Chapter 93 - Success

Chapter 93: Chapter 87: SuccessUncle Cheng watched his figure disappear and disapprovingly looked at Zhao Hanzhang, "Third Lady, Mr. Fu has come alone to support the coffin for the Lord; you must not bully him."

Zhao Hanzhang: "...I didn’t bully him, really!"

Uncle Cheng seemed unconvinced, but being a servant, he agreed with Zhao Hanzhang, "I know, Third Lady must be good, but we can’t let Mr. Fu feel wronged. You should send Mr. Fu back later. We haven’t even asked if he is accustomed to our Ru Nan cuisine during this time..."

Zhao Hanzhang was nagged by him and hurriedly said, "I’ll go ask later; I’ll have the kitchen prepare food suited to his taste, and personally escort him to the door."

She rushed off, afraid he would hold her back and talk nonsense.

Fu Tinghan felt uneasy facing Zhao Hanzhang, slightly turning his head to avoid looking at her.

The two sat silently by the brick kiln, which was now halfway through firing. Lu Kun listened carefully, hearing no abnormal sounds; things were going smoothly, so he advised them to rest, "It’s getting dark, it’s not appropriate for the young lady and gentleman to stay here; we’ll watch over the kiln."

Zhao Hanzhang, though eager to see the progress, knew the results wouldn’t be clear until tomorrow afternoon. Staying here would serve little purpose and make the craftsmen uneasy, so she stood up, "Mr. Fu, shall I send you back?"

Fu Tinghan instinctively replied, "No need."

After saying it, seeing Zhao Hanzhang still standing and smiling at him, he rose, "Much obliged."

The two walked back in silence. Zhao Hanzhang kept her promise and escorted him to the door, "I kept forgetting to ask, Professor Fu, do you have any dietary preferences?"

Fu Tinghan: "I can eat anything."

"Surely there’s something you prefer?"

Fu Tinghan thought for a moment and said, "I like noodles."

"What kind of noodles?" Zhao Hanzhang pursued, "Thin noodles, pulled noodles, knife-cut noodles, mixed sauce noodles..."

"Everything’s fine," Fu Tinghan said helplessly, "I can’t only eat one type of noodles all the time, can I? Changing noodles every day is fine."

Zhao Hanzhang realized that was true, "Then I’ll have the kitchen make you a bowl of noodles?"

Fu Tinghan didn’t have much appetite at the moment, but seeing her insistence, he nodded.

Mrs. Wang had been waiting in the central courtyard. Seeing her daughter finally return, she hurried to her, "What’s wrong with you? I told you to be more reserved, yet you spent the day with Mr. Fu and stayed out with him so late. Thankfully, everyone in the manor belongs to our family; if word got out..."

Zhao Hanzhang poured herself a cup of tea and drank, dismissively saying, "Mother, we went to see the brick kiln; we didn’t do anything."

"We know, but outsiders might not know," Mrs. Wang regretted, "Had I known, I should have listened to your Fifth Uncle earlier and arranged your marriage during the mourning period, having the title would make things easier."

Zhao Hanzhang said, "If we were married, I wouldn’t be able to ask Xiping for things anymore."

Before marriage, she was the Zhao Family’s daughter;

Once married, she would be like spilled water, her surname prefixed by her husband’s, becoming an outsider. Her dealings with the Zhao Family would be as in-laws, not her own family.

Zhao Hanzhang said, "Things are fine as they are; don’t worry, Mother."

Mrs. Wang hadn’t expected her to have such intentions, looking at her in shock, "Does Mr. Fu know you’re like this?"

"He knows."

Mrs. Wang was shocked again, "And he doesn’t mind?"

"He respects my decision."

Mrs. Wang fell silent, and the next day she had a pot of chicken soup made and sent to Fu Tinghan to nourish his body.

Fu Tinghan looked at the pot of chicken on the table silently, "Chicken soup for breakfast?"

Zhao Hanzhang was also surprised, sympathetically looking at him, "This is my mother’s goodwill; have a bowl."

Zhao Erlang beside him was eager, "Brother-in-law, if you don’t like it, let me eat it."

Fu Tinghan immediately smiled and pushed the chicken to Zhao Erlang, "You are growing and should eat more, have it."

Zhao Hanzhang stifled a laugh, "Professor Fu, you’re also at a growth stage now."

Fu Tinghan pretended not to hear.

The brick kiln burned for a full day and night. Lu Kun had water poured over the kiln, removed the firewood, and once it cooled, they opened the kiln and took out a brick.

The brick was blue and hard, and everyone rejoiced, "It’s blue brick! It’s fired!"

Zhao Hanzhang hadn’t expected such good luck and smiled at Fu Tinghan.

Fu Tinghan was cautious, "Take out all the bricks and see."

Three thousand bricks didn’t guarantee all bricks were successfully fired.

As expected, once all the bricks were out, they found some weren’t fired well. Fu Tinghan tallied the damaged ones and said to Zhao Hanzhang, "Temperature might not have been enough; the success rate is only seventy-two percent. I plan to fire another batch with increased heat."

Zhao Hanzhang nodded, "Alright, I’ll leave this to you."

She called Uncle Cheng, "Build more brick kilns, the bricks are out, start laying foundations to prepare for construction."

"What about the wheat in the fields..."

"We have so much manpower; surely we can gather enough for the summer harvest, right?"

Uncle Cheng said, "I’ll go arrange it."

Zhao Hanzhang, seeing him having to work so hard, said, "Uncle Cheng, pick a few loyal and efficient servants, and instruct them on tasks."

Recalling the servants lost during the escape, Zhao Hanzhang sighed; those were her dowry, previously chosen for stewardship, "Spread the word, any lost servants who return will be treated generously; also, spread the word that the manor is hiring literate or experienced stewards."

With over a thousand people now and more coming in the future, management talent is needed; relying solely on Ji Yuan’s recruitment isn’t sufficient.

"By the way, has news come back from Mr. Ji?"

"Just about to tell you, Third Lady; Mr. Ji sent grain back."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Hanzhang immediately returned home.

Ji Yuan hadn’t returned; he had ten carts of grain sent back. The guards transporting the grain were happily saying, "Mr. Ji bought a lot of grain; this is just the first batch; more batches are coming."

Uncle Cheng opened a sack and looked, then whispered to Zhao Hanzhang, "It’s last year’s old grain."

Zhao Hanzhang, "This year’s grain hasn’t been harvested yet."

She asked the guards, "Do you know the price?"

"I overheard; it seems it’s nine cents a dou."

"Hmm?" Zhao Hanzhang was puzzled, "How did Mr. Ji persuade them to sell to us at such a low price?"

This grain price, compared to those peaceful years, is three times higher, yet compared to the prices soaring these past two years, it’s cheaper by about one to four cents.

Accumulating over quantities, this price is quite cheap.

The guards said, "Mr. Ji tricked them, saying the young lady wants to pray for the Lord, buying grain to do good deeds."

Zhao Hanzhang: ...Such a good excuse, craftier than herself.