"What happened to him? Come on, tell me."
Seeing Li Chengwen's expression, Old Wu grew even more curious.
Old Wu glanced around before lowering his voice. "Young Master, while you were away, Steward Zhao... disappeared. Everyone says he stole money from the accounts and ran off. The government even came to investigate. They found two bodies in the burned-down building, but there's been no sign of Steward Zhao—alive or dead..."
Perhaps now that he'd gotten started, Old Wu couldn't stop. He went on to describe every last thing Zhao Dezhu had done after Li Chengwen left.
Li Chengwen's expression darkened little by little.
The more he heard, the angrier he became. By the end, his chubby face had turned red as a beet.
"Damn it, Zhao Dezhu! How dare he pull all this while I was away? And he stole from our own family?! What a nerve!"
He couldn't be bothered to continue his inspection. Turning on his heel, he stormed toward Master Li's study, swearing under his breath the whole way.
"Father doesn't know about this yet, does he? I have to tell him right away! This is outrageous! He's walked all over our family!"
Li Chengwen charged up to the study and, without bothering to announce himself, shoved open the door and barged inside. "Father! Do you know what that bastard Zhao Dezhu did?"
Master Li was sitting behind his desk, drinking tea. The sudden commotion startled him.
He set down his teacup and glared at his eldest son, displeased. "What kind of behavior is this? Can't you say what's on your mind like a civilized person?"
Li Chengwen didn't even stop to apologize. He strode up to the desk and poured out the whole story in a rapid-fire rush.
He grew more and more worked up, until at last he slapped the desk. "Father! Keeping a man like that in the household is asking for trouble! Good thing he ran off. Otherwise, I'd have skinned him alive!"
After hearing him out, Master Li fell silent for a moment, then lifted his teacup and took a slow sip.
But his expression wasn't nearly as furious as Li Chengwen had expected.
He set down the teacup and said slowly, "Your second brother already reported this to me."
Li Chengwen froze. "He did? What did he say?"
"He said he'd been careless in choosing his men, and he's already apologized to me."
Master Li waved a hand.
"Let's leave it at that. The authorities will handle it. They'll investigate what needs investigating and settle what needs settling. For now, let's not stir up any more trouble. The household has only just had a few peaceful days. We don't need to turn everything upside down again."
Li Chengwen's eyes widened. "Father! You're just going to let this go?! He stole from our family! Three hundred taels of silver!"
Master Li picked up his teacup and took another sip, his tone even. "Three hundred taels is no small sum, but it's still only three hundred taels. Zhao Dezhu is already gone, and we probably won't get the money back. Making a fuss now would be a waste of effort. The most important thing is to steady things and fulfill that order from the Qingyang Prefecture Government. That's where the real money is!"
Li Chengwen stood rooted to the spot, stunned.
He opened his mouth, staring at Master Li in disbelief.
"Father... do you remember? One winter when I was a child, we couldn't even scrape together enough money to buy coal. You took me outside the city through the snow and wind to get two baskets of coal on credit. It only cost three qian of silver. On the way back, you told me that once we were better off, you'd never let me go through that kind of hardship again."
"Back then, we had to save up for ages just to afford three qian. Now someone's made off with three hundred taels, and you're saying, 'It's still only three hundred taels'?"
His words pierced Master Li's heart like a needle.
Looking at his chubby eldest son, Master Li felt both anger and guilt.
After a long silence, Master Li set down his teacup and sighed.
"Eldest, times change. Our business is much bigger now. Three hundred taels is a lot, but it's not enough to cripple us. I know you did well this time, and I haven't forgotten it. But family matters can't be measured in silver alone. You have to consider people's hearts, too. Do you understand?"
Master Li had a pretty good idea of what Li Jiwu was up to.
He simply didn't want to make an issue of certain things.
So all he could do was let his eldest son take the loss.
Li Chengwen stood there, looking at Master Li's tired, helpless face. Suddenly, his father seemed like a stranger.
He was silent for a long time. In the end, he didn't say another word. He merely cupped his hands, turned, and walked out of the study.
Standing beneath the covered walkway, Li Chengwen felt the cold wind hit him. The fire in his heart didn't die down; it only burned hotter.
He clenched his fists and glared toward the Sword-Forging Courtyard, making a silent vow.
Fine. None of you care about this? Then I'll shoulder it myself!
I'll make sure that order from the Qingyang Prefecture Government is handled perfectly. Then Father will see who truly has the family's best interests at heart!
Besides, I can't let my younger sister down!
She'd helped him a great deal on this trip to negotiate the deal. Without her, he never would've had the chance to make an impression on their father!
Thinking of his younger sister eased some of the bitterness in his heart.
Li Chengwen took a deep breath and strode toward the Sword-Forging Courtyard.
Instead of stewing here, he might as well keep an eye on the order's progress. Doing the job well was better than anything else!
After receiving the Silver-Veined Meteorite Iron, Shen Chu didn't rush to begin.
He kept the piece close and, after work each day, held it in his hands, examining and rubbing it over and over to feel its grain and density. At the same time, he repeatedly worked through his forging plan in his mind.
When the Sword-Forging Courtyard's day off arrived,
the entire courtyard was deserted.
The furnace fire was out, the hammering had stopped, and even the few people who usually liked to wander around the courtyard had gone out shopping.
Shen Chu shut the courtyard gate.
Standing alone in the middle of the courtyard, he clenched his fist.
Everything came down to this one attempt!
Shen Chu lit the fire and added coal. Orange flames licked the furnace, crackling as the air around it grew warm. The courtyard's temperature began to rise again.
He took the Silver-Veined Meteorite Iron from his clothing and examined it carefully once more, then firmly clamped it in the furnace.
He didn't rush to strike. Instead, he waited quietly as the metal heated. Only when it had turned an even, glowing red did he pull it out and lay it on the anvil.
The first hammer fell.
Clang!
The clear ring of metal echoed through the empty courtyard!
Shen Chu held nothing back, pouring all his heart and effort into the hammer in his hand.
Each strike landed steadily. Beneath his hammer, the metal gradually unfolded, and its natural silver veins grew ever more vivid with each blow, winding across its surface.
Time slipped quietly by to the rhythm of the hammer.
Gradually, the forging neared its end. The blade blank had already taken shape.
Shen Chu couldn't help growing excited.
Only a few final rounds of tempering and quenching remained. Then the blade would be finished!
Before you continue