Chapter 157: Visiting Yuan Fang

Old Uncle He politely escorted Liu Yitiao out the door. Regardless of Liu Yitiao's purpose for placing the custom order or how much raw material it would consume, as long as he could afford to pay, Liu Yitiao was a valued customer.

The final cost of a single iron shovel was one hundred and twenty wen, making thirty shovels total three guan and six hundred wen in silver coins. In the past, Liu Yitiao might have hesitated; after all, that was no small sum. When basic food and shelter could hardly be guaranteed, only a fool would spend money on such things.

Yet now, especially after returning from Chang'an, with a little spare coin jingling in his pouch, his mindset had opened up considerably. Ah, he had developed a slight sense of being wealthy and bold.

Besides, technology is the primary productive force.

In the Tang Dynasty, this iron shovel should certainly count as a rather advanced piece of technology, right?

Leaving Uncle He's residence, Liu Yitiao rode Liu Wuhen straight to Xiaer Village.

Visiting Yuan Fang was his main task for this afternoon.

A few days ago in Chang'an, he had only heard Emperor Taizong and Grand Minister of Agriculture Su discussing the annexation of the "Liu Family Plow Workshop," but as for the specific method of annexation, Liu Yitiao was clueless.

Furthermore, he did not know how Yuan Fang and his son Yuan Pei had fared afterward, nor what their thoughts were regarding the imperial court's takeover.

Therefore, Liu Yitiao wished to find out. After all, a handwritten contract still existed between him and Yuan Fang.

Leading Liu Wuhen, Liu Yitiao stopped in front of the Yuan family's gate. The one who came out to open the door was still Yuan Pei.

Seeing Liu Yitiao, Yuan Pei looked pleasantly surprised. He hurriedly stepped forward to bow and open the door, saying with a smile, "Mr. Liu, you have returned? This is truly wonderful news! Quickly, Mr. Liu, please come inside!"

"Uncle Yuan, greetings," Liu Yitiao returned the bow with cupped hands, smiling, "A month has passed, and Uncle Yuan appears even more spirited than before."

"Haha, Mr. Liu flatters me." Yuan Pei warmly stepped forward to take the reins from Liu Yitiao's hand, casually tying Liu Wuhen to a small post by the courtyard gate. He then gestured for Liu Yitiao to enter their main hall.

"Please sit for a moment, Mr. Liu. My father is currently resting in the inner room; I shall go wake him. When he learns that Mr. Liu has returned, he will surely be overjoyed." After pouring a cup of tea for Liu Yitiao, Yuan Pei bowed in apology and headed toward the inner chambers.

He knew that Liu Yitiao's visit must be on account of their old master.

As Yuan Pei went inside, Liu Yitiao took a seat on the side chair in the parlor. Lifting the teacup to take a couple of sips, he began to observe the arrangement of the hall.

Compared to a month ago, the decorations in the Yuan family's parlor seemed to have undergone some changes. Most noticeably, all their furniture had been replaced with brand-new pieces: the tables, the chairs, the stools, and even this teacup.

Oh, and the set of clothes Yuan Pei had just been wearing. Thinking of this, Liu Yitiao suddenly understood why he had felt Yuan Pei looked more energetic than before—it turned out that what he was wearing was actually a silk garment.

The Yuans had struck it rich. That was Liu Yitiao's first thought.

This wealth must be connected to the "Liu Family Plow Workshop" and the "Liu Family Plow." That was his second thought.

Could it be that Yuan Fang, just like him, had made a small fortune relying on the curved-shaft plow?

"Mr. Liu! This humble old man pays his respects. I failed to welcome you from afar, and I beg Mr. Liu's forgiveness!" Yuan Fang had also arrived in the parlor wearing a newly made silk garment, bowing to greet Liu Yitiao.

Liu Yitiao hurriedly stood up, returning the bow, and said with a smile to Yuan Fang, "Old Uncle Yuan, greetings. It is I who am discourteous for disturbing your rest. I hope Old Uncle Yuan will not take offense."

"Haha, Mr. Liu speaks too seriously," Yuan Fang sat down gracefully, waving his hand with a faint smile as he said to Liu Yitiao, "Please take a seat, Mr. Liu. In truth, being disturbed by Mr. Liu is nothing less than an honor."

Seeing Liu Yitiao's puzzled expression, Yuan Fang softly explained, "To not hide it from Mr. Liu, this humble old man has also just returned from Chang'an City, and I am deeply in awe of Mr. Liu's achievements there."

"Oh?" Liu Yitiao raised an eyebrow, looking doubtfully at Yuan Fang as he asked, "Could Old Uncle Yuan have gone to Chang'an as well? Was it on account of the Liu Family Plow?"

"Mr. Liu's insight is brilliant; indeed it was for the Liu Family Plow," Yuan Fang nodded and said, "Ever since receiving the news that the 'Liu Family Plow Workshop' had been annexed by the imperial court, this humble old man was invited to Chang'an City by Grand Minister of Agriculture Senior Lord Su. There, they had me responsible for teaching a group of carpenters the manufacturing method of the 'Liu Family Plow.' Thanks to Mr. Liu's boundless fortune, this humble old man has also gained a considerable amount of silver coins because of it."

