Chapter 57 Exhibition
◎The roadsides were lined with lit torches, emitting the distinctive scent of pine resin.◎
The cool weather couldn't dampen the excitement of the dinner, especially since today was Ilite's birthday.
Many people are not familiar with this young woman who focuses on business, or even her relatively low-key father. But if you just mention her as “the rich and tasteful Egyptian black beauty,” everyone will smile knowingly.
Illite did not live with her father. She inherited her mother's surname and lived in a rather foreign-style courtyard. The courtyard was slightly off the beaten path, covering a decent area, with lit torches on both sides of the road, emitting the unique smell of pine resin.
Guests attending the birthday party had to disembark at the first gate, with enthusiastic slaves offering smiles every few steps. Each of them wore the most fashionable and fancy clothes, but they dared not use gold and red to offend the distinguished guests.
A general's daughter got off the carriage, glanced at the slaves on the roadside, and nodded with satisfaction: she had just bought some cosmetics from the Ilit family, and didn't want to see similar colors on the slaves' eyelids.
As expected of Ilit, who is careful about making money, her slaves only use light gray to apply eyeliner, and never use "high-end" eye shadows such as blue-green or pink-orange.
She walked up the path, stepping on expensive wool carpets.
"Rila, wait for me~" Another girl ran over, holding up her skirt, and took her arm.
Ella frowned imperceptibly: This girl is a nomadic merchant who came from abroad, she is so different from them. She didn't even bring a personal slave to such a banquet, but only ordered the master's slaves around... Oh, Ilit is really not picky.
No matter how much is on my mind, I always keep a warm smile on my face, not wanting others to notice.
They walked hand in hand through the corridor and couldn't help looking at the flowers blooming in the garden: most of them were common flowers in autumn, but there were also some flowers that bloomed in summer. I wonder what method the owner used to make them sway until late autumn.
When they entered the last porch, even Ella bent her waist slightly and pinched the hem of her skirt with her fingers: those who sat down first were the most distinguished guests, and some of them had started eating and drinking in the afternoon.
Although the food on the plate was constantly replaced by the slaves, she still had the illusion that she was eating leftovers.
"Rila, which princess is that?" The small businessman pointed cautiously to the side ahead.
Following her gaze, Ella saw long golden hair disappear behind the couches, and those lying sideways in a circular pattern were all famous wealthy merchants. Her Highness Elena had recently changed her previously aloof personality and was now very keen on making money.
She lowered her voice and whispered, "Seventh Prince Elena, please don't mess with her... Did you see that blonde hair? Her mother is from the Sea Kingdom."
"Oh~"
The small businessman's voice was full of admiration, but it seemed that he had not grasped the main point at all: a princess who has a low inheritance right and strong fighting ability is often a bit reckless.
They stood aside politely, and the master's slave quickly came over and led them to a corner.
Ella was still a little angry, but when she saw the thick velvet blanket on the couch, she felt much better: her family also had such thick velvet, but the new one was taken away by her cousin, and the old one underneath had a musty smell, which was no better than the one at Ilite's house.
She and the small businessman lay down comfortably on each side. The two couches next to them were full of people, all of whom were familiar faces but whose names could not be remembered.
They nodded perfunctorily to each other and allowed their personal slaves to help themselves to the small snacks on the low table. Crispy dough wrapped around meatballs, with several spices to choose from.
The merchant had no personal slave, so she took a piece and put it in her mouth, tasting it with a smile. After a few minutes, she had used every spice.
The host lit incense, and the hazy music made people more excited to talk.
Ella was feeling rather lazy. She usually followed Ilit around looking for topics to talk about, but today she was too lazy to think. Instead, the people at the next table kept chattering, "I heard Melia made a fortune!"
"Hey, she's Muala's daughter." Another person said sourly, "Her father left behind a fortune, didn't he?"
"No, no, no, she found a gold mine!"
"It's been spread all over the place. Isn't it her father who left it behind?"
Ella closed her eyes and felt complacent: these news were spread throughout the circle, and the little nobles were just not well-informed.
"Are you still concerned about the gold mine?" Someone on the other side munched on a snack. "She's working with Ilit and making a ton of money."
"No way, cosmetics are so profitable? If we sell them to Egypt, we can definitely get a lot of gems."
"What else? And clothes. God knows where she got them. Cheap robes are selling like hotcakes in the poor neighborhood."
Ella's eyelids jumped: her family also bought a lot of robes from Melia's house.
Unlike high-end cosmetics, these robes were elegant, neat, and inexpensive, making them perfect for slaves. Even large quantities could not keep up with demand.
Previously, many merchants stocked up on clothes and sold them to the neighboring city. However, Melia also opened a store in the neighboring city and limited the quantity each person could buy, so they had to sell the clothes to the savages on the grassland.
The sour voice sounded again: "What? Doing business for commoners... Aren't you afraid of dragging down Ilitta's reputation? She's doing business for the nobility."
This was a rather dull thing to say, considering even the temple was looking for agents to run a farm specializing in bread and sausages. But some people still murmured in agreement, after all, who wants to see others show off?
Still the same [Brainless Melia]
They bantered gleefully, pretending not to realize that Melia was richer, more powerful, and possibly even... smarter than they were.
Elena in the distance raised her eyebrows. She wasn't going to argue with this group of people, she just wanted to see who was so jealous.
Before his eyes could even wander to the corner, a warm welcome suddenly came from the door.
"Miss Melia, please, please come here!" The beautiful slave rang the bell, and immediately someone came trotting over with three towels for wiping her face, hands, and feet, ready to change her clothes on the spot and put her on the bed after washing.
"Meliya!" Ilitte, who was sitting on the main seat, stood up and went over to greet her.
