Early the next morning, Zhao Hu showed up to talk things over with the group, suggesting that they move their operation to his own courtyard, which was bigger—a proposal that took everyone by surprise.
This was left in the hands of Niu Dazhuang and Li Nangua.
Zhao Hu, meanwhile, went with Lu Chang'sheng and Wang Heihou to the Traveler's Inn, where they looked for Steward Li, paid the rent, and handed over a little gift as well.
"So it was you who set up that place for archery lessons, pulling folks in from all over? I thought it was just four little brats." Steward Li sat at the square table, fiddling with the teacup in front of him.
"Look, my Three Red Gang might not be some bigshot outfit, but we've still got a little reputation. If people found out that, under my nose, four kids were making money where others couldn't, where would that leave my pride? But, since it's you, I'll let it go."
Steward Li didn't even look up, his tone flat.
Wang Heihou instantly broke out in a cold sweat.
At that moment, he finally understood why Lu Chang'sheng had insisted on bringing Zhao Hu on board.
Sometimes, having kids in charge isn't about being incapable—it's just their age that gets in the way!
Walking out of the Traveler's Inn, Wang Heihou actually felt like he'd just survived a close call.
"From here on out, we'll be counting on you, Mr. Zhao," said Lu Chang'sheng to Zhao Hu.
"If it makes money, it's worth it," Zhao Hu replied coolly.
This archery teaching gig—if all the income was his alone, that'd be one thing. But now, split five ways, it was quite a bit less.
If Lu Chang'sheng hadn't talked him into it that day, he might not have joined at all.
So yeah, sometimes, the same thing done by different people can have totally different outcomes.
"Whether or not it's worth it, time will tell," Lu Chang'sheng said with a grin.
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With Zhao Hu showing up more often and the gift of silver to Steward Li from the Three Red Gang, the hostile glares from around them slowly faded away.
With a bigger place to work out of, their efforts to bring in clients started paying off, and just that month, they made more than twice the silver they had before.
At the end-of-month accounting, everyone stared at the pile of copper coins in front of them, momentarily speechless.
Even Zhao Hu himself couldn't help but feel a bit excited.
His involvement wasn't just about expanding the storefront; he was also in the know when it came to information.
Rats know their own tunnels!
Zhao Hu might not have made a big name for himself, but he pretty much knew everything going on in and around Prefecture City—who was coming, where to find people looking for what they offered, all that.
And aiming to improve their earnings, Lu Chang'sheng even drew up a new fee structure and trained Wang Heihou and the others in customer-recruiting techniques.
That's how they got their numbers to skyrocket!
And this was just as they were heading into the dead of winter.
If it were spring, summer, or fall, when there's a lot more people out and about, their profits might have doubled again.
"Prefecture City is big, sure, but demand isn't endless. So we need to think long-term!"
That's why Lu Chang'sheng came up with his new payment plan.
At this little accounting session, the youngest, Li Nangua, brought up the idea of reducing her own share of the profits.
Lu Chang'sheng looked at her in surprise—not expecting her to bring it up on her own.
Originally, Lu Chang'sheng was wracking his brain on how to handle this exact issue.
Matters of profit are never simple, but he knew the sooner it was sorted out, the better—the longer you wait, the more likely things would go off the rails.
Before Lu Chang'sheng could respond, Wang Heihou and Niu Dazhuang chimed in, saying they wanted to do the same.
Zhao Hu let out a chuckle, thoroughly pleased.
The reason he chose to sign on was because of Lu Chang'sheng, not the others. In his view, it was only right for Lu Chang'sheng to take the larger cut—the other three kids weren't ready for that! Even if none of them brought it up today, he would have mentioned it in a few days.
Luckily, they were savvier than he'd thought!
He looked over at Lu Chang'sheng, feeling even more delighted inside.
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In a blink, it was the end of the year.
The archery students had all gone home, and the group was busy with preparations for the holiday season.
Lu Chang'sheng, being physically weaker, wasn't much involved in the chores; instead, he practiced archery off to the side of the training grounds.
Of course, this was also due to Li Nangua—she was the only girl, and if Lu Chang'sheng tried to help in the kitchen, she'd put her hands on her hips and glare straight at him.
Only when Lu Chang'sheng set down what he was carrying and walked away would her soft, rounded face reveal a tiny, almost hidden smile.
For these kids, the biggest change this month wasn't the doubled profits—it was the steadily improving meals.
If the food wasn't good enough, Zhao Hu would holler, "What's the point of busting our butts to make money if we're penny-pinching on meals?"
So, after getting Lu Chang'sheng's go-ahead, they made it happen right away. Pretty soon, everyone had a little more flesh on their bones.
They were all growing kids, after all—nobody dared say someone else was eating less than them.
Except for Lu Chang'sheng and Li Nangua!
"Nangua, the way you are, you'd better be careful or we're all gonna get jealous!" Wang Heihou teased.
Li Nangua blushed, shot Wang Heihou a glare, and said, "Chang'sheng is our brain. He should be coming up with strategies for us—not doing the hard labor, right?"
"Yeah, yeah—you're a girl, you're right!"
Wang Heihou shrank his neck in mock horror.
Maybe as time passed and they got more comfortable together, everyone started talking more freely.
A cold gust of wind swept in.
Lu Chang'sheng turned his head and saw Zhao Hu's broad figure push open the door. He closed it behind him, then blew warm air onto his chilled hands.
"Mr. Zhao! Yun didn't come with you?" Lu Chang'sheng asked.
That month before the New Year, the plump woman had come by once or twice—only then did they learn Zhao Hu actually had a wife and daughter.
But most of the time they lived with her family inside Prefecture City.
For New Year's Eve, everyone suggested Zhao Hu bring them over to celebrate together. Zhao Hu liked the idea, so he went into town in the morning to fetch his wife and daughter.
Wang Heihou craned his neck, peeking outside.
"Quit looking! Dammit, those ladies are too high and mighty for us—can't get them to come!" Zhao Hu cursed, then plopped down on the stone step, grabbed a wine jug, and took a long swig.
"Hey! Don't drink too much—that stuff's crazy expensive! Twenty copper coins a jug!" Wang Heihou smacked his lips.
Zhao Hu shot him a fierce look, and Wang Heihou quickly turned away, not daring to say another word.
He still had a bit of fear for this adult who'd brought him so much grief in the past.
"Yun's not that kind of person," Lu Chang'sheng said as he let an arrow fly, hitting the bullseye.
With their earnings, they'd upgraded their training gear—now they owned four more bows and arrows, and the practice targets were real, solid ones.
"Ah, let's drop it! By the way, your archery looks like it's getting better and better!" Zhao Hu sighed lightly.
Lu Chang'sheng didn't pick up the topic.
Every person has their secrets; there's no need to dig them up.
He raised his bow, nocked an arrow—
With a "whoosh," the arrow struck dead center again, but this time he felt something different—something he never did when shooting before.
He glanced at the Light Curtain Panel—
Archery—Minor Achievement!
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