Yuan Fang cast a grateful glance at Liu Yitiao. This trip to Chang'an had not only brought him abundant wealth but had also earned him considerable prestige. Now, even Li Zhide, the magistrate of Sanyuan County, would politely address him as Master Yuan whenever they met. This was something he never would have dared to imagine before.

All of this had been bestowed upon him by Liu Yitiao.

Yuan Fang had always been a man who remembered the source of the water he drank. He knew that without Liu Yitiao coming to him to manufacture the plow in the first place, and without Liu Yitiao providing the capital for him to open the workshop, there would be no such boundless glory for him today.

Therefore, Yuan Fang was deeply grateful to Liu Yitiao.

"So that was how it happened," Liu Yitiao nodded slightly, roughly grasping the imperial court's strategy for promoting the Liu Family Plow. First, Yuan Fang would train carpenters, and then those carpenters would be dispatched to various counties and prefectures to open plow workshops. With the support of government leadership, the people below would naturally carry out tasks with great efficiency. It was hardly surprising that the "Liu Family Plow Workshop" had managed to spread across the entire country in just half a month.

This was indeed much faster than him running a single plow workshop by himself, but the profits earned from it would no longer have anything to do with him.

Liu Yitiao took a sip of tea and casually asked Yuan Fang, "Does that mean the 'Liu Family Plow Workshop' here in Sanyuan County is now under your charge, Old Uncle Yuan?"

"Mr. Liu's insight is correct, indeed it is. Now this humble old man can also be considered someone eating the imperial stipend." Yuan Fang nodded with a hint of pride, once again thanking Liu Yitiao: "All of this is thanks to Mr. Liu's fortune. I truly thank you, Mr. Liu. Ah, please wait a moment, Mr. Liu."

With that, Yuan Fang raised a hand to signal Yuan Pei, who brought out a full cloth bag from the inner room and placed it lightly on the table. The bag clinked loudly against the tabletop, and Liu Yitiao could naturally tell that the bag was filled with Kaiyuan Tongbao coins.

Yuan Fang stood up, opened the cloth bag, and pointing at the coins inside, said to Liu Yitiao, "Please inspect this, Mr. Liu. This is all the silver coin proceeds from the plows sold by our 'Liu Family Plow Workshop' over the past half month, totaling one hundred and eighty guan. This humble old man has not touched any of it, waiting precisely for Mr. Liu's return to handle and decide upon it."

In less than a month, the net profit had reached one hundred and eighty guan; this was an extremely lucrative industry. It was no wonder the imperial court had annexed it in such a semi-coercive manner.

Though Yuan Fang felt a trace of disappointment in his heart, he held not the slightest bit of resentment or dissatisfaction. On the contrary, he was quite satisfied with this outcome, because not only had he gained wealth, but he had also secured a certain standing.

It was just that Liu Yitiao, the true owner, had been hard done by—not only bearing the title of a mere merchant, but also losing countless fortunes in vain.

"According to the contract, splitting it four-and-six is fine." Liu Yitiao was not as pessimistic as Yuan Fang imagined. He set his teacup on the table and calmly said to Yuan Fang, "Moreover, Old Uncle Yuan, now that the 'Liu Family Plow Workshop' has been acquired by the imperial court, I no longer have any connection with it. Shouldn't the contract we signed previously be rendered void?"

"Naturally, naturally, that is only right." Yuan Fang hurriedly nodded in agreement, pulling the contract from his bosom and handing it to Liu Yitiao: "This humble old man has already prepared it. Please inspect it, Mr. Liu."

Ancients always attached great importance to written documents. Those bore their own fingerprints and signatures, serving as potential liabilities of varying degrees. Therefore, once a document expired or was fulfilled, it had to be destroyed in the presence of the owner.

Thus, Yuan Fang's demeanor at this moment was even more eager than Liu Yitiao's.

Liu Yitiao took the contract, glanced at it, and confirmed it was indeed the one they had signed that day. Afterward, he reached into his own robe, took out the copy he had kept, and handed it to Yuan Fang.

Once both sides confirmed everything was correct, with a single flame, both copies of the contract turned to ashes.

"Please be seated, Mr. Liu!" Yuan Fang once again gestured for Liu Yitiao to sit, smiling as he said, "Although our cooperation this time was not long, this humble old man has gained many unexpected benefits from it. Therefore, this one hundred and eighty guan in silver coins is something this humble old man cannot accept; you should take all of it back with you, Mr. Liu."

This old man had good character.

Liu Yitiao glanced at Yuan Fang. He had a conscience and was not greedy for wealth—or rather, not greedy for petty gains. Not bad.

"No need, thank you for your kind intentions, Old Uncle Yuan." Liu Yitiao smiled faintly, "Although Liu possesses no great fortune, I have never lacked money to spend, nor do I have any fondness for taking advantage of others. Therefore, let us divide these funds according to the contract, four and six."

"Uh, since you put it out thus, then this humble old man shall be greedy." Yuan Fang was a seasoned veteran and naturally heard the hint of displeasure in Liu Yitiao's heart, so he stopped standing on ceremony. He immediately instructed Yuan Pei to separate the coins in the bag accordingly.

"Actually," Liu Yitiao did not even look at the coins on the table, speaking softly to Yuan Fang, "My coming here today, aside from visiting Old Uncle Yuan, is for another matter. I wish to ask Old Uncle Yuan for a favor."