Chapter 557 - Sworn Brother

The banquet was exquisite. The Yang family, hailing from the prosperous heartlands of Guangdong, possessed a refinement in their enjoyment of life that far outstripped the local gentry and landlords of Lingao. With their coffers recently overflowing, the quality of their daily living had ascended to match. The table held few dishes, yet each was a masterpiece of meticulous preparation. The wine, a premium Lanling vintage commonly savored by the wealthy of the Ming Dynasty, had been specially procured from the mainland.

Yang Shixiang ordered his apprentices to warm the wine, then dismissed them. He and Liu San were left alone in the study; he had important matters to discuss.

Since swearing brotherhood and forming a partnership with Liu San, Yang Shixiang’s business had expanded voraciously, practically raking in bushels of gold by the day. Precisely because of this success, he paid increasingly close attention to every ripple within the transmigrator collective. The "Australians" were not merely his investors, major clients, and technical advisors—they were, in essence, his patrons. To a significant extent, the rise or fall of the Australians dictated the fate of Runshitang.

Liu San often visited Runshitang to discuss the manufacture and sale of traditional patent medicines, but rarely did he have the leisure to sit for casual conversation and gossip.

Yang Shixiang was burning to learn the truth behind the so-called "Female Servant Revolution." This affair wasn't nearly as airtight a secret as the transmigrators imagined. In fact, rumors had begun swirling within days, whispering that the Australians had fallen into internal turmoil over women. Some stated with certainty that the trouble arose because the leaders within the barbed wire commanded dozens of wives each, leaving the lower ranks with none. Others claimed the Australians didn't lack women in general, but had fought over a peerless beauty, their competition for her affections escalating into open conflict.

Yang Shixiang found this news perplexing—he hadn't expected the Australians to be short of women! Ships arrived from Bopu Harbor every ten days or so, disgorging one or two boatloads of refugees, among them many women. The Australians numbered at most a thousand; surely one woman apiece was easily manageable?

His sworn brother Liu San had a wife—Yang Shixiang had even sent a gift specifically to Wuyunhua, and had been rather awed by the robust presence of that Australian woman. He harbored a vague suspicion that his sworn brother was somewhat henpecked.

After three rounds of wine, Yang Shixiang finally broached the subject obliquely.

Liu San started—so this matter had even reached the county town. Good news never leaves the gate, but bad news travels a thousand li. He nodded slightly. "Indeed, it's true."

"What was the outcome?" Yang Shixiang asked quickly.

"Everyone is satisfied."

Liu San’s expression bore no trace of satisfaction, leaving Yang Shixiang puzzled. "From your manner, brother, you don't seem satisfied at all."

After a few more cups, Liu San couldn't help but vent his grievances about his girlfriend. They were complaints any man could relate to.

"So you're not permitted to take a concubine." Yang Shixiang looked at his somewhat dejected sworn brother and thought this hardly constituted a crisis. "What's difficult about that? Since you can't bring one home, just set up another household outside."

Liu San was startled; he hadn't expected Yang Shixiang to suggest this. After a moment’s hesitation, he shook his head. "That won't work. For now, we're not allowed to establish residences outside Bairren City. Besides..."

Besides, if his wife found out about such audacious behavior, wouldn't she immediately storm over and cause a scene for the whole city to witness? The thought made him realize it was completely unfeasible.

Of course, there was no Women's Federation here to back Wuyunhua. The women among the transmigrators were few, and they couldn't exactly be described as a united front. If it really came to a fight, apart from Du Wen, probably no one would come to Wuyunhua's aid. Liu San realized that, strictly speaking, he could do whatever he wanted when it came to gender relations.

But if he did, years of affection would be destroyed. Liu San couldn't bear that cost.

"Forget it. Let your younger brother work on this slowly," he said listlessly.

Yang Shixiang had already formulated a plan: if Liu San truly desired a concubine, his wife's family had relatives in Zhangzhou who had recently crossed the sea to join him. There were several girls of marriageable age in that branch; arranging for one to become Liu San's concubine would be effortless.

Since Liu San wasn't willing, Yang Shixiang didn't press. What he truly urgently needed to know was this: had the Australians been fatally compromised by this disturbance?

Rumors ran wild outside. Some said the Australians had slaughtered each other, leaving corpses strewn through Bairren City. Others claimed the leaders had set a 'Hongmen Banquet' trap, luring in the troublemakers before dropping a cup as a signal, whereupon arquebuses opened fire, mowing down hundreds instantly. Still others whispered that the main leaders had all been assassinated, and a new faction had seized power.

One rumor veered uncomfortably close to the truth: the 'East Gate Grand Official' who managed the East Gate Market had rebelled, leading his men in an attempt to storm Bairren City. A firefight had erupted at the gates; outnumbered, the Grand Official and his men were wiped out. Some storytellers even vividly described how gunfire had echoed through Bairren City all night long...

