Chapter 351: Women Disguised as Men
Chen Fenghe couldn't help but chuckle after hearing this and said, "Shopkeeper, you're really knowledgeable. You even know the common tree species in Beirong. However, I wasn't fooled by anyone. It's just that my father is a doctor, and these shrubs can be used as medicine, so I want to plant some. Shopkeeper, if you don't have any, can you help me get some? I can pay double the price. Or you can pay a 30% deposit first."
As he spoke, he took out a piece of silver weighing about one or two taels from his sleeve.
The shopkeeper, after hearing this, still looked unconvinced and muttered, "Can it be used as medicine? I've been doing this for years and I've never heard of it..."
However, when he saw the silver in Chen Fenghe's hand, he swallowed all the other words and looked at Chen Fenghe in disbelief: "Young guest, are you serious?"
Chen Fenghe smiled and said, "I've already shown you the money, how could it be fake? I want thirty poplar saplings, ten poplars, and one hundred each of red willow, tamarisk, sea buckthorn, and camel thorn. That's three taels of silver in total, so I think that should be enough. I'll pay a deposit of one tael today. Can you gather all the trees within ten days? If so, we'll meet here again in ten days. I'll pay the remaining two taels of silver, and we'll exchange the money and the goods. How about that?"
The shopkeeper was still a little bit unbelievable, but with the money right in front of him, it was really difficult for him to refuse it.
The total cost of those tree species is only two taels of silver. If you can make a net profit of one tael of silver, it is worth the risk even if you want to secretly trade with merchants from Beirong.
The shopkeeper accepted the silver and asked, "Young guest, do you need any seal?"
Chen Fenghe nodded and said, "Of course. Store owner, just write me a receipt."
The shopkeeper nodded, took out a pen and paper from the shop, and wrote a receipt, indicating that he had received a deposit of one tael, and that the goods would be delivered in ten days, and the balance of two taels would be paid. Both parties signed and put their fingerprints on it.
After leaving the timber store, Chen Fenghe went to a shop selling pigs, cattle, sheep, and other livestock. A large yellow ox cost about ten strings of coins, or ten taels of silver. A piglet or a lamb was only one string of coins each.
Chen Fenghe just went in to ask about the price and didn't buy anything.
She already has pigs, cows and sheep in her space, so there is no need to buy any more.
Oxen were essential for farming in ancient times. This time, Shen Yichuan was following, so it was not easy to take them out. He would come back in ten days to get the saplings, and then get an ox out from the space. It would not be too late to move back.
The same goes for the piglets. As for the sheep, apart from the one at home, Chen Fenghe doesn't plan to feed any more for the time being.
There are no large grasslands near Youzhou, so it is not suitable to raise a herd of cattle and sheep. Just feed the one at home. When it grows up and gives birth to a few lambs, it can produce goat milk, which is enough for the little ones at home to drink.
Then she went to look at the shop next door that sold carriage horses.
She had originally intended to just ask about the price and had no intention of buying it, but she happened to see a good horse and bought it for fifteen taels of silver.
Seeing how generous he was, the shopkeepers became much more attentive.
Chen Fenghe then asked, "Shopkeeper, is there any store in this area that delivers goods?"
The shopkeeper thought for a moment and said, "Young sir, are you transporting valuables or ordinary, worthless goods?"
Chen Fenghe asked, "It could be both. How do you explain this?"
"If you're transporting valuables, there's a branch of the Shunfeng Escort Agency in our small town. They specialize in taking shipments and then sending them to the branch in Youzhou City. Youzhou City then sends a special escort team to inspect the goods and escort them to their destination. The escorts are well-traveled and experienced, so they're no match for ordinary bandits. If your shipment is lost, the Shunfeng Escort Agency's headquarters is originally in the capital, and I heard they have some strong connections, so they can usually compensate you properly. It's a pretty safe bet. Of course, the escort fee is quite high, at 10% of the total price."
"If you're transporting ordinary, inexpensive, but bulky goods, you could probably find a regular carriage company. They have a few mule-drawn carts and ox-drawn carts, an experienced driver, and at most one or two assistants, and that's all they need for a single trip. It takes longer, but the price is cheaper. Of course, they're no match for escort agencies in terms of safety."
Chen Fenghe listened to his clear and logical talk and couldn't help but laugh and asked, "The shop owner seems to be very familiar with this business?"
