Chapter 17: Repaying the Debt

Zhao Mengcheng had only walked a short distance when he ran into a small old man, who happened to be Liu Sanshu.

Liu Sanshu was like any other old farmer in the village, with a sallow complexion and a permanent frown that made him look as if he were nursing a deep-seated grievance.

“Third Uncle,” Zhao Mengcheng called out.

Liu Sanshu kept his hands behind his back and frowned. “I was just looking for you. I have something I want to say.”

Zhao Mengcheng smiled. “I also have something to talk to you about. How about I go first?”

Asking for money was always an awkward thing to do, so Liu Sanshu nodded, mentally rehearsing how best to bring it up.

He had originally lent the money because he felt the Zhao Family was pitiful, but he had regretted it almost immediately. Given the state of the Zhao Family at the time, there was no way they could have paid him back. Fortunately, Zhao Mengcheng had managed to come up with a Tofu recipe.

Liu Sanshu thought to himself that since the man was making money now, asking for repayment wouldn’t be considered going too far.

Zhao Mengcheng took out a string of copper coins. “Third Uncle, when the children’s mother passed away, I relied heavily on the help of our fellow villagers. If you hadn’t lent me that money, I wouldn’t have even been able to handle her funeral arrangements properly.”

“The Tofu business has earned some money lately, so I wanted to pay everyone back first. Please count this and see if the amount is correct.”

Liu Sanshu was suddenly at a loss for words.

Just a moment ago, he had been grumbling to himself that Zhao Mengcheng might try to dodge the debt and refuse to pay, yet here the man was, proactively returning the money.

His old face flushed with heat, and Liu Sanshu said repeatedly, “What’s there to count? Could I ever distrust you?”

Zhao Mengcheng acted as if he were unaware of the old man’s original intention and said with a smile, “Even brothers keep clear accounts¹. Please count it, Third Uncle, so I can have peace of mind.”

Only then did Liu Sanshu spit on his fingers and begin to count. “This is too much. It’s a good thing I checked. Take the extra back.”

Zhao Mengcheng refused. “It’s not too much. That’s the interest.”

Liu Sanshu’s face darkened. “There is no reason to take interest between fellow villagers. Take it back quickly.”

“Third Uncle, I’m making money selling Tofu now. This little bit of interest is nothing compared to the kindness you showed me.”

The original owner had been at the end of his rope back then, bedridden with illness, and his wife’s funeral had only been possible thanks to the help of the villagers. Zhao Mengcheng naturally intended to repay this kindness.

Liu Sanshu’s face turned beet red. “Look at how this turned out. Just now, Fengping was saying that you only cared about living well yourself and had no intention of paying anyone back. I didn’t believe his nonsense for a second. I didn’t misjudge you; you’ve been an honest person since you were a child.”

Zhao Mengcheng raised an eyebrow and smiled as he saw Liu Sanshu off, then continued going from house to house to repay his debts.

As soon as Liu Fengshou saw him, he asked, “Did Fengping go looking for you?”

He deeply detested his brother’s behavior. “I told him we weren’t in a hurry for the money, but he just had to meddle. Doing business requires capital. If you have money, pay the others back first; there’s no rush to pay my family back.”

His wife stood beside him, anxiously tugging at his sleeve.

Zhao Mengcheng said with a laugh, “Uncle Fengshou, am I the type of person to put on a front? I’m only here to pay you back because I truly have the money on hand.”

“Being debt-free is a light heart. I’ll only sleep soundly once I’ve paid everyone back.”

Liu Fengshou finally accepted the money. His wife asked curiously, “Is selling Tofu really that profitable?”

Zhao Mengcheng only said, “It makes money, but it’s hard work.”

After he left, Liu Fengshou grumbled at his wife, “You shouldn’t have asked that just now. Why are you prying?”

“I just asked in passing, what’s wrong with that? Mengcheng himself didn’t mind, yet you’re the one with so much to say,” the Liu Clan’s wife replied, looking quite displeased.

