Chapter 163: Compulsory Cooperation

While making these “tragic” preparations, Duoduo Niang arrived. She was now officially a “seasonal worker” at Wang Siniang’s house. Her usual job was to convey Wang Siniang’s “instructions” among the villagers. In Shen Kaibao’s eyes, she had become a “lackey.”

Although everyone couldn’t help but despise her a little, they were also somewhat envious of the “lackey’s” treatment. They heard that Duoduo Niang could earn one tael and two mace of silver a month! This was almost the same as a clerk in a large shop in town, and she could earn more than many men in the village. Therefore, while they despised her inwardly, they couldn’t help but flatter her with a fawning smile every time they saw her, deeply afraid of offending her and having her slander them in front of Wang Siniang, who would then come to collect their debts first.

Duoduo Niang, however, was all smiles. She just told everyone that the Shen family was inviting every household in the village to her house for “drinks” tomorrow night, as a “thank you banquet” for everyone’s business this year.

“The whole family is invited!” Duoduo Niang called out. “A lot of wine and food has been prepared!”

Hearing this, goosebumps rose on the backs of every household. When the master invites the tenants to dinner, it’s never a good thing. It’s either to raise the rent or to take back the tenancy.

Although Wang Siniang’s family was not a landlord, they were everyone’s creditor. When a creditor invites a debtor to dinner, it’s even more self-explanatory.

“I think this is a Hongmen Banquet!” Shen Kaibao said fiercely.

But not going was absolutely impossible. Several boats were also parked in front of Wang Siniang’s house, and “catered” chefs had arrived. They had set up stoves in the courtyard and unloaded baskets of pots, bowls, ladles, and various vegetables and meats. Many women were gathered by the river washing vegetables, and the courtyard was filled with blazing fires and steaming heat. The aroma of the cooking dishes could be smelled throughout the entire village. The children’s mouths watered, and they eagerly awaited the feast that night. It had been several years since they had had such a day. Even the worried adults were enticed and their stomachs rumbled, their mouths watering uncontrollably.

In the evening, the entire village, old and young, went to the courtyard in front of Wang Siniang’s house. Tables and chairs borrowed from various families had already been set up, and torches were lit all around, making it as bright as day. The table full of dishes made everyone’s eyes go straight.

Wang Siniang sat at the head of the table with a broad smile, letting her subordinates greet everyone and seat them. She then said a few polite words and ordered the feast to begin.

There was no wine or water on the table, but the rice was unlimited. For these past few days, everyone had only been able to barely fill their stomachs with coarse food. Now, with delicacies in front of them, who cared what kind of scheme was being sold at this Hongmen Banquet? Everyone ate ravenously, like a storm sweeping through the clouds. In a short while, the cups and plates were in a mess. A few children even mixed the oily soup at the bottom of the plates with their rice and ate bowl after bowl until their stomachs were bulging and they were almost about to burst. Wang Siniang quickly ordered someone to bring vinegar and force-feed them.

Seeing that everyone was full, Wang Siniang finally got to the main topic.

The debts owed by each household could be temporarily not repaid. However, Master Zhao wanted the village to continue raising silkworms—summer and autumn silkworms.

In ancient society, there were instances of raising two or three crops of silkworms a year, but due to the lack of disinfection awareness and methods at that time, continuing to raise a second or third crop after the spring silkworms often led to serious silkworm diseases. Over time, sericulturists rarely raised summer and autumn silkworms.

Specifically, a contract would be signed between the two parties. Master Zhao would lend everyone silkworm eggs, mulberry leaves, and rations as an advance payment, without interest. Each family would be responsible for raising a certain number of silkworm eggs according to their own ability. After the cocoon harvest, the advance payment would be deducted from the value of the cocoons at the contract price, and the remaining cocoons would be purchased at the contract price.

Everyone had heard of raising summer and autumn silkworms, but no one had ever done it. Now that they heard that Master Zhao wanted everyone to raise them, they couldn’t help but look at each other, and no one dared to agree.

“Everyone can rest assured. I have a method for raising summer and autumn silkworms here. I will naturally help everyone take care of them and ensure that everyone’s sericulture is successful,” Wang Siniang said, beating her chest in assurance.

No one believed her words. In their view, this was just a new trick by the rich to harm the farmers.

But now, no one dared to say “no.” Wang Siniang held a handful of promissory notes with a monthly interest of one percent, which were like life-threatening ropes. Who would dare to say no? If Master Zhao sent someone to collect the debts tomorrow, every household would be immediately ruined.

Zhao Yigong knew that in this predicament, the sericulturists, caught between a rock and a hard place, had no choice but to accept his terms. It was difficult to win the trust of the farmers, and it required long and unremitting efforts to get them to cooperate. He had neither enough manpower nor enough time to do it slowly. He could only use the tailwind of this cheap purchase to forcibly impose the conditions on them with lightning speed. Although the means were cruel, it was the most efficient method at present.

Production by order was the first step. To gain the real trust of the sericulturists, they had to wait until after the successful rearing of the summer and autumn silkworms. Only then could they talk about forming a cooperative.

