Chapter Thirty: Barbed Wire

“Our business is so large—won’t it attract trouble?”

Men like Scarred Brother are everywhere.

Even a torn fishing net could make Scarred Brother tear his face off to fight for it, so what about the lucrative trade in cloth that could bring fortunes?

“I’ve got some connections, so I’m not afraid!” Lin San grinned confidently.

Qin Zhen thought so too.

In a feudal society, the hierarchy is clear—ordinary people rarely see any aristocrats in their lifetime, yet Lin San could sell cloth to wealthy households. His connections were obviously extraordinary.

“Oh, right.”

Lin San seemed to recall something. “The item you asked me to get—I’ve got it.”

He led Qin Zhen aside, pulled back the tarp from one of the donkey carts, and drew out a small length of silvery thread.

“What is this…”

Qin Zhen hurriedly took the thread in his hands, turning it over. He found its hardness moderate, its flexibility excellent, yet it didn’t seem like any iron he knew. It was more like something between iron and plastic.

“This is Thousand-Fathom Silk, forged from a special iron ore, and quite valuable,” Lin San explained. “This iron is different from steel—mostly used among common folk. The silk you hold is rare; its smelting and stretching technique comes from the depths of Shu. I happened to run into some wandering folks from deep Shu this time, and only managed to get some by putting my face on the line.”

Deep Shu lies west of Great Shang, nestled among mountains—remote, treacherous, infested with poisonous creatures.

It's the frontier of the frontier.

Unexpectedly, that place possessed such exquisite ironworking skills.

“See if this is what you need?”

Lin San could get real steel if he wanted, but he dared not give it to Qin Zhen.

If Qin Zhen had powerful backing, that would be one thing, but he was merely a humble villager. Bringing him iron ore would only bring him trouble.

Qin Zhen caressed the Thousand-Fathom Silk lovingly.

“Perfect! It’s perfect!”

He had been worrying about not having material to make a new fishing net, and this silk was just what he needed!

Qin Zhen bowed deeply.

“Thank you, Uncle Lin!”

This item was clearly hard to obtain; Lin San must have gone to great lengths to get it for him. For this alone, Lin San deserved the bow.

“We’re family, don’t mention it!” Lin San laughed. “If you really want to thank me, just make more cloth—we’ll both get rich together!”

“Of course!”

After some brief pleasantries, Qin Zhen led Lin San into the village, determined to give him a proper welcome.

Compared to previous trips, Lin San’s party was clearly much larger this time.

Liu Juan was helping to load the cloth onto the donkey carts, while the old village chief stood by the pond, directing the release of fish.

“Slow down! Why are you dumping them so quickly? Don’t kill my fish!”

“And you, don’t you see the pond’s water is low? Hurry and fetch more! If a single fish dies of thirst, none of you will have dinner tonight!”

Liu Quan muttered helplessly, “Father, stop fussing. If the fish die, they die! We can make dried fish—it’ll keep for ages.”

Qin Zhen happened to pass by with Lin San, who stared wide-eyed at the pond full of sea fish.

“All these fish—you caught them with your net?” Lin San was incredulous.

He’d seen fishermen at the coast, understood their hardship—a single trip yielding three or four fish was cause for celebration! Never had he seen so many fish at once.

“That’s right,” Qin Zhen replied with a smile. “Now Uncle Lin understands why I needed that iron thread? Once I rebuild the net with Thousand-Fathom Silk, not just regular sea fish—even sharks, I’ll catch a few for you!”

Then Qin Zhen probed, “By the way, Uncle Lin, could you help sell these fish?”

“Of course!” Lin San rubbed his hands excitedly. “You don’t know—sea fish are hot commodities! Especially in the big cities, they’re in huge demand! Those nobles and officials—who doesn’t have fish at every meal?”

But sea fish are hard to catch, so supply never meets demand.

This drives the price ever higher.

“I heard recently that someone in the coastal city sold fish—over a hundred! Damn, a sea fish weighing a pound fetched two hundred coins! If you let me sell this batch, I’ll haul them all to Wujiang City; each will go for at least three hundred coins!”

A hundred miles from the fishing village lay a coastal county, and above that was Coastal City, which governed the region.

There were eighteen regions in the realm; among them, Jiangnan encompassed the southeast border of Great Shang, comprising three cities and eighteen districts.

Wujiang City, as Lin San mentioned, was the main city of Jiangnan—the most prosperous place in the southeast!

Then Lin San paused, staring at Qin Zhen, “That batch of fish—was it yours too?”

“If nothing went wrong, it should have been,” Qin Zhen replied hesitantly.

After all, not many here could offer over a hundred fish at once for sale.

“Then you made a killing!” Lin San laughed.

“No, I sold them to Scarred Brother for forty coins apiece.” Qin Zhen sighed, his hatred for Scarred Brother growing stronger!

That scoundrel made so much money, yet begrudged even forty coins! He tried to steal the net too!

Is there any justice? Any law left?!

“A terrible loss!” Lin San lamented, clearly more distressed about Qin Zhen’s loss than his own.

He changed tone, resolutely patting Qin Zhen’s shoulder, “Don’t worry, from now on, I’ll handle all fish sales. Same old rule—seventy-thirty split! You catch, I sell! Let’s build something big and glorious together!”

“You already lost out on the cloth trade; transporting fish is far harder than cloth. I can’t let you suffer again!” Qin Zhen understood that to secure their interests, he needed to ensure fairness. He said solemnly, “For the fish, sixty-forty split—you take six, I take four. If you don’t agree, I won’t let you sell them!”

“That’s the spirit!” Lin San was delighted, growing fonder of Qin Zhen by the moment. “You, you’re just too honest, too upright!”

Who would pass up easy money to let someone else profit?

He was worldly enough to know the darkness in human nature, so he grew ever more fond of Qin Zhen’s straightforwardness.

“It’s settled, then!” Qin Zhen grasped Lin San’s hand. “Juan, make plenty of fish tonight—let Uncle Lin’s men taste the flavors of our fishing village!” With that, he jumped into the pond and fished out a plump sea fish. “Uncle Lin, tonight I’ll cook for you myself!”

Seeing Qin Zhen, soaked and smiling with rustic warmth, Lin San was moved.

“Get out of there! You’ll catch cold!”

“No worries, I’m young and sturdy!”

Lin San felt a warmth in his heart.

He pulled Qin Zhen onto dry land, and as they walked home, passing through the fields, Lin San was stunned by the dense rows of weaving machines.

“Heavens, what are those things?”