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Chapter 22: "Deal Ordeal."

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A dozen men and women had gathered across the road. They stood in a friendly group on the east side where the blockage was greatest and where they were out of the way of the passing traffic. Most held simple tools like axes and shovels. The two that seemed to be in charge waved at her then approached Shae like they had been waiting.

"Miss cultivator. That was impressive work." The man said with a stiff bow.

"Hello, are you feeling well? That looked like it took a toll on you." The woman asked and gave her a smoother and deeper bow.

"Good morning." Shae respectfully tilted her head to each of them. "I pushed harder than I should have without a break, it's good training though, I'll be fine shortly."

"That fast? Impressive recovery, Miss cultivator." The woman said with some surprise.

"Please call me Miss Shae. Wise Shae if you feel the need for titles."

"Thank you, I am Dong Chiden, and this is my wife, Ai-del."

"Well met, Mister Dong Chiden, Misses Dong Aidel. Say, do you know a Dong Min-an? She works at an inn in Flame Well?"

"Hmm, no, haven't heard of her. Lots of Dong's in the area. We're not all close, or family." Chiden supplied, and the couple both shook their heads.

"Ah, of course."

"Indeed. Our group are tradesmen and farmers, and as you can see," she gestured to the half dozen others, "we have a small work force with us. We'd like to offer our services to aid you."

Shae frowned slightly. Everybody just wants to get paid. "Hmm, guess I can't begrudge the initiative." She switched to a smile. "Are you with wagons passing by, like the others?"

"We're locals, we usually get employed to help with this kind of thing." Chiden supplied.

"Does this happen often?"

"Hmm, 'bout once a summer. This'll be the second this year, though."

"And who usually pays for this kind of thing? Who's responsible, Flame Well's magistrate?"

The two glanced at each other and the woman spoke. "The larger caravans usually clear most of it, after the low folk are forced to clear the first path just to get our own food through. We are quite grateful for you to have done that for us."

She smirked. "So grateful you want me to pay you? Heh heh heh." She chuckled as they both went a little pale. "Relax, I'm not offended. I'll be honest, I'm only here because I was hired by one of those 'vans to clear it. Though, I've only done the least of what they asked." She pointed at the mostly cleared path.

They relaxed, and Aidel continued, "Then, in honesty, we had guessed you must be hired. Cultivators don't just stop and help for no reason."

Shae grimaced. "Maybe they should."

Chiden shifted uncomfortably, but remained silent.

"Perhaps. Many don't consider the attention of a powerful cultivator to be a boon. A-hem. But to business: we will likely haul the wood away anyways. Just over a few weeks instead."

"Instead of right now?" She raised a skeptical eyebrow, but kept a smirk on her lips. "I'll ask you not to haul anything away. I'd like my employer to see all the work that needed doing. I'm not sure she'll believe I cleared this all away, even with help."

"Mmhm. We've not brought wagons for that anyway. Did you mean the caravan leader is a woman? Is it Mistress Ban, or Mistress Ping?"

The young woman nodded. "Ping. She's quite the merchant, which I can see you know, from that reaction."

"Ugh, yes. She's quite frugal. I fear she will claim the timber as her own."

"Hmm, shouldn't she?"

"Well, it's within her right, having paid for the clearing. It would help the community a lot to leave it, with winter around the corner."

"Yeah? I'm from further south, how is winter here?"

Chiden chuckled. "Not half as bad as it is up in the mountains, but we do get some snow."

"And enough chill to kill the summer crops. Some don't bother with winter crops, just using the break to let fertilizer set in, so I've heard." Aidel finished and her husband hummed his agreement.

"Not farmers, then? Would you mind sharing your trades?"

"My husband is a carpenter, and I am - between work at the moment." She looked down.

Shae scanned the woman with her eyes, she was in good physical fitness and had a few small scars on her well worked hands. Her husband looked soft by comparison, though his thicker forearms suggested it wasn't all fat. She kept her tone light, "Pffft, liar, you do twice the work he does."

