Red Mansion: Picking up a Lin Daiyu

Chapter 178 Controlling the Xue Family
Looking at the empty cabin, the shopkeeper breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a sense of accomplishment in his heart.

Looking at a small box of silver beside him, the shopkeeper couldn't help but sigh: "I have been doing business for forty years, and I have never done such a simple business. I can make more than a thousand taels in one transaction. I don't know how the young lady found the way."

"The young lady has never interfered with business matters before. Maybe she met some noble person in the city?"

With doubts in his heart, the old shopkeeper of the Xue family came to an inconspicuous teahouse outside the dock, went straight up to the third floor, and was led into a private room on the street side.

Bowing, the shopkeeper greeted Xue Baochai, who was sitting by the window, and said, "Greetings to the young lady. It has been many years since we last met. In the blink of an eye, the young lady has grown into a big girl."

When Xue Baochai also stood up to greet her grandfather's housekeeper, the old shopkeeper who worked for the Xue family raised his hand and invited him to sit at the table next to them.

After the two of them sat down at two tables, Xue Baochai said, "Thank you for your trouble, Manager Sun. Ying'er will serve tea."

Ying'er happily took the teapot and poured a cup of light tea with the shopkeeper. She then changed the teapot and poured a cup of strong and fragrant tea for Xue Baochai.

While pouring tea, Ying'er asked, "Old shopkeeper, how much money did you earn today?"

Shopkeeper Sun pointed at the playful girl with his finger, shook his head and smiled, "You are the only one who is impatient. You have been with the young lady for a long time, but you still haven't changed your impetuous temper. You are just like your father."

Ying Er responded confidently: "Of course I am anxious, this concerns the girl's future."

Shopkeeper Sun leaned back, looked at Ying'er, then looked at Xue Baochai, and asked puzzledly, "Why do you say that?"

Ying'er then told Shopkeeper Sun the whole story of the bet between Xue Baochai and Aunt Xue.

After listening to Ying'er's story, Shopkeeper Sun couldn't help but clapped his hands and laughed, "That young lady is sure to win this time. She bought the grain from Hejian Prefecture at a high price of only thirty coins per catty, and when she came to Cangzhou, she sold it for one hundred and ten coins per catty. She made a total profit of one thousand and two taels."

Ying'er danced with joy and hurried to Xue Baochai's side. She hugged her and said, "Miss, we won!"

Xue Baochai patted Ying'er's arm and said with a smile, "Alright, alright, let me go first. What are you doing?"

Manager Sun also laughed and said, "The Feng brand is not what it used to be. The annual revenue of a shop is only about 4,000 to 5,000 taels for the better ones and 1,000 to 2,000 taels for the worse ones. There are too many bad debts and mistakes. The business of silver shops and pawnshops has not been very prosperous in recent years."

"I wonder how long you can make money with this method, young lady?"

Xue Baochai took a sip of tea, suppressed her excitement, and replied, "The Marquis said that it can't be more than five days, otherwise people will wake up. Those people who robbed grain that Shopkeeper Sun saw were also sent by the Marquis to act, just to deceive those grain merchants."

"Perhaps the price of food has dropped to a reasonable level, so there are so many people in the city rushing to grab it."

Shopkeeper Sun nodded repeatedly, "Great, it's really great. This business of pulling the grain to the dock and selling it out without even entering the city, I must run another round."

"By the way, I have also heard of this Marquis Miss mentioned in Hejian Prefecture. It seems that he was Yue Ling, the former Grand Commander of the Capital who led the army to resist the barbarians?"

Xue Baochai nodded, "It's him."

Shopkeeper Sun asked again, "Miss, have you seen him in person?"

Xue Baochai nodded affirmatively, "If it weren't for his guidance, my Xue family wouldn't have such a good path to follow."

Shopkeeper Sun let out a sigh of relief, "So that's how it is. The Xue family has really met a noble person. Nowadays, the name Yue Ling is a household name in the capital. Some people even set up a shrine for him and offer him a tablet of immortality. This is no ordinary noble person. Miss, you must seize the opportunity."

Xue Baochai nodded again.

Shopkeeper Sun hesitated for a moment and then asked, "Is Marquis Anjing married?"

Xue Baochai was stunned, her cheeks slowly turned red, and she shook her head gently.

Shopkeeper Sun said hurriedly, "This is a great opportunity, young lady. You are both beautiful and intelligent. You deserve to be matched with a hero. You can choose a good marriage for yourself."

Xue Baochai lowered her head and blushed as she said, "Shopkeeper Sun, you don't know that Marquis Anjing already has a woman by his side."

Shopkeeper Sun sighed and said, "It may be a bit abrupt for me to say this, but I have watched you grow up, so just take it as what an elder should say, and just listen to it."

"A young talent like Marquis Anjing has a promising future and is likely to be promoted to Duke. Even if the young lady is the daughter of the Xue family, she is nothing in front of them. It is already good enough to get a status and some protection."

"Besides, I also know that you have always envied your sister for being able to travel all over the mountains and rivers and do what she wants. If you become the mistress of the house, will you be able to show your face outside? This Anjing Marquis is the best destination for you, young lady."

