TAMW CH6

“Bad?”

“If Men aren’t bad, women won’t love ’em~” Li Yuanjing leaned lazily against the leather sofa. “Zhou Xiao, what happened to you today? Did you offend your little stepmother? You look terrible.”

“What stepmother?” Zhou Xiao rolled his eyes at him, privately regretting whether he had been too cold to Yuqing earlier.

“Isn’t your father sick? Why does he still believe in taking in a concubine to ward off bad luck and bring good fortune? How is the new concubine? I haven’t heard about your family buying anyone’s daughter, though.”

Li Yuanjing had returned to the country slightly earlier than Zhou Xiao. The two had been classmates in France and planned to build a business together upon returning.

While in France, Zhou Xiao had kept abreast of the domestic situation through Li’s letters.

Sitting on the leather sofa, Zhou Xiao accepted the coffee handed to him by a servant. With a tight expression, he kept quiet, thinking to himself: So outsiders really have no idea who is actually getting married in the Zhou Manor.

Li Yuanjing propped himself on his elbow and leaned in curiously to probe, his face full of anticipation. “Did the old master’s health improve today? Has he been rejuvenated?”

“Rejuvenated my foot. He can’t even get out of bed anymore,” Zhou Xiao said.

Li Yuanjing paused. “He’s genuinely ill?”

Zhou Xiao spread his hands, maintaining his poise. “What else?”

“I thought they tricked you into coming back just to dump a hot potato in your lap. Turns out he’s really sick.”

Zhou Xiao had never involved himself in family affairs. The Zhou family ran pawnshops and had engaged in plenty of filthy, under-the-table dealings bribing officials in the past. This time, he didn’t probe much either, wanting only to stay far away from this den of trouble.

“How has the Zhou family become a hot potato?” He took a sip of coffee, finding the taste rather mediocre.

It was nowhere near as good as the jasmine tea at home yesterday.

“Baizhou Port was placed under the control of the Chamber of Commerce a few years ago. Now they’re about to elect a new president. The Ruan family is pushing for the Zhou family to take the vice president seat—it should be settled within the next few days.”

“My second uncle?” Only then did Zhou Xiao remember that since returning to the country, he hadn’t seen any sign of his second uncle.

“His son racked up gambling debts in Shanghai. Word is he went to bail him out; he should be back soon.”

Zhou Xiao commented, “Zhou Min has been useless deadweight since childhood. After all these years, he hasn’t improved in the slightest.”

“If not your second uncle, who else could it be? Everyone says Second Master Zhou is the one calling the shots in your family these days. We originally thought that if he became president, shipping our goods by sea might actually be feasible.”

Building a railway required importing many parts from abroad.

The customs tariffs alone were an enormous sum; factoring in the various checkpoints, the fees were almost more expensive than the parts themselves.

“Your second uncle has been riding high this past year. Not only did he get his son adopted into your father’s line, but word has it several pawnshops on the outskirts of the city were transferred under his name as well. The matter regarding the Chamber of Commerce presidency will likely be finalized in a few days too. Do you want to discuss things with him?”

If someone could use the Chamber of Commerce to clear the port for incoming ships, importing parts would be smooth sailing no matter the volume.

Zhou Xiao rubbed his temples. He had heard that half of the cargo ships he brought back were impounded at the port.

While he openly brought in parts through official channels, he had secretly arranged for other fishing boats to smuggle them in. With the large cargo ships acting as a decoy, the fishing boats could transport the cargo much more conveniently, moving quantities no less than what was inside the main vessels.

Yet this was no long-term solution. Baizhou Port was currently under military control; if caught, a single smuggling charge would earn them a bullet to the head.

He remained silent. Assuming he was pondering some major issue, Li Yuanjing waited patiently.

Though Zhou Xiao looked like an earnest, progressive young man on the surface, the schemes he brewed in secret were far more ruthless.

Back when they were classmates in France, horse racing was all the rage among the local nobility. Zhou Xiao’s favorite horse had been raised by him from a young foal, yet when it broke a leg during a race, he shot it dead on the spot without hesitation to end its suffering.

Returning to the country now was no different.

On the surface, building the railway was framed as serving the country and the people. But in reality, Liu County in Shencheng merely suffered from a lack of railway transport for its coal mines; as long as the coal could be shipped out, every mountain across the entire county was a goldmine.

Out of the blue, Zhou Xiao suddenly asked, “Do you know Ruan Yuqing?”

“Who?” Li Yuanjing didn’t hear clearly.

“Ruan Yuqing.”

Li Yuanjing replied, “Never heard of him. The Ruan family? Since when did they have someone by that name?”

Zhou Xiao’s expression shifted slightly. He thought to himself: I must have misunderstood Yuqing.

With Second Uncle running the household, having his son adopted by the old man and seizing control of several pawnshops, how could Yuqing still keep hold of the storerooms once Second Uncle returned?

Could it be that Yuqing marrying him was truly just out of blind belief in the ridiculous notion of warding off ill fortune to prolong the dying old man’s life?

Once Second Uncle returned, Ruan Yuqing probably wouldn’t have an easy time surviving in the Zhou household.

Li Yuanjing had returned home long before him and was well-versed in Baizhou’s affairs, yet he had never once heard the name Ruan Yuqing.

