Category: The Big Landlord

Prev | Contents | Next

Chapter 149.1 – Beef Jerky

Three days later, An Zi Ran came to take over Boss Sun’s teahouse, as agreed upon. He brought Cook Wang and Zhou Lao Han’s wife with him.

He did not intent to get overly involved in the opening and running of the restaurant. He planned to do what he did in An Yuan County and just let the two of them run things and develop new recipes.

Boss Sun had already tidied up everything two days ago, so he was just waiting for them to arrive in order to hand over the keys.

At the teahouse across the street

A man and his wife stood in front of the window on the second floor of the teahouse, and through the half-opened window they could see everything that was happening in front of Boss Sun’s teahouse.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

An Zi Ran and Fu Wu Tian did not make them wait too long, and soon arrived with a group of people to the teahouse.

The head chef Cook Wang and Zhou Lao Han’s wife were both related to the An family, so outsiders who were interested could easily trace the link to Prince Fu’s Mansion. That’s why they did not intend to hide their identities this time.

“How is it? Can you see who it is?”

The wife, Bao-shi*, heard the noise from outside and vaguely saw many people appearing at the teahouse door, but she couldn’t see anyone from the front, so she immediately asked her husband anxiously.

[*T/N: Bao 包 is the wife’s maiden name and shi 氏 is a suffix indicating a married woman. Women don’t take their husband’s surname in China.]

The teahouse was very important to them and concerned whether or not they could genuinely gain a foothold in the Zhuo family.

“Don’t be noise. I’m still looking.” The man narrowed his eyes and stared at the two people at the center of the group. The two people had their backs turned to him, so he could not see their faces, and up until they went inside the teahouse, he was still unable to catch a glimpse of their faces.

The man cursed secretly and directly opened the window.

Bao-shi immediately stuck her head out the window. Most of the group have already entered the teahouse. There were only a few people scattered at the door, and they dispersed after a while.

Support the translator. Read this on: vmnovels.com

“Forget it. I will find someone to make inquires when the time comes.” The man hesitated for a while and then gave up.

He could have gone over to have a look, but if Boss Sun found out his identity, it’s hard to guarantee that he would not tell that person. He still wanted to suppress the other side without anyone knowing.

Bao-shi shook her head. “What if you can’t find out anything?”

Those people were newcomers. They would definitely be on guard.

The man frowned and thought deeply for a while. Like a person determined to see something through to the end, he suddenly said, “Even if we don’t find out anything it doesn’t matter. I don’t believe that I can’t beat them. I defeated one Boss Sun, so I can make these new people pack up and leave too. In short, I’m definitely going to get Boss Sun’s teahouse. Anyways, there’s still half a year left of the time that father’s given me.”

The man made a solemn vow, but he could not foresee that half a month later the teahouse on the opposite side of the street would became a restaurant.

On the other side, Bao Hua Gambling House already knew that their plan against the cattle farmer had failed again. The matter had passed for a while, but the cattle farmer did not seem to be anxious, so they knew that the cattle farmer must have found a way out of the quagmire.

What surprised them was who could have such a big appetite as to be able to stomach all that fresh meat?

Translations by Vanilla Muse. Read on vmnovels [dot] com

They were at a loss, but they were also excited, because whoever bought the fresh meat must be the person behind the scenes of Tian Long Gambling House. As long as they found out who bought a large amount of raw meat during this period, or who used such a large quantity of raw meat, they would be able to determine the identity of the person.

But when they started investigating, they could not find any traces.

There was no one who had suddenly produced a large quantity of fresh meat, and no one selling a large amount of raw meat. Everything was calm as usual.

After suffering successive lost, Fu Yuan Jian was about to go crazy.

“We can’t keep going on like this,” Jiang Sheng looked hesitantly at the angry jianwang. Ever since the opening of Tian Long Gambling House, they haven’t won once.

Fu Yuan Jian snorted coldly: “This prince does not believe that he cannot find the one behind this. How is the cow bone trail going?”

Jiang Sheng replied, “The other party’s defense is watertight, so… we haven’t found anything yet.”

“Useless trash, it’s been so many days and you still haven’t found anything?!” Fu Yuan Jian cursed without warning. He thought that he could find an answer faster if he started on the trail of the cow bones. The mountain of cow bones presented such a large target, but they still lost track of the trail.

Jiang Sheng did not dare to speak up for himself.

Prev | Contents | Next

---

Want to Read Ahead?

For $7 a month get a total of 45 advance chapters and a streamlined reading experience with ad-free chapters on Patreon.

Click here for the full Advance Chapters T.O.C. of TBL

Become a Patron!

The Big Landlord

Chapter 152.2
Chapter 152.1
Chapter 151.3
Chapter 151.2
Chapter 151.1
Chapter 150.2
Chapter 150.1
Chapter 149.3
Chapter 149.2

Let Me Shoulder this Blame!

Chapter 173
Chapter 172
Chapter 171
Chapter 170
Chapter 169
Chapter 168
Chapter 167
Chapter 166
Chapter 165

Male Lead 2 and Male Lead 3 Happy Ending!

Chapter 114
Chapter 113
Chapter 112
Chapter 111
Chapter 110
Chapter 109
Chapter 108
Chapter 107
Chapter 106
Chapter 105
Chapter 104

Didn’t Love You Enough

Chapter 114
Chapter 113
Chapter 112
Chapter 111
Chapter 110
Chapter 109
Chapter 108
Chapter 107

This Alpha’s Pheromones Are Exploding

Chapter 136
Chapter 135
Chapter 134
Chapter 133
Chapter 132
Chapter 131
Chapter 130
Chapter 129
Chapter 128

Prev | Contents | Next

Chapter 148.2 – Meeting

On the other side, Fu Yi came to the agreed upon restaurant. The restaurant was not opened by the Zhuo family, but by a businessman who had business dealings with Fu Yi. Knowing that Fu Yi wanted to discuss business with the head of the Zheng family, that businessman had specially arranged a quiet room for them where they would not be disturbed.

Zheng Jun Qi arrived early. This business deal with Prince Fu’s Mansion would be the only chance for the Zheng family to make a comeback, so it must be treated with caution.

Thinking of this, Zheng Jun Qi could not help but look down at the pink clothes on her body, and then she touched her face. Normally, she did not put on makeup, but today there was some powder on her face. She was somewhat exasperated. Her mother found out that she was going to discuss business with someone from Prince Fu’s Mansion and that the other party was still unmarried, so she made Zheng Jun Qi dress up nicely despite her wishes.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

Zheng Jun Qi really wanted to disregard her image and just roll her eyes. It’s not like she was going on a blind date.

Not long after, Fu Yi finally arrived.

The two exchanged a few pleasantries with each other, and then got straight to the point. It did not look like the lovey-dovey image that Mother Zheng had imagined at all.

“Mr. Fu, can I ask you something?”

