The group enjoyed the meal very much.
"The dishes are indeed very unique; I've never eaten tofu like this before."
Xiao Er felt very honored to hear Qi An's words.
"This tofu is indeed only available in our Ning'an Prefecture. Because it is difficult to preserve and transport, the furthest it can reach is here."
"So that's how it is?"
"That's right. I heard that you gentlemen are going to Shao County. There is a tofu workshop in Shao County."
The tofu we ate today all comes from there. Shaoguan County also has a special braised dish that merchants who come and go say is exceptional; you absolutely must try it when you visit.”
"Haha, great! I definitely have to try it!"
Seeing that the waiter served well, Qi An gave him a few copper coins as a tip, which made the waiter even happier.
"Thank you, sir. If you stay longer, you should not miss the velvet hairpins from Shao County. The ladies in the prefectural city are all vying to buy them; they are extremely rare."
Qi An and Qi Wan exchanged a glance; something was amiss.
"Oh? Shao County has so many rare things. Does it all come from there? Is Shao County very famous in Ning'an Prefecture? I heard that Shao County was just average."
"What you heard before, sir, is correct. However, things are different this year. A tofu workshop has been built in Shuxia Village, Shaoguan County. As you all just tasted, it's of high quality and low price, and merchants coming and going are willing to buy some..."
"Shuxia Village?!"
Qi An and Qi Wan exclaimed together, and Li Yue and Li Yin's eyes lit up as well.
"Yes, that's Shuxia Village."
The waiter was startled by the two guests' exclamations. Something was wrong with this village under the tree.
"Please don't be offended, young man. We are from out of town. We had heard about Shuxia Village before, and people said it was very poor. We were quite surprised to hear that workshops were being built in Shuxia Village."
Qi An handed over a few more copper coins, which the waiter accepted with a knowing smile.
"It's understandable that you're surprised, sir. I was quite surprised myself when I first heard about it. But things are different here in Shuxia Village now; many people want to move there..."
"Shaoxian County has indeed become very popular lately thanks to this workshop and the Yan family."
After hearing some of what the waiter said, Qi Wan had a premonition.
"elder brother·····"
"We'll find out when the time comes."
Qi An and Qi Wan shared the same idea. It just so happened that the Li family moved to Shuxia Village, and a tofu workshop was set up there.
He felt somewhat relieved, after all, he had personally sent his sister and niece to this wretched place to suffer. Although he knew the Li family might have a backup plan, whether it would actually work was still a question.
Although the two companies had corresponded before, the distance was far and the news was delayed, so many things could not be explained in detail in the letters.
The Li family only provided the specific location and vaguely stated that the situation was under control.
Qi An has now gleaned some clues from the waiter's words. It seems the Li family is indeed stable, just as the letter stated. It appears his sister's suffering may not be so severe after all.
Over the next two days, the Qi siblings heard more and more news about the tofu workshop.
The group also tried Shaoxing spicy strips once, which they heard were also bought from Shaoxing.
After two days of anxious travel, their team finally entered Shaoguan County.
"Oh, sir, are you a merchant? Would you like to visit the Li Family Workshop? I can show you the way. Just mention my name and you can get a discount on your purchases!"
As soon as the group entered the city, a broker approached and immediately set his sights on Qi An at the front.
"Li's Workshop?"
Qi An had been riding a horse when he passed through the city gate, and upon hearing the broker mention the Li family, he immediately stopped with great interest. Seeing this, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) gestured, and the entire group stopped.
"Young man, why is it called Li Family Workshop? Isn't it a tofu workshop? Is the owner of this workshop surnamed Li?"
"What this gentleman said is correct. Outsiders call it a tofu workshop. We locals in Shaoguan County call it Li's Workshop. The owner of the workshop is surnamed Li."
Qi An smiled, completely relieved.
He took out a money bag and threw it at the broker. This money bag was a spare; it contained enough copper coins to make the broker do as he pleased. He carried several such money bags with him.
The broker smiled and opened the money bag. "Sir, this is too much money."
"This is a reward for you."
"Alright, would you like me to show you the way?"
The broker beamed with joy; he'd made another profit today.
Because many foreign businessmen go to Shuxia Village, this has led to the emergence of brokers who specialize in guiding people. Actually, the road is not difficult to walk, and there are signs along the way, so it is not hard to find.
The fee for giving directions is only one or two coins. The main income is from referrals. If you encounter a generous person, you can also get some rewards. Today, we have met a benefactor!
They now have partnerships with many families in Shuxia Village. In the past, foreign businessmen would stay for at least a day or two to discuss business. With so many people in this group, they can arrange for them to stay in Shuxia Village and earn some referral fees in the process.
If a deal goes through, Li's workshop will also give a referral fee. It's not much, but even a penny is still a profit, right?
"No need, just point us in the direction and we'll find our way."
"Okay."
The broker pointed Qi An in the right direction with a smile, but his face fell completely once the person had passed.
But then he saw the money bag in his hand and cheered up. Okay, next one!
Now the group moved faster, and with their destination in sight, they no longer needed to travel slowly.
The closer you get to Shuxia Village, the more people there are on the road.
When he saw the stone tablet that read "Shuxia Village", he had a dazed feeling that he was still in the county.
"The Li family is that powerful?"
Qi An was genuinely surprised.
"Excuse me, ma'am, how do I get to the Li family's house?"
"You're here to discuss business, right?"
This old woman is a cleaner hired by the Li family workshop. There are more than one of them; she is responsible for the sanitation of this area at the entrance of the village.
Because there are many people here now, we were afraid of leaving a bad impression on foreign businessmen who have come from afar, so we formed a cleaning team.
"Er Ya, lead the way to Li's Workshop."
"Auntie, we're not going to the Li family workshop, we're going to the Li family's house."
"Oh, you're looking for Master Yan? Er Ya, lead the way!"
"Alright! This way, sir."
The village roads have been widened considerably, and horse-drawn carriages can now drive in.
Qi Wan and her two children pressed their faces against the car window, intently observing the village's scenery.
"This is so different from what I imagined."
“….”
"The three stewards are here to see Master Yan."
Er Ya led the way and suddenly spotted a man, so she rushed forward.
Li Xuchang stopped in his tracks. "Er Ya, okay, I'll take care of her. You go play."
"Xu Chang!"
Li Xuchang looked up and paused.
"Uncle...uncle?!"
The person who immediately smiled at him was none other than his brother-in-law. He hurriedly glanced behind Qi An, but where was Wan'er?
"Stop looking, take us back first!"
Qi An laughed and scolded, "How come you're still such a greenhorn? You're in charge of things? You must be living a good life."
"Yes, yes, brother-in-law, come with me."
Li Xuchang kept looking back as he ran forward, his steps uneven, his face beaming like a fool's, showing no trace of composure.
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