Chapter 4: Long-Term Investments

Chapter 4: Long-Term Investments I had made a reservation immediately after the guild meeting. In the future, I would have a servant run off and do something like that, but Ting was to stay with me and watch me. Her presence was a sign that my father was watching as I handled things. Without her, I wouldnt be able to get away with everything I was doing. The Illuminated Moon was owned by the Cloudy Moon sect. Anything with a moon in its name was owned by them. It wasnt owned by a specific cultivator either; it was a sect business, which implied that any incidents would have cultivators show up and wreck face. That was my personal term for them slaughtering anyone that offended them. They were also exempt from city taxes, and everyone viewed it as one of the premier places to have tea and eat. All of that came with a price. A standard tea service with accompanying food would cost half a teal for two people. It would take me down to four and a half tael from my initial twelve I was given, but I needed to give Kang a lot of face for his support. Inviting him publicly like I had to the Illuminated Moon was a sign I was giving him a lot of respect and thanks in public. It was aggravating, but it was the game of favors this culture played and when in Rome, be a Roman. I was also waiting for Kang when he showed up, giving him further respect by waiting on him. He smiled at me as our server escorted us to a second-floor private room. Tea and some small cucumber sandwiches were served and then the server left the room and closed the door. We both sipped our tea in silence. Now was the time for power plays. The ball was in Kangs court, and I would let him make the first move to make a request of me. Excellent. I have only come here twice before and the tea is always wonderful. Thank you, Ling, for telling me what this old man liked. What do you think of the tea? he asked me. It has a subtle flavor, but it lingers. I would say a hint of fruit possibly, but I am no expert on tea, I replied. Kang nodded at this. If only all life was drinking excellent tea with good company. I must thank you for helping young Ling. He left to start on his own, but he was never good with business, Kang said. Talent shines through regardless. The business aspect I plan to handle, let grandmaster Ling focus on wood carving, I said and Kang nodded. It isnt easy to manage everything. Some peoples talents lie more heavily in one area than in another. My grandson, for example. He is great at the detail work on toys, but his head is in the clouds. I am old and my son is not a grandmaster, Kang said, and I nodded at this. I understand. You would want your grandson to stretch his wings for a bit before coming back to the nest. Perhaps with some patents under his name, I replied, and sipped my tea. Kang smiled slightly at this. Exactly. I could envision him having a small shop of his own and some support to help the business aspect, Kang suggested. I nodded at this since I had been thinking about what deal to offer Kang. Showing face was one thing, but business was business. We would split equally any patents and the business, I would fund the start-up costs, but have half for ten years. After that time your grandson could chart is own path or return to the nest. I offered. Kang sipped his tea while I picked up a sandwich and nibbled on it. It tasted amazing, but I couldnt afford to be distracted in front of an old fox like this. Ten years is quite a long time. Perhaps five, Kang suggested. I considered asking for twenty which is standard, but ten is the lowest I can go. When your grandson leaves, he will take the patents with him and I will have an empty shop. But let us say five years if he doesnt get the title of grandmaster within that time period, I offered. Kang smiled at this. That sounds like an excellent idea. I am sure he will be quite thrilled. I will arrange things then for a shop to be purchased. It will be near Lings, I said. That is fine. As long as it is in the crafting district. I nodded at that. Then I will have a contract drawn up and we can all sign in under the authority of the Wood Carvers Guild. Thank you for allowing me this opportunity, grandmaster Kang, I said. They offered free contract services and arbitration for the masters. I should thank you. It is never easy to help my children and apprentices spread their own wings. The competition is quite fierce, as you can tell. I nodded at this and we made small chat while enjoying the tea and sandwiches. The next day, I purchased the building next to Lings workshop, which had gone under. There was a lot more churn with lower businesses in this part of the crafting district as masters of their trade struggled to get their footing and make their own way in the world. Master Kang, I greeted the man who was shifting nervously at the Woodcrafters Guild. Um, yes. Hello. I mean. Young master Yuan. He was fidgeting. I looked at his grandfather, who winced slightly. My grandson has some troubles, but he is a master woodcarver. Make no mistake about that. His grandson nodded. Master Kang was probably autistic or had another issue like this. Ling had mentioned nothing, and I hadnt seen him at the vote. They had scammed me. I had to control my face to not show my anger. No wonder why he didnt ask for his grandson to come to tea with us. I will not go back on my word, but I trust I have the support of both you and your son, I told