Fu Yi nodded. “Please speak.”

Zheng Jun Qi gathered herself and then asked, “Why did you seek out my Zheng family?” She knew very well that the Zheng family did not have any benefits worth targeting. Naturally, there was also nothing to attract the other party to do business with them, so she’s been puzzled all this time.

At the gathering three days ago, Fu Yi had answered this question, but she did not take it as a serious answer, because she could tell that the real answer must not be said during that occasion.

Fu Yi knew that she was a smart woman, so it was no surprise that she was able to guess this point, and he also liked dealing with straightforward people.

“The reason is simple. I need a lot of textile machines, but I want others to think that the number is lower than it actually is.”

Zheng Jun Qi understood instantly.

And she finally knew why the other party had approached her.

This kind of behavior could also be considered a type of commercial competition tactic. They wanted to fool other people and prevent them from knowing the depths of their plans. Then when the moment came, they could catch the others by surprise.

Support the translator. Read this on: vmnovels.com

As for what Fu Yi planned to do after he got the textile machines, this was not something that she needed to inquire about. Hearing Fu Yi’s response made Zheng Jun Qi feel relieved. It was good that there was a reason. If the other party approached her out of the blue, then she would be very concerned.

Zheng Jun Qi then asked: “How many textile machines does Mr. Fu want?”

The Zheng family’s workshop was not large. At most it could be considered a medium-sized workshop, and they only had about a hundred workers. If he asked for too many, she was worried that they would not be able to complete the order in time.

Fu Yi replied, “I need at least one hundred textile machines.”

Textile machine was a collective term for spinning wheels and weaving machines, but they were two separate things. So when he said one hundred, it could mean one hundred spinning wheels and one hundred weaving machines. This was a much bigger order than the one the Zhuo family had given the Zheng family.

Zheng Jun Qi frowned and said in embarrassed, “Mr. Fu, with the scale of the Zheng workshop, I am afraid that this amount cannot be made in a short time.”

“Miss Zheng doesn’t have to worry about this problem. The textile machines that I want do not need to be produced immediately. I think three or four months should be enough time.” Fu Yi said.

Zheng Jun Qi was overjoyed and relieved at the same time.

Three or four months were indeed enough time. At first, she thought that Fu Yi had wanted her to make them within a month or two. With such a tight schedule, even if all her workers worked overtime and overnight it would not be enough.

After, Fu Yi proposed going to the Zheng workshop for a tour and Zheng Jun Qi gladly agreed.

After three years of hard work, the Zheng workshop was at a much better place than it was at the beginning. They could not compete with others in terms of quantity, so she required that their products must pass the quality test and even be better than other workshops’ quality. So all of their customers were basically repeat customers.

After touring the place, Fu Yi was very satisfied.

What he needed was precisely a quality workshop. So he signed a contract with Zheng Jun Qi that very same day.

Translations by Vanilla Muse. Read on vmnovels [dot] com

There were a total of two contracts; one was for more than a hundred textile machines while the other one was for approximately thirty textile machines. The smaller order was used to deceive outsiders, but the machines would still be put to good use. They were going to replace the old machines in Fu Yi’s clothing workshop. The money for this order came from An Zi Ran’s pockets and was considered a reward for Fu Yi’s help.

While the textile machines were being mass-produced, over at Chang Province construction had already started.

On the way back from Ali Xiang, Fu Wu Tian had sent Guan Su and Shao Fei directly to Chang Province, so they have not been seen during this time.

Zhong Yue did not go with them. Rather, she was with Ge Qian An all this time. After Fu Yuan Fan left, the gambling house and other properties were handed over to her and Ge Qian An. An Ziran only had to read the account books at the end of each month.

Prev | Contents | Next

As requested by VIP Choice, today’s bonus update goes to TBL. This one is for you ShanHu! ^-^

---

Prev | Contents | Next

Chapter 148.1 – Meeting

After successfully meeting with Zheng Jun Qi – the current head of the Zheng family – at the meeting of the Chamber of Commerce the other day, Fu Yi then made an appointment with her to discuss the textile machines.

The Zheng family was not the largest textile machine production workshop in Jun Zi City. Compared to all the big-name businessmen in the capital, the Zheng family’s workshop could only be ranked in the somewhere between the lower and middle level.

The news that Fu Yi had taken the initiative to talk to Zheng Jun Qi at the meeting that day has spread.

After hearing the news, many merchants who had a hand in the textile machine production business took the opportunity to extend an olive branch to Fu Yi. They promised to give Prince Fu’s Mansion an even greater discount, keeping their profits very low, in hopes of creating a connection with Prince Fu’s Mansion.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

To their surprise, Fu Yi was not tempted, and he rejected them one by one. He only wanted the Zheng family to manufacture the textile machines that he needed.

Everyone witnessed this kind of abnormal reaction. Fu Yi was deliberately protecting the Zheng family.

Regarding this, there was only one thought in everyone’s mind, which was the Zheng family was finally going to make a comeback. Those who originally wanted to kick the Zheng family while they were down restrained themselves. It was important to please the Zhuo family, but to offend Prince Fu’s Mansion while doing so was just asking for death.

However, everyone was wondering when did Zheng Jun Qi form a connection with the head butler of Prince Fu’s Mansion?

Later, some people came to the conclusion that Fu Yi had yet to take a wife and Zheng Jun Qi had yet to marry. The man was handsome, while the woman was okay in looks; at the very least she was attractive when she smiled. So wasn’t this a case of a talented woman and a handsome man* made a good pair?

[*T/N: The original saying is 男才女貌, which means “a talented man and a beautiful woman [make an ideal couple].” Here the author flipped it around to “a talented woman and a handsome man” instead.]

Everyone who felt that they had touched upon the truth immediately restrained any and all leftover thoughts they had of bullying the Zheng family. If Zheng Jun Qi and the head steward of Prince Fu’s Mansion got married, then the one that they would have to curry favor with would be her and not with the Zhuo family. Therefore, she was not someone that they could easily offend.

Everyone’s guesses were far from the truth, but who could say for sure what would happen in the future?!

Support the translator. Read this on: vmnovels.com

Knowing that Uncle was going out to meet up with Zheng Jun Qi, An Zi Ran secretly winked at Fu Wu Tian, who immediately stood up knowingly.

“Uncle, wangfei needs a lot of textile machines. A conservative estimate is still in the hundreds, so you need to pay more attention to the quality of the machines. Why don’t you take this opportunity to have Miss Zheng take you on a tour of the Zheng workshop today?”

Upon hearing this, Fu Yi took a long look at this pair of husbands. He gave a noncommittal respond and then left the mansion.

When Fu Wu Tian sat down, An Zi Ran pressed his shoulder in satisfaction.

