Chapter 140
“Return?” Cheng Guangsheng was so overwhelmed with emotion that he failed to control his voice, which came out louder than intended. “Why would I go back? I plan to stay here for a while and look for opportunities. But I’ll send a letter home and have my family prepare goods. When the time comes, the Cheng family’s trading caravan will make the journey here.”
“What? Are you insane?!” Tan Shan blurted out.
People around them turned to look. Tan Shan quickly pulled Cheng Guangsheng aside and lowered his voice. “Brother Cheng, have you been possessed? No sane person would say something like that.”
Cheng Guangsheng shook his head. “I’m thinking clearly. Maybe the Ma family’s head was right. This is just my guess, and I still need to observe further.”
Seeing how determined Cheng Guangsheng was, Tan Shan could only try to persuade him again. “Brother Cheng, listen to me. Before I came to Liangcheng, I also had a bit of hope. But now that I’ve seen the situation with my own eyes, don’t you understand? Staying here is a waste of time—you’d be better off going home and focusing on your business.”
But Cheng Guangsheng refused to listen. “No. It’s precisely because I’ve seen the situation that I’ve decided to stay and look for opportunities.”
Tan Shan rubbed his forehead in frustration. Cheng Guangsheng was as stubborn as a mule—once he set his mind on something, even eight horses couldn’t drag him back. Seeing that he wasn’t going to change his mind anytime soon, Tan Shan huffed, “Fine! Do whatever you want. I can’t stop you. When you hit a wall, you’ll come to your senses.”
Cheng Guangsheng knew that Tan Shan meant well, so he kindly advised, “Brother Tan, you should stay a bit longer too. Make sure you fully understand the situation before deciding whether to leave. Otherwise, you might end up regretting it.”
Tan Shan refused to listen. Cheng Guangsheng ignored his own advice, yet he expected him to stay? It was utterly unreasonable. If they weren’t from the same hometown, he wouldn’t have bothered to argue with him at all.
Just as he was about to retort, a commotion broke out ahead. Looking up, he saw a group of people approaching, led by one of Duan Wang’s personal attendants.
The man at the front wasn’t very old, but his skin had darkened from long exposure to the sun and wind. Despite that, his eyes were sharp and bright. Most notably, he wore an official’s uniform, marking him as a government official. Behind him were more than a dozen commoners, though their demeanor was noticeably different from that of the average townsfolk. Their faces were filled with urgency as they constantly scanned their surroundings.
This was none other than Xu Wen, who had rushed over with the various workshop masters he had hastily gathered.
Xu Wen quickly scanned the area. He had come in such a hurry that he hadn’t even caught his breath yet, but he immediately asked, “May I ask, who is the head of the Ma family?”
Ma Siyong took a step forward and respectfully saluted Xu Wen. “This humble one, Ma Siyong, greets the lord.”
Xu Wen waved his hand dismissively, skipping any formalities, and grabbed Ma Siyong’s arm. “I heard you brought over ten carts of goods. Quickly, take us to see them.”
Ma Siyong was momentarily stunned but quickly regained his composure. He had expected to wait for some time, yet someone had already come asking about the goods so soon.
Ma Jinyu and the others could hardly believe it. Was he really asking about the goods they had transported?
Ma Siyong quickly guessed the reason for the man’s visit and immediately responded with a smile, “Not far, just over there. My lord, please follow me.” After speaking, he led Xu Wen and his group toward the convoy.
The others were momentarily dazed before snapping out of it and hurrying after them to see what was going on.
Who was this person? Why was he asking about the goods brought by the Ma family? Could it be that this batch of goods would actually sell? How was that possible? There had never been such a deal before.
Everyone murmured among themselves, unable to figure out the situation. But whatever the case, they would find out soon enough by following along.
“This time, we mainly brought grain and cloth, along with some salt and tea—basic necessities that people can use,” Ma Siyong explained as they walked.
Although he did not know what official position this Lord Xu held, since the man had come inquiring about the goods, it must be related to his duties.
By now, some had already started inspecting the cargo. The attendants used grain probes to extract samples from the sacks, and the workshop owners took them to examine closely. Some even pinched a few grains and chewed them to test the texture. They assessed the color, fullness, and taste of the grains to distinguish between old rice, new rice, and different quality levels.
Several of them nodded subtly, clearly satisfied with the batch.
Xu Wen also checked the goods one by one before smiling and nodding. “These are all good. The Ma family head has put in great effort.”
Ma Siyong chuckled. “It was Wang Ye who advised me, or I wouldn’t have made this trip.”
“Haha! Since Wang Ye suggested it, it must be the right decision,” Xu Wen laughed, then clapped his hands and pointed to the people he had brought along. “But this amount is merely a drop in the ocean. Look, all these people need a large supply of goods. Ma family head, your ten-odd carts wouldn’t even be enough for a single workshop.”
These workshop owners employed many commoners in Liangzhou, paying them in both money and provisions every month. Since resources were scarce in Liangzhou and traveling merchants barely brought any goods, even those with money struggled to find what they needed.
Because of this, Duan Wang had set a rule: workshop owners had to pay wages partly in silver and partly in goods. They had been doing everything possible to gather supplies, but with resources in Liangzhou running out, the goods brought by the Ma family were exactly what they desperately needed.
Xu Wen was not exaggerating—these ten carts were truly not enough.
“My lord, are you saying…” Ma Siyong hesitated, unsure if he had understood correctly. “Do you mean that all ten carts…”
Xu Wen nodded without hesitation. “As long as the price is right, we’ll take them all!”
Ma Siyong’s eyes widened in shock, and the others were equally dumbfounded.
“M-My lord, are you serious?” Ma Siyong had seen his fair share of major transactions, but selling an entire shipment in one go was beyond his expectations.