Didn’t this prove that Ruan Yuqing was merely a pitiful soul confined to the inner quarters, never seeing the light of day?

Knowing nothing of how fast the outside world was changing, he guarded his tiny four-cornered courtyard, throwing his entire life away just because of a single word from his benefactor.

Sigh…

Zhou Xiao inexplicably recalled those teary eyes again—truly endearing.

Just how old is he, anyway?

He had no time to head home and ask. Shortly after, he and Li Yuanjing rushed to the port to board their ship, planning to first inspect another port located closer to Shencheng.

Before boarding, the thought of Yuqing’s reluctant gaze when they parted stirred a rare pang of guilt in him. He instructed Deng Yongquan to fetch some stationery.

The ship’s horn blew in steady blasts. As the vessel prepared to set sail, Zhou Xiao was still hesitating over what to write.

He set pen to paper: To Yuqing.

No good. Crossed out—

To My Wife, Yuqing.

No good either. Crossed out again—

Deng Yongquan stood by, watching the Eldest Young Master crumple sheet after sheet of fine letter paper into balls and toss them to the floor, completely wasting the paper.

In the end, Zhou Xiao settled on a relatively formal and polite tone:

Mr. Ruan,

With this parting, I know not when we shall meet again. My relationship with my father has always been strained, so I must trouble you to look after him. I am heading first to Shanghai before transferring to Shencheng.

Regarding what happened last night, I shall treat it as though it never occurred. I will no longer hold the humiliation you subjected me to against you, chalking it up to foolish filial piety blinding your judgment.

It was my first time, so naturally I was clumsy.

Let the past remain in the past. I will take good care of myself. While tending to Father, you should also eat more; for a man, you are far too frail and thin.

I mean no offense regarding last night.

Furthermore, Second Uncle will be returning soon. Should anything prove inconvenient, you may write to me.

If he gives you trouble, please contact me as well. Even if we are merely husband and wife in name, I will do what little is within my power to assist.

That is all. Please do not overthink! Do not miss me.

Signed — Zhou Xiao.

Yuqing only saw the letter after returning from dinner.

A rickshaw had rushed it over from the port, but finding no one home at the Zhou Manor, the courier could only wait by the entrance.

“Yuqing, try this.” General Jiang, seated across from him, picked up a piece of water caltrop pastry with his chopsticks. “Made specially to your taste.”

“The General is too polite.” Yuqing reclined lazily in the rocking chair, reaching out to push aside the wooden curtain in front of him.

They sat in a second-floor private box constructed like a hollowed-out bamboo, encircling the performance stage below. On the stage, the opera The Butterfly Lovers was being performed.

“The parts seized at the port aren’t enough to build an entire railway. Yuqing, you gave me your word.” General Jiang poured him a cup of tea—jasmine.

Yuqing took a drag of mint leaves, finally perking up a little. His thin, reddish eyelids fluttered slightly. “Mm, naturally they are not enough.”

“Building factories requires money that no one can cough up. Even the Zhou family can’t pull out hundreds of millions of US dollars to construct a railway, can they?”

General Jiang was nearly thirty-five years old, carrying the rough demeanor of a seasoned soldier. With a shaved head, a scar through his eyebrow, and a ferocious countenance, ordinary subordinates trembled in fear whenever speaking to him. Only Ruan Yuqing showed no fear, meeting him with a constant, gentle smile.

Yuqing leaned back languidly in the rocking chair, holding the slender pipe in his delicate hand. He took another slow drag—it wasn’t tobacco, yet it seemed to intoxicate everyone inside the private box.

“Of course. Even if the Zhou family cannot provide the funds, I will not break my promise to the General regarding the railway.”

Yuqing extended his hand, and Zhao Fu immediately stepped up from behind to tend to the hot pipe. “As long as I secure the position of Chamber of Commerce President and gain ownership rights over Baizhou Port, the railway promised to you will be delivered without fail.”

General Jiang smiled. Railways could transport weaponry, made trade logistics exceptionally convenient, and offered mountains of lucrative profit.

After finishing the opera at Qishun Pavilion, they finally headed home.

Upon returning home and receiving the letter, Yuqing stared at it for a long while before recalling that Zhou Xiao had already departed. Suddenly, an important matter crossed his mind.

He instructed Zhao Fu: “Find a physician to come over sometime in the next few days.”

“Right.” Just as Zhao Fu was about to leave, he was called back. Thinking the Young Mistress wanted to send some items to the Young Master, he paused, only to hear: “Take all the bedding used in the bedroom last night and throw it out. Replace it with a fresh set.”

At the very moment the bedding used by the Young Master was tossed out the door…

Aboard the ship out at sea, the refined Young Master Zhou opened his suitcase. Seeing the neatly packed clothes, daily necessities, and supplies inside, he felt a wave of helpless emotion wash over him.

Knowing he had returned from studying abroad, inside were stylish Western suits, clean socks, brand-new bedsheets, and a set of imported Swiss fountain pens.

He took such meticulous care of me.

Yet in my letter, I addressed him with nothing more than the stiff, distant words ‘Mr. Ruan.’

I’m afraid Yuqing’s heart is going to break.

__

Author’s Note:

Eldest Young Master Zhou: I must have hurt his fragile little heart. Why did he suddenly fall so deeply in love with me? Am I really just that handsome? Sigh!

Yuqing: …You… Sigh![melts]