Expelled from the Duke's mansion, the fake heiress is richer than a country.

Without hesitation, Wei Yucai immediately went to the inner room and brought out a red cloth.

This cloth was dyed with plant extract from that straw mat. Not only was the dyeing successful, but he also supervised the drying process and rinsed it.

Only after discovering that the color hadn't faded much and remained bright and new did he feel reassured and boldly approach the Yu family to discuss cooperation, and he couldn't wait to do so.

Yu Wanran picked up the red cloth and examined it. Sure enough, it was indeed magical red grass! Used for weaving mats, it was utterly despised. But by changing its method, its beauty could be restored, stunning the world.

The red cloth in my hand is an exceptionally pure color, with just the right shades. When I hold it up in a shaded area and wave it, I can faintly see the fabric reflecting light, as if starlight is flowing across it.

No wonder this kind of red cloth was once sold at an astronomical price in the last century.

Yu Wanran put down the red cloth and sat back down. Facing Wei Yucai's eager eyes, she wondered if he was the lucky cloth merchant from her past life. However, if he was sincere enough, she could make him lucky.

She spoke with a smile.

"Mr. Wei, let's have a proper talk. I wonder what price you're willing to pay for this red herb? Just to clarify, this herb has only been found in one place in the Great Zhao Dynasty, and it's very rare."

As for planting and large-scale production, that's for next year. At least this year, those who seize the first batch of market share will make a fortune.

Wei Yu had just opened his mouth when Yu Wanran added another sentence.

"Furthermore, it is truly difficult to transport this red herb all the way to the capital, and it is also difficult to preserve it. I imagine there must have been some losses along the way?"

These two paragraphs overturned Wei Yucai's initial price expectations several times.

Wei Yu then realized that the young girl before him was not as honest and simple as her father and brothers sitting beside her. Trying to deceive the country folk through opportunistic and exploitative means was unacceptable and would only hinder genuine cooperation between the two sides.

After pondering for a long time, Wei Yu gritted his teeth and decided to take the biggest gamble of his life.

"One hundred coins for a pound of red grass, what do you think, Miss Yu?"

He didn't look at the dumbfounded Yu father and son beside him. The father and son, no matter how ignorant they seemed, were of no use in influencing the overall situation. The decision-making was made by the Yu family's daughter, and the father and son only listened to her.

Yu Wanran put down her teacup, stood up, brushed off non-existent dust from her skirt, and remained indifferent.

"Mr. Wei, thank you for the tea."

The Yu father and son were completely bewildered. They stood up with her and prepared to take their leave.

What? One hundred coins for my daughter (the third sister) is too little? Can it be more?

"Three hundred coins!"

Judging from this situation, Wei Yucai's psychological price has been reshuffled again, reaching a new high.

He had a feeling that if he let the Yu family leave without reaching a cooperation agreement today, he would regret it for the rest of his life!

Yu Wanran frowned, still feeling it was too low.

Thinking that if she didn't go with Wu Jian the day after tomorrow, she didn't know when the next return trip from the escort agency would be. Therefore, she had no patience to argue with Wei Yucai any longer and directly quoted a price she could accept.

"Five hundred coins. At least five hundred coins per pound of red grass, Mr. Wei, before we can discuss the next step of cooperation."

"Five hundred coins?"

Wei Yu was startled; this had completely crossed his bottom line. It wasn't just a few kilograms or tens of kilograms; he wanted a large quantity, even a long-term commitment. If the price was too high, he couldn't afford it.

“Boss Wei, I risked my life to collect this red herb from the deep mountains for you, and there were bandits along the way. The manpower, escort fees, and carriage fees all cost money.”

Even if you sell tens of thousands of catties in one trip, you'll only earn a few hundred taels of silver at most.

Yu Wanran said slowly, "And you, having dyed a red cloth that is unique in the world, will naturally attract powerful and wealthy people who will spend lavishly to buy it. How much will you earn then? Can you do the math?"

