Chapter 12: Intimate Bonds Within the Family

As time slowly passed, Wu Tiande gradually adapted to this intersecting world.

Economically, relying on the steady monthly profit of twenty to thirty taels of silver from the "Truly Flavorful Fast Food Shop," Wu Tiande not only successfully managed the social expenses at work but also repaid most of his accumulated debts over the years.

The reason some debts remained unpaid was not that Wu Tiande was unwilling to settle them, but because the creditors refused to accept repayment.

For example, he owed Jia Rui ten taels of silver, but Jia Rui resolutely refused to take the money, saying it would be recorded as a store account and could be claimed later when needed.

This was because the venerable Jia Dairu strictly supervised his grandson Jia Rui, fearing that if he had money, he might lose his way. If Jia Rui kept the ten taels on him, his grandfather might confiscate it one day; it was safer to keep it with Wu Tiande.

Since Wu Tiande and Jia Rui were schoolmates and close friends, and Wu Tiande owned such a large store, it was impossible for him to secretly withhold that small sum.

Wu Tiande also owed Jia Yun twenty taels of silver. When Jia Yun’s mother, Madam Bu, first came to demand repayment, she took ten taels to buy New Year’s goods. But she was less anxious about the remaining ten taels.

Hearing that Lady Lou was highly trusted by Wu Tiande and managed the fast food shop, Madam Bu suggested that instead of repaying directly, Wu Tiande could arrange a job for Jia Yun at the shop, offsetting the debt with wages.

Madam Bu’s cautious approach was not without reason, but it made Wu Tiande feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Lady Lou had already used this tactic before, and now Madam Bu was imitating it, as if treating Wu Tiande like a fool.

Still, compared to the behavior of the Zhou and Jia Qin families, the attitude of Madam Bu and Jia Yun was much better. Jia Yun was willing to lend the family’s last twenty taels to Wu Tiande, deceived as he was by the original body’s circumstances, but there was still genuine goodwill in it.

In light of this, Wu Tiande showed some kindness to Madam Bu and Jia Yun.

Whenever business was booming during holidays, and the fast food shop was overwhelmed, he would invite Madam Bu and Jia Yun to work as temporary laborers, so they could earn a bit to support their household.

In terms of his official career, Wu Tiande also made a small advancement. He had been promoted from a junior banner officer in the Divine Machine Battalion to the position of chief banner officer, ranked seventh grade.

Two main factors contributed to Wu Tiande’s promotion.

First, on the grassroots level, he had allied himself with his direct superior, Chief Banner Officer Deng Gang; they formed a community of interests.

Deng Gang had invested heavily with the battalion commander Sun Shaozu. After Sun Shaozu secured the post of defender of Tongzhou, he recommended Deng Gang for the position of left-wing company captain of the infantry. The vacancy left by Deng Gang was then recommended to Wu Tiande.

After all, it was thanks to Wu Tiande’s efforts that Deng Gang earned several hundred taels of silver. Moreover, he had taken the opportunity to connect with Bao Er’s wife, involving money and beauty. This enormous favor made him hesitant to speak authoritatively in front of Wu Tiande without repaying it.

Second, on the higher level, Wu Tiande’s former lord, Prince Wang Zitong, now the military commissioner of the capital garrison, could have personally proposed Wu Tiande’s promotion, but that might have been seen as nepotism.

Instead, it only required his signature on Sun Shaozu’s recommendation letter, making the matter much easier.

If asked, he could gracefully respond that since Sun Shaozu was about to be transferred to Tongzhou, it was only proper to grant him this small favor.

Although both grassroots and high-level channels were cleared, and Wu Tiande’s promotion was confirmed, with the official appointment document issued by the Ministry of War in late spring, Wu Tiande could not be stingy; he had to show gratitude for the favors received.

Regarding Prince Wang Zitong, whose status was far above his, Wu Tiande was not yet qualified to visit him in person. Instead, he entrusted someone to buy two pots of white begonias, spending less than ten taels, and sent them to the prince’s wife as a humble token of appreciation.

