Chapter 51: Investment?

Feng Qin and Shi Min stood up awkwardly, casting grateful glances at Zhao Mu.

In the past, they considered themselves fortunate just to have anything to eat at all; who would ever care whether they were well-fed or satisfied?

Yet upon arriving at Lesser Wang Village, they sensed a different kind of warmth and care from Huang Wan and Zhao Mu.

Such concern was something they had previously experienced only from their own flesh and blood.

With tears welling in their eyes, the two men finished their second bowls of wheat porridge.

As soon as they had eaten their fill, they immediately prepared to wash the bowls.

Wang Wu's wife hurried over to stop them, saying, "You should go and rest for a while. Leave these trivial chores to me."

The two men wanted to refuse, but Wang Wu's wife snatched the bowls away without giving them room for argument.

Watching the two helpless men, Zhao Mu smiled and said, "You two should find a courtyard, clean it up, and settle down."

Feng Qin looked around and suggested, "Why don't we take the one right next door? That way, we can look out for each other."

Zhao Mu nodded. "Very good. Wang Wu's family has already moved into the eastern one, so you can take the western one."

Feng Qin and Shi Min cupped their fists in gratitude on the spot and headed over to the small western courtyard to start tidying up.

Once Wang Wu's wife finished cleaning the kitchen, she took Wang Wu and little Xiao'er along to help out as well.

Huang Wan originally intended to join them, but Zhao Mu called her back.

"Lady Huang, please wait a moment."

Stopping her in her tracks, Zhao Mu said, "There are some things I need to hand over to you."

Huang Wan tilted her head and asked, "What things?"

Zhao Mu led her to the entrance of the small courtyard, felt around the flatbed cart for a moment, and then unlatched its hidden compartment.

Digging deeper into the lining, he pulled out several small cloth pouches filled with grain, along with a small sack of copper coins.

"This is?"

Huang Wan opened one of the small cloth pouches to take a look, asking in confusion, "How is there still grain?"

Zhao Mu sighed. "These were all given to us by Manager Qin. Aside from the grain, there are also some copper coins."

He and Huang Wan carried the cloth bags into the courtyard together, and then he opened the pouch containing the copper coins.

Upon opening it, the sight of the coins packed completely to the brim left both of them somewhat dazed.

Huang Wan asked in astonishment, "So many? This must be at least three or four hundred cash, right?"

Zhao Mu was also rather surprised. He had known that Qin Jian had provided him with a good number of copper coins, yet he had not expected the amount to be quite this substantial.

Added to the four coins of silver and the provisions that Qin Jian had extra-generously bestowed upon him, he felt he now owed Manager Qin an immense debt of gratitude.

Should he strike it rich and attain great wealth in the future, these provisions might amount to little.

Right now, however, Qin Jian’s gesture was truly providing fuel in the middle of a snowstorm.

Adding flowers to embroidery is easy, but sending charcoal in snowy weather is rare indeed!

Zhao Mu sighed. "Old brother, how on earth am I supposed to repay a favor this vast?"

He understood Qin Jian’s kind intentions, but he happened to be the sort of person who detested owing favors to others.

Although he had gifted Qin Jian three culinary recipes, his initial motives upon entering the Heavenly Fragrance Restaurant had hardly been pure.

Moreover, compared to these provisions and silver, he constantly felt that the favor he owed was far greater.

Huang Wan stared at Zhao Mu for a moment and remarked, "I think Manager Qin might be making an investment."

Zhao Mu blinked, puzzled. "An investment?"

He had assumed that the concept of investment belonged exclusively to the world of his past life; he had never expected an ancient person to use the term.

Huang Wan nodded and explained, "Manager Qin is a businessman, and his vision is far beyond that of ordinary folk. He must have seen something extraordinary in you that sets you apart from others, which is why he has treated you with such kindness."

Zhao Mu nodded subconsciously. "Regardless of what Manager Qin's true thoughts might be, he has indeed helped me immensely this time, not to mention these household registration documents and tally tokens."

He retrieved the household registries and tally tokens, handing them over to Huang Wan.

Huang Wan took the tally tokens with a look of surprise. "Did Manager Qin help arrange these?"

Zhao Mu nodded. "Yes. In truth, once we have money in the future, we could make these ourselves, but who knows how long that would take. I reckon that just for these items alone, Manager Qin must have spent at least several dozen taels of silver."

Huang Wan did not question this. She understood the conduct of petty yamen runners all too well.

What Zhao Mu mentioned was merely what Qin Jian had done through connections; if they had attempted to obtain these household registries and tally tokens on their own, one hundred taels of silver might not even have sufficed.

Yet Zhao Mu had merely imparted three recipes to Qin Jian, and in return, Qin Jian had expended such a vast sum of silver for his sake. This went far beyond a simple business investment.

Suddenly, she cast a strange look at Zhao Mu, a peculiar gleam flickering in her eyes.

Baffled, Zhao Mu looked at her and asked, "Lady Huang, what kind of look is that?"

Huang Wan weighed her words carefully before asking, "Does that Manager Qin... have a wife?"

Zhao Mu frowned, failing to grasp the implication behind Huang Wan's inquiry.

Still, he deliberated for a moment and replied, "Manager Qin looks to be no spring chicken; surely he must have married and had children long ago?"

The moment the words left his mouth, a sudden realization dawned upon him.

Shrinking his neck back in horror, he stared at Huang Wan and blurted out, "Lady Huang, you don't possibly think Manager Qin swings that way, do you?"

A flush of red rose to Huang Wan's cheeks, though thankfully her face was smudged with dirt, making it somewhat less conspicuous.

Although their living conditions had improved considerably, she still persisted in her old habit of dusting her face with ash every day to keep herself looking grimy.

Zhao Mu knew what Huang Wan was worried about, which was why he had never raised any objections to it.

Yet Huang Wan's behavior today felt truly eye-opening.

This was ancient times!

Not the world he had transmigrated from!

Affections for the same sex were, after all, limited to an absolute minority among the utmost elites!

Lowering her gaze, Huang Wan asked, "When Manager Qin interacted with you, was there any physical contact between you two?"

Zhao Mu carefully recalled the encounters, then waved his hand dismissively. "Manager Qin is definitely not that kind of person. Lady Huang, your imagination is running wild!"

With that, he once again stared at Huang Wan and looked her up and down.

Though same-sex passions existed in antiquity, they practically occurred only among the highest nobility and powerful aristocrats.

Huang Wan's origins remained shrouded in mystery; he longed to know precisely who she was.

Ordinary peasants simply did not possess knowledge of such matters!

Under Zhao Mu's intense scrutiny, Huang Wan grew even more bashful and coy.

Giving him a vexed and coquettish glare, she bolted outside, calling back, "I'm going to help Feng Qin and Shi Min tidy up their courtyard!"

Left standing in place looking somewhat foolish, Zhao Mu could only shake his head and properly store away the grain and copper coins.

When he arrived at the neighboring courtyard, the others had already nearly finished cleaning up for Feng Qin and Shi Min.

Catching sight of Zhao Mu approaching, the two men hurried over eagerly.

"Master!"

"Master!"

They called out in unison, gazing at Zhao Mu with unconcealed excitement.

Though the small courtyard was not yet fully arranged, from this day forth, they could finally consider themselves to have a home.

They would never again have to live like wandering ghosts, barely clinging to life day after day as they had in the past.