Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 110 I'm not interested in silver
The Qinhuai River at night is bustling and noisy day after day.

The endless stream of people was a testament to the last vestiges of prosperity before the empire's demise.

Compared to my last visit, there were significantly more sedan chairs and carriages parked outside the Meixiang Pavilion tonight.

Moreover, many of the carriages were decorated with gold and silver, exuding an air of luxury.

Lin Dao and Chen Zhenhui boarded the ship and arrived at the cabin entrance, where they heard a deafening commotion inside.

Standing at the cabin door and looking inside, the first thing Lin Dao saw was his own glass lamp, which had been hung up.

The entire cabin was brightly lit.

Instead of partitions separating the cabin, five tables were arranged rather compactly inside.

Scholars in Confucian robes, unrestrained celebrities, wealthy merchants, arrogant scions of noble families, and white-haired officials and retired ministers dressed in fine silks and satins.

Nanjing was the secondary capital of the Ming Dynasty, and it housed a complete reserve of government officials.

Those old men with the air of superiors were undoubtedly high-ranking officials or retired ministers.

Everyone is accompanied by a beautiful young woman, who pours wine, serves food, and offers emotional support with her laughter and encouragement.

Lin Dao glanced around but did not see Dong Xiaowan.

"Everyone, everyone~~~"

The madam waved the silk handkerchief in her hand and begged for mercy repeatedly.

"As I said, these treasures are only temporarily stored here by Young Master Lin."

"How dare I sell other people's things privately?"

"I beg you gentlemen and young masters to be lenient and not make things difficult for me."

“Hua Niang.” An old man with white hair and beard stroked his beard and smiled. “That Young Master Lin, I have never heard of him.”

"But I am determined to get these things."

"Don't worry, I will definitely not make things difficult for you. I will buy everything at market price."

"When that Young Master Lin comes looking for you, just tell him to come looking for me."

The old man spoke with great vigor, and it seemed he could live for many more years.

These words were spoken in a grand and eloquent manner, and sounded very pleasant.

However, most of the people around him scoffed at him.

What market price should we buy? Does anyone know the market value of these rare and precious items?
You can't afford to spend much money, yet you want to pack up everything and take it all away. You shameless old man.

As for sending that Young Master Lin to find you, that's what I'm saying.

You can just disappear when the time comes. Do you think they're going to barge into your house and try to reason with you?

Making a fortune so easily—their abacus calculations are so blatant they could blow someone's mind.

"No, that won't work."

The madam shook her head and waved her hands repeatedly, "How can this be? This would ruin the reputation of Meixiang Pavilion."

She's still quite sensible.

Lin Dao is not some nobody with no background or connections who can be manipulated at will.

They've got Qian Qianyi and Ruan Dacheng on their side, so it won't be so easy for them to cheat you.

The old man's face darkened. "What? Don't I even have this much face?"

This old man is the former Nan Sima, who was the reserve Minister of War for the Jinling court.

If we're talking about saving face, then of course there is some.

However, he had been retired for several years, and his reputation was not so secure with the Meixiang Pavilion, which was connected to the noble family's mansion.

"In business, face is not important."

Lin Daomai stepped inside, saying, "Money is the most important thing."

All eyes turned to them, and the madam stepped forward to greet him, calling him Young Master Lin.

Everyone understood that the real person had arrived.

He approached the table where the old man was sitting, raised his hand and patted the scholar in front of him who had his back to him, saying, "Make way for me, I want to talk business."

Mao Xiang's face turned black!
Why is it me again?!

As the saying goes, "If this can be tolerated, then what cannot be tolerated?"

This person always bullies me; it's really going too far.

He slammed his hand on the table, stood up abruptly, and turned to glare at Lin Dao.

Meeting those calm eyes, Mao Xiang felt a chill run down his spine and instinctively looked away.

"Let it go! Fine! Let it go!"

He turned and left, going straight upstairs to find Dong Xiaowan.

"Are you sick?" Lin Dao sat down, slightly puzzled. "Are scholars really this temperamental?"

"This is Lord Hu of Changsha Prefecture," the madam introduced, "He is the Minister of War."

Lin Dao glanced at him, a smile playing on his lips. "So it was the Grand Marshal in person."

Hu Gong's name was Hu Yingtai, and he was related to Xiong Tingbi by marriage.

He waved his hand and said, "I have been retired for many years, there is no need for such formalities."

Lin Dao didn't bother with formalities and went straight to the point: "These things are all samples."

"Lin opened a shop selling novelty items at the street corner."

His gaze swept over the crowd. "These items are available for sale in the store."

"Please give us your support."

Hu Yingtai exclaimed in surprise, "You actually open a shop to sell such rare and precious treasures?"

If it can be sold in a shop, it is certainly not a unique copy.

But these things are so precious, how can they be sold in large quantities?

"That's right," Lin Dao said with a smile. "We should be able to open in about three or four days."

Everyone subconsciously calculated the date in their minds; three or four days later was not an auspicious day.

Opening a shop is a big deal these days; some shops are passed down for hundreds of years, not just three generations.

When opening a business, it is essential to make thorough preparations and, more importantly, to choose the most auspicious day according to the Chinese almanac.

In other words, Lin Dao didn't care about this.

After all, this shop was just something he used to raise funds for the army.

Hu Yingtai stroked his beard. "But I want to buy these things right now." The old man's thoughts were perfectly normal.

Whether you open your shop or not is another matter, but I want these rare treasures right now.