He was already seventeen this year. He was about three or four centimeters taller than he was last year. Although he has only reached Fu Wu Tian’s shoulders, there was still a lot of room for growth in the future. He was sure that he could reach 1.8 meters in height. Then he should not be that much shorter than Fu Wu Tian.

Fu Wu Tian held his hand instead. He caressed An Zi Ran’s palm affectionately. “Wangfei, this prince has accomplished the task you gave me excellently, is there any reward?”

An Zi Ran arched an eyebrow.

Fu Wu Tian lowered his head suggestively and tapped the back of his hand.

An Zi Ran wanted to pull his hand back, but Fu Wu Tian held on to him tightly. After a moment of hesitation, Fu Wu Tian’s handsome face was already in front of him, and the tips of their noses were touching each other in an almost intimate manner. It felt like there was a small electrical current spreading throughout his body from the point of contact.

“Wangfei…”

Fu Wu Tian called to him softly. His voice was deeper than usual. It was like there were hands plucking at his heartstrings.

An Zi Ran’s eyelashes trembled slightly. He found that it was getting harder and harder for him resist Fu Wu Tian’s face and voice. Clearly, he has never cared for handsome faces or nice voices before.

Translations by Vanilla Muse. Read on vmnovels [dot] com

He didn’t know if Fu Wu Tian has realized this about him, but lately the man has been deliberately looking for opportunities to get close to him. Moreover, he liked to speak in a low voice in An Zi Ran’s ear, very treacherously grasping his “weakness.” This man was simply too vile!

Fu Wu Tian was not in a hurry. He looked down at An Zi Ran and was about to call to him again. That was when he saw his wangfei suddenly lifting his head. The youth had an expression of determination on his face. He tilted his head and then kissed Fu Wu Tian on the lips. The youth’s tongue was a bit clumsy, but he still burst into Fu Wu Tian’s mouth with confidence. His kiss was similar to the way that Fu Wu Tian normally kissed: his tongue swirling and shoving everywhere inside.

Just as Fu Wu Tian was about to take back the initiative in the kiss, An Zi Ran abruptly withdrew his tongue as if he had sensed the other man’s intention.

A silver thread of saliva connected their lips for a moment before snapping in two. Half of the thread hung on An Zi Ran’s lips. It was such an alluring picture. And then, his wangfei suddenly extended his tongue to lick up the string of saliva.

Fu Wu Tian hugged An Zi Ran’s waist tightly.

An Zi Ran put both of his hands on Fu Wu Tian’s chest to stop him. He looked down at the man’s bulging tent and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. “Wangye, we still have to go out in a moment.”

Fu Wu Tian suddenly discovered that his wangfei was actually very vengeful. “I’ll have my revenge on you tonight.”

An Zi Ran did not twitch a single iota. They’d deal with the evening affairs in the evening. Besides it was not certain who would come out on top!

Prev | Contents | Next

Prev | Contents | Next

Chapter 147 – The Quick-Footed Climb Up First

Boss Sun was a rich middle-aged man with a beer belly. When he smiled, he looked a little bit like Maitreya – the Bodhisattva that came after Shakyamuni Buddha. His features were more on the righteous side. He did not have the unscrupulous sycophantic behavior of the kind of businessman that people found loathsome. Only someone like him would be willing to part with a teahouse that had good development prospects.

The teahouse was located near the intersection of the street. This place saw a lot of foot traffic on the daily. An Zi Ran heard that when the flow of people was at its highest, this teahouse could have close to a thousand customers a day.

To sell the teahouse like this, even An Zi Ran – an outsider – felt pity for Boss Sun. But if Boss Sun were not willing to sell, then An Zi Ran would not be able to get such a good place.

Boss Sun immediately invited the two of them to sit down, and then he had the shopkeeper serve up a pot of good tea.

The reason his teahouse could stay open until now was not because it lacked good tea. However, the price of good tea was expensive, so not many people could afford to buy it. And it was impossible for him to lower the price of his products without regards for profit like the rivaling teahouse.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

Boss Sun was a conscientious businessman, and he did not come from a rich family background, so he could not squander money frivolously. As a result, he could only close down the shop.

Fu Wu Tian picked up a cup of tea and handed it to An Zi Ran.

An Zi Ran received the cup of tea and took a sip. Then he looked at Boss Sun who was sizing them up. He said, “Boss Sun, how about you straightforwardly state a price?”

This was the first time Boss Sun had met such a straightforward person, and it took him a while to react. Observing the clothes that these two men wore, it was obvious that the fabric was not something that ordinary people could afford. Then there was the temperament. It was the most outstanding out of all the people he’s met before. This was especially so of the man next to the young man. The man’s body emitted an aura that made one afraid.

After thinking about it, Boss Sun quoted a slightly higher price. He has put a lot of painstaking effort into this teahouse. He would not have chosen to sell it if he did not have to.

In order to buy this teahouse, Boss Sun almost went bankrupt in the past. Results showed that his investment has paid off. No one knew the worth of this teahouse better than him.

“Deal.” An Zi Ran agreed to the price.

How could An Zi Ran not know what Boss Sun was thinking? This price was within his expectations. In fact, it was even a little lower than what he had anticipated. This Boss Sun was an honest one. He did not have the intent of extorting An Zi Ran under false pretenses. It was so rare to see businessmen with principle.

When An Zi Ran agreed so readily, a flash of joy flickered across Boss Sun’s face. He did not get angry with himself for not quoting a higher price. He knew that one should not be too greedy. This price was already higher than what the previous buyer had offered.

After reaching an agreement, Boss Sun decided to immediately sign over the transfer papers to the teahouse. He didn’t want to drag things out and court trouble.

An Zi Ran also thought the same thing.

When Ge Qian An told him that he had found a suitable place, he also said something else that was interesting.

The teahouse across the street was actually a property of the Zhuo family.

The Zhuo family was the richest merchant family in the capital and their businesses covered a wide range of areas, but they’ve only gotten into the teahouse business in the past two years.

Support the translator. Read this on: vmnovels.com

In order to take over Boss Sun’s teahouse and turn it into a Zhuo family teahouse, they opened up a teahouse across the street and deliberately lowered their prices to compete with malicious intent. In the end they succeeded in forcing Boss Sun to sell his teahouse.

The buyer who came to Boss Sun a month ago was actually from the Zhuo family. They wanted to buy Boss Sun’s teahouse at a low price so they even pulled some tricks in secret, making it so that no one dared to buy Boss Sun’s teahouse. This way Boss Sun would be forced to sell to them in the end.

Boss Sun did not seem to be aware of any of this.

If it were not for An Zi Ran showing up out of nowhere, Boss Sun would probably have ended up selling his teahouse to the Zhuo family at a low price.

Fu Wu Tian always carried around a stack of banknotes on his person. Presently, he took out a lump sum and handed it over to Boss Sun.

“Boss Sun, count and see if the amount if correct.”

