"I heard it's worth several hundred thousand taels."
Shen Qing's eyes lit up: "Then we can do the same! Sell our inventory to foreigners, and we'll make money!"
Several hundred thousand taels of silver would not only be enough to pay off her debts, but there would still be some left over. The remaining silver would be enough for her to live comfortably in ancient times.
The shopkeeper lowered his head and shook his head, looking worried: "But we have no way to find a market! The young master was attacked by bandits on his way to find a market..."
He dared not elaborate further, for fear of bringing up his young mistress's painful past.
Shen Qing, however, didn't feel much about her "husband's" death.
Since the dead are gone, the living should live their lives to the fullest.
Her only worry right now is where to find foreign merchants to buy her inventory.
After reassuring the shopkeeper to keep an eye on the shop, Shen Qing told Chunju to return to the Gao family home.
The two walked back the way they came.
"Do you know Wang's maid?" Shen Qing asked Chunju. "Go and find out where her master found the foreign merchant to buy the silk?"
Chunju shook her head, looking confused, and said, "I'm just like you, I came from Yongzhou City, and I don't know any girls from Jiangzhou City."
Shen Qing sighed and looked up at the sky.
In this era of isolation, where could one find foreign merchants? Even the Gao family, the local strongmen, couldn't find any. How could she, a modern person who had just transmigrated, possibly find any?
Suddenly, a hard object hit her shoulder, causing Shen Qing to bounce backward.
She steadied herself, rubbing her aching shoulder blades, and looked at the person who had bumped into her.
My breath caught in my throat.
The man was dressed in a sharp khaki British suit, brown suede shoes, and under the brim of a black British hat, his short hair was neatly trimmed.
He's a modern person!
He doesn't even need to wear ancient costumes; he's dressed in modern clothes, so he must have already achieved free time travel!
The road back to the modern world seemed to be right in front of her. Excitedly, Shen Qing took a few steps forward, grabbed the man's hand, and ran away, as if she had grabbed a piece of driftwood in a vast ocean and held on tightly.
Shen Qing grabbed the man and ran wildly into the deserted alley.
She stopped, leaned down, and asked the other person breathlessly, "Where are you from... what era are you from... do you know how to get back?"
The man's wrist seemed to twist, trying to break free from her grasp, and she instinctively tightened her grip.
The man glanced down at the wrist she was gripping, then looked up. His features, which had been hidden under the brim of his hat, slowly came into view of Shen Qing.
His thick eyebrows were like swords, and his eyes were like stars, but his slightly upturned peach blossom eyes were now covered with a layer of impatience and coldness.
As Shen Qing looked at him, he suddenly felt that he looked familiar, as if he had seen him somewhere before.
"You are..." The man thought for a moment, then spoke in a cool, detached Wu dialect, "Shen Qing?"
Shen Qing was surprised and was about to ask who he was when she heard him look at her wrist that was being grabbed and say sarcastically, "Don't bother me. I didn't even look at you when you were a virgin, let alone now that you're a widow."
With a "boom," a flood of memory fragments rushed into Shen Qing's mind—
This man is named Cheng Zhiwen, the second son of the Cheng family, cloth merchants in Yongzhou. He had a marriage agreement with the original owner of this body for several years.
The original owner of this body was deeply in love with him and often secretly went to see him. She had been preparing to marry him since childhood, but when the time came for the wedding, he suddenly broke off the engagement, causing the original owner to be ridiculed by others. She had no choice but to hastily marry into the Gao family in Jiangzhou, after which she became a widow and was beaten to death in court.
It can be said that Cheng Zhiwen was also a driving force behind the original owner's tragedy.
But now, he's mocking her for being a widow?
Recalling this, Shen Qing couldn't help but tremble.
She seemed to have been tainted by the original owner's resentment, wishing she could tear Cheng Zhiwen to pieces on the spot!
“I am a widow, that’s for sure! I dare to admit I’m a widow!” She raised her hand and lifted Cheng Zhiwen’s hat. “But you, do you think wearing a foreign hat makes you a foreigner? As a descendant of the Yellow Emperor, you insist on pretending to be white. Don’t you have any shame? Wouldn’t it be better if you just changed your father to a foreigner as well?”
