Chapter 169 What Deal?

The afterglow of the setting sun cast a golden glow over the entire village. Jiang Luli, who had been busy all day with the villagers at the paper mill, was completely unaware that someone had quietly been thinking of him.

At this moment, his body was covered with dirt and grass debris, and his hair was a little messy, but his eyes were full of curiosity and excitement.

Today he first followed the villagers up the mountain to cut bamboo.

The green bamboos in the mountains and forests block out the sun, and the bamboo leaves rustle in the breeze.

Watching the villagers swing their machetes and the bamboos fall in large swaths, Jiang Luli asked with a puzzled look on his face, "Aren't you afraid of cutting the bamboos to extinction by doing this?"

Wang Gengyun was a burly, middle-aged man with a simple, honest face. He kept working, taking a moment to grin and answer Jiang Luli's question. "What are you afraid of? These bamboos grow really fast. Look at this one." He gently tapped a tall bamboo nearby with his machete. "Guess how long it's been growing?"

Jiang Luli reached out and gently stroked the bamboo, which was as thick as a bowl, and asked uncertainly, "Three years?"

Wang Gengyun smiled and shook his head, "About a year."

Jiang Luli's eyes were filled with disbelief. How could bamboo grow this big in just one year?

If it was really that fast, he shouldn't have a shortage of raw materials.

Later, while chopping bamboo, Wang Gengyun mentioned what Gu Jiayue had told him: "The bamboo used for papermaking must be one to two years old. If it's too old, the fibers will be too hard and difficult to handle; if it's too young, the paper will not be tough."

Jiang Luli listened attentively, nodded from time to time, his eyes full of concentration.

After a full day of hard work in the back mountains, Jiang Luli was exhausted and his back ached. His clothes were soaked with sweat, but his face was filled with a satisfied smile.

At this time, he thought he had learned this new papermaking technique, and was planning to go back and summarize it all on paper and then send it back to his uncle Huang.

The Emperor was a diligent and caring emperor. He would surely be delighted to receive such a gift. If the Emperor was delighted, he might even set him free and no longer force him to stay in Kyoto as a mountain chief.

But then his brows furrowed again. Would this be a bad idea? After all, this secret recipe was as important as salt and iron.

If he handed the secret recipe to the emperor like this, the emperor would be happy and he would get a generous reward, but it would have nothing to do with Gu Jiayue.

What’s the difference between this and a thief?

How about discussing it with Gu Jiayue and asking her to take the initiative to present the method of making this paper to Uncle Huang?

But what if she doesn't want to?

That shouldn't be the case, right? Based on my observations over this period of time, she should be a woman with a broad perspective. Should she be willing?

At worst, he could just stay here and work for her for a few more years.

Jiang Luli followed the workers into the village while thinking with a troubled mind.

"The country is long." A clear and pleasant voice sounded at the intersection.

Jiang Luli looked up and saw Gu Jiayue standing there in a light blue cloth dress, her figure graceful and charming. The breeze gently blew her hair, making her look like a beautiful painting.

Jiang Luli's breathing suddenly stopped and his heart began to beat uncontrollably, as if all his thoughts were seen through by this woman at a glance.

A trace of panic flashed across his eyes, and he subconsciously lowered his head. He found that his clothes were a little messy, and hurriedly tidied them up.

Gu Jiayue had no idea that his mind was filled with thoughts as rich as the turbulent sea.

Seeing him stop, he walked up to him, with a bright smile on his face, and asked in person, "Master Jiang, you've been to our village workshop all day today. What do you think? I didn't lie to you when I said you could make paper from bamboo, did I?"

Jiang Luli glanced at her guiltily, his eyes flickering, not daring to meet her gaze. "Very good, Shanzhang Gu is truly talented, even thinking of using bamboo to make paper. I also consulted the villagers today and found that bamboo has a short growth cycle and is abundant, so there's no need to worry about a shortage of raw materials. Furthermore, the paper produced is flawless white, and writes smoothly. It's not much different from the specially supplied Xuan paper."

Hearing Jiang Luli's praise, Gu Jiayue's smile became even more sincere, like a flower blooming in spring. "In that case, Mr. Jiang, are you interested in making a deal with me?"

Jiang Luli was intrigued when he heard this. "What deal?"

It seems that Director Gu needs to ask him for something.

Jiang Luli, who was originally eager to trade papermaking skills with Gu Jiayue, suddenly stopped being anxious and waited to see what Gu Jiayue wanted to talk to him about.

If he works hard here, there's nothing he can't accomplish. He can then offer to trade the secret recipe for papermaking, so no one loses out.

"Let's talk while we walk." Gu Jiayue raised the corners of her mouth slightly and made a gesture of invitation.

Bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, the two of them walked slowly towards the school.

Jiang Luli naturally had no reason to refuse, and he walked inside attentively, reaching out to pull away some vines that extended from the roadside for Gu Jiayue, and gently kicked away some stones blocking the road with his feet.

His movements were so natural that Gu Jiayue didn't notice anything wrong with them.

Gu Jiayue handed the stack of papers in her hand to Jiang Luli and said seriously, "Master Jiang, your time is precious, so I won't beat around the bush. I have a small favor that I need you to do me. How about this as payment?"

She had a decent smile on her face, but her heart was beating like a little rabbit.

Gu Jiayue has a lot of knowledge in her head that is not available in this world, and there are also many books on negotiation in her system mall.

