Wang Xiuxiu's seemingly aimless wandering was not entirely without purpose.
When people first arrive at the Lengshan tribe, they will naturally be wary of outsiders.
As the leader of the caravan, it was clear from the attitude of the clan chief during their meeting that they were most wary of Wang Xiuxiu.
However, this was to be expected.
Therefore, Wang Xiuxiu decided to take the initiative and attract their attention. By the time she returned, Wu Lin had already successfully gathered a lot of useful information.
It turns out that the chief of the Lengshan tribe is named Gubupu, and he has been leading the Lengshan tribe for nearly ten years.
Since the beginning of this year, Wang Xiuxiu and her group have been the only large-scale merchant caravan to come to the northern border.
The Lengshan people had all thought that no caravans would come this year, but to their surprise, Wang Xiuxiu not only came, but also brought a wealth of supplies far exceeding the number of caravans in previous years.
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The fresh fish that the child prepared today was caught by the Lengshan people after Wang Xiuxiu and the others arrived.
In winter, the ice is exceptionally thick. To catch this bucket of fresh fish, it takes more than a dozen Lengshan people to work together and spend most of the day. It is the highest form of hospitality they show to their guests.
Just as everyone was sitting together enjoying the delicious food, suddenly, a series of light footsteps approached from afar.
Immediately afterwards, a little girl with braided pigtails skipped and hopped in.
The little girl seemed to have endless energy; as soon as she entered the door, she ran straight towards Gubup.
In the blink of an eye, she was sitting steadily on Gubup's lap.
Between words, the little girl stretched out her finger and pointed at Wang Xiuxiu.
Seeing this, Wang Xiuxiu couldn't help but feel a little confused, and turned to look at Wu Lin beside her.
Ulin immediately understood and explained, "This little girl is Gubupu's beloved granddaughter! She just told her grandfather that you taught her how to handle fresh fish, and her mother said that the fish she cooked today tasted especially delicious, much better than ever before!"
After hearing Wu Lin's explanation, Wang Xiuxiu turned her gaze back to the little girl.
At this moment, her big eyes still sparkled with a lively light, and her smile was as bright and charming as the warm spring sun.
Wang Xiuxiu simply couldn't reconcile the lively and adorable little girl in front of her with the calm child who had just been killing fish.
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After the meal, the two groups sat around the table, the atmosphere no longer relaxed as they solemnly discussed their respective exchange terms.
Before arriving in Lizhou, Wang Xiuxiu had already done her homework on the situation there.
She secretly investigated the caravans involved in smuggling and obtained extremely important information from them—about the exchange rate of goods in previous years.
That's why Wang Xiuxiu was able to handle Gubupu's various tests with ease and successfully convinced him of her identity.
After some twists and turns, the two sides finally entered the real negotiation stage.
Tensions were running high between the two sides, and Wang Xiuxiu adopted a tough stance, ruthlessly lowering the originally agreed exchange rate.
This action indeed provoked a strong reaction from the other party.
Time passed slowly, but Wang Xiuxiu remained steadfast in her stance, refusing to yield an inch.
Ultimately, the Lengshan tribe had no choice but to compromise and back down.
"Chieftain, judging from this new exchange rate, we've really suffered a huge loss this time!" Seeing this result, the person next to Gubupu looked worried.
Someone nearby chimed in, "That's right! In previous years, although the Ming family army was strictly managed, there were always some merchant caravans that could find loopholes and we had a chance to compare prices. I don't know what's going on this year?"
Gubupu slowly stood up, clasped his hands together, and said worriedly, "Our lives are probably not going to be easy from now on..."
After hearing this, everyone fell silent, their faces filled with worry and confusion.
I thought the caravan's treatment would be greatly reduced after the negotiations.
Despite their dissatisfaction, the Lengshan tribe still showed great magnanimity and warmly welcomed Wang Xiuxiu and her group.
This friendly and tolerant gesture is truly admirable.
Despite the warm hospitality of the Lengshan people, Wang Xiuxiu felt a pang of pain in her heart.
However, in order to achieve a longer-term goal, they had to temporarily ignore the feelings of the Lengshan people and bury this guilt deep in their hearts.
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