Chapter 27: Dock, Soft as Jade

Reminded by Ning Shaoqing, Mo Qianxue’s face was suddenly tinted with worry. She also wanted to purchase more beans, but she didn’t have the money!

Ning Shaoqing seemed to have already known what’s on her mind, laughing slightly, “One kilogram of beans costs one cent; tofu sells at five cents per kilogram. Why not notify the villagers to exchange one kilogram of tofu with three kilograms of beans?”

Mo Qianxue’s eyes were lit up. What a great idea!

Three kilograms of beans for one kilogram of tofu. The villagers could get a two-cents’ discount per kilogram, a small number, though, it could draw the villagers to their side, gain good reputation while increase the replacement rate and stock of beans.

She had promised Baiyunju that she wouldn’t sell tofu, but she didn’t say it couldn’t be used for exchange of beans. Besides, the trading would be within the village, so she didn’t worry that the seventh young lord might blame her.

“Then I will ask someone to visit the villagers one by one?”

“Fool. You only need to visit village head and send some tofu to him and elders. There you reveal the news to them. Then, naturally, there will be people coming to you voluntarily for the exchange. You don’t have to waste your energy in the repeated knocking at doors and begging.”

Ning Shaoqing shook his head with a smile. He couldn’t know why a shrewd person suddenly turned foolish.

What he had no idea of was that in modern business circle, delivery-to-door, pay-upon-delivery and a series of other services would be advantages for a brand. Mo Qianxue just didn’t get used to this business model in the ancient time.

“After sorting out the business within the village and getting back some money, then you can find another person to collect beans in other villages...” Ning Shaoqing enjoyed his meal while putting forward ideas for her. By only a few sentences, he solved the big problem that had been on her mind.

Indeed, she should find a person to concentrate on collecting beans. Later in the future, when she began to make soy sauce, the demand on beans would be higher.

*

The weather turned cold suddenly.

Since Ning Shaoqing fell ill last time, he and Mo Qianxue got less distant and alienated, closer and more intimate.

Ning Shaoqing often asked her about the tofu business, gave her some advice, and often chatted with her. Even for some time, he would help her add a few firewood to the kitchen fire.

Such life made Mo Qianxue really comfortable. But for the two-year-deadline, which pressed on her mind like a huge stone, she would believe her life was perfect.

The nicer Ning Shaoqing was to her, the more she wanted to make more money and find a doctor for him.

Ning Shaoqing also asked her about the diagnosis the last doctor gave. She coaxed him that the doctor said his body had no big problems already and would be totally well after taking the seven doses of medicine. He seemed to believe.

Of course, she wouldn’t tell Ning Shaoqing the two-year-deadline. She was afraid that he might have too heavy mental burden which would do further harm to his health.

*

The morning sun was rising, granting radiance to the world. Mo Qianxue was walking on the trails in the mountain at the back of the village. She took a deep breath. The air in ancient time was so fresh.

She heard that the dock near the mountain was going to finishing construction. A few days ago, Mo Qianxue had wanted to take a look at the dock, but she didn’t able to do so due to Ning Shaoqing’s opposition.

Because there was one time when she came home late and looked messy, Ning Shaoqing didn’t dare to let her go alone any more.

After a few times of begging and demanding, Ning Shaoqing finally gave up and reluctantly agreed that she could only go along with Fang Datang when he went to work.

She had already given the tofu brine to sister Fang. She was a trustworthy person. Besides, even if she knew tofu-making required brine, she didn’t know what brine was and how to make it.

Mo Qianxue had long wanted to get herself rid of tofu-making. She shouldn’t be a tofu-maker for her whole life. She had something more important to do.

Even if in the future the tofu business flourished, she could start a tofu workshop and let sister Fang be the manager.

*

The dock was situated between Tianxiang city and Changyou city, jointly funded and built by the two cities, so it was named Tianyou Dock.

The river was broad. It was said to be one of the main rivers of Tianqi Dynasty, connecting to nine cities across the nation, reaching farthest the Yunqi town near the capital city. The distance between Yunqi town and the capital city was similar to that between the village of Wang clan and Tianxiang city. It took one to two hours by carriage.

With such convenient transportation, one day in a future, the dock would definitely get prosperous, so now it was the right time to invest.

On the two sides constructed two rows of houses as warehouses and offices. The roads were paved with dark stones, one end leading to Tianxiang city and the other to Changyou city directly.

Mo Qianxue scouted from here to there and got a general picture of the real condition of this place.

Seven days later, the construction would be officially completed and by then the shops would also be officially open for business, either for purchase or lease.

Because it was a newly built dock, the rent at the beginning wasn’t too high, five taels of silver per month. But the cost to buy one lot was as high as five hundred taels of silver.

In fact, the mere five taels per month was already too high for ordinary folks to rent a shop, let alone the rent should be paid once for several months plus guarantee deposit.

The management office of the dock only laid the foundation. On the lot, the owners had to build their own shops. Whether to build a shed or a house depended on the financial power of the owner.

To be honest, she was interested, and she didn’t want to rent but to buy.

A dock connecting to nine major cities. In the future, if she wanted her soy sauce and other products to sell to other places in Tianqi and even the entire continent, she couldn’t do without a base at the dock.

This place now cost five hundred taels. Within one year, the price must double. After three or five years, when this place was fully developed, it cost at least several thousand taels.

However, within seven days! Where could she find the five hundred taels?

In the evening, she turned and towed and couldn’t fall asleep, attracting Ning Shaoqing’s attention.

Ning Shaoqing thought for a while and decided, “Buy it!”

“I also want to, but where to get the silver?” Mo Qianxue got excited and spoke her mind.

Ning Shaoqing pulled his face. Since when he had to worry for merely a few hundred taels?

Since this was what she wanted, then...

historical

Ning Shaoqing untied his collar, took out a piece of jade from his neck, decidedly pulling over Mo Qianxue’s hand and putting the jade on it, “Go and put this in pledge. It’s a thermal jade. Though not too valuable, it worth at least one thousand taels.”

What? One thousand taels? Not valuable?

What a young lord that has no idea of money.

It was indeed a good jade! The crystal mild green color seemed to be dripping and the touch was warm with high-quality properties.

Mo Qianxue held the jade in her hand. Though her eyes were lit and herself got excited by this jade, her joy didn’t come from the money it worth but the pure appreciation of a treasure.

In modern time, she wasn’t a billionaire, but she managed monthly bank statement of astonishingly large amount. She was familiar with pretty and costly staff, so a good jade couldn’t make her drunk in greed.

Ning Shaoqing, seeing that all in her eyes were appreciation instead of greed, became more certain that she wasn’t an ordinary person either.