On the contrary, Boss Sun directly tucked the banknotes away without counting them. He shook his head and said with a smile: “You two are the most forthright and open-minded people I have ever met. Such people will never lie to me. I also believe that the dignified junwang has no reason to cheat a small businessman like myself.”

Both An Zi Ran and Fu Wu Tian looked at Boss Sun.

“You’ve seen benwang before?” Fu Wu Tian did not try to hide his identity.

Greatly honored, Boss Sun said, “Last year, this insignificant one had the fortune to witness junwang’s return to the capital. I did not dare to forget the sight. As for this gongzi, you must be junwangfei.” He looked at An Zi Ran.

An Zi Ran was a little surprised. The man before him was smarter than he had initially thought. Thinking of this, he suddenly looked at the other man and said, “Boss Sun is so smart. Perhaps you already know that the teahouse across the street is owned by the Zhuo family and that the buyer from before is also part of the Zhuo family?”

Boss Sun did not try to hide his knowledge anymore. “This insignificant one can only roughly guess who is behind that teahouse, but cannot be certain that it is the Zhuo family.”

All of the Zhuo family’s properties had an iconic design, but the teahouse across the street did not have this design, so Boss Sun could not be certain. He only knew that the owner must have some prestige within the capital.

“But you still wanted to sell the teahouse to the Zhuo family?”

Boss Sun revealed a hint of helplessness. “I have no choice but to sell it. The Zhuo family is rich and powerful. How can a small-time businessman like me go against them? I know it would only benefit them, but if there are no other buyers then I can only sell it to them.”

More and more, An Zi Ran felt that this Boss Sun was a very open-minded businessman. “Boss Sun, if there is an opportunity in the future, I hope we can work together once again.”

Translations by Vanilla Muse. Read on vmnovels [dot] com

Boss Sun blinked his eyes. The pie that fell from the sky* has knocked him into a daze. At the moment his teahouse went bankrupt, he actually managed to grab onto this high branch called Prince Fu’s Mansion. Although the luck came just a tad late, with An Zi Ran’s words, Prince Fu’s Mansion would not turn him away should he have any problems in the future.

[*T/N: Pie that fell from the sky = something good landing in one’s lap]

“Of course! Of course!”

Boss Sun was so excited that he almost wanted to hold An Zi Ran’s hand. Good thing he remembered that this young man in front of him was the junwangfei, and that the junwang was sitting right there watching them.

After seeing the two men out the door, the shopkeeper and the waiter found that Boss Sun seemed to be a good mood, especially when they knew that he had just sold the teahouse to these two people. They became even more curious.

They knew that Boss Sun had been running this teahouse for more than ten years, so he would definitely feel sad if he sold it and he would naturally be in a bad mood, but the result was different from what they imagined. Could it be that the other party offered a very high price?

Prev | Contents | Next

Prev | Contents | Next

Chapter 146.2 – Teahouse

An Zi Ran was not a foodie in his previous life, but there were many foodies around him, so he ended up learning about a lot of food that he has never eaten, such as the popular borscht soup, which many people liked to drink. He recalled that the main raw ingredient of borscht soup was beef. Other than that, he also told the two how to make hamburgers. The meat in the middle could be made from beef, pork, chicken, etc.

Hamburger was one of the top five fast foods in the western world.

Since it was fast food, it was naturally convenient food.

Zhou Lao Han’s daughter-in-law and Chef Wang quickly came to this conclusion, and even without An Zi Ran there to point the way, they came up with the idea to put several patties of meat in the middle to make a multi-layered hamburger for those with a bigger appetites.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

With a goal, the two became even more excited. They stayed in the kitchen all day long, tinkering with the many things that they had never seen before.

They came up with various new recipes before the opening of the An family restaurant.

This time, An Zi Ran did not open the restaurant in the busiest street of the East District, because that place was already saturated with eateries. He wanted to buy a ready-made restaurant but no one was willing to sell. Those who were willing to sell were located in relatively remote places where there was less foot traffic.

In the end, An Zi Ran set his sights on the West District.

Although the West District was not as prosperous as the East District, the flow of people there was catching up to that of East District. There were also quite a few restaurants, teahouses, and eateries here – some were even chain stores – but there was still room for a new restaurant.

Some wealthy businessmen in Jun Zi City valued the prosperous East District more.

On this day, An Zi Ran and Fu Wu Tian came to the busiest street of the West District. This was the largest street in the West District, thus the foot traffic was more concentrated here. It would be better to open a restaurant here.

Support the translator. Read this on: vmnovels.com

Two days ago, Ge Qian An heard that there was a boss surnamed Sun who wanted to sell his teahouse. Just the outside of his teahouse was as big as three storefronts. The business of the teahouse used to be very good, but ever since a new teahouse opened right across the street, his business suffered.

If it were just the usual type of business competition, then there would be no need for Boss Sun to sell his teahouse.

He didn’t know if it was intentional or not, but the tea in the newly opened teahouse was better than his in terms of taste and price.

Boss Sun had sent someone out to inquire about it. The other party’s tea was indeed very good, but their profits were not high, so much so that it was very possible the other party was suffering a lost, so he was certain that the other party would fall to ruin in the process of targeting him.

Later, the business in his teahouse became worse and worse. Boss Sun knew that the other party must have an influential background. He was just a small businessman. He would not be able to fight against the other teahouse without a backer, so he decided to sell his teahouse. Either way, he has made a lot of money over the years, so he could go to another place to resume his business.

Thus, Boss Sun started to look for a buyer.

A month ago, a buyer came to his door, and the other party offered an okay price to buy his teahouse, but the price was a little lower than what Boss Sun had expected. He was thinking that there might be other buyers more opened to paying a higher price, he wanted to shop around, so he didn’t immediately agree to the proposal.

Perhaps it was because his teahouse was too big and no one was willing to take the risk with it, but no other buyer came to look for him after that.

Not long after, the buyer from one month ago came back.

Because Boss Sun did not give the other party a reply for a long time, the other side was hinting at the idea of giving up the purchase, so Boss Sun became anxious.

Just when Boss Sun was hesitating over what to do, Ge Qian An, who was ordered to find a suitable place to open a restaurant, appeared in front of him, and expressed that his master intended to buy the teahouse, so the two made an appointment to meet, which was today.

An Zi Ran and Fu Wu Tian followed the address provided by Ge Qian An and came to Boss Sun’s teahouse.

The size of the teahouse was indeed as big as Ge Qian An had told them, but compared with the bustling teahouse on the other side of the street, it could almost be called deserted.

You could count the number of customers on your fingers. The waiter was dozing off with his upper body sprawled across a table and it was still early in the morning. The shopkeeper flicked the beads on an abacus senselessly. The clacking of the beads sounded weak and lifeless. The entire teahouse was suffused with a drowsy atmosphere.

Translations by Vanilla Muse. Read on vmnovels [dot] com

Hearing the sound of footsteps, the shopkeeper looked up. He gave them a once over. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, his eyes lit up, and he hurried out from behind the counter to stand in front of them.

