Chapter 126

Chapter 126

"You must hire the waiters I designate for your shop," said General Qiao.

What kind of condition is this? Why do we have to hire the people General Qiao designates?

Gu Ran and Pei Sixth Lady were confused, but after General Qiao sighed and explained, they understood his well-meaning intentions.

More than ten years ago, the soldiers who went to Quan Gang with General Qiao fought side by side with him. They either perished in conflicts with Ying pirates or fell victim to the conspiracy between Du Jiang and the Zhou family. Especially those who saved General Qiao at the cost of their lives—none of their bodies were ever recovered.

Because they were charged with defeat and insubordination, their families also suffered. Some were jailed, while others were kicked out. It wasn’t until the truth came out that General Qiao, using the soldiers' roster, tracked down their families to provide pensions. Only then did he learn that the descendants of his subordinates were struggling. Many of them, like the Qiao family, had few descendants, and even those still alive were impoverished and looked down upon by others.

Although the situation improved somewhat after the exposure two years ago, most of them were still displaced, and even those who remained in Da Mao City were barely getting by. Even with the pension payments, it’s still barely enough to help them.

Seeing their struggles, General Qiao felt responsible and wanted to find a way to help these families make a living.

"Because they were branded as soldiers of a rebel general, the government confiscated their lands and properties, and many people in Da Mao City looked down on them. No one was willing to hire them, and many had to leave their hometowns and hide their identities just to survive. They have gradually returned, but times have changed, and it’s hard for them to find a foothold in the city again."

General Qiao sighed, "This situation was caused by me, and I can’t just watch them suffer anymore. Second Lady, if your shop can give them a job, I will let you use the shop for free."

"General Qiao, we must pay the rent. You can use the rent money to help them or do something else for them," Gu Ran said after understanding. "I’ll discuss it with Huanhuan. But even if people are recommended to us, we still need to evaluate them. If they can’t do the job, it will be difficult for us too."

"Don’t worry, these are people who have suffered. If you give them a chance, they’ll work their hearts out," General Qiao said dismissively.

"We’ll definitely find the right people among those you recommend, right? Even if we open the cactus jelly shop, we’d only need to hire four or five people."

General Qiao nodded but then looked worried again.

"Why don’t you open a few more cactus jelly shops and hire more people?"

Probably seeing that the shop was small and couldn’t accommodate many people.

"There’s also Shengyun Academy in the western district of the outer city, why not open one there?" General Qiao clapped his hands. "I’ll get you another shop."

"No, General Qiao, let’s not rush into this," Gu Ran smiled.

Opening a third branch? That would be great.

But even a resourceful woman can’t cook without rice. They would first need to see if there was enough dried cactus and konjac jelly being sent from Jianzhou. If there wasn’t enough, they couldn’t open more branches.

"Sigh!" General Qiao was troubled.

"Um, General Qiao, if you want to settle others, I think there’s a place I can recommend to you."

"Where?" General Qiao asked eagerly. "Which place is still hiring?"

"Do you remember the Third Young Master from Fusheng Trading Company who came with us?"

That Mr. Xu?

Gu Ran’s words immediately reminded General Qiao.

Right, the Third Young Master Xu came to Da Mao City to scout for a location to build Fusheng Trading, right?

A trading company needs staff, and so do the supply lines and the unloading operations at Cang Harbor.

"I’ll go find him right away." Just as General Qiao was about to leave, he came back after a few steps. "Hey, Second Lady, do you know which inn Third Young Master Xu is staying at?"

Of course, as soon as Xu Sanlang settled down, he sent an invitation to the Qiao family, fearing that he would lose touch with Gu Ran and the influential Qiao family behind her.

However, Gu Ran hadn’t had time to attend to him recently.

So, the group headed directly to the inn to find Xu Sanlang.

As for Xu Sanlang, after arriving in Da Mao City, he began to tour both the inner and outer cities to understand the local customs and familiarize himself with the trading houses already established in the city.

Although Fusheng had been quite successful in the capital over the past two years, it couldn’t yet claim to be the leading trading house. There were many other trading houses that were equally matched, and even compared to the largest trading house in the capital, the Ji Min Trading House, which was also the largest royal merchant of the Great Sheng Dynasty, Fusheng still fell short.