The shopkeeper shook his head, smiled bitterly, and said:
"To be honest, my dear sir, I used to be a horse and carriage merchant. However, in recent years, Dayu has been engaged in continuous wars with the Northern Rong. Later, when the Crown Prince went on an expedition, although he defeated the Northern Rong and they no longer dared to invade on a large scale, small-scale looting still occurred from time to time. In addition, many deserters from the Northern Rong and even Dayu have become bandits. Especially since our Youzhou is a border area, the problem of banditry is even more rampant.
As a result, nine out of ten goods carried by the horse and carriage company were seized by bandits, and several drivers even lost their lives. The cost of paying compensation to customers and the funeral expenses of the drivers alone was life-threatening. Furthermore, the public, seeing the unrest, preferred to use the escort agency for even ordinary goods, causing the horse and carriage company's business to decline day by day.
I had no choice but to close the shop last year. But the carriage and horse business still had quite a few mule carts, horses, and mules, and I had to get rid of them to recoup some of the costs. Once I sold them all, I planned to return to my hometown, buy some land and a house, and spend the rest of my life there.
After hearing this, Chen Fenghe nodded and said, "So that's how it is. Thank you for your advice, owner."
As he spoke, Chen Fenghe led the little white horse he had bought out of the store.
When Shen Yichuan saw the snow-white little white horse, he was so excited: "Sister... No, it's brother! This is a horse! When we get back, can I ride it? I also want to be like the Crown Prince and ride a horse to war!"
When Chen Fenghe heard him mention the prince, she inexplicably felt a little... embarrassed.
She coughed to cover it up and said with a smile, "I bought this horse for the three of you. Start learning how to ride it when you get back. But, riding it to war or something like that, we'll talk about it later. Sister... cough cough, brother just wants you to grow up safely and live your life peacefully."
She didn't have the idea that a real man should achieve great things.
Look at the Qin family's loyalty for generations, what happened to them?
She didn't want Shen Yichuan and Shen Qingxing to get involved in the affairs of the court anymore.
Therefore, staying away from Xiao Yunshuo... and going as far away as possible is the best choice.
Thinking of this, Chen Fenghe felt inexplicably blocked in his heart.
She shook her head, put all her hesitations behind her, got on the mule cart, and was about to leave the town and return to the village.
At this time, several people came down from a restaurant in the town.
Seeing this, a man standing by the restaurant hurried over, bowed and said flatteringly, "Mr. Sun, I am honored to meet you."
The leader heard the sound, glanced at the man sideways, then raised his leg and kicked him, knocking him to the ground with his face on the ground. Then he shouted to his left and right: "You guys go up and beat him up!"
After hearing this, everyone rolled up their sleeves and started punching and kicking the man.
"Ouch! Stop hitting me! Master Sun, I... I know I was wrong! Please spare my life, Master Sun!"
Young Master Sun waved his hand, asking his attendants to stop. He looked down at the man with a bruised face and swollen nose, and sneered:
"Zhu Dazhuang, you're quite courageous! Last time, you said you had a way to make money, saying there was a sickly young master in your village who could be exploited and could be used to extort money, so I lent you three taels of silver. But I didn't expect you to just disappear like that. What's the matter? Are you refusing to pay back the money you owe me? Why don't you ask around? In this entire Qingshui Town, within a thirty-mile radius, who dares to default on the debt owed to our Sun family? I was planning to go to your village tomorrow to collect the debt, but your arrival today is just in time, saving me the trouble!"
Zhu Dazhuang smiled and said, "Mr. Sun, how dare I not pay you back? It's really...it's really that I'm a little short of money recently, and I can't pay you back..."
"Still not paying?!" Young Master Sun raised his eyebrows and sneered, "Even if you still don't pay, you have to pay! From now on, I'll give you three days. If you still don't pay, I heard you have an unmarried sister at home, who's pretty? If that doesn't work out, there's still your mother. Don't blame me for bringing people to your house, arresting everyone, and selling them to brothels to pay off the debt!"
Zhu Dazhuang continued to smirk shamelessly, saying, "Mr. Sun, my sister and my mother... are both famous beauties in the village. These three taels of silver... are a bit too little... Mr. Sun, could you give me another twenty taels? I'm in urgent need of money these days..."
Young Master Sun: “…”
Young Master Sun: "Fuck, I already thought I was not a human, but I didn't expect there are people who are even less human than me..."
