SLH | Chapter 61

Pan Family Talks Cooperation

“Hey, did you guys hear? This morning, a bullock cart came to Liu Laoda’s place. They said it was someone from the town’s tavern coming to discuss business.”

“Why didn’t I hear about it? And I don’t know what kind of spat happened, but the two of them got kicked out of the courtyard by Huzi. They were cursing pretty badly as they left.”

“If you ask me, Liu Laoda’s family just doesn’t know good from bad. They’re doing business themselves and still act so rashly. Aren’t they afraid of offending people and ending up like Liu Laoda?”

“Isn’t that the truth? I heard from Pan Qiaozui that those two guys were from Dou Ji Pawnshop. If they can open a pawnshop in town, they must be some big shots. The Liu family dares to offend them, and it might be hard for them to open a tavern in town in the future.”

Under the big banyan tree in Yunxi Village, a few women and husbands were gossiping about various families. They saw a bullock cart entering the village from afar and shifted their conversation to the cart not far away.

“Another bullock cart is coming. Our village is really lively today.”

“This guy looks unfamiliar. Could he also be here for the Liu family?”

As they were curious, they saw the unfamiliar man jump off the cart and lead the reins towards them.

“Excuse me, aunties and uncles, could you please point me in the direction of Liu Hu’s house?”

Everyone’s heart skipped a beat. He really was here to find the Liu family!

One of the women pointed the way, “Turn left ahead, go straight down the alley, and you’ll see it in about half an hour.”

Pan Wu cupped his hands in thanks, “Thank you, auntie.”

As the cart trotted away, the group turned their heads and started whispering again.

“Another one coming to do business with the Liu family. Liu Laoda’s family is going to make a lot of money!”

“It’s good that the Liu family is getting into business. They’ll definitely need a lot of grain later. We can sell our surplus grain to the Liu family, saving us a trip to town.”

“Wang A’ma is right. We should build a good relationship with Liu Laoda’s family. When the Liu family eats meat, we can at least drink some meat soup!”

The voices behind him became indistinct, and Pan Wu refocused his thoughts, leading the bullock cart into the alley.

There was a jujube tree in front of the Liu family’s courtyard gate. Once he turned out of the alley, he could see it. Pan Wu, having left the alley, found the Liu family’s courtyard without much effort.

The Liu family’s gate was wide open. He didn’t go in directly but stood outside the courtyard, knocking on the door ring, “Is this Liu Hu’s house?”

“Who is it?”

Xia Ge’er and Yin Shuyang were playing under the courtyard wall. Hearing the voice, they turned their heads to look.

Both kids were squatting, so Pan Wu didn’t see them at first. Now that he did, he put on what he thought was a friendly smile and said in a high-pitched voice, “Are your parents home? Uncle Pan is here to do business with your father.”

Yin Shuyang frowned and pulled Xia Ge’er inside, “Don’t mind this weirdo. Xia Ge’er, let’s go inside and play.”

Pan Wu reached out to stop them, “Don’t go, Uncle isn’t a bad person…”

In the cellar, Song Tingzhu asked the man beside him, “Husband, it seems like someone is here.”

Liu Hu had heard it too. The two came out of the cellar and saw Pan Wu standing outside the courtyard, scratching his head.

Seeing someone at home, and coincidentally the person he was looking for, Pan Wu’s face lit up, and he quickly greeted them.

“Liu Hu, brother, do you remember me?”

Liu Hu nodded and turned to introduce to Song Tingzhu, “Wife, this person is from Pan Ji Pawnshop. Your jade pendant was pawned there.”

“Yes, I remember the pendant from your husband. It was a good piece of jade, and our shopkeeper specially found a box for it. It’s being kept well in the inner room.”

The man’s tone was kind, though his appearance seemed a bit fierce. Song Tingzhu guessed the reason for his visit and, after exchanging a few polite words, invited him into the main room.

