Chapter 018: Schemes and Calculations (Part Three—Please Vote!)

Wei Ba did some quick calculations: a hundred Han jin was roughly twenty-five kilograms. In later times, this might not seem impressive, but in this era, soldiers had to carry far too much. Weapons, armor—none of which were light. They didn’t have Kevlar helmets or bulletproof vests; even their weapons were long and heavy spears or ring-bladed swords, plus bows and arrows. If the officer was of higher rank, there would be iron armor added as well, a full suit weighing about sixteen or seventeen kilograms, the equivalent of seventy or eighty Han jin.

In other words, one could either carry weapons or grain, but not both. Only then would those provincial soldiers have a chance to fulfill Father’s plan for a surprise attack through the Zigui Valley. Even so, they would only have ten days of supplies. If they couldn’t find more within that time, they’d either have to retreat or gamble everything—risking all their lives for another ten days.

It still sounded extremely unreliable.

Wei Ba shook his head, pushing the matter aside for now. There was still a small but urgent task at hand. Since Lady Zhang had shown such magnanimity, he couldn’t be discourteous; proper etiquette was still necessary—after all, she remained the highest authority in the manor.

Wei Ba gathered a stack of newly printed forms and, with Steward Chen in tow, made his way to the small building in the back courtyard where Lady Zhang resided. Huan’er had already changed into a brand-new brocade dress. At the sight of Wei Ba, she involuntarily shivered, forcing a smile as she bowed and said, “Young Master, are you here to see the Lady?”

Wei Ba nodded politely, shaking the forms in his hand. “The new forms have just been finished; I’d like to ask for the Lady’s opinion, to see if they’re suitable.” His gaze lingered on Huan’er’s brocade attire. He mused that his own mother had been ecstatic over receiving just two bolts of brocade, yet here was a maid beside Lady Zhang always dressed in brocade, and clearly with more than one set—such distinctions were certainly drawn sharply.

Huan’er turned, lifted the beaded curtain, and bowed in invitation. “The Lady is waiting inside, please come in, Young Master.”

Wei Ba calmly removed his shoes and stepped into Lady Zhang’s room. The chamber was not large nor overly ornate, but its materials and craftsmanship spoke of understated luxury. Lady Zhang had a round face, fair skin, delicate brows and large eyes, and with a touch of powder, possessed the poised elegance of a noble household. When she saw Wei Ba enter, she smiled faintly and extended her hand, her fingertips showing beneath her embroidered sleeve. “A-Ba, come—sit.”

“Thank you, Lady.” Wei Ba saluted and sat in the place she indicated, presenting the forms with both hands. “Lady…”

She acknowledged him with a small sound and then smiled, “What is it? Are you still holding a grudge against Zhang Ping, that you won’t even call me Mother?”

Wei Ba was caught off guard but quickly recovered, hastening to correct himself. “That’s all in the past, and you’ve already punished him. I wouldn’t hold it against him—my tongue simply slipped. I hope you’ll forgive me, Mother. Um… how is Steward Zhang’s injury?”

“It’s nothing, he’s thick-skinned—he’ll be fine after a few days in bed.” Lady Zhang took the forms with a casual air. “I’ve been unwell recently and neglected my duties, so the staff have grown a bit lax. I was just planning to discipline them, but you took care of it for me—well done. Besides, you saved Huan’er’s life, and I haven’t thanked you yet…”

Wei Ba smiled. “Mother, that’s nothing to speak of. It was a mere trifle, and among family—there’s no need for such formality.”

Lady Zhang regarded him with interest, nodding in approval. “A-Ba, you’ve made great progress since your return, and I’m very pleased. With your help, I believe your father and brother will have a much easier time in the future. And I know you’re fond of Huan’er, but you’re still young; your focus should be on your work. In a few years, after you’ve made your mark, I’ll reward you with Huan’er—how would that be?”

At these words, Huan’er turned pale, looking at Lady Zhang in terror, but Lady Zhang pretended not to notice, her eyes fixed on Wei Ba with a gentle smile. Embarrassed, Wei Ba managed an awkward smile but did not reply, looking both pleased and flustered by having his feelings exposed. Lady Zhang noticed this and chuckled inwardly before turning her attention to the forms, giving a word of praise. “Hmm, these are much clearer. I imagine they’ll be quite useful. So, can the task be completed?”

“Steward Chen has said that by tomorrow morning, twenty thousand pages will be ready and sent to the county seat, for the prefecture to distribute to the counties. I wanted to ask, Mother—should we print more? Are there other places that might need these ledgers?”

Lady Zhang pondered for a moment. “Print a few more. I think the families in Hanzhong will need them as well. But the demand is limited; there’s no use in printing too many. Prepare ten thousand more at most. The lithograph can be kept—whenever there’s need, more can be printed.”

