Chapter 1309: Chapter 1287: Discussing (Extra Chapter for the reward from user "lulululukka")
In the end, Zhou Liulang and his three nephews and nieces turned their backs and quietly discussed for a while before agreeing to Zhou Silang’s proposal.
Zhou Liulang said, "Lichong and Lijun will stay here, you take Fifth Brother and Liwei back home. Liwei is pretty good at accounting too."
Zhou Silang wasn’t too keen, "He’s far worse than Lijun. If Lijun doesn’t go back, then Lichong has to come with me. After all, he’s the eldest grandson."
Zhou Lijun felt a bit smug, but she had her own considerations, "Fourth Uncle, Fifth Uncle is already going back with you. The shop still needs supplies to be bought. Big Brother can manage those things, the accounts for the restaurant have always been handled by me. I’d be better staying here. Besides, it’s freezing cold; I don’t want to be running around."
Zhou Liwei protested, "Fourth Uncle, if you despise me, I might just stay in the capital too—ten taels of silver, you know."
Zhou Silang retorted, "You speak as if I wouldn’t pay you any wages for collecting tea with me."
"Would it be ten taels?"
"No," Zhou Silang said, "If you’re capable, you can ask Grandpa for it."
Zhou Liwei, naturally, didn’t have that kind of leverage.
Seeing that Zhou Silang had no choice but to take Zhou Liwei back with him, Zhou Liulang said, "I haven’t mentioned my terms yet."
"Ten taels?"
"I don’t want ten taels."
Zhou Silang blinked and asked, "Then what do you want?"
Zhou Liulang cleared his throat and replied, "You have to convince Dad and Mom to let me marry the eldest daughter of the Qiu Family."
Zhou Silang paused before responding, "Their family insists that one of the children must take their surname in the future."
"I know," Zhou Liulang said indifferently, "It’s not like I’m marrying into their family. It doesn’t matter."
Zhou Wulang coughed lightly, and Zhou Liulang immediately looked at Manbao before quickly adding, "Of course, marrying into a family is not a big deal either."
Manbao initially didn’t comprehend. When she noticed the glance they exchanged, she immediately changed her wording and understood, "Oh right, my uncle—not uncle, my own father married into a family."
Everyone fell silent.
Manbao stroked her chin thoughtfully, "Should I change my surname to my mother’s then?"
Zhou Silang broke into a cold sweat and quickly said, "Manbao, don’t mess around! Dad would be furious if he finds out."
Manbao skipped over this topic since it wasn’t urgent, but she thought about visiting her maternal grandfather and grandmother’s graves later. It might be best to relocate their tombs to Qili Village, so future worship could happen at one location.
Zhou Liulang hurriedly returned to the previous topic, fearing Manbao might dwell on it further, "Fourth Brother, just tell me if you’re agreeing or not."
Zhou Silang thought for a moment and said, "Alright, but you have to give me your ten taels of silver."
Zhou Liulang didn’t care, "Isn’t the money already with you?"
"That’s different. What I keep for myself is private savings, and giving it to you and taking it back from you is rightful redistribution."
Zhou Liulang: ...
He reached out to Zhou Silang, "Then give me the money."
Zhou Silang slapped his hand and said, "Where can I get money for you right now? Wait till I bring tea leaves to the capital. We’ll settle everything, including yours then. All of you should note it down first. When I come back to the capital after selling the tea leaves, we’ll handle it."
Zhou Lijun couldn’t help whispering to Manbao, "Auntie, don’t you think Fourth Uncle is practically running his business without capital?"
Manbao nodded—it was too cunning!
Zhou Silang refused to admit it. He had, at least, acquired the Bald Hair Tribe’s fur at a very fair price.
The Bald Hair Tribe didn’t feel they lost out either. In their few days trading at the market, they not only sold goods but also learned about the merchants’ tea leaves and salt prices.
Salt was expensive; tea leaves were expensive. At the price Zhou Silang offered them in exchange for fur, they wouldn’t have been able to buy much.
Zhou Silang didn’t have salt, but he had tea leaves, and the price he offered was much lower than the merchants’ price.
Though the wait was long, for the grassland people, wintertime was unremarkable. They would spend it huddled in felt tents with little to do.
While waiting in the capital meant paying rent for accommodations, they could earn money by taking on other jobs. The newly made good friend Zhou Silang was very enthusiastic and even helped them secure some jobs.
For instance, renting empty carriages from the stables, harnessing horses, and driving around busy areas to pick up passengers—it turned out to be quite profitable.
Due to this, Aludun was displeased when someone called Zhou Silang foolish. If Silang heard it, he might feel betrayed by his friends.
As Zhou Silang planned his journey home, he also thought about deepening his relationship with Aludun and his group. He remarked, "I noticed there are quite a few valuable things on the grassland. Their special stones are especially beautiful—they say a well-colored gemstone can be exchanged for many carts of grain."
Manbao thought for a moment and said, "I know. Gemstones come in red, green, blue...all sorts of colors. I’ve seen the princesses wearing plenty."
Zhou Silang said, "In the future, when you grow up, Fourth Brother will buy you one."
Manbao retorted, "I’ve already grown up."
Zhou Silang said, "When Fourth Brother makes money, he’ll buy you one."
Manbao noted this down.
Bai Shan went to Elms Alley to bring his grandmother and mother over for a reunion meal. Everyone was busy on usual days, but today happened to align with Zhou Silang’s return and Zhou Wulang’s shop closure for a day off.
Bai Dalang joined from next door as well, and since there were too many people, two tables were set up directly.
During the meal, Old Madam Liu brought up the topic of returning home. She said, "My suggestion is that after Shanbao finishes his year-end exams, there’s no need to stay and wait for results. We can take leave and depart straight away. First to Longzhou, and after offering sacrifices to the ancestors and his father, continue the journey together."
Zhou Silang’s eyes gleamed, and he asked, "How long does Old Madam Liu plan to stay in Longzhou?"
Old Madam Liu thought and replied, "Three or four days."
Zhou Silang nodded and smiled, "That works. I’ve heard Longzhou is much colder than Yizhou."
Longzhou is further north than the capital, and traveling by carriage in winter takes at least two and a half days. Naturally, it’s colder than Yizhou.
Old Madam Liu smiled knowingly, clearly aware from Bai Shan about Silang’s fur trading activities. She said, "Although our family has been away from Longzhou for many years, there are still some old acquaintances. Perhaps they have some connections. When the time comes, Silang can ask Liu Gui to show him around."
Not just some connections—the Bai Family’s old residence and certain fields in Longzhou were still kept by Old Madam Liu. She had even taken Bai Shan back twice to pay respects to their ancestors.
After all, Bai Qi was buried in Longzhou, and their forebears were also interred there.
If their relatives hadn’t gone too far all those years ago, Old Madam Liu wouldn’t have left Longzhou with Bai Shan and relocated to Mianzhou to seek help from Old Master Bai.
With Old Madam Liu’s affirmation, Zhou Silang became more confident and gave Manbao an exaggerated wink, feeling even better.
Manbao quietly whispered to Bai Shan, "I feel like if my Fourth Brother had a tail, it’d definitely be wagging high enough to touch the roof."
Bai Shan couldn’t help but grin.
Old Madam Liu noticed the two little heads whispering together and chuckled before turning to Mr. Zhuang. "We’ll have to trouble Mr. Zhuang to write a sacrificial prayer for Ziqi then."
Mr. Zhuang agreed.