She then added, “Go ahead and count the money to see if it’s right.”

“What’s there to count? Would he really short me a few copper coins?” Liu Fengshou said, shaking his head.

The Liu Clan’s wife huffed, “If you won’t count it, I will.”

As she counted, she let out a cry of surprise. “How is there an extra fifteen Wen?”

Liu Fengshou frowned and sighed. “The child is too polite; he gave interest.”

“If you ask me, he’s become sensible. He wasn’t nearly this mature when Yunniang was still around. Now that his wife is gone, he’s actually managed to take charge of everything inside and outside the house,” the Liu Clan’s wife praised.

Liu Fengshou also said, “I think he’ll definitely be successful in the future, far better than those others in our village.”

Scenes of repaying debts continued to play out. The villagers, happy to get their money back with interest, all praised Zhao Mengcheng for his honesty and kindness.

The Old Village Chief also received his money, but he insisted on refusing the interest. “I am the Village Chief. It is my duty to look after the villagers. How can I take extra money?”

“Uncle, everyone else has accepted it. I can’t treat you unfairly.”

Zhao Mengcheng still left the extra money behind. “Uncle, I have another favor to ask of you. If you don’t accept this, I won’t dare to speak of it.”

Only then did the Old Village Chief accept the money.

Zhao Mengcheng said, “The amount of Tofu sold every day is quite large now, and the soybeans at home are no longer enough. The beans in our village have mostly been bought up. I was wondering if you could help me buy some from the neighboring villages.”

He suggested with a smile, “I can’t let you work for nothing. How about this: for every ten jin of soybeans collected, I’ll add one extra Wen to the original price. I’ll take as much as you can get.”

Zhao Mengcheng had considered this before coming. Everyone knew that soybean prices were low, but once the Tofu business took off, it was inevitable that some people would start price gouging.

The Old Village Chief was well-liked and prestigious, and with the backing of a major local surname² like the Liu Clan, he was well-connected in the surrounding villages.

Entrusting the soybean collection to him would be much easier and more efficient than doing it himself.

The Old Village Chief shook his head repeatedly. “It’s just a matter of buying some beans. How can I take more money from you?”

Zhao Mengcheng insisted, “You’ll have to run around and ask everywhere, and then haul the beans back. You’re putting in so much effort to help me; I can’t let you pay out of your own pocket as well.”

“Village Chief, I intend to keep this Tofu business going for a long time. I can’t let you keep losing out.”

The Old Village Chief looked at him deeply and smiled. “You’ve grown up.”

He used to be a bit of a hotheaded youth. Although he was literate and had worked as an accountant, his way of speaking and acting often offended people.

Now, however, he was thoughtful and thorough. If the Old Village Chief hadn’t watched the boy grow up, he might have thought he was a refined man from a wealthy family.

The two looked at each other and smiled, both understanding the other’s goodwill.

After Zhao Mengcheng left, the Old Village Chief’s face darkened. “Get out here right now!”

“Brother…” The one who slunk out was Liu Fengping.

The Old Village Chief huffed. “Don’t call me brother. I can’t bear that title from you. I told you to live an honest life, but you never listen, spending all your time on these crooked schemes.”

Liu Fengping didn’t dare to talk back while being scolded so harshly.

After a thorough tongue-lashing, the Old Village Chief said, “Don’t even think about that secret recipe. I won’t let the reputation of Qingshan Village be ruined by my hands.”

Liu Fengping left dejectedly, feeling very resentful in his heart.

The Village Chief’s wife patted her husband’s back. “It’s been so many years, don’t you know by now that he’s always been unreliable?”

“I’m just angry that he has no ambition. He has no skills of his own, yet he gets jealous the moment he sees someone else prospering.”

The Old Village Chief said angrily, “Look at what he said! He wanted me to use my position as Village Chief and an elder to force the secret recipe out of him. If I really did that, how could I ever show my face in public again?”

