"You work for the Yun Family?" Chen Cuo looked the newcomer over, then frowned. "What do you do for them?"
The man stepped closer. "The Yun Family owns plenty of businesses in Wutun City and vast stretches of farmland. They've got people doing every kind of job. I'm quick with my hands and sharp with my eyes, so I do a bit of everything. I know most of what goes on in the Yun Family, top to bottom."
"But if the Yun Family values you so highly," Chen Cuo said, "why would you tell an outsider their business so freely?"
"You look capable, and you've come from out of town. I thought I'd recruit you for the Yun Family. If there's something you really want to know, I can take you straight there. Wouldn't that beat sitting here asking questions?" He laughed and took two more steps closer. "You don't know this, but there's a whole sack of white flour in it for me if I introduce a good worker!"
He stopped and cupped his hands. "I'm Fu Jue. What should I call you?"
"Chen Jiaming." Chen Cuo made up the name on the spot. "In that case, sorry for the trouble, Brother Fu."
"Not at all, not at all." Fu Jue waved a hand and pointed down the street behind him. "It's getting late. I'll take you somewhere to rest first. The Yun Family's guesthouse isn't far."
"Very well."
Chen Cuo nodded and walked alongside him.
They retraced the route Chen Cuo had taken earlier, but the street looked nothing like it had before. The cries of vendors were gone, and not a single merchant was in sight.
"A lot of them live outside the city, so they have to leave early and come back late," Fu Jue said,