Chapter 307 “Business Opportunity”
After learning the status of Feng Shen, the shopkeeper of the Phoenix Cry couldn’t stop wiping his forehead due to all the sweat pouring out from his skin.
Talk about being blind. When his own lord and master came to make a personal visit, he, the servant would actually not recognize him! Thank goodness he didn’t do anything too out of place, otherwise, who knows what sort of fate awaited him.
“In the future whenever the misses of the Lan House makes a visit, you are to treat them like they were me, understand? These fabrics, send them all to their home. Consider it my apology.” Feng Shen’s little comment instantly causes Lan Caier to pop her eyes.
“Oh no need, no need, I have no use for that much fabric. I’ll just pick a few here and call it a day. Ling Yue, you keep His Highness company while I go pick. Come on Dao Nu, you follow me.” Without giving the reluctant guy a chance to refuse, she quickly dragged the big man away to give the pair some alone time.
Just like that, Ling Yue and Feng Shen left the room for the courtyard where the trees and flowers are at their brightest.
Standing there, watching the scenic surroundings, this should’ve been nothing more than an innocent moment. But as a small gust of wind blew over, one of the plum blossoms coincidentally lands on Ling Yue’s hair, giving way for the boy to pick it off for her.
As their eyes met from the close intimate contact, time, froze over for the pair.
“Oh yes, I still haven’t thank you for earlier.” Feeling a strange thumping beat gripping her chest after who knows how long, Ling Yue hurriedly retreated to give herself some space.
This action from the girl causes the boy to go misty in the eye: “It seems I’ve been a busybody. If I didn’t make a move, I’m assuming you would’ve done it instead right?” His gaze focuses in on Ling Yue’s face.
“How did you know?” First was shock, then came the giggling laugh at her own question.
Feng Shen really does understand me.
No matter what time it was, Ling Yue had never been the type take a beating without returning a finger.
Take this encounter for example. She had hid some poisonous powder in her sleeve earlier. If Feng Shen didn’t appear at the time in which he did, she would’ve sprinkled the stuff onto the fabric, which would thus leave her enemies in a rampant itchiness.
There’s no denying that her current strength may not be Hong Ming Yue’s equal, but when it came to other means of getting back at her enemies, Ling Yue can definitely claim number one.
Now, because of this laugh, the mood in the air had become easier to interact between them.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Ling Yue went ahead and asked a question that’s been bothering her. According to the answer she’s been given, this Phoenix Cry was a business under the Phoenix House and that even the Cloud Silks were shipped here as a result of Feng Shen’s order.
“That’s right, there’s something I don’t understand. Why is it that the Cloud Silks being sold here is so much more inferior to the ones that you gave me from back then?” She asked, confused over the difference in quality. Regarding this point, Ling Yue had noticed as soon as she stepped through the doorway.
Now it was Feng Shen’s turn to be stunned. He didn’t expect the girl to see the difference so easily because it usually requires a master to tell the difference even back in North Qing. Seeing there’s no one around, he went ahead and confessed.
So the reasoning why the Cloud Silks of North Qing were so rare and expensive was the result of a worm called the Cloud Silkworm. Due to the difficulty involved in breeding this bug, a five year old worm can only spit out enough silk for two harvest in one year. Furthermore, the process involved in compiling the threads can at best only yield a handkerchief sized product from one term.
“This batch of Cloud Silks are considered defects. Since it just so happens that the Phoenix Cry lacked a shipment for this season, I had them transported over to meet the demand.”
“Ho, Feng Shen, you really are an evil merchant. Me and my sister nearly got fooled because of you. Now I know why people always say merchants are profiteers at heart, so it’s true.” Just thinking about how she and her sister nearly broke out into a fight due to some defective product, Ling Yue would want to go pinch the boy’s cheek to show her displeasure.
Humph, I nearly got tricked because of that good looking face.
Scratching his nose, a rare color of guiltiness surfaced from the boy’s cheek. “Now you mustn’t let your sister know. Though they are defective in name, but I can guarantee they are superior to most products on the market regardless.”
“Feng Shen, you said just now that the Cloud Silkworms are very hard to breed. As it so happens, I know a very powerful master breeder. If you have some larvae at hand, mind giving me a batch?” After getting all the details regarding the value of these worms, Ling Yue’s sneaky little merchant heart was ringing nonstop with excitement.
Imagine, if mere defects alone can cause such a stir, what would happen if the real stuff were to appear in Da Xia’s capital? The pricing would be astronomical!
After her Red Mist Sky leveled up again to the third stage, Ling Yue’s been aching to do something new with the extra space. And since her pocket dimension can accelerate time for the animals and plants inside, breeding some simple worms would be a cakewalk.
“That’s easy to do, the Phoenix Cry here should have some larvae in storage. Ling Yue, if your friend can successfully breed the Cloud Silkworms, I would be happy to acquire everything at a high price.” Over the years, Feng Shen too had been finding it difficult to mass produce the fabric, giving him no ends to the headache.
“There’s no need for the high price, but I would like to ask for an exclusive sales right in Da Xia.” Ling Yue confidently states this.
“How unexpected, to think you are also interested in doing business.” Seeing how interested the girl was, Feng Shen didn’t have the heart to dampen that enthusiasm.
Just like that, a deal was made.
Following this storm inside the Phoenix Cry, Ling Yue found a business opportunity while also attracting the ire of the two misses from the Hong House. There’s good and there’s bad from this encounter, but whatever must come will eventually come, it’s just a question of when.
“Argg, I’m dying from anger!” As soon as Hong Yu Ying returned to their home, she began fussing around due to the pent up steam.
“Yu Ying, what happened to you? Didn’t you and your little sister go to the Phoenix Cry for shopping?” Finding how both her daughters were showing an unhappy face, Zhu Ge Rou promptly went over to check what the matter was.
“I’m so angry! Mother, when will Father finish off that Lan Ling Yue? Today that bitch was flirting with the Phoenix Lord!” Just recalling image of her crush going around with another girl, Hong Yu Ying’s jealous heart would become riled.
“Why is it that girl again? Does she not know how to keep herself out of sight when her reputation is ruined?” This came as quite the surprise for the woman. She had expected the girl to at least stay inside for the next while before coming out after losing the chance to be crowned.
It’s no secret to this mother that her eldest daughter wanted to marry into the Phoenix Manor, which she did bring up with Hong Fang on several occasions. However, the response had always been a clear no and quit being delusional from her husband.