Chapter 250: Looking at Reality
Gu Yan was not in Linjiang Town, so Li Xiaonan went to find He Chengzhe, the old shopkeeper, and talked about the fine cloth.
He Chengzhe listened intently and smiled, “This is easy. My warehouse needs fine cloth, and several shipyards at the wharf also need to purchase fine cloth for sails. The quantity is not small. The amounts for Yueyang and your Li clan are only a small fraction of the procurement volume.”
Li Xiaonan was stunned for a moment, then smiled, “Thank you for your care, old shopkeeper. But I’m not just here to sell our fine cloth.”
Li Xiaonan paused and organized her thoughts.
“First, I want to try to get people to make clothes and bedding from fine cloth for daily use. Second, it’s not for Yueyang or the Li family, but for all fine cloth. I want fine cloth to be woven and sold.”
He Chengzhe slowly hummed, his brows furrowed. After a moment, he smiled, “Have you heard of the trading market in Yangzhou, girl?”
Li Xiaonan shook her head.
“The trading market in Yangzhou started from the founding of the nation. It’s held once every three years, and the items traded are quite varied, all large-scale transactions.
“For example, the Xiang Kou Pill, which the Xiu Ning Ye family sells best, was bought at the Jiazi market. Ten thousand taels of silver bought the exclusive selling rights for Xiang Kou Pill south of the great river for ten years.
“This year is the Gengwu year, and it’s another market year. You can go and see, perhaps there will be an opportunity,” He Chengzhe said with a smile.
“When?” Li Xiaonan asked, surprised.
“In June, when the Qionghua flowers are in full bloom,” He Chengzhe paused, looked at Li Xiaonan, and then smiled, “Think carefully about how to do it best. With the Young Lord, it will surely be twice the result with half the effort.”
Li Xiaonan was stunned when she heard that with the Young Lord it would be twice the result with half the effort. Her heart sank. After a moment, she forced a smile, thanked He Chengzhe, and left the He Family Old Shop.
He Chengzhe stood in the shadow within the threshold, watching Li Xiaonan walk away with her head down. His eyes narrowed slightly. After a moment, he beckoned to the middle-aged attendant standing in a corner of the room and instructed, “Go to Hangcheng and report to the Young Lord for me: Miss Li came to see the Young Lord and seemed very worried.”
The middle-aged attendant agreed and hurried out.
“This is not good of you,” said the young Foreman Liu, pacing out from a dark room next door.
“Now is the time to give a push. Everything should take its natural course, but there are too many variables. Since I’ve seen enough, I can’t just stand by,” He Chengzhe said, patting Foreman Liu’s shoulder.
“Aren’t you afraid of pulling up seedlings to help them grow?” Foreman Liu turned with He Chengzhe.
He Chengzhe looked back at Foreman Liu and did not answer.
………………………………
After leaving Linhai Town, Li Xiaonan sat on her horse, her shoulders slumped, lost in thought.
“What’s wrong?” A Wu poked Li Xiaonan with his horse whip.
“I’m in a bad mood.”
“I know you’re in a bad mood, I can see it. I’m asking why you’re in a bad mood,” A Wu said, somewhat speechless.
“It’s nothing, I’m just in a bad mood.”
“If it’s nothing, why are you in a bad mood? What’s really wrong?” A Wu blocked Li Xiaonan.
“I don’t want to talk.”
“I bought some of Tao Family’s Drunken Fish for Yu Ting. I bought a lot, want to have a piece?” A Wu handed a packet of drunken fish to Li Xiaonan.
“I don’t want to eat it,” Li Xiaonan shook her head.
“Oh! You’re really in a bad mood now.” A Wu put away the drunken fish and leaned forward to look at Li Xiaonan.
“It’s nothing, it’s spring, I’m just feeling melancholic,” Li Xiaonan sighed.
A Wu pouted and flicked his whip on the back of Li Xiaonan’s horse, “Then let’s hurry home and sit under your corridor to feel melancholic. It’s more comfortable than on horseback.”
The next evening, as soon as Li Xiaonan returned home, Wan Jing arrived.
Li Xiaonan followed Wan Jing out of the courtyard gate. She didn’t see a carriage, and before she could ask, Wan Jing pointed with her finger, “It’s our Young Lord, he’s on your boat by the back lake.”
“That’s not my back lake,” Li Xiaonan corrected.
“I know you don’t have a lake, I mean: the lake behind your house!” Wan Jing emphasized her correction and then gave Li Xiaonan a glare.
Li Xiaonan was preoccupied and ignored her.
The boat docked behind Li Xiaonan’s house was not large, at least it looked very simple from the outside.
A wide gangplank had already been set up from the boat to the shore. Shi Gun stood by the gangplank on the shore. Seeing Li Xiaonan, he quickly bowed in greeting.
Gu Yan stood inside the cabin door, watching Li Xiaonan approach step by step on the gangplank.
It seemed she was indeed very dejected.
Seeing Li Xiaonan enter the cabin, Gu Yan bowed slightly and carefully examined Li Xiaonan, asking, “Why are you so unhappy?”
