Green Mountain

Chen Ji brushed off the dust on his clothes with irritation, "What are you doing here?"

Chen Yu replied proudly, "I went to inspect the grain warehouse today and caught two pests right off the bat. These two scoundrels made the common folks overfill their grain measures when collecting grain, so full that they overflowed. After weighing the grain, they’d give the measures a kick, causing the overflowing grain to fall to the ground. Once all the grain was collected, they’d sweep up the fallen grain and resell it at the cheap price of Chen rice to other grain shops... How about that, impressive, right?"

Chen Ji suddenly realized; this visit was nothing but a boast.

Xiao Man placed the little black cat on the ground and brought a bowl of water from the side room, handing it to Chen Ji, "Master, have some water."

Chen Ji drank the warm water in the bowl all at once, then looked at Chen Yu, "Did you wait until 9 to 11 PM just to tell me this?"

Chen Yu shook his head, "Of course not. I heard today that you took all the salt permits, and a few shopkeepers at the salt shop set up a banquet at Bianyifang Restaurant, probably still drinking to celebrate. You’ve made a really foolish move; a lone person like you, without the ninety-three salt shops of the Chen Family Salt Shop, these salt permits are nothing but a burden to you. I had worried you might have something up your sleeve, but now there’s no need to worry."

Chen Ji sat calmly across from Chen Yu, "Then what should I do?"

Chen Yu suggested sincerely, "Though I want to win, I can’t stand seeing those scoundrels mock you like this. You should return the account books and salt permits tomorrow. I’ll teach you how to handle those shopkeepers step by step. Within three years, I’ll help you secure the salt business."