However, what you learn from books is always superficial. Understanding is one thing, but not everyone can do it in practice.

Gu Jiayue was just like that. She had clearly prepared a plan in her mind before she spoke, but when the words came to her lips, she couldn't bring herself to say those roundabout and probing words.

So she simply gave up and just stated her purpose. If the other party disagreed, no matter how much she said, it would be useless and a waste of everyone's time. If they agreed, she didn't need to say anything more to make them interested.

Oh, if only Kangzi were here, he really is a natural businessman.

He was running Mingrentang and the newly opened hotpot restaurant very well. Yesterday he wrote to tell her that he was planning to open a branch in the neighboring Dianzhou.

Jiang Luli had never seen anyone discuss business this way. Shouldn't they just sit down, toast, and exchange compliments before getting down to business? Why did this girl reveal her cards right away?

But Jiang Luli didn't give her any trouble. She was just a little girl, not cunning or scheming. She'd spent all her intelligence on studying and couldn't even handle business. There was no point in bullying someone like her.

He unfolded the folded paper nonchalantly, thinking that no matter what she gave him, he would say it was not enough, and then forced her to give him the secret recipe for making paper.

When I opened it, the first page was clearly written with "Encyclopedia of Ancient Papermaking Technology".

This... Jiang Luli suddenly felt a little itchy on his head.

He was shocked by Gu Jiayue's sincerity. His expression froze instantly and his eyes were full of shock.

"So you deliberately took me to the back mountain today?" Jiang Luli came back to his senses and felt that he had guessed everything, with a hint of inquiry in his eyes.

Gu Jiayue nodded calmly and said, "Yes. But I didn't think about these things before. I just remembered that you said that bamboo can't make paper, so I wanted to take you to see it. But then I had a new idea, so I deliberately left you there."

Gu Jiayue was sincere without reservation, and her eyes were as clear as a spring.

She couldn't be insincere. Who was the man standing across from her? He was a prince. He had a father who was a prince, an uncle who was an emperor, and he himself was a child prodigy, a supremely intelligent person. If she used her little tricks on such a man, it would definitely backfire, right? So it was better to be honest.

Jiang Luli looked at Gu Jiayue, his heart moved. He raised the paper in his hand and asked, "You're just handing me something so important without any precautions? Aren't you afraid that I won't help you?"

Gu Jiayue shook her head slightly and said firmly, "You won't."

After this period of contact, I found that although Jiang Luli's personality was a bit strange, he was a man of principles and bottom line. Otherwise, he wouldn't be willing to stay here to teach just because of a charcoal drawing.

Besides, he lived in the village, how long could he keep the papermaking technique a secret? If he found out and tried to rob it, it would be a waste of money, and he would deserve it.

Jiang Luli's heart moved slightly. He didn't expect that this girl trusted him so much.

Well, never mind. Since she's so honest, I'll just help her. It also saves him from having to rack his brains to figure out how to get this secret technique. "Tell me, what do you want me to do for you?"

There was a hint of helplessness and a hint of doting in his tone.

Gu Jiayue didn't hear anything, but she breathed a sigh of relief when Jiang Luli relented. She looked around, making sure no one was around, and then whispered, "I want all of Taohua Mountain to be mine." As she spoke, she drew a large circle in the air with her hand, her movements exaggerated and adorable.

Looking at the circles Gu Jiayue drew in the air, the numbness on Jiang Luli's scalp had spread to his spine.

He had reason to suspect that the circle Gu Jiayue drew was not because she wanted that much, but because her hands were only that long.

"What do you need so many mountains for?" Jiang Luli asked with a puzzled look on his face.

He had been in Taohua Village for quite some time, and he had climbed many of the surrounding hillsides. These were just ordinary hillsides, without any gold or silver. What was the point of getting them here?

If we're talking about making paper, the bamboo from those two mountains is enough, right? After all, bamboo grows fast.

"I haven't thought about it yet, but it will definitely be useful. Just tell me if it can be done. If not, I can find someone else." Gu Jiayue kept some things to herself and didn't really tell Jiang Luli everything.

In addition to Jiang Luli, Gu Jiayue can actually go to her ex-fiancé Zheng Qinghe.

Now he is the magistrate of Annan County, and finding him is just a matter of words.

But she had to save face. She had just rejected someone's love not long ago. The 17 or 18-year-old boy cried like a child. Now when she thinks about it, she feels that she has committed a heinous crime.

So unless it was absolutely necessary, she didn't want to trouble him or have anything to do with him.

Look for someone else? Who? My ex-fiancé, Zheng Qinghe? What could a young boy like him accomplish?

"I can do it, but Mr. Gu's request is not small. Just this papermaking technique is not enough. After all, my family is not short of paper." Jiang Luli folded his hands in front of his chest, frowned slightly and began to negotiate terms.

Here we go, let's start negotiating terms. It seems what the book says is absolutely correct.

Fortunately, she was prepared, hehe. "What about this?" Gu Jiayue handed over another stack of papers.

Jiang Luli looked at the paper handed over by Gu Jiayue, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly. Haha, it turns out that this little girl is not as simple as he thought. She has mastered the negotiation skills very well.

Let him come and see what else this man can come up with that is better than papermaking.

[Author's nonsense: Sorry, I was on a business trip today and didn't get home to update in time at noon, so I added an extra chapter to express my apology. Love you all!]