Two days of happiness were cut short by a problem: such a large courtyard required maids and servants to attend to it, befitting the status of their master and madam. Unfortunately, they lacked the funds, so they persuaded Hesheng to sell dozens of mu of his land.
Although dozens of mu of land wouldn't fetch much silver, and Hesheng, along with his mother, had gained some experience, he was still a countryman at heart. He felt that land couldn't be measured in silver. The thought of selling so much land made him ache, but seeing his father's expectant face, he couldn't bring himself to refuse. He could only reluctantly nod.
With the silver in hand, and under the eager gaze of his niece and nephew, he first treated everyone to a good meal to compensate for their recent hardships.
Knowing the silver was limited, everyone spent sparingly, only hiring a few servants for cooking and cleaning. With no need to do the work themselves, no one complained. As soon as they returned to the manor, his eldest and second sisters-in-law stared intently at Hesheng, leaving him puzzled as to what he had done wrong.
Liu Zhangshi, who considered herself the madam, said somewhat awkwardly, "Third brother, it's not that I, your sister-in-law, want to ask you for money, but this whole family wishes to buy some items for the ladies. We don't even have a single copper coin. We can't always come to you for money, can we? You see..."
Only then did Hesheng understand their intention. He thought it made sense; he was usually busy and couldn't be bothered to come to him for every ten or eight cash. He quickly took out five taels of silver and handed it to her.
Liu Zhangshi's lips twitched involuntarily. In the past, he would spend at least ten taels at a time. Today, he was so stingy, only to get five taels after much effort. Still, it was better than having nothing. She quickly took the money. Su Dan Fiction Network
Seeing their eldest sister-in-law receiving money from him, his second sister-in-law was not to be outdone and immediately asked Hesheng for money. Hesheng had been prepared for this and handed her five taels as well. Satisfied that neither had gained an advantage, they left.
After seeing them off, he breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't yet decided what business to pursue. He didn't intend to live off his savings. With this foundation, coupled with what he had learned from the shopkeeper, he wanted to open his own shop. But then came another problem: he still lacked money. This time, he gritted his teeth and sold several dozen more mu of land.
Turning around, he discovered that half of the land his mother had given him was gone. He secretly vowed to buy it back as soon as he made money, so as not to disappoint his mother.
With limited funds, he had to cut corners wherever possible, renting a nondescript small shop and working tirelessly himself. Zhang Dashan, believing in the strength of family effort, quickly summoned Husheng and Haisheng to help. With more hands, his shop soon looked presentable.
Since the shopkeeper who had trained him previously dealt in cloth, and the establishment where he worked as an accountant also sold fabrics, Hesheng, despite his short tenure there, had managed to inquire about their suppliers. Thus, he took Husheng and Haisheng to them.
After much effort, they managed to transport the goods back. They worked from dawn till dusk to attract customers, slowly establishing a foothold. Looking at the ten taels of silver earned in the first month, Hesheng's joy was evident. This was the most money he had ever earned in his life.
Clutching the silver felt like holding onto hope. He believed this was a good start and that he would earn more and more money in the future. His father would be proud of him, and more importantly, his mother would look at him with renewed respect.
From a corner he didn't notice, his eldest and second sisters-in-law, looking at the ten taels of silver, their eyes gleamed with covetousness.
In the following months, business boomed. Seeing the continuous stream of customers, he couldn't help but smile. However, his smile froze on his face not long after.
He noticed that for over half a month, despite selling a lot of goods, he hadn't seen a single piece of silver. He quickly checked the accounts and found that the numbers didn't add up. Consequently, instead of greeting customers with his usual enthusiasm, he began to observe everyone carefully.
Soon, he discovered the problem. His eldest and second sisters-in-law were secretly competing to see who could sell more cloth and satisfy more customers. While this was ostensibly a positive development, the silver from the sales was never handed over. Hesheng, hidden in the shadows, personally witnessed his eldest sister-in-law giving half the silver to the shopkeeper and pocketing the other half. His second sister-in-law followed suit. His heart sank.
If this continued, not only would he fail to make money, but he would also incur losses. Or rather, he wouldn't be losing money; the silver was simply disappearing into their pockets.
Hesheng tactfully informed Zhang Dashan of his findings. Zhang Dashan, who valued money above all else, had not missed his two daughters-in-law's actions. However, he had intentionally allowed the silver to go into the pockets of his eldest and second sons.
After all, all three sons were his. He couldn't just let his youngest son feast while his other sons went without even soup. Therefore, he said with some difficulty, "Your elder brother and second brother work hard in the shop without even receiving wages. They have families to support and need to buy small things occasionally. They can't be without any money. However, it is indeed wrong of them to take half of the money from fabric sales. How about this: you pay them a salary and have them work for you. This kind of thing will not happen again."
He understood his father's implication. Although he felt a bit uncomfortable, he realized that his father was right. His shop wouldn't have opened without their help. Seeing them busy working, he felt he hadn't been thoughtful enough.
Even if he hired outside help, he would have to pay them wages. While his brothers and sisters-in-law didn't need such strict accounting, they also needed to live. Without money, how could they be motivated? Therefore, he paid each of them a monthly wage of five hundred copper coins, which was the market rate.
He immediately noticed an improvement, proving his father's strategy was effective. He breathed a sigh of relief and devoted himself entirely to the external affairs of the business.
With a good start, he naturally wasn't satisfied with just one shop and used the money he had earned recently to open another. However, not long after the new shop opened, many villagers came to his door with bolts of cloth, demanding refunds.
"Esteemed elders and fellow villagers, we operate on a cash-and-carry basis. You pay me silver for the cloth, and I'm responsible for the sourcing. Once the goods are sold, how can there be large-scale returns? Besides, cloth doesn't spoil easily. If you don't need it now, you can keep it for later use!" Hesheng emerged, completely bewildered, and tried to reason with them politely.