Chapter 2: Cui He
1592 Words
Hearing Li Zhi’s words, Madame Zheng was gripped by despair. But then she noticed him smile. Seeing that her son showed no hint of dismay and could even manage a smile under such circumstances, she was utterly bewildered.
Li Zhi had never been the sharpest, often the target of bullying, but he wasn’t a simpleton either. How could he possibly smile at the prospect of becoming a servant? Had the crushing pressure of this debt truly driven him mad? After a long moment of hesitation, she finally asked, "Zhi’er, how can you smile at a time like this?"
Li Zhi walked to the water vat, ladled out a scoop of water, and drank before replying, "Mother, don’t worry. I have my own way to raise the money. We don’t need Second Grandfather’s help."
Having crossed over into this late-Ming youth, Li Zhi had accepted all the relationships that came with him. These ties were his foundation for survival in this era, and he couldn’t simply abandon them. Calling Madame Zheng "Mother" no longer felt strange to him.
Hearing this, a flicker of hope lit up Madame Zheng’s eyes. "Zhi’er, what plan do you have?"
Li Zhi looked at her, already calculating how to save this family teetering on the brink of ruin.
In his previous life, Li Zhi had been an experienced industrial designer. His job involved designing the product appearance and overall structure of industrial products. This work had exposed him to a vast array of modern goods.
For every design project, he needed a thorough understanding of the production processes and techniques. Only with that practical knowledge could he create viable designs. Over the years, he had become intimately familiar with the manufacturing of many modern products, from small items like children’s transparent rubber-tipped spoons to larger goods like off-brand bicycles. He had handled numerous cases, delving deep into their construction and production.
While most modern products required a complete, supporting industrial system and couldn’t be produced out of thin air, some had simple manufacturing methods that could be replicated with rudimentary techniques.
Transported to the late Ming Dynasty, Li Zhi’s knowledge was precisely what he could put to great use. With this knowledge, he believed he could change the Li family’s destiny.
"Mother, please don’t worry. I have a way. You’ll see when I make it." Madame Zheng looked at Li Zhi with a trace of disbelief. Her son, whom everyone called slow and simple—when had he ever spoken with such confidence? Yet, bolstered by a mother’s faith, she found herself wanting to believe him.
"Mother, just wait at home peacefully. I will get the money." Hearing Li Zhi’s words, Madame Zheng felt a flicker of joy. In this desperate situation, his words offered a sliver of hope, which was heartening in itself. Moreover, her usually quiet, seemingly simple son was now speaking words of comfort. That alone was a cause for happiness. Since Li Zhi didn’t elaborate, she didn’t press further. Lowering her head, she turned and walked back into the main hall, resuming her place before the loom.
Seeing her return inside, Li Zhi set down the ladle. In Ming society, men were dominant. With his father Li Cheng deceased and Li Zhi now an adult, he was the head of the household. The family’s remaining savings—five strings of copper coins—were in his keeping.
Clutching one string of coins in his sleeve, Li Zhi pondered what he could make to earn silver for the debt as he walked out of the compound onto the main street. He hadn’t gone far when he saw two familiar figures, a man and a woman, approaching from ahead.
"Cui He! Wait for me! Why won’t you pay me any mind?"
Hearing the call, Li Zhi looked up and saw a heart-stirringly beautiful figure walking towards him. The girl appeared to be sixteen or seventeen, her hair styled in a fashionable "peach-tip" topknot. She wore a striking red embroidered cotton jacket over a plain white gauze skirt patterned with green flowers, and her feet were clad in exquisitely embroidered shoes. She was radiant, likely one of the great beauties of Tianjin Wei. This was Cui He, daughter of Scholar Cui.
Scholar Cui held the status of a shengyuan, a government student (often called a** or "cultivated talent"), a position of considerable esteem. His family dealt in the southern spice trade and was one of the wealthier households in the Jingbianfang neighborhood. Following behind Cui He was her maid, Ju’er.
Late Ming society was relatively open. Women could even go out together for nighttime festivities during holidays, enjoying themselves freely. During temple fairs and gatherings, women could venture out alone. Having grown up in the merchant-centric Jingbianfang, Cui He wasn’t strictly bound by the theoretical constraints of female propriety. She often slipped out with her maid for a stroll.