"Ilit~" Tap, tap, the two hugged each other warmly in the middle of the hall, like a pair of best friends who had known each other since childhood.
Well, we have known each other since childhood.
They patted each other's backs, and Ilit let go reluctantly, taking Melia's hand and walking towards the empty couch beside the main seat. The slaves took this opportunity to wipe their arms and fingers clean, and brought a foot basin to the couch.
The atmosphere in the entire hall became more lively. The obedient servants swept away the bones left by the master, and new snacks were quickly added. If it was a distinguished guest, even the food preferences would be remembered correctly.
Elena's gaze was drawn to the smiling girl. She watched her take off her vine sandals and gently immerse her feet in the rose petals.
"Meliya, why don't you wear the golden bells anymore?" Ilit brought a grape to Meliya and put it directly into her mouth.
She still remembered the pair of golden bells strung on her shoes, which jingled when she walked, and when she did something naughty, Elena would take her out and beat her until the bells kept ringing.
Well, Elena also thought of the scene of that year and drank tea with a red face.
"Because it's useless. There are so many people trying to assassinate me. Running too slowly won't work."
“Hahahahahahahaha.”
Melia's joke made many people laugh.
"Okay, but~ you bought so many slaves, why don't you take more?" Ilitte waved her hand, and the strong female slave behind her immediately brought the roasted suckling pig over.
An apple was stuffed in the suckling pig's mouth, a sheep was put in the pig's stomach, and a chicken was put in the sheep's stomach. A large amount of spices were sprinkled from inside to outside as if they were free. Some people sneezed when they smelled them.
"Of course, we make the best use of our people." Melia blinked. "I have businesses everywhere now. Baking bread and weaving alone require too many people. Oh, and there's also the gold mine."
The slender white feet were gently lifted up, Melia reached out to get the towel, and Taffi quickly pushed away the slave next to her and wiped them clean carefully.
When they heard about the gold mine, everyone's breathing became much lighter.
Suddenly someone raised his voice: "Really? I heard that Miss Melia is baking bread at a loss, trying to squeeze out other bakeries!"
Ilit's expression froze. Stealing someone's money is like killing their parents, just like when she shook hands with Melia for the clattering gold coins. But the person who spoke this time was Deya, who was doing grocery business everywhere.
Melia knew all this, but she still laughed: "Hahaha, how is that possible? I have an exclusive secret recipe, I guarantee you will make a lot of money in the future~"
Tsk, Daiya's family is powerful, don't provoke her. Elena gripped her wine glass tightly and looked around, fearing that some assassins would jump out and kill Melia.
The atmosphere was extremely tense. Just as Ilit was whispering to her personal maid to find some cool dancers to warm up the scene, Melia's voice slowly rang out.
"Speaking of which... I wonder if Deya would like to get involved in this business?"
"Are you serious?" The voice that was full of murderous intent just now suddenly softened. Anyone with eyes could see how much money Ilit had made.
"Of course it's true. I'm telling you the truth. I built a few mills. They can be built as long as there is water." Something that should have been spread as a secret in a small circle was brought to the table in a careless manner.
Melia casually picked up the tea and said, "You have stores in many cities, right? My store is more suitable for selling clothes~"
Daiya interrupted the conversation as quickly as she could: "I understand. Are you free tomorrow? I'll come to your house and listen."
"Uh-huh, yes."
Melia understood the meaning of the music and stopped at the right time, which made many people look regretful: they also want to get rich!
"Okay~ Don't miss the wonderful singing and dancing, these dancers are all from the sea area~"
Ilit clapped her hands, and a group of dancers filed in, their cool fabrics barely enough to cover their essentials. She was somewhat considerate of Elena's dignity, so she avoided the blondes and invited only a group of distinctive redheads.
Elena watched the performance calmly. Buying sea slaves was very popular recently. It was considered a good thing to be bought by Ilit. She never liked reselling slaves.
After Melia's reminder, I thought outside the box and realized that it wasn't just sea slaves... The nobles were buying slaves more and more frequently, and the price of ordinary slaves was still falling.
How exactly does Sura want to promote the dinner plate? It seems that we can only wait and see.
Unless - use more force and pull the tablecloth apart.
"By the way, dear, what kind of birthday present did you prepare for me?"
Ilit turned to Melia with a smile, and the dinner entered the next stage: the gifts from the guests would be opened one by one and placed on the table by the host for everyone to appreciate and comment on.
Everyone was prepared and no one would bring a bad gift.
Melia was so rich, so she must have given him gold, silver, and jewelry. If she had been more creative, she could have given him coral trees and glass beads. What else could she have given him? Bread and linen, no matter how much money they made, wouldn't be enough to be a gift.
Taffy came over with a gift box about the length of her forearm and placed it on the table.
Melia smiled without saying anything, picked up a pair of delicate little scissors, and cut the bow easily. The scissors were cross-shaped, and many people glanced at them.
The gift box opened with a loud bang, and the only sound heard in the audience was the sound of people gasping.
A set of pure white tea sets placed on a black wooden shelf gives the most intuitive visual impact.
What is that material? Smoother than ivory, finer than pearls, and closer to the definition of "white" than any other material known.
An indescribable beauty bloomed fragilely. Melia picked up a small silver fork from behind the shelf and tapped it lightly on the rim of the cup.
Ding~ The crisp sound gradually spread out, and even the sound waves were pleasant to the ears.
“It’s called porcelain.”
At this moment, the girl's plain attire seemed just right, contrasting with the cup in her hand: "From the distant East, a mysterious and powerful country."
The author has something to say:
Thanks to Lei Lei of Seventeen Not Soft~
Thanks to Xiaotian@猫, Elainya, Catmint, Luomu Xiaoxiaoxia, Fuguang Qianxia, Sexy Grass Auntie, and Wu Chu for their irrigation~
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