SCHAF

Kapitel 1

1. Chapter One

On the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month in the forty-first year of Xianlong, it is auspicious to clean the house, but other tasks should be avoided.

On a cold afternoon in the twelfth lunar month, the north wind swept across the treetops again and again, finally brushing away the few remaining withered leaves from the branches.

The sky was a somber gray, which only added to the oppressive feeling of unease.

Inside the main hall of the Luo family, the matriarch, Zhuo Yu, frequently wiped away tears from the corners of her eyes while listening to the barbed complaints from her brothers and sisters-in-law. Every now and then, she would turn her head and look hesitantly at her son, Luo Fengming, beside her.

The Luo family in western Beijing has been in business for three generations. Although Luo Fengming is only twenty years old, he has been in charge of the family business for two years and has seen a lot of human relationships. He is a calm and composed young man.

Today, these two uncles and aunts were clearly going too far, causing even the usually smiling Luo Fengming to clench his fists.

“Little sister, I’m a straightforward person, so please don’t think I’m being gossipy,” said the third sister-in-law of the Zhuo family, looking earnest. “Two years ago, my brother-in-law said he was going to take the maritime trade route and make a fortune, but what happened? One wave washed away the entire cargo on the ship, leaving them with nothing but losses and injuries that took three or four years to heal. Ever since then, I’ve felt like the Luo family has been cursed, nothing they do ever seems to work out…”

Zhuo's fifth sister-in-law chimed in, "That's right! Things seemed to be improving the year before last, but last year and this year, the goods heading north have run into trouble in Songyuan. Those are goods that were acquired with real money! Watching the money turn into water year after year, no matter how big and powerful the Luo family is, they can't withstand the continuous outflow without inflow!"

"...And then this year, the tenant farmers in the south are causing trouble and refusing to pay rent. Sigh. Since last month, many people in the capital have heard the news, and the Luo family's money shop has been having people rushing to cash out their silver every day," Zhuo's fifth brother said with a sorrowful expression, sighing repeatedly. "Little sister, you know that our third and fifth brothers only have so little wealth, and it's all tied up in your hands! Now, with this situation, sigh."

These four people had been going on and on about these same things for almost half an hour. Luo Fengming grew angrier and angrier as he listened, and finally couldn't help but blurt out, "In that case, did Uncle and Aunt bring the original shareholding agreement today? If they did, I'll have someone fetch the money for you."

His two uncles had no stable property and no skills to make a living. It was only because his mother couldn't bear to see them like this that she spoke up for them and let them contribute a small share to the Luo family so that they could receive some dividends every year to support their families.

In truth, their small amount of silver was nothing to the Luo family. If it were anyone else who wanted to invest that small sum of money in the Luo family, the entire Luo family wouldn't even bother to look at them.

The four men argued back and forth for a long time, all they wanted was to get the money back, but they didn't intend to return the original agreement to increase their shareholding.

In this way, if the Luo family's business loses money again next year, they can take their capital away long ago without suffering any losses; if they make a profit, they can shamelessly collect dividends based on the shareholding agreement.

Luo Fengming had long understood their intentions for coming today, but he had refrained from exposing their shameless schemes purely out of respect for his mother.

Seeing her brothers and sisters-in-law embarrassed and annoyed by their son's retort, Zhuo Yu quickly looked at her son with teary eyes and said, "Uncle and Aunt are not in business, so they are naturally unsure about these things. They meant no harm."

Luo Fengming knew his mother was always gentle, and seeing her eyes redden, he swallowed the "Pah!" that was already on the tip of his tongue.

Seeing that Luo Fengming had held back, Zhuo's third brother, relying on his seniority and certain that his younger sister Zhuo Yu would not let his brother and sister-in-law lose face, immediately rallied his spirits.

“Fengming, my uncles are all honest, incompetent men who know nothing about business and can’t say anything meaningful. But lately I’ve been hearing people say that if they stock up on tea next spring and then something goes wrong, the cash flow will be cut off, and the Luo family might go bankrupt!”

Unable to contain himself any longer, Luo Fengming wanted to curse.

He opened his mouth to speak, but then heard a sharp, playful laugh coming from behind the screen: "Oh, so Third Uncle even knows about 'cash flow'?"

The four members of the Zhuo family who were seated as guests immediately changed their expressions upon hearing this sound—

Didn't you mention that Luo Cuiwei, that little darling, is sick?!

The four members of the Zhuo family had heard that Luo Cuiwei was ill and had not left the backyard for more than a month. They thought that Zhuo Yu was always an easy target in front of her family, and Luo Fengming was a filial son. So today they mustered up the courage to try to get something for nothing.

When Luo Cuiwei appeared, they immediately became somewhat dejected.