“Sirs, did you come here to look for Boss Sun?”

It was apparent that Boss Sun had told the shopkeeper ahead of time that there would be two men coming to look for him, but the shopkeeper didn’t expect them to come so damn early.

An Zi Ran nodded.

The shopkeeper immediately led them to the second floor, saying that Boss Sun was already waiting for them.

Along the way, An Zi Ran took a look at the layout of the teahouse. The teahouse was probably getting on in years for the walls of the place have begun to show signs of peeling. It would definitely cost a lot of money to renovate the place. It was no wonder Boss Sun chose to sell the teahouse.

Prev | Contents | Next

Prev | Contents | Next

Chapter 146.1 – Teahouse

An Zi Ran and Fu Wu Tian didn’t know what happened at the Chamber of Commerce meeting.

At this time, they had just arrived at the small farm in the suburbs.

The gathering was held in a large and well-known restaurant in Jun Zi City. Rumor has it that the restaurant belonged to the Zhuo family. The restaurant’s location was very close to Prince Fu’s Mansion, and Fu Yi arrived at the destination quickly.

Knowing that An Zi Ran and Fu Wu Tian were coming, the cattle rancher had been waiting for them by the door ahead of time.

The reason the cattle rancher was so anxious was because Bao Hua Gambling House deliberately chose the beginning of the month to implement their suppression tactics.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

The output of fresh meat that the cattle rancher’s slaughterhouse produced was a sizeable amount, and the beginning of the month was the time when he got the most customers. Therefore, the slaughterhouse generally prepared the meat for the beginning of next month at the end of the month in advance, so the accumulation of meat was also the largest at this time.

Bao Hua Gambling House was targeting this point, so they chose to attack at the beginning of the month.

The cattle rancher did not expect them to do something like this, because breaking a contract would cost a lot of money. His situation was not comparable to Li Zhen’s situation from back then. Li Zhen only had a small-scale workhouse, but his slaughterhouse has been open for more than a decade.

Most of the customers were old acquaintances. Because they trusted him, the contracts they signed with him were mostly over five years long, even the shortest one was two years long.

Not all of his customers defaulted on their contracts, but some of the customers who defaulted were unexpectedly long-time customers of more than five years.

The cattle rancher thought that Bao Hua Gambling House wouldn’t go this far, so he didn’t take any extra precautions, but in the end he still fell into their trap. With so much fresh meat accumulated, the loss would be insurmountable.

“How is the situation?”

An Zi Ran did not bother to exchange pleasantries. As soon as he saw the cattle rancher, he got straight to the point without beating around the bush.

Support the translator. Read this on: vmnovels.com

The cattle rancher explained: “There aren’t that many people that defaulted, but the ones that did ordered a lot of meat. With these people defaulting on their contracts, half of the meat in the slaughterhouse will be left unsold, and I can’t find enough customers to purchase the meat in such a short time.”

“How many catties of meat are left?” An Zi Ran asked.

[T/N: The weight of one catty differs slightly from place to place. In China, it is 500 grams. In Taiwan it is 600 grams. In Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore, one catty is slightly over 604 grams.]

“I estimated nearly thirteen thousand catties of meat leftover.”

The cattle rancher’s slaughterhouse could slaughter up to forty or fifty cattle a month. If one cow weighed one thousand catties, then it could produce four hundred to six hundred catties of meat. So in a month, they could get about twenty-six thousand catties of meat. And that was just a conservative estimate. If it was during the peak period, then they could reach up to thirty-six catties of meat.

It was impossible to sell so much meat all at once, especially since some of the cattle have already been slaughtered. The fresh meat from the cattle could not be kept for too long.

The cattle rancher really had no other solution, and that was why he turned to An Zi Ran and Fu Wu Tian for help.

An Zi Ran thought for a while and then he said, “How about this? However much meat you have left, I will buy it all.”

The cattle rancher stared at him in shock, “But, but with so much meat, you…”

It’s not that the cattle rancher wanted to doubt An Zi Ran, but the amount of meat was really too much. Even if the average person could afford to buy so much meat all at once, it was difficult for them to turn around and sell the meat in a short amount of time, not unless the selling price was lower than the market price.

An Zi Ran stopped him and said, “You just have to sell the meat to me. I will handle the rest.”

“Okay, then.”

The price of beef was eighteen copper coins per catty, which was the wholesale price. However, the thirteen thousand catties of meat were not all beef. Some of it was pork. The quality of pork from the cattle rancher was better than that of other slaughterhouses, so the price was relatively high, which was twenty-two copper coins per catty.

In this way, the total price of thirteen thousand catties of meat was two hundred and forty taels of silver. This was after the cattle rancher rounded out the price.

For An Zi Ran, spending this sum of money did not make his heart ache or itch.

But finding a destination for all this meat really was a bit of a hassle.

After discussing with Fu Wu Tian, they decided to send some of the meat to An Yuan County first. The daily amount of meat that the An family’s multiple restaurants needed was not a small number, and the journey was not particularly far. As long as the meat was well frozen, it would not spoil in a day.

Translations by Vanilla Muse. Read on vmnovels [dot] com

For the rest of the meat, An Zi Ran planned to turn them into beef jerky. The incident happened too suddenly, and finding new buyers would take too much time, so he thought of making the meat into beef jerky, which would be easy to store. And he already knew where to send the beef jerky. He assigned this task to Zhou Lao Han’s daughter-in-law and Chef Wang.

The two of them had followed An Zi Ran to the capital, but because the restaurant was still in the middle of construction, they had nothing to do yet, so in their spare time they created new recipes together. As it turned out, they came up with a lot of great dishes, and the ones who got to enjoy these culinary delights were the people in Prince Fu’s Mansion.

An Zi Ran would occasionally provided them with some inspiration.

Prev | Contents | Next

As requested by VIP Choice, this bonus update goes to TBL. Enjoy SamanthaV! ^-^

---

Prev | Contents | Next

Chapter 145.2 – Zheng Jun Qi

Elder Zhuo watched Zheng Jun Qi leave with a hard-to-read expression on his face.

“Young people these days are getting more and more nonsensical. Women should stay at home. Does she not feel any shame, coming out to a place full of men? If I had such a daughter in my family, I would’ve broken her legs long ago.”

Seeing that Zheng Jun Qi has finally left, a man nearby immediately put on a face of disgust and started spouting malicious words about her in order to curry favor with Elder Zhuo.

Elder Zhuo’s face remained expressionless.

The man was a little embarrassed when he saw that Elder Zhuo had no response.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

On the other hand, Fu Yi had already come up with a plan based on the information that he had gathered about the Zheng family. He knew that An Zi Ran must have already investigated the situation of the Zheng family. Otherwise, with so many people in the capital who were also engaged in the textile machine business, why would he choose the Zheng family to work with over everyone else? He must be targeting the difficult situation that the Zheng family was in.

