Chapter 223: A Grown Lad Brings Fortune

Chapter 223: A Man Three Years Older Brings Gold Bricks.

"I have this confidence because the Glaze Workshop, generously provided by His Highness the Crown Prince, employs craftsmen transferred from the Guanyu Workshop in the capital."

Meng Wan pointed to one of the workshops behind him. "The Guanyu Workshop in the capital serves only the royal family. His Highness gave me this privilege, though it’s limited to making food containers; you should all understand what this means." Although the Crown Prince didn’t say it outright, Meng Wan was cautious. At the very least, he wouldn’t produce exquisite glassware to compete with the royal family after obtaining the Guanyu Workshop’s workers, unless he wanted to die sooner.

When it came to the untouchable royal family, those merchants became as docile as schoolchildren, sitting upright and refraining from interrupting, waiting for Meng Wan to explain.

Meng Wan was satisfied with their compliance. For certain reasons, he didn’t want to be too involved from then on. Having impressed these merchants this time, he probably wouldn’t need to appear personally at future trade meetings.

Thinking this, he got straight to the point. "You’ve all seen that the fruit preserve jar made from oranges can last six months without spoiling. In fact, if stored properly, it can even last two more months. If oranges can do this, then lychees, worth a thousand taels in the capital, can certainly do the same."

The trade meeting had finally reached its core.

If there was anything in Lingnan that the upper class had coveted before, it was lychees—worth a thousand taels per catty, and often unavailable even with silver. Transporting them required immense manpower and resources, exhausting the populace. Since the current emperor ascended the throne, he had only tasted them once, let alone ordinary folk.

If lychees could last six months without spoiling... heavens! The profit potential was unimaginable!!!

Meng Wan extended a pale, slender finger. "A jar of lychee preserves sold from the Zhen Guan Workshop costs ten taels of silver."

The merchants, expecting a hundred taels, felt their hearts sink. They were locals, knowing that local lychees were worthless, barely sustaining fruit farmers. The real value lay in the preservation process, which seemed to come from the glass jars. Unfortunately, they dared not produce glass themselves—it was a monopoly—so they had no choice but to buy from Meng Wan.

The sharp-witted already calculated: if they bought large quantities of lychee preserve jars from Meng Fulang and transported them to the capital, accounting for labor and transport losses, how many taels should they sell at to make a huge profit?

"Not just lychees. I mentioned earlier: pineapples from Qinzhou, bayberries from Liuzhou, nanmole (mango) from Lianzhou, bananas from Nanning..." Meng Wan ticked off his fingers and finally clasped them together. "I’m going to sell all these to every corner of Yu."

"Pineapples from Qinzhou and bayberries from Liuzhou can be made into preserve jars; nanmole from Lianzhou and bananas from Nanning can be made into dried fruit. If I later receive orders from those two regions, I’ll build another large drying yard."

"Everyone, I’ve laid it out for you. You’re not fools. Are you willing to take a chance with me?"

The rain intensified, pattering incessantly, but the sound couldn’t match the rapid beating of hearts. In the pavilion, merchants could hear their neighbors swallowing nervously.

Some young, bold merchants, originally sent by their fathers to gain experience, now had bloodshot eyes. If not held back by elder uncles, they would have rushed to Meng Wan to accept.

"Master, I want in!" Xiao Yu suddenly ran over from the factory, braving the rain.

His father, Yu Pi, was also sitting in the pavilion. These old hands weren’t unmoved, but they had concerns: How would the workshop price the fruit? How much fruit could it handle? What if they negotiated with fruit farmers in other places, only for Meng Fulang to change his mind? Too many unknowns needed negotiation. And the first to charge forward was his own son!

"Old Yu, isn’t that your Yandong? Why is he dressed like that?"

"You sly fox! So you sent your son to work at Zhen Guan Workshop!"

"What? No wonder... Old Yu, you’re a genius!"

"Who else would think of that!"

Yu Pi, teased by his old friends revealing his secret, smiled bitterly. "Don’t mock me. Since my son wants in, our Yu family will be the first to support Meng Fulang’s trade."

He bowed to them. "Elder brothers, I’m off. Think it over."

In the central pavilion, Tang Jinshuang looked at Xiao Yu as if seeing a ghost. "You? Want to do business with the master?"

Meng Wan had heard from Xue Sheng about a young man in Zhen Guan Workshop pestering Tang Jinshuang recently, but he didn’t know Xiao Yu’s real identity. Though clever, he couldn’t see everything like a prophet.