Although Luo Cuiwei respectfully addressed Zhuo Yu as "Mother" and politely followed Luo Fengming in calling them "Uncle and Aunt," Zhuo Yu was, after all, the second wife of Luo Huai, the head of the Luo family, and Luo Cuiwei was not her biological daughter.

They knew very well that Luo Cuiwei was neither a foolish pushover nor someone who would give them any leeway.

Luo Cuiwei walked leisurely around the screen, carrying an exquisite purple-gold hand warmer in her arms. Her crimson-gold brocade cloak, adorned with intricate floral patterns, shimmered in the cold winter sun as she moved, dazzling like piles of gold and jade.

She raised the back of her hand to cover her lips slowly, yawned arrogantly, and then blinked her eyes full of sleepy tears and said with a smile: "It's just that Mother doesn't like to talk about the family's wealth on a daily basis. In fact, my Luo family has been rich for three generations. Even if I take Luo Fengming to carry silver and throw it into the moat every day, it would take ten or eight years to throw it all away."

Luo Fengming quickly pursed his lips and lowered his head to suppress a laugh. When it comes to being unreasonable and talking nonsense, there are really few people in the world who can compare to his sister.

“Mother has been working very hard these days, her eyes are bloodshot, she should rest more,” Luo Cuiwei turned to look at Zhuo Yu, who seemed hesitant to speak, and gently advised, “Your uncles and aunts are not outsiders, they will understand.”

Zhuo Yu understood that what she meant was to tell her to stop interfering in the matter, but seeing the frequent glances from her brothers and sisters-in-law, she was in a dilemma.

Luo Cuiwei knew that Zhuo Yu was usually indecisive, so she didn't say much to her. She just smiled and looked back at the four members of the Zhuo family. "If Uncle and Aunt want to take that money back, just take the contract to the accounting office in the back. I've already made all the arrangements. There's no need to disturb my father's retirement. Just take it from my account."

The implication is that although the amount of money is not much, it is impossible to take the money without returning the contract.

The four members of the Zhuo family, whose efforts had come to naught, gritted their teeth in secret, but could not lash out. They could only suppress their anger and force a smile.

"Luo Fengming, come with me for a moment." Luo Cuiwei ignored them and hugged the small purple-gold hand warmer in her arms, chuckling lazily.

Luo Fengming immediately bowed to his mother and uncles and aunts, then walked to Luo Cuiwei's side. "Where are you going?"

"Otherwise, why don't we take two chests of silver to the moat and throw them there to make a sound? That way, people outside won't really think the Luo family is about to fall." Luo Cuiwei smiled casually and went behind the screen without looking back.

The four members of the Zhuo family in the hall were all red-faced with suppressed anger. After Luo Cuiwei and Luo Fengming had walked far away, the third sister-in-law of the Zhuo family forced a smile and gritted her teeth and said, "This girl must be twenty-five, right? Always so fierce and arrogant, when will she ever get married?"

“She’s just a bit straightforward, not really fierce. She used to travel all over the country with Brother Huai, and she’s only been home more often in the last two years,” Zhuo Yu said with a soft smile. “I’m trying to find ways to help her out.”

****

The siblings sat across from each other at the table in the study. Luo Fengming let out a long sigh and complained, "They're always so annoying. I might just lose my temper and hit someone one day."

"Why bother with them? They're just taking advantage of Mother's soft nature and always trying to get something out of our family," Luo Cuiwei coughed twice and pointed to the half-spread map on the table with her index finger. "However, I overheard them say something that turned out to be quite right."

Next spring, the Luo family will, as is customary, spend a lot of money to stockpile a large quantity of tea and silk. If there are any mishaps at that time, although their cash flow will not be completely cut off, they will certainly suffer a great loss of vitality.

“Our goods shipped north are a major part of our business every year, and for two years in a row they have been seized in Songyuan…” Luo Fengming said, both angry and annoyed. “I asked a friend to check, and the newly appointed Songyuan County Magistrate last year is a distant relative of the Huang family.”

The rivalry between the Huang and Luo families has been going on for a long time. In the past, with Luo Huai keeping them in check, they weren't so blatant. But in recent years, with Luo Huai injured and recuperating at home, the Luo family's business has been handed over to the siblings Luo Cuiwei and Luo Fengming. As a result, the Huang family's arrogance has grown year by year.

Furthermore, the Huang family's distant relative happens to be serving in Songyuan, a crucial point on the Luo family's northern trade route. With such favorable timing, location, and human factors, it would be a shame if they didn't cause some trouble, given how many years they've been competing with the Luo family.

Seeing Luo Cuiwei frowning thoughtfully, Luo Fengming suggested, "Sister, why don't we report to the Right Division that the Songyuan County Magistrate is colluding with the Huang family..."