Chapter 26: An Invitation from the Yunyang Poetry Society

As the first shop to offer fragrance, it had only been operating for three days, yet it brought Jiang Han a massive income.

Although the pricing for the "Dark Fragrance" perfume was high, it remained in short supply. Some merchants even turned around and resold it for fifteen taels of silver per bottle.

Jiang Han was kept so busy he was spinning in circles. He realized that this wouldn't do; he needed to hire a few people to act as an absentee manager, otherwise, he would surely work himself to death sooner or later.

Early this morning, he headed out to a small tavern in the East Market.

A small flag was planted in front of the tavern, bearing four large characters: "Wu's Tavern."

The place was desolate, with hardly a soul in sight.

"Shopkeeper, is anyone there?" Jiang Han raised his voice and shouted twice.

"Here!" A sudden, high-pitched yelp rang out. A little thing came scurrying out from behind the counter, slamming on the brakes right in front of Jiang Han, eyes wide, gazing at him expectantly.

Jiang Han sized up the little girl. She looked to be about six or seven years old, tiny, with a pair of clear, black-and-white eyes that were quite adorable.

Jiang Han waved his hand. "Where are your elders?"

"Big Brother! Someone's here!" the little one piped up, tilting her head back to holler.

"Coming."

Before the person even appeared, a voice as harsh as a broken gong rang out, giving Jiang Han a start.

A man nearly nine feet tall, shaped like an iron tower, emerged from the back room. A simple, honest smile rested on his face as he scratched his head and grinned, saying, "Does the customer wish to buy some wine?"

Jiang Han looked up at the man. "How is your wine?"

"Please wait a moment, sir." The man turned and went back into the room, returning with a ladle of wine.

Jiang Han took a sip. The taste was bland, probably around fifteen percent alcohol—even worse than what he had bought at the restaurant last time. But for the purposes of distillation, it didn't matter.

"How much for a catty?"

"Four hundred wen per catty."

"I want one hundred catties. Can you deliver it to my residence?"

A brilliant smile instantly lit up the man's face. Had he encountered a big client today?

"Of course, sir! Please leave your address, and I will deliver it shortly."

Jiang Han pulled a tael of silver from his pocket and placed it on the counter. "This is the deposit. The address is..."

After leaving the address, he asked casually, "What is your surname, shopkeeper?"

"My surname is Wu, and my given name is Wenhua."

Jiang Han paused. Wu Wenhua? No culture?

"Your name... is certainly interesting."

"Heh heh, my parents gave it to me. People say it's a good one." Wu Wenhua scratched his head and gave a simple smile.

"I'll pay the rest of the silver once you deliver the goods." Jiang Han grinned. He looked at the little one and fished a piece of candy from his pocket to hand to her. "Is she your younger sister?"

The little girl looked none too bright—quite silly, actually—but she took the candy and stuffed it into her mouth, her face quickly lighting up with joy.

"That is my sister, Wu Yun. It’s just the two of us against the world," Wu Wenhua chuckled.

As he spoke, he went to fetch the wine. Jiang Han watched as he picked up two large wine jars, one in each hand, and hoisted them onto the ox cart outside without the slightest effort.

Jiang Han was stunned. That giant of a man had serious strength! Each of those large jars must weigh a hundred catties, right? And he lifted them so easily?

"Impressive strength! Have you trained in martial arts?"

"Not a practitioner, sir. I've just been born with raw strength." Wu Wenhua grinned. Perhaps because Jiang Han had given his sister a candy, he became more talkative. "I originally wanted to join the army to win some military merit, but my parents passed away, and I had to look after my little sister, so I couldn't go. I had no choice but to open a tavern here."

Jiang Han said, "Doing business is fine too. How is the wine selling?"

Hearing this question, Wu Wenhua awkwardly scratched his head and smiled sheepishly. "To be honest, sir, business is not very good. Not many people come to buy wine... I was planning to close the shop next month and look for another way to make a living."

A truly honest and simple man... Jiang Han looked at Wu Wenhua, his eyes shifting. He was in need of manpower, and this giant seemed like a perfect fit.

"If you are looking for work, why not come and help me? I plan to brew wine as well. I'll offer you a monthly salary of two taels of silver, plus room and board."

"This..." Wu Wenhua was startled. A monthly salary of two taels? Wasn't that salary way too high? And it included room and board?

Wu Wenhua felt tempted. "Is what you say true, sir?"

"Of course it's true. If you're willing, bring your sister and come find me," Jiang Han said.

Wu Wenhua scratched his head, hesitant. "But my sister has a huge appetite. I'm afraid she might eat you out of house and home, sir."

Jiang Han waved his hand. "How much could a five or six-year-old child possibly eat? You think I can't afford that? Think it over carefully, and if you're willing, come find me."

After leaving Wu's Tavern, Jiang Han pondered other matters. The perfume business was already on the right track. As for the distilled wine, he would first produce two jars to present to Zhong Liyou, so as to solidify his relationship with this great scholar.

If he wanted to open a tavern, he might still need to rely on this scholar's connections.

Furthermore, his current detached residence was truly a bit cramped. Now that it was filled with a pile of goods, it was almost blocked up; he needed to move to a larger courtyard.

Lost in thought, Jiang Han returned to the residence.

Just as he reached the gate, a scholar approached him with a smile. "Young Master Jiang, you've finally returned. I've been waiting here for quite some time."

"Who are you? Do you need something from me?" Jiang Han eyed the man.

"I am Zhou Kang, from the Yunyang Poetry Society. Young Master Jiang, your talent is overflowing, and I would like to invite you to attend the Spring Outing Literary Gathering our society is holding next month," the scholar smiled.

"Ah, this..." Jiang Han was taken aback.

Looking at Jiang Han, Zhou Kang recalled the instructions from Young Master Yin Rong. Although he held the man before him in utter contempt, he still squeezed out a smile and said, "Our Yunyang Poetry Society plans to go on a spring outing and gather inspiration on the day of the Qingming Festival—first to recruit new members, and second to compose new poetry. Your talent is overflowing, and our society truly values such a gifted scholar, which is why we have specifically invited you."

Jiang Han shook his head upon hearing this. In the Great Yu Dynasty, there were plenty of these literary gatherings organized by scholars. One for Qingming, another for the Dragon Boat Festival—but what was the point of attending? It didn't earn any money.

He did not care for this kind of useless socializing.

Seeing that Jiang Han was about to refuse, Zhou Kang hurriedly pulled out an invitation and shoved it into his hand. "Young Master Jiang, please, you must attend. The Yunyang Poetry Society awaits your presence."

"Hey, wait, I haven't agreed yet..." Before Jiang Han could react, Zhou Kang had already left.

He frowned as he looked at the invitation in his hand. Where would he find the time to attend some literary gathering? If he had that kind of time, he might as well go visit a brothel!

Entering the courtyard, he tossed the invitation into the wastebasket. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him.

Oh, speaking of visiting a brothel, he had never been to one yet!

Since he had managed to come to this world, he should at least experience the scene at a brothel and appreciate the local customs and culture, shouldn't he?

The pleasure houses and the life of indulgence—the dream of every man!

Perhaps he should go and broaden his horizons tonight?

Jiang Han stroked his chin, lost in thought.