After she finished speaking, she was stunned, but she seemed unable to control herself and couldn't help but want to scold Cheng Zhiwen.
Cheng Zhiwen was not annoyed. She raised her hand, pressed down on her hat, and put it back on.
He glanced down at his wrist, which was still being held tightly by Shen Qing: "I'm shameless? Then aren't you, who's clinging to me, even more shameless?"
His voice was soft and refined, yet he spoke venomous words without seeming like a bad person.
Shen Qing choked, pulling her hand back: "Clinging to you? You think too highly of yourself! I dragged you in here just to give you a piece of my mind!"
Cheng Zhiwen smiled, said nothing, flexed her wrists a few times, straightened the cuffs that had been crumpled by her, and turned to walk towards the alley entrance without glancing at her again.
Shen Qing glared at him with hatred, her teeth practically grinding to powder.
Just then, Chunju entered the alley and bumped into Cheng Zhiwen.
She immediately ran to Shen Qing's side and whispered, "Young Madam, why did you bring Second Young Master Cheng here?"
Shen Qing withdrew his gaze and coughed lightly: "I just happened to run into him outside, let's call him in and give him a good scolding to vent our anger!"
Chunju helped her walk towards the alley entrance, sighing as she went: "It's such a pity you didn't marry into the Cheng family... I heard that the second young master of the Cheng family is now doing business for foreigners in Shanghai and making a lot of money."
"Doing business for foreigners? Isn't that just being a comprador?" Shen Qing spat.
The two stopped at the same time and looked at each other.
Chunju exclaimed with delight, "Young Madam, didn't you want to buy silk from foreigners? You can ask Second Young Master Cheng!"
Shen Qing frowned and nodded, deep in thought—
Judging from Cheng Zhiwen's attire, he could actually blend in with foreigners. Even if he's just a lackey, if he could help introduce a few foreign merchants, there would be a chance to promote the Gao family's silk products.
Although this person's face is disgusting, there's no other way to survive right now; preserving one's life is the priority.
The next day, Shen Qing found out that Cheng Zhiwen was entertaining guests at Lechun Pavilion, and went there right on time.
Lechun Pavilion was a place of pleasure and debauchery; it would be frowned upon for respectable women to appear there.
Shen Qingren had already arrived at the gate, but Chunju was still tugging at her sleeve, trying to stop her from going in: "Young Madam, shall we wait for Second Young Master Cheng here? Don't go in, respectable women shouldn't go into places like this!"
Shen Qing glanced at the men and women embracing inside and murmured, "Survival is the priority; reputation doesn't matter."
After saying that, he pulled Chunju's hand away and entered the gate with a calm and open expression.
"Hey young lady!" someone stepped forward to stop her. "We only serve male guests, please go back!"
The other party was dressed provocatively, adorned with gold and silver, and seemed to be someone in charge.
Shen Qing coughed lightly, his expression unchanged, and said, "I've come to see my brother. Something has happened at home."
The other person also looked her up and down.
Perhaps seeing her elegant attire, a fine silk gown that made her look like a wealthy young lady, he rolled his eyes a few times and asked in a affected tone, "What's your brother's name?"
"Cheng Zhiwen".
"So she's Boss Cheng's sister. Alright, go upstairs and find him!"
Shen Qing quickly slipped upstairs.
The door to the private room was tightly closed, and attendants were guarding the entrance.
Shen Qing stepped forward and asked, "Is Cheng Zhiwen in this room? I need to talk to him."
The attendants exchanged glances, one of them went inside to announce their arrival, and quickly came out, sternly urging Shen Qing to leave: "Boss Cheng doesn't receive guests! Get out of here!"
Shen Qing had no choice but to step aside and wait.
A moment later, a scantily clad geisha, carrying a pipa, gracefully came upstairs.
Shen Qing had an idea and stopped the other person: "Are you going to Boss Cheng's room, young lady?"
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