure in Wuxi, but I didn't expect him to be on the same level as Zhang Hou'er from Xishun, whom I met last time. Zhu Chen doesn't treat him like a human being. Not only did he offer a high price, but he also managed to plant several rivals to sell smuggled salt in Wuxi together."

"Alright, enough said." Shao Shuyi chuckled. "Master Mo lives in Wuxi, which is quite a distance from the salt fields of Liangzhe. If he can't get the salt, he'll be at the mercy of Zhu and Chen. If I were in his shoes, I'd be worried too. Putting aside everything else, the journey from the salt fields of Hangzhou along the Grand Canal to Wuxi, though seemingly entirely by water, is actually quite difficult. There are many people watching along the way. Apart from Zhu and Chen, everyone else transporting salt is trembling with fear, either being chased by the government or suppressed by Zhu and Chen. There's nothing they can do about it."

"In the end, it's still useless." Bian Yuanheng nodded first, and then said.

Bian and Shao worked together in unison, and Yang Mao remained unperturbed.

He paced around the shop a couple of times, his boots making a dull thud on the blue brick floor.

After a moment, Yang Mao stopped and asked, "Just the few of you?"

"more than."

"How many people are left?"

Shao Shuyi looked at him with amusement, but did not answer.

Yang Mao stared at him for a moment, then suddenly grinned.

"Cao She," Yang Mao said, removing his hand from his waist, "you're an interesting fellow. However, this matter is of great importance, and I cannot make the decision on my own. I must go back and ask Brother Mo."

"Of course." Shao Shuyi nodded in understanding.

Yang Maosui stopped wasting words and said directly, "At the latest tomorrow, at this time, whether it works out or not, I will come over in person to give you an answer."

"Good, that's great." Shao Shuyi cupped his hands in greeting and said.

Yang Mao nodded, turned and left. Just as he was about to exit the shop, he suddenly stopped and asked, "Does Cao She have a grudge against Zhu Chen?"

Shao Shuyi smiled but remained silent.

Yang Mao laughed and added, "Don't try anything funny. No one in Wuxi Prefecture can do anything to us. Even if the Imperial Censor from the Southern Terrace comes, Brother Mo, you can escape unscathed. Farewell!"

Having said that, he quickly left with two attendants, forgetting even to take the "protection fee".