In the meeting room of Qingniu Medical Hall, the clicking of abacus beads rattled continuously, yet it failed to drown out the wave after wave of heated arguments. Old Liu, a pottery vendor, slammed the table. "Pay into a mutual aid fund? I make only a few coppers selling an earthenware jar, why should I shell out money for others?" Huwa, biting into half a garlic steamed bun, scurried up onto the table, the ox-horn hairband on his head swaying dazzlingly. "Uncle Liu, last month you smashed three cartloads of pottery. If Sister Su hadn't let you buy medicine on credit, you'd still be crying your eyes out!"
Before his voice had even faded, the entire room burst into laughter. Protagonist tapped the abacus. "The mutual aid fund isn't money given away for nothing. Last month, when the grain merchants in the west of the city were ambushed by mountain bandits, the Commercial Alliance provided both funds and manpower to escort their cargo. Now those people praise us to everyone they meet, saying 'The Taiji Commercial Alliance is even more reliable than the city wall!'" He pulled out a ledger, densely recorded with the cash flow of the mutual aid fund. The final page featured a sketch of Huwa being chased by dysentery bacteria—a "victory celebration drawing" Huwa had secretly doodled.
Over in the East Market, the dominant merchants were sipping tea and enjoying the spectacle. Shopkeeper Wang shook a gold-rimmed folding fan. "Just a bunch of small-timers playing around, and they wa…
Chapter 544