Pick up a princess to be your wife

"I kind of want to go home, but I don't know where my family is," Li Xin lied.

Li Xin looked up at Li Mu and asked, "Is it because I ate too much and can't cook anything? Does Brother Li Mu dislike me?"

Li Xin had said this countless times.

Li Mu patted Li Xin's head and said, "If you know where your family is, I will help you find them so that you can reunite with them as soon as possible."

Then Li Mu smiled faintly and teased, "If you fall in love with this place and want to get married and settle down in Luyang County, that would be perfect."

"Ah, I haven't thought about that yet," Li Xin said softly.

“So it’s okay if you can’t find your family for a while. Just tell me when you have any leads. Or you can tell me about your family situation and I’ll help you inquire,” Li Mu said.

“It’s just an ordinary family, with parents and siblings,” Li Xin said.

Li Mu didn't believe Li Xin's words. This girl was either a rich heiress or a member of the imperial family.

Since she was unwilling to reveal her background, Li Mu would not pry.

"The world outside is too chaotic. They've probably found out where your family is. You won't be able to leave Luyang County anytime soon."

Since we're going to live here, we should learn to do what we can.

Li Mu said.

Li Xin wanted to do something, but she couldn't even do the most basic thing like sweeping the floor.

"Um, could I do some light work? Like sweeping the floor, that's simpler, I can learn from Sister Xiulian. But I'm not interested in sewing, I've been afraid of needles since birth," Li Xin said.

"You've been to school, haven't you?" Li Mu asked.

Li Xin nodded.

"Can you do math?" Li Mu asked again.

Li Xin continued to nod.

"Will it be okay if you help me with the bookkeeping?" Li Mu asked.

"Does that mean 'shopkeeper'?" Li Xin asked.

"almost."

"It should be fine, I'll give it a try," Li Xin agreed.

Since she's just sitting around doing nothing anyway, we might as well find her something to do so she can keep herself occupied.

With a chance to put her skills to use, Li Xin immediately became energetic.

The next morning, Li Mu called all his brothers over to discuss opening a pawnshop.

Li Ertie had already found a shop, rented it, and hung up the signboard; the pawnshop was officially open for business.

Li Ji Pawnshop, Li Ertie is the boss, Zhao Cuo is the manager, and Li Xin is in charge of bookkeeping.

The other brothers also had work to do. Li Mu gave each of them a wooden sign that read "High Price Antique Buying" and told them to take the sign and go door-to-door.

Li Mu himself served as the appraiser.

Since the real boss behind the scenes is Li Mu, the salaries and rules and regulations are all set by Li Mu.

Each of the brothers received two taels of silver per month, Zhao Cuo received five taels, Li Ertie and Li Xin received ten taels, and Li Mu received twenty taels.

With formal jobs, the brothers no longer had to rely on Li Ertie for money and could all receive their own wages, which made them all more energetic.

Two taels of silver a month, that's not a low salary.

If they lived in a peaceful and prosperous era, such a salary would be enough for them to live a wealthy life.

In addition to the base salary, Li Mu also established a bonus system.

The bonus is one cent of the antique's buyback price, or one percent.

Whoever brings in a customer and presents a genuine antique will receive a bonus.

Today is the first day of business. After receiving the wooden sign, the brothers went out immediately.

"Wuji, if we can recover antiques worth a thousand or even several thousand taels of silver, wouldn't our salaries be higher than our eldest and second eldest brothers'?" Yang Xiaoliu asked.

"That's possible," Zhao Wuji replied.

“I’m a little unconvinced that Zhao Cuo can be the manager. Wuji, you should be the one,” Yang Xiaoliu said.

“How boring is it to be a shopkeeper? According to Second Brother, coming out to do business is the best way to develop our abilities,” Zhao Wuji said.

“That’s true. We can make two taels of silver a month just by going out every day, hehehe. By the way, Wuji, you’re quick-witted. Where should we go to make some business?” Yang Xiaoliu asked.

"Let me think about it..." Zhao Wuji began to ponder seriously.

"How about we go to the area near the market? The people living there are all wealthy; maybe only they have antiques," Yang Xiaoliu suggested.

“There’s a Jubao Pavilion in the city. Those wealthy families who were going to sell their antiques have already sold them to Jubao Pavilion. If we go to the market area, we won’t even be able to get a bowl of soup,” Zhao Wuji said.

"That makes sense. So, where shall we go?"

"Come with me."

Zhao Wuji brought Yang Xiaoliu to the east of the city.

Apart from the market area in the city center, the eastern part of Luyang County was the most bustling place.

The two men squatted down under the city gate tower, held up their wooden signs, and started shouting.

"We buy antiques at high prices!"

"Trade antiques for silver, or rice! Don't miss out!"

"Antiques can't fill your stomach; you need to exchange them for silver to eat!"

……

The two of them shouted back and forth, making quite a scene.

People would come to their door from time to time to watch and ask questions, and the two of them would answer them enthusiastically.

However, none of the questions asked were about antiques.

"Hey, Xiao Liu, your business was doing so well at the woodworking shop, why did you start a pawnshop?"

"Who says someone who runs a woodworking shop can't also run a pawnshop? If you have the money, you can run one too."

“Li Ertie is a notorious rascal in Luyang. He knows about antiques, so let’s not waste all the money he’s going to spend on his bride price.”

"Hahaha."

"How can you talk like that? You bunch of peasants, you just can't stand to see others doing well."

……

A short man squeezed through the crowd and squatted down in front of the two men.

He was dressed in a blue robe that didn't quite fit his body, and wore a crown, making him look somewhat cunning.

"I just heard you say that antiques can not only be exchanged for money, but also for rice?" Liu Qian asked, gesturing with his chin.

Seeing that a legitimate customer had finally come to inquire, the two brothers immediately perked up.

"Come closer, come even closer."

Zhao Wuji leaned closer and whispered, "Antiques can be exchanged for more than just rice; they can also be exchanged for oil and salt. As long as your antiques are valuable, you can exchange them for whatever you want."

Liu Qian stroked his goatee, feeling somewhat alarmed.

He carefully examined the two men. They were dressed in coarse cloth clothes, some even patched, and they didn't look like servants of a landlord at all.

Their Tiger Head Village has no shortage of food for the time being, and everyone can have enough to eat.

But oil is easier to obtain; they can figure out a way to get it.

Salt, however, is not a resource that can be obtained simply by wanting it.