Xufu Town.

It’s now the busiest season of the year, in mid-to-late October, with just two or three months until the river freezes over. Once the river is frozen, the weather may gradually dip to a cold sensation, but for the people of Xufu Town, this is when the most comfortable time of the year arrives.

The freezing ice and snow bring a strong feeling of stability.

Xufu Town has now integrated quite a few surrounding clothing towns, leading the entire area into an intense business frenzy.

Everywhere you look, there are all kinds of carts loaded with clothes. The drivers sitting atop these carts don’t even have time to read the courier reports, moving like dark green soil transport vehicles in the dead of night, racing along at high speed with a "family horses aren’t my horses" mentality, crazily making money from these transactions.

The more clothes there are, the more channels are needed to move them out.

The Twelve Linked Huts have likely expanded to twenty-four now, and one whole side of the dock is lined with various big ships. Sailors on these ships are tossing bags of clothing into the cabins, mostly winter clothes, piling thick winter garments one after the other, a scene that could drive anyone with obsessive-compulsive tendencies mad.

Opposite the Xufu Town Government is the fully integrated guild handling the surrounding routes, overwhelmed and chaotic in its arrangements. When things get busy, all sorts of bizarre issues arise, and many families’ "carpooling" needs detailed planning.

As busy as an old dog.

"Rush, rush, rush, every family is rushing us. Is this the first time you’ve been to Xufu Town? Do you not trust our capabilities here at all? Have we ever made you wait more than three days? Just prepare your goods and send them straight to the Twelve Linked Huts and drop off the invoices at the guild!"

"Everyone’s waiting in the guild, cramming it till there’s no room to breathe. Is that good?"

"Damn, does anyone have a cold? With so many people packed together, if anyone catches a cold, our entire guild is doomed."

"Quickly get the families who’ve finished their business out of here, the guild is already crowded. Don’t leave so many people in the mansion, chase them all away."

"And who are you? Haven’t you seen a woman before? This is the guild reception, can’t you wait for others to finish their business before coming over?"

"Has the feedback from the docks arrived? Leave it there; I’ll look at it immediately."

"Ah, I know, alright, tell them it’s fine, just follow the usual procedures. Trust the guild, we’re okay."

"Your family’s disputes have nothing to do with the guild."

"Your mom wants you to choose between your wife and her? Did your wife also say that? Then just throw them both into the water."

"No more dogs! We’re not keeping dogs at the guild anymore. Don’t leave your dogs at our door; we’re not a welfare agency!"

"No cats either. I haven’t seen a mouse here for a year. Control their reproduction, won’t you? Must you send them to the guild? We’ve had incidents of cats and dogs hurting people before!"

"Invite me for a meal? Do I look like I have time right now? Sorry, my head’s about to explode. Let’s talk after these busy months!"

Inside the room, Wei Zhe wears a mask of pain, facing subordinates one after another coming in with questions. His tears are almost flowing.

While it looks like the guild is short-staffed now, it’s not usually like this. They can’t keep year-round loafers just for these two or three months of intense rush. So now, guild members are holding on tight, refusing leave, salaries maxed, enduring every day like it’s a year.

The problem mainly lies in the vast number of families under the guild, nearly twenty large families, possibly up to three hundred smaller ones. Big and small families gather, all choosing this time to send out clothes, each with a different destination and quantity. They all need clear route arrangements.

They also have to record numerous transactions of gold and silver. Through one ordeal after another, Wei Zhe suddenly notices he’s lost a handful of hair.

He then silently sheds tears, while replying to others’ questions, with his head down, reviewing document after document. By nightfall, when he can finally take a break, he returns exhausted to Wei Mansion.

"Ah, is the adult world this painful? I’m going to die." Wei Zhe sighed.

The past half month has been almost unbearable for anyone. The guild has too many random things going on, though he’s very familiar with its operations, truly in such a busy time, he feels like he’s falling apart, then he takes a look at a shop on the street corner.

A fleeting thought pops up in his mind: "If only Xiangxiang were still in Xufu Town right now, it would be fantastic. Alas, she’s been gone for so long."

"Xiangxiang previously went to Jiangzhou City to find the Courtesan, then the Courtesan agreed to let Xiangxiang join her, so it’s been several months without seeing Xiangxiang."