Chapter Sixteen: The Trap of Collaboration

"By the way, how does the Fresh Fish Shop manage to keep their fish alive for a whole day?" Manager Wang suddenly thought of a question.

After the probing from Chi Zhiyong and the response from Mo Family Village, everyone knew that the secret of keeping fish alive lay in the waterwheel of Mo Family Village. Yet today, the waterwheel hadn't even entered the city of Chang'an, and still the live fish at the Fresh Fish Shop were thriving, some lasting the entire day.

Accountant Zhang replied, "From my own observation, there's a pond dug in the backyard of the Fresh Fish Shop, and its water is connected to one of the rooms."

Manager Wang frowned. "It seems the secret of Mo Family Village’s live fish lies in that room."

"In fact, there’s another way to obtain their secret," Accountant Zhang said thoughtfully.

"Then hurry up and tell me!" Manager Wang urged anxiously.

Though the live fish business of Mo Family Village was still small in scale, it dominated the high-end market and was extremely profitable. In contrast, the Wang Family Fish Shop controlled most of Chang'an’s fish market, but its profits mainly came from dead fish and other low-end sales.

Moreover, dead fish spoiled quickly. If they couldn’t be sold in time, they became worthless—a difficult business with slim margins. If he could get hold of the Mo Family’s live fish secret, all the Wang Family's fish could remain swimming freely in water, sold while still alive, never again fearing losses from dead fish.

The thought of such a vast live fish market made Manager Wang all the more impatient.

"Cooperation!" Accountant Zhang said firmly.

He leaned in and whispered a few words into Manager Wang’s ear, causing the latter’s face to light up with delight.

"Cooperation?"

Inside the Fresh Fish Shop, Mo Dun eyed Accountant Zhang with suspicion.

"That’s right," Accountant Zhang stroked his beard, "Our Wang Family Fish Shop controls more than half of Chang’an’s fish trade, while your Mo Family Village holds the secret to keeping fish alive. If we join forces, the entire fish market of Chang’an will be ours." His tone was full of fervor and promise.

"By then, the Mo Family Village’s profits will be dozens or even hundreds of times greater than they are now," he continued.

"That’s wonderful!" Li Yi exclaimed joyfully. "If that’s really the case, Mo Family Village will be saved!"

The others from Mo Family Village also looked hopeful, enchanted by the future Accountant Zhang painted.

But Mo Dun was not swept away by grand prospects. He said, "So, you mean the secret of keeping fish alive would have to be shared with the Wang Family Fish Shop."

"Of course. Our Wang Family provides most of the market, and you provide the secret. It’s only fair," Accountant Zhang nodded.

Not only Manager Wang, but even some of the Mo Family Villagers seemed to agree.

Li Yi looked hesitant, but he couldn’t spot any traps.

Mo Dun sneered inwardly. What appeared to be a fair deal was actually a massive snare. Once the Wang Family Fish Shop obtained the secret, Mo Family Village would be left with nothing. Accountant Zhang’s beautiful promises were nothing but honey-laced poison.

Mo Dun, who came from a later age, saw through such cheap tricks at a glance.

"I object!" Mo Dun suddenly declared, stunning everyone.

"Why?" Accountant Zhang was incredulous, having seen the Mo Family villagers tempted, and was secretly gloating.

"The secret of keeping fish alive can only remain with Mo Family Village; it will never be revealed to outsiders," Mo Dun said, enunciating each word as he stared at Accountant Zhang.

"That’s right, Mo Family Village will never leak the secret," Li Yi snapped out of his temptation.

More and more villagers realized the truth, glaring at Accountant Zhang with hostility.

"You sly scoundrel, how dare you eye our secret! See if I don’t beat you to death!" Tie An roared, stepping forward to teach Accountant Zhang a lesson.

"Tie An, stop!" Mo Dun intervened, saving Accountant Zhang from Tie An’s wrath.

"However, cooperation between Mo Family Village and the Wang Family is not out of the question," Mo Dun said leisurely.

"Young Master!" Li Yi was alarmed, trying to stop him.

Mo Dun raised a hand, silencing him. "Actually, we can cooperate in another way."

"And how is that?" Accountant Zhang asked hopefully.

"If the Wang Family Fish Shop wants a share in the live fish business, you can purchase from the south gate. Mo Family Village is willing to sell live fish to you at a favorable wholesale price," Mo Dun said.

"Brilliant, Young Master!" Li Yi praised admiringly.

The villagers of Mo Family also nodded in agreement. This method neither leaked the secret nor increased revenue—a true win-win.

Accountant Zhang’s face flushed. "If you didn’t wish to cooperate, why toy with us? Don’t forget, we are the largest fish merchants in Chang’an. If you want to last here, let’s see if you have what it takes!"

With a thud, Accountant Zhang was thrown out of the Fresh Fish Shop by Tie An.

"Oh, and Young Master asks you to tell Chi Zhiyong that he’s remembered him," Tie An said gruffly.

Accountant Zhang’s heart skipped a beat—did they know Chi Zhiyong was acting on their behalf? Chilled to the bone, he hurried off.

"How did Young Master know Chi Zhiyong was acting for the Wang Family?" Li Yi’s voice drifted from behind the Fresh Fish Shop door.

Mo Dun smiled faintly. "I didn’t know before. Now I do."

Wang Family Fish Shop

Crash! Crash! Crash!

Bottles shattered one after another. Manager Wang had lost count of how many he had smashed.

"Mo Family Village is utterly infuriating! They want us to buy wholesale from them? That would mean I’d have to bow to that snot-nosed brat!" Manager Wang roared.

The Wang Family Fish Shop was the largest in Chang’an, and now he was expected to become a mere middleman? The thought was unbearable.

"And it seems Mo Family Village already suspects that Chi Zhiyong was working for us," Accountant Zhang said cautiously.

"Hmph! So what if they know? That brat is just a penniless county baron. What can he do to me?" Manager Wang said smugly.

"Manager, Mo Family Village is truly stubborn. I’ve privately approached several villagers and, no matter what I offered, they refused to reveal the secret," Accountant Zhang reported.

"If they refuse to recognize our generosity, don’t blame me for being ruthless," Manager Wang said, his face twisting with malice.

The Wang Family Fish Shop had not become number one in Chang’an through business acumen alone, but by relying on a ruthless force under his command—Fish Gang.

Over the years, Manager Wang had used the Fish Gang to suppress competitors, manipulate prices, and expand his business empire. The gang also handled his more sinister affairs.

The people of Chang’an loathed the Fish Gang, but Manager Wang’s connections were deep, and the gang grew ever more brazen, committing all manner of evil behind the scenes. They had become a blight upon the city.