The Xu family knew their foundation was weak, but they had managed to stand out among the many trading houses in the capital over the past two years thanks to Xu San’s innovative strategy of transporting southern goods to the north after his exile to Jianzhou. Additionally, the unique konjac jelly and mandarin orange series products developed in collaboration with Gu Erniang had attracted the attention of noble families in the capital, significantly raising their status.

Fusheng’s position was still shaky, and to keep its reputation in the capital, they needed to do more than just maintain existing partnerships. They also had to continuously increase Fusheng’s scale and market share. This was also why Xu Sanlang had traveled all the way to Da Mao City.

The Ji Min Trading House had maintained its dominance over other trading houses for many years because, apart from having shops in the capital, it had also been established in Da Mao City for nearly a hundred years.

In comparison, Fusheng was still a small player.

Fusheng had originated in Zhengzhou and later obtained the qualification to be a royal merchant before entering the capital. It had taken three generations of the Xu family to accumulate the resources to reach this point. Fortunately, the Great Sheng Dynasty was a time of peace and prosperity, and after decades of diligent management, the Xu family had achieved their current status. Now, with Xu Sanlang’s contributions, their status had been further elevated.

Because of their success, the Xu family wanted to take the next step, and when Xu Sanlang proposed going to Da Mao City, they believed the time was right.

As a relatively well-known trading house and an ambitious royal merchant, how could they not want to open a branch in the old capital of Da Mao City?

So Xu Sanlang came.

Over the past few days, he had scouted many shops, but since each household was limited to leasing or purchasing only two shops, he hadn’t yet decided which two to buy.

Moreover, due to quota restrictions, the value of shops in Da Mao City was significantly higher than those in the capital.

Fortunately, when he left the capital, he had brought enough banknotes, considering he was going to establish a branch in Da Mao City. Otherwise, he really wouldn’t have been able to secure a good and sufficiently large shop.

Still, there weren’t many quality shops available for purchase.

Just as Xu Sanlang was worrying about the shops, General Qiao and Gu Ran came to find him.

When General Qiao explained his intentions directly, Xu Sanlang couldn’t help but feel very tempted.

He had been trying to get closer to General Qiao because of the Qiao family’s influence in Da Mao City. Now, with the conditions for cooperation laid out by General Qiao that were not overly harsh, many of the people he would recommend to work in the trading house were locals of Da Mao City. They would be much more familiar with sourcing local goods than someone who had just arrived.

Moreover, agreeing to General Qiao’s terms meant that in Da Mao City, the Fusheng trading house would truly have the backing of the Qiao family. This would not only protect them from official harassment but also provide support in case of industry rivalry.

The two hit it off immediately.

General Qiao agreed to vouch for him and recommend good shops, while Xu Sanlang promised to hire the military dependents who meet the conditions as waiters or staff at the trading house.

"Rest assured, General Qiao, our trading house needs people everywhere. We not only lack people to guard the warehouses but also need people to source goods and handle shipping. Naturally, we also need more people for maritime transportation," said Xu Sanlang. "If we can establish the trading house in Da Mao City, my family not only plans to form our own caravan, but we also intend to have a store at Cang Harbor to handle and inspect goods. In addition, as our business grows, I plan to buy another cargo ship to transport goods specifically from Cang Harbor. The guards and crew members on that ship will also need to be hired."

"Good, good," General Qiao nodded repeatedly, feeling relieved. "Since there are so many people we can employ, tomorrow I will accompany you, Sanlang, to scout around and find a good shop as soon as possible to set up your trading house."

"Then I will trouble General Qiao," Xu Sanlang said gratefully.

The partnership with the Qiao family came together surprisingly smoothly. While it was partly due to General Qiao’s own needs, Gu Erniang’s recommendation likely played a big role. Otherwise, why would General Qiao trust him so much?

Thinking of this, Xu Sanlang glanced gratefully at Erniang, who nodded slightly before being blocked by a figure.

It was Lady Pei Sixth.

Though Lady Pei Sixth was there to facilitate the business deal, she was wary of Erniang meeting Xu Sanlang.

Seeing Xu San look over with a smile at Erniang, Pei Six immediately stepped in front of Gu Ran to block the view.

Caught off guard by Pei Six's cold stare, Xu Sanlang gradually retracted his smile and coughed dryly, opening his fan to cool himself.

