“Dad, won’t there be any trouble?” Gu Mingsheng asked worriedly.
Gu Jinghan looked at him as if he were an idiot, “What trouble? I didn’t force him to buy, I even gave him a discount.”
“But some items were sold at a higher price than usual,” Gu Mingsheng had checked the prices earlier and noticed several items were sold at a higher price than in the morning.
Gu Jinghan nonchalantly said, “That was his own choice to buy, I didn’t force him.”
Gu Mingsheng: “…” What a shrewd merchant!
“Dad, how did you know that young man wanted to buy a chamber pot?” Gu Mingsheng asked his father.
Gu Jinghan replied, “I guessed.”
Gu Mingsheng: “…”
“Although he did glance at the chamber pots as soon as he walked in,” Gu Jinghan added.
Gu Mingsheng made an “Oh” sound, understanding now.
Gu Jinghan continued, “But even if he wasn’t here for the chamber pots, I’d still have a way to make him buy them. Look, he bought a lot of other things too.”
Gu Mingsheng nodded eagerly, looking at his father with admiration, eager to learn.
Gu Jinghan said, “Just remember one thing: all customers want to buy good, cheap goods. From there, you can make a breakthrough in your sales.”
“But what if our goods aren’t good or cheap?” Gu Mingsheng was still worried that the young man might come back causing trouble. Gu Jinghan gave him a look as if to say he was an idiot, “Of course, the quality of business must be guaranteed. If the quality is poor, no matter how cheap it is, there won’t be any repeat customers. Do you think our Gu family’s century-old reputation in Yuncheng was just earned through trickery?” “Isn’t it?” Gu Mingsheng scratched his head and asked quietly. Gu Jinghan didn’t want to argue with him and continued, “The quality of goods is the foundation of survival. Every item in our Gu family shop is top-notch, and our prices are cheaper than other shops, which is why our business is so good.” “Are the prices really cheaper?” Gu Mingsheng expressed doubt, noting that today’s prices seemed quite high. Gu Jinghan wanted to give him a knock on his pig-headed brain, “Are you stupid? As long as the customers feel it’s cheap, that’s all that matters.” Gu Mingsheng: “…” What a sly merchant. “Alright, there are many tricks to doing business, and it’s not something you can figure out in a day or two. With your level of stupidity, it might take you a year or two to understand the intricacies. I’m mentally prepared for that,” Gu Jinghan said with an air of nonchalance. Gu Mingsheng: “…” Is he really that stupid? Yes, he is. So very stupid.
Gu Jinghan said, “Come here, I need you to do something.” Gu Mingsheng reluctantly approached, wondering what he could possibly do being so stupid. After whispering a few words from his father, he widened his eyes, “Dad, can Chang Kang do this?” “No, you must do it.” Gu Jinghan shook his index finger in front of him. Gu Mingsheng, not daring to disobey his father, trudged off with his head down. Gu Jinghan, still not at ease, had Chang Kang secretly follow him.
“Show me the ledger for this month,” Gu Jinghan said to the returning assistant. The assistant respectfully handed over the ledger. Gu Jinghan reviewed it carefully and then instructed, “Take out two-thirds of this month’s profits, divide it into one tael each, and deliver it to the poor families in the city under the young master’s name.” The remaining one-third will be used for purchasing new stock. “Is the master doing charity? Should it be publicized?” the assistant asked. It wasn’t unusual as the master occasionally did good deeds. Gu Jinghan shook his head, “No need, and tell those poor families not to spread the word.” “Yes, master,” the assistant agreed.
Gu Mingsheng left the city in a carriage, then dismissed the driver and began climbing up a desolate mountain. He reached a mass grave where bodies were thrown, a place swarming with flies and filled with the stench of decay. He covered his mouth and nose, searching for the person his father had mentioned. The person was easy to find, having been dumped there today, her body still relatively fresh. He soon spotted her, but a wild dog was gnawing at her corpse. Startled, he rushed over, “Get away, get away, beast!” If the dog ate her, how could he fulfill his father’s task? Wild dogs are naturally fierce, especially in their territory, and it wasn’t going to back down easily. It bared its teeth, making terrifying noises to scare him off.
Gu Mingsheng, however, was not afraid of a mere wild dog. His past involved cockfighting and dog racing; a wild dog was nothing to him. He grabbed a stick and approached the dog, ready to strike. There was a resemblance to how his father would discipline him. However, he underestimated the wild dog’s ferocity. Instead of retreating, the dog lunged at him, knocking him down. Gu Mingsheng was stunned; he never fought back when his father hit him, so why would a dog? No, this wasn’t his son; if it were, wouldn’t he be a dog too? Realizing this, Gu Mingsheng didn’t hold back, swinging the stick at the dog with force that shocked Chang Kang, who was watching from the shadows.
The dog, after a heavy blow, let go of Gu Mingsheng with a howl and, after the pain subsided, lunged at him again. Gu Mingsheng was about to get up when he was knocked down once more. Chang Kang, hidden in the shadows, thought, “Young master, how can you be so clumsy to fall in the same spot twice?” Fearing for his young master’s life, he was about to step in, but before he could, the dog was flung away, seemingly by Gu Mingsheng, though he didn’t see exactly how. Chang Kang stopped, retreating back into the shadows.
The dog, after tumbling into the bushes, got up with a look of fear in its eyes, glanced at Gu Mingsheng, and then fled. Gu Mingsheng stood up, tossing the stick aside with flair, earning a look of admiration from Chang Kang. Tomorrow’s news at the mansion would be about the young master’s heroic fight with a wild dog.
With scratches from the dog bleeding on him, Gu Mingsheng didn’t bother with them, approaching the body. Just as his father had said, the body was in a terrible state, covered in blood. Thinking of his sister, his heart ached. He picked up the body, ready to leave.
“Young master, what are you doing?” Chang Kang couldn’t help but ask, stepping out.
Gu Mingsheng, upon seeing Chang Kang, couldn’t help but curse, “Are you blind? Can’t you see I’m trying to give her a proper burial? Why didn’t you help when you came? Are you looking to die? I haven’t settled the score from when you tied me up, and now you’re hiding again not helping?”
“Young master, you’ve got the wrong body. That’s not the sister of the recently deceased Zhou Caizhi,” Chang Kang had to interrupt.
Gu Mingsheng: “…” Damn it, I risked my life fighting a wild dog, barely snatched the body from its jaws, and now you tell me it’s not the one I’m looking for? Might as well kill me.
Chang Kang looked at him as if he were an idiot, walked to another body wrapped in a straw mat, “Young master, this one is.”
“Why didn’t you say so earlier?” Gu Mingsheng threw down the body in frustration, scolding.
Chang Kang felt very wronged, “The master only told me to follow you discreetly, not to help. I’m disobeying orders to help you, and you’re blaming me?”
“Who else should I blame? Myself?” Gu Mingsheng was furious.
Chang Kang lowered his head, “I wouldn’t dare.”
Although Gu Mingsheng wanted to give him a beating, time was pressing. He needed to complete his father’s task and get off the mountain before dark. Who knew if there were ghosts here? He was terrified of ghosts. Ignoring Chang Kang, he approached the correct body, wrapped in the straw mat, and began walking to another hill. After a few steps, he said, “Take the body I just saved too.”
