Grass and mustard reign supreme

Chapter 74 A Man Single-Minded in His Career

Rena Baier was watching with great interest as Yang Can chatted with Qingmei.

She was quite interested in the daily lives of these Eastern nobles.

As soon as Yang Can said those words, her expression changed immediately.

Bah! This "Azart" is not the noble, aristocratic "Azart" at all!

But what should I do?

Am I capable of resisting him? Or should I... fight to the death?
Rena Bayer looked at Xiao Qingmei for help.

Little Green Plum's pretty face also changed color.

But...she doesn't seem to have a suitable identity to restrain Yang Can...

Xiao Qingmei bit her lip, wondering how to bring it up tactfully, when Yang Can continued to speak.

"Oh, right, Qingmei, you should come too."

As soon as she said that, Xiao Qingmei's face turned yellow.

This...this is too...too absurd, sir!

Yang Can thought to himself, Rena Baier may be good at business, but she is not trustworthy.

If she's not careful, she might just run away.

And they ran off with my money.

Even if she doesn't escape or isn't capable of escaping, such an important matter cannot be entirely under her control.

It seems that I can only feel at ease if I let my childhood sweetheart keep things under control.

However, since that's the case, it seems I should eat this sour plum too.

Making her mine is the ultimate way to bind the interests of men and women together!

With these thoughts in mind, Yang Can got up and went to take a bath.

Inside the hall, Xiao Qingmei and Rena Baier looked shocked and flustered.

Xiao Qingmei had long been prepared to dedicate herself to Yang Can.

In her heart, Yang Can was her daughter's man, or in other words, her man.

but……

Serving her man alongside another woman?

Even when I'm with my daughter, she feels shy, let alone this is my first time.

Qingmei was a little unwilling. Shouldn't she be the only one to enjoy this once in a lifetime?

My daughter wouldn't argue with me this time, so why should she, a mere foreign woman, have the right...?

At that moment, Rena Bair's voice, tinged with a Western accent, came through angrily.

"Qingmei, that's not what you told me before!"

Rena glared angrily with her beautiful blue eyes: "You said you would protect me and wouldn't let him touch me."

"I……"

"You praised him so highly, but now it seems he's nothing more than a filthy, vulgar nouveau riche, isn't he?"

Qingmei immediately became unhappy!

What is your identity?

Get this straight, you old hag!

Look at your red hair, it looks like a will-o'-the-wisp in a stove!
Who are you calling vulgar? Who are you calling filthy? You dare to say such things?

You've made such a terrible impression of my man, so what am I then?

Qingmei's pretty face immediately darkened: "Our master likes you, that's a sign of respect for you!"

That's because your ancestors burned incense for eight generations! You should feel incredibly fortunate and honored!

Rena could actually understand the general meaning of the words she was saying, and immediately became indignant.

What do you mean I should feel incredibly fortunate, what do you mean I should feel honored to have such a humble abode?

My humble abode is quite magnificent, no less so than your fortified village, okay?
The two women started arguing loudly.

……

Yang Can had finished showering, his hair was half-dry, and he was wearing a loose, plain-colored casual outfit.

He put on a pair of wooden clogs and walked towards the small flower hall with a clattering sound.

It left behind a trail of faint soapberry fragrance.

The sense of crisis brought about by his trip to Canglang Gorge made him realize that he was not strong enough.

At this moment, his mind was filled with grand plans to open up trade routes to the Western Regions.

Persian glass, Arabic spices, Khotan jade, and handicrafts from the Central Plains...

Tianshui was a crucial stop on the Silk Road, and the Suo family was the most powerful commercial family in Gansu...

In this way, I will have both the advantage of location and the support of the people.

It shouldn't be difficult for me to join them and carve out my own business path.

Then I will be able to have my own source of wealth.

Once I have money, I can do many things: build my network, establish my status...

At home, I will no longer be an insignificant figure.

By then, I will be able to influence the development of many things.

By the way, I should bring in the managers of the eldest son's family to do business together.

What's the point of Zhang Yunyi sending them benefits from time to time?

If someone else were the head of the estate, as long as they weren't someone like me who also served as a steward, wouldn't they all go to "burn incense" anyway?

In their eyes, Zhang Yunyi is not indispensable or unique.

But once I bring them into my business empire, their source of income will be cut off.

In this situation, they would do everything they could to help me.

Yang Can's mind started racing, and he became more and more excited as he thought about it.

In the small flower hall, Qingmei was furious because of Rena Baier's evaluation of Yang Can.

Deeply influenced by feudal ideology, she didn't think there was anything wrong with Yang Can having three wives and four concubines; she just didn't want to share the most important first time of her life with others.

Because of Rena's belittling of Yang Can, Xiao Qingmei immediately transformed into a virtuous wife warrior. "Manager Qian must have found you more than one buyer, right?"
You can confidently say that none of those buyers can compare to my husband.

