Chapter 206: Delicate Lady
Jiang Yuzhu looked at Xie Zhao and narrowed her eyes. A man who didn't care about love, had spent a night alone with a girl from a fishing village before getting married?
Is there something else she doesn't know?
Spending the night on the island is quite ambiguous.
"Yuzhu, it's not what you think."
Xie Zhao looked at Lu the boatman's big mouth, rubbed his forehead, and was thinking about how to explain.
The atmosphere was so quiet that it was silent. Lu the boatman suddenly reacted and slapped himself, saying, "Sister-in-law, I said whatever I thought. I'm a rough man. Jiao Niang is not a woman, but a strong man. She will never shake your position!"
After Lu the boatman's explanation, Jiang Yuzhu, who had originally been indifferent, suddenly felt a sense of crisis.
If Xie Zhao was a homosexual, Jiang Yuzhu could accept it, but what she feared most was that he was homosexual to both men and women!
Sensing something unusual, Lu the boatman hastily added, "Jiao Niang is the same age as Brother Xie, and she had already married and had children back then."
The reason why he was called a girl's name was because the men in Jiao Niang's family did not live long. His mother became a widow in her twenties, and her mother had a similar fate for several generations before her.
"After his mother gave birth to a son, she was afraid that he would not live long and would die young, so she raised him as a girl and named him Jiao Niang."
I don’t know if the name worked, but Jiao Niang is in good health and strong.
When Xie Zhao and I went out to sea, we encountered a big storm. The two of them estimated that it would be dangerous to return at night, so they stayed close to a small island for the night.
"Two years ago, a wealthy family placed an order for a batch of dried shrimps. Jiao Niang transported the goods to the capital and also went there to inquire about it..."
Lu the boatman said apologetically, "Jiao Niang asked around and heard that there was a top scholar named Xie in the same year as Brother Xie, and he is now a second-rank official, hehe."
No matter whether they are the top scholar or the second-rank official, they are all precious figures picked from thousands of people.
Shipbuilder Lu didn't connect that man with Brother Xie in front of him at all.
"Besides, the number one scholar's surname is Xie Mingzhao, and brother Xie's name is Yuanhe. They are not the same person."
The scholars were very aloof and looked down on the villagers whose ancestors made a living by fishing. It was rare to find someone as easy-going as Yuanhe.
"Brother Lu, does anyone in the village have sea worms? I want to buy some."
Jiang Yuzhu saw that Xie Zhao didn't want to reveal his identity, so she wisely changed the subject.
The group will leave the fishing village tomorrow. It would be best if we could gather a batch of supplies and transport them directly to the North.
Lu the boatman thought he had misheard, and after a long pause he asked, "Sister-in-law, do you want sea worms?"
It was not worth much, but every villager had a stock of dried goods at home.
"Whatever you want to buy, I'll give it to you, for free!"
A cart of sea worms cannot exchange for two big fish.
Boatman Lu patted his chest and guaranteed that he would take care of it, so he still had some face.
"No, you have to pay. This is not a one-time deal!"
Sea cucumbers can be dried in the sun and then soaked again. After drying, they are very light and do not take up space, making them easy to transport.
Jiang Yuzhu wanted to start a long-term business, specializing in providing nourishment to the soldiers in the camp north of the city.
"How about this? We'll sell the dried sea worms for five cents per pound, and the transportation costs will be charged separately. How about that?"
Such a good thing is about to flood the sea just because people don’t know its value.
Jiang Yuzhu could have offered a lower price, but she couldn't bear to do so.
Five cents was exactly the price of the dried fish, so in the end she got a great deal.
Lu the boatman hesitated for a moment, then said, "Sister-in-law, although there are not as many sea worms as fish and shrimp, there are still a lot of them. It is not worth it for you to pay five cents per pound. In fact, there are many villagers willing to sell them at two cents per pound."
"The price is set. We will leave the day after tomorrow. I hope the villagers can come up with a batch first."
In addition to sea worms, dried fish, dried shrimp, dried clams, and various types of sea vegetables, Jiang Yuzhu bought them all.