He had brought this batch of goods at Duan Wang’s suggestion, partly as a gesture of goodwill and partly to test the waters.
The Ma family had built its fortune on trade, starting as a small caravan of just a dozen people and expanding over generations into a business with hundreds of merchants. Although they could not compare to Duan Wang’s trading fleet, they were still a well-known merchant family in the Great Yan.
Even so, Ma Siyong had never imagined selling an entire shipment at once. He had followed Duan Wang’s advice strictly, cautiously bringing just one batch of goods, as he was unfamiliar with Liangzhou’s market. His best hope had been to sell it in smaller portions over time. But now, Xu Wen’s words had completely caught him off guard.
“Of course, I’m serious,” Xu Wen confirmed with a nod. He was in high spirits today and even joked, “What, did you bring all these goods from so far away just to admire them instead of making a profit?”
Ma Siyong felt a bit embarrassed. “Of course not. It’s just that I wasn’t expecting a single buyer to take everything.”
Xu Wen laughed heartily. “Ma family head, you underestimate us. Forget just this little bit—if you brought ten or even a hundred times more, we could still take it all with ease.”
Ma Siyong quickly nodded in agreement. As businessmen, price negotiations were essential, but since they had reached this point, there was no room for surprises. As long as both parties showed sincerity, settling on a fair price would not be an issue.
Just as this conversation ended, the workshop owners in the background had already begun arguing among themselves.
“Our workers need supplies too—this small amount won’t be enough.”
“Boss Yu, stay out of this. We can take the whole shipment ourselves.”
“Boss Fan, get lost! It’s not your place to speak here. No one gets a share—I’m taking it all!”
“Why should you get everything? Surnamed Li, last time, you got plenty from Wang Ye’s stock. This time, it’s someone else’s turn!”
The commotion drew attention from the surrounding people, and Xu Wen felt embarrassed. These useless fools—he shouldn’t have brought them along in the first place.
He snapped, “Arguing about this in public—what kind of behavior is that? Can’t you wait until we’re back behind closed doors to talk?”
The dozen or so people looked at each other, then fell silent. Li Quan, still dissatisfied, muttered, “By the time we get back, I probably won’t even get a single share.”
Xu Wen frowned, then made a decisive call. “Fine, we’ll buy everything. We’ll sort out the distribution once we return.”
Fan Lao’er hesitated before speaking. When he saw Xu Wen glance at him, he finally said, “Lord Xu, this amount won’t be enough for a single household. If we divide it up, there’ll barely be anything left. This month, the people in our workshop are counting on this distribution.”
Xu Wen waved his hand, signaling for him to stop talking. Then, he turned to Ma Siyong and said, “Ma family head, you’ve seen the situation. Let’s finalize the price quickly. We’re still short on a lot of supplies like these. If possible, the more, the better. I can guarantee that no matter how much you bring, we’ll take it all.”
Ma Siyong nodded. “Rest assured, Lord. I’ll have my people return immediately to send more goods over.”
“Good!” Xu Wen smiled. “Liangzhou also has many specialties, like watermelons, which are now in season. And the workshops here produce all sorts of valuable novelties. Your caravan can take them back to the Central Plains for trade. The profits from such a business would be considerable!”
Xu Wen’s words struck a chord with Ma Siyong. He had already heard about Liangzhou’s newly cultivated watermelons when he was in the capital—they were extremely popular. If he could purchase some and bring them back to sell, it would be a highly lucrative deal. That was his main objective in coming here. As for the novelties Xu Wen mentioned, he wasn’t particularly interested. What could a place like Liangcheng produce that would be more remarkable than the exquisite goods of the Central Plains?
Ma Jinyu was utterly stunned. When he finally regained his senses, he was grinning from ear to ear. Ha! Who said the Ma family’s goods wouldn’t sell and would rot in their hands? Not only did they sell everything, but they also sold it all in one go!
The onlookers were dumbfounded by the sudden turn of events, feeling deeply conflicted. What was going on? Wasn’t the Ma family’s cargo supposed to be unsellable? How did this one man show up, bring a group of people, and just settle everything? And now, the Ma family even had the chance to trade in watermelons? This deal wasn’t just profitable—it was a guaranteed win.
Unable to hold back, someone stepped forward and asked, “Lord, do you have more of these watermelons? I’m willing to pay a high price for them.”
Xu Wen shook his head. “That depends on whether the Ma family is willing to part with some. This year, Wang Ye only allowed a few villages to test-grow them, so the supply isn’t high. Since the Ma family went through the trouble of bringing goods to Liangzhou, we can’t let their efforts go to waste. So, they will have the first pick. If they don’t take everything, whatever is left might be available to others.”
The moment he said this, the crowd knew there was no hope. The Ma family was wealthy, and these watermelons were a rare delicacy. Even the emperor himself had praised them. The high-ranking officials in the capital couldn’t even get their hands on them. If the Ma family brought them back to sell in the capital, people would snatch them up no matter how expensive they were. How could they possibly pass up such an opportunity?
Regret filled everyone’s hearts. They beat their chests in frustration, cursing themselves for not realizing sooner. If they had listened to Duan Wang and, like the Ma family, transported even a small amount of rice and grain here, they could have received similar treatment. Why hadn’t they thought of this before? But now, regret was useless. Their only option was to see if they could find another way to make up for it.
Someone, unwilling to give up, asked, “Even if we pay extra, it’s still not possible?”
Xu Wen chuckled. “You all should learn more about Liangzhou. What we lack most here are supplies. This isn’t just about money—you can’t solve everything with silver. I’m sorry, but that’s the situation. However, if you want priority access in the future, you’re welcome to do business in Liangzhou. We highly encourage more merchants to come.”
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