Chapter 165: Leaving a Way Back for Themselves
Wen Xiuyi understood the situation perfectly. This wasn’t because of his own social standing at all; it was entirely due to the prestige of Manager Qiu and Doctor Jin.
“It’s quite alright, Your Lordship. If it’s truly inconvenient, please don’t trouble yourself. We only need one storefront,” Wen Xiuyi said, not wanting to impose on Doctor Jin and Manager Qiu for something like this.
Lord Chen burst into a hearty laugh before saying, “Nonsense! There is no need for Scholar Wen to be so polite with this official. May I ask how many storefronts Scholar Wen actually has in mind?”
This…
Sigh.
“Since Your Lordship put it that way, this student will shamelessly speak his mind. To tell you the truth, we were hoping to secure five storefronts. Together with my nephew’s, that makes six. I wonder if that would be convenient for Your Lordship,” Wen Xiuyi stated directly. As for Wen Yao’s suggestion of eight or ten storefronts, he decided against it. Owing too large a favor would only invite trouble down the road.
Wen Nong shot an astonished look at Wen Xiuyi.
Lord Chen pondered for a brief moment before responding, “Very well then. Since Scholar Wen has personally asked, this official naturally cannot deny you this convenience. I will give the yamen clerk a heads-up in a moment, and you may complete the paperwork at your earliest convenience.”
Hearing this, Wen Xiuyi rose and offered a deep bow. “Then I must truly trouble Your Lordship. This student shall host a banquet at Zui Xian Tower another day, and I hope Your Lordship will grace us with your presence.”
“Scholar Wen is too polite. It’s my pleasure, my pleasure. This subordinate official shall gladly accept your kind invitation,” Lord Chen replied with a smile. The two men exchanged a look, leaving certain things unspoken between them. He believed Wen Xiuyi was clever enough to catch his drift.
Wen Xiuyi certainly understood. Sigh, he would still have to make a trip to Jishi Hall in a bit to clear the air with Manager Qiu and Doctor Jin regarding this matter.
Even after stepping out of the yamen gates, Wen Nong was still completely dazed.
“Uncle, you’re planning to secure five storefronts? What are we going to sell?” Wen Nong asked curiously.
Wen Xiuyi waved his hand. “No idea. Yaoyao wanted them, so we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. Hurry along and mind your own business now; I need to stop by Jishi Hall.” With that, he walked away with his hands resting behind his back.
Upon arriving at Jishi Hall, Wen Xiuyi relayed the entire encounter to Doctor Jin and Manager Qiu, his face filled with apology. “I’m terribly sorry. I didn’t give you two a heads-up beforehand.”
Doctor Jin and Manager Qiu exchanged a glance and burst into laughter. “And here we thought something serious had happened! Don’t let that fellow surnamed Chen fool you. This sort of thing happens everywhere; any family can secure a few storefronts with just a tiny bit of grease to the palms.
He purposely framed it that way just to make you feel indebted to him.”
“Huh?” Wen Xiuyi blanked. “There’s such a catch to it?”
Manager Qiu, however, seemed rather intrigued by the storefronts. “Brother Wen, do you truly believe the value of the shops at the docks will double in the future?”
Wen Xiuyi nodded with certainty. “Without a doubt. The influx of travelers coming to and from Yunwu Town will only increase from here on out. In the future, a storefront at those docks will absolutely be worth its weight in gold.”
Manager Qiu stroked the beard on his chin, then slapped the table. “Alright! I’ll make a trip to the yamen myself. Elder Jin, why don’t you grab a few as well? Even if we don’t use them ourselves, selling them off down the line will fetch a pretty penny.”
“Sounds grand! How could I possibly miss out on such a lucrative venture?” Doctor Jin laughed heartily.
Manager Qiu turned back to Wen Xiuyi. “Brother Wen, are five storefronts truly enough? Since I’m making a trip anyway, I can easily secure far more than five. Do you want to add a few more to your tally?”
Wen Xiuyi gave it some thought. “Five should be plenty. I honestly don’t know what Yaoyao has planned for them yet; we haven’t even decided what to sell. Let’s just leave it at that for now.”
“Fair enough. Then I shall secure five storefronts as well, right next to yours. If your family ever finds yourselves running short of space in the future, you can just take mine and use them.” Manager Qiu agreed immediately.
Doctor Jin didn’t miss the chance to chime in either. “Count me in as well. Secure five storefronts for me too. That fellow surnamed Chen wouldn’t dare deny us this tiny bit of face.”
Manager Qiu shot him a look and chuckled. “If he did, the two of us would be living a bit too pathetic a life. Alright then, I’ll head over now. Brother Wen, are you busy right now? If not, join me for another run.”