He asked Xiao Yu with interest, "How do you want to do business with me?"

Though Meng Wan often spoke with a smile, his presence was far more imposing than a cold-faced manager like Tang Jinshuang.

Xiao Yu dared not meet his eyes. The earlier excitement had cooled, and he stammered, "I... I want..."

"Yandong!" Yu Pi came over with an umbrella, calling him.

Meng Wan stood to greet him, surprised. "So Xiao Yu is related to the Yu family?"

Entering the pavilion, Yu Pi first bowed politely to Meng Wan, then patted his son’s back. "Forgive me, Meng Fulang. Yandong is my second son."

Worried about misunderstanding, he explained preemptively, "It was my idea for him to work at Zhen Guan Workshop. As you can see, he’s impulsive and blunt. I wanted him to learn in your workshop, without any ulterior motives. He hasn’t been home since joining."

Meng Wan found this Yu interesting. He invited him to sit. "No need to be nervous, Elder Yu. I’m not unreasonable. You dared to send your son to train under me, which shows you value the development of Zhen Guan Workshop. I’m delighted." Then he changed tone. "But after the Qin family fell, your Yu family is the most influential merchant in Xi Wu Prefecture. I do need you to take a lead."

Though polite, his tone left no room for refusal. Even if Yu Yandong hadn’t stepped forward, Meng Wan would have sought out the Yu family.

Yu Pi was decisive; otherwise, he wouldn’t have ignored his wife and mother’s objections to send his son to work as a laborer. He hesitated for only three seconds before deciding to align with Meng Wan.

"It’s an honor for our Yu family to do business with Meng Fulang. Our family made its fortune in cloth, but we’ve dabbled in other trades. What does Meng Fulang have in mind?" Yu Pi stared at Meng Wan, afraid of displeasing him.

Meng Wan didn’t stand on ceremony. He pointed at Yu Yandong. "I think Xiao Yu is promising. May I borrow him?"

Whether he liked it or not, Yu Pi showed a joyful face. "It’s my son’s blessing to be of use. Whatever you need, just say."

Meng Wan continued eating his orange preserves leisurely. "I want Xiao Yu to organize a caravan, specifically for transporting fruit and finished preserve jars."

"Organize a caravan?" Yu Pi was surprised.

Not that he looked down on his son, but organizing a caravan was no easy task. It required courage, strategy, calmness, knowledge of routes, commodity prices, and negotiation skills. His own caravan had taken years to train. His novice son would surely be cheated blind.

Meng Wan understood the difficulty. He thought of Third Master Zhu, who braved wind and rain every year, sometimes encountering bandits. Fortunately, his caravan mostly comprised former guards from Fourth Master Zhu’s team—tall and strong, they could fight their way out. Otherwise, a year’s hard work might be lost.

But Meng Wan’s envisioned caravan was different. With the venture still small, he didn’t need to elaborate yet.

"Your family has its own cloth shops and dyeing workshops. That reminds me of another business. Interested, Elder Yu?"

Yu Pi obliged. "Please, speak freely."

Meng Wan mentioned the coarse cloth and Zhuang brocade from Zhuang Village. Zhuang brocade wasn’t impossible for outsiders to learn, but the process was more complex. Danimei’s small shop would benefit more by partnering with the Yu family, and the beautiful cloth woven by the Zhuang people could reach farther markets. With him overseeing, the Yu family wouldn’t dare cheat her or the Zhuang people.

Later, more merchants came to Meng Wan, discussing fruit purchases or buying finished products to sell elsewhere. All received satisfactory answers.

Once enough people bought fruit, ordinary folk would see the profit and contract barren hills to plant orchards. Middlemen would sell the fruit to factories, which processed and sold it to other merchants, forming a perfect supply chain to boost the fruit industry of Xi Wu Prefecture and all Lingnan.

For now, Meng Wan only needed to guide everyone to their roles and smooth the process.

The rain grew heavier. Merchants began to leave the pavilion, some going with managers to tour the workshops under umbrellas.

Meng Wan finished all the opened jars and then rested his chin, staring blankly at the continuous rain curtain. His mind wandered through various matters until Xue Sheng whispered, "Fulang, it seems the master has come to fetch you."

"Huh?" Meng Wan shook off his thoughts, stood abruptly, and leaned over the table to look out.