At the promotion banquet for the new defender of Tongzhou, Sun Shaozu, Wu Tiande finally earned a seat at the table. Although placed outside under a colorful canopy, it was still better than the poor junior banner officers crouching in the corners eating plain steamed buns.

The banquet was lavish but cost ten taels of silver in gifts—almost half a month’s profit from the fast food shop—which made Wu Tiande feel quite resentful.

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At the celebration banquet for the newly appointed company captain Deng Gang, Wu Tiande at least managed to secure a seat at the main table.

The company captain held sixth rank, and if Deng Gang performed well, he could be promoted within a year or so, removing the provisional "trial" title.

At this critical moment, Deng Gang kept a low profile.

On the evening of May 4th, he arranged two simple tables within the camp, inviting only two chief banner officers and a dozen junior banners under his command.

This was a strategy of dividing the celebration into smaller parts.

It was said that he also held several banquets in Xiaohuazhi Alley, inviting fellow townsmen, neighbors, and business partners—Bao Er and his wife attended one of these.

Deng Gang also hosted a separate table at Qingyun Tower in Beijing City, inviting the newly appointed battalion commander and company captains, a level above Wu Tiande’s current rank, which he could only hear about from afar.

Wu Tiande spent five taels on gifts and, after the camp banquet, slept soundly through the night. Early the next morning, he attended roll call at dawn and then immediately returned to Beijing City.

With Deng Gang’s patronage, Wu Tiande’s attendance requirements could now be more flexible.

Coincidentally, May 5th was the Dragon Boat Festival. Although the festive atmosphere in Beijing City was not as intense as in southern regions—with no large crowds, dragon boat races, or thunderous drums—it was still different from ordinary days.

In the streets and alleys, vendors sold mugwort and calamus. Housewives spent two copper coins to buy a bunch, then hung the fresh green leaves on their red-painted doorframes, brightening the otherwise dull and peaceful life.

Amid the faint scent of mugwort, Wu Tiande returned to Ningrong Street. He saw that under the newly erected canopy in front of his shop hung strings of zongzi.

Unlike the southern meat, alkaline water, and plain rice zongzi, here they mostly made jujube-filled and red bean paste zongzi. The reed leaves used for wrapping were picked from the Yongding River, thoroughly washed to remove all aquatic odor.

Temporary worker Madam Bu was busy tying the zongzi into bundles with straw rope. Seeing Wu Tiande return, she smiled and said, “Master Wu, your idea was great. We heard that during today’s meals at the shop, zongzi were given for free. The number of customers increased by at least thirty percent.”

“Exactly. Work hard, and I’ll give everyone a bonus later,” Wu Tiande said with a hearty laugh.

Just as he was about to step inside, Madam Bu leaned in mysteriously and whispered, “General Wu, I heard that after your promotion to chief banner officer, you can assign a few personal guards to receive military pay?”

“Heh, your information is quite up-to-date!” Wu Tiande teased.

“You know, the Jia family was once a noble military family. Relying on this connection, Yun’s father served as a company captain in the capital garrison for several years and saved up some assets. Unfortunately, during the late emperor’s personally led campaign, they were besieged by the Mongols. Yun’s father’s unit participated in the rescue but was killed in Longqing Prefecture, Huailai County. Leaving us orphaned and widowed, struggling to get by, barely enough to eat...” Madam Bu’s eyes welled with tears.

Despite her sorrowful tale, Wu Tiande didn’t offer consolation. He had lost three family members in the same war—worse off than Madam Bu and the Jia family—and had no comforting words to spare.

Madam Bu soon realized this, wiped her tears, and forced a smile. “Thankfully, it’s all in the past, and Yun has grown up. Since he’s idle, it would be better for him to serve as your personal guard. Even if he doesn’t receive monthly pay, it would at least save us some expenses.”

Of course, there was an unspoken truth: if Yun became Wu Tiande’s personal guard, Madam Bu’s temporary job at the fast food shop could be upgraded to permanent, a subtle way to improve their situation.

“Alright. But I’ll be upfront—don’t expect any military pay; I don’t even get any myself,” Wu Tiande said with a wry smile.

