Su Family Escort Agency lay deathly quiet at dawn.
When Su Derong pushed open the agency's gate, he couldn't help but pause.
The courtyard was too quiet.
There was none of the usual racket of the porters shouting as they hauled cargo, no crisp clatter of hooves against the flagstones, and no shouts or measured breathing from the escort guards practicing their forms at dawn.
Only the wind moaned through the passageway, sending a few dead leaves swirling across the blue-brick ground before they settled again without a sound.
His heart sank, and his hand tightened around his fan.
The main hall doors stood open, shadows shifting within.
Stepping over the threshold, he found Zhou Yong, Wang Gui, Zhao Tieshan, and the others seated or standing in the main hall, every face grave.
When Su Derong entered, they all rose.
"Young Gang Leader."
Su Derong raised a hand, motioning them to sit. He went to the rosewood armchair beside the seat of honor but did not sit down at once. His gaze swept over everyone in the hall before settling on Zhou Yong. "Escort Guard Zhou, how are your injuries?"
Zhou Yong tugged at the corner of his mouth, trying to smile, but it looked more like a grimace. "Just flesh wounds. I won't die. It's just... we lost five brothers."
Su Derong fell silent for a moment, then slowly nodded. "I already know what happened."
Zhou Yong's Adam's apple bobbed. He lowered his voice. "This subordinate failed in his duty. I beg the Young Gang Leader to punish me."
Su Derong did not answer at once.
He turned and walked beneath the gilded plaque on the north wall of the main hall.
The four characters on it, "Honor and Trust First," were the foundation of the Su Family Escort Agency, written by Grandfather Su himself all those years ago.
"Punish you?" Su Derong suddenly laughed, with a hint of self-mockery in his voice. "What would I punish you for? For fighting to the death to protect the cargo, for refusing to retreat even as you bled? Or for... failing to overcome the odds and kill three Dark Strength fighters?"
He turned around, his gaze sweeping across every person in the hall. "This job was accepted by the Su Family. The route was chosen by my uncle. You risked your lives on behalf of my family. If anyone deserves blame, I should be the first—the Young Gang Leader."
Zhou Yong opened his mouth as if to say something, but Su Derong raised a hand to stop him.
Just then, hurried, unsteady footsteps sounded outside the hall.
Old Zhou, the accounts manager, came rushing in with a thick ledger in his arms.
The old gentleman had kept the Su Family's accounts for more than twenty years. Now his face was ashen, his forehead slick with cold sweat, and the hand holding the ledger trembled violently.
"Y-Young Gang Leader..." Old Zhou's voice shook.
Su Derong looked at him. "Mr. Zhou, what is it?"
Old Zhou spread the ledger across the long table, then tremblingly pointed to several figures marked in red ink. His voice was filled with despair. "Since the master took men north to escort that major shipment, more than two months have passed. In that time, the agency has taken on nine escort jobs. Of those... five were robbed, three merely broke even, and only one turned a small profit. The agency has suffered a net loss of... of four hundred taels of gold!"
"What?!" Wang Gui sprang to his feet, knocking over the bench behind him.
Zhao Tieshan sucked in a sharp breath, his face turning ashen.
Zhou Yong stared at the appalling figures in the ledger, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles creaked.
Four hundred taels of gold.
Even during the Su Family Escort Agency's heyday, that was a full year's net profit.
With times so hard and the escort business already shrinking, this loss could drain most of the Su Family's wealth.
Old Zhou continued, his voice growing fainter. "And that doesn't include compensation for the fallen brothers, medicine for the wounded, or reimbursement for the stolen goods... If we count all of it, I fear... I fear..."
He could not bring himself to finish, but everyone in the hall understood.
Su Derong slowly walked to the long table and bent over the ledger.
He studied it carefully, turning the pages one by one and pausing over every figure.
The hall was deathly silent, broken only by the soft rustling of pages and everyone's heavy breathing.
After a long while, Su Derong closed the ledger.