Once he had vented enough and his anger had subsided, the Village Chief’s wife asked, “Who do you plan to have handle the soybean collection?”

The Zhao Family now used three hundred jin of beans a day. Even if they only earned one Wen for every ten jin, that would still be thirty Wen a day.

That was thirty Wen for doing almost nothing.

The Old Village Chief thought for a moment. “Let the third one go. It’ll keep him from idling about all day.”

He was talking about his third son. The Old Village Chief’s eldest and second sons were already married with children, leaving only the youngest, Liu Bingkun, who had yet to take a wife.

Because he was the youngest child and had been somewhat spoiled, the third son was useless at everything except eating. Whenever he was sent to work in the fields, he would just loaf around, causing the Old Village Chief so much worry that he was losing his hair.

“The third one is silver-tongued; he’ll definitely be able to handle this job,” the Village Chief’s wife said happily.

By the time Zhao Mengcheng returned after repaying the money, smoke was already rising from his chimney.

As soon as he entered the gate, Wang Ming was waiting for him in the courtyard.

“Brother, how could you only tell me half of it? You’ve left me dying of curiosity,” Wang Ming said resentfully.

Zhao Mengcheng laughed. “I’ll tell you now, alright?”

“What is it exactly?” Wang Ming had been pondering it for a long time, but he couldn’t imagine what important task he could possibly do.

Zhao Mengcheng spoke plainly, “I plan to transfer the Tofu stall in town to you.”

“What!” Wang Ming cried out in shock, shaking his head repeatedly.

“No, no, how could I steal your business? Brother, the wages you give me are already high enough. What kind of person would I be if I did something like that?”

Zhao Mengcheng saw his intense resistance and could only explain, “Listen to me first.”

“I won’t agree no matter what you say,” Wang Ming said stubbornly.

Zhao Mengcheng shook his head helplessly. “What are you thinking? It’s not that you’re stealing my business; it’s that I’m tired of working from dawn to dusk every day. I plan to give up the Tofu stall.”

“If you don’t want it, I’ll give it to someone else.”

Wang Ming was completely bewildered. “But why? Selling Tofu isn’t that tiring, and you can earn at least a hundred Wen a day.”

Although the initial novelty of Tofu had passed, it tasted good and was cheap enough for everyone, so there were still plenty of buyers.

Zhao Mengcheng explained, “But the work is too exhausting. My health hasn’t fully recovered yet. If I keep overworking myself every day and fall ill again, it won’t be worth the gain.”

“Anyway, the Tofu recipe is in my hands. Now that the market for Tofu has opened up, I can make it at home and send it directly to the restaurants, or at the very least, sell it wholesale to others.”

Once he broke it down and explained everything clearly, Wang Ming finally began to understand.

His brother didn’t mean he was quitting the tofu business; rather, he planned to focus on production and sell the tofu to others instead of running the stall himself.

Wang Ming hesitated. “But I’m not cut out for business.”

Zhao Mengcheng countered, “Don’t sell yourself short. You’ve been managing the stall for the past few days, and you’ve done a great job.”

“Ming, you can’t work for me forever. Selling tofu pays better than a fixed wage. If you save up for a few years, you might even be able to buy a shop in town and be your own boss.”

“Think it over. If you’re willing to sell tofu in town, I’ll sell it to you at the same wholesale price the restaurants pay. If you’re really not interested, we can keep things as they are, and you can continue earning a daily wage from me.”

Wang Ming was deeply moved and finally gave a firm nod. “Brother, I want to try.”

Zhao Mengcheng smiled with satisfaction. He intended to help the Wang Family move up in the world, but if Wang Ming lacked the drive to improve himself, no amount of pushing would help.

Selling tofu was simply too time-consuming. Now that he had freed himself from it, Zhao Mengcheng finally had the time to tinker with other projects.

Translator’s Notes