The locals weren't very familiar with Dugu Qiuhun, so the protagonist of this tale was often swapped for Dongmen Chuiyu. Since Dongmen Chuiyu had indeed been transferred and vanished from East Gate Market, the rumor gained an air of credibility.

Liu San frowned as he heard how wild the stories had become. What is the Political Security General Administration doing? Didn't such rumors seriously damage the transmigrator collective's "great, glorious, and correct" image?

He had to expend considerable effort to explain to Yang Shixiang that these were merely rumors. As for demonstrations and protests, such things were trivial. Not only had the transmigrator collective's strength remained intact, but after weathering this storm, it would emerge even stronger.

To make his point, he had to outline the electoral system and the basics of their political structure, lest his sworn brother fail to grasp the nuance.

Only after a lengthy explanation did Yang Shixiang feel at ease. He had no interest in political systems, but he understood the core message: this was merely "civil struggle," devoid of the actual bloodletting that would damage their foundation. He relaxed and laughed. "Then I was overly worried. As long as the core strength is unharmed, that is good."

Liu San then pivoted to his plan for developing new medicines. His next targets were Ten Drops Water and Huoxiang Zhengqi Water—two essential summer remedies—as well as an attempt to manufacture Fengyoujing. All were urgently needed for the Yulin development project.

Yang Shixiang had absolute faith in every proposal Liu San made. The patent medicine business was booming so remarkably that he was seriously considering relocating the pharmaceutical workshop from the city to the "Private Enterprise Park" outside Bairren City. Runshitang's current workshop was already bursting at the seams.

"That would be excellent," Liu San thought. This had been part of the plan all along—keeping the factory at Runshitang initially was merely for convenience. Since Yang Shixiang was proposing the move himself, it was perfect.

"Now that I have capital, your elder brother wants to build a grand workshop like those in your Australia! To really do something magnificent." Yang Shixiang was deeply impressed by the Australians' industrial scale. Fueled by wine and recent success, his excitement grew. His cousin, Yang Shiyi, had completely changed his attitude, sending frequent gifts and letters, and adopting a much more respectful tone. He was even courteous to the old manager Liu Benshan, whom Yang Shixiang had sent to Foshan. Moreover, Yang Shiyi had indicated that cash payments were no longer strictly required and credit limits could be raised. After years of suffering his relatives' disdain, Yang Shixiang could finally hold his head high.

The conviction that cooperating with the Australians meant 'Great Enterprise' was now deeply etched in his mind. Hearing that their core strength was intact and their presence in Lingao secure, he was ready to pursue even greater achievements with his sworn brother.

"Your foolish elder brother wants to install those, um, 'machines' in the factory," Yang Shixiang said. "Last time I visited the mill and saw your waterwheel—it was so fast, so fine. Everyone says you Australians are the most ingenious. Surely you have machines for making medicine?"

"There are indeed machines." Liu San nodded. He had long wanted to open a pharmaceutical factory utilizing mechanical processing rather than manual labor. Runshitang currently employed over twenty medicine workers, plus a dozen casual laborers and apprentices. Mechanization could cut that workforce by two-thirds, freeing up capital for expanded production.

The veteran workers, intimately familiar with drug properties and pharmacology, were wasted on simple manual labor.

"What machines are needed?" Yang Shixiang was fascinated by the concept of mechanized production, though he had no concept of the specific machinery required for processing medicinal herbs.

"There are many types." Liu San realized he would need to submit an application. Manufacturing equipment for medicines should receive priority, but since Runshitang was a joint venture, he wasn't sure how the pricing would be determined. He decided to prepare the ground. "The price probably won't be cheap."

"Expensive doesn't matter, as long as it works well—silver sitting in a vault won't breed baby silver!" With money in hand, Yang Shixiang's speech took on a delightfully profound, if slightly dandyish, tone.

"Since Elder Brother has this intention, I'll attend to it the moment I return." Liu San was genuinely excited. This was a classic example—a model of native capitalist cooperation with the transmigrator collective. The Executive Committee would surely grant favorable policies for the sake of future propaganda, perhaps even designating it a "Model Enterprise."

Becoming a positive model would smooth many paths.

In truth, whether Runshitang became a "model" mattered little to Liu San personally—his shareholder status was nominal; the true shareholder was the collective. Yet, he sincerely hoped Runshitang would grow into a pharmaceutical giant in this new world.

His sworn brotherhood with Yang Shixiang had begun as a mere vehicle for cooperation. However, over six months of discussing pharmacology, exchanging knowledge, and managing the business side by side, a deep friendship had taken root. Moreover, Yang's family treated him with a warmth and concern that felt like true kinship. It warmed Liu San's heart.

Naturally, he would look after his sworn brother's interests.

"Then I'll trouble my worthy younger brother with this," Yang Shixiang said excitedly. "I'll instruct Manager Liu right away to recruit more workers from Foshan—"

Liu Benshan was now Runshitang's manager in Foshan, overseeing all of the firm's affairs in Guangdong.

(End of Chapter)