Aidel grinned back. "Not having work is hard work."

"Hah. Fine fine. Carpentry though. That's helpful at the moment. Could I beg your expertise about timber?"

His slightly concerned expression broke into a pleased grin. "Of course, though I do prefer to be paid for it."

"Hah, right, right. Well I'll ask my question anyway, answer or not at your leisure. The length of these logs. I'm not sure what is ideal for carpentry use. Longer would get the work done faster, but be harder to move. Suggestions?"

He looked around and opened his mouth to speak but shifted to a half grimace of uncertainty.

"My husband is right to hesitate. While it might speed the work up, well sized timber would be more valuable. Making Mistress Ping more likely to seize the lot."

Shae nodded slowly in understanding. "I'm not entirely familiar with the local economy. What's a day's labor worth? And what about a skilled tradesman?" She looked towards Chiden specifically.

"For a one off job," Aidel started, "a silver for basic labor, as many as five taels for experience and skill."

Shae raised an eyebrow and spotted Chiden's eyes twitching glances between the two women. "Unless there's a flood of silver up here, I'd expect those are small silver?"

Aidel clenched her jaw, but it was the carpenter that broke first, "As she said, for a one off job, and that is a good job. If this is urgent, and 'cause the work is rough." He tilted his head to imply the rest.

"I assure you that my husband has been paid five large silver taels for a single day of his work."

The woman's serious expression caught Shae off guard and she snorted a laugh. "Grk. How many times? And was it just fixing a wheel on a rushing noble's carriage when they broke down right outside your house?"

Chiden cracked a grin at that. "Wheels are not my specialty, kind of hate the things, and always charge extra."

"Hahaha, that's not a no!" The young woman giggled.

"Fine. It was just the once, and your guess is close enough. Basic labor is a small silver and tradesmen don't get much more, they should, though." Aidel bit out.

Her anger crashed through Shae's good mood. "I didn't mean to tease, Misses Dong." She stood and waved them to follow. "I'll gladly hire you Mister Dong. Let's make it two tael for what I'm about to ask. Listen first. I'll be receiving a bonus if the road is fully cleared, or clear enough that it doesn't impede the caravan, since being fully cleared looks impossible in the time frame."

She led the pair past their group to the far east side of the road where the mud filled the ditch. They looked over the many trees blocking the road, far more than what she already chopped up. "The whole thing looks like at least a full day's work if I could keep up my earlier speed. I can't, partly because many of these trees are larger. My plan is to use the mud filled ditch to form a second detour, at least passable by carts. Then switch back to the first side and widen it for wagons."

The two nodded along, but their skepticism was clear as they glanced at each other while Shae talked.

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"As for labor, are any of your people here because they are blocked? Will they leave once the way is open for wagons?" She pointed back to the west side where some work was still going on to clean up the newly opened road.

"Some of them might have places to be." The carpenter admitted with a shrug.

Shae nodded. "Not surprising, since they have their own immediate need to clear the road already, I feel no need to pay them. Any that stay and work hard until an hour past midday will receive a small silver as payment."

"I thought you said the 'van would be here at noon?" Aidel asked.

"Supposedly, but they were also delayed so I can't be precise. In any case, I'd like Mistress Ping to see the work being done. She might be more amenable to payment and leaving the logs for you if she is able to see the scale of the work. I think I would be."

Aidel grunted. "Not sure she's that type. She might just be happy to have the bonus labor."

"Maybe, but I'll take a happy Mistress over a grumpy one."

"Hah, ain't that right!" Chiden called out, getting a sour look and a shoulder slap from his wife.

"You should like me however my mood." She said sweetly.

Shae stifled a cough. "Regarding the bonus. If I do get the clearing bonus. I'll be happy to share it with your lot, half and half." She pointed to herself and them to indicate the halves.

Aidel raised her eyebrows. "Any idea of the bonus?"

"No, but Mistress Ping said she wouldn't rip me off. Which I trust, as she has her reputation to worry about."

