Chapter 7: Ancient Merchant Clan – Uniting Hearts (1)
After waking up, the Heavenly God “sent” Yu Yi to the Xu household.
“Madam is awake!” Zhao Nanny exclaimed joyfully by the bed.
Yu Yi lay on the bed, organizing her thoughts. Before coming this time, the Heavenly God had already let her know all the relevant information, which he called “memory implantation,” but didn’t give her much time to consider how to complete the mission.
Yu Yi opened her eyes to the large group of people by the bed. A young man in his twenties asked softly: “Mother, are you feeling better?”
Yu Yi weakly hummed: “If you could all be quiet for two days, I’d be grateful.”
The young man was named Xu Hanzhong. Hearing this, a trace of guilt appeared on his fair face: “Children are unfilial.” He then glared fiercely at another slightly younger man to his right.
The one glared at was Xu Hanzhong’s second son, Xu Hanyao, slightly thinner, with clever eyes. With “filial” in his name, he was sarcastically criticized by his elder brother and could not retaliate. He suppressed his anger and said to Yu Yi: “Mother, please judge…
“Mother just woke up, and second brother is arguing again?” Interrupting Xu Hanyao was the Xu family’s eldest daughter-in-law, Xu Lin, with the given name Hua. Lin Huahua lived up to her name – beautiful and clever, with a sharp tongue.
“Elder sister-in-law, it’s not like that…” Xu Hanyao was about to speak when he was gently pulled by his second wife, Zheng Yurong, and stopped.
Yu Yi took a breath: “I’m tired. Everyone, please leave.”
After the large family dispersed, Zhao Nanny helped Yu Yi drink a bowl of medicine and carefully wiped her mouth: “Madam, would you like to rest more, or…”
“Help me out. I’ll sit in the courtyard for a while.”
Yu Yi half-closed her eyes, reclining on the courtyard chair. Zhao Nanny quietly accompanied her.
It was early May, the beginning of summer, and the pomegranate flowers in the courtyard were in full bloom. A strange feeling arose in Yu Yi’s heart. She vaguely felt that the place the Heavenly God sent her to did not exist, but the Heavenly God said these were all true people and true events…
Yu Yi decided to set aside these chaotic thoughts for now and complete the task at hand. When she returned, she would ask the Heavenly God about it.
Xu Jia, operating a silk business, owned his own weaving workshop, several silk shops in the city, and other businesses. The old Mr. Xu, who had established this enterprise, was nearly seventy years old, still physically strong but mentally confused. Mr. Xu had an only son named Xu Chengsi, who had one wife and one concubine. Madam Xu gave birth to two sons and one daughter, while Concubine Yin had one son and two daughters.
However, Xu Chengsi passed away less than fifty years old half a year ago, leaving behind a divided large family.
Madam Xu was in poor health, and after Mr. Xu’s death, the eldest son Xu Hanzhong and the second son Xu Hankao began to quarrel endlessly about dividing the family property. They argued to the point that Madam Xu became extremely angry and fainted, dying on the spot. Afterward, Yu Yi “transmigrated” here.
Yu Yi was just a seventeen-year-old unmarried girl who had to become the mistress of this large family, facing this mess.
In the past three days, Yu Yi did nothing, wanting to rest and recover. But she obtained the account books of the Xu family shops and discovered the accounts were in complete disarray. It seemed that Xu Hanzhong and Xu Hankao were so consumed by their dispute over dividing the family that they had no heart to manage the workshops and shops.
The Xu family was not only falling apart internally but also facing a business crisis.
On the fourth morning, while Yu Yi was examining the recent accounts of the weaving workshop, a young maidservant from the front yard ran in panic: “Madam, something’s wrong!”
Nanny Zhao scolded: “What are you shouting about? Speak clearly about what happened.”
The maidservant, after being reprimanded, lowered her voice: “The eldest and second young masters are fighting again.”
Nanny Zhao said: “Let them fight. The madam said the family will not be divided.”
The maidservant anxiously replied: “No, the eldest and second young masters are arguing so intensely they’re about to come to blows!”
Yu Yi said: “Nanny, come with me to take a look.” She turned to the maidservant, “Where are they? Lead the way.”
“Yes,” the maidservant responded, hurrying outside.
Yu Yi knew Nanny Zhao was loyal and afraid she would be upset seeing her two sons fighting. She shook her head: “I’m much better now. Since Hanzhong and Hankao are set on dividing the family, we must find a way to resolve this. After the old master passed, I’m running this household. I must find a way to bring this large family together.”
“
Seeing Madam Xu’s calm and determined expression, Nanny Zhao followed her to the main hall of the Xu family.
Upon entering, Yu Yi saw Xu Hankao grabbing Xu Hanzhong’s collar, shouting: “Why should the eldest brother’s shop be supplied first when I ordered goods from the workshop earlier?”
The Xu family had their own weaving workshop that produced silk fabrics, which were then sold in city shops. Xu Hankao had placed several orders this month, requesting the workshop to deliver silk fabrics to his shop once woven. However, Xu Hanzhong, who managed the workshop, naturally prioritized supplying his own shop first. As a result, Xu Hankao’s shop was short of goods.
Xu Hanzhong knocked away Xu Hankao’s hand and, seeing Yu Yi enter, called “Mother” and came to support her. Yu Yi was not comfortable with such physical contact, but as the mother of these two young men, she endured their support to the chair, feeling relieved only after sitting down.
Xu Hanxiao retorted, “If there are no personal motives, why is big brother holding onto that batch of silk and not giving it away? Hanxiao needs to deliver goods early tomorrow morning, and outsiders don’t know the reason behind this. They will only say that the Xu family does business without integrity. Isn’t big brother deliberately trying to make the Xu family lose face?”
Yu Rong, with a gentle temperament, was unwilling to see arguments. She mustered the courage to softly persuade, “Hanxiao, purchasing and delivering goods are handled by subordinates. Big brother might not know that the silk batch hasn’t been sent to the shop and isn’t intentionally withholding it.”
Xu Hanxiao continued, “Even if big brother didn’t know before, he knows now. If he truly isn’t intentionally withholding the silk, shouldn’t he send it over?”
Xu Hanzhong hesitated. If it were just between brothers, he would have remained stubborn. However, with his mother present, even though Hanxiao had taken his business, these were still Xu family’s affairs. If he insisted on withholding the silk, he would be in the wrong. But agreeing to give it to Hanxiao was also unpalatable to him.
On the surface, she was persuading Hanxiao to back down, but she was actually maneuvering against Hanzhong. She glared fiercely at Yu Rong and said, “Second sister-in-law, stop pretending. Isn’t it you who instigated the second brother to steal Hanzhong’s business?”
Yu Rong’s face turned bright red, overwhelmed with grievance and unable to say a word.
