Chapter 236 Before the Trade
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After praising Tian Guilan, Xing Guangzong looked at Li Shiyue with a smile on his face.
"Of course, it's even rarer to find a young lady like Madam Li who has such insight at such a young age!"
Mutual flattery in business is a tactic Li Shiyue is very familiar with.
She stood up, picked up the teapot on the table, and first poured tea for Tian Guilan, since she was the oldest. Then she poured tea for Xing Guangzong, and finally poured tea for Wan Sanbao.
Only then did she sit down, smiling as she said to Xing Guangzong, "Master Xing, you flatter me!"
All I have is some strength, and I can say a few words in the village.
"I'm young and inexperienced; how could I possibly compare to my three employers, who have traveled all over the country and are so knowledgeable?"
Li Shiyue raised his cup to the three of them, and they all obliged, picking up their teacups and drinking.
Seeing that the three men had finished their tea, Li Shiyue called out to Li Shiliang, who was standing at the counter, "Third Brother, bring out the paper samples from our paper mill for the three of you to see."
Li Shiliang then brought over three sets of paper patterns, each set containing twelve different types, which had been prepared beforehand behind the counter.
“I know that the three owners’ business has nothing to do with this paper, but the paper made in our village is very popular with merchants, especially those who come to participate in the trade market!”
The three businessmen returned from the trade with two boxes of paper, which they could use to make money wherever they went!
"Of course, it's not that our paper is bad," Li Shiyue gestured to Xing Guangzong and the others to feel it as they pleased, and Li Shiliang then brought over pen and ink.
In front of the three men, Li Shiyue picked up a brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote the words "Li's Paper Mill" on a piece of inferior paper, just to prove to them that his paper was not unusable.
"My discount comes with conditions!"
"Madam Li, just tell me already!"
Wan Sanbao was the most impatient. He came from the far north, from the border town of Andong. It was cold there all year round, but there were many trees on the mountains. His entire village were carpenters, and they made a living entirely from this craft.
Of course, there are also quite a few hunters who go up the mountain to hunt.
This paper is really a precious thing in their area. Even the lowest grade paper in the city costs almost an ounce of silver per ream, which is two or three times more expensive than outside.
If he could get some cheap paper from Li Shiyue to resell, just as Li Shiyue said, he could make a fortune from it.
Faced with Wan Sanbao's urging, Li Shiyue briefly recounted the story of her uncle, Li Wangzheng.
Li Shiyue took a stack of portraits she had commissioned earlier from Li Shiliang and pointed to them, saying, "Although the hope is slim, my uncle is my closest relative. Even if there is only a sliver of news, I, Li Shiyue, am willing to pay a reasonable price!"
I'm willing to sell this paper to three people at a low price!
I only hope that if the three of you go to Youzhou in the future, or if any of your acquaintances are merchants going to Youzhou, you will ask around for me!
Thank you so much!
Li Shiyue stood up solemnly and bowed to the three of them.
The three owners were all men of strong character, especially Wan Sanbao, who immediately slapped his thigh and agreed to Li Shiyue's request!
Then Li Shiyue asked Li Shiliang to bring out the three kinds of charcoal they had made, wanting to promote the charcoal to the three of them.
Before the introduction of the charcoal could be finished, a man burst in through the inn's door. He was panting heavily as he ran in, and as soon as he saw Li Shiyue, he said, "Shiyue, the General is here!"
Liu Tan is here!
Li Shiyue reacted quickly and said to Xing Guangzong, "It's General Liu Tan of the Xuanjia Army who has arrived!"
They must be here to inspect the border trade, so don't be nervous!
"I am acquainted with the General. I have seen the travel permits you brought; they are properly stamped. As long as you are law-abiding citizens, you will be fine."
Li Shiyue noticed Wan Sanbao's nervousness, which is why she offered words of comfort.
Sure enough, as soon as they stepped out of the inn, they saw a huge crowd of people heading this way on the main road ahead.
When Liu Tan's horse arrived, Li Shiyue not only saw Liu Tan, Ma San, and Zhao Da, but also an unexpected person!
It's Yan Jiuniang!
"Ninth Sister!"
"October!"
Yan Jiuniang jumped off her horse and ran happily towards Li Shiyue, who was waiting for her by the roadside. When she got there, she rushed into Li Shiyue's arms.
"Ninth Sister!"
Before Yan Jiuniang could exchange more than a few words with Li Shiyue, Li Xiatian, who was rushing over from a distance, called out to them with delight.
"summer!"
Yan Jiuniang picked up Li Shiyue, then "abandoned" Li Shiyue and ran towards Li Xiatian, who was also running in this direction!
The two had already established a good friendship in Liujiatun and they thought about each other.
Seeing that Yan Jiuniang had gone to whisper to Li Xiatian, Li Shiyue then formally bowed to Liu Tan, who had already dismounted.
Xing Guangzong, Wan Sanbao, and Tian Guilan stood at the back, looking at each other. They really hadn't expected that Li Niangzi, the woman who was in charge of the Liu family village, actually knew such a distinguished person as the General of the Xuanjia Army.
Previously, when they heard Li Shiyue's words, they thought she was just bragging to them.
To everyone's surprise, Li Shiyue was telling the truth, not a single lie.
Liu Tan entered the newly opened inn with his personal guards, and he boldly sat down at the table where Li Shiyue and the three owners had just been sitting.
Li Shiyue and Liu Tangang had barely exchanged a few words when Li Shiyang rushed over from outside.
"In October, I came to scout the route to the grasslands. Mr. Chen sent Li, the registrar, to assist me."
Li Shiyang was surprised to find that Li Shiyue and Liu Tan had become so close that Liu Tan would explain to Li Shiyue in person why he had come.
Li Shiyue cupped her hands in greeting to Li Shiyang, which was considered as an acceptance of Liu Tan's words.
Liu Tan was genuinely there to do something, and over the next half hour, Li Shiyue told Liu Tan about all the inns and shops in Liujiatun.
She also described the road leading to Liujiatun on the official road, as well as the bridge built across the riverbank on the way to the grassland. She even told Liu Tan where the best place to set up a checkpoint was.
Liu Tan wasn't particularly surprised by this. After all, based on their previous interactions, he knew that Li Shiyue wasn't just a girl with a lot of strength; she also had some ideas.
Li Shiyang was somewhat surprised. Among the questions Li Shiyue raised, there were many things he had never considered. He didn't expect that Li Shiyue had quietly thought about where to ambush troops, where the water source was, and where to break out.
Or rather, it wasn't just something I thought about; I actually conducted a site survey.
Before Li Shiyang could withdraw his probing gaze from Li Shiyue, Li Shiyue introduced Liu Tan to the three merchants who had first arrived at the inn: Xing Guangzong, Wan Sanbao, and Tian Guilan.
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