Chapter Eighty-One: Daily Life at the Yang Residence

Upon hearing that they were about to leave, Old Luo immediately understood that something must have happened. He did not ask further, left some money with his relative Luo San, and took his leave.

Eight people hurried back to the city. It was still early, and they did not disturb anyone. Yang Cheng personally took to the kitchen and prepared a lavish spread, filling the table with dishes.

Li Tianxing and the others were delighted, thinking that their elder brother Cheng was treating them to a celebration.

“Come, try the braised pork,” Yang Cheng said, gesturing to the table laden with food. “I put a lot of effort into making these dishes.”

Everyone ate with great pleasure. Even Bai Zhuluo, who had never tasted such dishes in her own family, could not stop praising them.

“Ahem, it’s good, isn’t it?”

“Mm, it’s delicious. Thank you, Brother Cheng.” The young men beamed with happiness.

Old Luo also commended, “I’ve lived many years, and I’ve long ceased to have any extravagant desires. Just a taste of the young master’s cooking is enough for me.”

Bai Zhuluo was quite surprised. So this head of the Yang family often cooked himself? His style was vastly different from those lofty patriarchs.

“Mm, as long as it tastes good. Well, ahem, about last night—when I fought three experts alone...you all saw it, didn’t you?” Yang Cheng prompted.

Everyone was stunned. Last night, Brother Cheng had been pressed by the three, even kicked once, and was indeed in a sorry state. There were still footprints on his clothes, though he hadn’t noticed.

Tian Biao winked at Yang Cheng, as if he understood, “Brother Cheng, don’t worry. If Master asks about last night, I’ll tell him you defeated three experts single-handedly, a tale of unmatched courage.”

Mei Yuchen grinned, “Right, right, exactly.”

Old Luo, not knowing the details, raised his thumb. “I never imagined the young master was not only wise, but also a man of both letters and martial prowess.”

Hua Mingzhu laughed quietly at the side, saying nothing. Bai Zhuluo was deeply astonished—was this meal a hush fee? Did the head of the Yang family have any sense of shame?

A month quickly passed. At the Yang residence, apart from the rear courtyard where Lady Li was recuperating, along with Lu Baichuan, Liu Changqing, and Bai Muyun who spent their days idly discussing martial arts, the rest of the household was bustling with activity.

News from the Bai family—the foremost among the five great houses—arrived frequently. In summary: the Bai family had suffered enormous losses, its elite forces greatly reduced. Unable to maintain their businesses, most were transferred or sold cheaply to the other four families. Branches quarreled among themselves and sought support elsewhere. The Bai family was thus fractured, reduced to a minor clan, while the four families grew stronger. Bai Muyun’s fate remained uncertain; a prodigy’s curtain call. Many lamented, while just as many rejoiced.

When Yang Cheng relayed the latest news to Bai Muyun, he fell silent for a moment, then seemed relieved. The so-called flourishing of his family was now but a cloud to him. Fortunate to have survived, he now only wished for a carefree half-life.

He spent his days playing the zither in his small courtyard, or drinking and discussing the way with Liu Changqing and Lu Baichuan at the Jade Pavilion in the rear hills, watching the younger generation practice and frolic. Liu and Lu had always disliked people from great families, but greatly admired Bai Muyun’s character and understanding of martial arts.

Bai Muyun, born to a humble branch of the clan, had struggled through adversity to reach the summit by his own efforts. He respected Lu and Liu, who had fought their way out of hardship, traveled the world, and tested their own paths. The three were like kindred spirits, getting along harmoniously.

Unlike Bai Muyun, Liu Changqing did not have distinctive silver hair that drew attention wherever he went, so he could move freely outside the rear courtyard, immersing himself in music. Most people in the Yang residence did not know him, so he wandered everywhere. He marveled at Yang Cheng’s methods, and with Lu Baichuan’s high regard, even the usually indifferent Bai Muyun grew curious.

