Mo Qianshang smiled slightly and nodded: "Just passing by your shop, taking a look around."
There was no one in the shop, and the shop assistant just followed along without saying a word.
Mo Qianshang glanced around and saw that the shelves around the shop were indeed mainly filled with jade ornaments, the largest of which was a jade Bodhisattva.
It's quite different from the small items you might find in a regular jewelry store.
Mo Qianshang looked up at the stairs and asked, "Is this second floor also a shop?"
The waiter nodded: "Yes, but there are no jewelry or ornaments on the second floor, so guests don't need to go up."
Mo Qianshang's brows furrowed: It's a shop, but there are no jewelry or ornaments. What else could it be selling? I'm afraid it's really selling raw stones, right?
She smiled slightly: "I'm interested in going up and taking a look, is that not allowed?"
The waiter hesitated for a moment: "Please wait a moment, the manager is here, he will take you upstairs."
The waiter quickly brought over the manager of Ruyuelou. The manager's surname was Wen. After introducing himself, he led Mo Qianshang upstairs.
Shopkeeper Wen pushed open the door to the second floor. Mo Qianshang thought there would be raw stones inside, but she was dazzled by the colors that filled her eyes the moment she opened the door.
The second floor doesn't hold raw stones, but rather whole pieces of raw material separated from them.
She slightly widened her eyes, her gaze involuntarily softening with admiration.
She was a woman, and she was no exception to the common desires. She had her own preferences for beautiful clothes, shoes, bags, and accessories. Mo Qianshang didn't like platinum, but she really liked gold and jade. She liked the weight of gold and the warm feel of jade.
"No wonder ordinary guests don't need to come up here. Ruyuelou truly lives up to its name; it has the real deal."
Shopkeeper Wen smiled and said, "I don't think Madam is here to buy jewelry. Is there something else?"
Mo Qianshang turned her head: "Does Manager Wen have the authority to make decisions regarding the Ruyuelou matter?"
Seeing that Mo Qianshang was calm and composed, and possessed an extraordinary demeanor, Manager Wen dared not be negligent: "It depends on what Madam wants to know."
Mo Qianshang thought for a moment: "That depends on whether Manager Wen can answer my questions. For example, is all the jade in your Ruyue Pavilion obtained from the stones you cut yourself?"
Manager Wen nodded.
Mo Qianshang then asked, "So, does this quarry also belong to the owner of Ruyue Tower?"
Manager Wen paused for a moment, then nodded.
These are not questions that cannot be answered. Colleagues and some locals from the owner's hometown all know that the owner of Ruyuelou is a family of jade makers who make a living by mining and processing jade.
Mo Qianshang hesitated at this moment.
She now owns her own mines, but if the owner of Ruyuelou owns the entire industrial chain, it would be convenient for her to cooperate, but not convenient for her to lend people to him.
If she were to borrow the people from Ruyue Tower to mine, it would be tantamount to revealing all her mineral resources to them. This kind of thing, handing over her entire fortune to others, truly made her unhappy.
But then she thought that if it were individual jade miners who hired others, the news would also slowly spread. Mo Qianshang had been struggling with this issue for the past two days.
She took a deep breath: "How long will it take to get in touch with the person in charge? I have a collaboration to discuss, but I can't disclose the specifics yet."
What's rare about Manager Wen is that he doesn't have the arrogance of a servant in a powerful family. He just thought for a moment and said, "If you want to find our master, it may take some time, but if you just need to find someone who can make decisions, it will only take three days to go back and forth."
Mo Qianshang thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll have to trouble Manager Wen. I can find an inn in the city to stay in. I'll let you know once I've decided where to stay. Or do you have any good inns to recommend?"
Manager Wen recommended Donglai Inn to Mo Qianshang, which is said to be the best inn in the county.
Mo Qianshang booked a room at the Donglai Inn. It was a bit simple, but it was definitely better than sleeping in the open. It was good enough to have a place to stay.
After checking into the hotel, she saw that it was almost time and went to the restaurant where she had arranged to meet Lady Meng. She found a seat and waited for her. After a quarter of an hour, Lady Meng arrived.
"You're here. How did things go?"
Madam Meng said with a happy expression, "You can tell! What's wrong with your things? Although the master didn't say anything, the old lady of that family likes them very much. I can tell at a glance."
"These mung bean cakes are suitable for the elderly and children, and even those with weak teeth. It's only a matter of time before they sell well, and they'll definitely sell better than fruit candies!"
Mo Qianshang ordered two dishes and two bowls of rice: "That's good. I plan to get some beef jerky next time. It's easy to carry and keeps you full."
Madam Meng was shocked: "Beef jerky?! You mean jerky made from beef?!"
Seeing Mo Qianshang nod, her chopsticks stopped: "Although it's not forbidden to slaughter cattle here now, cattle are still very rare. Ordinary people are lucky to be able to eat pork. Why are you thinking of making beef jerky?"
Mo Qianshang blinked: "It has to be beef jerky, of course. Other kinds of jerky just don't taste the same!"
She thought for a moment, then reached into her bag and rummaged through it, actually using the cover to redeem items from the system. After a while, she took out a bag of beef jerky.
"Would you like to try some?"
Madam Meng immediately put down her chopsticks. This beef was a rare delicacy; she didn't know how much meat it would take to make such a small piece of jerky. She took it with both hands.
The jerky in her hand was completely different from what she had imagined. She thought jerky should be dry and hard, which is why it was called jerky.
The beef jerky was still a bit soft when pressed, so she carefully took a small bite. To her surprise, it was only slightly hard, but it was fragrant and chewy. It didn't have any strange meaty taste; instead, it tasted like the seasoning.
She quickly finished the two pieces of beef jerky: "This is so delicious! Is it really beef jerky?... This is the first time I've ever heard of beef jerky tasting like this..."
She had never eaten any dried meat before and thought that good beef jerky looked like this. Little did she know that this was something Mo Qianshang had redeemed from the system. In this day and age, the price of beef jerky would probably be much higher.
"How's it going? Is it selling well?"
Madam Meng resumed eating, and upon hearing this, she gave her a reproachful look: "You always know how to joke. Of all the things you've brought out, how could they not sell well? Those who don't buy them either don't know their value or can't afford them. It's not that your stuff is bad."
Mo Qianshang nodded: "That's good. At worst, we can just travel to more places. Even if we're poor, there are still people with money here."
Mo Qianshang is right, especially in a place where people are divided into different classes, the gap between the rich and the poor is incomprehensible, and the difference in status is even more pronounced. As long as there are people who are truly rich, ordinary people probably won't even glance at this beef jerky.
But it's different for the powerful and wealthy.
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