What’s up with Pei Six? Why is she acting like this?

Recalling how she had looked at Erniang on the official ship, Xu Sanlang felt a chill in his heart: Could it be? Is she into her or something? Maybe I should warn Gu Erniang.

Seeing Xu Sanlang withdraw his gaze, Pei Six also let out a long breath and sneered, "Tsk, what’s with the fake flirting? It’s gross."

After that, Xu Sanlang and General Qiao started looking for shops to set up their trading company. Meanwhile, Gu Ran and Pei Six went to the He family's shop. After explaining General Qiao's requirements, He Qinghuan immediately agreed.

"Of course, it's good. If General Qiao can recommend people to help in the shop, we won't stand by if there are future issues in the shop, which adds another layer of protection to our He family's business."

"Who will be in charge of the shop in the inner city?"

"Naturally, it will be my mother. When we were in the county town, my father stayed at the dock to manage the stall, and my mother went to help at the seaport shop first. After bringing my aunt up to speed so she could handle things independently, my mother was transferred to manage the shop in the city. Now that we're about to open a second shop, my mother has more experience than my father." As He Qinghuan spoke, she called out to the busy Aunt He, "Right, Mom?"

"Ah, whatever our Huanhuan says is fine," Aunt He replied while working.

Both He Qinghuan and Gu Ran smiled.

"Sounds good. Just make sure to pick the right people from General Qiao’s recommendations."

"Okay, Senior Brother Lin is in the inner city. He lives close to the shop and can keep an eye on it during his free time."

"You guys are always busy with the shop. Are you keeping up with your studies?"

"We're fine. Don't underestimate me and Senior Brother Lin," He Qinghuan said with a smile, "The more we work, the better we get."

"Ah, yes, you two are amazing and capable," Gu Ran had to flatter them.

"By the way, did General Qiao really say he could help us find a shop and open a third branch?" He Qinghuan asked happily.

"You're dreaming," Gu Ran gave her a side-eye, "You should first consider whether the dried cactus leaves and konjac jelly transported from Jianzhou can meet the demands of this second branch."

"The cactus is well-cultivated. My grandfather's family has plenty of dried cactus leaves. For the third shop, we can just ask my uncle to plant a few more acres!" He Qinghuan pushed Gu Ran, "As for the konjac jelly, didn't you already get people from your village to start planting? Just ask them to expand the planting, and Mae Xiang has already been considering expansion."

"We'll have to wait until the yield increases and we have stock."

"Then, when you return, Miss Gu, can you talk to them?"

Gu Ran met He Qinghuan's gaze, her big, watery eyes staring directly at her.

Gu Ran had no choice.

"Alright, the second shop hasn't even opened yet, and you're already thinking about a third one. If we really open three shops, are you sure you can manage them?"

"Da Mao City is so big, and there are so many customers. Three shops will be enough." He Qinghuan said confidently, "If we have the cash, I’m thinking of opening another shop in the south end of town!"

"Tsk!" Gu Ran was exasperated, "Let's talk about it after I return."

"When you return, please talk to my Uncle Yang, the Mae family, and a few families in your village. We, the He family, will buy whatever is produced." He Qinghuan smiled, "I plan to write to Uncle Yang and my grandfather about this first!"

"Alright, alright, we'll do as you say."

In the end, General Qiao did not charge rent for the shop but instead took a share of the profits. He’ll take 20% of the profits every ten days, and the remaining 80% would be split equally between Gu Ran and He Qinghuan.

After the contract was signed, He Qinghuan began to select shop staff from the people General Qiao recommended while arranging the new shop's renovation.

Gu Ran didn’t intervene at all.

Since the shop would be managed by the He family in the future, it was only natural that He Qinghuan had the final say on who to employ, so as to avoid unnecessary trouble if the people she chose didn’t meet her expectations.

Seeing that the opening of the branch was being organized in an orderly manner, Gu Ran began to consider returning to Xiaxi Village as soon as possible.

Not only did she need to ask Village Head Wu and several other families to plant more aloe vera and konjac, but she also had a large tangerine orchard that required her attention. By this time, it was already the season for tangerine blossoms, so she needed to return quickly to oversee it.

Additionally, Xu San, who was currently looking at shops in the city to open a trading house, had sent word reminding her not to forget about this year’s red mushrooms—they needed to go into the mountains to harvest them for supply to Fusheng.

