Chapter 250

Craftsmen are not suited for manual labor, and making clothes and dried meat does not require that many people.

In addition, having one more person means having one more mouth to feed.

"Even if the Northern Barbarians were willing to do business properly, their population is sparse and they simply don't need that much dried meat and leather clothing."

The male lead is indeed the male lead, Fan Xiaoxiao nodded secretly as she listened.

He was very thoughtful and considered everything she had thought of.

"Yes."

Fan Xiaoxiao nodded without hesitation: "No matter how delicious the dried meat is, it's still just processed beef and mutton."

“In winter, when grazing is impossible, the herders themselves don’t have enough to eat, and even basic sustenance is a problem. So why would they care about whether the meat is good or not?”

"Unless they are nobles from the northern barbarians of Tianshan."

Xiahou paused, his brows furrowing as he pondered in his eyes: "You mean, you want to trade with their nobles?"

It wasn't that he looked down on this young lady, Fan.

That's really a bit too much.

Faced with the elite troops of the Great Zhou, retreat was an unavoidable option for these people.

Let alone these people, even if they were to trade with the Great Zhou Dynasty, the barbarian nobles on the other side of the Tianshan Mountains might not even look at them.

Even if they admire the goods from the Great Zhou Dynasty, would they willingly part with their money?!

Xiahou believed he could clearly see the true colors of these people.

Human nature is to get something for nothing.

If they can plunder, they won't bother with fair trade with you.

"Miss Fan is still too naive."

When Xiahou sighed and said those words, everyone around him nodded silently.

Fan Xiaoxiao, however, was confident, her eyes gleaming with shrewdness: "Don't worry, I have a brilliant plan."

"Would you like to hear the details?" Xiahou asked, intrigued.

“We need to do both.” Fan Xiaoxiao leaned forward slightly and lowered her voice: “First, we can’t just sell these processed products, nor can we sell expensive things like silk and medicinal herbs that are likely to attract envy.”

"What will you sell?" Sister Fan couldn't help but ask.

Fan Xiaoxiao smiled and said, "Smuggled salt!"

"!!!" Everyone was shocked.

Private salt trade was strictly controlled by the imperial court in every dynasty.

It's almost incredibly profitable, and it's indispensable for everyone.

The people of the Great Zhou Dynasty cannot live without salt, and neither can the northern barbarians of Tianshan or the Xiongnu tribes to the north.

“I know that selling smuggled salt is a capital offense, but these are not peaceful times.”

If Fan Xiaoxiao were still the little kid who had just transmigrated into the book, she would naturally be well-behaved and unwilling to take any risks.

But these are chaotic times.

As the saying goes, demons ran rampant and the people suffered terribly.

This is a good opportunity to accumulate some capital for survival.

"Salt is something that even the humblest people need, and I once happened to see a method for refining salt in a book."

"That appearance alone is guaranteed to tempt those barbarian nobles on the other side of the Tianshan Mountains."

"Really?" Madam Fan was overjoyed, but still had some doubts: "Er Ya, although you are learning to read, I didn't know you could understand books before..."

Fan Xiaoxiao was slightly taken aback, but quickly smiled and said, "Yes, we were illiterate before, but now that life is better, we naturally want to make progress."

Fan was very comforted: "That's right. After running so many businesses, you not only need to be literate, but you also need to learn how to manage accounts."

She quickly agreed, and finally managed to get the matter sorted out.

"Then what should we do next?" Xiahou asked.

Fan Xiaoxiao cleared her throat and continued, "Once you have a way to make money, you naturally need the power to protect it."

Her gaze fell on Xiahou: "Young Master Xiahou is highly skilled in martial arts and is also the senior disciple of the Tianshan Sect. He is perfect to stay with Miss Bai to guard our place."

“You alone are not enough, I will ask... Boss Gu to borrow some manpower.” Fan Xiaoxiao’s gaze unconsciously swept over her sister’s face.

She meant to say General Yu.

After all, Boss Gu is the villain, and he will eventually break with the Emperor of Great Zhou.

But General Yu is still a general of the Great Zhou Dynasty. The princess's death has no direct connection to him. Even if he is to be demoted by the emperor, he can handle it calmly.

Therefore, it is possible to borrow a few people from General Yu.

After all, he's his brother-in-law.

But there is one point.

His relationship with Wuxi Village and his sister at home was not something she could decide.

When the brother-in-law is willing to come see the sister, and when he is willing to explain everything to her, is their own decision.

The only thing Fan Xiaoxiao could do was not to rush or interfere.

...

...

After the discussion was settled, Xiahou went to contact the artisans and others who were scattered in various places.

Tell everyone to pack their belongings and move.

Take everything you can.

Bai Chaoyan, whose injuries were more serious and had not yet recovered, prepared the supplies together with Madam Fan, Master Lu, Xiao Bao, and others.

Such an event, given its large scale, is actually quite easy for outsiders to notice.

However, news of the imperial court sending troops had already reached Tianshan Town, so it wasn't surprising for the people to leave the town to make a living elsewhere.

Only Fan Xiaoxiao, wearing a cloak and carrying a lantern, followed Xiao Hei to find Gu Zhongtai.

The night dew was heavy, and the sky was completely dark.

The cooler the night, the colder the moon.

Fan Xiaoxiao sat by the charcoal fire, breathing on her fingers as she listened to Xiao Hei's footsteps coming from outside.

He pushed open the door: "Miss Xiao, the master isn't here. It's late, shall I take you home first?"

"When he returns, have someone talk to him about it."

Xiao Hei knew that there was no need for Xiao Niangzi to wait; Gu Zhongtai would definitely go there personally once he received the news.

"No need." Fan Xiaoxiao shook her head: "I'm fine anyway, so it won't hurt to wait. You go to the guest room to rest first, and I'll call you when it's time to go back."

Xiao Hei tried to persuade him a couple more times, but seeing that he couldn't change his mind, he left.

...

Fan Xiaoxiao didn't know how long she had been waiting.

In short, when the charcoal fire was about to go out and I felt a chill all over my body, I suddenly felt a sudden warmth.

She opened her eyes.

He met Gu Zhongtai's eyes.

The darkness, reflecting the flickering candlelight, created an indescribable brightness.

"Did I wake you up?" His voice was soft and slightly hoarse.

When Fan Xiaoxiao looked closely, she noticed that there were still some unmelted snowflakes on the ends of his hair, and he looked travel-worn.

The only problem was that their clothes were a bit thin.

She was a beat slow to realize that he had covered her with his cloak.

She felt her cheeks burning for no reason, wondering if it was because the charcoal fire had been too strong and the heat hadn't subsided yet.

"No..." She tried to return the cloak to him: "You just came back from outside, aren't you afraid of catching a cold?"

"It's nothing." Gu Zhongtai raised his long, sword-like eyebrows slightly. "With my body that's been through so much, how could I catch a cold so easily?"

He added, "I have already sent someone to add more charcoal to the fire."

"These lazybones have become so lax without me around."

Upon hearing this, Fan Xiaoxiao disregarded her cloak and quickly said, "No, it was a spur-of-the-moment decision for me to come. It's understandable that they weren't prepared."

Gu Zhongtai smiled and shook his head, then reached out and pressed her half-risen back onto the stool through his cloak: "You even spoke well of them."

"Alright, since Xiaoxiao has already spoken, we should naturally give her face."

(End of this chapter)