He looked up. The shock and heaviness had vanished from his face, replaced by calm.
"Mr. Zhou," he said, his voice clear and steady. "Pay compensation to the families of the fallen brothers at the highest rate. If they have elderly parents or young children at home, add two taels of silver each month for their support, until the elders pass away and the children come of age. The agency will cover all medical expenses for the wounded. If anyone is disabled and can no longer work as an escort guard, keep them on at the agency in an easy post, with their monthly pay unchanged."
Old Zhou stared at him. "Young Gang Leader, this... the expense..."
Su Derong cut him off, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Do it. If we don't have enough silver, I'll find a way to get it. But not a single coin of compensation or medical expenses will be cut, and not a moment of it will be delayed."
He paused, then continued. "Starting today, the agency will stop taking long-distance, high-value jobs. We'll pull in our people and concentrate our strength on guarding the last short-distance route. The profits are thin, but the journey is short and there are fewer points of risk. Right now, it's... our only way to stay afloat."
Zhao Tieshan couldn't help speaking up. "Young Gang Leader, are we really just going to give up the last main route and two branch routes?"
Su Derong looked at him, his gaze sharp. "What else can we do? Master Zhao, how many escort guards do we still have who can fight? How many porters are in good shape? If we force ourselves to keep going and burn through what little we have left, the Su Family Escort Agency's signboard will truly come crashing down."
Zhao Tieshan opened his mouth, then finally lowered his head in defeat and said nothing more.
Su Derong returned to the seat of honor.
This time, he did not hesitate. He swept aside the hem of his robe and settled firmly into the rosewood armchair, a symbol of power and responsibility.
He sat straight-backed, his hands resting on the armrests, and surveyed everyone in the hall.
"I know that for years I've been idling at martial arts schools and listening to songs in the pleasure quarters, barely giving the agency a thought." He spoke slowly, his expression serious. "All of you uncles and brothers have worked hard to keep the Su family business going."
He rose and bowed deeply to everyone in the hall.
"Everyone, thank you for all your hard work."
Zhou Yong, Wang Gui, Zhao Tieshan, and the others hurried to their feet. Their eyes reddened at once as they clasped their fists and bowed in return, their voices choked with emotion. "Young Gang Leader!" "You mustn't!"
Su Derong straightened and continued. "My uncle is bedridden now. It's time for me to shoulder this burden. The road ahead will be hard, but I, Su Derong, give you my word today: as long as I have food to eat, my brothers won't go hungry. As long as I'm still here, the Su Family Escort Agency's signboard will never fall."
"Mr. Zhou, calculate the compensation and medical expenses now. Bring me the figures in an hour."
"Master Zhao, inventory and inspect every weapon, suit of armor, and horse and carriage in the storeroom. Don't leave out a single item."
"Zhou Yong, Wang Gui, draw up a list of everyone still fit to fight. Divide them into three shifts according to their injuries and martial skills, and make their duties clear."
He issued one order after another, each precise and without the slightest hesitation.
The people in the hall seemed to find their backbone again. They answered in a booming chorus: "Yes!"
Then they took their orders and left.
Only Su Derong remained in the main hall.
He slowly sank back into the armchair, tipped his head back, closed his eyes, and let out a long breath.
His face, usually marked by a carefree smile, now showed nothing but exhaustion. Fine beads of sweat had even gathered at his temples.
A loss of four hundred taels of gold...
Compensation for the fallen brothers...
His bedridden uncle...
The escort agency battered by wind and rain...
He abruptly opened his eyes, pulled out the brocade pouch he always carried, and poured out every banknote and bit of silver inside.
He counted it. There were barely a little more than a hundred taels.
A drop in the ocean.
Su Derong put the money back in the pouch, stood up, and straightened his clothes.
He lowered his head to look at himself, then suddenly smiled.
It was a bitter smile.
"So this is what it means to run the family..."
He murmured to himself and turned to leave the main hall.