“Mr. Fu?”

Seeing that Fu Yi was silent, Boss Chen called out to him.

Fu Yi suddenly said to him: “Boss Chen, my apologies, I must take my leave now.” He said this without waiting for the other man to respond, and then he walked towards the corner where Zheng Jun Qi was.

Boss Chen’s mouth flapped open a few times as he watched Fu Yi leave, but he had yet to process what had happened. After a while, he noticed that Fu Yi was walking in the direction of Zheng Jun Qi. He thought about the questions that Fu Yi had asked and suddenly came up with a strange yet improbable conjecture.

The Zheng family was not about to make a comeback were they?

Fu Yi has been the object of many people’s attention since he entered the doors of the venue. There were some people originally planning to come over to try to form friendly ties with him for their own benefit, but then they suddenly saw him make a move. Their eyes followed his movements. When they saw that his target turned out to be Zheng Jun Qi, each and every one of them showed a stunned expression on their faces.

Prince Fu’s Mansion shouldn’t have had any business dealings with the Zheng family in the past, right?

Zheng Jun Qi herself was also surprised. She even thought that the person that Fu Yi was looking for was probably standing somewhere close to her, but when she turned around she found that she was the only one around.

In this crowd, she was the ostracized persona non grata. Moreover, she was an unmarried woman, so no man dared to approach her. Thinking of this, she couldn’t help revealing a fleeting bitter smile. Then she raised her head to look at the man standing in front of her.

Naturally, she has heard of the famous Fu Yi.

As the head steward of Prince Fu’s Mansion, he was like half the master of Prince Fu’s Mansion. He was forty years old this year but he looked like he was only thirty years old. He had a steadfast appearance and he carried the reliability of a man his age. But compared to other men of his age, he had a bit more advantage, and that was the charm of a handsome and mature man.

Support the translator. Read this on: vmnovels.com

Zheng Jun Qi had already resigned herself to being a lonely old maid for the rest of her life, and she was already at peace with this eventuality, but when she looked upon this man, she felt her heart skip a beat. Such a traitorous thing her heart was. She quickly suppressed the feeling and said calmly, “What’s the matter, Mr. Fu?”

Fu Yi observed how calm and collected she was. A flash of admiration flickered through his eyes. “I have a business order. I wonder if Miss Zheng is interested?”

Zheng Jun Qi finally revealed a startled expression.

She had thought of a multitude of reasons for why he might be approaching her, but she had never considered the thought that he would want to work together with her [in business]. In a situation where everyone was ostracizing her, this man came forward to help her. Why was this?

Zheng Jun Qi immediately cycled through all the potential reasons that he was offering to do business with her. She even wondered if her father had dealings with Fu Yi before, but that should not be the case. If the Zheng family had ever worked with Prince Fu’s Mansion before then there was no way that she would not have known about it. So what could the true purpose be?

“Why?” Zheng Jun Qi blurted out.

Fu Yi had already guessed that she would ask this, and he replied calmly, “Is there even a need to ask why? I need a batch of textile machines. The Zheng family makes textile machines. Isn’t it a normal thing for me to come to you?”

Zheng Jun Qi suddenly let out a light chuckle and her ordinary face suddenly became vivid with liveliness, as if glowing with a bright light.

Fu Yi thought that this woman in front of him was more suited to smiles and laughter. A troubled frown did not suit her, as it made her look plain and lifeless.

Translations by Vanilla Muse. Read on vmnovels [dot] com

“You’re right. It’s a very normal thing. It’s my fault for thinking wrong.” Zheng Jun Qi said with a smile.

Fu Yi said, “No worries, I can understand where you’re coming from.”

The smile on Zheng Jun Qi’s face became even brighter.

The conversation between Fu Yi and Zheng Jun Qi was like a bomb dropping down on the gathering. In a split second, it boiled over instantly. Even Elder Zhuo did not expect that the first person to reach out to the Zheng family would be Fu Yi. Many people wanted to form relations with him, but didn’t know how to do so. However, now he was taking the initiative to show his favor to the Zheng family. Just when did Zheng Jun Qi hook up with Fu Yi? Why did no one know about this beforehand?

The faces of those who had ridiculed Zheng Jun Qi before became ugly in an instant. With the backing of Prince Fu’s Mansion, the Zheng family could not only make a comeback, but they might even go further than before. If that were to happen, what would they do if she decided to take revenge on the ones that ridiculed her…

Everyone’s faces turned blue and white.

Amidst this scene, Elder Zhuo watched everything with an unpredictable look.

Prev | Contents | Next

As selected by VIP Choice, today’s bonus update goes to TBL. This one is for you Valpknas. (^-^) ♡

---

Prev | Contents | Next

Chapter 145.1 – Zheng Jun Qi

The middle-aged man talked until his mouth was dry, but Fu Yi’s expression did not change once. The middle-aged man couldn’t tell if Fu Yi was interested or not. Just as he was wondering whether or not he should continue on, Fu Yi opened his mouth and said, “Boss Chen, you just said that Elder Zhuo did some business with the Zheng family?”

Hearing Fu Yi’s question, the middled-age man was on high alert. It seemed like the head steward of Prince Fu’s Mansion had some interest in the Zheng family, but the middle-aged man didn’t know if Fu Yi had a good impression or bad impression of the Zheng family, so he didn’t dare to speak malicious words about the Zheng family casually. He just symbolically suggested a sentence.

“They had a business exchange about two months ago. Although Elder Zhuo made the purchase, it wasn’t a high number. I think it was for about forty or fifty spinning wheels.”

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

For a big family like the Zhuo family who also had an expansive business, forty or fifty spinning wheels was indeed not a big number. Moreover, this did not include any weaving machines. But to the Zheng family it was like someone sending charcoal in snowy weather*.

[*T/N: “To send charcoal in snowy weather” is a Chinese idiom meaning “to provide help in somebody’s hour of need.”]

The Zheng family has been in the business of selling textile machines for generations, but since the untimely death of the head of the Zheng family, Zheng Jun Qi took over as head of the household. However, she faced discrimination time and time again because she was a woman.

“Why would Elder Zhuo help the Zheng family for no reason at all?” Fu Yi asked.

He didn’t know much about the Zheng family’s circumstances, because at first he just wanted to see if the Zheng family was someone they could cooperate with.

The middle-aged man suddenly looked around cautiously, and seeing that everyone’s attention was on Zheng Jun Qi and Elder Zhuo, he whispered back: “Mr. Fu you asked the right person. Not many people know about this, but this one has heard that Elder Zhuo owed Zheng Jun Qi a favor.”

“How could someone with Elder Zhuo’s status owe a woman a favor?” Fu Yi was even more curious about this matter.

