The daily life of a space tycoon raising children, doting on his husband, and farming.

Chapter 238 Meeting Gift

Madam Shu raised her right hand, her slender, white fingers opening and closing, "Thirty thousand taels."

A well-managed caravan of 100 people is indeed worth this price. If it weren't for the sudden turn of events and Mr. Zhan's eagerness to sell due to concerns about leaks, the price would have been even higher.

Shang Wan was somewhat tempted, but she still needed to ask the questions she needed to clarify first.

"Am I partnering with you or the entire Lancang Company?"

Madam Shu smiled and said, "I can't come up with that much silver by myself, so naturally the sisters will contribute together."

Shang Wan nodded, straightened her skirt, and stood up.

"I'll go back and discuss it with my family, and I'll give you an answer tomorrow."

"Alright, I'll see Manager Shang out."

·
"A curse!!" Xiao Huan and Shi Tou stared wide-eyed at the person sitting opposite them.

Lu Chengjing was also somewhat surprised, his long eyebrows furrowing slightly as he asked, "What curse?"

“I don’t know.” Shang Wan shrugged. “I made a special trip to the Chen residence when I came back. Chen Cai didn’t have any more information about the curse either, but he told me that all four people who died in the caravan committed suicide.”

"This sounds really weird," Xiao Huan said, rubbing her arms. "Sister, can't we just hire people and form our own caravan?"

Her sister is a wandering ghost. What if this curse is harmful to her?
"I'd like to too, but where are the skilled ones? They're so hard to find!" Shang Wan said, resting her chin on her hand. "The most important thing in forming a caravan is finding business people. People who are good at doing business themselves are not willing to sell themselves to run errands for others. Those brokers have all sorts of shady dealings on their hands. It's fine to buy them and keep them under my nose, but if I let them out, I'm worried they'll run off with the goods."

After recruiting people, there's another hurdle. A caravan includes not only merchants, but also guards, horsemen, camel drivers, cooks, and other staff. It takes time for these people to get used to each other, not to mention the trivial matters of purchasing vehicles, goods, and medicine.

Once everything is ready, we still need to go out and test the waters.

It will take at least several years for it to truly grow into a money-making machine.

The amount of money and effort invested in this is unknown.

Shang Wan preferred to deal with the curse.

“I think we can give it a try.” Shi Tou was the first to agree with Shang Wan, and his reason was, “The Master did not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits.”

Hey, I'm learning this right away!

Xiao Huan rolled her eyes at him: "Confucius doesn't speak, but that doesn't mean he doesn't believe."

She felt this was a risky idea and didn't want to waste money on trouble.

Shang Wan looked at Lu Chengjing, who hadn't said a word, and asked, "What do you think?"

Lu Chengjing lowered his head, taking apart the braids his daughter had tied for him as he said, "You can try it."

He doesn't believe in curses either.

"Then... let's vote." Shang Wan clapped her hands. "Raise your hand if you agree to buy the caravan."

"Swish swish swish swish" Four hands were raised.

Apart from Shang Wan and the other two, Yuan Yuan stretched her arms out straight.

Xiao Huan didn't raise her hand; she pinched her round cheeks and asked, "Why are you getting involved?"

"Goose!" A clear syllable popped out from her pink little mouth.

Shang Wan: "??"

Xiao Huan sighed. Before her sister came back, they were discussing what to eat for dinner.

She rubbed his round head. "Okay, I'll stew a goose for you tonight."

Yuanyuan immediately smiled and kissed Aunt Xiaohuan.

Hehe, braised goose in an iron pot, I love it!
Four votes to one, four votes win. Shang Wan replied to Madam Shu the next day.

However, before buying the caravan, she wanted to meet Boss Zhan and the caravan leader in person.

Madam Shu also had the same idea. She and Shang Wan hit it off immediately and took a carriage to the prefectural city that very night. Madam Lou and Madam Hua also went with them.

Yuanyuan insisted on going with Shang Wan, just in case the little one sneaked off, so Shang Wan took her along.

This was the first time that Madam Shu and Madam Hua had met Yuan Yuan, and their affection for her was practically overflowing from their eyes.

"With those big eyes, small nose, and small mouth, she'll definitely grow up to be a beauty."

Yuanyuan wasn't shy at all. Looking at the pretty aunties around her, she reached out her little hand to them and called them "Auntie" in a soft, sweet voice.

Before long, the three women surrounded Yuanyuan, calling her "my darling" and "my precious baby" on the left and right, all wanting to hold the chubby little dumpling and never let go.

Shang Wan strongly suspects that the three of them felt warmer hugging the dumpling.

·
The carriage entered the prefectural city and stopped in front of the Red Plum Inn.

Madam Shu said, "Let's rest at the Red Plum Inn today and go see Boss Zhan tomorrow."

Shang Wan and the others had no objections and followed Madam Shu into the inn.

As soon as I went inside, a red figure rushed out.

"We've been waiting for you!" The innkeeper, Madam Meng, excitedly hugged Madam Shu, who was standing at the front, and her words flowed like pearls. "The rooms are all ready. I'll lead you upstairs, and I'll have the waiter fetch some water and ask the kitchen to prepare a few more dishes."

His gaze swept over the women, then suddenly stopped on Shang Wan, or more precisely, on the baby in her arms.

"Who is this doll?"

“My daughter,” Shang Wan said, taking the initiative to speak. “My surname is Shang, and I am the manager of Lingyao Pavilion.”

"You're the manager of the Spirit Medicine Pavilion!" Madam Meng's eyes widened. "You're so young!"

"That's what you call being young and promising, don't be so loud and scare her away." Madam Shu took Madam Meng's arm and playfully patted her.

"I'm sorry, I got too excited." Madam Meng's smile was tinged with shyness. "My surname is Meng, and Hongmei is my given name. I especially like the things from the Spirit Medicine Pavilion, but many of them are not available in the prefectural city, so I have to ask someone to bring them to me."

Upon hearing this, Shang Wan rummaged through the bag she was carrying and pulled out an exquisite medicine box carved with plum blossoms. "This is the Snow Plum Ointment that Lingyao Pavilion launched last month. I hope you like it."

Unexpectedly receiving a gift, Madam Meng took the box, then took off the gold bracelet she was wearing and stuffed it into Yuan Yuan's arms. "Sweetie, Aunt Meng didn't know you were coming. This bracelet is for you to play with."

Yuanyuan blinked as she held the gold bracelet, then handed it to the auntie, saying, "Auntie, here you go."

My mother said I shouldn't accept gifts from strangers.

"The bracelet is too valuable." Shang Wan had only given a small gift casually, but she didn't expect to receive such an expensive return gift.

Madam Meng naturally wouldn't take back what she had given away, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward for a moment.

“This bracelet can’t be worn or eaten, how are the children supposed to play with it?” Lou Niangzi said with a smile, taking the bracelet and putting it back on Meng Niangzi’s wrist. “Hurry back to the room and find something the children like, don’t just cater to your own preferences.”

Hua Niangzi jokingly added, "I think you've gone crazy from seeing a pretty doll."

Madam Shu patted Madam Meng's arm, "Are you just going to let us stand at the top of the stairs and chat?"

With everyone interrupting, Madam Meng finally realized what was going on and patted her head.

"Look at my brain, I was so happy that I didn't think much. Let me take you up first. You must be all shaken up from the carriage ride."

“That’s right.” Lady Hua raised her hand and rubbed her lower back. “I need to go to bed for a while.”

While everyone was washing up and changing, Madam Meng went back to her room and took out a small sandalwood box.