The Turning Wheel (1)
The days had grown colder. It was early November now, and the air over Peixian carried a sharp chill. Yet for me, even the bite of winter felt strangely distant.
“And here is the final sales ledger for last month’s operations at the Lü Family Trading Company, fully reconciled with the peddlers.”
Xiao He set the bamboo slips down with a calm expression.
“Gulp…”
I swallowed hard without meaning to. My fingertips were trembling. I pressed them firmly against the bamboo to steady myself.
They must have sold well… right?
I already knew conceptually that we had struck gold. The logistics warehouse emptied the moment straw sandals and ropes arrived, and the roasted peanuts flew off the shelves faster than we could roast them. Fan Kuai was now slicing more peanuts than he was butchering dogs, and the wheels on Xiahou Ying’s wagon were so worn they needed replacing.
But seeing the numbers in front of me felt entirely different. It was like receiving a report card after an exam.
I glanced at Xiao He with slightly shaky eyes, but he merely gave me a small nod, his face unchanging. I took a deep breath and untied the string on the bamboo slips.
With a pleasant clatter, the wooden pieces unfurled. Xiao He’s elegant handwriting filled every inch, welcoming me like old friends. My gaze immediately flew to the final line—the grand total.
3,120 coins
“……Huh?”
Three thousand one hundred and twenty coins. So… roughly three thousand coins.
My starting capital was only 1,500 coins?
I blinked blankly for a moment, then my face lit up like the sun breaking through clouds.
“Is this really accurate?!”
“Haha, of course it is. How could I ever lie to you, madam?” Xiao He nodded with absolute confidence.
Only then did reality truly hit me. I clapped both hands over my mouth.
Total revenue: 3,120 coins… net profit: 1,620 coins…!
A return exceeding 100 percent. My lips curled upward uncontrollably. I felt like my cheekbones might fly straight to heaven. Ah, so this was the sweet taste of capitalism!
“That figure includes the four hundred coins earned from selling roasted peanuts. I triple-checked the double-entry books, so there should be no errors.”
At the same time, two heavy pouches of coins landed on the table with a satisfying thunk. The sound was so substantial it made the whole table tremble. I clutched the money bags to my chest with an expression of pure rapture.
Distribution business… is the best…!
First-month revenue of three thousand coins. If we fully organized our network and ran the peanut factory at full capacity next month, six thousand coins wouldn’t be a dream. At this rate, by next summer—before the great wheels of the Chu-Han contention began to turn in earnest—I could easily amass a hundred thousand coins. That would be enough to outfit Liu Bang’s army with an entire elite cavalry unit and still have plenty left over.
“Thank you, thank you so much, Lord Xiao!”
“Haha, there’s no need for thanks. I merely organized the books.” Xiao He waved his hand modestly, though a pleased glint shone in his eyes. He tidied his brush and asked casually, “So, what do you plan to do with the money?”
“Reinvest, of course. We’ll recruit more women from neighboring villages and expand our product line. Since it’s winter, padded cotton clothes or leather shoes might sell well.”
Money begets money. I had to keep the snowball rolling.
Xiao He smiled. “As expected, you intend to keep pushing forward.” Then he added, almost as an afterthought, “And what about the lord?”
“My husband?”
“Yes. It’s your first profit. Even a small gift would surely please him.”
“Hmm…”
It was true that Liu Bang hadn’t exactly been idle. He couldn’t be trusted with actual business operations, but he was astonishingly good at acting as a shill when we sold peanuts or chasing away troublesome customers. He performed his role as the face of the company and personal bodyguard admirably.
Like a first paycheck bonus…
From an employee management perspective, some form of compensation was necessary. Besides, it was practically tradition to treat your friends generously with your first wages. And knowing that man, he would probably react with exaggerated gratitude even if I gave him something trivial.
I could already picture Liu Bang saying, “Zhi, you really…” with tears glistening in his eyes.
“I’ll think about it.”
I nodded obediently, already turning over product ideas in my head.