Chiden was starting a grin, "But what did you need me to do?"

"Right. Yes. You brought tools? Just more axes or saws?"

"We brought a few axes, yes, and at least one good timber saw."

"Good. At your discretion, I'd like you to assess each piece of timber for value. We should optimize my time spent cutting, compared with what you can reasonably drag away. Doing so without leaving a bunch of useless firewood. Clearing is our first priority, but I see no reason not to approach it constructively. Let's get good timber out the end, if that means your workers go through first stripping branches, so be it."

The man was grinning wide.

"You see what I'm asking?"

"Yes Miss. I like the idea, I'll need to direct the workers then?"

"Yes, or your wife, I'll include another tael for the trouble. Do you have any chalk or charcoal? If you could clearly mark where I should cut I will be able to move faster. That other path took me under two hours, so keep that in mind for how fast I need you to work, if you don't you'll see soon enough."

He rubbed his hands together. "I think I have some charcoal, but I'd just as soon strip some bark and do cuts with a handsaw for marking."

"Sounds fine." She nodded.

"Not yet, it doesn't." Aidel interrupted. "You're going to work us hard, can't do that without some idea of the reward, vague promises don't hold up, even from cultivators."

Shae considered then nodded to herself. "Out of curiosity. How much is half a stud? I've never heard that term before."

The two looked to each other, surprise then worry on their faces. "Uhm, would that be the bonus?" The man asked.

"No. As I said, I wasn't told the bonus, just that she would be reasonable."

The woman twitched a worried frown before speaking. "It's a bit of slang that isn't particularly nice."

Shae suddenly smiled with childlike joy.

The two took half a step back.

"Hah, awesome! Please tell me, I won't mind any crudeness." She leaned forwards.

"Heh, well." The woman swallowed. "It's not crudeness that's the problem."

"Aww come on! Not telling me is making me more annoyed!"

"Fine, fine." She held up her hands. "So you know how the crown coinage has the Empress and Emperor on it?"

"Hmm." Shae turned her head, then rooted through her pack for a crown and only found a silver one. "This is just the Empress, so a gold crown then? But why not just half a crown?"

"Because it's not half. Can we skip the politics part?"

"Hmm, no. This sounds interesting. More so because of how hesitant you are."

"We're just not sure how you'll react, Cultivator Shae."

"Please, Mister Dong, Wise Shae, if you have to. I met some monks in Minlin and took a liking to it. And never Fairy, not even to your friends after I leave. I can't be that pretty anyway for you to want to."

"Err, you're not bad looking."

Aiden slapped her husband's shoulder, hard this time. "What my foolish husband means is that you look lovely, Wise Shae." She gave a slight bow then forced Chiden to do the same.

"Ah-haha." Shae giggled into her sleeve. "Alright enough butt-kissing. Out with it! What's the stud for?"

"For making babies, silly." Chiden chimed automatically.

"Chiden!" Aidel shrieked and paled.

"Bwahaha!" The young woman burst into laughter, slapping her thigh and leaning on a felled tree for support. A few breaths in she stopped and gasped. "Oh! I get it!" She jumped in place and clapped. "The Emperor is the Empress' stud! So, half a stud is a quarter crown!" She continued laughing.

The duo had frozen to watch the cultivator. They relaxed after she explained her small revelation.

"Yes, that is correct." The woman confirmed when Shae was mostly recovered.

"Why stud, though? You mentioned politics?"

She glanced at her husband and he shrugged. "The Empress is the heir, so it's a bit of a bite at her husband's station."

"Ahhh, that he is only there for children. I suppose that is not uncommon. Hmm, a bit nice to see the trope flipped, at least."

"What?" They asked.

"Hmm? Oh, nevermind. So, will you help? And can you agree for the others?" She asked the pair in turn.

"You didn't really answer the question."

"I can't, so I won't."

"And your end goal is too vague. Ping might not pay up. You have to set a baseline for us to hit, and a base payout."