The middle-aged man shook his head, “This one has only heard rumors. However, this one has also heard that Elder Zhuo doesn’t seem to want to repay this favor. Otherwise, such a righteous and passionate man like Elder Zhuo would not only make such a ‘small’ purchase from the Zheng family.”

Saying that Elder Zhuo did not want to repay this favor made people even more curious about what this favor might be.

Fu Yi paused for a moment and then asked, “Boss Chen, how would you describe this Zheng Jun Qi person?”

The middle-aged man thought that it was a just a passing curiosity of Fu Yi’s, but Fu Yi ended up asking more and more questions about the Zheng family. The middle-aged man started to have some doubts, but he didn’t show it on his face. He deliberated for a moment.

“She has a lot of guts, but she is also cautious. She doesn’t act like an ordinary woman, but rather like a man. Speaking of which, this one actually admires her a little bit. When she first took over as the head of the Zheng household, many business partners saw that she was woman and thought that she didn’t know anything. They tried to extort her under false pretences. What ended up happening was that Zheng Jun Qi did not expose them. She even helped them find a way out of their embarrassing situation.”

Support the translator. Read this on: vmnovels.com

“Unfortunately, those merchants not only did not appreciate it, but took the initiative to shed all pretense of cordiality. They joined together to bully a woman. But Zheng Jun Qi is also a very capable and strange woman. She tried many ways to soothe over relations, prop up the Zheng family, and even got a business order from Elder Zhuo.”

Fu Yi glanced over at the two people who were talking not far away. Zheng Jun Qi looked sincere, but Elder Zhuo’s expression was a little impatient.

This result was not difficult to guess.

Elder Zhuo was a stubborn old fossil. Many people knew about his temper. He didn’t like women coming out to show their faces in public, especially unmarried maidens. For Zheng Jun Qi, a woman, to talk business with a man was a taboo in Elder Zhuo’s eyes.

The favor that Boss Chen spoke of most likely existed. Moreover, it was very likely a favor owed by the previous generation.

So when Zheng Jun Qi came knocking on his door, even though Elder Zhuo did not like her, he had to help her out because of this favor.

Zheng Jun Qi was not a stupid person. She knew that she has offended Elder Zhuo, so it was very likely that her main purpose for coming to attend this Chamber of Commerce gathering was to make amends with Elder Zhuo. However, just by looking at Elder Zhuo’s expression, it was clear that he has not dropped the issue.

The people who came to participate in the Chamber of Commerce gather were all elites. How could they not see the thoughts that Elder Zhuo was deliberately expressing? At first, they thought that Elder Zhuo gave Zheng Jun Qi that business order to help out the Zheng family, but now it seemed like that it was not what they had thought.

Translations by Vanilla Muse. Read on vmnovels [dot] com

If the Zheng family’s circumstances did not get a favorable turn by the end of this gathering, then they would be suppressed even more in the future. Zheng Jun Qi was smart, but she underestimated Elder Zhuo’s stubbornness.

“If the head of the Zheng family does not have anything [worthwhile] to say, then this old man still has to engage in talks with other people. Please help yourself.” Elder Zhuo started to say words of dismissal, intending to turn Zheng Jun Qi away. Before, when he greeted Fu Yi he had a face full of smiles, but now he was like a cold and hard stone slab in the winter. Just touching him would give you frostbite.

“Then this Jun Qi won’t disturb Elder Zhuo anymore.” Zheng Jun Qi’s face was slightly stiff, but her attitude was still very polite. She did not reveal the tiniest bit of displeasure over the Elder Zhuo’s ill disposition. She clearly knew about Elder Zhuo’s status in the Chamber of Commerce. If she really annoyed him, then the Zheng family would probably be suppressed even more.

Prev | Contents | Next

As chosen by Patreon Vote, this bonus update goes to TBL.

---

Prev | Contents | Next

Chapter 144.3 – Zheng Family

Based on her physical appearance, the woman looked to be in her twenties. She was not a beauty, but her facial features were very distinctive, carrying a hint of heroism – the kind that should appear in a man. At the same time, her eyes conveyed a tenacity that many people do not have. At a glance, it was obvious that she was an assertive and resolute woman.

Fu Yi was not surprised by the woman’s appearance or bearing. What he was surprised by was the fact that there was a woman here at all. It was not that he was contemptuous towards women, but like everyone else, he was shocked by her presence at the event.

Married women would usually be at home, assisting their husband and educating their children, the traditional roles of a good wife. Showing their faces in public* was not permitted. What’s more, this was a Chamber of Commerce gathering. To put it simply, it was a gathering of men. So it was a very incredible thing to have a woman show up here.

[*T/N: The specific saying used here is 抛头露面 (pao tou lou mian), which is a derogatory saying. It’s not that women cannot leave the house at all, but there are many things that they cannot do in public without incurring people’s criticism. In this case it is conducting business.]

“I didn’t think that she would really dare to come!”

“It’s not easy to squeeze one’s way into the Chamber of Commerce, so how could she let such a good opportunity slip by?” The person who replied had a hint of ridicule in his laughter.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

“Even if it’s a good opportunity, for an unmarried lady to show her face in public means her family upbringing can’t be all that good. This kind of woman, I bet no one would be willing to marry her.”

“Marry her?” The other person asked. He sounded like he just heard something really funny.

“What are you laughing at?”

“I heard that she is already twenty-six years old this year. Even if she isn’t coming out to show her face in public, who would dare to marry such an old lady? Perhaps, she can’t even give birth anymore. Moreover, the only male progeny in her family is but a four or five year old child. If she marries out of the family, there will be no one else to lead the household. So I heard that she seems to be planning to encumber* a husband to live with her family.”

[*T/N: 招赘 zhao zhui – I can’t seem to think of a good verb for this practice in English. It means matrilocal residence or matrilocality, and it is a special type of marriage in the patrilineal society, where the man becomes a member of the woman’s family. This usually happens if the woman’s family is more powerful or influential than the man’s family.]

“At her current age, getting marry [out of the family] will be hard enough. She actually wants to encumber some man? That’s just an imbecile having big dreams!”

“Indeed.”

Fu Yi was standing not far from the two men who were conversing, so he easily overheard their conversation. For an unmarried lady, twenty-six years old was indeed not young anymore. He has heard about some older ladies who were still unmarried, but none of them were as old as twenty-six.

But what surprised him was that the woman seemed to have anticipated that she would be met with some peculiar and unfriendly gazes. Her brows pinched together once, and then she regained her cool. She calmly walked towards Elder Zhuo.

Support the translator. Read this on: vmnovels.com

The woman and Elder Zhuo were a little far away, so Fu Yi could not hear their conversation. But there was a middle-aged man who wanted to curry favor with Fu Yi. The man saw Fu Yi looking at the woman and boldly guessed that Fu Yi must not know about this woman, so he stepped forward and started to talk.

“Mr. Fu doesn’t know who she is yet, right?”

