People were used to thinking on the bright side before doing things. Few people would think about what they would do if things didn't develop as well as they had imagined, or what they would do if things developed in a bad direction …
Husby and his father-in-law, the miller, were the same.
In truth, the miller's idea wasn't bad at all. He had good intentions in mind. It could even be said that converting the red-brick house into a high-class inn was a good idea tailored for Husby.
However, they forgot one important thing: the social environment and economic foundation determined the success or failure of any business.
The civil war in Aueras had been going on for more than two years and Prince Kargat's armed forces were gradually gaining the upper hand.
The three southwestern prefectures were the prince's base of operations, providing him with an endless supply of weapons, rations, supplies, and soldiers.
Under such circumstances, the three southwestern prefectures, including Whitestag, had to bear the heavy burden of military production.
Due to the civil war, the kingdom's businesses were in a slump. The prince hated the corruption of the nobles and officials and advocated frugality, putting an end to extravagance and fighting for the kingdom's revival. As a result, it was impossible for the nobles and officials to be as ostentatious as they used to be.
Even the officials who passed by Whitestag while transporting the military supplies to the frontlines would rather stay in their tents than spend a few thales to visit Husby's newly opened high-class inn.
So, the Ferd Inn that Husby had spent most of his fortune on was completely deserted after three days of being surrounded by the townsfolk. The miller's idea of people coming to experience the luxurious life of nobles became nothing more than empty words.
Husby, who had been suffering for four months, couldn't take it any longer. He had to fire all the servants, chefs, and maidservants he hired. At the same time, he converted the inn into a mid-class inn and lowered the price of the inn to accommodate travelers and merchants. Only then did he barely manage to survive.
Another half a year later, news of Prince Kargat's victory arrived. As Stellin IX ascended to the throne, the kingdom underwent a comprehensive social, economic, administrative, and military reform. The three southwestern prefectures slowly recovered from the exhaustion of the war and the number of travelers and merchants passing by Whitestag increased. Ferd Inn's business finally picked up.
Molly was pregnant by then. After ten months, she gave birth to a healthy boy. Husby named him Morssen and House Ferd finally had a successor.
Those years were the happiest in Husby's life. He had a decent career that could be passed down from generation to generation.
He had a virtuous wife and a cute child. It was a life that the farmer could never have dreamed of.
When Morssen was four, Molly got pregnant again. Husby was so happy that he couldn't close his mouth.
What he didn't expect, however, was that Molly was pregnant with twins and suffered massive bleeding during labor. Even though Husby went to three shrines in town to plead for the gods' blessings and offered a large sum of money, Molly still closed her eyes in the end. The twins couldn't be saved either and all three of them died.
This tragedy had completely crushed Hasby's spirit. From then on, he drank like a madman and spent his days in a daze. He no longer cared about the hostel and did not even take care of Young Morssen. No matter who tried to persuade him, he would not listen. All he knew was to pour alcohol into his mouth …
The miller, who was also saddened, brought Young Morssen over to live with him. Hasby, who no longer had anything to worry about, became a complete drunkard. Not long after, Ferd Inn's business plummeted and it closed down.
Mr. Morson, therefore, had no respect or affection for his father. His mother was gone when he could remember, and his father had become a drunkard, who, in his drunken stupor, sometimes threw the house into disorder in a fit of drunkenness, and uttered his mother's name incessantly.
That left a deep impression of fear in the young Morssen's heart.
Fortunately, his grandfather, the miller, didn't forget about him and took him to his side. That was how he left the terrifying red brick house.
When he was 12, thanks to Stellin IX's educational reforms, the children of commoners were allowed to study in the newly established public schools.
His grandfather sent him to the prefectural city of Baromise to become a boarding student at the first public elementary school in the three southwestern prefectures.
Husby, on the other hand, seemed to have forgotten that he had a son. He never asked about Morssen's affairs. Morssen's eight years of school fees and living expenses were all paid for by the miller for his grandson. That made Morssen hate his father even more.
When Morssen was 18 and about to enter the second year of middle school, his father, Husby, passed away. He fell into a small river after drinking too much and drowned in the water that was less than half a meter deep.
Morssen breathed a sigh of relief when he heard the news as if a heavy burden had been lifted off his shoulders.
