A Poor Man's Son-in-Law: He Picks Up the Daughter of a Duke's Mansion at the Start

The next day, Zhang Zhiqing was going to visit his father's old friends in the prefectural city, while Du Wei said he wanted to catch up on his sleep. Lu Qingyan then went out alone, wanting to see the everyday life of the prefectural city.

The morning light was just right, and the streets were already bustling. He strolled slowly along the main street, not buying anything, just observing. He watched how the shops greeted customers, how the vendors hawked their wares, and how pedestrians haggled. These seemingly trivial things were the most authentic glimpses of people's lives.

Walking to the market in the west of the city, the noise was even more intense. Vegetables and fruits, chicken, duck, fish and meat, needles and thread, cloth, pots and pans... everything was available. The sounds of vendors hawking their wares, haggling, and laughter mingled together.

Lu Qingyan stopped in front of a bamboo weaving stall. The stall owner was an old man with skillful hands, weaving exquisite and sturdy baskets and crates. He picked up a small bamboo box and looked at it, thinking of his second brother, Lu Xiaoshan—if he had these patterns, his second brother's bonsai might be able to be paired with better containers.

Just then, I heard arguing from the side.

"What's wrong with you? You hit someone and didn't even apologize?" a gruff voice shouted.

Lu Qingyan turned his head to look. A middle-aged man dressed in silk was pulling a thin man along. The man's eyes darted around, and he was clutching a money bag tightly in his hand—it wasn't his own.

"I...I didn't hit you..." the skinny man struggled.

"No collision?" the middle-aged man sneered. "Then what are you holding in your hand?"

A crowd gathered to watch the commotion. The skinny man panicked and shoved the middle-aged man aside, trying to run away. Lu Qingyan instinctively tripped him, causing the man to stumble and his money pouch to fly out of his hand.

The middle-aged man, with lightning speed, caught the money bag and grabbed the skinny man by the collar: "You pickpocket! Let's go, we're going to the authorities!"

The skinny man turned pale with fright and begged for mercy repeatedly.

At that moment, a loud voice rang out: "Forget it, let him go."

The speaker was a burly man in his forties, dressed in a dark blue silk shirt with a jade belt around his waist. He had a square face, a wide mouth, and shrewd eyes. He walked up to the middle-aged man, cupped his hands, and said with a smile, "Brother, now that the purse has been found, why make things difficult for him? Let him go; it would be a good deed."

The middle-aged man glanced at his purse, then at the pickpocket, and snorted, "You're lucky today!" He released his grip.

The skinny man scrambled away.

The man in blue turned to Lu Qingyan and smiled, "Young brother, you have a good eye. That trip was perfectly timed."

Lu Qingyan cupped his hands in thanks: "It was no trouble at all."

"You don't look like a local?" the man in the blue shirt asked, sizing him up.

"The students are here to take the college entrance exam."

"A scholar?" The man in the blue shirt's eyes lit up. "Good! It's rare to find a scholar who doesn't forget to stand up for what's right. My surname is Lin, Lin Guangbiao, and I run a business selling goods from both the north and south of China. What's your name, young man?"

"Student Lu Qingyan."

"Lu Qingyan, what a nice name." Lin Guangbiao laughed heartily. "It's fate that we met. Come on, let me treat you to tea."

Lu Qingyan initially wanted to decline, but seeing Lin Guangbiao's sincere expression, she agreed.

The two went to a teahouse next to the market. Lin Guangbiao was clearly a regular customer, as the owner personally greeted him: "Master Lin has arrived. Please come upstairs to a private room."

The private room faced the street, with the window open, offering a view of people coming and going. Lin Guangbiao ordered a pot of fine tea and several kinds of snacks.

"Where is Brother Lu from?" he asked.

Lujia Village, Yongning County.

"I've never heard of Lujia Village. But I know Yongning; it produces tea and bamboo," Lin Guangbiao said. "Last year, I even imported a batch of bamboo ware from Yongning, and it sold quite well."

Lu Qingyan's heart skipped a beat: "Mr. Lin is in the bamboo ware business?"

"I do everything," Lin Guangbiao laughed. "Tea from the south, furs from the north, seafood from the east, and medicinal herbs from the west—as long as it's profitable, I'll get a piece of it. But this bamboo ware business is something I've only recently started. Scholars and literati in the Jiangnan region love bamboo carving and weaving, so there's a market for it."

