Yunling was feeling very uneasy, and just as she was thinking about signing some agreements with Zhao Huasheng, a large hand suddenly landed on her back, giving her a strong sense of security.

"When will Uncle Zhao travel to Western Xia?"

Lu Yinghuai was originally standing not far away watching, not wanting to disturb Yun Ling's business dealings, but he noticed that Yun Ling seemed a little off, so he hurriedly came over.

Seeing Lu Yinghuai's extraordinary bearing and elegant demeanor, Zhao Huasheng naturally stood up and responded:

"After the third day of the Lunar New Year in Bianjing, I headed to Western Xia. I originally thought that other things I bought could be delivered in the summer, but now that I have wool, I thought I would bring forward the trading date, so I naturally had to set off earlier."

"Uncle Zhao is dedicated and I admire him. If you need to contact us during this time, you can go to Lu Family Trading Company and say you are looking for Young Master Lu."

Zhao Huasheng's eyes lit up. No wonder he thought the man in front of him was so imposing; he was a scion of a wealthy family. But the Lu family's business was well-known in Bianjing, so why would they bother to find someone as insignificant as him to buy wool?

Zhao Huasheng glanced at Yun Ling, who was squatting on the ground, and figured this matter was related to her. Oh well, he didn't want to get involved in other people's business, nor could he anyway. He'd just go buy his wool.

"I've noted it down. If there's nothing else, I'll head back."

"Uncle Zhao, see you at the Bianxi Salt Administration in early spring."

Yunling gave him a shout, then grabbed Lu Yinghuai's arm and stood up, voicing her doubts.

"Why won't he take any deposit from me? Isn't he afraid I'll run away with his money?"

Lu Yinghuai smoothed the stray hairs from Yun Ling's forehead and explained:

“The place where you traded was the Bianxi Quarry Office, which was a border market. Even if you ran away, you could still easily sell those two hundred catties of wool, so he wasn’t afraid.”

"But you don't need to worry about him breaking his promise. He's not the only one selling wool in the trade market. Even if he does stand you up, you can buy from someone else."

Lu Yinghuai's words seemed to reassure Yunling, but she quickly thought of another problem: how to transport the wool sent to Bianjing back to the two towns. Before she could think further, Lu Yinghuai had already devised a foolproof plan.

“I’ve thought it over. When the time comes, these two hundred catties of wool will go back to Pingcheng with the Lu family’s merchant ship.”

"Can,"

"Second brother, don't be hasty. Listen to me. Think about why you agreed to the Lu family business's request for exclusive sales of royal jelly."

"Naturally, it's for the money."

"Anything else?"

Yunling avoided the man's intense gaze, afraid that all her little schemes would be seen through.

"What else could it be? At that time, two hundred strings of cash was an astronomical figure for our family, so we would definitely agree."

I don't believe it.

Lu Yinghuai stopped staring at her. Seeing that Gangzi was about to come looking for them, he led Yunling inside.

"Second Brother is very capable. I don't know why he went to Fujian, then he went to Qingcheng for cotton, and now he's come to Bianjing for wool, not to mention the valuable royal jelly."

Yunling disliked his shrewd, all-knowing manner, so she gave him a push and said with dissatisfaction:

"Since you know everything, why bother with this sarcastic probing? Just say that I'm after the Lu family's connections in Bianjing, wouldn't that be enough?"

Lu Yinghuai quickly clung to him and coaxed him softly:

“That’s not what I meant. What I meant was that the Lu Family Trading Company is Second Brother’s connection in Bianjing, so Second Brother doesn’t need to be so reserved. In business, it’s perfectly normal to use connections and leverage relationships. Why should Second Brother be so polite to me about the wool?”

Yun Ling was at a loss for how to respond. She had initially valued the network of connections within the Lu family business, thinking that it would be easier to act by leveraging those connections, which was why she had Yun Ruoxia sign an exclusive contract with them.

Now, the wool incident is the best opportunity, but she can't bring herself to do it because she's familiar with Lu Yinghuai. Damn it, why does it have to be Lu Yinghuai? If it were Manager Zhou, she could have squeezed him dry.

Lu Yinghuai stared at the subtle changes in Yun Ling's expression, then suddenly exclaimed, "Eh?"

"But even though we have a good relationship, we still need to settle our accounts."

Hearing that he wanted to settle accounts with her, Yunling immediately perked up and said:

How should we balance the accounts?

"Well, if you need wool in the future, just let me know in advance. I'll send a message to Uncle Zhao to tell you that I'll start calculating the costs with you once the wool is brought from the market to the Lu family's warehouse. The cost of loading the goods onto the ship will be based on the land occupied, and there will be a charge for transporting them back to the Yun family from the next two towns. I won't let you take advantage of me, how about that?"

"good!"

If such favors are treated as personal relationships but the amount must be clearly defined, then Yunling can treat him as a business partner and accept his kindness without worry.

**

Now that the wool matter was settled, Yunling's anxious heart could finally settle down. But once it settled down, she became a hundred times lazier than a sloth.

He rarely went out unless necessary, and could roam freely in bed all day. After receiving a letter from the Yun family, seeing their concern and the two thousand strings of cash, he felt even more at ease lying down.

As the weather grew increasingly cold, Yunling simply stayed indoors, instructing Gangzi to buy some vegetables nearby for Tangling to cook, so that everyone could make do with what they had.

After eating, she would sleep, and after sleeping, she would lie down again. Pei Lin and Lu Yinghuai tried to coax her to go outside for a walk, but she remained unmoved, as if she were born in the quilt.

On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, the snow in Bianjing fell even more heavily. Yunling hugged her thick quilt tighter, when she was suddenly awakened by a knocking sound outside the door. This was followed by the sound of gongs and drums, which shattered the dream that Yunling had painstakingly woven.

She got out of bed, clutching her bedding, and opened the window. The biting wind, mixed with snow, rushed in and woke her up. Tang Ling, seeing this, quickly came to her aid.

"Young lady, would you like to wash up? There's hot water ready in the stove."

Who is knocking at the door?

"Oh, so you're here to hunt night hu (a type of Chinese bowed instrument)."

Yunling yawned and mumbled sleepily:

"Playing the night game? But it's still daylight, so how can you play the night game?"

Tang Ling smiled and said:

"Beating the night beggar is one version of the story. It refers to the poor people in the capital who dressed up as ghosts and gods and went door to door begging for alms in order to have a good New Year."

Just as Yunling was feeling sentimental, another voice came from ahead.

"Little Lazyling."

After Yunling couldn't be called home no matter what he tried, Pei Lin changed his nickname for her from "Short Legs" to "Lazy Ling".

"Today is Laba Festival, let's go out for a walk, it's so lively outside."

"I'm not going."

"Hey, you shouldn't be so lazy."

Pei Lin walked straight into the room and grabbed Yun Ling's blankets...