Heaven knows how happy Lu Yinghuai was. If he didn't have to be mindful of his image, he would have jumped up and down to tell the whole world that the woman he loved most was going to sew him briefs. That would have been such a blissful thing!
Human joys and sorrows are not shared. As Lu Yinghuai was happy, Yun Ling was just as sad. She looked at the two pieces of cotton cloth on the table, the crooked lines on them seeming to mock her.
Yun Ruochun returned home after three days, looking radiant and beautiful. Her face lit up with joy when she spoke of Qin Yu. Yun Ling recalled Yun Ruochun's earlier suggestion that she embroider a sachet to give to her beloved, and how Yun Ruochun had refused.
He immediately felt a burning sensation on his face, so he quickly threw the things aside, afraid that Yun Ruochun would see and laugh at him. But after throwing them away, he really couldn't pick them up anymore.
"Zhaoyeqing" business is booming. The previous two hundred catties of wool have been used up. After the Lu family's merchant ship brought back two hundred catties of wool, Yunling has the idea of doing a fashion show again.
After winter passed and spring arrived, she took Tang Ling and the others to a nearby city for a fashion show, which was well received. However, when she wanted to add more wool, Lu Yinghuai stopped her.
“Lingniang, I’m afraid this is not appropriate.”
"What's wrong? Is it that Uncle Zhao can't supply wool right now, or is it that the Lu family's merchant ships can't help me transport it back?"
"No, something happened in Shucheng."
This was the first time Yunling had seen Lu Yinghuai so serious. She carefully sat down on the stool and asked cautiously:
"What happened in Shucheng?"
"The unrest was caused by a group of deserters who were causing chaos in Shucheng, making life miserable for the people."
Yunling sensed something was wrong and felt extremely depressed.
"What about the capital?"
"The imperial city did send a general to garrison Shucheng, but this general was killed before he could even go into battle, and his head is still hanging on the city wall. Shucheng is a place that is easy to defend and difficult to attack. They blocked all the important passes of Shucheng, captured men in the city who could be used for labor to serve as soldiers, and also stockpiled a lot of grain and fodder. This... is very difficult."
Yunling's mind instantly recalled the pain she experienced during the apocalypse. She never expected that she would still have to go through something similar in this unfamiliar dynasty.
Lu Yinghuai gently placed his hand on Yun Ling's hand and said softly:
"Don't worry, it's just that we shouldn't do this business for now."
"I know."
"Shucheng is neither far nor near Pingcheng. We never know when it might get caught in the crossfire. The merchants are also trying to sell off their goods as quickly as possible. What do you think? Should we sell all your cloth?"
Lu Yinghuai gripped Yunling's hand tightly and said again:
"But just like that, your business, which had just gotten on track, is..."
Yunling's depression deepened. Ever since her aunt and Qin Yu started discussing marriage, everything in the Yun family had been going well. During the New Year, Wen Siqing sent his matchmaker to propose marriage, and Yun's mother was overjoyed, eagerly preparing a dowry for Yun Ruoxia.
But now...
"Where does the young master distribute his things?"
"In Liushi, and also in the Jiangnan area, we'll sell as much as we can. We're bound to lose money, but it's better than losing all our goods."
Yunling nodded. The outcome of the war was uncertain. If they really attacked Pingcheng, she wouldn't be able to take her remaining belongings with her.
“Lingniang, if you trust me, bring the goods to the trading company and I will help you distribute them. However, if this turmoil is quelled in Shucheng, the distributed goods will not be able to come back.”
"In business, there are gains and losses. I'll go back, calculate the dyeing process, and then transport the fabric to the trading company."
"good."
Yunling returned home with a heavy heart, and Yun Ruoxia greeted her with a smile.
"Ling'er, have you placed an order for wool with Young Master Lu? We were just discussing whether to order a thousand catties at once, so we wouldn't have to go back and forth to order. Besides, Bianjing and Pingcheng are so far apart, it would take a lot of effort to go back and forth."
"I'm not ordering the wool."
"Not ordering anymore?"
Sister-in-law Fan stood up excitedly. Her family earned a good amount of money from these bras, and their lives were clearly getting better and better. Now that Yunling suddenly said she wouldn't make the order, wasn't that...?
"Ling-jie, is there some difficulty? If you don't have enough money, the Fan family can provide it."
Old Lady Fan quickly chimed in:
"Yes, yes, we are all one family. If we have any difficulties, we will solve them together."
Yunling felt quite relieved by the Fan family's attitude.
"Something big has happened."
Yunling repeated what Lu Yinghuai had just told her, and then expressed her own thoughts.
"So I thought I should distribute the remaining dyed fabrics."
"They've all left? What if it's not true?"
Yun Ruoxia felt very distressed. She had worked hard to negotiate the price of those ten thousand bolts of dyed cloth, and she had personally arranged the storage and transportation in the two towns. She had also put a lot of effort into arranging them neatly. Now that they were being scattered, she was unwilling to accept it.
"Ling-jie, I think we should wait a bit longer. It's just a group of deserters. They can't possibly defeat the troops in Bianjing."
“Aunt, war is all about timing, location, and the people. Shucheng has an excellent geographical location, easy to defend and difficult to attack. Moreover, it is the granary of the nearby cities. Last autumn’s harvest of rice and wheat is piled high. If Bianjing sends troops here, it will be a long and arduous journey, and fighting in a foreign land will make it difficult to keep up with the supply of food. Not to mention, there may be unforeseen circumstances.”
Yunling also felt a headache.
"Moreover, internal and external troubles are always intertwined. Our wool comes from the Western Xia. The current situation of our dynasty is unclear. If we get involved with them, we might bring trouble upon ourselves. This is unacceptable."
Old Lady Yun chimed in:
“Sister Ling is very thoughtful. Besides, in business, how can you only make a profit and never lose? Now that Young Master Lu can help us distribute the goods, we should do it quickly so we can make up for the losses. If the enemy really comes to Pingcheng, we won’t be able to eat or take these things with us. Who will we cry to then?”
Zhang then said:
“Mother is right. As the saying goes, ‘Where there’s life, there’s hope.’ As long as you have the skills to do business, you can always find a way out, no matter what situation you face.”
Yun Ruoxia understood all these principles, but when it came to actually facing gains and losses, she was reluctant. She didn't reply, but walked to the dyed fabrics and stayed quietly with them.
Knowing that her aunt needed a buffer period, Yunling let her stay and then calculated the numbers herself.
This used a total of 400 catties of wool. Including all the consumption, 230 bolts of cloth were used. Yun Ruochun's dowry included another 20 bolts, so there should still be 9,500 bolts of dyed cloth left.
Yunling gasped in shock. The more she tried to figure it out, the more panicked she became.
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