"He is about the same age, has a distinguished family background, outstanding skills, and a good character. You can't find such a husband even if you search with lanterns. Do you think your mother can find a good man for you?"

Xue Baochai's cheeks were almost dripping with blood. She stammered, "Manager Sun, let's not talk about this today. Don't ruin the grain business. Tell the other managers who are waiting and watching. There is indeed an opportunity in Cangzhou Prefecture now. You must help me succeed." "If you ruin the Marquis's business, then... what else can we say?"

Shopkeeper Sun nodded repeatedly, "I will write a letter to them right away, and I will not ruin the young lady's plan."

Xue Baochai always felt that the words "big event" had another meaning, but she couldn't care less at the moment and could only agree to it in person, but she felt inexplicably flustered in her heart.

Shopkeeper Sun stood up and said, "Okay, I won't stay for long. I will go back to Hejian Prefecture first. If you have any urgent matters, please send me a message."

Shopkeeper Sun took a step forward and turned back to say, "Young lady and your grandfather both like tea with strong aromas. I think young lady can also be like your grandfather and help the Xue family to move to a higher level."

After a delay, before Shopkeeper Sun could leave, someone broke in.

When they met, Shopkeeper Sun bowed again and said, "Meet the Madam."

Aunt Xue, who was originally furious, now saw the experienced shopkeeper of the Xue family, and she calmed down a bit. She said, "Shopkeeper Sun, why are you fooling around with her? They are making ill-gotten gains now. If something goes wrong, won't it bring disaster to the Xue family?"

Shopkeeper Sun was stunned when he heard this, and Xue Baochai and Ying'er had no idea what Aunt Xue was talking about.

Seeing the three of them all looking confused, Aunt Xue asked anxiously, "How much grain have you sold? You'd better collect it quickly. If you take advantage of loopholes and sell grain at a high price, won't you have to wait for others to investigate? That so-called Marquis is not a good person either. He actually let the grain merchants in the city price the grain at 250 coins. It's really unreasonable."

"Just because he's a marquis, can he do whatever he wants? Is there no law in Dachang?"

Xue Baochai frowned and said, "Mother, what are you talking about? How can it be ill-gotten gains? Today we have earned 1,200 taels. Even if mother loses, you don't have to worry about the outside world in this city from now on."

Aunt Xue even pinched her waist and said, "I know all about your tricks. The grain in the city sells for 210 coins, but you sell it for 100 coins. But this is also a high price. The people in the city are so poor, and you are still raising the price to sell grain. If someone finds out, my Xue family will definitely suffer the consequences."

Xue Baochai said helplessly: "When did you say that we are selling the common people?"

Aunt Xue was startled when she heard this, and then looked at Shopkeeper Sun beside her, as if seeking confirmation.

Shopkeeper Sun stroked his pale beard and nodded, "Miss, you are right. I sold the grain to the wealthy Huang family in the city. The total amount was 1,650 taels, and the profit could reach 1,200 taels."

"One thousand two hundred taels? You made that much in one day?"

Shopkeeper Sun didn't want to get entangled with a stupid woman, and said, "That's right, Madam, you should accept the loss and stop interfering in the outside world. Let the young lady do it."

"Farewell!"

Shopkeeper Sun bowed to Xue Baochai again and walked out.

Aunt Xue was treated so disrespectfully by the old shopkeeper that she became furious. She gritted her teeth and stamped her feet, then looked at Xue Baochai with mixed feelings.

Aunt Xue thought about what had happened carefully and asked, "So, this was originally a trap set by the Marquis and you for the grain merchants in the city?"

Xue Baochai nodded without commenting.

Aunt Xue couldn't help but wonder, "Could it be that I really made a mistake? The Marquis has some tricks, and Manager Sun endorsed them. I can't just deny it."

"Forget it. Just treat this period of time as waiting for Pan'er's matter to be resolved. I will write another letter to inform my sister."

After thinking for a long time, Aunt Xue slowly said, "Okay, let's just say you win. I will no longer care about you during your time in Cangzhou Prefecture, and I will let you do whatever you want. However, you still have to go north to Beijing with mother in the end."

Xue Baochai's expression darkened and she nodded slightly.

Aunt Xue's eyes turned, and she came to Xue Baochai, trying to resolve the conflict between mother and daughter. "Bao girl, I wonder what the Marquis is going to do next? How much profit can my Xue family make from this?"

Xue Baochai stood up and pulled her hand away, staring straight out the door, and said, "When working for the Marquis, we don't ask for much profit. The most important thing is to get the job done. Mother, please don't ask any more questions, and don't say anything rude to the Marquis. If the Marquis hears about it and gets angry, then my Xue family will have a hard time."

After saying this, Xue Baochai went out with her two maids.

Aunt Xue was isolated in the field, and she was so angry that her teeth itched, "This precious girl is really infuriating. I am her mother, but she actually sided with that marquis and lectured me. Does she think I am an outsider? She is really getting cocky."

"Let's see what tricks your Lordship can come up with! How can you earn this kind of money for a long time?"

Aunt Xue sat down at the table, took a break, tasted Xue Baochai's tea root, and spat it out as soon as it touched her tongue, "What is this? How can I drink it when it's so astringent?"

(End of this chapter)