After Transmigration: Building a Kingdom in Turbulent Times

It’s impossible to weigh it, because they didn’t weigh it. Who would buy scales just to occasionally set up a stall? They simply bundle the vegetables with grass, estimate whether it’s enough for a family meal, bundle it up, and then set the price.

"Okay, I’ll take all the mustard greens."

The Zhao Family’s Purchasing Steward said unhappily, "I wanted them first."

"But you haven’t paid."

Upon hearing this, the Zhao Family steward glanced at the vegetables on the stall and immediately handed thirty cents to the vendor, waving his hand, "Three cents a bundle, I’ll take it all."

The farmer didn’t hesitate and immediately put all the mustard greens into the frames carried by the steward’s men. Since he was the one who asked first and raised the price by one cent, he naturally sold it to him.

He happily dragged a bamboo basket from the side and said, "There are cabbages here, five cents each. Do the two gentlemen want any?"

His cabbages were quite large, and the two stewards exchanged a glance, quickly indicating they wanted them, then hurriedly divided them.

Seeing this, other farmers quietly raised their vegetable prices.

More and more people were entering the market. Clearly, it should have been the least crowded afternoon, yet it seemed like a morning market, full of people buying vegetables.

Some were smart enough to start probing, "My vegetable field is right in the city. If the gentlemen urgently need vegetables, I can go pick them and deliver them immediately."

Upon hearing this, the steward immediately nodded, "Alright, just go pick them. As many as you have, I’ll take them."

The farmer asked immediately, "Where should the vegetables be delivered? I’d rather not trouble you to make another trip."

The steward replied, "Deliver them to Zhenxiu Building."

Other farmers who heard this also began to communicate with their buyers, and before long, many farmers received orders.

No matter whether they had enough vegetables at home, they accepted the orders first. If they didn’t have them, their relatives surely would, and fellow villagers always had some.

They could lower the price a bit when buying from fellow villagers, and then sell to the purchasing stewards at a higher price, easily earning at least one cent per bundle.

After selling their vegetables, the farmers hurried back home with their baskets, as people from outside the city were already entering it, being greeted to stay at inns. Furthermore, various shop stewards were eagerly waiting to buy the goods they brought.

Business travelers hadn’t anticipated such brisk business in Luoyang. Upon just entering the city, buyers came to them automatically.

They inquired about the prices, which turned out to be surprisingly good, even higher than many had estimated, thus those who couldn’t resist temptation made sales.

Zhao Qing, mingled with the crowd, hesitated for a while and was about to sell a batch of goods when Zhao Fan squeezed through the crowd and pulled him aside, saying, "You’re foolish. With so many people buying goods at the city gate, it’s clear that these items are precious in Luoyang. We shouldn’t rush to sell. Let’s wait for some time."

Zhao Qing replied, "But there are too many business travelers this time. The people in the city don’t know what we know; there’s a large convoy outside. When they come in, the price might drop."

Zhao Fan said, "Don’t rush. Let’s go ask Seventh Uncle."

Zhao Qing frowned disdainfully, reluctant to find Zhao Hu, "Seventh Uncle is known for haggling down prices. Even though we’re from the same family, I don’t want to sell to him."

"Oh well, if you don’t want to sell, then don’t. But we can ask him for some information. We’re unfamiliar with Luoyang. Along the way, we relied on the Zhao Family Army’s protection. Calculate it: if you were to escort the goods yourself, wouldn’t the current price be just right?" Zhao Fan reasoned. "So if Luoyang is lacking, the price could rise."

Zhao Qing hesitated.

Zhao Fan pulled him along vigorously, saying, "Let’s find a place to stay first, and then sell once we’ve figured things out."

Zhao Qing, already wavering, let himself be pulled along, but couldn’t help muttering, "Fifth Uncle left first. Where should we stay?"

Zhao Fan was also in the dark, deep in thought, when a servant dressed person squeezed in, happily saying, "Are you Mr. Qing and Mr. Fan..."

He bowed and said, "I’m Xi Le, sent by the lady to guide the clansmen."

He added, "The lady received a letter from the clan halfway, saying that the gentlemen brought a lot of things here, so she arranged several houses for you to use as warehouses. However, those houses are old and not suitable for habitation, and thus..."

Zhao Fan instantly understood and immediately said, "We understand. As long as there’s a place to store our goods, it’s fine. We’ll find an inn for rest."

Xi Le smiled and said, "That’s perfect. Please follow me, and I’ll lead you there."

Zhao Qing and Zhao Fan then left with their convoy and Xi Le.

The group headed directly towards the inner city. Upon entering, Xi Le took out a bunch of keys and opened the gate of a house for them to enter.

Inside, the yard was desolate, the fallen leaves had been swept away, and the doors and windows of the rooms were open, presumably for ventilation. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

He handed the key directly to Zhao Fan, smiling, "This house is temporarily entrusted to Mr. Fan. The storage rooms inside are open for your use, with your own keys."

He added, "The house is old, some rooms leak wind and rain, so please be careful not to spoil the goods. If you have any instructions, you can send someone to Zhao Mansion to call me."

Zhao Fan then glanced at his own steward.

The steward immediately took a handful of Copper Coins from his pocket, pulled Xi Le aside, and whispered, "Thank you for today’s assistance, brother. It’s just that our gentleman is visiting Luoyang for the first time and isn’t very familiar, so we’d like to ask you for some advice."

Xi Le stuffed the money into his sleeve, promptly saying, "You’re too kind. Feel free to ask me anything, as long as I know, there’s nothing I won’t answer."

"Why are there so many people soliciting business at the Luoyang city gate? And so many businesses wanting to buy goods..."

Xi Le laughed and replied, "The court is relocating, the lady brought back so many people. They have to furnish their new homes, and with the weather getting colder, they need new clothes. Whether wealthy or common folk, everyone wants to welcome the new year, but it takes time for goods to reach Luoyang. Once they started buying, they found the city’s stock limited, so..."

The steward’s eyes lit up, "So Luoyang is short of cloth and silk?"

"It’s not just cloth and silk that’s lacking," Xi Le chuckled, counting on his fingers, "Plates, bowls, chopsticks, wood and ornaments, even pans, shovels, and buckets, they’re all lacking. Just this month, the Ministry of Industry has made quite a profit from selling these items."

The steward took another handful of Copper Coins, smiling, "Thank you very much, brother. My gentleman wishes to visit Third Lady, but does she have time to meet?"

Xi Le, having been briefed by Miss Ting He before coming, calmly said, "The lady has been somewhat busy recently, but since it’s the clan visiting, she’ll definitely make time."

In fact, if not for the large number of clansmen arriving this time, along with many goods and people, making Zhao Mansion inadequate, she would have loved to get closer to her clan members.