Chapter 47: The Asking Price—Five Hundred Taels

Seeing that Li Yuanjing had finally agreed to the matter, Wang Youdao’s spirits lifted. But then he recalled how Li Yuanjing dared to bargain with him, demanding more money, which instantly soured his mood again.

A mere fledgling, barely grown, and yet he had the audacity to negotiate terms with Wang Youdao?

But what could he do?

Wang Youdao clearly had no better options and could only force a smile, saying, “Yuanjing, money is no concern. But tell me, how much do you want?”

Li Yuanjing thought for a moment and replied, “Uncle Wang, how much grain do you have, and how many people do you need?”

Wang Youdao considered and answered, “At least thirty or so. I have about a dozen carts of grain.”

“Thirty or so people?” Li Yuanjing frowned, pondering for a while before saying, “Uncle Wang, it can be done, but it will require five hundred taels of silver! And the silver must be paid upfront—give it all to me in advance!”

“What?” Wang Youdao’s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. “Five hundred taels? And in advance?”

He glared fiercely at Li Yuanjing, shouting, “Yuanjing, don’t be too greedy, or you’ll burst from it! Do you realize how much five hundred taels is? In the capital, it would buy you a fine residence with two courtyards!”

Li Yuanjing hurried to explain, “Uncle Wang, please don’t be angry. There’s reason behind my demand. Think about it: this is a one-way task, and I must partner with the elders in the village. If the reward is too small, who would be willing to help?”

“And moreover, Uncle Wang, this could cost lives. If I don’t handle the aftermath thoroughly, will you ever sleep peacefully again? You know better than I do what the people of Quanzi Village are like.”

“This…” Wang Youdao was left speechless.

He simply could not find a reason to refute Li Yuanjing’s words.

Indeed, as Li Yuanjing said, if the matter wasn’t properly settled, Wang Youdao himself would never sleep soundly again. Who could say when some hothead might break into his home at night and stab him a few times?

It wasn’t the thief who steals you should fear, but the one who covets what you have.

After a long silence, Wang Youdao exhaled deeply, gritting his teeth. “Yuanjing, it’s a deal! But you know your Uncle Wang is not to be trifled with! If you cheat me, do you understand the consequences?”

Li Yuanjing immediately bowed respectfully. “Uncle Wang, do you still distrust my character? If I fail in this matter, I swear on the ancestors of the Li family that I will return every bit of silver, untouched!”

“Fine! But I can only give you the money tomorrow; I need time to gather it. Also, four days from now, on the sixth, you must have everything prepared and begin the task!”

“No problem!”

…

After seeing off Wang Youdao, who left in a huff but had dropped fifty taels as a deposit, Li Yuanjing crouched down to gather the gleaming silver, unable to suppress a cold chuckle.

Did they really think Li Yuanjing was an easy mark, a child to be manipulated at will?

This only made Li Yuanjing understand more deeply how much more perilous this era was than the future he remembered.

Back then, people mostly wanted your money; you might lose your fortune, but not your life. But now, in this lawless age, with the emperor far away and human life worth little, the powerful could act with impunity. One misstep, and you’d become nothing but bones by the roadside, feeding the fertile earth.

Already determined to grow stronger, Li Yuanjing’s resolve only deepened. He must quickly build his own power, at least enough to protect himself, rather than remain a soft target for any who wished to take advantage.

…

After putting away the silver, Li Yuanjing calmly thought things through and prepared his explanation before calling for Chen Chunyan to summon the old village chief.

He then carefully laid out his plan, showing the old man the bag bulging with silver.

“This… this…” Even though the old chief had lived most of his life, he had never seen so much silver. He was stunned, his weathered face turning red with excitement.

After a long moment, he finally reacted, exclaiming, “Yuanjing, you’re a learned man. Whatever you decide, I’ll support you! With this silver, our village can finally build earthen walls…”

Seeing the old chief nearly moved to tears, Li Yuanjing couldn’t help but sigh inwardly and smile. “Uncle, this is just the beginning. It’s only the deposit. There will be another one hundred and fifty taels to come. But we must carefully plan this together.”

