He Lingchuan took no part in their discussion. He did not offer a single word. He just focused on enjoying his food in peace, just as the former He Lingchuan had always done.
Anyway, he could not have joined in even if he had wanted to.
The brothers of the He Family had both inherited their father’s good looks. He Lingchuan was tall and striking, with sharply defined features, while He Yue had more delicate, refined features that took after Madame Ying[1].
However, their personalities could not have been more different.
He Yue possessed a photographic memory, while his older brother, He Lingchuan, would fall asleep within fifteen minutes of opening a book—for him, it was more effective than any sedative.
The only thing more exasperating than being compared to “that genius kid from someone else’s family” was when that genius kid happened to be your younger brother.
It was an overwhelming defeat, absolute and all-encompassing.
“All right now, let’s eat!” Ying Hongchan cut off the father and son’s conversation. “Any longer and the dishes will go cold.”
In truth, if they did not start eating soon, there would be nothing left to eat. He Lingchuan had already devoured most of the food that had been prepared.
Seeing Ying Hongchan personally pick out a crispy river prawn for He Yue, He Lingchuan wiped his hands with a napkin and said, “Hey, Little Two[2], send a customs clearance document to Liu Baobao’s trading company tomorrow. His caravan is on its way back, and we don’t want them getting held up at Baitong Pass.”
“I told you not to call me ‘Little Two’!” He Yue shot back, visibly annoyed. He hated the nickname. “I was just about to tell you about that. Liu Baobao’s company has been behind on its wagon and horse taxes for two years. With penalties, it’s over seven hundred taels. They won’t be getting any clearance unless they pay up.”
“That caravan’s not making it back without that document, which means the seven hundred taels won’t get paid either,” He Lingchuan replied with a grin. “We’re all old friends, so you should cut them some slack this once. I’ll keep an eye on things for you.”
He Yue was about to argue when He Chunhua spoke up, “It’s fine. Just send the document.”
His word was final. He Yue could only grumble in response, shooting another glare at He Lingchuan.
Cut them some slack this once? This will already be the eighth or ninth time. And when has he ever followed through? He always says he’ll handle it, but then he forgets about it the next day.
And, of course, Father always sides with Big Brother.
He Lingchuan raised his glass of sea buckthorn juice and grinned widely.
After the first few instances, he realized the pattern. It was not corruption; rather, it was merely taking on some of his father’s unsavory tasks. After all, Commandery Administrator He was a government official. There were occasions when it simply would not be appropriate for him to show his face, and that was when his son would step in.
“Speaking of which, Big Brother’s spending this month really did go down,” He Yue said, rattling off figures like a seasoned accountant. “The mansion only had to pay out over two hundred taels for him this month. Usually, even nine hundred isn’t enough. Actually, including the expenses from your injury, with all the doctors and medicine and supplements, it still comes out to over three hundred taels…”
He Lingchuan’s heart gave a jolt. He quickly feigned irritation and said, “Yeah, yeah, I get it. I was laid up in bed too long and didn’t get the chance to spend. I’ll make up for it next month, okay?”
There really was no escaping suspicion. Who would have thought that spending less would look fishy?
Roughly speaking, one tael of silver could buy a thousand copper coins’ worth of goods. This meant that the eldest son of the He Family typically spent nine hundred thousand copper coins a month.
1. Note that this is using the Merriam Webster definition of the word Madame: used as a title equivalent to Mrs. for a married woman not of English-speaking nationality. ☜
2. The term used here is 老二, which would literally translate to “Old Two.” However, with this being his little brother, I opted for this. Do also note that 老二 is generally seen to refer to either the second child in a family or one’s penis, though in these types of novels, it’s more commonly the latter. ☜