To transport the goods to the north, someone from the fishing village is needed to accompany the goods, and once the goods enter the border town, the money and goods will be settled.
"Jiao Niang, come with him. He often delivers goods to the surrounding areas. He has some experience and can reduce the loss."
In just a few words, Boatman Lu had already negotiated a deal with Jiang Yuzhu on behalf of the fishing village.
Unlike in the past, Jiang Yuzhu did not have to bargain, as Lu the boatman automatically lowered the price.
In the afternoon, the people in the fishing village heard the news and came to deliver their produce. Jiang Yuzhu asked Hongjin to register and also met Jiaoniang.
Jiao Niang didn't match his name at all. Her face was a little weathered by the sea breeze, her complexion was dark red, her eyebrows were thick and her eyes were big. When she saw Xie Zhao, she patted Xie Zhao's shoulder hard and said, "Yuan He, we haven't seen each other for many years!"
Fortunately, Xie Zhao practiced martial arts, otherwise he would have been knocked off his feet.
The midday sun was blinding. Jiao Niang wiped the sweat off her forehead casually and said in a vivid voice, "I'm telling you, the Imperial Envoy passed by Lingcheng!"
Jiao Niang went to the city to deliver sea intestines and stayed for a day.
I heard that the prefect made sea intestines into a famous dish to entertain Lord Xie, but Lord Xie and his wife went into hiding.
"I heard that Lord Xie replaced grain with stones in the capital, and found caravans to transport the grain to the north. Lord Xie led people to transport the stones and made a lot of money!"
The silver earned was used to purchase military supplies in Lingcheng and transported to the border cities in the north.
As Jiao Niang was talking, she felt something was wrong and asked, "Yuan He, are you coming from the capital to the north this time as well?"
This route actually coincided with the imperial envoy.
Jiao Niang didn't recognize Xie Zhao. She looked at Jiang Yuzhu carefully and was immediately shocked: "Could it be..."
More than a year ago, Jiao Niang went to Beijing to deliver goods and met Jiang Yuzhu.
At that time, he heard people pointing and saying that the eldest daughter of the Jiang family was Xie Zhao's wife and that the relationship between the two was cold.
Jiao Niang joined in the fun, no wonder the beautiful woman in front of me looked familiar.
Lu the boatman said in disbelief: "Jiao Niang, you must have seen it wrong. How could the imperial envoy come to our fishing village?"
The imperial envoy Xie Zhao was of the second rank and was in Ruyang to make decisions for the people. The news had already spread to Lingcheng.
Besides, Madam Xie is the legitimate daughter of the Minister of Personnel and is also a very legendary figure.
"impossible!"
Lu the boatman was naive and thought it was a misunderstanding.
When he saw Xie Zhao's expression, he paused and asked doubtfully: "Brother Xie, could it be..."
"Jiao Niang is right, but we are old friends, and we shouldn't be judged by the officialdom."
Xie Zhao had a calm expression and did not have any official airs.
It took Lu the boatman a while to react, and then he shouted, "Hurry up and put up the set of carving knives that Brother Xie gave me!"
Being on good terms with a second-rank official, the Lu family’s ancestral graves are filled with joy.
After returning to Beijing, Xie Zhao asked people to send gifts to the brothers he had met once in the fishing village several times. He gave Jiao Niang a dagger for self-defense and also gave Lu the carving knife he had always dreamed of.
"Yuanhe, this is all my fault. If I had gone to the Jingzhao Yin Yamen at the beginning, maybe we could have met again."
Jiao Niang quickly let it go, although she didn't show it on her face, and the force with which she patted Xie Zhao's shoulder was much less.
Everyone gathered together and had a great time. Xie Zhao's eyes always had a faint smile on their face, which was in stark contrast to his usual cold and aloof appearance.
It turns out that he would treat ordinary people as brothers and would give them gifts carefully.
Under the wide sleeves, Jiang Yuzhu's slender fingers hooked around Xie Zhao's big hand with thin calluses. Compared with the lonely Xie Zhao who was in a high position, the person in front of her looked much more flesh and blood.
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