"Actually."

Lin Dao took the wine glass handed to him by the young woman beside him, smiled slightly, and then looked away. "I'm not interested in money."

This is no exaggeration.

Silver doesn't fetch a good price in the modern world, so of course he wasn't interested.

"I do have a great fondness for gold and jewelry, precious medicinal herbs, fragrant sandalwood, jade and white jade."

These things, in the modern world, often cost tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions of dollars, so of course I like them.

Gold, in particular, has been rising steadily recently, making Lin Dao's eyelids twitch.

Everyone was puzzled. Was there really someone who didn't like money?

Hu Yingtai's slightly cloudy eyes darted around as he reached out and took a jade pendant from his body, handing it over.

"Take a look, what can I exchange this jade pendant of mine for?"

Lin Dao took the jade pendant and examined it closely, asking, "Hetian jade?"

Everyone laughed, and Hu Yingtai stroked his beard and said, "This is a Hetian white jade pendant, symbolizing good fortune, longevity, and prosperity. I bought it for several hundred taels of silver."

Lin Dao roughly estimated that if he sold it in the modern world, it could fetch around ten thousand dollars.

He thought for a moment and then told the madam to bring over all the things he had deposited.

Before long, apart from the hanging glass lamps and the missing standing mirror, all the other items were piled up near Lin Dao.

He stood up and took out a box containing a watch.

After thinking about it, I added two more bottles of red wine.

Finally, I also grabbed a risqué magazine and placed it in front of Hu Yingtai.

"A stainless steel case, a self-running clock with a star-shaped dial, two bottles of wine in glass containers, and a book of Western-style paintings."

“This thing…” Hu Yingtai took a liking to the watch at first glance, and turned it over and over in his hand. “It is very exquisite.”

Chen Zhenhui stepped forward and subtly rolled up her sleeves, revealing a watch on her wrist.

The brand-new mechanical watch gleams beautifully under the light.

Hu Yingtai was very satisfied and wore it on his hand, just like Chen Zhenhui had done.

As for the two bottles of red wine, they were a decent gift, but in the late Ming Dynasty, they were by no means rare.

He flipped through that book of Western-style illustrations with great interest for quite a while.

"The painting is exquisite, with every detail meticulously rendered. Is this what the red-haired barbarians' oil paintings are like? It's quite novel."

By the late Ming Dynasty, Eastern and Western cultures had begun to intersect.

At that time, many upper-class people had broad knowledge and were no longer as dull and stupid as they were during the Qing Dynasty.

Hu Yingtai felt he had made a huge profit, having exchanged just a jade pendant for so many good things.

Lin Dao also felt that he had made a huge profit.

This jade pendant could probably sell for around ten thousand yuan.

The combined cost of watches, wine, and magazines is less than one hundred yuan.

That's a hundredfold profit! Enough to buy several tons of feed for Yonghe Time and Space.

Seeing this, the people around took out the items they were carrying.

The men mainly exchanged jade pendants and rings for watches, wine, glassware, and Western-style paintings.

Those skilled in martial arts exchanged their jewelry and other valuables for items such as makeup mirrors, perfumes, cosmetics, and alcohol.

There was a famous scholar who didn't own many possessions.

After exchanging a Western-style painting and two bottles of wine, he wanted to exchange some more things, so he simply handed over his fan.

"The painting on the fan was painted by Tang Yin."

Tang Yin's paintings still hold considerable value in this era.

In the modern world, they are even more valuable.

The problem is that if Lin Daoruo takes it back, the centuries of time and experience will be lost, and no matter how good the item is, it will still be a high-quality fake.

"This thing~"

Lin Dao looked troubled. "I don't really like antiques, calligraphy, and paintings."

"This—" the scholar exclaimed in astonishment, "This is a painted fan by Tang Yin."

"Okay." Lin Dao turned around to get the items, but it seemed that most of the items that were supposed to be sold had already been sold.

He looked slightly puzzled. "I remember there was something else."

The madam looked embarrassed and lowered her voice, "Some items were taken by my good-for-nothing daughter."

Lin Dao's expression immediately darkened.

"Young master, please don't be angry," the madam hurriedly said. "I'll go get it right away."

Lin Dao simply got up and followed him upstairs.

No matter what kind of famous skill or horse you are, do you dare to stop me from earning military funds?
In the Beggars' Army, they shall be dealt with according to military law!
Climb the wooden stairs to the upper cabin.

Unlike the area below, this section consists of separate cabins, presumably where the skilled technicians work.

As we arrived at the cabin entrance, adorned with pearl-embellished curtains, the sounds of laughter and conversation drifted in from inside.

"My dear sister, I truly envy you. To have such a generous young master who would gift you such a rare and precious treasure."

The sound was clear and melodious, with a hint of softness.

"Young Master Lin is so sincere, I can't refuse." This was Dong Xiaowan's manipulative voice. "I had no choice but to reluctantly accept it."

Linglong's soft voice rang out again, but this time she was speaking to someone else: "Young Master Pijiang, Little Sister Wan has received such a precious gift, don't you have anything to say in return?"

"If we remain indifferent, who knows, Little Wan might be taken away by someone else in the end~~~"

Judging from her words, she's definitely a green tea bitch.

The madam rushed inside, "You all better shut up! Young Master Lin has really arrived!"

Stepping inside, Lin Dao looked around.

He was immediately drawn to the full-length mirror.

His valuables were openly displayed in Dong Xiaowan's room!
(End of this chapter)