The middle-aged man thought that he might not get a response, but Fu Yi turned his head to look at him. “You know?”

The middle-aged man suddenly felt a little flattered, and after a moment of excitement, he replied: “Of course I know. I’m sure everyone in the capital knows about her.”

“Speak.”

“Her name is Zheng Jun Qi. She is the head of the Zheng family. She is more capable then men, and she also has a lot of courage and means of doing things. It’s a pity that she is a woman. She officially took over the Zheng family three years ago. At that time, the head of the Zheng family had just passed away, and the only male progeny in the family was just two years old. She resolutely stirred up the Zheng family, and in three years time she finally forced her way into the extremities of the Chamber of Commerce.”

Translations by Vanilla Muse. Read on vmnovels [dot] com

When he heard the first two sentences, Fu Yi couldn’t hide the look of surprise on his face, “The Zheng family you are talking about is the Zheng family that sells textile machines?”

The middle-aged man nodded and said, “Precisely.”

Fu Yi suddenly got the feeling that fate really liked playing around people.

The middle-aged man could hear from Fu Yi’s tone of voice that he was interested in the Zheng family, and immediately leaked information about the Zheng family to him, trying to win his favor.

Zheng Jun Qi was a strange woman. If she were born male, then someday she would become a powerful figure in the business world. Unfortunately, she was born the wrong sex. Such a capable person like this turned out to be a woman, so even though she clearly has the ability to make the Zheng family’s career even bigger, it still took her three years to get here.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

Looking down on women and thinking that women should not come out and show their faces in the public sphere was a deep-rooted idea of many men. They looked down on Zheng Jun Qi, so some businessmen who have business dealings with the Zheng family often made things difficult for Zheng Jun Qi, and they even deliberately raised prices.

In order to overcome these difficulties, Zheng Jun Qi ran herself ragged. Relying on her tenacity and her unwillingness to lose, she actually accomplished her goals.

No one knew what she did, but after three years she finally managed to capture Elder Zhuo’s attention, and Elder Zhuo did business with her. He even extended an invitation to her to participate in this year’s Chamber of Commerce gathering. When people heard about this bit of news, some thought that she would definitely not show up, but unexpectedly she came.

Prev | Contents | Next

Prev | Contents | Next

Chapter 144.2 – Zheng Family

Three days later, Fu Yi went to attend the meeting of the Chamber of Commerce. And An Zi Ran and Fu Wu Tian went to the small farm in the suburbs.

It was not a lie for them to say that something had happened to the small farm.

Ever since Jiang Sheng of Bao Hua Gambling House found out that the raw material for making mahjong tiles was cow bones, they have also started production in this area. However, the mahjong tiles that they produced were not satisfactory at all and could not be put out into the market.

The effect of the degreasing process was not obvious at all. The beef bones could not be completely turned into a milky white color. Thus the mahjong tiles produced would be unsightly. Compared with the mahjong tiles of Tian Long Gambling House, they were several levels below. It was self-evident which one the gamblers would choose.

Translations are by vmnovels [dot] com, if you’re reading this anywhere else, then it was stolen.

In the end, with no other way, Jiang Sheng dug for information, starting with the beef bones. He wanted to know how An Zi Ran made the beef bones turn white.

Manufacturing a large quantity of mahjong tiles required a large quantity of beef bones. And where would there be lots of beef bones? Naturally, it would be in a slaughterhouse on the outskirts of Jun Zi City.

If An Zi Ran could figure this out, then so could the competition.

Bao Hua Gambling House quickly found out about the cattle farm owner who supplied them with beef bones and wanted to coerce him into telling them whom he was selling the beef bones to. The cattle rancher did not dare to offend Bao Hua Gambling House, but due to Fu Yi’s relationship he also did not dare to spill the beans, so in the end he could only toss this hot potato over to them to take care of.

So An Zi Ran and Fu Wu Tian were trying to solve this matter.

In order to force the owner of the cattle farm to submit, Bao Hua Gambling House messed with the farm. Every month, the meat from the cattle farm would be sold out by the beginning of the month, but this year there was a problem. Many repeat customers suddenly said that they didn’t want to do business with his farm anymore, and some even wanted to return their meat orders and get a refund.

The owner of the cattle farm was very anxious. Raw meat could not be kept around for too long, otherwise it would not be fresh anymore. If the meat was not fresh, then it could only be thrown away. He was reluctant to do so and he also could not afford to refund those orders.

Back to the Chamber of Commerce gathering.

The people who hosted the party were some of the leaders of the Chamber of Commerce. In the past they would always send an invitation card to Prince Fu’s Mansion, but they never got a reply. This time, Fu Yi was willing to attend, so the leaders were very happy. They felt that this was a good opportunity for them.

Support the translator. Read this on: vmnovels.com

Although Fu Yi was just the steward for Prince Fu’s Mansion, it was not a secret that Prince Fu’s Mansion entrusted all of their businesses to his management, so having a friendship with him was equivalent to having a connection with Prince Fu’s Mansion.

“Rare honored guest, this old man has been hoping that you would attend for a long time. My hopes were not in vain. Finally, you are here.”

As soon as Elder Zhuo heard the news of Fu Yi’s coming, he immediately came out to greet him in person. He was the leader of the Chamber of Commerce and had the power to rally a lot of supporters. No one in Jun Zi City dared to offend him easily. He was giving Fu Yi a lot of face with his greeting.

“Elder Zhuo, you are too polite.” Fu Yi respected this old man very much. The reason that the Zhuo family could enjoy such glory in the capital right now was due to Elder Zhuo.

The two exchanged a few words with each other, and then walked into the venue.

Many people were pleasantly surprised by Fu Yi’s arrival, and they were already thinking about how to form a relationship with him.

This was the reason why Fu Yi didn’t want to attend the Chamber of Commerce gatherings before. A lot of people had their eyes on Prince Fu’s Mansion [and wanted to form relations with them], but this situation was inextricably tied to Emperor Chong Ming.

Translations by Vanilla Muse. Read on vmnovels [dot] com

This was due to the fact that the Da Ya Empire emphasized agriculture and suppressed businessmen. Emperor Chong Ming did not like the imperial family or ministers getting involved in business, therefore they had to do it secretly. Because they could not do things above board there were a lot of restrictions. Therefore, everyone preferred the honorable Prince Fu’s Mansion, which did things openly.

Under the suppression of an emperor who did not like businessmen, Prince Fu’s Mansion was so high profile, yet they were still able to live in peace. This meant that their capabilities must be high, so there should not be any downsides to working with Prince Fu’s Mansion.

After dealing with a lot of people with ulterior motives, Fu Yi finally remembered the task of this trip.

But before he could inquire about the Zheng family, there was a lot of noise coming from the gate, which attracted his attention.

The sight was a little surprising, because it was a woman that had walked in.

Prev | Contents | Next