120. Young Master Jiang Takes Charge of the Freight Bureau

Jianglin, Lu Residence.

"Aunt, we're back." At midday the next day, Lu Jin returned to the Lu family home with Lu Caiwei.

"My child is home!" Even before she appeared, Aunt Baili Rou’s joyful voice drifted from inside the house.

"Mother!" As soon as Lu Caiwei saw Baili Rou emerge, she rushed over to hug her mother's arm.

After several days of recuperation, Baili Rou’s complexion had improved significantly. Under her daughter-in-law's care, her wardrobe had also seen a major upgrade, and she now held the air of a wealthy Jianglin mistress.

"You haven't eaten yet, have you? Chuntao, go urge the kitchen to add a few more good dishes." Baili Rou pulled Lu Jin inside.

"Aunt, where is Uncle?" Lu Jin asked, not seeing Lu Yuanrong inside.

"Your uncle must have gone out; he can never sit still," Baili Rou replied while gesturing for the maid to serve tea.

"Then we'll wait for him to return before we eat. Lu Caiwei has to head back later anyway." Lu Jin felt completely at ease, treating this place as his own home.

"Mother, tell my brother off! Look at how dark I've become, and he still makes me train," Lu Caiwei complained.

"Caiwei, listen to your brother," Baili Rou said, blindly doting on her son.

"You only see that you've tanned, but why don't you notice that you've become stronger than before?" Lu Jin countered.

"Hmph!" Lu Caiwei pouted in protest. She couldn't really argue about femininity anymore; having been constantly indoctrinated by her "dog of a brother" with ideas like "who says women are inferior to men," her own mindset was quietly transforming.

"Caiwei, come here and walk a few steps for Aunt to see," Lu Jin teased.

"Hiss!" No sooner had he finished speaking than Lu Caiwei pinched his leg hard. By the time Lu Jin reacted, the little girl had already bolted out the door.

"Aunt, is that pig butcher still interested?" Lu Jin winced in pain.

"Child, with Caiwei acting like this, never mind a pig butcher, even a cattle slaughterer would be scared off," Baili Rou lamented. She believed in her son, but seeing her daughter acting like a young boy, how could she not worry?

"Don't worry, Aunt. Caiwei is just training for a while. Once she focuses solely on martial arts, she'll recover. Haven't you seen Su Nian? She’s as fair as can be," Lu Jin comforted her.

"Jin'er, you're back?" Lu Yuanrong walked in just then.

"Uncle, let's go visit the escort agency after we eat."

"Good, good. Having something to do will keep the mind at ease."

***

Shen Residence, Xi Garden.

"Greetings, Madam!" Yuan Hui and the maids quickly stepped forward as Zhou Manyun entered.

"Where is Zhen'er? Wasn't she here with you yesterday?" Zhou Manyun asked, not seeing Yang Minzhen.

"She just left." Shen Yanxi wondered why her mother had come over at this hour.

"And Jin'er?" Zhou Manyun had originally gone to Chuyun Terrace to check on her son-in-law, but even the servants there didn't know where he had gone, so she had come to her daughter's place instead.

"My husband should be at Chuyun Terrace."

"I just came from there; nobody knows where he went." Zhou Manyun sat down on the daybed, having walked so much she hadn't even had a sip of water.

"Oh, he didn't mention it." Shen Yanxi had seen him that morning; he usually stayed at Chuyun Terrace.

"Tell me, can't you two be more moderate?" Zhou Manyun said, taking a sip of tea.

"Moderate?" Shen Yanxi was bewildered.

"I know you're newly married, but you can't be so unbridled. Jin'er is still so young; what will you do later on?" Seeing her daughter’s confusion, Zhou Manyun spoke more bluntly. *Honestly, she should learn a thing or two from me.*

"Mother! My husband actually twisted his leg; he's better today. It's not what you're thinking!" Shen Yanxi finally understood and blushed furiously.

Zhou Manyun glanced at her daughter. *Yeah, right.* If it were just a twisted leg, why would you be blushing? And the maids—they were all looking away, embarrassed.

"Jin'er's constitution is too weak. You must nourish him properly," Zhou Manyun instructed, ignoring her daughter's excuses.

*Weak?* If he weren't weak, she felt like she might fly away. Shen Yanxi’s face grew even redder at the thought. Zhou Manyun glared at her daughter. *No ambition at all. Always thinking about that—how is she supposed to manage this household?*

"Come in!" Zhou Manyun called out as she saw the maids waiting outside.

They entered one by one, each carrying a box. Shen Yanxi was stunned. "Mother, what is all this?"

"Never mind what it is. Here is the prescription; tell the kitchen to stew it all for Jin'er to build up his strength." Zhou Manyun placed a slip of paper on the table.

Shen Yanxi looked at the list and went blank. *Lingzhi? Ginseng? Fleeceflower root? Angelica? Deer antler? Tiger penis?* There were over a dozen ingredients listed. The boxes clearly contained all of them.

*Mother, you’re going to be the death of your daughter!*

"Mother, where did you find this prescription?" Shen Yanxi asked, her face burning.

"Why ask so much? Would I harm you?" Zhou Manyun retorted. *Asking such improper questions.*

Shen Yanxi looked up at her mother and saw her flushing, her eyes darting away. She understood immediately. "Mother, I understand. Auntie Hui, please put these away." *Since they're here, I suppose we'll keep them.*

***

"This is what you call the Jiangzhou Freight Bureau?" Lu Yuanrong frowned at the dilapidated courtyard.

Dantai Ming and Jiang Shaonian, who had arrived after being notified by Lu Jin, also frowned. The place was incredibly run-down, though it was quite spacious. Wu You, who arrived later, remained expressionless; he knew his eldest brother had a plan, so he just waited.

