Seeing Yunling's actions, and recalling the smell he had caught at the timber stall earlier, Lu Yinghuai couldn't help but think that Yunling was a brave woman. He secretly took out a handkerchief, ready to wipe Yunling's hands at any time.

"Second brother, be careful."

Yunling didn't miss Lu Yinghuai's slightly disgusted look. She simply pushed him away and then reached inside, through the wool. The temperature inside the bag gradually rose, becoming warm, but it got hot again after a while.

Yunling pulled out a strand of wool from the middle. Although there were some bits of weeds or other debris on the wool, it didn't affect its cleanliness. When she brought it to her nose, there was a faint scent, but it was very light and disappeared after a couple of sniffs.

She then reached into the remaining bags, finding roughly the same amount of wool, so she stopped digging into the bottom. As a result, her hands could only reach the middle through the gaps, and she couldn't go any further down.

Secondly, if she insisted on seeing the goods at their base and made a big fuss, it would leave Zhao Huasheng with the impression that she was calculating, affecting future cooperation. This was unacceptable, so Yunling had no choice but to give up.

"Uncle Zhao, let's trade these wools."

Zhao Huasheng didn't say much, but took out an abacus from the side, fiddled with the beads, and then showed the number to Yunling.

Although Yunling was skilled in arithmetic, she didn't know how to use an abacus. She could only calculate according to the previously agreed price: two hundred coins per catty of wool, totaling two hundred catties, which was forty strings of cash. Adding the agreed seven strings of copper coins, it would be forty-seven strings of cash.

She directly pulled out a banknote and said:

"Uncle Zhao, here you go."

Zhao Huasheng clicked his tongue in pain.

"Fine, you won't just give me a copper coin, you give me this. Where am I supposed to exchange it for you?"

“Uncle Zhao has a way of doing things around here, and this is also a punishment for me. When I came, I felt that the copper coins were heavy, so you took this paper money and gave it to me in copper coins, so that I would have to delay it.”

Zhao Huasheng was momentarily speechless at Yunling's words. He felt that this piece of paper was too hot to handle, as it would be difficult for other vendors to come up with a hundred strings of copper coins at once.

Upon seeing this, Lu Yinghuai said:

"Uncle Zhao, why don't you go to the Bianxi Salt Bureau to exchange for copper coins?"

Zhao Huasheng naturally knew that the most convenient way was to go to the Bianxi Salt Administration Office, but...

Lu Yinghuai added:

"We can cover the exchange fees; Uncle Zhao can just deduct it from the remaining copper coins."

Yunling now understood. She hadn't expected it to cause such trouble. Fortunately, there was a solution, which put her mind at ease.

"Yes, Uncle Zhao, just deduct as much as you want, don't worry about it."

Hearing this, Zhao Huasheng felt relieved. Although exchanging one hundred strings of copper coins only cost twenty coins, it was still a considerable sum for someone like him who ran a real business.

"Since we're going to the tax office to exchange copper coins, why not just go there and settle the transaction? That way we can save ourselves a round trip."

Yunling didn't know how to conclude the transaction, but seeing that Lu Yinghuai remained silent, she nodded in agreement.

Zhao Huasheng took out a piece of paper that looked like a list from his sleeve, and simply wrote down ten bags of good wool, each bag weighing twenty catties, with a charcoal pencil, for a total cost of forty strings of cash. Then he took out his ordination certificate, glanced at the wool again, and headed west.

Yunling followed Lu Yinghuai's instructions, and after a short while, the three of them arrived at the Bianxi Tax Office. The Bianxi Tax Office was not particularly luxurious, but it had a unique style.

There were two people sitting at the entrance of the tax office, chatting and laughing. They didn't mind seeing people coming; they would wait until they finished talking and laughing before they would put on airs and get down to business.

What should we trade?

Zhao Huasheng handed over the list, his face still showing little smile.

"It's wool, a total of two hundred catties, and it sold for forty strings of cash."

"Two hundred catties..."

The man took the form, tapped his fingertips on the table, then looked at Lu Yinghuai and Yun Ling and asked:

"Did you buy the wool? Where will it be delivered?"

"Lu Family Trading Company".

Lu Yinghuai responded first.

"Lu...Lu Family Business Company?"

The man's expression immediately changed. He took a seal from the drawer, about to stamp it, but suddenly stopped in mid-air and asked with a smile:

"Did you bring your ordination certificate?"

"I brought it."

As soon as the words were spoken, the seal was immediately affixed to the form.

"Go inside and clear out the copper coins, then you can pass with these two hundred catties of wool."

"Thank you, sir."

Yunling sighed at how quickly this guy's face changed. She couldn't help but think of what Pei Lin had said before. The Lu family business had a lot of business dealings with neighboring countries and had naturally accumulated a lot of connections. She didn't even dare to think whether she could have completed the transaction so quickly today if it hadn't been for the Lu family business.

"Don't overthink it. The major commercial banks in Beijing give a lot of benefits to this area every year, so it's only right that they make things more convenient."

Yunling shuddered and glanced at the man.

"I can hear you. Stop whispering in other people's ears, it's so itchy."

When Lu Yinghuai heard Yun Ling say this, especially the phrase "It's so itchy," he was delighted. It was as if he had discovered a new continent, and he was eager to try it out. Unfortunately, the occasion was not appropriate, and Yun Ling was dressed in men's clothing. If they were too intimate, it would inevitably lead to gossip. No, no, no.

Yunling paid no attention to what wicked thoughts this man might be harboring. She focused her attention on Zhao Huasheng, watching how he interacted with that person, how he paid taxes with the ordination certificate, how he paid the brokerage fee, and how he exchanged copper coins.

"Alright, you gave me a coin, deducted forty-seven strings of cash, then twenty copper coins, leaving fifty-two strings plus nine hundred and eighty cash. Count the money and see if it's correct."

"No need for that, I trust Uncle Zhao."

Yunling scooped up all the copper coins on the table with both hands and haphazardly put them into an empty bag beside her. She pulled the bag's drawstring, but Lu Yinghuai took it from her just as she lifted it up.

"I'll do it."

After completing the transaction with Zhao Huasheng, Yunling found two carriages around the tax office, loaded each with 100 catties of wool, and headed together to the warehouse of the Lu family trading company in Bianjing.

Since she and Lu Yinghuai had each ridden a fast horse on their way here, they were now also riding fast horses back. However, because they had to keep an eye on the grooms, they could not go too fast and could only follow at a moderate pace.

"Young Master, when will the Lu family's merchant ships set sail back to Pingcheng?"

"Brother Jie will probably return to Bianjing from Jiangnan in about two days. After they rest for a few days and pack their things, they will set off again."

Yunling counted on her fingers, her thoughts growing heavier, and asked:

"So it will take seven or eight days?"