Pan Wu was straightforward. He didn’t even take a sip of tea before getting straight to the point, “Our shopkeeper originally wanted to come personally, but something came up today, so he asked me to come. He wants to know if you two are interested in cooperating with our shopkeeper in the liquor business.”

Song Tingzhu was puzzled. The Pan family ran a pawnshop, not a tavern. Could it be, like the Dou family, they had other businesses?

Pan Wu was sincere, so Song Tingzhu didn’t brush him off and directly asked about his confusion.

“You might not know, but our shopkeeper’s real name is Pan Youquan. His ancestral home is in Nan’an Prefecture. Because of a mistake, he was punished by the boss to guard the pawnshop in Lianxi Town. The Pan family has a wide range of businesses, including many taverns and shops. Our shopkeeper wants to use this opportunity to return to the main family.”

Unlike the Dou family, when talking about the Pan family, Pan Wu’s expression remained unchanged. He was still polite and didn’t hide anything, directly revealing the inside story.

Unlike taverns and eateries, a pawnshop isn’t something you can just open. Pan Youquan was able to run a successful pawnshop in town, so naturally, he had backing. But Song Tingzhu didn’t expect that the usually low-key Pan shopkeeper’s family was actually in Nan’an Prefecture.

“It’s getting late, so I’ll head back to town first. If you and your husband are interested in cooperating with our shopkeeper, you can come to the shop tomorrow to discuss it with him in person.”

Before leaving, Pan Wu said, “The Pan family has many rules, the most important being honesty. I’m not just saying this to praise our shopkeeper, but it’s the truth. Doing business with our shopkeeper, you can rest assured. I hope you two will consider it carefully.”

After seeing him off, Liu Hu asked his wife, “Wife, what do you think?”

Song Tingzhu said, “Cooperating with the Pan family in the liquor business is indeed a good choice.”

The Song family had considerable influence in the prefectural city. If he wanted to reclaim the properties left by his grandfather from Song Xing’an in the future, having the Pan family’s support would give him a better chance.

In the evening, the whole family heard about it and were all smiles.

Tang Chunxing exclaimed excitedly, “That’s great! We don’t have to worry about selling the liquor at home!”

Ruan Xiulian peeled sweet potato skins for Xia Ge’er, smiling broadly, “Tomorrow, I’ll go around with your Aunt Zhao to each house and settle the grain we need for this year.”

“Husband, how much liquor are we planning to brew this year? If the grain isn’t enough, my family has planted a lot of sorghum. Should I go ask them?”

Tang Chunxing’s thoughts were clear to the whole family, but since they were all family, there was no need to be calculative. Song Tingzhu nodded in agreement.

Tang Chunxing beamed, “Alright, I’ll visit my family soon and share this good news with my brother and sister-in-law.”

“What about me?” Liu Meng pointed to himself.

Song Tingzhu said, “We shouldn’t put all our eggs in one basket. I plan to sell only two vats of liquor to the Pan family, keep one for ourselves to sell, and look for other outlets. We can call on the two uncles when the time comes.”

Liu Meng nodded, “Alright, I don’t know much about business. Whatever you say, I’ll follow.”

The family happily finished their meal and then returned to their rooms.

At night, Liu Hu went out to pour the footwash and was called over by Ruan Xiulian just as he was about to return to his room.

“Mom made you and Zhu Ge’er a set of clothes. When you’re out, you need to dress nicely.”

Ruan Xiulian held up the clothes, measuring them against Liu Hu, “As the family business grows, Huzi, you must protect your husband.”

“Don’t worry, Mom. No one will dare harm my wife with me around.”

Ruan Xiulian looked at her silly son, hesitated for a moment, and decided to be blunt.

“Zhu Ge’er is good-looking, and when he’s out, he might attract attention. You need to be careful and not let those with ill intentions take advantage.”

Ruan Xiulian always thought her second son was a bit slow, not realizing that he was only like that with others. When it came to Song Tingzhu, he was quick to sense any malice. Ruan Xiulian’s worry was unnecessary.

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Author’s Note: Tomorrow is the last day of massage, and the day after, I’ll start updating more~