RIIDMDR chapter 58

 

Nan Xu skillfully carved wood in the yard to make tables and chairs, while Zhi Xing held paint and colored the small stones Nan Xu had polished earlier.

“There are 180 white stones and 181 black stones. Count them correctly after we’re done painting,” said Nan Xu.

Zhi Xing nodded in agreement. He squatted beneath the loquat tree, moving cautiously so as not to waste the paint.

Nan Xu observed his movements and reflected on himself. He had been too cautious when he took the paint out of the warehouse, which led Zhi Xing to mistakenly believe that it was expensive.

He was indeed a bit stingy, a tendency influenced by past life experiences. However, if this behavior influenced Zhi Xing, it would have a negative impact on the child.

Further thinking, Nan Xu, a young man in his twenties, realized that he actually thought Zhixing, a demon who was several hundred years old, was a child. This mentality was truly too mature, as if he had seen a lot.

Nanxu couldn’t help but smile and shake his head as he carved the wood.

The table was square and smaller than the dining table. By noon, the top was finished. Nanxu also cut another piece of wood to the same size, measured it, and painted a grid on it. The 19×19 grid would be used as a chessboard.

He got another piece of wood the same size and painted a wider grid on it with a blank space in the middle.

After painting the stones, Zhixing came over and saw the two boards Nanxu had painted. Confused, he asked, “Why are there two different designs?”

Nanxu replied, “The one with the fine grid is the Go board[mfn]Go board → The square wooden board used to play Go (Weiqi/Baduk), an ancient Chinese strategy game with black and white stones.[/mfn]. This one is for xiangqi[mfn]Xiangqi board → The board used to play Xiangqi (Chinese chess). It’s usually a square divided into 9 vertical and 10 horizontal lines, with a “river” in the middle.[/mfn]. The blank space in the middle is the Chu river-Han border.”

Zhixing didn’t know what the Chu River and Han Border were, so Nanxu recounted the story of the Chu-Han conflict. Fortunately, Nanxu had listened to it for two years outside the classroom and barely remembered it. Otherwise, as an unschooled person, he would have been embarrassed by Zhixing’s questions.

He had made the xiangqi pieces in his spare time, and the enchanting red lacquer inscription on them looked very similar to the original.

After hearing the story, Zhixing became interested in chess and asked about many rules. Nanxu explained them one by one. Then, seeing that it was getting late, he stood up.

“I’ll go make dinner first. I’ll play a game with you this afternoon after the paint on the board has dried. I’ve only watched others play, so I’m not a great player. Against a novice like you, I’m not really bullying you,” he said.

He went to the kitchen, and Zhixing helped him pick vegetables. The Turtle Clan guest stood outside examining the chessboard. Unable to figure out what was going on, he returned to the counter.

Nan Xu was picking green onions behind the house when a Turtle Clan guest caught him. Pointing at the merchandise on the counter, the guest asked, “Innkeeper, are you selling all this? How much do you have?”

Nan Xu didn’t think much of it and briefly explained the inventory. The Turtle Clan guest nodded and frowned as he reached behind his back to rummage through his bag. Slightly on guard, Nan Xu pulled a stun potion out of his system, figuring that if the guest had ill intentions, he would use the potion to test its effectiveness.

Ren Ci finally found what he was looking for in his bag. Nan Xu took a closer look and saw… an abacus. He silently withdrew the potion.

With a formidable face, Ren Ci began clacking away at the abacus with his broad, rough hands. His movements were expert, the wood and beads gleamed with ageless wear.

Nan Xu watched his fingers flutter. After a few moments, he heard him sigh in relief. “I can afford the money,” he said. “Why don’t you sell it all to me? Can you give me a discount?”

Nan Xu then remembered what he’d said last night in the courtyard about being a traveling trader.

When they were thinking about marketing the mountain’s specialties, Tingchuan had suggested that Zhuang Si or Zhuang Wu take the goods out to sell. That would be better than waiting for guests to arrive and buy them spontaneously. However, Nan Xu was reluctant to let the wild boar demon brothers out of the mountains just yet because he distrusted them.

Now, a traveling merchant had just arrived at the inn. If he could sell to him directly, Nan Xu wouldn’t have to worry about the bottles and jars in the warehouse succumbing to the summer heat.

“All right, let’s discuss it in detail after lunch,” Nan Xu said.

The dish in the pot was still waiting for green onions, and Zhixing must be getting impatient, too.

After lunch, Zhixing and Guan’er took a nap. Perhaps not feeling particularly sleepy, Tingchuan continued working on the table that Nanxu had left unfinished in the shade of the courtyard. Just as Nanxu and Renci moved their stools to sit down and prepare to discuss the matter, they saw Tingchuan sawing the four legs of the table to different lengths. They hurriedly called out to him.

“I’ll work on the table later. If you have time, do something else,” Nanxu said.

Tingchuan looked up, still holding the saw, as if annoyed by Nanxu’s lack of trust. Since Nanxu was in charge of the inn, after a few seconds of hesitation and a few more persistent gestures, Tingchuan finally put down the legs and went to another pile of wood to build a doghouse for Guan’er.

Nanxu breathed a sigh of relief, then glanced at the puppy sleeping soundly nearby. He felt a pang of pity for it. Maybe its beautiful doghouse had changed while it was sleeping.

Zhi Xing had originally planned to build the doghouse to maintain good relations with the inn staff. After speaking with Nan Xu, Zhi Xing felt more at ease living in the mountains, yet he decided to continue with the doghouse project.