“Another one hundred and fifty taels?” The old chief was so shocked he nearly collapsed, steadying himself on the small wooden table. “Yuanjing, I can’t read, and I don’t know much, but whatever you say, I’ll follow!”

As the old man gripped his hand in excitement, Li Yuanjing smiled wryly to himself. Thankfully, he hadn’t been too greedy earlier and claimed there’d be another fifty taels—otherwise, even he might have felt guilty.

…

With consensus reached, the rest was much simpler. The old chief provided a list of candidates, and Li Yuanjing carefully selected from them. The next critical step was building boats.

But Li Yuanjing was in no hurry; he returned to draw up plans, ensuring he had a reliable solution before proceeding. After all, Quanzi Village wasn’t lacking in carpenters.

Given Li Yuanjing’s influence in the village, efficiency was not a concern.

By the time he finished his designs for the grain transport boats, it was lunchtime. Yuniang came to call him to eat.

Feeling much more relaxed, Li Yuanjing stretched contentedly, first stealing a kiss from Yuniang, making her face flush crimson, before heading outside.

In the courtyard, the female workers had also gathered for their meal, chattering cheerfully as they lined up for food, their spirits high. At the periphery stood other women, yearning to join them.

Li Yuanjing was used to this by now, a smile curling his lips. But as he glanced over the group, his eyes caught on a stranger among the workers.

She was tall—at least one meter sixty-five, which was considered very tall for a woman in this era. Even the thick cotton coat she wore could not conceal her slender figure.

But, unfortunately, she wore a wide-brimmed hat and a black veil that hid her face from view.

Who else could she be but Chen Chuxue, that “bringer of misfortune”?

Still, Li Yuanjing had no desire to see Chen Chuxue’s face. Earlier, when he’d gone to the latrine, Zhang Hongxiu, the eldest girl, had already told him about Chen Chuxue’s situation: she suffered from a strange illness that left sores on her face, frightening to behold, which was why she hid her appearance.

Li Yuanjing could only sigh inwardly. No one is perfect; beauty rarely comes with good fortune.

Otherwise, with her attributes, he would surely have given her more than a passing glance, perhaps even harbored intentions toward her.

But now, Chen Chuxue was just a pitiable worker, and Li Yuanjing’s attention moved on.

Instead, his resolve only grew stronger, like iron.

Think of it—though he had yet to rise to greatness, within the confines of Quanzi Village, Li Yuanjing had already secured his footing. Armed with knowledge and experience a millennium ahead of his time, making money in the future would be no challenge.

Especially with Yuniang at his side, flirting with the eldest girl, or teasing Lianhua, Xiugu, and the other lovely workers—he wouldn’t trade this life for anything, not even for celestial immortality.

How could he allow anyone to ruin this budding, beautiful life he’d only just begun?

Such thoughts lent Li Yuanjing’s expression a certain ferocity, his dark eyes hard as steel.

Anyone who dared covet what belonged to Li Yuanjing would find him not just an opponent but an enemy to their very ancestors!

“Yuanjing, come eat…” called Chen Chunyan and Zhang Hongxiu, who had already prepared a special meal for Li Yuanjing and Yuniang: a claypot of delicious sweet-and-sour pork, a plate of his favorite stir-fried dried vegetables with meat, and scrambled eggs.

Well, a boss should have his privileges. Otherwise, why would people strive so hard to move up?

Just as Li Yuanjing was about to sit, waiting for the bashful Yuniang to finish tidying before joining him, Zhang Kun suddenly hurried over and leaned in to whisper, “Master, Wang Cuihua’s husband Liu Gang is outside. He was about to cause a scene, crying and shouting, but I stopped him.”

“But…”

“He insists on seeing you, saying that if he can’t, he’ll die right at the gate…”

“Oh?” Li Yuanjing’s brows arched in surprise.