“A wise decision. I’m sure the lord will be delighted.” Xiao He clapped his hands once and smiled meaningfully. “After all, he loves you more than anyone else in this world.”
At his sudden barrage of facts, I could only offer an awkward smile and a nod.
Love. What a heavy word.
That evening.
“……”
In the narrow office of the Peixian constabulary, thick with the savory aroma of roasted peanuts, Liu Bang sat alone, tilting his wine cup.
“Haa…”
But the cup in his hand had already been raised and lowered three times without a single sip. Each time he brought it to his lips, he only let out a sigh and set it down again.
Liu Bang let out a deep breath and roughly scrubbed a hand down his face.
“……Damn it.”
In the end, he set the cup aside entirely. He reached for the peanuts with his chopsticks, fumbled a few times, then tossed the chopsticks away and grabbed a handful, shoving them into his mouth.
I’m losing my mind.
What filled his head right now was the face his wife had shown him that morning. Zhi had come to him beaming like a child, clutching their first settlement money.
Look, my lord! We’ve already earned this much!
Her cheeks had flushed pink with excitement. Then she had carefully wrapped a woolen scarf around his neck as a gift before he left for work.
The weather is cold. Don’t go out without it just because it’s bothersome. Make sure you wear it.
The warmth of her fingers against his nape, the faint scent of her skin. That lovely smile like wildflowers, that small face glowing with happiness as if she had conquered the world—those images refused to leave his mind.
……Ha.
In his thirty-some years of life, Liu Bang had never held back like this. Days without touching a woman. And all while a young wife who had practically rolled into his arms lay right beside him.
He gazed up at the old ceiling and closed his eyes.
I’m not ready yet.
Her voice from their wedding night still echoed vividly in his head. The old him wouldn’t have paid it any mind. Whether she hated it or cried, he would have made her his. That had always been Liu Bang’s way.
But Zhi… was different.
Those upright eyes. That voice full of conviction. The boldness with which she had looked him straight in the eye and demanded an equal relationship had made him nod before he even realized it.
Zhi, you really…
In this era, a wife was her husband’s property. She cooked, bore children, and guarded the home. But what about Zhi? She had revived their household, paid off their debts, debated on equal footing with Xiao He, and now she was even earning money. In just two months, she had taken his life—the one everyone in the village had written off as hopeless—and reshaped it into something respectable.
She’s an incredible woman…
Respect. That was Liu Bang’s honest feeling.
But at the same time—
……I want to hold her.
A primal male desire rose from the pit of his stomach like smoke. Pale skin, a slender waist, soft-looking breasts, and those mysteriously drooping eyes. Because he respected her, he wanted her even more. He wanted that brilliant mind, those clever hands, that beautiful body to belong to him and him alone.
Moreover, thanks to the peanuts she’d been eating lately, the hollows in her cheeks had filled out and her skin glowed with health. Three days ago, he had accidentally opened the door while she was changing and caught a glimpse of her white back. The image was still burned deep into his mind.
It still stings.
Liu Bang touched his right cheek, which still carried a faint ache, and let out a hollow laugh. From the very first time they met, he had been drawn to her. Not simply because she was beautiful, but because he sensed something in her that words couldn’t describe.
“……”
Memories of the past kept surfacing. In the end, Liu Bang squeezed his eyes shut and drained the last cup.
……Should I bring it up soon?
He wanted to confirm it. To get closer. Deeper. To overlap their bodies and make sure she truly belonged to him.
No, I promised I would wait.
But then he shook his head. Was it pride as a man? Or fear? Amid emotions he couldn’t name, Liu Bang shook his head violently and stood up.
Let’s go home. Just go to sleep.
Surprisingly, half the wine still remained in the bottle in his hand.
……
“Liu Ji.”
On the way home from the constabulary, trudging through the darkness, a familiar voice called out. It was Xiao He. He must have been on his way back from work; he carried a bundle of bamboo slips.
“Oh, what’s up?”
“Just happened to run into you.”
