Chapter 141 There's something we need to discuss?
Sixth Brother's men were quick and efficient, and in no time they had counted all the goods. He quickly calculated the amount on the abacus, added 20% to the market price, and gave the money to Xia Qianqian.
Xia Qianqian put the yellow coins into her cloth bag and tucked them into her bosom.
This action made Sixth Brother and his buddies' eyes twitch. In this day and age, who would dare to walk around with so much cash in their pocket? These two must have some powerful backing.
Little did they know that the money had entered Peach Blossom Spring the moment Xia Qianqian turned around. No one could steal it, not even if she carried the bag around in her arms.
She smiled and said to Sixth Brother, "It's a pleasure doing business with you. I'll deliver good goods to you again another day."
Just as I stepped out of the warehouse door, I suddenly heard Sixth Brother's voice behind me: "Wait a minute!"
Lu Zheng's muscles tensed instantly, and his hand stealthily reached for the dagger at his waist.
Black market transactions are most vulnerable to being double-crossed. Could it be that Brother Liu saw they were unfamiliar faces and wanted to make a move?
His eyes turned cold. If the other party dared to make a move, he wouldn't mind adding a few more corpses to the warehouse.
Sixth Brother waved his hand, forced a smile, and softened his tone: "Brother, don't be nervous, I'm not trying to stop you."
He took two steps closer to Xia Qianqian and lowered his voice, "I think you two are honest people, and your goods are so good. I have a big business opportunity here. I wonder if you two are interested?"
Xia Qianqian paused, exchanged a glance with Lu Zheng, a hint of wariness flashed in Lu Zheng's eyes, while she nodded slightly, indicating that she should check the situation first.
Seeing this, Sixth Brother gave his men a wink, and several of them immediately brought over three simple bamboo chairs.
“It’s tiring to talk standing up, let’s sit down and chat.” He sat down first, his triangular eyes darting around in the dim light before landing on Xia Qianqian. “Miss Xia looks so young, but the goods you have are all genuinely good stuff. The eggs are as fresh as if they were just pulled out of the henhouse, and the medicinal herbs are also of good quality.”
Xia Qianqian sat down gracefully: "Sixth Brother, please speak frankly."
"Great!" Sixth Brother slapped his thigh and lowered his voice, "To be honest, I have several ships in Southeast Asia, specializing in long-distance trade. The foreigners there love to eat our local products, especially live chickens, ducks, and fresh eggs, which can fetch ten times the price!"
He stared into Xia Qianqian's eyes: "I see you have a stable supply of goods. If you can supply them long-term, we can go into business together and split the profits 50/50. What do you think?"
Upon hearing this, even Lao Hei gasped. That was a business that crossed oceans, with great risks but also frighteningly high profits!
Xia Qianqian paused, realizing that Sixth Brother's words were half true and half false. A tenfold increase in profits might be true, but a "50/50 split" was impossible.
She remained expressionless, instead smiling and saying, "Sixth Brother, you flatter me. But we're used to small-scale operations; we can't handle such a large business."
"Don't be so quick to refuse!" Sixth Brother advised. "I know you're not short of money, but there are still foreign cloth, Western medicine, watches... all in high demand in Southeast Asia. These are good things that you can't buy even if you have money outside!"
Xia Qianqian's heart skipped a beat. Although she had many medicinal herbs in her space, she lacked Western medicine for treating external injuries and acute illnesses. If she could get some through her sixth brother, she would have an extra layer of protection in case of danger in the future.
She looked up at Lu Zheng, meeting his gaze. Lu Zheng shook his head slightly, his eyes conveying a clear warning: this Sixth Brother's background was unknown, and cooperating rashly was too dangerous.
Xia Qianqian understood and slowly said, "Business in Southeast Asia is too complicated; we probably can't handle it. But if Sixth Brother has any connections with Western medicine..."
She then changed the subject, saying, "We could buy it from you."
When Sixth Brother saw that she did not agree to partner with him, he was slightly disappointed. However, seeing that Xia Qianqian wanted to buy Western medicine, he knew that her supply must be guaranteed. So he said to her, "In that case, we will trade once a month. If you can provide goods that satisfy me, I can supply you with Western medicine without reservation."
Xia Qianqian also stood up: "It's a deal."
As soon as the three stepped out of the warehouse, the salty sea breeze, carrying the darkness of night, swept over them. The distant sound of ship horns from the dock carried a sense of desolation.
Xia Qianqian pulled her clothes tighter and asked Lao Hei, "Is this Sixth Brother reliable?"
Old Hei spat, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes in the dim light: "In the Fangcheng Wharf area, Sixth Brother has a pretty good reputation. As long as your goods are genuine, he never skimps on them."
He paused, then said fiercely, "If he dares to play any tricks, I'll risk my life to take a piece of his flesh!"
“We have Peach Blossom Spring, so there won’t be any problems if we only buy goods from him,” Xia Qianqian replied, her tone confident.
"That's right!" Old Hei's eyes lit up, and his voice rose a few decibels, but he quickly covered his mouth. "We have Peach Blossom Spring! If the negotiations really fall apart, we can hide in there and take a nap. When we come out, I'll make sure his Sixth Brother disappears completely from Fangcheng Wharf!"
As he said this, his face revealed the ruthlessness of a desperate criminal.
Xia Qianqian then turned to look at Lu Zheng: "I want to give it a try. Western medicine from Southeast Asia is too important for us."
She frowned slightly: "But Sixth Brother wants too much. Anyone with a keen eye can easily find out the problem. We need to find a cover."
Lu Zheng understood: "You want to get the villagers involved?"
"Yes!" Xia Qianqian nodded. "We can clear out a piece of land in the back mountain, and the villagers can use their spare time to raise chickens and farm. Then we can incorporate things from Peach Blossom Spring. This way, we can both keep it a secret and make money together, killing two birds with one stone!"
Looking at her flushed cheeks, Lu Zheng reached out to tidy her wind-blown hair, his eyes overflowing with tenderness: "If you want to do it, then do it."
He paused, then added, "But we need to make the rules clear to Zhang San and the others first; we can't let the news leak out."
Hearing this, Xia Qianqian tiptoed and quickly kissed him on the cheek: "I knew you would support me!"
Old Hei, watching from the side, grinned and deliberately coughed twice: "Ahem! Mind your manners! I'm a bachelor right here!"
Xia Qianqian blushed, glared at him, and pulled Lu Zheng toward the jeep: "Let's go! Let's hurry back to the guesthouse and catch up on some sleep. I want to try the local breakfast specialties when it's light!"
The jeep drove towards the guesthouse. Xia Qianqian leaned on Lu Zheng's shoulder, pondering her future plans.
Unfortunately, she couldn't resist the drowsiness and soon fell into a deep sleep in the passenger seat.
Lu Zheng parked the car steadily in front of the guesthouse, gestured for Lao Hei in the back seat to be quiet, carefully unbuckled her seatbelt, bent down and picked her up horizontally.
Xia Qianqian whimpered in her sleep and instinctively snuggled closer to him, like a kitten seeking warmth.
Old Hei quickly got out of the car to help hold the door open, watching Lu Zheng carry the person and quietly walk into the guesthouse.
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