She wasn't interested in sitting still and running a business; she preferred traveling and exploring. Besides, the Yu family currently lacked the resources to open a dye shop or cloth store; otherwise, such good fortune wouldn't have fallen into Wei Yucai's lap!

Wei Yu then realized that what she said made sense. After thinking it over and over, unable to contain his burning desire, he made up his mind.

"Alright, five hundred cash it is! We'll sign the contract, and you should try to send me a batch of red herbs to the capital as soon as possible?"

Yu Wanran nodded happily: "I'll just send you this kind of straw mat. You can cut it up and use it yourself."

"Just send it over directly, there's no need to weave it into a mat, is there?"

Wei Yucai found it troublesome.

"Since it's going to be smashed anyway, wouldn't weaving it into a mat be a waste of time?"

He's busy developing new fabrics; this magical herb might be able to be dyed into other beautiful colors.

"The mats have undergone special treatment by us, which not only effectively preserves their original components but also makes them very clean, so you can use them directly."

Yu Wanran spoke frankly with him about the reasons: "Besides, we've traveled thousands of miles just to send grass to the capital. There's more to it than meets the eye when we bring in special mats to sell."

These words immediately reminded Wei Yucai.

He runs a shop in his front yard, so he can naturally use the excuse of selling specialty mats to buy red clover. Otherwise, everyone knows red clover can be used for dyeing, so how will he make money in the future?

By keeping this secret, he can dominate the market for at least several years!

He slapped his thigh and immediately reached a tacit agreement with Yu Wanran: "Brilliant! Miss Yu, from now on, my Ruicaifang will only accept red grass mats sent by your family."

As long as the secret remains hidden, both sides can monopolize the market and cooperate for a long time. The Yu family can also vigorously cultivate and improve the red grass, thereby making a fortune.

The two smiled at each other.

Wei Yucai immediately brought out paper and pen to write an agreement, stipulating that the Yu family would supply goods to Ruicai Workshop. The price was five hundred cash per catty of red velvet grass, which would be transported to the capital annually according to Ruicai Workshop's needs.

Ruicaifang does not accept red velvet grass from other businesses. Of course, the Yu family must also never reveal the secret of dyeing red velvet grass and enter into similar cooperation with other merchants.

Yu Wanran signed and affixed her fingerprint, and Yu Man and Yu Wenbin also pressed their red fingerprints on the document.

This is a family business, so of course she wants them involved. People only truly care when it concerns their own interests.

They agreed to deliver the first batch of red velvet grass to Ruicaifang within three months. Yu Man and his son, feeling dizzy, followed Yu Wanran to bid farewell to Wei Yucai.

If it weren't for the tightly wrapped paper contract on their chests reminding them, they would have thought they were in a dream as they walked down the street!

Who would have thought that the wild grass that no one in Dahong Village would want could sell for a sky-high price of 500 wen per catty?

Even if they gave someone a woven red mat as a gift, the recipient would angrily throw it on the ground.

Who would be so kind as to give away wild grass? When children weave grasshoppers or grass cages and give them to each other, it's considered childlike fun; but for adults to do the same is an insult to each other.

Yu Man and his son walked unsteadily, their minds foggy... Oh well, let the Yu family bear this "insult" alone!

Yu Wanran instructed her family: "Father, elder brother, you must never tell anyone about this! We've all given our fingerprints, please remember that!"

Yu Man nodded solemnly, his face serious.

"Ranran, don't worry! We'd rather die than tell anyone about this!"

If word gets out, their chance to make money will be gone. Who would be so stupid as to cut off their own escape route?

Even if his mother and elder brother come to ask him in the future, he will never reveal a single word! At most, he will plant red grass and share a spoonful with his elder brother, thus fulfilling his filial duty and brotherly affection.

He had a feeling that the second branch of the Yu family was really going to prosper this time. And what kind of shop did the third branch run in Tongcheng? They couldn't possibly catch up!