Reborn as a Cube Man in the Late Ming Dynasty

Seeing Wang Mazi approach, the men became noticeably flustered. They switched legs, crossed their arms, and stared at Wang Mazi warily.

"Brothers, don't be nervous. We are merchants from out of town, and this is our first time in Linyi County. Everything is new to us."

"That's why we're thinking of buying some grain in Shanxi and then transporting it to Shaanxi to sell. Even though things are chaotic there now, grain is still valuable."

"If we can actually close this deal, we might even make a profit. What do you guys think? Is this feasible?"

The men had strange expressions.

One of the merchants shook his head and said, "Brother, you'd better not even think about this business. Let's not even talk about the grain from Shanxi being transported to Shaanxi."

"The situation in Shaanxi is very chaotic, with a lot of refugees and bandits. The county is strictly controlling the grain supply. Forget about transporting large quantities there, even if you want to buy more to take out, you have to think twice."

"If the county government really takes notice, it won't be as simple as just fining them a few dollars."

"Moreover," the traveling merchant said with a strange expression, "don't be fooled by the chaos in Shaanxi. That place has no shortage of grain! If you buy grain in Shanxi and transport it to Shaanxi, you definitely won't be able to sell it."

Wang Ma scratched his head and sighed in disappointment: "That's a pity. I was thinking of making a fortune on this trip."

The group relaxed a bit.

"In this day and age, money isn't so easy to earn."

"If you really want to do business, you should look around Shanxi."

"Go to Shaanxi as little as possible."

Wang Mazi nodded repeatedly: "That's right. We're new here and haven't figured out the rules yet. If we break any taboos, it'll be troublesome."

He turned to look at Lao Liu.

"Let's sit somewhere else."

Old Liu understood and got up with Wang Mazi.

Wang Mazi walked up to the shopkeeper, took out a few copper coins from his waist, and placed them on the counter: "Shopkeeper, how much are those two bowls of tea and two cakes?"

The shopkeeper fiddled with the copper coins and said with a smile, "Thank you for your kind offer. The tea costs four coins, and the two cakes cost six coins, making a total of ten coins."

"Ten coins? Done."

Wang Mazi glanced down and then took out two more copper coins.

The shopkeeper smiled and said, "Thank you, sir. Please come again next time!"

Wang Mazi continued, "And don't do it again next time, shopkeeper. Keep the table at the very back for me, and put up a thick curtain to separate that area."

"Today, we brothers are drinking, and we don't want outsiders to spoil our fun."

The shopkeeper gave Wang Mazi and Lao Liu a subtle once-over.

Although the two men were dressed fairly neatly, they didn't look like sons of wealthy families at all, especially Old Liu, whose clothes still had some dust left from his journey.

Moreover, we had only ordered two cakes and two teas beforehand.

The shopkeeper's smile remained, but he seemed somewhat hesitant.

Wang Mazi took out a small gold nugget from his pocket, held it between his fingers, and waved it in front of the shopkeeper.

The shopkeeper's eyes widened.

Wang Mazi then accepted the gold nuggets: "Clean up the place for me, serve the best food and drinks, and you'll be well paid."

The shopkeeper grinned broadly: "Don't worry, sirs! Since you're all in such high spirits, our shop certainly won't neglect you."

"I'll clear out the table at the very back for you right away, and hang up the curtain immediately."

"As for the food and drinks," the innkeeper, Fly, rubbed his hands together, "how about I bring you everything we have that's good?"

Wang Mazi nodded: "That's settled then. Bring out all the chicken, duck, fish, and meat you can, along with a few jugs of good wine, and don't skimp on the side dishes."

"Alright!"

The shopkeeper instructed his staff to get to work.

Old Liu stood to the side, watching as the shopkeeper rattled off a long list of dishes, his face twitching.

"Brother Ma Zi..."

"Um?"

"Did we order too much?"

He gestured with his hand.

"They have chicken, duck, fish, and meat—all kinds of dishes, plus so many signature dishes and several jugs of fine wine. How many copper coins must this have cost?"

Wang Mazi said sincerely, "What's the big deal? We're doing serious business here. Public matters are public matters, and private matters are private matters. If this money is spent on gathering information, then it's official business."

"If you can't bear to part with this little bit of food and drink, who will be willing to open up to us later?"

Old Liu glanced at Wang Mazi and thought he made a good point: "But you don't need to order so much, do you?"

Wang Mazi frowned and said, "What do you know?"

"Eat well, people will talk more freely, and if you have money, others will be more willing to do business with you."

He spoke with a very serious expression.

But as they talked, their gazes unconsciously drifted toward the kitchen.

The faint sound of chopping meat could be heard from there, and a fragrant aroma of oil wafted out.

Wang Mazi twitched his nose, licked his lips, his Adam's apple bobbed, and then he licked his lips again.

Old Liu pondered for a moment: "Brother Pockmarked?"

Wang Mazi looked over.

Are you hungry?

"nonsense!"

Wang Mazi coughed lightly, trying to appear calm: "I was thinking that I'd have the energy to get things done if I ate my fill later."

He nudged Old Liu on the shoulder: "Relax, this meal was worth it. Once we get the information out of them, we'll be happy to have two more meals, let alone this one."

Wang Mazi glanced into the kitchen and pursed his lips: "I just don't know if this chicken is stewed tender enough, or if it's as good as the ones in Licheng."

Old Liu: "..."

Hot dishes were served one after another, filling the table to the brim.

The aroma of meat wafted from behind the curtain, and Wang Mazi couldn't help but sniff again.

However, he still remembered the important matter at hand. He withdrew his gaze, picked up the wine pot, and called out to the outside.

"Hey guys! Don't sit outside, the food's all served, come and eat with us!"

The group of people looked at each other.

"Isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

"What's wrong with it?"

Wang Mazi chuckled and said, "If it weren't for the brothers reminding me just now, I would have really gone in headfirst. This trip to transport the grain to Shaanxi would have cost me at least a lot of money."

"Speaking of which, I have to thank a few people."

"Come on in, don't be shy."

The group glanced at the food and wine on the table.

One of the two jugs of wine has already been opened, and the aroma of wine mixed with the smell of meat fills the air.

The traveling merchant said with a half-smile, "Brother, aren't you afraid we were just lying to you?"

Wang Mazi raised an eyebrow: "Tsk, you're lying to me?"

"What if the grain from Shanxi can actually be transported to Shaanxi, and we were just bluffing you?" the traveling merchant continued.

Wang Mazi said sincerely, "What's there to be afraid of? You're just lying to me, which means I'll earn less. But what if you're not lying to me? If I really hauled the grain to Shaanxi, I'd lose real money."

"If you really want to lie to me, you can just say that grain prices are high in Shaanxi and tell me to hurry over there."

"Who comes up to someone and advises them against starting a business?"

The traveling merchant was taken aback, while his companion at the table slapped the table and laughed.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

"What this brother said makes sense!"

"Since you brothers all think what I said makes sense, then have a drink with me. This table is so big, the two of us can't finish it all," Wang Mazi invited again.

"drink!"

The traveling merchant no longer stood on ceremony, feeling that he had truly helped someone, and took his people to sit down with a clear conscience.