And the konjac jelly, every year ten jars of konjac jelly—wasn’t the raw material for that supposed to be harvested at this time of year? They couldn’t miss the season.

The message was essentially urging her to return to Xiaxi Village to get to work.

Since that was the case, it was time to go home!

Gu Ran first informed Erniang about her return, and then bid farewell to General Qiao.

Although General Qiao was reluctant, he understood that Gu Ran would eventually have to return to Xiaxi Village—after all, she had bought the entire island for the Gu Family business and couldn’t possibly neglect such a large tangerine orchard.

So, he agreed on this side, and on the other side, he instructed the overseer to arrange a carriage and went to Cang Harbor to book a ship ticket.

"Erniang, since you're all leaving, how about Xiaojinhua stays behind to keep me company!" General Qiao said, holding the furry ball and stroking its head.

Although Xiaojinhua's home was also in Xiaxi Village, she was now the most beloved companion of the general. Her bed was in his bedroom.

Knowing that this was the general’s beloved pet, no one in General Qiao’s household dared to neglect her. She was fed the finest fish and meat, and Xiaojinhua lived in luxury. Now round and sleek, she spent her days eating and sleeping, and occasionally fighting with Xiaodouhua.

Xiaodouhua was also well-fed, and if not for Pei Sixth Lady keeping the cats active by playing with them daily, she might have become as round as a ball.

"Alright, General Qiao, I can see that Xiaojinhua likes you. She can stay behind and keep you company!"

"But if Xiaojinhua stays, wouldn't she be lonely on her own? How about Xiaodouhua stays too, to keep her company?" General Qiao asked, pushing his luck.

Gu Ran looked at the two furry companions hugging and play-fighting, then turned to Pei Sixth Lady.

Xiaodouhua had been brought out by Pei Sixth Lady, so it was up to her to decide.

Pei Sixth Lady nodded, and General Qiao breathed a sigh of relief, his expression softening as he looked at the two furry pets.

He still remembered the many furry companions in the small cottage in Xiaxi Village. They were so festive and adorable, especially on cold winter nights when having two furry balls meant having two small heaters, making the cold much more bearable.

After sorting out the cat issue, General Qiao had the overseer bring several boxes of gold, silver, and some jade jewelry. Gu Ran was astonished and, after coming to her senses, repeatedly declined, "General Qiao, I know you're concerned about not having enough funds to settle your subordinates' families. Please keep these for yourself."

"They have theirs, and these are for you," General Qiao waved his hand, "I have the rewards from the Emperor and the Duke of Ding Sheng, these are not much."

"General Qiao?" Gu Ran still wanted to refuse.

She had already received rewards for saving lives from both the Emperor and the Duke of Ding Sheng, and had also received a gift from General Qiao back in the capital. Accepting more made her fear that her greed might get out of control.

"I said, you call me Grandfather, and I recognize you as my granddaughter. As your grandfather, all I can do for you is offer these modest gifts."

Later, Gu Ran learned that although the entire Qiao family had been wiped out, some distant relatives had secretly escaped to preserve their lineage.

Now that the injustice had been cleared, some of the surviving clan members dared to emerge and, upon learning of General Qiao’s return, they sought his protection.

General Qiao had already met with several distant relatives of the Qiao family and seemed to be planning to rebuild the family with the remaining members of the Qiao clan.

No wonder General Qiao’s spirits had been improving over these days—he had reunited with his family.

"It's a good thing, isn't it, General Qiao? You have your own family, so even if you stay in Da Mao City, you won't be alone!"

General Qiao laughed heartily. "Miss Erniang, you are also family to me, Qiao An. When you have time, you should come back to Da Mao City to visit me."

"Okay."

Gu Ran understood General Qiao's meaning and, to put him at ease, happily accepted the money he had given her.

Before bidding farewell, Gu Ran and Pei Sixth Lady packed their belongings and asked He Qinghuan and Lin Sanlang to come to the Qiao residence. They entrusted them with some items they had bought for their families, requesting them to take these things back to Xiaxi Village.

"Sure, our luggage isn't much anyway."

Many of Gu Ran's things had been moved into her spatial storage.