Xiao He stared at Liu Bang’s face for a moment, then frowned.
“Speaking of which, drinking again?”
“Yeah, just one cup. Why?”
“I’m not scolding you. It’s just…” Xiao He shrugged. “Your expression looks rather frightening.”
“My expression?”
“Yes. You look like you’re on your way to kill someone.”
“Ha, you’re exaggerating.”
Well, strictly speaking, it wasn’t entirely wrong. Right now he was desperate to possess the heart of one woman—the person he wanted most in the world.
Xiao He fell silent for a moment, then asked with a more serious face, “Hey, Ji.”
“What?”
“Is the madam still refusing to share your bed?”
“Cough…”
Liu Bang choked without meaning to. After coughing for a while, he nodded with a reddened face.
“……Yeah.”
It was impossible to lie to Xiao He anyway. In a voice mixed with sighs, he confessed honestly.
“On our wedding night, she said she wasn’t ready yet. Like an idiot, I promised I would wait. But honestly… I’ve reached my limit. We live together, yet I can’t even hold her hand.”
Liu Bang ruffled his hair in frustration. A deep sigh scattered into the night air.
“And you know what’s funny?”
“What?”
“The fact that I’m scared to even bring it up. Scared she’ll reject me. Scared that beautiful smile of hers will stop being directed at me.”
The great Liu Bang, afraid. Even he found it ridiculous.
Xiao He looked at his friend with complicated eyes before speaking calmly.
“I’ll say only one thing.”
“What is it?”
“Lady Lü does not particularly dislike you.”
“……What?”
“I can tell just from her expression. When she speaks of you, what appears on her face is not disgust.”
Xiao He chose his words carefully.
“If I had to describe it… it was closer to trust.”
He continued with conviction.
“And she must know that you have given up womanizing and are devoting yourself to your household. I don’t claim to understand a woman’s heart, but at the very least, she is not the kind of person who would ignore your efforts.”
“……”
“She may be grateful that you’re holding back for her sake, or she may even feel sorry about it.”
Xiao He gave a small nod.
“But one thing is certain.”
“What?”
“If you do nothing, nothing will change.”
Xiao He’s hand landed on Liu Bang’s shoulder with a soft thud. He glanced around briefly, then lowered his voice to a whisper.
“Besides… there isn’t much time left.”
“Time?”
“The corvée labor. An official notice arrived at the county office yesterday.”
Liu Bang’s eyebrows twitched.
“Where?”
“Mount Li.”
“……!”
Liu Bang’s eyes widened. Mount Li—the site where the First Emperor’s mausoleum was being built. A hellish construction site from which few ever returned alive.
“It will take at least two months, possibly as long as six. And this time the workers you must escort are convicts. Anything could happen on the road.”
“Mount Li, huh…”
A heavy sigh escaped Liu Bang’s lips. In the middle of winter, all the way to that distant place. And with convicts, no less. But as the chief constable of Peixian, it was a duty he could not avoid.
Xiao He gripped Liu Bang’s shoulder tightly.
“So if there is something you want, speak now. If you leave with regrets in your heart, your feet will refuse to move.”
“……”
Xiao He did not wait for an answer. He simply gave Liu Bang’s shoulder one firm squeeze, then walked past him and vanished into the darkness.
Left alone, Liu Bang stood there blankly, gazing up at the night sky. The winter constellations shone with unusual coldness.
I have to leave…
He might never see her again. If any convicts escaped during transport, the chief constable responsible would be beheaded. If he left without doing anything, he would regret it until his final moment.
If you do nothing, nothing will change.
Xiao He’s words pierced his chest like a dagger. In truth, he had said he would wait—he had never said he would do nothing. Even if he didn’t pounce on her right away, shouldn’t he at least convey how he felt?
Yes. Let’s do that.
Liu Bang’s eyes changed. The hesitation vanished, and his usual wild spirit returned.
Tonight. He would approach her. Not rushing, not threatening. But clearly.
In my own way.
Liu Bang clenched his fist tightly and strode toward home.