Rebirth Married The Control group Fulang Chapter 114 Part 1

Chapter 114

    "Eight in a team, with Big Brother and Second Brother each leading a team, eighteen people in total. How does that sound?"  

    "They’re all capable hands picked from the martial arts school. Zhuang Qi is quite satisfied with them."  

    Zhang Xiaotian and Zhang Xiaoxuan responded, "Those from the martial arts school are naturally stronger than ordinary porters. Since you and Zhuang Qi have chosen them, there must be no mistake."  

    "Xiaoxuan and I have been discussing the goods for this trade trip. While the village's silk will remain our primary item, we're concerned that relying solely on it will limit our offerings."  

    Zhang Xiaoxuan said, "The village has abundant produce, there’s plenty we can bring, like poultry, local dishes… Over the past two years, Second Aunt’s spicy salted duck has been selling well at the tea shed. Many peddlers come to the tea shed to stock up on it." 

[Spicy salted duck (酱板鸭): A type of spicy, cured duck dish, marinated in soy sauce and spices, then air-dried or roasted.]   

    Zhang Fangyuan laughed. "That’s good too. Live poultry is hard to transport, but fully prepared food is much easier to carry."  

    From Siyang to Suzhou, the route passed through small counties, none of  them as prosperous as Siyang City. Trade caravans were sparse, and merchants who traveled for business year-round were few, leaving these places in a state of isolation.  

    Any novelty goods that appeared there were usually brought in by passing merchants.  

    Large trade convoys carried expensive goods like tea, porcelain, and silk, items the locals couldn’t afford. Only the wealthy might buy a little, but not much. Unless absolutely necessary, big caravans avoided small counties.  

    Their own caravan would mainly transport silk to Suzhou, but since these small counties were unavoidable along the way, bringing some of Siyang’s popular local dishes would serve two purposes: they could eat them on the road, and they could sell them in these isolated towns.  

    "Small counties can’t afford luxury goods, but they’re willing to spend on local products," Zhang Xiaoxuan said. "Back when we were small-time peddlers, we often visited these places, and small goods always sold well."  

    "In these isolated towns, merchants are the only source of new goods. Our local dishes will definitely sell well," Zhang Xiaotian added. "The only concern is selling the silk in Suzhou."  

    "No need to worry about that. Song Yong may not be buying from us anymore, but after all these years of dealings, there’s still goodwill. I’ve already sent a letter, once our caravan arrives, Song Yong will send someone to meet us and introduce us to Suzhou’s silk merchants."  

    "Then there’s nothing left to worry about."  

    The caravan had been planned for a while, so assembling the team and setting off happened quickly. By leaving before the autumn harvest, they could make another trip afterward, making the venture even more profitable. By the end of April, the caravan set off from the tea shed in grand fashion.  

    Zhang Fangyuan even made a special trip to the village to see them off.  

    Truthfully, he had little reason to worry. When it came to trade experience, his two cousins were far more experienced than he was. Back when they were small peddlers, they had carried their own loads across the land. Now, though, their small team had grown into a proper caravan of over a dozen people with carts and horses. The nature of their business hadn’t changed, only the scale. Riding on horseback, the two of them looked every bit the part of veteran merchants.  

    After watching them disappear down the official road, Zhang Fangyuan returned to the village house.  

    Young Master Zhang Ruili had specifically requested that, since he was in the village today, he must catch two crickets for his amusement. The Tong exam was approaching, and his older brother was so busy with studying that he barely had time for anything else. Even the master had shifted all his attention to the elder brother, leaving Ruili with some rare free time, which he spent indulging in play.  

    Zhang Fangyuan had always doted on Ruili. Unless it was something earth-shatteringly important, he never refused his requests.  

    As a child, he had played with crickets often and was quite skilled at catching them. The fields and ridges of the village were the best places to find them. Back when the Haitang Bay area was mostly sandy soil, they had been easy to spot hopping around. That was where he had first caught a few for Ruili, sparking the boy’s obsession.  

    Now, Haitang Bay had been cultivated into fertile land, with tenant farmers tending to lush crops, leaving little sandy soil behind.  

    As Zhang Fangyuan wandered the village, he happened upon the village school was dismissing its students. A swarm of children poured out of the classroom, scattering in playful chaos. When the school first opened years ago, the students had varied widely in age, but all had been equally illiterate, so teaching them together hadn’t been an issue.  

    Now, years later, the first batch of students had moved on, and Fei Lian’s new students were mostly young children. With several years of good harvests, even the children of tenant farmers occasionally attended the school, paying lower fees.  

    "You’ve been by my side since you were little, yet you still can’t write a proper character. You’re almost old enough for the Tong exam, and if you keep slacking off like this, I doubt you’ll even pass as a Tongsheng. It’s bad enough to disgrace yourself, but I’d be ashamed to show my face!"  

    "That tenant farmer’s son in the village is the same age as you, and he’s only been in school for half a year, yet he can already read and write more than you. Tell me, have all these years of study gone to the dogs? I blame your mother for spoiling you rotten!"  

    From a distance, Zhang Fangyuan watched as the students dispersed. A familiar man in a blue robe emerged from the school, dragging along a boy who bore a striking resemblance to him. The scolding continued from the classroom all the way outside.  

    The boy stayed silent, enduring his father’s berating, until his mother was mentioned. Frowning, he retorted, "Mom takes care of everything for me. She doesn’t spoil me."  

    "You dare talk back now?! Is this the discipline of a scholarly family?"  

    "Uncle!"  

    Just as the boy was about to argue further, he spotted the tall figure standing in the distance by the fields and ran over to greet him.  

    Zhang Fangyuan nodded. "School is out?"  

    "Yeah."  

    Fei Lian eyed Zhang Fangyuan before approaching slowly. After years of teaching, the man had become even more rigid about etiquette. He forced a smile and greeted Zhang Fangyuan.