The Lucky Farmgirl

Chapter 2350: Chapter 2325: I Want to Buy a Person

"Before I left, I spent money to buy another shop not far from our family’s restaurant, specifically for selling medicinal ointments. The back is used for making the ointments, so now Fifth Aunt and the others aren’t making them at home but are going to the shop to do it."

Manbao was taken aback and asked, "Why, isn’t it good to make them at home?"

Zhou Lijun looked helpless and said, "Little Aunt, you don’t know, Sixth Uncle’s son can now crawl and walk, and he stuffs anything he sees into his mouth. Before, Sixth Aunt-in-law didn’t pay attention, and he directly grabbed a handful of ground medicinal powder and stuffed it into his mouth. The medicinal decoction clearly smells so bitter, yet he can drool over it. Grandpa is worried sick, saying he’s even worse than Sixth Uncle, with a mind only for eating. What will we do in the future?"

While checking the things they brought back, Zhou Lijun and Manbao chatted about family affairs, "This year’s harvest from the fields and estate was bountiful, except for the rice seeds you had us plant, which had issues; there were no other problems."

Manbao asked, "Are those rice seeds still not growing well?"

Zhou Lijun thought for a moment and said, "Big Brother said it’s not all bad. When first planted, they grow sturdier than ordinary seedlings, and the transplanting process was good too. But later on, problems arose: some couldn’t produce ears, some just died as they grew, and some grew exceptionally well, with ears long and having two, even three or four times more grains than the neighboring ones."

Manbao’s eyes lit up and asked, "Have the seeds been sorted and put aside?"

"Yes, Big Brother sorted them as per your instructions, just waiting to see how they turn out next year."

Manbao nodded, "That’s right, those rice seeds came from afar, and they’ll be unaccustomed initially to their new environment. So, it requires gradual experimentation, and once they adapt, they’ll be fine."

This batch isn’t adjusting well, but we’ll just get another batch from Doctor D. Just a few days ago, Teacher Mo mentioned that the alliance has completed the simulated environmental lab for Doctor D. It might have some differences, but it’s as close to the ecological environment of our world as possible.

She believed that given enough time, they would be able to grow high-yield crops.

After checking the luggage, the next day, Manbao took Zhou Lijun and Xiang Mingxue to meet Dayu and the others. She said to Zhou Lijun, "You take them to meet your friends. We’ll take a tour around the mountain temples and monasteries."

Dayu and the others were seeing such bustling streets for the first time and were dazzled all day yesterday. Hearing that Zhou Man wasn’t going with them, they couldn’t help but ask, "Are there more people on the mountain?"

Manbao proudly said, "It’s just so-so; naturally, there are more people on the streets. But since it’s almost New Year, many people go up the mountain to worship at temples and pray to the gods, and there are also many offering longevity plaques."

Dayu curiously looked at her, "Why are you so proud that people are praying to the gods?"

Manbao straightened her back more and said modestly, "I’m not really proud; it’s just that I heard many people have offered longevity plaques for me in front of the Buddha and gods, so I’m going to see."

Dayu: ...

The brothers then turned to look at Dayu, and Dayu turned to talk to Xiang Mingxue, "So, brothers, today we’ll trouble you a lot."

Xiang Mingxue smiled slightly, "You’re welcome."

Zhou Lijun, smiling broadly, led them to meet their friends. The gems brought by Dayu and the others were too much for them to manage alone, but they knew many merchants from both Taiyuan and Jiangnan through their trading routes, so they could introduce them around.

As for the spices, they didn’t plan to buy much since Zhou Man had brought back plenty. If she couldn’t sell them in the capital, they could help by taking them off her hands.

Things from the Western Regions were still selling well in Xiazhou. Although it’s nearly New Year, and there are fewer merchants around, the goods Dayu had weren’t enough for everyone’s needs.

Zhou Lijun took them for a round, and soon all the goods were sold, at nearly twice the price compared to Shazhou City.

Even so, the merchants who bought them felt they had made a profit.

Since they were introduced by Xiang Mingxue and Zhou Lijun, no one doubted the authenticity of the gems and spices, so even merchants who had never dealt with such things before couldn’t resist buying a little.

Dayu stuffed the money he received into his chest but found it too full, so he took it out and put it in his shoulder-pouch. He cheerfully invited Xiang Mingxue and Zhou Lijun, "Brothers of Lord Zhou and Lord Bai really know how to show kindness. I’ll treat you to a drink when we get back to the inn."

Xiang Mingxue smiled, "Thank you, Brother Dayu. Lord Zhou is our Little Aunt, and since you’re friends with her, it’s only right for us to help out. Little Aunt and the others said if it weren’t for your protection along the way, they couldn’t have safely reached and returned from the Western Regions."

Dayu was taken aback but then laughed, "You’re welcome, it’s what we should do."

Zhou Lijun seized the opportunity to ask, "Will you continue to send goods to Xiazhou in the future?"

She smiled and said, "As you’ve seen, Xiazhou is bustling, but now nearing New Year, it’s not the busiest time. The busiest time in Xiazhou is from May to October; during that time, no matter how much goods you have, it’s not hard to sell them."

Dayu was intrigued and couldn’t help but look at his brothers. To be honest, this trip earned him more than the past five years combined. Other than it being a bit dangerous, there weren’t any other issues.

Dayu was eager to make a few more trips.

Others had their considerations, "I have a wife and kids, I’ll only make this one trip."

"Yeah, Dayu, you don’t have a wife or parents, so you can afford to travel. For us, if we’re gone for a year or two, the only time we’d be missed is during our brothers’ drinking nights, and the eldest brother might worry a bit. But for you, it’s easier to travel far."

Dayu felt a pang, "I’m planning to get married this time when I go back."

"Who are you marrying?"

Dayu turned to ask Xiang Mingxue and Zhou Lijun, "I heard you can buy a wife here, where can you do that?"

Xiang Mingxue frowned, and Zhou Lijun asked him, "Who told you that?"

"Everyone says you have a place where you can buy people, and that place has many beautiful girls you can buy to be your wife."

Zhou Lijun: "...You need to find a human trafficker for that; what kind of wife are you looking for?"

"Pretty, obedient, can cook, make clothes, work in the fields," Dayu thought for a moment and said, "Oh, and she should be literate, intelligent, and knowing medicine would be best."

Xiang Mingxue: ...

Zhou Lijun grinned, then said, "Stop dreaming, you can’t buy that."

Dayu glared, "Why not? I have money!"

"You have money, but the traffickers don’t have such people," Zhou Lijun shrugged, "Even if they did, you wouldn’t get one. Someone like that wouldn’t end up selling themselves, and even if they had to, many people would compete for her. You have neither power nor substantial wealth. How could you outbid others?"