If Zhou Yu were to receive 30% of the shares, along with the shares of other core members, it would not only significantly reduce her earnings but also disperse decision-making power, which is something she absolutely cannot accept.

Seeing this, Zhou Yu calmly untied the bundle on the table: "These are the notes my father took when he traveled to the Western Regions. He recorded the trade routes, post stations, water sources, and the preferences and taboos of various tribes along the way. He also recorded which goods were profitable, which items were easier to sell, which checkpoints had high taxes, and the tricks to legally avoid taxes at those checkpoints. Surely these things aren't worth 30% of the shares?"

Meng Zhao reached for a booklet, and Zhou Yu didn't stop her. He just watched her flip through it quietly. On the yellowed pages, the writer's state of mind was recorded: "This Uzbek checkpoint took two whole days to process a single shipment! The tax officials were practically drooling over our goods. They're so greedy."

Turning a few pages further, it reads, "We took the wrong path and went five whole days without finding water. Not to mention people, even the camels were almost unable to move." The handwriting was crooked and messy, clearly indicating that the person was in poor condition at the time. Then it continues, "Today we finally found an oasis where we can drink water in large gulps. There is also a temple nearby, called Su something something temple."

"If I had known tea was so popular, I should have brought more boxes. It sold out as soon as I arrived in Shule, and the price increased more than fivefold. What a pity! What a pity!" He then drew a frustrated face.

These vivid records are far more interesting than cold, hard business maps. Meng Zhao wanted to continue flipping through them, but Zhou Yu suddenly reached out and snatched the book back. Meng Zhao couldn't help but roll her eyes, "Look at how stingy you are."

Zhou Yu shrugged. "Since the contract hasn't been signed, I can't let you look at these for nothing. Besides, even if others read this book, they might not understand it. Only I have studied it countless times over the years and know it by heart."

Meng Zhao sneered upon hearing this, "Your father went to the Western Regions several years ago. The various tribes in the Western Regions have changed frequently, and the trade routes have also changed. These old records can only be used as a reference at most. Moreover, even if you have read them many times, you have never actually been to the Western Regions. You are just talking on paper. For this first trip, I will give you a ten percent share at most."

"Who says I'm just talking the talk? If I make a decision, I will gather the people who went to the Western Regions with my father."

Meng Zhao raised an eyebrow and retorted, "If that's the case, why should I choose you?"

"That's because those who have been to the Western Regions are not as good at business as I am, and those who are better at business know nothing about the Western Regions. Besides, you're not going to look for those existing caravans, but instead want to start your own business. I suppose you want to build a caravan that is completely under your control. My asking for this 30% share is really not much. If you find an old hand in the business, relying on his experience and taking advantage of your lack of knowledge, he will probably ask for a much higher price than I do."

Meng Zhao pondered for a moment, "One percent of the shares is the bottom line. However, if you can lead the caravan back safely, I will add five points. If the value of the goods sold exceeds the estimated value, I will add another five points."

This meant that even if Zhou Yu did everything perfectly, he could only get a maximum of 20% of the shares. Seeing Meng Zhao's unyielding expression, Zhou Yu finally sighed and slammed his hand on the table: "Okay, deal!"

May is almost here, the chill of spring has faded and the heat of summer is growing stronger. If we set off now, the caravan will likely face scorching heat of over 40 degrees Celsius when it reaches the desert, which is not wise. Therefore, we should wait at least three more months before setting off, which gives Meng Zhao plenty of time to prepare.

After the matter was agreed upon, Meng Zhao and Zhou Yu each took on their respective duties. Zhou Yu was responsible for drawing up the trade routes and recruiting guides and translators, while she was responsible for preparing goods, purchasing camels and horses, and recruiting other personnel needed for the caravan.

A caravan of forty or fifty people traveling in remote areas may encounter many unexpected events, so at least two doctors knowledgeable in medicine are needed. This way, if any members of the caravan fall ill or encounter snakes, insects, or rodents, they can be treated as much as possible. In addition, with so many camels and horses, two veterinarians are needed. At least ten laborers to carry goods and craftsmen to repair vehicles are also required.

In addition, in the vast Gobi Desert, it is necessary to guard against bandits and deal with conflicts between various tribes. Therefore, the number of guards skilled in martial arts must be no less than one-third of the whole team in order to ensure the safety of the caravan.

Most of the people doing business with her nowadays are women. If she were to go herself, she could bring more women with her. But since she wasn't going this time, she couldn't let them go. She could only find men. After Meng Zhao listed the requirements, she began to arrange people one by one.

However, the most important thing right now is to set up the medicine shop. A few days in advance, Meng Zhao asked the people in the restaurant to reserve the largest private room for her today. Early this morning, Meng Zhao held a banquet at the Treasure Pavilion and invited Qiao Yanhe and several other medicine shop owners she had met before to come and discuss matters.

To give everyone a clearer understanding of the layout of the herbal medicine shop, she brought over three blackboards from the other courtyard and lined them up in the hall. On them were drawn floor plans of the first floor, the second floor, and the backyard. The entrance stairs were also specially marked with colored pencils, so even if you had never been to the site, you could get a general understanding of the overall layout just by looking at the drawings.

As soon as Qiao Yanhe stepped into the hall, she was attracted by this thing. After examining it carefully for a while, she couldn't help but exclaim, "The level of detail in this drawing is almost comparable to the sand table used in the military."

Before long, the other shopkeepers arrived one after another, and they all gathered around the blackboard to examine it carefully. Once everyone was present, Meng Zhao smiled and arranged for them to take their seats. He then took a bamboo stick and began to explain the layout of the herbal medicine shop to everyone.

"As you can see, the herbal medicine shop is divided into three main areas. The first floor is the general customer activity area, used to receive passersby, sell everyday herbs, and hold events." Then, the bamboo stick tapped the second blackboard. "The second floor is the bulk wholesale area, where each shop has its own counter to attract large-volume buyers."

Finally, we walked to the third blackboard: "As for the backyard, besides serving as a place to stock goods, it is also a VIP negotiation area. If you encounter any interested customers, you can lead them to the backyard to inspect the goods and discuss business at the same time."

Manager Li was a little curious about this. "Manager Meng, this floor should be the busiest, so why not set up the counter on the first floor?"

Meng Zhao shook his head. “Although there are many people on the first floor, with people coming and going, if everyone keeps asking questions, the shop assistants will probably be too busy to handle it, which will affect the reception of merchants from all over the country. However, although there are no counters on the first floor, it does not mean that only cheap medicinal materials are sold. I suggest that a grand event be held every three days during the first month of the opening of the medicinal material store.”

"A grand event?" Several shopkeepers leaned forward in unison, their faces showing curiosity.

“Exactly. We might as well hold more grand events, like the ‘Medicine Competition,’ where each family can bring out their most treasured items to compete, such as century-old ginseng, rare Ganoderma lucidum, natural bezoar, and aged donkey-hide gelatin. We can put them out one by one and let the dignitaries in the capital participate in the bidding.”