Seeing that Lu Yinghuai looked unwell, Uncle Cao hurriedly went into the hall and poured out a cup of hot tea. "Young master, please have some hot tea."
"Uncle Xie."
Lu Yinghuai took the teacup and sat down to the side. Only when he felt the heat in his palm did he belatedly put the teacup down.
Seeing that Yun Ruoxia was still there, Uncle Cao didn't want to ask too many questions, so he kept his words to himself and dealt with the matter at hand. "Second Aunt, I wonder if we can supply enough this year? Five or six catties would be best, two catties would also be fine."
How could Yun Ruoxia dare to accept such a request? Summer was already more than halfway over. Even if Yun Ling set off from Fujian today, she would not be able to get home until late autumn at the earliest. By then, the bee colony would also need to overwinter. How could she possibly make it in time?
"The autumn harvest is almost here, and we're even busier than before. Let's try next year. We'll definitely succeed next year."
Uncle Cao knew Yun Ruoxia's personality; if she had money, she would definitely find a way to earn it unless it was truly impossible. With that in mind, he stopped thinking about it.
He managed to suppress his thoughts, but when Lu Yinghuai heard that she wouldn't be back until next year, his mind raced. He worried that Yunling wouldn't be used to or comfortable there, yet he also worried that she would be too attached to her place and reluctant to return. So, after Yun Ruoxia left, he asked:
"Uncle, have our merchant ships arrived in Fujian yet?"
"Judging by the time, we should arrive by now. If there is a lot of fog on the river and it causes some delays, the round trip should take one or two days."
Lu Yinghuai hurriedly got up and entered the hall, picked up his brush and was about to dip it in ink to write, "Uncle, please arrange a fast horse for me. I need to send a letter to Chief Escort Chen and ask them to keep a close eye on the Yun family."
Uncle Cao really wanted to give Lu Yinghuai a good whack on the head. Why did he have to tell her such an important thing only after Yun Ruoxia left? If he cared about her family, he should have let her know. Sigh, what a silly child.
But what's done is done, and there's no point in saying anything more. Besides, he still has royal jelly to worry about, so he agreed and went to prepare it.
**
Chen Jie received the letter ten days later. He was illiterate, but when he heard the steward reading the contents of the letter, he was somewhat bewildered. Wasn't it already agreed that the Fu and Lu families would take care of each other?
Why did I have to mention it again in the letter, especially that sentence about making sure we all return safely? It sounded so awkward.
However, that person was, after all, his employer, so he would do whatever he was told. Most importantly, his great-aunt was also a member of the Yun family, so even if his employer hadn't said anything, he would have done everything in his power to protect her.
Meanwhile, Yunling, who was being thought of, was excited. These past few days, besides going to the seaside, she had been watching Aunt Zhao and her mother-in-law pickle and dry seafood. There were giant eels she had never seen before, as well as squid of various sizes, and even dried shrimp as big as her palm.
Grandma Yun couldn't resist buying some from Grandma Zhao. The price was great, and she could choose for herself. Grandma Yun was very happy with her selection.
Hua Shuyue's Arab merchant can spare some time tomorrow to take Yunling and the others to the First-Hand Market. With him there, the probability of finding elephant grass seeds from Kunlun Continent is much higher.
The next morning
Yunling and Yunruochun followed Uncle Hua to the port. The sea here was a different sight altogether. Ships much larger than merchant ships were docked at the port, and dockworkers carried goods back and forth, getting on and off. There were also many people gathered around the port, with the sounds of bargaining and arguing mixed in, making it quite lively.
"This place is a mixed bag, so you'd better protect your wallets."
Yun Ruochun grabbed the purse in an instant; if anyone dared to snatch it, she could break their hand off.
Yunling, on the other hand, doesn't have this problem. If you want to snatch her money bag and leave without a care in the world, you'd have to be faster than her.
"Uncle Hua, where is that Arab merchant?"
Because there were quite a few Arab merchants here, all wearing long robes and headscarves, which made no difference to Yunling.
"Hey, that's him, his name is Bashar."
Bashar, whose name was mentioned, looked up and his eyes met Yunling's. Yunling saw his appearance clearly: a high nose, thick eyebrows, deep-set eyes, and most strikingly, a scar on his face.
Yunling didn't want to cause trouble, so she immediately looked away from his scar and put on a smile.
"Bashar, these two young ladies are the guests who are looking for elephant grass seeds. Please take the time to lead the way."
Bashar turned around and handed the ledger in his hand to the person behind him. After saying a few words, he gestured for Yunling and Yun Ruochun to go forward together.
Yun Ling nodded and followed boldly, while Yun Ruochun stayed close to Yun Ling, protecting her behind her.
On both sides of the road ahead were simple stalls selling all sorts of trinkets, mostly small items that had been brought down from the ship but were not enough to make up the numbers. The prices were quite reasonable, but Yunling knew that now was not the time to browse, so she obediently turned her gaze away.
The group went down two steps to the left and entered the underground market. The shops here looked much bigger than the stalls outside, and most of the shopkeepers were foreigners.
"Ling'er, don't be afraid. If anything happens, you rush out first, and I'll cover your retreat."
Yun Ling showed no fear whatsoever, while Yun Ruochun, whether nervous from never having seen so many foreigners before or afraid that Bashar would take them somewhere else, couldn't help but tremble slightly with her hands.
Yunling took Yun Ruochun's hand and said, "Aunt, in business, we seek wealth, not pride."
Bashar, who was walking ahead, chuckled and said, "What you say makes sense, young lady."
Yunling was surprised that he could speak so eloquently and beautifully, but since she had no intention of befriending him, she didn't try to get close to him.
The three arrived at a shop. Bashar first spoke with the shopkeeper, and then led Yunling and Yunruochun to the shop's small warehouse. He pointed to the sacks piled up in the corner and said, "The seeds from Kunlun Continent are all stored here. Take a look."
Yunling excitedly opened the bag, only to find all sorts of seeds mixed together. She was utterly dismayed. Was this some kind of eternal search?
Bashar stepped forward, raising his eyebrows. “These seeds can’t be sold in your country. The poor only care about growing rice, wheat, and millet, and the rich have even less to do with. Those in between are content with what they have, have enough to eat and drink, save a little money, and are quite comfortable. They don’t have time for this kind of thing.”
"Then why would they be transported here to be sold?" Yun Ruochun asked, puzzled.
Bashar laughed and said, "The people there think that as long as they pack things up and put them on the boat, they can sell them for other things, so they stuff sacks with everything they can find, good and bad."
As Yunling listened to the story, she used her supernatural ability to move the seeds in the sacks. She didn't feel anything unusual about her ability after moving through several sacks. Just when she was about to doubt that there were any elephant grass seeds, Yun Ruochun's words rekindled her hope.
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