“Sure.”
The two returned to the yamen. When the bailiff reported that Wen Xiuyi had come back again, County Magistrate Chen furrowed his brow, grumbling to the advisor beside him, “This man is truly ceaseless. Just who does he think he is?”
However, the moment he invited the guests inside and saw that Wen Xiuyi had returned in the company of Manager Qiu, his demeanor transformed instantly.
“Master Qiu! What brings you here? Ah, this subordinate official has failed to welcome you properly, please forgive me, please forgive me.”
Watching Lord Chen’s reaction, Wen Xiuyi couldn’t help but marvel. He truly was a master at playing favorites depending on who stood before him.
Manager Qiu politely cupped his hands. “Lord Chen is too polite. I have actually come today to beg a favor of you.”
Lord Chen was exceptionally courteous and deferential. “Please speak, Master! As long as it is within this subordinate official’s power, I will absolutely exhaust all efforts to fulfill it.”
Manager Qiu glanced at Wen Xiuyi before smiling. “Then I won’t stand on ceremony with Lord Chen. My brother here mentioned that the docks are undergoing a refurbishment and that they have secured a few storefronts. Naturally, I cannot bear to lag behind, so I came to ask Your Lordship for a bit of convenience.”
“Oh my, Master Qiu is far too polite! It’s a simple matter, a simple matter. How many storefronts does the Master require? I will order the men below to prepare the paperwork immediately.” Lord Chen was the absolute picture of sycophancy.
What a golden opportunity! He had been dreading that these two towering figures would never have cause to seek his aid, and now the chance had landed right in his lap. Sowing goodwill with these two would yield immense benefits for his future promotions and transfers.
Manager Qiu was equally direct. “Nothing extravagant; the exact same amount as my brother here will suffice—five storefronts. In addition, Elder Jin cannot pull himself away from the clinic, so he asked me to beg a favor on his behalf as well. I wonder if Your Lordship could extend the same accommodation to him? Elder Jin wishes to secure five storefronts as well, preferably adjacent to ours.”
Wen Xiuyi watched as Lord Chen’s eyes lit up visibly. He nodded repeatedly. “Of course, of course! Shall this subordinate official escort the Master to select the locations right now?”
Manager Qiu pointed to Wen Xiuyi. “No need to choose. Just make sure our three households are lined up next to each other.”
Lord Chen understood instantly. He immediately summoned the advisor and barked out the instructions.
“Ah, hold on a moment. Here is one hundred taels in banknotes, covering my share and Elder Jin’s.” Manager Qiu extended the banknotes to the advisor.
The advisor glanced at Lord Chen, not daring to accept them.
Lord Chen wore a face full of smiles. “Master, look at this—how could I possibly allow you to pay for these few storefronts?”
Manager Qiu shoved the banknotes firmly into the advisor’s hand, saying in a tone that brooked no refusal, “Business is business. Go on.”
The advisor looked from Lord Chen to Manager Qiu, offered a respectful bow, and retreated from the room, carrying the banknotes with him.
The corner of Lord Chen’s mouth twitched as he offered an embarrassed smile. He had nearly patted the horse’s flank only to get kicked by the hoof.
“There are still matters to attend to at the clinic, so we won’t disturb Your Lordship any longer. We shall invite Your Lordship for drinks at Zui Xian Tower another day,” Manager Qiu said, cupping his hands.
“Splendid, splendid. Safe travels, Master. Safe travels, Scholar Wen.”
Lord Chen escorted the two right to the yamen gates. Watching them depart while chatting and laughing merrily, the smile vanished from his face. He dusted off his robes and turned back into the yamen.
The bailiff beside him asked curiously, “Your Lordship, Manager Qiu is just the keeper of a medical clinic, isn’t he? Why are you so incredibly deferential toward him?”
Lord Chen shot him a scathing glare and snapped in a low voice, “What the hell do you know? Don’t look at him as a mere manager right now; he is someone who can strip your master of his official hat with the mere flick of a finger. I truly don’t know how a destitute scholar like Wen Xiuyi managed to scale the heights to claim a connection with Qiu Zhi.” Why couldn’t a stroke of good fortune like that ever fall upon him?
After a moment’s thought, Lord Chen barked another command: “Pass the word down to everyone. From now on, whenever you see anyone from the Wen family, you are to treat them with absolute courtesy.”
Those boys from the Wen family were receiving personal guidance from Qiu Zhi himself; their future prospects were bound to be immense. Especially that adoptive son of his—Qiu Zhi had no children of his own in this lifetime; wouldn’t he exhaust his entire network of connections just to pave the road for that lad?