When Hasby died, he left nothing but the old red brick house, and even a debt of ten thales or so to the tavern in the town, which the old miller had to pay on behalf of his dead son-in-law.
Morssen only took three days off and rushed to Whitestag. With the miller's help, he presided over his father's funeral and burial. He didn't even look at the red brick house and hurried back to school to continue his studies.
Two years later, Morssen graduated from middle school and wanted to find a job in the prefectural city.
However, the miller sent him a letter asking him to return.
When Morssen returned to Whitestag, he found the miller gravely ill and unable to get out of bed.
The miller wanted to leave everything he had to Morssen. Perhaps he believed that Morssen would make a good miller.
From his sickbed, the miller told Morssen the story of the red brick house and how Husby got it. He said that many people in town were envious of Husby's good fortune.
Morssen asked his grandfather if he hated his father.
The miller smiled and said that he never hated Husby. He only became an alcoholic because Molly's death was too much of a blow to him. He would rather drown in alcohol than face the reality of losing his wife and child.
In that sense, he didn't marry his daughter to the wrong person. Molly had a husband who loved her deeply.
After a moment of silence, the miller continued, "Perhaps Husby's drowning is a relief for him and those who sympathized with him. All we can do is pray that your father and mother can be reunited in Luna's paradise. They will definitely be happy there."
Two months later, the miller passed away.
Just when everyone thought that Morssen would take over the old mill, Morssen made a decision that surprised everyone. He sold the old mill to someone else and invested all the money into the renovation and renovation of the old red brick house.
Morssen didn't want to follow his father's footsteps and reopen Ferd Inn.
The renovations were a complete change to the red brick house. The exterior didn't change, but the interior was completely different from before.
Morssen opened up the fourth floor of the leftmost suite and installed a new staircase. He then sealed up the passageway between that suite and the other suites with a wall, turning it into an independent four-story building that would serve as his own living quarters.
As for the other three suites and attics on the second and third floors of the red brick house, Morssen only remodeled one of the suites into a kitchen. The washroom and toilet were already there, so he didn't make any major changes.
Then, he dredged the pipes, connected the water pipes, and decorated every room very neatly and simply. That way, he had six suites and three attics suitable for home use.
As for the first floor, Morssen had his men tear down the main door and replace the red brick walls with floor-to-ceiling glass windows.
Apart from the staircase leading to the second floor, the rest of the place was converted into three independent shops, two large and one small.
After the renovations were completed, Morssen started renting out his own house and shop in town. His actions caused quite a stir in the town. Nobody expected that Morssen would turn the most famous red brick house in town into a mixed-use apartment.
It had been 21 years since Prince Kargath became Stellin IX. The reforms he oversaw in the kingdom were beginning to show results.
Aueras' power grew by the day, especially after defeating their arch-enemy, Nasri, expanding their territory and annexing Berkeley. Aueras had become a powerful kingdom on Freia that couldn't be ignored, becoming the hegemon of the eastern part of the continent.
The kingdom's trade was flourishing and the people lived in peace. The handicrafts and mining industries were flourishing. It was a scene of prosperity.
The town of Whitestag, which was located at the crossroads of the three southwestern prefectures, was bustling with merchants and people coming and going.
The shops and apartments launched by Morssen were immediately rented out. From this point of view, Morssen was more shrewd than his father and grandfather. Every step he took was extremely stable and realistic.
The conversion of the large red brick house into a shop and apartment for rent not only gave him a long and steady income, but also guaranteed his living expenses and daily expenses, and at the same time avoided the expense and trouble of running a hotel.
Twenty years later, Morssen proudly recounted the decision he made back then. He said that regardless of whether he ran the old mill or reopened Ferd Inn, he would be nothing more than a small miller or an innkeeper in town. He wouldn't be able to raise his social status at all.
That was why he came up with such a plan so that he could devote himself to public service without any worries.
While the townspeople envied Morssen for being able to live a carefree life, Morssen sought a position as an administrative clerk in Whitestag.
As a junior high school graduate from the first public school established in the three southwestern prefectures, even though he was a commoner, Morssen successfully applied for the position without a hitch.
Among the social reforms Stellin IX carried out in the kingdom, the most important one was the Act of Rights for the Four Classes.
The citizens of the kingdom were divided into four classes: nobles, citizens, commoners and slaves.