The young man trailing behind Cui He was about seventeen or eighteen, tall and slender. He wore a scholar’s scarf and a silk robe beneath a fur coat. His features were quite handsome, but his long, thin face carried a sly, mean-spirited air, lacking a sense of masculine integrity.
This was the eldest son of the Xiao family in Jingbianfang, named Xiao Guangwei. The Xiao family was involved in the southern pearl trade and was also quite wealthy. The silver the Li family owed was to this very Xiao family.
Cui He, Xiao Guangwei, and Li Zhi had grown up in the same neighborhood, were close in age, and had been childhood playmates, familiar with each other.
At the moment, though Cui He and Xiao Guangwei were walking in the same direction, Cui He clearly had little patience for the young man chasing after her. She walked swiftly until she saw Li Zhi emerge. Spotting him, she stopped and said with a laugh, "Li Zhi, I heard you went to borrow money."
Li Zhi nodded. "Didn’t get it."
Cui He pouted, curiosity sparking. "If you can’t borrow the money, your family compound will be taken to settle the debt. What will the three of you do then?"
Looking at the curious Cui He, Li Zhi replied calmly, "My Second Grandfather said if I can’t raise the money, he’ll vouch for me and Li Xing to become servants for someone."
Hearing this, the somewhat heedless Cui He giggled. "You’re going to be a servant? Then come be a servant at my house! Seeing as you’re so honest, I promise I won’t beat or scold you on ordinary days." Although Li Zhi had always been considered slow since childhood, Cui He had never disliked him. Calling his simplicity "honesty" in this context was her way of being considerate of his feelings.
In the time it took for this brief exchange, Xiao Guangwei had caught up from behind. He had always fancied Cui He, but she didn’t think much of him. Seeing her chatting and laughing with Li Zhi now, his face darkened, and he immediately turned his ire on Li Zhi.
"Li Zhi! How dare you stand here joking around? You have three months left before the silver you owe my family is due. Fifty taels principal, three percent monthly interest, over two years that’s a total of eighty-six taels of silver with interest!" He flicked his sleeve dismissively. "If you can’t repay, the compound your family mortgaged to mine will belong to the Xiao family. Do you understand?"
Li Zhi answered mildly, "I understand."
Seeing Li Zhi still appearing rather dull, merely answering his questions directly, Xiao Guangwei sneered. "Then how dare you stand here talking to the Young Lady of the Cui family? Soon you’ll be a homeless vagrant, a servant at best. How dare you jest with the Young Lady of the Cui family?"
Hearing Xiao Guangwei drag her into it and try to stop Li Zhi from speaking to her, Cui He’s eyes widened, ready to berate Xiao Guangwei. But before she could, Li Zhi spoke.
"Xiao Guangwei, don’t be in such a hurry. The loan isn’t due for three months. When the time comes, I’ll repay you the money. Then you won’t need to go around badmouthing us like this."
"You!" Hearing Li Zhi talk back to him, Xiao Guangwei was furious. This lowly wretch, about to be thrown onto the streets, dared to act so high and mighty in front of him? It was infuriating. "Don’t you put on airs and offend me! When the time comes to collect the house, I won’t be polite!"
"You’re already taking my family’s house, pushing matters to the extreme. How could you possibly be any more or less ‘polite’?" Li Zhi retorted.
Struck speechless again by Li Zhi’s rebuttal, Xiao Guangwei’s face flushed red with anger. When had this simpleton Li Zhi become so sharp-tongued? He actually couldn’t out-argue him.
Seeing Li Zhi speak with such certainty, Cui He asked curiously, "Li Zhi, what’s your plan? How will you raise so much silver?"
Flattered by the beauty’s concern, Li Zhi thumped his chest and declared loudly, "I have my ways! Just wait for my good news!"
Seeing Li Zhi’s confident demeanor, Cui He grew cheerful too. She rose on her tiptoes slightly and said, "Alright then! I’ll wait to see you earn a fortune to pay off your debt!"
Li Zhi gave Cui He a wink and then walked off towards Hengda Street in the eastern city. Seeing that little wink, Cui He giggled with delight, which only made Xiao Guangwei fume even more.
- Writer
