owever, on the way down the mountain, Qin Shuang noticed something strange in the woods. She instinctively spoke up: "Lin Ge, look at that white line on the mountainside, it looks so weird."Following..."Teacher!"
A man in his forties, with a booming voice and heavy steps, rushed towards the elder and bowed respectfully.
Then, two more people walked in.
"Teacher, why didn't you wait for us You ran here by yourself!"
"Yes, it's too dangerous for you to go out alone in such a remote and impoverished area!"
Two men then came in, both over forty years old. One had a square face, was tall and imposing;
Another man was short in stature, but he wore luxurious brocade robes, exuding an air of wealth and nobility.
Xiaojie, Xiaozhong, Xiaoma, you guys are just in time, come and see the paper they're selling here!
The burly man muttered nonchalantly, "What's so good about paper"
The other two people immediately stepped forward and looked at the papers on the counter.
At this, both of them were equally surprised.
“This, this is paper This appearance, never seen before! Not bad, not bad!” The man with a national character face spoke in praise.
"Oh my, what good paper! What good paper this is! Teacher, how much does this paper cost" the man in fine clothes asked with a smile.
Kǒng Qiū smiled and stretched out a finger: "One cent per piece."
"What"
Once again, everyone was shocked.
The man in fine clothes shifted his gaze, pulled out a small piece of silver from his sleeve, slapped it on the counter, and grinned, saying, "Shopkeeper, where did you get this paper Tell me, and this silver is yours!"
Liu Xi was also surprised when he saw the silver.
This piece of silver weighs two or three ounces, enough to buy two or three thousand sheets of paper. As soon as the other party hears about our incoming shipment, needless to say, they must have their eyes on this business deal!
"But boss, would you even want to buy and sell this kind of paper To be honest with you, this very paper is made by our Yang's Trading Company." Liu Xi said.
"What You guys can make paper yourselves"
The man in fine clothes was taken aback again, but then he let out a sly chuckle. "That's perfect," he said. "Take me to your boss, I want to talk to him about this paper selling business!"
At this moment, the burly man beside him quickly reminded, "Third brother, don't forget that we are here to accompany our teacher on a journey around the world! Don't lose sight of the bigger picture. Besides, you have so much money, why would you even care about this small sum"
"Oh, big brother, you're wrong. Even more money is earned one cent at a time. As the sages say, don't disdain doing good deeds because they are small, and don't do evil deeds because they seem small. For us merchants, it's 'don't disdain doing business for small profits.' Often, seemingly insignificant profits hide behind large deals!"
The Great Han still wanted to speak, but Kong Qiu laughed and said, "Xiao Ma is right. This old man has traveled the world, not just to see the sights, but to look for interesting stories and events. I'm also curious about this paper. Since Xiao Ma wants to do business with their master, let's go and have a look together.
Several people spoke to each other, but they left Liu Xi completely ignored.
"Ahem, esteemed guests, regarding business matters, please allow me to report back to my master first."
The man in fine clothes smiled and said, “Shopkeeper, you should quickly bring your master here. This is a big business that you can’t afford to delay! As long as we can make this deal, no matter how much paper your shop makes in the future, you won't have to worry about selling it!”
The words of the man in fine clothes were full of pride.
"Well... I'm really sorry, but our boss isn't here." Liu Xi said helplessly.
"Not here"
Everyone was taken aback.
"Yes, the host lives in the village."
"The village You mean this paper was made by the village workshops"
The man in fine clothes frowned again. "Yes, how many of you would like to buy paper today" Liu Xi asked with a chuckle.
Although the other party may talk about flowery things, what he cares most about is the current business.
It's not that he lacked foresight, but because Yang Lin had told him long ago that the paper-selling business didn't need to be rushed, and business would come eventually!
The man in fine clothes pulled out a larger silver piece from his sleeve and slapped it onto the counter.
"These papers, we want them all! Go back and tell your master to come see me tomorrow!"
The man in fine clothes withdrew the smile from his face, becoming imposing instead.
Liu Xi was intimidated by the other party's aura, but he dared not make any guarantees about his master's schedule. He quickly said, "Sir, our master is very busy. We can't guarantee if he will be free to see you tomorrow."
"Huh"
The man in fine clothes suddenly showed a hint of displeasure on his face.
In his name, if he were to release word about doing business, a hundred or so people would line up outside his door all night!
Now that I'm taking the initiative to reach out, they don't seem to take me seriously
"Shopkeeper, do you know who I am Do you know the size of the business I'm here to discuss"
The burly man beside him chuckled and said, "Our third brother is Ma Ruyun, the richest man in Jiangnan! Whoever does business with our third brother will make a fortune! So, go and invite your host quickly! Otherwise, if your host finds out, you won't be able to take responsibility!"
Liu Xi in the past was just a steward for Liu Youcai's family. How could he have ever heard of the title "Richest Man of the South"
Therefore, even if the other party reported this name, he didn't take it seriously.
Who knows if it's a scam.
"I'm so sorry, esteemed guests. I can't make any decisions for my master. If you really wish to do business with him, I can have someone take you to our village. Perhaps you might be able to see him there."
When Liu Xi finished speaking, Ma Ruoyun couldn't help but laugh angrily.
"Us Go see him Then we might just be able to see him Hahahahaha! Two senior brothers, isn't this joke a bit too funny!"
The man with a square face and the burly fellow also smiled knowingly.
Kong Qiu simply nodded.
"That's interesting, then let's go to the village and visit your landlord."
"What"
Ma Ruoyun and the others were shocked and stared incredulously at their teacher.
"Master, what is your status What qualifications do their employers possess that they would have you personally visit"
"Well," Kong Qiu waved his hand, "Master once said that the superior person learns from everyone. In terms of papermaking, we are not as skilled as our eastern neighbors. Why don't we go and visit them"
Although the three of them were still a bit resentful in their hearts, they couldn't say anything more since the teacher had already said so.
Not to mention going out of their way to see anyone, even if it were the local magistrate, county governor, or even a provincial governor came calling, they wouldn't necessarily be willing to meet them!
Thus, on the mountain village road, two carriages slowly moved towards the mountain village.
However, just outside of town, Kong Qiu in the carriage discovered that the carriage suddenly stopped bumping around, as if it were traveling on an official road.
He lifted the curtain and looked out.
Upon seeing this, they were greatly surprised.
"This road..."
Kong Qiu stared wide-eyed at the carriage below. This broad, straight road was simply unbelievable.
This road is extremely wide, enough for four carriages to drive abreast. The road is paved with flat yellow soil and fine sand. In the evening sunset, it seems like a golden avenue!were certain to die, but they still wanted to fight as hard as possible to give Li Yuyao more time.Because they had gone bloodthirsty, the bandits were so scared that they didn't dare to approach. In...