"Those who are young don't have as much power or money as him, and those who are powerful aren't as young and handsome as him!"

Such a good man is hard to find even with a lantern, and you're still not satisfied?
Let me tell you, you surnamed Re, if you offend our master...

Hmph, I'll make the decision and sell you off right now!

I never do anything that doesn't benefit me, but I'll make an exception for you!
You've never seen Wu Lao Er from the west entrance of the village, have you? He's short and thin, with only three yellow teeth left.

Oh, and he also loves to beat women, so I sold you to him for just one penny!

Rena Bayer kept her pretty face expressionless and didn't say a word.

She actually thought Qingmei was a good person; she was so wrong about her.

At this time, Persia was under the Sasanian dynasty, and Zoroastrianism was established as the state religion.

This doctrine emphasizes fertility and the purity of family lineage, thus giving marriage and procreation extremely high religious and social value.

As a result, female chastity became of paramount importance in the social atmosphere of the Persian Empire, which was extremely conservative.

Merchants held a very high social status in ancient Persia, but Renabayar never found a husband.

The reason is that she traveled with her father on trade routes to foreign lands since she was a child.

Her father looked down on her because she came from an ordinary family.

However, the powerful and influential upper-class families remained skeptical of her purity.

Of course, her red hair was also one of the reasons she was discriminated against by the nobles.

So she secretly dyed her hair black, and she tried to keep her distance from the men in the caravan.

The more a person wants to be recognized by others, the more they will strive to move in the direction that others expect.

Her father was a wealthy businessman who traded across borders, so his caravans naturally had strong self-defense capabilities.

But she was still kidnapped.

Because of her love of cleanliness, she took her maid to bathe in the river late at night, wandering into a desolate and far-off place.

Ever since she was abducted, she realized with despair that even if she fought to the death to maintain her chastity, once she returned to the caravan, even those around her father would not believe in her purity.

At this moment, Rena Bayer felt somewhat resigned to her fate.

Perhaps, Yang Can really is the best choice for me.

Rena Bayer bit her full lips: "I... I can agree to serve him together. But..."

Rena Baier straightened her chest, and the butterfly embroidered on her herbal jewel suddenly swelled up in size.

“In Persia, polygamy is permitted, but I do not accept being a concubine.”

I must officially marry him and become his wife, together with you!

"Your idea is quite... well, it's not impossible to consider it."

Little Green Plum quickly swallowed back the words she was about to say, almost biting her tongue.

This is a good thing!

If she can really get the master to relent, then can I do the same?

Qingmei's ambitions quickly swelled.

Once they share common interests, the two immediately become the closest of friends again.

"I think we can do it this way, in a little while..."

If he can't hold back any longer, he'll definitely just agree to something hastily...

“No, he must hold a wedding ceremony and formally acknowledge me as his wife.”

"Oh dear, why are you so stubborn? Let's do that first, then that..."

"No, I've been kidnapped and my innocence is gone. I can't place my hopes on his vague promises!"

“My husband is different, he’s a man like that…”

"To be honest, I trust neither him nor you."

"Hey, I'm telling you, you old hag..."

The two started arguing again when Yang Can walked in, clattering in.

"What are you talking about?" Yang Can asked with a smile.

Both girls trembled simultaneously, one from embarrassment, the other from nervousness.

Rena instinctively clutched her collar, her red hair gleaming like a burning flame in the candlelight.

She decided to negotiate with Yang Can first. If this Mr. Yang agreed, then... she would give in to him.

"Master, I can agree to your request, but... but you also have to agree to my request..."

"What? You guessed what I wanted to say to you?"

Yang Can was surprised and excited upon hearing this.

Rena Bayer's greatest talent is probably business.

Therefore, it's not surprising that she could guess her own purpose if she was smart enough.

However, the fact that she was able to guess it proves that she has a high IQ.

This is certainly a good thing for Yang Can.

Qingmei blushed slightly and said shyly, "But, wouldn't it be inappropriate for everyone to come along?"

"What's wrong with that?"

Yang Can waved his hand and said, "Qingmei, you are the person I trust the most!"

Yang Can made a grand promise from afar and tossed it over, figuring it was free anyway, so he might as well use his psychological manipulation skills.

"Come, come, since you've guessed it, that's perfect. Let me tell you the details."

Yang Can pulled over a chair and sat down excitedly.

"This is what I think: Tianshui City is an essential route for merchants traveling between the East and the West."

The Suo family, among the eight prominent families of Longshang, was known for its business acumen.

"We have such uniquely advantageous conditions; wouldn't it be a waste not to make good use of them?"

Yang Can's eyes were shining, his mind completely absorbed in his grand scheme to make a fortune.

(End of this chapter)