White mist grew thicker near the rain clouds, making figures beyond ten meters indistinct. Song Tingzhou’s carriage arrived at the pavilion’s edge before they realized.

Tao Shi, in a straw cape, drove the carriage but was half-soaked by the heavy rain. "Fulang, with such rain, did anyone come to your trade meeting?"

His genuine concern earned him a kick from Song Tingzhou behind him.

"The weather's bad, so it's only natural that fewer people showed up. Another day, we could gather everyone at home instead." Song Tingzhou closed his umbrella and set it upright against a wooden pillar, holding a tightly wrapped food box. He spoke to Meng Wan in a calm tone.

How could Meng Wan not hear the comfort in his words? Taking Song Tingzhou's hand, he sat down and said, "Don't worry. Most have already come. I just sent them back to the city early because the rain was too heavy."

He returned to his previous dazed state, resting his chin on one hand as he spoke to Song Tingzhou, but this time his eyes weren't vacant—they were brimming with affectionate smiles.

He had long since forgotten when it began, but this man had always liked to come pick him up.

"All gone? How did the talks go?" Song Tingzhou breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Though he knew that they were only human and couldn't control everything, he truly wanted everything to go smoothly for Meng Wan.

Meng Wan looked at that handsome face he’d seen for nearly ten years without tiring, and the corners of his lips naturally curled upward. "Pretty well. They were all afraid I’d tattle on them to you, so they cooperated nicely."

"Heh." Song Tingzhou let out a soft laugh. Just knowing he could protect Meng Wan from being bullied by others filled him with deep contentment.

He opened the food box on the table. Inside were two steaming trays of dumplings, a plate of osmanthus cakes, a plate of thousand-layer cake, and a small bottle of aged vinegar.

"Wow, there are even dumplings here!" Meng Wan had sat in the pavilion for most of the day, eating nothing but a jar of preserves, and he was genuinely hungry now.

"It rained today, so I let everyone go home. I didn't go back either—I bought these dumplings from a stall near the government office. Try them and see if they're good." Song Tingzhou took out bowls and chopsticks from a cloth bag and set them out for him.

Meng Wan couldn't wait to pick up a dumpling and put it in his bowl, then poured a little vinegar. The dumplings were thin-skinned and generously filled; one bite released rich, savory meat into his mouth. He devoured it in a few bites, squinting with happiness. "So good, so good! There wasn't a dumpling shop in the city before, was there?"

Song Tingzhou placed another in his bowl. "It just opened the day before yesterday. The stall owner is from the north; his son came to do business here, so the old couple set up a small stall to sell dumplings."

"Not bad. It tastes almost like the ones my mother makes." Meng Wan picked up a dumpling that hadn't touched the vinegar and fed it to Song Tingzhou's mouth. "Have a few too, so I won't have to deal with leftovers."

They shared the dumplings, but they couldn't just let the others watch them eat with hungry eyes. Song Tingzhou distributed the pastries to the others in the pavilion. "Leave one thousand-layer cake for Wan'er; the rest is for you all to share."

Xue Sheng was used to this by now and sat at the farthest end to watch the rain and eat his cake. Tao Shiyi, more lively, chatted a bit with one person and then bantered with another.

Tang Jinshuang stood behind Xue Sheng, looking a bit embarrassed to stay close to Meng Wan. "Master and Lord Song—have they always been... this close?"

Xue Sheng finished his cake and patted his hands. "It's been many years. It's never changed."

Tang Jinshuang sighed softly, moved. "How wonderful..." After enduring so much suffering, he once thought he was in hell; he never expected to see such beautiful emotions in this world.

"Manager Tang! Um... have you met my father yet?" A voice suddenly cut in from behind, ruining the mood.

Tang Jinshuang instantly put on a stern face and lowered his voice to scold, "I met with Squire Yu with the Master to discuss business!"

Yu Yandong twisted awkwardly closer. "That still counts as seeing your elder, doesn't it?"

No matter how cold Tang Jinshuang was, the veins on his forehead bulged, feeling helpless. "I'm three years older than you!"

Yu Yandong's eyes lit up, growing even more excited. "As the old saying goes: 'A guy three years older brings gold bricks to your doorstep.' Three years is perfect!"

"Cough!" Xue Sheng nearly spat out the cake in his mouth. What the hell, 'a guy three years older brings gold bricks'—which ancestor ever said that?