Deng Gang had explained this the night before at the banquet: the imperial treasury was in deficit and could only guarantee military pay for nine major border garrisons, sometimes delayed. Secondary forces like the capital garrison, which didn’t undertake combat missions, were ensured just enough to prevent starvation. Actual pay awaited better financial conditions.

Currently, as chief banner officer, Wu Tiande should command fifty soldiers, but in reality, he was still a lone commander.

According to camp rules, he could embezzle ten percent of the soldiers’ pay—equivalent to the pay of five soldiers. Whether he used this money to maintain bodyguards, cultivate loyal followers, purchase land and houses, indulge in drinking, or support performers, no one cared.

He only had to show up at the annual autumn military drills with a group of men—old or young—on time. It didn’t matter if they were well-trained veterans or street ruffians hired temporarily.

Of course, a chief banner officer needed some loyal bodyguards.

Generally, anyone who became a camp officer had to cultivate some trusted followers according to their means—not only to fulfill court expectations but also to advance their careers.

Otherwise, when facing battle, they would miss opportunities for glory and might lose their lives.

Wu Tiande understood this well.

He had already planned ahead, hiring four men—Jia Zhi, Jia Jun, and brothers Jiao Fu and Jiao Gui—as his personal guards.

Jia Zhi had often worked short-term under Wu Tiande. Seeing his honest, diligent, and nimble nature, Wu Tiande was inclined to recruit him.

More importantly, Jia Zhi was literate and had reportedly passed the county-level student exam in Wanping. Wu Tiande could entrust him with official documents, sparing himself the burden of paperwork.

Jia Zhi himself was eager, having lost both parents and with two elder sisters married far away in Jinling. He lived alone in Beijing City, often going hungry and seldom enjoying a hot meal.

Although Wu Tiande’s official position was modest, as long as he could provide three meals a day, Jia Zhi was content.

Jia Jun, though younger, was ambitious. Seeing that the Jia family’s charity school was full of unruly troublemakers, he lost interest in studying and wished to follow Wu Tiande to learn martial arts.

Wu Tiande accepted him as a disciple and taught him the Wang family swordsmanship. Lady Lou thought studying was the proper path but had to yield to Jia Jun’s strong will.

Being young, Jia Jun wasn’t yet of great use and currently served as Wu Tiande’s errand boy.

Jiao Fu and Jiao Gui, older brothers from Ningguo Prefecture, were recommended by Jiao Da. Though no longer young, they had been unemployed for some time. Their adoptive father, Jiao Er, worried about their increasing appetite draining resources, seeing idleness as unsustainable.

His wife, Madam Qin, was dissatisfied too. Although Jiao Da had sold Jiao Zhong into servitude at the Rong household and arranged for Jiao Ya to be a maid at the fast food shop, giving the brothers a lifeline, she did not want to see them loafing about.

Fearing conflict with Jiao Da, she showed Jiao Er no kindness. Previously, when in a good mood, she allowed Jiao Er to massage her swollen chest, rewarding him sweetly. Now, she refused even once, enraging Jiao Er to the point of nearly injuring his old back.

In frustration, Jiao Er once again appealed to Jiao Da, whose tearful expression made refusal seem heartless.

Reluctantly, Jiao Da sought help from Wu Tiande, offering to subsidize half of the annual eighteen taels of military pay per brother.

“Think of it as buying peace of mind,” Jiao Da said, handing Wu Tiande eighteen taels and grumbling about Jiao Er’s harassment.

With Jiao Da’s backing, the two brothers joined with financial support. Wu Tiande welcomed them; even if they weren’t very capable, as long as they helped in the shop by pushing carts through the streets or filled numbers during roll call, he would not lose out.

Given his status and resources, these four personal guards sufficed for the time being. But since Madam Bu had requested, and Jia Yun had helped him before, adding one more was acceptable.

Wu Tiande told Madam Bu, “Since you’re willing, have Yun come by this afternoon. I’ll teach him some sword techniques. If he masters them, he’ll always have a way to make a living.”

Madam Bu was deeply grateful.