Lu Jin had involved Dantai Ming and Jiang Shaonian early on because this venture lacked high technical barriers—at least for now. It was a purely asset-heavy project, requiring massive resources and manpower, so early investment was crucial.

"Uncle, don't look at how broken the courtyard is. It’s huge; we can just fix it up."

Lu Yuanrong was speechless. His nephew dared to call this broken yard a "Freight Bureau." If he added a few carts and boats, he’d probably think he was flying to the heavens.

"Xiaobai, bring out the blackboard and chalk. I’ll introduce the Freight Bureau to everyone."

Neither chalk nor blackboards were high-tech. Lu Jin had mentioned them to the butler, and they were ready in days. He used them for teaching often. Many things seemed simple, but without a key spark of inspiration, they wouldn't exist. Others might scoff at the hard-pen calligraphy on a blackboard, but for Lu Jin, it was convenient.

Once Xiaobai and Yuanfang set up the board, Lu Jin began to sketch on it.

"The Jiangzhou Freight Bureau is my next major focus. Ziyu, you know about the Brewing Bureau; the Freight Bureau is similar, perhaps even simpler. Freight is just moving goods from one place to another..."

"The total capital for the Freight Bureau is fifty million taels of silver..."

At this, everyone gasped. The Great Liang dynasty’s annual revenue didn't even reach a third of that, let alone any single family. Lu Yuanrong squinted at his nephew, wondering if the boy's head illness had returned.

"Calm down, everyone. You’re about to manage a fifty-million-tael business; where is your poise?" Lu Jin chided.

"Uncle, I’m not talking to you, I’m talking to them," Lu Jin added, seeing Lu Yuanrong’s confusion.

"Don't be intimidated by the amount. This isn't like other businesses; it needs massive manpower and resources. Cargo ships, boatmen, carriages, horses, escorts—all of these can count toward capital shares. And the money doesn't need to be paid all at once."

"Take the Shen family as an example. My father-in-law gave me twenty cargo ships, one hundred carriages, three hundred horses, five hundred laborers, two hundred boatmen, three warehouses, and one million taels of silver... these will be appraised and converted into shares. One tael equals one share."

Everyone gasped again. The Shen family was truly betting the house. Lu Yuanrong’s eyes widened. *No wonder Jin'er became a live-in son-in-law. Why wouldn't he? If it were just the two of them, how long would it take to earn all this?*

Lu Jin was gratified; his father-in-law was a generous man. He had the foundation now.

"I’ll hold ten million taels in shares, based on my own... contribution," Lu Jin said, not feeling the slightest bit embarrassed.

"We will handle shipping for the Brewing Bureau, the Salt Bureau, and some of the Shen family's business. If you join, you can bring in your own family's shipping business too. It's not forced; judge it based on cost and speed."

"Our biggest shortage is manpower. My uncle will command the escort team as the Chief Escort. He’s a former captain; managing escorts is child's play for him. The laborers and day-to-day operations will be managed by the General Manager. The General Manager and the Chief Escort are equals—just do your own jobs."

"As for the General Manager... Jiang Shaonian!" Lu Jin shouted, startling him.

"You’ll be the General Manager. Leave that restaurant to your subordinates; why are you wasting your time there every day?"

Jiang Shaonian felt a surge of indignation. *You said it was a 'great restaurant' before! And now you say I'm wasting my time there?* But beneath the grumbling, his blood was boiling. A fifty-million-tael Freight Bureau? Did Lu Jin really trust him that much? He was to be the General Manager? *Heaven, my ancestors are blessing me!*

"Nanqing, I'm afraid I can't do it well," Jiang Shaonian hesitated.

"Don't be so spineless. We've talked about this! What are you afraid of? You still have me, don't you? Why else would I hold ten million in shares?"

"Two things: Buyan, you're in charge of overall business. Clear the yard, set standards, take over the Shen family's resources, and start recruiting..."

"Uncle, you start recruiting too. You can hire commoners or refugees. I'll borrow five hundred family soldiers from the Shen estate to help you manage people. Get the money for recruitment from Buyan..."

"Xiaobai, pass out the brochures." Xiaobai distributed them. Dantai Ming opened his: *Jiangzhou Freight Bureau Charter*. Another: *Overall Plan for the Jiangzhou Freight Bureau*. He was baffled by terms like "Scale Operations" and "Full-Scenario Logistics."

Lu Jin wasn't worried; he didn't expect them to understand immediately. He’d talked to Jiang Shaonian enough that the boy could get started.

"There are twenty million shares available for sale. Think it over. If you join, money or goods are both fine."

After answering their questions, Lu Jin felt they had a rough idea of the plan.

"Brother, should I go back and bring the family ships and carts..." Wu You’s blind trust made Lu Jin feel a bit guilty.

"No rush. Wait a bit. This is enough to keep Jiang Shaonian busy for now," Lu Jin assured him.

"Alright, that’s it for today. Manager Jiang, you clean up the yard. We’re heading back."

The courtyard cleared quickly, leaving Jiang Shaonian and two servants standing in stunned silence.

"What did he just say?" Jiang Shaonian asked, sure he’d misheard.

"Young Master, Master Lu said for you to clean the yard," the servant said, looking at him with pity.

Jiang Shaonian clutched the brochure and looked around. He felt terrible. *All that talk, and you leave me to sweep a broken yard? Are you sure I'm the General Manager?*

"Go! Go home and bring people to clean this place! And get carpenters! The buildings need repairs!" Jiang Shaonian’s exasperated roar echoed through the Jiangzhou Freight Bureau.