Shae sighed at the woman and she flinched back a step. "I could... But if I did I couldn't also offer the bonus split."

The couple looked at each other. Aidel was trying to be stone faced, Chiden had a pleading expression. He leaned in to whisper a bit too loudly. "Take the deal dear."

She shook her head. "I can't just trust her." She waved a hand at Shae. "We need a firm commitment."

Their loud whispers were a courtesy to Shae. They knew a cultivator could probably hear regardless. Not asking for a private moment was thanks to her for being open and honest in their bargaining.

"She has agreed to pay a good day's wage."

"But she wants us to overwork ourselves for potentially nothing. We both know half the boys will exhaust themselves and be useless tomorrow."

"And that would be their mistake. They do need to learn to pace themselves."

Shae looked at the gathered workers. Some were on the young side, they shifted with anxiety and pent up energy. Some straightened up then flexed and posed when they saw her attention was on them.

She missed what the woman said next.

The man sighed. "I'll leave it to your decision, wife. They will trust you made the right call."

"Then we keep the offer of this mystery split out of their ears."

"Very well, dear."

Aidel turned back to the young woman. "Apologies, but we need a firm commitment. Exactly what needs to be done for a bonus, and what the bonus is."

Shae nodded. "Then let's restrict the bonus to only your workers. You and Chiden will receive fixed pay with no bonus. To let you keep your own decisions unbiased."

"Hah, I agree, Wise Shae!" He called out with a sudden smile.

"What?" Aidel gasped. She looked at him and he just nodded. "Fine. But the bonus is a large silver each."

Shae frowned and looked at the bunch, there were about a dozen workers not counting the couple. A few more had strayed over from the other wagons while they waited.

"Plus the small? That would be four times the base pay. I can do triple. Change the small to a large if we succeed."

She frowned, "and what does success look like?" Her tone was sharp and her husband elbowed her gently. "A-hem, Wise Shae?"

"Two paths cleared on either side. Wide enough to easily pass a wagon without stopping."

The two finally took a moment to look unsure, glancing at the work to be done with worry.

"We should also clear and flatten the mud as best we can. Easy on the west side, if it is too soft on this side, that might not be a deal breaker. The caravan will have sect cultivators. I believe they could harden the mud easily, so we will leave room in the agreement for that. I'll pay them myself if needed."

The couple relaxed somewhat.

"Finally, I'll only pay those dozen that you brought and that stay the whole time. Make sure they agree to stay, and introduce them to me before you start." She pointed at the group, it had swelled with observers interested in their exchange.

The couple looked over and nodded in understanding: Chiden first, and more eagerly.

"And to clarify, two large silver to Chiden for his expertise, then one large silver for you, Aidel, for managing the workers."

Aidel continued a slow nod as she turned back to Shae. She approached the young woman and extended a hand, "Agreed."

Shae accepted the handshake and nodded. "Agreed."

Aidel's grip tightened. An uncommon choice to boldly challenge one's strength against another, especially a cultivator. Shae smirked and stopped channeling any qi, she squeezed firmly but still well under what her right hand was capable of. The woman's eyes widened and she looked at their hands.

"Your hand? Why is it so white?"

Chiden coughed loudly.

"Ah, sorry, I didn't mean-"

"It's fine." The young woman raised her other hand to stop her. "It was cleansed by tribulation lightning about a month ago. Haven't been able to put much of a tan back on, yet. Might not be able to."

"Tribulation!" She gasped, "So that was you in the south? We heard that it happened, but-" she swallowed, "I didn't think you were..."

"It was a unique situation. I'm no elder or ascendant. This task would be trivial if I were." She hiked a thumb at the trees. "Mister Dong. If you wouldn't mind finding me some wood to chop. I think I'm nearly ready to start again."

"Yes, Wise Shae!" He rushed off.

Aidel was still stunned.

"Misses Aidel?" Shae pointed at the gathered crowd with an eyebrow raised.

"Ah, right." She bowed stiffly then walked away to sort her workers out of the gawking crowd.

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