After laughing, Yunling suddenly remembered her important matter and asked:
"Hey, since you grew up in Bianjing, do you know any merchants who travel between Western Xia and Khitan?"
As Pei Lin was thinking, the person in front of him suddenly turned around, his face full of surprise.
"Are you looking for me? I'm a merchant who travels back and forth between Western Xia and Bianjing. What kind of business do you want to do?"
Yunling was both surprised and delighted. She never imagined that the flowers she planted with care would not bloom, while the willows she planted unintentionally would thrive.
Pei Lin was somewhat cautious. Merchants and monks who traveled between Western Xia, Khitan, and other countries were the easiest spies to impersonate. If he came into contact with them and was implicated, he would be sentenced to the severe punishment of having his entire family executed.
So this is what she thought when she came to Bianjing. Why didn't she discuss it with him beforehand? If something bad were to happen to her, her skeleton would be buried under the walls of Bianjing forever.
Pei Lin was terrified at the thought, so he quickly grabbed Yun Ling's hand and left.
"You misunderstood, we're not looking for businessmen."
"Alright, alright, I know. It's understandable that we're wary of each other since it's our first meeting. If you've thought it through, you can always come back to this area to find me."
The last words were addressed to Yunling. Yunling's special ability did not detect anything unusual, nor did she know whether the person in front of her was a simple liar or something else. She did not think as much as Pei Lin did; she just felt that having more options meant having more possibilities, so she nodded to him.
But in the next instant, Pei Lin pulled her away. If it weren't for her good memory, she would have had a hard time remembering the person's face.
“You even nodded at him. I’m telling you, you little worm, have you been blinded by lard? You believe everything people say. When they sell you out, you’ll be helping them count the money.”
Yunling pulled her hand away from his and murmured:
“I’m not a three-year-old child, how can I believe everything he says?”
"You're not three years old, you're four."
Pei Lin was somewhat displeased that Yun Ling had let go of his hand, and his words were rather sharp.
"You came to Bianjing just to find these multinational businessmen? What do you want to buy?"
"Buy wool."
"Buy wool? Buy wool from multinational merchants? Isn't this that brat Lu Yinghuai's idea? I told you he's no good, what a terrible idea he came up with."
Yun Ling glared at Pei Lin and said only:
"It was my idea. I inquired with Uncle Cao about the quantity of wool in our dynasty, which is why I thought of purchasing it from abroad. However, I don't have the ability to go to Western Xia or Khitan for the time being, so I wanted to find the corresponding merchants so that I could save some trouble."
Pei Lin didn't know much about business, but he knew Lu Yinghuai did, so he said:
“That brat Lu Yinghuai is the young master of the business. His business has countless connections. If he really wanted to help you, he could have just said the word and saved you the trouble of walking. In the end, it’s still his fault.”
Yunling felt uncomfortable hearing these words. It seemed that such a casual remark could cover up all her efforts and unfairly accuse her of "relying on others."
"you,"
"It seems that Brother Lin doesn't understand Second Brother at all."
Lu Yinghuai, not seeing anyone return for a long time, set out to look for them, only to overhear Pei Lin's words, hence his rebuttal:
“My second brother is independent and has his own opinions. If he can handle something on his own, he will never trouble others and incur favors. So I didn’t interfere.”
"Furthermore, when doing business with neighboring countries, one can obtain customs clearance documents, pay taxes and brokerage fees, and obtain customs certificates, permits, and a series of letters and documents before a transaction can be conducted."
"The border market is located at the border, so it's not advisable to go there rashly the first time. Moreover, in recent years, many merchants have set their sights on the bustling Xiangguo Temple in order to expand their trade. That's why I sent my second brother to search for it at Xiangguo Temple."
"There's still plenty of time. If we still can't find them after the New Year, we can go to the market when the sheep are sheared in the spring. It'll just cost a few more copper coins, no big deal."
Yunling then learned that there was such a place as the border market. Thinking that there was still a backup plan, she felt relieved and gave Lu Yinghuai a grateful look.
When Lu Yinghuai saw Yun Ling looking at him, his gaze naturally returned to her face, and the corners of his mouth gradually turned up, almost as if "I am very happy" was engraved on his face.
Pei Lin watched the two of them staring at each other, his eyes filled with a ton of sand, feeling extremely displeased. This was clearly a good opportunity for Yun Ling to understand him and comfort him, but this clueless person had to show up, which was a real eyesore.
"Alright, alright, who wants to hear your convoluted nonsense? Little bug, have you had dinner yet? Why don't we go out to a restaurant? The restaurants in Bianjing are quite different from those in Pingcheng."
Lu Yinghuai said with a smile:
"I just came back from the trading company. When I passed by the restaurant, I bought some mixed soup, two kinds of kidneys, steamed goose and duck ribs, lotus root duck skewers, golden tripe shreds, and a pan-fried quail."
"I was thinking that since my second brother had stayed up all night to watch over me, I shouldn't go out and cause trouble tonight. I'll just have a simple hot meal, take a hot bath, and then snuggle into a newly dried, fragrant quilt with a hot water bottle on it, listening to the whistling wind outside the window. That's a comfort that three lamb legs can't buy."
Lu Yinghuai's voice was gentle, and his simple descriptions easily brought to mind the relevant scenes. Yunling was instantly drawn into the scene, thinking only of the warm feeling of lying in bed, and quickly nodded in agreement.
Lu Yinghuai was happy, but Pei Lin's face was even darker than the bottom of a pot. He had finally come all the way to Bianjing, but instead of doing anything, he just wanted to hide in bed and sleep. Wasn't that a waste of such a good time?
But that little bug seemed to be bewitched, listening to the flattering words of those vixens, becoming unable to distinguish right from wrong, confused and disoriented, and no longer wanting to cause any trouble.
No, he'll take her to the entertainment district tomorrow. That way, she'll rediscover her love for lively places and realize how good he is.
**
After taking a bath, Yunling sat on the edge of the bed and dried the stray hairs on her forehead. She noticed a small box on the bedside table. When she opened it, she found the kind of gadget that Tang Ling had mentioned, the Mohele, which was all the rage in Bianjing.
There was also a small note on it that read,
“Lingniang saved me time and time again, she is my living Bodhisattva. I have no way to repay her, so I had someone make a pair of Mohele. The man is me, and I will stay with you as a servant. The woman is you, and I will stay with you as a Bodhisattva.”
Yunling took it out of the box. To be honest, the clay doll was quite exquisitely sculpted; even Lu Yinghuai's smile was sculpted with remarkable realism...
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