grandmaster Kang directly, staring up at the older man. We are grateful for your help in this matter, he replied. The grandson would not inherit the main workshop. They probably had a second or third son lined up. This was to shuffle off the useless child somewhere else and out of the line of inheritance while saving face and not making a scandal. I had no doubt they would say that Master Kang here wanted to spread his own wings, but everyone would know that he was mentally handicapped. Well, as long as he could carve wood and make toys, then I would not complain. That time limit was probably just a distraction to make me accept and not ask more questions. Grandmaster Kang was indeed a fox, but he clearly loved his grandson. He wouldnt go to this much trouble if he didnt love him. It would be a massive headache for me, but I would deal with it. It was the cost of getting my foot in the door in the wood carving business. We went into the guild, and the contract was soon signed. Grandfather Kang assigned a servant to help move his grandsons things and get him settled for the first ten days. After that, he would be my responsibility and hiring a servant would be as well. I sat in the workshop that had been set up for Master Kang, the grandson, while I watched him carve a doll. So, Master Kang, what can you do other than dolls? I asked. Dolls are the best, he replied, and I winced. He was calmer while carving, so I let him carve while I spoke, even if it was incredibly rude of him. What about chess sets? I asked him. Boring. Toy swords? Dont like them. I wanted to cry. I couldnt beat him or mistreat him since if his grandfather heard about it, there would be hell to pay. Every woodcrafter was probably laughing at me right now. I left the workshop and the servant grandmaster Kang sent was there, giving me a knowing look. You managed him for his grandfather? I asked the servant. Yes, young master Yuan. I see to his day-to-day needs and that he is focused on wood carving. Is he normally this bad? I asked. Today is a good day. He was just stressed from signing the contract and this new place, but he will settle in quickly. The apprentices would switch jobs every week to learn and keep them engaged, but by focusing on a single task for that week, they would ensure that the quality and productivity were high. Grandmaster Ling would inspect things, train them, build the reclining chairs, and make sure things ran smoothly. I had even hired a servant that Ting recommended managing the front of the store and the accounting book and orders. He was the second son of one servant at the compound, and this was giving him an opportunity. I actually took the time to interview him, since I needed competent managers. You have worked here for your entire life? I asked the young man. Yes, young master Yuan. I started as a cleaner, then as a gardener. You know your numbers and letters? I asked. My mother, who serves the 2nd Concubine, made sure I learned. I have two concerns. The first is my family drama. I know my father hasnt named a successor. I dont want to be dragged into that mess. You may report to him and if anyone else pays you, let me know and report to them as well. The young man nodded. But no stealing. I will audit things. If you make a mistake, tell me. I will not fire you or get mad. But if you cover up a mistake, and don't tell me, I will get upset, you understand? I asked. Yes, young master Yuan. You will handle the business aspect of my wood carving business. Making sales, ensuring deliveries goes smoothly, recording all financial transactions, and reporting any problems. Your salary will be ten bronze coins and five percent of the profits I earn, minus that ten bronze coin minimum. His eyes went wide at that. That I would get a percentage? he asked, and I nodded. Yes. I believe in rewarding hard work. So, if you sell more, you make more money. If things run smoothly and we make a profit, you make more money. Consider it an incentive to do well at your job. Thank you, young master Yuan. He was seated down, but bowed his head until it was touching the table. I expect diligent work and record keeping. Dont make things difficult for grandmaster Ling. If he has problems, help him. Your job is to let him carve while you handle the business. That handled things on my end in terms of handling the hiring. I had two managers now and two shops. I had their employment contracts written and had each of my direct workers sign them. While I would win by virtue of my name, I wanted things clearly written out, so there was no confusion and finger pointing later on. Also, it would help me standardize things. The manager for Master Kang didnt want a share of the profits, just a regular salary. He wasnt willing to take a pay cut. It was fine, but in the future, I liked my percentage idea. It would only be for five percent of my share of the profits, so two and a half percent of the total profits and half that for sales. But I wanted motivated employees and salespeople. Not people just punching in a clock and punching out. That would increase my profits even with a five percent loss. Also, their loyalty would ensure there was no sabotage. I was the seventh son, but my success had servants and guards looking at me. Even some of my siblings were taking notice of me since they invited me to tea. I was seen as someone important, since I had my own revenue streams. I had also ordered Ling to make a rocking chair of the