Chapter Six: The Battle of Jiang and Zhang Grains

 Nestled in the capital of Fuzhou Prefecture, the city of Funan, due to its location in the southern part of the country of Nanyue, boasts fertile land and abundant resources, making it a hub for agriculture and commerce. Various shops line the streets of the city, but only a few stand out as the most renowned among them, including the Jiang Grain House and the Jiang Fabric House.

The Jiang family holds sway over the food and clothing needs of the people of Funan Prefecture, their business thriving. In recent years, their influence has extended beyond Funan Prefecture; it is said that even the neighboring Nan Prefecture has fallen under their commercial domain, demonstrating their considerable power.

But these are old stories; a fresh narrative has just begun.

After the patriarch of the Jiang family, Jiang Huaizhong, passed away, the family business fell entirely under the control of his wife, Jiang Nanshi. While this might seem inconsequential to ordinary folks, one morning, all the Jiang Grain Houses in the city suddenly posted notices expressing gratitude to the residents of Funan City for their patronage over the years. Henceforth, from morning market opening until noon, all Jiang Grain Houses in Funan City would offer a twenty percent discount on grains, with this special promotion lasting for one month. The notice was prominently signed by "Jiang Nanshi."

In no time, the name "Jiang Nanshi" spread throughout the streets of Funan City.

This good news swept through Funan City like a hurricane, with crowds flocking to Jiang Grain Houses. Long queues formed before the markets even opened each day, extending well into the afternoon, leaving latecomers to return the next day, resigned to their fate.

The market was in a frenzy, yet the Jiang family remained calm amidst it all.

Jiang Huaishan, the son of the deceased second aunt, ranked second in the family hierarchy, being Jiang Huaizhong's younger brother and Jiang Huayue's elder brother. He and Lin Jiangshi, the daughter of the third aunt who had already married, were both sons of the second aunt. While Lin Jiangshi had been married for many years and only returned home occasionally, she was essentially negligible in this household. However, Jiang Huaishan was far more than that.

As a male member of the Jiang family and Jiang Huaizhong's brother, he was initially considered the most likely candidate to take over the family business. After all, for over a decade, Jiang Huaizhong had held complete control over the family affairs, and upon his death, it was most likely that someone from his line would succeed him. Jiang Huaizhong had only one son, still in infancy, and a legitimate brother with no understanding of business. Therefore, Jiang Huaishan had positioned himself as the next head of the family.

That is, until Jiang Huaizhong announced before his death that the Jiang family would be taken over by Nanshi.

Jiang Huaishan gritted his teeth, but he could only swallow his anger, as Jiang Huaizhong had paved the way for Nanshi long ago. Not only had he handed over all the seals, accounts, and other documents to her, but he had also won over a group of elders in the family. Even those old men who had followed Jiang Laozi all these years had unwavering trust in Jiang Huaizhong's judgment.

So Jiang Huaishan endured, biding his time for six months, until now.

He waited, waiting for this inexplicable woman to make a mistake. Now was his best opportunity.

Jiang Huaishan sat in the living room of Nanshi's residence, a stern expression on his face. "Sister-in-law, what is your intention this time? If all our grain shops offer a twenty percent discount, we will end up selling grains at a loss compared to the purchase price, and we will also lose the wages of the workers. At this rate, we will be losing money selling grains for a month!"

Nanshi knew that the second brother was not as easily swayed as the two aunts and couldn't speak recklessly. Thus, she assumed the demeanor of the mistress of the house. "Second brother, rest assured. Even if the Jiang family doesn't make a profit, supporting our workers for a month is still within our means."

Taking a sip of tea, Nanshi continued calmly, "As for the reason for reducing prices, it's similar to what I announced publicly. Our Jiang family has been in commerce for generations and has accumulated considerable wealth. However, as you know, commerce ranks lowest among the four occupations, and this is not only due to tradition but also because merchants are often seen as profit-seeking. I've been thinking that no matter how much money we earn, we can't spend it all. It's better to win people's hearts. While we don't expect others to repay kindness, at least they will remember it. Once people remember, our reputation among customers and their impression of us will greatly improve. I won't elaborate on how much this will elevate our status in the business community, but at least we'll have gained people's trust, making future business easier."

Nanshi finished her explanation in one breath, emptying her tea cup. She glanced at Jiang Huaishan's expression and smiled inwardly.

In truth, grand principles like these had little persuasive power in front of businessmen. Not to mention that Jiang Huaishan didn't believe it, even Nanshi herself had her doubts. From a modern business perspective, reducing prices for promotion was indeed a marketing tactic, but she had no certainty about its effectiveness in this era's nascent commercial system. Moreover, the main reason she did this was not primarily for profit; making money was secondary, and her main goal was to shake up the Zhang family.

All the grain shops in Funan City belonged to two families, one surnamed Jiang and the other surnamed Zhang. The Zhang family solely operated grain shops and was undoubtedly weaker than the Jiang family. By offering discounted grains for a month, Nanshi essentially cut off the Zhang family's business. At present, it was mid-June, during the southern rainy season, humid and hot. Storing grains for a month without selling them could lead to various problems: molding, spoiling, breeding insects, and so on. Just one of these issues could lead to losses for the Zhang family, and Nanshi was waiting for that moment.

At present, Nanshi couldn't reveal the true reasons to Jiang Huaishan; he wouldn't care about the life or death of the fifth sister. In fact, Nanshi knew even better that even if she gave more nonsensical reasons today, Jiang Huaishan would listen without hesitation and then leave. Because he wasn't here to offer suggestions; he was just going through the motions, demonstrating his concern for the family business, then going back to wait and see how much worse Nanshi's situation could get.