Zhi Xing wasn’t good at carpentry, so he learned to work slowly and carefully, which naturally led to slow progress. Later, when Xu Ji brought the canine man, he helped considerably, speeding up Zhi Xing’s project significantly. The nearly completed doghouse ended up in Tingchuan’s hands. It was truly fated.

Nan Xu looked away and looked at Ren Ci, who was sitting across from him. The man carrying the large bag was so burly that the bamboo chair seemed strained by the weight.

“How long has this customer been doing business?” Nan Xu asked.

“About two hundred years,” the man replied. “I haven’t introduced myself to the innkeeper yet. My name is Ren Ci. My Turtle Tribe has lived in the Southeast Sea for generations. Every generation, a few members become merchants who sell fish, shrimp, and seaweed to other tribes on land. This supports our tribe. Over two hundred years ago, my cousin was caught in a conflict between several tribes while traveling for business. He was seriously injured and died. Since then, I have taken on this business.”

Ren Ci continued, “My cousin established extensive trade routes. In addition to selling goods prepared by his tribe, he exchanges with various tribes and obtains many rare goods. He was quite popular among the people on land.”

Nan Xu nodded and said, “What a pity.”

Ren Ci’s eyes… He looked regretful. Then he gave a wry smile and said, “I’ve taken over my cousin’s trading routes, but I lack his skills. I haven’t been able to acquire any good goods. I haven’t made much money in the past one or two hundred years, and my family has been struggling financially. Today, I saw the goods in the innkeeper’s cabinet. His culinary skills are impressive. I think this is my chance.”

Nan Xu finally put his doubts to rest. Usually, even if a merchant was interested in selling his goods, they would only try a few samples. They wouldn’t approach him and say they wanted to buy everything. After all, his assortment of local specialties was quite substantial.

“The sauces, vegetables, soap, and everything else on the counter are all made in-house. It’s all meticulous work. If you can sell well, I’ll give you a 20% discount. If it sells well, I’d like to do business with you long term,” Nan Xu said after some thought.

The cicadas chirped incessantly in the afternoon, and Tingchuan seemed annoyed. He left the courtyard. Nan Xu and Ren Ci chatted some more in the courtyard. After several rounds of negotiation, they finally agreed on a 30% discount. Nan Xu also bought some seaweed and kelp from Ren Ci.

Soon after, the cicadas’ chirping outside died down. Tingchuan strolled back into the courtyard, swinging his sleeves.

Nan Xu looked up and jokingly asked, “Where’s the cicada?”

Tingchuan replied, “It flew away.”

Nan Xu looked regretful and asked, “Fried cicadas are delicious, too. Don’t you want to try them?”

Tingchuan frowned, completely unconvinced. Nan Xu laughed heartily at his resigned expression.

–

The next morning, Nan Xu unloaded all the bottles and jars from the warehouse, counted them, and handed them to Ren Ci, who readily paid for them.

The bottles, jars, and colored paper all had product descriptions and the phrase “Produced in Zhuyu Mountain.” Yesterday, Nan Xu and Ren Ci agreed that Ren Ci could add the Turtle Clan logo, but the original descriptions had to remain.

Nan Xu was still thinking about advertising, just as he had welcomed Ren Ci as a guest after hearing a recommendation from Yuan Lin.

After Ren Ci left, Nan Xu saw Zhi Xing standing beneath the loquat tree, staring blankly at the oddly shaped wooden hut with a look of shock in his eyes.

Nan Xu felt like laughing. He had underestimated Tingchuan’s tactical abilities. He never imagined the doghouse would undergo such a dramatic transformation under Tingchuan’s efforts.

Tingchuan watered the vegetables in the garden and returned with a bucket. Seeing Zhi Xing beneath the loquat tree, he turned around, set down the bucket, and headed back toward the mountain.

He had a certain self-awareness.

Nan Xu was worried that Zhi Xing might be upset after failing at his first handicraft and was about to go over and offer some advice. If that didn’t work, he would punish Tingchuan by having him carry more high-quality wood from the mountain. Then, Nan Xu, the innkeeper and professional carpenter, would help make a new one. After all, they lived under the same roof and couldn’t let this cause any unpleasantness.

After taking a few steps, he heard Zhixing sigh softly: “Senior Tingchuan, you’re truly impressive! This design is so unique!”

His tone was filled with admiration.

Nan Xu:?

He paused and glanced at the dog barking at the doghouse by Zhixing’s feet. He felt a little sorry for the dog.

“You’re so excited! You like it, right?” Zhixing squatted down and patted the dog’s head.

I don’t know if it was a mistake, but Nan Xu felt that Guan’er was even more excited—or maybe even a little, angry?

After finishing the small wooden table, they cleared out a space in the main room to set it up since there was no extra room. Go and Xiangqi were hung on the wall, and chess pieces and mahjong items were placed on simple shelves. This small space finally had some purpose.

[Main Mission 2-5 Rewards Disbursed. Reward List: Temporary Residence, 2 Blind Boxes]

A system notification suddenly chimed in his head, and Nan Xu froze. He’d assumed that, given its fussy nature, the system would have asked him to improve things further, especially since he’d been fussing with the product cabinets for so long with no progress. He hadn’t expected them to be so easygoing this time.

After opening the system and taking a closer look, he realized that his main credit lay in a successful trade with Ren Ci.

While the recipe system he was rewarded with last time was quite comprehensive, offering everything from home-cooked dishes to those nearly lost to the human world, anyone could find what they wanted. However, each recipe cost silver coins to view, and the rarer the recipe, the more expensive it was. Nan Xu had never used it.

This time, the temporary residence he was rewarded with sounded like a good thing.