He took a sip of tea: "Young Brother Lu, since you are a scholar, do you know what intellectuals like these days?"

"The students know a little about it. There's a market for scholar's objects and elegant decorative items."

"That's right!" Lin Guangbiao slammed his hand on the table. "Especially bonsai and bamboo and rock ornaments, they sell very well. It's a pity that good craftsmanship is hard to find. The bamboo weaving I brought in from Yongning last time was well-made, but the styles were a bit outdated."

Lu Qingyan recalled Lu Xiaoshan's bonsai: "My elder brother at home knows how to make bamboo and rock bonsai, and his skills are quite good."

"Oh?" Lin Guangbiao's interest was piqued. "How did it go?"

"The owner of Ya Yun Zhai has collected his works."

"Ya Yun Zhai?" Lin Guangbiao's eyes lit up even more. "I know Old Chen's eye for quality; the fact that he's willing to collect it means the pieces are good. Does your brother have any more works?"

"I make it at home, but not much."

Lin Guangbiao pondered for a moment: "Well then, Brother Lu, if you trust me, bring a few of your brother's works with you next time you go home, and I'll take a look. If they're good, I'll buy them all. The price will be absolutely fair."

Lu Qingyan pondered in his heart. Lin Guangbiao was in the business of selling goods from both the north and south of China, and had a wide network of channels. If they could really cooperate, it would be a good thing for his second brother.

"Thank you, Mr. Lin. I will definitely bring my work with me after I return home from the college entrance examination."

"Great!" Lin Guangbiao said happily, "I like straightforward people."

The two chatted for a while longer. Lin Guangbiao, a man of wide experience who had traveled extensively, described the exquisite gardens of Jiangnan, the bustling markets of the North, and the enormous merchant ships along the coast. Lu Qingyan listened intently; these were things that couldn't be learned from books.

Lin Guangbiao also shared his business philosophy: "The most important thing in business is integrity. If you cheat someone once, your reputation is ruined. I, Lin Guangbiao, have been in business for twenty years, and I have relied on the two words 'trust and righteousness.' I will earn the money I should earn, and I will not take a single penny that I should not earn."

He recounted an incident where a shipment of goods was damaged en route. He compensated the buyer at the original price, losing two hundred taels of silver himself. "I felt bad at the time, but later that buyer became a regular customer and referred many other business opportunities. In the end, I still made a profit."

Lu Qingyan nodded: "Sir, you are right. Integrity is fundamental."

When they chatted until noon, Lin Guangbiao invited Lu Qingyan to stay for lunch, but Lu Qingyan politely declined, saying, "I still have to study this afternoon, so I'll bother you another day."

"Alright." Lin Guangbiao stood up. "Studying is the most important thing. I'm staying at the Yuelai Inn in the east of the city, room number three in the 'Heaven' tier. If you need anything, feel free to come find me."

"Mr. Schelling"

After parting, Lu Qingyan slowly walked back, thinking about Lin Guangbiao's words. This man was generous and righteous, capable of great things. If they could cooperate with him, perhaps his second brother's bonsai could be sold to even more distant places.

Back at their lodgings, Zhang Zhiqing was already home, reading in the courtyard. Seeing Lu Qingyan, he asked, "Where did you go this morning?"

"I went to the market and met a merchant," Lu Qingyan said simply.

After listening, Zhang Zhiqing nodded: "Having more friends means having more options. However, businessmen must be cautious in their dealings with others."

"The student understands."

In the afternoon, Lu Qingyan continued studying. But his mind kept wandering to the stories Lin Guangbiao had told him about his experiences. The literati of Jiangnan, the wealthy merchants of the north, the local customs and traditions... The Great Yong territory was vast; he should read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles.

During dinner, Du Wei heard that Lu Qingyan knew a businessman and became interested: "He's in the business of selling goods from both the north and south of China? He must have seen a lot of good stuff. How about we introduce him sometime?"

"Let's wait until after the provincial examination," Lu Qingyan said.

At night, Lu Qingyan spread out his paper and began to write a policy essay. What he had seen and heard that day had given him inspiration—he decided to write an essay on "facilitating trade and benefiting the people," starting with the flow of goods between the north and south, discussing the improvement of people's livelihoods, and then extending to the policies of the imperial court.

The writing flows smoothly. The bustling market, Lin Guangbiao's business acumen, the flow of goods between the north and south... these vivid materials give the article flesh and blood.