The Lucky Farmgirl

Chapter 2373: Chapter 2348: Cooperation (Bonus Update)

Lady Liu caught him and started lecturing, "Grandfather and grandmother have told us more than once that our family must not be idle nor bully others outside..."

Liu Huan was fed up and dragged Bai Erlang to switch places. Bai Shan and the others remained silent, focused on the race. Moments later, they smiled as Xi Bing lowered her posture, sped up, and began the second lap, leaving the others far behind.

By the last lap, she had galloped straight to the finish line, Manbao and the others cheered, even Ms.Zheng stood up excitedly from her seat, and after a distant glance, couldn’t help but come down for a closer look.

Lady Liu was also drawn to the spectacle and stopped talking. She watched the first person cross the finish line and asked, "Who is that? They’re quite handsome, are they a dancer or a merchant from the Western Regions?"

Manbao proudly responded, "That’s my person."

Lady Liu looked at her, "You brought them back from the Western Regions?"

Manbao nodded, "How about it, aren’t they good?"

Seeing Xi Bing running over after receiving the prize money, Lady Liu nodded and said, "Indeed, they’re quite good. What else can she do?"

Manbao said, "She’s also skilled with sword dancing."

Lady Liu’s eyes lit up and she couldn’t help but say, "When can she perform a sword dance for us?"

"No problem, I’ll bring it up with her when she’s in a good mood."

Lady Liu asked enviously, "Are there many such women in the Western Regions?"

Manbao was uncertain, "Perhaps, not few."

"Can you sell me two?"

Xi Bing, who had just picked up her prize money, was shocked by these words and froze.

Manbao laughed, "That won’t do, I’ve promised them not to sell them anymore; they need to marry in the future."

Lady Liu said, "I also intend to marry them off, price is not an issue."

Manbao glanced at Liu Huan, seeing he didn’t intend to intervene, and firmly shook her head, noting that the person was originally given to Liu Huan, who didn’t want her so she came to her.

Lady Liu, seeing Manbao’s reluctance to relent, felt regretful but didn’t want to force the issue.

Xi Bing breathed a sigh of relief, approached with her money bag, and respectfully knelt before Manbao, saying, "Madam, this is the money the maidservant won."

Manbao smiled, "You won it, so keep it yourself."

Xi Bing happily responded, knelt and received her money bag, and then stood behind Manbao.

Lady Liu was still regretful, watching subsequent races where two Western Region women participated in each. Even if they didn’t take first place, one would always claim second or third. Once or twice was one thing, but four consecutive times piqued discussions among spectators.

"Whose servants are these, are they merchants or dancers brought by a caravan? I see they’re all dressed the same."

"That style doesn’t look like Western Region clothing. Are they someone’s servants?"

"Whose household can bring out eight such dancers at once?"

"It’s not eight, it’s ten. Look, aren’t there more still queued up for horse selection?"

"Indeed, who is so brazen, coming to disrupt or flaunt?"

This commotion quickly attracted spectators from other stands, with everyone gathering to watch.

Zhao Liulang also ran over with a group, instantly knowing whose people caused such a stir. He directly sought out Bai Shan and the others, "What excitement, they’re placing bets over there. They’re wagering on whether the Western Region women or others will win this round. Want to place bets?"

Bai Shan and others shook their heads.

Zhao Liulang continued, "There are several betting options. One is whether they’ll claim a spot; winning pays one, not winning pays three."

Everyone still shook their heads.

Zhao Liulang suggested, "It’s simple, you just need to let them ease up a bit..."

Manbao: "Like playing fake games with your polo team?"

Zhao Liulang: "We never play fake games!"

Manbao glanced at him, "My girls won’t run fake races either; it’s about integrity!"

Zhao Liulang: "...It can make money."

Manbao: "A gentleman loves wealth, but with a clear conscience. Besides, even betting alone is inappropriate. Do I look like I need money?"

Zhao Liulang was at a loss for words momentarily.

He could only ask, "How good is their equestrian skill?"

Manbao thought for a moment and said, "Seems pretty good."

They had to learn to ride from a young age; after all, no one from the Western Regions couldn’t ride. Occasionally, they would perform for dignitaries or join hunting excursions.

In terms of horsemanship, they were even better than Manbao and her friends.

Zhao Liulang thought for a moment and took out twenty taels again, instructing a Xiaos to bet on their win.

He lamented earnestly, "I’m taking a huge risk with this move. If they win, I don’t earn much, but if they lose, I lose it all."

Bai Shan looked at him and said, "You could choose not to bet."

Bai Erlang added, "You still owe us money; you promised to repay us as soon as we returned from the Western Regions."

Zhao Liulang waved expansively, "Rest assured, once I sell the last box of spices, I’ll pay you."

Bai Shan asked, "Sounds like your spices sold for quite a bit. Are they that valuable?"

"Depends on who buys them," Zhao Liulang replied proudly, glancing at them. "I know you brought back plenty of good stuff this time. With so many new things entering the capital, it’s impossible for you to sell everything."

Manbao said, "We never intended to sell everything in the capital. In a month or two, when the weather warms, my family will return to Mianzhou, and we’ll take some to Yizhou."

Zhao Liulang: "...Yizhou can’t absorb that much, can it?"

"Even if they could, the price might not be high," Zhao Liulang worried, fearing Zhou Man might insist that they could sell in Yizhou, he immediately said, "You can’t possibly keep everything for three years before selling, right?"

Bai Shan glanced at him and asked, "Do you want to help?"

Zhao Liulang smiled, "We’re classmates, if you ask, I can help."

He wanted to keep it confidential, so he lowered his voice and rested his arm on Bai Shan’s shoulder, whispering, "If you trust me, give me some to sell for you, and all you’ll owe me is a drink."

Bai Shan shook his head, "No need, I’ll set a price for you, anything above that is yours, just give us our price later."

Zhao Liulang raised his eyebrows, patting Bai Shan’s shoulder, "Good brother, I owe you one."

Bai Shan shivered and swiped his hand away, "Don’t, it sounds creepy."