Over the month, Yang Cheng interviewed more than fifty scholars, selecting fifteen talented and upright but destitute men to serve as teachers at the academy, so the children arriving could begin schooling. The academy was now complete and ready to commence operations.

With Old Luo’s help, Hua Mingzhu had organized a significant number of martial arts manuals. To facilitate access for those in the rear courtyard, Yang Cheng opened a study, naming it “Hall of Knowledge.” It was arranged much like a small library, accommodating a dozen readers at a time.

There were already forty or fifty hand-copied martial arts manuals, along with bamboo scrolls and ancient texts collected by Old Luo, covering astronomy, geography, and history of this world. Whenever he had time, Old Luo scoured the city for more. Yang Cheng told him not to worry about expenses, as these texts would be invaluable someday. Old Luo was delighted, as this was his lifelong passion.

Wei Xu was appointed to oversee the Hall of Knowledge, guarding the study to prevent outsiders from entering. Many of the manuals contained secrets of other families, and their discovery could cause a stir.

The materials for the hand-copied books were produced by Xiao Wu, who had made significant progress with papermaking. The only flaw was the yellowing of the paper, which Yang Cheng could not fix, so Xiao Wu had to find a way to bleach it. The rest depended on Xiao Wu’s own abilities, and he knew that the young master had high hopes for him, so he dared not neglect his task.

These yellowed papers were good enough for packaging side products, and for the text on the packaging, literate workers at the food factory would handle it. The template printing was still under experimentation.

At Yang Cheng’s request, technical exchanges were held every five days to foster unity and cooperation among the workshop teams. The efficiency of the various food groups had greatly improved; there were now seventeen types of products supplied to taverns throughout the city. Delivery had reached more than eight hundred sixty establishments, and after costs, each brought in an average daily income of fifteen spirit coins.

The main food products brought in daily earnings of eleven to twelve thousand, a true windfall. Staff numbers had increased to five hundred.

As for side products, they were about to mature in production: dried beef, milk candies, chocolate, biscuits, spicy strips, instant noodles, and even cakes. Cakes were difficult to preserve, so Yang Cheng planned to consider them later. The others, easy to store, had already spread throughout Wuzhou City.

After deducting various expenses, and including the income from furniture sales, Yang Cheng’s treasury now held nearly two million seven hundred thousand.

He set aside five hundred thousand, placing it in the warehouse on the rear mountain for Lu Baichuan to allocate for cultivation resources. He told Liu Changqing and Bai Muyun to help themselves as needed.

This made Liu Changqing jealous to the point of aching teeth. He had never followed rules nor lacked resources; when needed, he simply robbed disciples of the sects. But even the elders of the sects carried only a hundred or so spirit coins. Even if he robbed dozens a day, standing still as targets, it was exhausting, and still could not rival Yang Cheng’s daily earnings.

Steward Su, Old Yang, and Li Tianjun’s monthly wages were raised to over a hundred spirit coins, considered high pay in Wuzhou City. Su and Li did not lack for expenses, but needed funds for social dealings. Old Yang had little to spend, and was so concerned for the young master’s money that he often did not collect his salary.

Old Yang had now become a talent recruiter and construction expert, running daily to the labor market, carefully selecting trustworthy workers. Sometimes he supervised at construction sites, serving as the chief engineer for the Yang family.

Da Niu, Maozi, and the ladies at the food factory had long since had their indentures returned by the young master. Their wages were raised to five spirit coins a month, making them comfortably well-off.

Li Tianjun’s elderly mother had recovered well. Her health had greatly improved, and she was cared for by servants. She often personally cooked soup for the young master.

The security staff, as per Yang Cheng’s instructions, had been expanded by Li Tianjun to one hundred, each carefully chosen, outstanding among the war captives and slaves. Yang Cheng had inspected them and was quite satisfied. Though kind-hearted, he was not a saint; he did not accept just anyone. Only with the Yang family’s strength could he accomplish more.