Transmigration: Space-Aided Rise to Power and Prosperity
Chapter 39 - 35 I Disagree

Chapter 39: Chapter 35 I Disagree

Mr. Gu thought more and more that those sixty taels couldn’t be paid, "Yu Daitie, it was indeed wrong of my third son to take the job without your consent, but he saw that the man was in a hurry and you weren’t around, so he took it. Now that the person has run off, there’s nothing we can do. You’re his master, can’t you be a little forgiving? Do you really want the third son to compensate for the entire knife? If word gets out, it won’t look good on you, right? How about we compensate you for the pig iron?" Mr. Gu straightforwardly proposed the solution, not wanting to haggle with Yu Daitie at all.

Yu Daitie saw that the decision-maker had arrived and didn’t want to argue with He anymore, but he could tell that the Gu Family didn’t want to pay much, "Brother Gu! Your third son has been in my shop for more than half a year, and I haven’t treated him badly! I’ve taught him my prized skills, otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to make a large knife. This knife, although said to be worth sixty taels of silver, the pig iron itself is quite valuable! If I ask for sixty taels, I’m still at a loss. How about this! Considering Chenglian is my apprentice, I’ll take fifty taels of silver. I’ll bear some loss." Yu Daitie waved his hand, pretending to concede reluctantly. Actually, Yu Daitie’s heart was full of jealousy, he had been forging iron for so many years but never managed to make a large knife, yet Gu Chenglian managed to do it alone after only half a year. The shop couldn’t keep him any longer.

Gu Chengyu found it amusing when he heard this; who would believe it? Yu Daitie was truly greedy, clearly trying to use this incident to swindle money from the Gu Family! Gu Chenglian was also infuriated by Yu Daitie’s deceit, who was he trying to fool? The contents of the blacksmith shop combined aren’t worth fifty taels of silver, even with that pig iron added. Yu Daitie never taught him anything properly, he learned by observing on the side. Yu Daitie’s craftsmanship wasn’t even that good; he couldn’t handle complex, large items, and after more than twenty years, the shop was still rented, showing he hadn’t saved much money. He was definitely trying to seize the opportunity and bite hard.

Gu Chenglian was trembling with anger; how could the Gu Family possibly afford fifty taels of silver? At this moment, Gu Chengyu pulled him over and whispered a few words in his ear. After listening, Gu Chenglian’s eyes lit up, and he went into the house. Shortly after, he came out holding a small hunk of iron.

"Master, we have been master and apprentice for more than half a year. I am grateful you took me in as an apprentice; after all, it’s a skill for a living. What happened today is my fault; I didn’t take a deposit before working for that person. I shouldn’t have used your treasured materials without permission and accepted a job without your presence. Yet, Master is surely aware of how much that piece of iron is worth. After making the knife, there was a small piece left, and I brought it back, figuring it was too small to keep. Master, instead of saying fifty taels, why not name a fair price to negotiate." Gu Chenglian repeated what Gu Chengyu told him, holding back his anger, as Yu Daitie showed no consideration for their time together.

Yu Daitie initially wanted to insist on fifty taels, but Gu Chenglian had that leftover piece. If shown to another blacksmith, they’d just recognize it’s slightly better than regular iron! The sixty taels that man mentioned were indeed inflated, though in the end, he didn’t pay.

Seeing a turn of events, He became even more energetic, "I say, Yu Daitie! If this iron was taken elsewhere to be appraised, it might not even be worth a single tael of silver! You should carefully reconsider your words."

Yu Daitie, hearing Gu Chenglian mention the apprenticeship, felt a bit guilty, as he took on apprentices not sincerely to teach but to have someone work for free. He hadn’t taught him any real skills.

"Chenglian, since you’ve said as much, I also feel uneasy. Fine, just give me fifteen taels. The rest can be for the sake of our master-apprentice relationship, but in the future, you mustn’t be impulsive anywhere else!"

Gu Chengyu thought Yu Daitie really had a thick skin; even when exposed, he remained unflustered and still intended to dismiss his third brother. However, his third brother likely couldn’t continue there anyway.

Gu Chenglian felt uneasy, knowing he couldn’t return to the blacksmith shop.

"Yu Daitie, fifteen taels won’t do. Never mind whether the iron is worth that much. You see, the Gu Family isn’t financially sound; could you not be more flexible? We really can’t afford fifteen taels," Mr. Gu continued to bargain, hoping to lower the cost.

"Brother Gu, you know my blacksmith shop doesn’t get business every day. After so many years, I haven’t earned much money. Fifteen taels indeed put me at a loss. Furthermore, Chenglian still spent over half a year learning under me, didn’t he? I’ve always done my best in teaching him; there’s credit even if there’s hardship, right? You should understand my predicament too!" Hmph! There’s the angle of master-apprentice relations, where I taught you blacksmithing, and now you want me to lose out? That’s unreasonable, right?

Mr. Gu fell silent, took out his pipe, and started smoking. If this matter spread, it would harm the third son’s reputation; after all, there’s a master-apprentice bond that shouldn’t be strained too tight. But fifteen taels is too much, and if spent, the family would have no silver left; even Fourth’s scar removal ointment remains unresolved.

Gu Chengyu saw that negotiations reached a stalemate. After discussing for a while, Yu Daitie wouldn’t budge, so he ran to Mr. Gu’s side, whispering a strategy to follow his advice. With no other choice, who would listen to a child? It’s best for the old man to step in.

"I say, Yu Daitie, you know how much the iron is worth. We can pay at most ten taels. If you don’t agree, we’ll report it to the authorities. Anyway, the knife was taken by others, which is unrelated to the third son. If we report it, the local blacksmiths can appraise how much the iron is worth. What do you think? Do you agree or not?" Mr. Gu, biting the bullet, responded. In truth, he didn’t dare to see the officials; it was just as Xiao Bao said, a bluff to scare Yu Daitie, and if reported, the third son might still face punishment for misusing the iron privately.

Yu Daitie realized he couldn’t squeeze more benefits and had to agree reluctantly, fearing seeing the officials too. "Fine, since Brother Gu said so, I’ll give some face, ten taels it is!"

"What? Really give ten taels of silver? I don’t agree, if we give ten taels, what silver coin will the family have left? That’s pure silver, we can’t waste it on outsiders. Father, are you going to use our wealth to compensate for the third son? Over the years, my husband has worked tirelessly, and if all his earnings are lost, what about second son’s and third son’s marriages? Father, you can’t just care for the third son and them? My husband is your son too; you can’t ignore us." He, upon hearing that ten taels would indeed be paid, burst out in fury. Ten taels could marry two wives. Father-in-law was far too biased, disregarding their household’s livelihood. She couldn’t bear it, pounding her leg and wailing. Even the grandkids, forbidden from coming outside, were leaning against window sills observing the courtyard.