Chapter Twenty-Seven: Alliance

"Mozi, that's not fair of you. Why don't you include us when you're making money?"

Seeing his two friends' furious expressions, Qin Mo was also a little stunned. Qin Yumu was one thing, but in his memory, Qin Yuanze was gentle and refined, and even when he fought with someone, he was always calm and collected, rarely showing such anger as he did now.

"You guys never told me we were going to Japan to make a fortune!" Qin Mo said dejectedly.

“I only received the conscription in March. After raising the money, I searched for sea routes and gathered enough ships. I didn’t arrive in Fusang until the end of July. On the way back, I encountered a storm near Hanyang and almost got into trouble. In the past six months, I haven’t had a moment of leisure. I really haven’t had time to contact you.”

Qin Mo recounted his experiences over the past six months to his two best friends, admitting he was truly unable to care for them. Qin Yumu and Qin Yuanze's fiefdoms were located in Hejian Prefecture and near Shangqiu Prefecture, respectively, neither of which were by the sea, making it impossible for them to reach the coast anytime soon. Following them would be pointless.

"Don't listen to him, Mozi. Isn't the gold and silver in Japan piled up like mountains? Don't Japanese warriors often cut their stomachs?" Qin Yumu's face turned the fastest. She grabbed Qin Mo's shoulder and the two whispered to each other, clearly a pair of best buddies.

Qin Mo was a little confused. Just now he was glaring at her angrily, and now he was clinging to her arm? Then she felt a weight on her left arm, and the handsome Qin Yuanze grabbed her other arm, his eyes smiling warmly.

"Qin Mo, is that Japanese girl gentle and considerate, and does she have a unique charm?" Qin Yuanze's thinking was clearly not on the same wavelength as Qin Yumu's, and it was unclear how the two of them had become friends.

"They are gentle and considerate, but they usually have thick legs and short necks. As for their flavor, I haven't tried it. When I have the chance, I'll bring you a boatload and squeeze you dry." Now even Qin Mo, who was usually slow-witted, understood that these two were just acting like children, like when they have good food and fun things but don't share with their friends, causing all sorts of breakups and feuds... blah blah blah.

"You filthy scoundrel, all you know is girls! Who is Mozi? Why would she go and flirt with those country girls?" Qin Yumu finally found Qin Yuanze's weakness and launched into a tirade against him. This effeminate man was particularly attractive to women; whenever he went to a brothel or a banquet, he was always surrounded by beautiful women, making everyone grit their teeth in hatred.

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, Qin Mo quickly quelled their anger. "If you two want to go to Japan by sea, that's easy. Just send a few reliable ships from my fleet to accompany you on a few voyages. As for organizing your fleet and training sailors, I can also lend a hand."

Qin Mo felt that navigating the routes between Korea and Japan wouldn't be difficult. Although he noticed that the merchants from Great Xia in Japan all seemed very self-important, treating their meager nautical knowledge as family secrets, for Qin Mo, it was simply a matter of leading a few captains on a few voyages and giving them a little pointers on navigation.

But after waiting for a while, she didn't hear the two of them say anything. Qin Mo looked at the two of them and wondered why they weren't reacting.

Qin Yumu continued drinking tea, while Qin Yuanze had long since stopped waving his fan. The two stared at Qin Mo, their eyes filled with shock and shame.

"Um... Mozi, we were just... don't take it seriously. You know I'm just saying whatever comes to mind, so don't take it to heart!" Qin Yumu said awkwardly, her bear-like body twisting and turning.

“I’m not joking. Japan does have a lot of gold and silver, and the specialties of Great Xia are also very popular. Both of your families have manpower, so why not do this business?”

"Qin Mo, do you know what you just did? You took our people on two trips to train the sailors. Do you know what that means?" Seeing the sincerity in Qin Mo's words, Qin Yuanze began to probe and ask.

"This means a way to make money! I know your two families are located inland, and you don't have enough ships or sailors. That's why I'm here." Qin Mo found the two men's reactions strange. At first, they complained that she wasn't helping them make money, but now they're being coy. What does that mean?

In the end, Qin Yuanze carefully explained it to Qin Mo. Among the noble families of Great Xia, mutual support and flattery were common, but it was extremely rare for someone to interfere in the financial dealings of an ally. If such a thing happened, that noble family would be despised by everyone. Their earlier "Why don't you take us with you when you're getting rich?" was just a joke, not to be taken seriously, but Qin Mo's immediate agreement caught them off guard.

"Do you understand now, Mozi? If we interfere, people will laugh at us. You are now a high-ranking official; you can't act rashly." Qin Yumu was also quite embarrassed just now. Now that Qin Mo's father is gone, their words just now seemed like taking advantage of her vulnerability.

Seeing the two of them become so serious, Qin Mo felt helpless and could only say, "What if we go into this business together? You can stock up on the goods in Daxia, and I'll provide the ships and sailors. You two only need to send your accountants to accompany my fleet to Fusang to oversee things. As long as the accounts are clear, who will gossip?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a bear climbed onto his arm. "Hehehe, this is a great idea. Mozi, you're so smart! Some people brag about being shrewd, but they're actually incredibly stupid."

Qin Yuanze was speechless, as Qin Yumu always knew how to make fun of him whenever she found an excuse.

The three decided that their elders would discuss the specific profit-sharing arrangements with Uncle Lin. Qin Mo wouldn't interfere, as he didn't understand the intricacies of the powerful families in the Great Xia Dynasty. However, he knew one thing: for friendship to last, shared interests were essential; only common interests could bind the families closer together.

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