Yunling then stopped her from exploring any further, used her supernatural ability to dry her hair, went to sleep, and continued her journey the next day.

The sun in Qingcheng is much harsher than in Pingcheng, making Yunling's cheeks and neck sting and numb. Yunling thought about buying a veil, but then she remembered that she was currently a man. Buying an umbrella instead seemed a bit strange, as it would be odd for four grown men to share an umbrella to shield themselves from the sun.

Momentum, momentum will weaken, that's how it is!

"Grandma, shall we first go to the cotton workshop to order cotton, and then go to Yu's shop to buy beef tendons, and then head back tomorrow after picking them up?"

Yunling felt a stinging pain in her bottom. She had only just arrived in Qingcheng and hadn't even had a chance to breathe in the fresh air before she had to leave.

"Are you in a hurry? You can go ahead first."

Gangzi immediately changed his tune, saying, "Let's find an inn first. How was the one you stayed at last time, Auntie?"

Yunling remained silent.

Gangzi observed Yunling's expression, his thoughts swirling within him. His great-aunt had mentioned that she was bringing back quite a few things from Qingcheng this time, and when he suggested three carriages, she clearly hesitated.

This means that this stuff is so heavy that even three horse-drawn carts couldn't carry it all. It must be cotton. Last time, they ordered ten catties, but three horse-drawn carts could only carry thirty catties, which was far too little.

"Grandma, I didn't feel comfortable staying at that inn last time. Why don't we stay at the cotton workshop? There's plenty of space there, we're sure to find a room that can accommodate us, right?"

Yunling tilted her head to look at the person beside her, "You're like a tapeworm in my stomach. If I told Chief Escort Chen that I wanted you to come with me, would you be willing?"

"If I'm willing, then of course I'm willing."

Yunling laughed and said, "Then wouldn't you be betraying your master?"

"The boss said long ago that we are all under the aunt's jurisdiction. If the boss is, then we are too."

Yunling smiled, didn't reply, put her hands behind her back and wandered around, browsing this stall and looking at that stall, until the sun went down before she leisurely strolled to the entrance of the cotton workshop.

The gatekeeper recognized Yunling and Gangzi, but at the same time he also saw the three carriages behind her. Had they just arrived in Qingcheng, or were they about to leave?

But he couldn't think too much about it, since these were the owner's guests. He just needed to lead them to the front hall and arrange for the carriage to be taken to the stables.

Yunling had only been sitting for a short while when He Da rushed over, beads of sweat still on his forehead. Yunling quickly stood up to greet him, "Boss, business is booming!"

"So it's you, buddy. You said last time you were going to use cotton to make menstrual pads? How's business?"

"It's alright, but compared to the employer, it's insignificant."

He waved his hand, gesturing for Yunling to sit down. "Let's skip the formalities. It's getting late. Have you had dinner yet?"

Yunling immediately rubbed her stomach, "We just arrived in Qingcheng and were anxious to order cotton, so we came here."

He Da could understand the underlying meaning: "Just arrived" and "in a hurry" meant that they hadn't had dinner, hadn't stayed at the inn, and were even planning to stay overnight. Well, the abacus beads almost hit him in the face.

He Da was no longer in a hurry. He sank into his chair and said, "That must be really tiring. Why don't you find an inn to stay and rest? Even if you're in a hurry, you can't ruin your health."

"Thank you for your concern, sir. I'm still young, and I should seize any opportunity to earn money. Aren't you busy as a bee, sir?"

He Da nodded. "Then let's get straight to the point. How much do you want to order this time, sir?"

"Three hundred catties of cotton."

Three hundred jin? ??

Gangzi's heart skipped a beat. How could a few of them possibly transport three hundred catties of cotton back to Pingcheng in one go?

So his great-aunt meant that she wanted the workshop to deliver the goods?

He Ziran also realized that it would be better to just tell him directly that he was being robbed of 300 jin of cotton, so that he wouldn't feel so aggrieved.

"Brother, we'll offer you cotton for seventy cash a pound. I'll have it prepared tonight, and you can take it away first thing tomorrow morning. I wonder if that will solve your immediate problem?"

"I would like to ask the master a question. There are only four of us, and we only have three horse-drawn carts. How can we transport all three hundred catties of cotton back in one go?"

He Da couldn't help but rub his forehead. "Brother, let's not beat around the bush. You know this is a difficult matter, so why make things difficult for me?"

Yunling chimed in, "This is a difficult matter, but the master also has goods being sent to Pingcheng, so our cotton can hitch a ride..."

“We do have goods to deliver to Pingcheng, but they are only small pieces of cotton cloth. If you want your cotton to be transported by land, you might as well let me deliver it to you directly.”

"Not at all, how could I possibly take such an advantage of my employer?"

Yunling began to think of another way. Since the land route was not feasible, she decided to take the water route instead. "Master, is there a dock in Qingcheng?"

He Da shook his head immediately, "Qingcheng doesn't have a dock."

This surprised Yunling somewhat. Although there was no waterway between their two cities, she hadn't expected that there wasn't even a dock open to the public.

"So how do you usually transport your cotton back?"

"Qingcheng has no dock, so we transport the goods to Yuecheng and then bring them back through our family's escort team. However, because the cotton is large, it is transported in batches, so cotton is delivered to the cotton workshop every day."

Yunling nodded. "Master, is it alright to transport this batch of goods from Yuecheng to the next two towns?"

"Where would that be? Everyone has their own way of doing things, and waterways have their own routes. We always take the land route to Pingcheng, and we've always made arrangements for it. Now you want to take the waterway, and it's not even near those two cities. Are you trying to pull a knife on Guan Yu's head?"

Yunling stood up and sat down next to He Da, resting her left hand on the arm of the chair and leaning to the left. "We'll personally escort this shipment. It'll be like paving the way for you, giving you more business opportunities in the future."

He Da stroked his chin, narrowed his eyes, and ultimately did not agree.

Yunling gritted her teeth and said in one breath, "Then let's go with a thousand catties."

He Da opened his eyes again, put his right hand on the arm of the chair, and leaned to the right. "If we calculate the price of 75 coins for 1,000 catties, I can transport the goods to the dock. As for the boat, we usually hire five people, each paying three copper coins."

That's fucking shrewd!

Not only did they refuse to give her a discount for a thousand catties, but they also forced it into her mouth. She's treated like a servant, begging for favors.

Yunling calculated that for these five people, it would cost fifteen strings of cash, which, when averaged out over a thousand catties of cotton, would be ninety coins per catty.

Moreover, transporting the cotton to the next two towns required renting warehouses to store it and renting donkey carts to transport the goods, which amounted to 100 wen per jin of raw cotton.

Yunling looked up without tears, and Gangzi immediately grasped the essence of the action.