“I’m fine, it’s nothing. Did you just return from Hangcheng?” Li Xiaonan looked around.
On one side of the cabin, a long couch was placed by the window, and on the other side, a long table was placed by the window. There was nothing else.
“Sit down, what tea would you like to drink?” Gu Yan gestured to Li Xiaonan.
“Green tea,” Li Xiaonan hesitated, then took off her shoes and sat on the couch.
Taking off shoes seemed inappropriate, but, oh well.
Gu Yan was stunned by Li Xiaonan’s mention of green tea. What kind of tea was green tea?
“Anything is fine, I’ll drink whatever you drink,” Li Xiaonan quickly added, meeting Gu Yan’s raised eyebrows.
“I got some Bing Wuyi tea from my uncle, try it,” Gu Yan looked at Li Xiaonan again.
This little girl was acting strangely.
The servant brewed tea and brought it up, along with several kinds of pastries.
Li Xiaonan picked up her tea, blew on it slowly, took a sip, and did not look at the pastries.
Gu Yan looked at Li Xiaonan, then at the pastries, and frowned.
“What happened?” Gu Yan bowed slightly and asked, looking carefully at Li Xiaonan.
“I went to Linhai Town yesterday,” Li Xiaonan put down her cup, shifted, and sat up straight, looking at Gu Yan.
Gu Yan looked Li Xiaonan up and down, his eyebrows raised.
What was wrong with this girl?
“You weren’t here, so I thought I couldn’t have come for nothing. I went to ask Old Shopkeeper He about the sales of fine cloth, and he mentioned the trading market in Yangzhou. I’m not here to talk about the Yangzhou trading market!”
Seeing Gu Yan about to speak, Li Xiaonan quickly explained.
Gu Yan nodded, signaling her to continue.
“Old Shopkeeper He said: With the Young Lord, it will surely be twice the result with half the effort.”
Li Xiaonan’s words stopped, and she sighed.
“Second Sister,” Li Xiaonan’s words stopped again. “Actually, from the day Third Sister married into the Hong family, or even earlier, as early as when we returned from Hangcheng and had the lawsuit in Li Family Market, our family has been smooth sailing in everything. It’s all because you stood behind us, not us, but behind me.”
Gu Yan’s brows furrowed slightly.
“I’ve always thought about what I want to do and what I want to achieve, relying on myself. In fact, it’s quite meaningless.”
Li Xiaonan lowered her eyes. “You must have thought about how to arrange for me. What are your plans?”
Gu Yan’s eyebrows shot up. After a moment, he bowed slightly forward and asked with a hint of a wry smile, “Why are you asking this? I told you, you can do as you please.”
“You speak first,” Li Xiaonan glanced at Gu Yan, then lowered her eyes again.
“I plan to marry you,” Gu Yan replied directly after a moment of silence.
Li Xiaonan was stunned for a moment, then looked up at Gu Yan, pointed at Gu Yan, and then at herself, “You? Me? The gap is too big, isn’t it?”
“I’m twenty-three this year, and you’re seventeen. A five-year difference isn’t much, is it?” Gu Yan answered seriously.
“I’m talking about social status, your family, my family!”
“The Prince Rui’s Mansion never chooses a bride based on social status. What are your plans now? Isn’t this marriage a good one?” Gu Yan said with a smile.
“I’ve already thought it through. Even if you wanted me as a concubine, I would have agreed,” Li Xiaonan answered honestly.
Gu Yan looked at Li Xiaonan, then leaned forward, his expression serious, and asked, “What happened? Did someone bully you? Or is there something else?”
“No, I just thought too much. I thought if I really married someone else, and still talked with you like this often, everyone would say I had an affair with you. If we stopped interacting from now on, how would I explain myself to all those who have invested in me?
“If I never marry, then it’s no different from following you, is it?” Li Xiaonan sighed.
“You want to marry someone else? Have you found someone you like?” Gu Yan looked at Li Xiaonan carefully.
“I want to get married properly and grandly. I don’t want to be a concubine entering through the side gate and leaving through the side gate. I never thought you wanted to marry me, how could I even imagine that?”
“Then look at me now and think carefully,” Gu Yan lifted Li Xiaonan’s chin with his folding fan, making her look at him.
Li Xiaonan looked at Gu Yan intently. From his sharp, ink-like sword eyebrows, to his dark, deep eyes, she quickly looked down, her gaze falling on his chiseled, thin lips, and then further down.
His skin was so good, much better than hers, the texture…
A Wu’s back and waist had beautiful lines. A Wu said that all martial artists were like that. His kung fu was better than A Wu’s, his kung fu was good, his stamina was good…
“Have you looked? Have you thought it through?” Gu Yan looked at Li Xiaonan, who was staring straight at his collar, and tapped her on the head with his finger.
Li Xiaonan let out a sound and was pulled back from her increasingly distant thoughts. She met Gu Yan’s gaze and her face flushed crimson.
Gu Yan glanced sideways at Li Xiaonan’s flushed face, then snorted.
This little girl wasn’t that thin-skinned. Blushing so much, what was she thinking?