The people around Master Sun came up and said, "Master, Zhu Dazhuang has been coming in and out of our gambling house these days. I think he's addicted to gambling..."
Upon hearing this, Master Sun couldn't help but chuckle and said, "That's what I thought! So I'm lending money out and then winning it back at my own casino?"
Zuoyou couldn't help but whisper, "I heard his sister and mother are pretty good looking..."
Young Master Sun kicked him and cursed him with a smile: "Get lost! Am I such a despicable person? I am capable of forcing women of good families into prostitution..."
He was halfway through his words when he saw Chen Fenghe driving a mule cart past.
Although Chen Fenghe was wearing men's clothes and had a mustache, she was still very pretty. Even in her men's attire, she was still handsome and charming, making people unable to take their eyes off her.
Young Master Sun was used to being a playboy, and he often visited brothels and other places. Not to mention women, he was also obsessed with young male prostitutes.
Now seeing Chen Fenghe in men's clothing, with delicate skin and tender flesh, more charming than all the young men and even the most attractive prostitutes he had seen in Youzhou City, he couldn't help but be tempted.
He immediately put Zhu Dazhuang out of his mind and asked his attendants, "Have you seen the young man on the mule cart that just passed by? Who is he? Why have I never seen him before?"
Upon hearing this, everyone looked over, then shook their heads blankly and said, "Sir, this is the first time we've seen this either."
Zhu Dazhuang also turned around and looked over.
He did not recognize Shen Fenghe, who was dressed as a man, but he recognized Shen Yichuan on the mule cart.
Zhu Dazhuang couldn't help but feel delighted. He quickly crawled over and said as if he was presenting a treasure, "Master Sun, I recognize the child on the mule cart! They are a family that was recently exiled and settled in our village. However... there are only two women and three children in their family. I haven't heard of any men..."
When Master Sun heard that Zhu Dazhuang was from their village and was exiled, and his background was not someone that could not be offended, he became even more impatient and could not wait any longer.
"Zhu Dazhuang, don't you want to borrow money? I'll give you a chance..."
Zhu Dazhuang was stunned when he heard this, and then his eyes lit up.
"Sun... Young Master Sun, what do you want me to do? I'm willing to do anything!"
Young Master Sun glanced at him sideways and said, "That's not difficult. Isn't the kid on the mule cart from your village? All you have to do is stop the cart and bring the kid over to me. I'll forgive the three taels of silver you owe me, and I'll lend you an additional five taels. How about that?"
When Zhu Dazhuang heard this, his eyes widened.
Is there such a good thing?
"Master Sun, are you…are you serious? Are you really going to forgive my debt and lend me an extra five taels?"
Young Master Sun sneered, "When have I ever broken my word? There's only one thing I want to do: I'm going to kill that young master tonight. If we don't get through this today, there's no chance of getting back to him tomorrow!"
When Zhu Dazhuang heard this, his eyes turned and he immediately had an idea. He said, "Master Sun, I have an idea..."
As he spoke, he leaned close to Young Master Sun's ear...
After hearing this, Master Sun couldn't help but smile with satisfaction and said, "Damn, I didn't realize you have so many crooked ideas. Let's do as you say!"
Zhu Dazhuang was overjoyed to see that his proposal was adopted and said, "Then I'll go right away."
Zhu Dazhuang said as he ran to the front of Chen Fenghe's mule cart, raised his hand to grab the shaft, then turned around and said:
"Excuse me, little brother, can you give me a ride back to the village..."
Before he could finish his words, he was stunned.
Just now, he was busy getting beaten and asking Master Sun to lend him more money, so he didn't pay attention to Shen Fenghe. He only saw her back and recognized Shen Yichuan.
Now when he first saw Chen Fenghe's face, his heart skipped a beat.
No wonder Master Sun was so generous that he was willing to forgive his debt of three taels of silver and even lend him extra money. This young master is so handsome!
It does look a bit like... Miss Shen.
Be it Zhu Dazhuang or other men in the village, who wouldn't feel itchy when seeing Miss Shen?
But for such a long time, no one dared to harass them, mainly because of the special identities of Miss Shen and Miss Qin.
They are the Queen and the Crown Princess. Even if they were demoted to commoners and exiled, no one would dare to dream of them!
Zhu Dazhuang couldn't help but stare in amazement.
Chen Fenghe also recognized Zhu Dazhuang, and her brows couldn't help but frown.
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