"Good. Then it's settled."
Qin Geng made the final call. "Ma Laifu, go look around for a suitable courtyard. Nothing fancy. What matters is that it's big enough and keeps out the wind and rain."
"You got it! Leave it to me!"
Ma Laifu thumped his chest with a resounding bang.
With business settled, they chatted a little longer about family and everyday matters before the carriage drivers finally dispersed, reluctant to call it a day.
Each man pushed his new carriage along, stroking it as tenderly as his own wife, as though he wanted to polish the wheels until they threw off sparks.
Qin Geng did not leave right away. Instead, he beckoned to Xu Chun.
"Uncle Xu, stay a moment. Let's take a walk out to the threshing ground behind the house."
Xu Chun paused. Seeing Qin Geng's solemn expression, he asked no questions. He tossed his cigarette butt to the ground, ground it out under his sole, and followed.
The sun was sinking westward. The threshing ground lay empty, with only a few old stone rollers standing there forlornly.
Qin Geng found a haystack that sheltered them from the wind and sat down. He patted the spot beside him for Xu Chun.
"Xiao Wu, what is it? Why all the secrecy?"
Xu Chun sat down and asked, a little uneasy.
For all the authority Qin Geng had shown inside, Xu Chun still saw the child he had watched grow up.
Only now that child had made something of himself. He had become a dragon in the sky, and Xu Chun hardly dared recognize him.
Qin Geng went straight to the point. "I want you to collect and manage the dues from South City's three hundred-odd carriage drivers. I don't trust anyone else with them."
Xu Chun froze,