After putting down the tea cup, Nanshi asked the wind to fetch some more tea, while Jiang Huaishan had already stood up to bid farewell. Nanshi exchanged a few polite words, and he left.

Soon after, Jiang Huayue also arrived,

 maneuvering the wheels of his wheelchair himself.

Nanshi raised her eyebrows and smiled at him. "Are you here to interrogate me too?"

Jiang Huayue's serious expression softened, and he replied with a gentle smile, "Yes, I am."

Rarely did Nanshi see him joking with her, and her mood improved significantly. She pushed his wheelchair forward, asking the wind to set up more tea under the trees in the courtyard, and the two of them leisurely enjoyed their tea.

Jiang Huayue had indeed come to inquire about Nanshi's decision to discount the grains, but now, he was unwittingly turned into someone who came for afternoon tea. He overlooked Nanshi's fiddling with the tea set in front of him and said seriously, "Are you doing this for the fifth sister?"

Surprised, Nanshi looked up at him, marveling, "You truly are perceptive, Huayue. How did you guess?"

Blushing at the intimacy in her words, Jiang Huayue, seeing her nonchalant expression, worriedly said, "While this may help the fifth sister, if something goes wrong in the middle, you will bear the responsibility alone. Why take such a risk?"

Nanshi laughed even more cheerfully, pointing to her own nose. "Why should I fear responsibility? Have you forgotten who I am?"

Jiang Huayue was momentarily stunned, then understood her implication. He knew her identity, the reason she married his elder brother. Looking at her carefree face now, he felt a pang in his heart. "Even though you are worried about others, there are also people worrying about you."

Touched by his concern, Nanshi's eyes warmed. In Jiang's family, besides the wind, Jiang Huayue was probably the only one who cared about her. She didn't raise her head this time, just calmly said, "I know, but you really don't need to worry about me. Since I promised your elder brother to take on this responsibility, I will definitely find a way to bear it. I promised him to take care of Jiang family, to take care of you all, and I won't let you be harmed by outsiders. The fifth sister is also a pitiful person..."

Before she could finish, Jiang Huayue interrupted her. Seeing his tender expression, Nanshi realized he must have thought of himself. Quickly, she smiled at him, warmth glittering in her eyes. "I simply want to help her, nothing more. How can the girls of the Jiang family be taken advantage of?"

As she spoke, her heart was sincere, but Jiang Huayue, seeing her carefree demeanor, couldn't suppress the surge of sourness in his heart. No girl in this world should be taken advantage of, not the girls of the Jiang family, nor the girls of the Xi family. In this lifetime, he wanted to protect her, shield her from the wind and rain, keep her safe and happy.

In the days that followed, Nanshi lived peacefully.

On the fifth day, the shopkeeper of the Zhang Grain House visited the shopkeeper of the Jiang Grain House, but left empty-handed.

On the eighth day, the patriarch of the Zhang family came to visit Jiang Nanshi, the head of the Jiang family.

"Lady, what is the meaning of this? Please make it clear!" Even though the Zhang family was inferior to the Jiang family in the marketplace, and even though they had come today seeking a favor, this old man named Zhang Shoucai was not inclined to bend too easily. He clasped his fists and greeted Nanshi, then went straight to the point.

Not wanting to boast in front of this elder in the market, but also not wanting to be overly modest until she confirmed whether the Zhang family knew about their eldest son's situation, Nanshi replied politely, "Elder Zhang, what do you mean by this?"

"Don't pretend. I didn't come here today to beat around the bush with you. You've made all the Jiang Grain Houses reduce prices. Isn't this cutting off our livelihood? The Jiang and Zhang families have coexisted in Funan City for decades, and such a thing has never happened. Why is it that as soon as it falls into the hands of Lady, such ruthless measures are taken? You're completely disregarding the principles of the market!"

Nanshi found it amusing. Merchants were known for their deceitfulness, but she had never heard of them preaching market principles. Disdainful in her heart, yet outwardly composed, she said, "Elder Zhang, you misunderstand. We simply want to thank the neighbors and fellow villagers for their support over the years, as stated in our notice. There are no ulterior motives."

Upon hearing Nanshi's words, Zhang Shoucai immediately widened his eyes and raised his voice, "Are you saying there's no room for negotiation?"

"If there's something to discuss, we certainly can. Our two families have been friends for many years, but judging from Elder Zhang's current demeanor, it seems there's nothing to discuss." Nanshi smiled politely but didn't mince her words.

At this point, Zhang Shoucai was furious. The woman in front of him was clearly not the weak and submissive one that the Jiang family had described. Although she appeared young, he didn't know how many twists and turns she had experienced. Her actions resembled those of Jiang Huaizhong in his prime. Such a woman, no wonder she was willing to entrust the family business to her. Seeing the current situation, the Jiang family was determined to clash with them. He just didn't know why they were acting this way.

At a time when the Jiang family was expanding, if they simply wanted to swallow up the Zhang family, their current strength would be insufficient. Everyone knew that the Jiang Fabric House had only just begun to rise in recent years, and the Jiang family's main focus was now on that. Trying to take down the entire Zhang family in one go would surely be a stretch. Doing something that harms others without benefitting oneself wasn't very meaningful.

He pondered left and right; this woman had spoken so ambiguously, could he have missed something? But at this moment, there was probably no room for negotiation. So he didn't waste any more words, greeted with a grim expression, raised his fist, and left.

Nanshi put away her smiling face behind him, took a sip from her now-cold teacup, and wondered in her heart whether this old man knew or didn't know. If he did, then he was in trouble!