About ten li away from Jixian Village, there was a town called Jiuli. Like most of the water towns in Jiangnan, it was surrounded by rice paddies, scattered lakes, ponds, and rivers.

Jiuli, like most of the small towns in Jiangnan, showed signs of prosperity everywhere. Although it was not a first-class town on the Hangzhou-Jiaxing-Huzhou plain, it had more than five hundred households. On both sides of the stone-paved upper and lower causeways, black-tiled and white-walled houses and shops stood side by side. Rice shops, cloth shops, grain shops, ironware shops, boat gear shops, grocery stores, teahouses… not only did it have everything a normal small town should have, but it also had “big businesses” like silk and satin shops, dyeing houses, and silk firms. There were also several temples and monasteries with incense burning, dedicated to gods and Buddhas.

In the southwest corner of this small town, there was a small but exquisite courtyard. This was Master Cao’s “mansion.”

The country people did not understand the court’s regulations, and in the late Ming society, exceeding one’s status was not as sensitive as in the early days of the dynasty. Master Cao, a scholar-gentry from a scholar’s background, was grandly called “Master,” and his residence was called “Cao Mansion.”

In the waterside pavilion of the “Cao Mansion’s” garden, the sound of clappers being lightly tapped and a woman’s soft singing could be faintly heard.

Master Cao, Cao Guangjiu, was leaning against a concubine couch, his eyes slightly closed, and a faint snore could be heard. A maid knelt by the couch, fighting off the afternoon drowsiness, and gently massaged his legs.

Although he had been asleep for more than a quarter of an hour, neither the singer nor the maid dared to stop without the master’s order.

Master Cao was in his middle age. Although he was a scholar and his family was considered a “family of scholars,” he had no connection with the image of a “pale-faced scholar” or a “Jiangnan romantic talent.” He was a dark and strong man, with a face full of flesh, and even in his sleep, he had a fierce expression.

Cao Guangjiu was a typical “poxue dang”—this was the “title” given by society at that time to such rascals among the scholar-gentry. The “poxue dang” were almost all scholars or imperial college students. They considered themselves to be members of the gentry and could move about in official circles. They usually took on lawsuits, mediated disputes, bullied the weak and feared the strong, and were very shameless.

As for lending money at interest and exploiting the villagers, it was a common practice.

Therefore, the Cao family, which had originally run a private school to make a living, had prospered in just over ten years since Cao Guangjiu became a “poxue dang,” relying on these means of making a living. In recent years, he had also taken on the responsibility of collecting grain taxes for the nearby villages, and every year during the summer and autumn tax seasons, he could make a lot of “extra money” through means such as delaying payments and under-reporting. His family’s business was flourishing.

Although Cao Guangjiu was a “poxue dang” and had done many unconscionable things outside, his table manners in his own hometown were still decent. Not only was the interest on his loans lower than the usual, but he was also more restrained in his actions. This was not because he was kind-hearted, but because the literary and examination culture in Jiangnan was extremely prosperous, and there were many people with official ranks. The power of the gentry was very great. He was just a scholar. If he really angered a powerful gentry, a single note could get him into trouble. The ordinary gentry also held the mentality of “better to offend a gentleman than a villain,” so they kept to themselves.

Recently, when the news that someone was lending money at a monthly interest of one percent in Jixian Village and the surrounding dozen or so villages reached his ears, Cao Guangjiu sent someone to inquire who was willing to do such a good deed and lend money at this rate. Although lending at high interest was one of his “business activities,” he had never dared to form a monopoly in the vicinity. Lending money at interest was the main means of making a living for the gentry and masters, and he, a “poxue dang,” would never dream of eating alone.

But this blatant “business-grabbing” move caught his attention. He sent a few people to inquire and learned that the person behind the loan was a “scholar-master” surnamed Zhao from Hangzhou city, and this scholar-gentry had a high reputation among the gentry in Hangzhou, especially among the Catholic gentry, where he had great influence.

After inquiring about this, Cao Guangjiu had no other thoughts. If you don’t have the diamond, don’t take on the porcelain work. No wonder this Master Zhao dared to send people to “grab business” so openly. He, a “poxue dang,” could certainly cause trouble for him, but the other party’s background was deep. If he really investigated, he would definitely not be able to stand up to it. Besides, there were many gentry lending money here, and he was not the biggest one. Why should he take the lead? When it got big enough, a master would naturally step forward.

Cao Guangjiu thus retreated. These days were the busy farming season. It was not the time to pay taxes, and no one had time to file lawsuits. His “business” was not much. Besides going to the teahouse every morning to “show off,” inquire about news, and see if there were any opportunities for making a living with his “friends” from all walks of life, he spent his days leisurely at home.

His snoring grew louder. At this moment, the steward came hurrying along the garden path, holding a visiting card.

When Cao Guangjiu was sleeping, his subordinates did not dare to disturb him. Anyone who disturbed him would be tied up and beaten half to death. But today’s guest was no small matter. The steward walked into the waterside pavilion and called out softly a few times.

“What’s the matter?” Cao Guangjiu was woken up and was originally full of anger. Seeing that it was the steward, he knew it must be something important and quickly asked.

“A guest has come to visit.”