Fleeing from famine? Not a chance; the divine healer's wife made her fortune.

Chapter 208 The Long Road to Finding Superior Bee Breeds

The journey to finding superior bee breeds is long and arduous.

After the initial success of the honey, Su Yunlan set her sights on the more distant future.

She knew that high-quality bee breeds were an indispensable part of taking the Xiao family's beekeeping business to the top.

So, she and the clever young master Xiao Twenty-Six stepped into the bustling bee trading market.

The market was buzzing with activity, with beehives piled high like mountains, and the air filled with the sweet smell of honey.

Su Yunlan observed carefully, hoping to find a bee species she liked.

However, when they appeared in front of Wu Fengshang's stall, everything changed.

Wu Fengshang, a short, stout middle-aged man with a shrewd mustache, had a calculating glint in his eyes the moment he saw Su Yunlan.

He forced a fake smile, but his voice carried a barely perceptible hint of sarcasm: "Oh, isn't this the fourth young mistress of the Xiao family? What, you're also interested in these little bees?"

Su Yunlan felt a chill run down her spine, realizing that Wu Fengshang was deliberately trying to make things difficult for her.

She composed herself and said calmly, "Mr. Wu, we've heard you have excellent bee breeds here, and we'd like to come and take a look."

Upon hearing this, Wu Fengshang immediately adopted an arrogant demeanor. He stroked his beard and said slowly, "Of course, the bees here are all carefully selected. Especially the 'Golden Ring Jade Bee,' the honey it produces is golden in color and has a delicate taste; it is the finest honey."

As he spoke, he pointed to a beehive covered with an exquisite wooden canopy. Inside, the bees were slightly larger than ordinary bees, with golden rings on their abdomens that shimmered in the sunlight.

Su Yunlan's eyes lit up; this "Golden Ring Jade Bee" was indeed the excellent bee species she had been searching for.

Suppressing her excitement, she asked, "Mr. Wu, how much is this 'Golden Ring Jade Bee'?"

Wu Feng chuckled, held up three fingers, and shook them: "Three hundred taels of silver per box."

"Three hundred taels?!" Young Master Xiao exclaimed in shock. His eyes widened as he stared at Wu the bee merchant in disbelief. "You're robbing us! A hive of ordinary bees costs only a few dozen taels of silver. Why are you selling your 'Golden Ring Jade Bees' for such a high price?"

Wu Fengshang remained unmoved. He curled his lip and said disdainfully, "Young man, you are truly an amateur. This 'Golden Ring Jade Bee' is no ordinary bee. It has a high yield and excellent quality, and the honey it produces can sell for exorbitant prices. Three hundred taels of silver is already a very fair price."

Su Yunlan felt helpless. She knew that Wu the bee merchant had taken advantage of her desire for superior bee breeds and deliberately raised the price.

She took a deep breath and tried to reason with him: "Mr. Wu, we sincerely want to import superior bee breeds, but this price is really unreasonable. Can we discuss it again?"

Wu Fengshang sneered and mocked, "Discuss? What's there to discuss? This 'Golden Ring Jade Bee' is a scarce resource, and my price is already very favorable. If you think it's too expensive, you can go look elsewhere."

As he spoke, he deliberately raised his voice to attract the attention of those around him.

A crowd of onlookers gathered around, pointing and whispering about Su Yunlan and Young Master Xiao.

Young Master Xiao, being young and impetuous, could hardly tolerate such treatment.

He was furious and pointed at Wu Fengshang's nose, cursing, "You unscrupulous merchant, this is clearly fraud! Asking for exorbitant prices and raising them arbitrarily, aren't you afraid of retribution?"

Enraged by the insults, Wu Fengshang's face turned ashen. He slammed his fist on the table and roared, "Fine, you dare insult me? I won't sell anymore! Get out, all of you, get out!"

Seeing this, Su Yunlan knew that there was no point in arguing any further. She pulled back the twenty-sixth young master Xiao, who was still trying to reason, and sighed helplessly, "Twenty-sixth brother, forget it, let's go."

The two left Wu Fengshang's stall, and Young Master Xiao was still indignant: "Fourth Sister-in-law, this Wu Fengshang is simply too much! Are we really going to let him rip us off?"

Su Yunlan shook her head, feeling somewhat dejected.

She looked at the ordinary bee species in the market, her heart filled with resentment.

If she cannot introduce superior bee breeds, her beekeeping business will be difficult to develop further.

She wandered aimlessly through the market, her eyes scanning each stall, hoping to find other opportunities.

Suddenly, her gaze fell on an inconspicuous corner.

There were some oddly shaped spices on display, emitting a faint, pleasant fragrance.

Su Yunlan's heart stirred. She remembered that her space contained many special spices that were hard to find in the outside world.

These spices can not only be used to make high-end incense, but perhaps also to be exchanged for bee breeds.

She told Young Master Xiao about her idea, and he was initially skeptical: "Fourth Sister-in-law, you mean, use spices to exchange for bee colonies? Is that even possible?"

Su Yunlan smiled slightly and said confidently, "Give it a try, you might be surprised by the results."

The two returned to Wu Fengshang's stall.

When Wu Fengshang saw them return, a mocking smile appeared on his face: "What, you've come to your senses? You'd better just obediently hand over your money!"

Su Yunlan ignored his sarcasm and instead took out an exquisite brocade box from her bosom.

She opened the brocade box, and a strange fragrance immediately filled the air.

Wu Fengshang initially didn't think much of it, but when he saw what was inside the brocade box, his eyes widened instantly.

It was a spice with a jade-like color and delicate texture, emitting a delightful fragrance.

"This is..." Wu Fengshang's throat bobbed as he greedily inhaled the fragrance in the air, his voice trembling slightly, "This is 'ambergris'?!"

Su Yunlan smiled slightly and said, "Mr. Wu has a good eye; this is indeed 'Ambergris.' I wonder if this 'Ambergris' could be exchanged for a few boxes of 'Golden Ring Jade Bees'?"

A greedy glint shone in Wu Fengshang's eyes.

He certainly knew the value of "ambergris," a rare and priceless treasure.

Trading a few boxes of bees for "ambergris" is practically a sure-fire way to make money.

He suppressed his excitement and said calmly, "Ambergris is precious, but bees are also a favorite of mine. How about this, I won't take advantage of you. I'll exchange five boxes of 'Golden Ring Jade Bees' for this piece of 'Ambergris,' how about that?"

Su Yunlan chuckled inwardly; Wu Feng had indeed taken the bait.

She nodded and readily said, "Okay, as you say."

The two sides quickly reached a deal.

Su Yunlan exchanged a piece of "ambergris" for five boxes of "golden ring jade bees".

Wu Fengshang was overjoyed to have obtained the "ambergris" he had been dreaming of, while Su Yunlan was also filled with joy after successfully obtaining a superior bee breed.

However, when Su Yunlan returned to the apiary with five boxes of "Golden Ring Jade Bees", a new problem arose.

She discovered that although she had obtained a superior bee breed, she knew nothing about the habits and feeding methods of this bee.

What should she do?