While discussing the new shop with He Qinghuan, Gu Ran took the chance to buy local specialties and food without Pei Sixth Lady. In the inner and outer cities of Da Mao City, she stocked up on various local products and snacks. For the items to be transported by cart or ship, she bought an extra set, but it wasn’t much.

As for Pei Sixth Lady, since she wasn’t sending gifts or stockpiling, she bought even less.

So, the luggage the two of them brought wasn't much.

At first, He Qinghuan and Lin Sanlang were worried that since they were just two ladies, it might be inconvenient for them to help carry things for both families. But seeing how little luggage they had, they felt relieved.

"By the way, did General Qiao arrange guards for you on the journey?"

"No need. The Qiao family's guards would have to return after seeing us off to Jianzhou, which would be too much trouble. So, we decided to hire an escort team to take us back," Gu Ran explained. "Don't worry, it's only a half-month journey, and we'll be careful. Right, Sixth?"

Pei Sixth Lady nodded.

Only then did He Qinghuan and Lin Sanlang feel at ease.

The night before they left, in her own room, Gu Ran quietly took out all the money, gold, and silver she had received from various rewards since leaving Xiaxi Village. She piled them on the bed and rubbed her hands together with a gleeful smile.

She had 1,800 taels of gold and silver left from the rewards given in the capital, and later, the Duke of Ding Sheng had rewarded her with another 600 taels. General Qiao had also given her more than 1,000 taels of gold and silver in total. That made nearly 4,000 taels of silver altogether.

Adding this pile of jade and gold items... wow, she had become a rich woman just by taking a trip away from Xiaxi Village!

So, was she considered to be returning home in glory, like a successful person coming back to their hometown?

Gu Ran was smiling happily when someone knocked on the door of her room. Startled, her smile froze, and she hurriedly tried to put away the gold and silver before opening the door. It was Sixth Miss!

Gu Ran let out a breath of relief. "Oh, Sixth Miss, what’s going on?"

"Something important."

Gu Ran glanced at her wealth, lifted the quilt to cover it, then went to open the door. Pei Sixth Lady was standing there with a bundle. "Have you packed your luggage?"

Pei Sixth Lady nodded and entered. "Let's talk inside."

Once inside, Pei Sixth Lady sat down at the table in the outer room and placed the bundle on the table. "Please keep these for me, Miss Sixth."

"Something important?" Gu Ran wondered. Otherwise, why call it an important matter?

"Want to see?" Pei Sixth Lady nodded toward the bundle.

Since she and Sixth Miss were close, Gu Ran figured it must be important. She opened the bundle to find a pile of gold and silver.

It seemed to be more rewards from various occasions, just like hers.

But it was clearly less than what I had.

"Sixth Miss, shouldn't you keep your own gold and silver yourself?"

"Isn't the gold and silver I earn usually kept by you for me?"

After he stopped working as an assassin, the largest sum of gold he earned was also deposited with her.

Gu Ran chuckled softly in response.

"These are for you to enjoy, alright?" Xu Sanlang said softly.

"Yes."

The journey back to Jianzhou would not be on an official ship, and without city officials to guard them, they feared potential dangers on the road. Sixth Miss, being skilled in combat, would serve as a guard, which involved fighting and made it inconvenient to carry her belongings. It made more sense for Gu Ran to keep them safe.

At least she had a place where, except for the bolts of cloth and silk that couldn’t fit inside, and the red salmon used as a decoy, everything else could be quietly kept inside without fear of loss.

"It's really good that we can go home tomorrow."

Counting the days, it had been almost half a year since they left Xiaxi Village. Time passed quickly!

"Yes!" Xu Sanlang looked at Gu Ran and nodded as well.

"I'm lucky to have Sixth Miss with me!"

When they left Xiaxi Village, Li Ji and the Shen family, who had been traveling with them, had already departed. Today, in Da Mao City, they were saying goodbye to General Qiao, Pei Sixth Lady, and the He family and Lin Sanlang.

Xu Sanlang looked at Gu Ran and nodded. "If you want, I can go anywhere with you."

"Yeah, Sixth Miss is great." Gu Ran did not delve deeper and smiled as she continued to nod.

In June, when the white tangerine blossoms still filled the orchard, Gu Ran and Xu Sanlang finally returned to Xiaxi Village.

Only then did Gu Ran realize how famous they had become after saving General Qiao and being summoned to the imperial capital to receive rewards from the Emperor.