Matthew Yuan said with difficulty, "If we're talking about the most profitable industry, it has to be long-distance trade. Silk and tea from the south can fetch several times their original price when transported to Jizhou. Similarly, the same applies to horses and furs from the north when transported to the south."
"Can you handle this long-distance transport, Master Ma?" He Youyou put down her teacup and asked.
Upon hearing this, Ma Xiuyuan sighed and said, "To be honest, long-distance trading is a difficult and dangerous journey, not something small merchants like us can do. To run a long-distance trading company, firstly, you need to be very wealthy; secondly, you must have your own caravan; and thirdly, there are many checkpoints along the way, so you need to bribe the officials in various prefectures and counties, and also cultivate good relationships with the local tyrants and bandits. Only a big merchant like the Cheng family can manage to have connections with both officials and bandits."
"So, what resources does Master Ma have that he can trade?"
“I have several horse farms in Jizhou, where I raise fine horses. If these horses could be transported to the interior to sell, the price would be several times higher. Unfortunately, now I can only sell them to horse dealers, and the profit margin is much smaller.”
"horse?"
He Youyou's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this.
Selling other things is difficult, but selling horses is easy!
She recalled the story of Tao Zhugong selling horses in history and immediately had an idea.
He Youyou chuckled, leaned closer to Ma Xiuyuan, and whispered, "Master Ma, I have an idea about selling horses. I'll be responsible for selling the horses, but I want to invest in your horse farm."
"You have a way?" Matthew Yuan asked in surprise.
"Yes," He Youyou answered with certainty.
Matthew Yuan slapped the armrest of his chair: "Alright! If you can get this done, I'll give you an extra 10% of the shares."
"Dry shares" refer to shares given away for free.
Matthew Yuan's words showed his sincerity.
“Master Ma is a straightforward man,” He Youyou said without any politeness.
She put in the effort, so this 10% share is rightfully hers.
She took it with a clear conscience.
"However, I need Mr. Ma to do me a favor."
"What kind of help?"
"This morning when I entered the city, I saw the caravan of Cheng Tingrui, the second young master of the Cheng family. He's in the city today, and probably will be for the next few days. Could you please help me find out where he is staying?"
"Alright, that's not difficult." Master Ma has many eyes and ears in Jizhou City, so this little matter is nothing to him.
After a hearty meal and drinks, He Youyou pulled the still-enjoying housekeeper Qian away.
But it wasn't going home.
The group settled down at the inn before finishing their business in Jizhou.
That night, another carrier pigeon fluttered out of the inn.
The carrier pigeon had a small note tied to it—the mistress had sold off all the family's land.
He Youyou came to Jizhou City for two purposes.
First, the land deeds were transferred to Master Ma.
Secondly, they came to Jizhou City to see if there were any children they could adopt.
So, the next day, He Youyou took Steward Qian out of the inn and went to look for the child.
When Butler Qian heard where He Youyou wanted to go, he was greatly puzzled.
"Madam, if you're adopting a child, shouldn't you go to the sales office? What are you doing at the academy?"
The Orphanage was an official orphanage run by the imperial court, which took in abandoned infants and orphans who had no one to care for them.
"I'm asking you, how old are the children in the Salesian Bureau?"
"Not even seven years old."
“If a baby is not seven years old, it will take more than ten years to raise them to adulthood. The cost-effectiveness is too low. I don’t have the patience to raise a baby.”
"So... what does the mistress mean?"
"I want to become successful immediately, right now."
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