highest quality and detail to gift to my father. There was a family dinner once every three months with all the siblings and concubines and people of high stand in his employ. I had noted my siblings had given him gifts in the past to earn favor. I had a twist this time to keep myself in his good graces. It was no joke that if he kicked me out or didnt allow me to borrow his authority, I would be finished. Everything I had accomplished was thanks to him. So I needed to give my father some face as they put it, or respect. Ting had also reported she had received several bribes from my siblings servants for information about me. She let me know, and I was happy to let them gather information. She had also informed me about the general situation in my family. Right now, my mother Yuan Wen, the fourth concubine, was on the outs since my father had taken a fifth concubine recently. The three oldest sons were in fierce competition to be named heir. My eldest brother, Yuan Yun, the only son of the deceased first concubine, was involved in procuring supplies for my fathers business. He would have been the heir apparent and his position rock steady, but my third eldest brother was the son of my fathers main wife, who was still alive. Yuan Liang was involved in handling interactions with the sect, since his mother was the daughter of a cultivator. His standing was quite high enough to put him in contention. Then there was my fourth brother, Yuan Niu. He had gone into farming and had made quite a bit of money selling meat. He had done so well apparently that most of the family viewed him as a contender for being named heir to my father. The eldest brother was only in his mid-twenties and my father was in his late forties. But it was expected he would declare an heir and hand over the reins to his business in the next ten years and retire. That was what his father had done before him. I had several uncles and extended family scattered about. That was why the family dinner was a big deal for them. If they invited you, you were in good standing. If you werent, then you were on the outs, and everyone looked down on you. Until this point, they had attached my position to my mothers position in the household, which was the same for my second, fifth, and sixth brothers and the daughters of Yuan Chen. They had not succeeded at anything, and the older they got, the more their prospects dimmed. But I was the youngest son, a genius, and had succeeded at my small little business. Giving a gift to my father would make me a contender for the position of heir. While I wasnt planning to compete for it, I would sell my non-involvement for favorable terms to all three competitors. At least, that was the hope. Tensions were high and there was the occasional act of sabotage. That was one reason I needed to be careful. If someone could drag me down, they would drag me down. Until I left for the sect, I would have to rely on my fathers backing. It was complicated and headache inducing, which was why I tried to ignore all the lesser petty drama that cropped up and stayed out of it as best as I could manage. Having tea and answering polite and not so polite questions about myself and my business was the bare minimum. I couldnt just hunker down like a turtle. That would only invite more trouble. But I couldnt be aggressive, since that would also invite trouble. Portraying myself as a young genius, making some spending money for his cultivation, was the angle I wanted to take. The fact I didnt need money for cultivation was a non-issue. While becoming a cultivator would allow me considerable say and power, I had not reached that point yet. It was still early, and I was a high value, high-risk piece that people werent sure about yet. That was why I had tea so people could feel me out and understand my character. The move at the upcoming family dinner would have people take me seriously and also back off. But anything could happen. I had seen family members banished from the family at these dinners. It was a time for maximum drama and maneuvering to move up the hierarchy for the next dinner. A day before the family dinner, a letter came for me informing me I was to sit at my fathers right side during the dinner. That was the place of honor. He clearly knew everything I had planned. Ting had all but confirmed that since she passed on all the details of my activities. That was the main rule. While we might jockey for position, if anyone did anything to jeopardize the family or Yuan Chen, they would be punished and possibly banished. That was what happened to my second brother that no one talked about. Ting had whispered to me he had killed a person in an argument, and they were one of my fathers workers. So they had banished him from the compound. He had a small apartment and a job, but it was a huge downgrade in quality of life and he would no longer have my fathers protection. Once you were banished, you lost your family name. Many people would kind of joke that they would rather kill themselves to regain their honor than let something like that happen. So, while the competition was fierce, everyone was very careful not to take things too far. I was being chucked into the deep end of family politics now. I would need to make sure everything was prepared, and I got the latest information on any drama and what topics to avoid. It was going to be incredibly stressful, but hopefully I would manage and not make a fool of myself.