Wei Ba smiled. “Mother is quite right, which is what Steward Chen also said. However, he believes this printing method could be used for other things as well.”

“Oh?” Lady Zhang looked toward the doorway. “Huan’er, have him come in.”

Huan’er rose to call Steward Chen inside. His status was too low to be offered a seat, so he stood by the door, explaining his money-making ideas one by one. Lady Zhang listened quietly, nodding with satisfaction. “This is indeed a good source of income. I’ll leave it to you. Zhang Ping is injured and should rest, so you’ll have to take on more of the outside affairs.”

Steward Chen was overjoyed, thanking her profusely before leaving in high spirits. Lady Zhang then asked Wei Ba about his current projects, especially the iron spades and weapons, with keen interest. Upon learning that the iron spade’s efficiency was triple that of the wooden one, she nodded repeatedly in delight. And when she heard that the new weapons would cost twenty percent less to make while being thirty percent sharper, her eyes lit up with joy. “Really?”

“Mother, your insight is keen—I wouldn’t dare exaggerate before you,” Wei Ba replied with a faint smile.

Lady Zhang detected the deeper meaning in his words but chose to feign ignorance. Joyfully, she praised him. “A-Ba, among your brothers, you may be the weakest in body, but you’re the most clever. With you and A-Wu assisting A-Feng, our family’s prestige will surely rise. You must all work hard and not grow complacent. As the saying goes, 'If two people are of one heart, their strength can cut through metal.' You must remember this.”

Wei Ba, too, pretended not to notice the underlying message, and answered solemnly. After a few more words of small talk, he took his leave.

Huan’er escorted Wei Ba and Steward Chen out of the courtyard, then hurried back inside, looking at Lady Zhang pitifully. “Lady, you’re not really going to give me to him, are you? You know, Lady, in my heart… there’s only the Young Master.”

“I understand what’s in your heart. But Wei Ba has some good ideas; if we can win him over, it’ll be a great help to A-Feng. Since you care for A-Feng, won’t you do something for him?” Lady Zhang spoke gently. “Besides, I only said it—I haven’t promised to give you away. We’ll see if he’s truly useful first.”

Huan’er felt somewhat reassured at these words. Though she resented being used as a pawn to win over Wei Ba, what could she do? Even if Lady Zhang decided to give her to him, she could only obey.

A maid is always just a maid—no matter how favored, she remains a servant.

…

Wei Ba and Steward Chen returned to the printing workshop. Having been entrusted with new responsibilities, Steward Chen was highly motivated. He immediately took out a dozen printed forms to start on the detailed accounts for Wei Ba’s new project. Watching him bustle about, Wei Ba was reminded of his own days in the office, working tirelessly for two years before finally being promoted to junior supervisor—a memory that left him quietly reflective.

After recording the accounts, Steward Chen took out his bamboo counting rods to calculate total costs and estimated profits. Watching the neat rows of rods, Wei Ba suddenly asked, “Don’t you have an abacus?”

Steward Chen, still arranging the rods, looked up. “What’s an abacus?”

Wei Ba was stunned. In his memory, the Han dynasty had abacuses—though not the modern type, but the bead abacus, using a grooved board with two colors of beads, and the method was much the same as later abacuses. He’d seen museum relics and always thought it was common, yet here was a steward who dealt with accounts daily and didn’t even know what an abacus was.

But the abacus wasn’t complicated—it would be easy to make. Wei Ba couldn’t help but laugh. “Steward Chen, before you finish the accounts, find me a carpenter.”

“A carpenter? To carve more printing boards? There’s no rush.”

“No, it’s for something to help with accounting. If there’s time, I’d like it sent out with the ledgers tomorrow. Steward Chen, you’ll probably need to deliver the ledgers to the counties yourself, and also teach them how to use these things.”

Steward Chen looked at Wei Ba in surprise, his eyes brightening. Ever since Wei Ba had taken him to see Lady Zhang, he knew he’d made a good impression. This was another opportunity to stand out. Realizing this, he immediately got up to find a carpenter.

When the carpenter arrived, Wei Ba had already sketched an abacus design. Steward Chen was delighted, slapping his thigh with praise. “Young Master, this is brilliant! It’s much more convenient than counting rods. I bet this abacus will sell well too. No, I’ll have to put the Wei family mark on it—no one else gets to copy it. Haha, they might not control it elsewhere, but in Hanzhong, our Wei family’s word still carries weight.”

Wei Ba was taken aback—was this an attempt to use official power to monopolize the market? The Wei clan certainly lived up to their reputation; even a steward knew how to leverage power for profit. But little did Steward Chen know: Chancellor Zhuge was coming soon, and the Wei family’s reign in Hanzhong was nearing its end. He wouldn’t have time to make much money from this scheme.

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Chapter Three is complete. The novel is now thirteenth on the New Books list, just one step from the front page. Please help get it there for more exposure!