Han Ji

For the next two weeks, the three teenagers embarked on their first business adventure. Qian Zhao was in charge of escorting the goods, Jian Yong was in charge of bookkeeping and calculating the money, and Liu Bei was in charge of dealing with people and negotiating prices. They used all their savings to buy two shi of millet from Jicheng and then transported it back to Zhuojun to find a way to sell it.

The process was far more difficult than expected. On their first trip transporting grain, they encountered a blizzard, and Qian Zhao almost capsized with his boat in the icy river. When selling the grain, they were targeted by local thugs, and if it weren't for Qian Zhao's agility and strong fists, the grain would probably have been robbed of everything.

But when they finally put all the money together and tallied up the total, they were stunned—they had actually made a net profit of eighty coins on this trip!

"It's done! It really is!" Qian Zhao excitedly waved the now slightly heavier money bag. "Enough to buy lots and lots of flatbreads!"

Looking at the detailed account recorded by Jian Yong, Liu Bei frowned slightly: "After deducting losses and various expenses along the way, we only actually earned about fifty coins. Too slow..."

"Slow?" Jian Yong chuckled, "This is already much more profitable than copying documents!"

However, Liu Bei's ambitions didn't stop there. In the following months, their small "grain transport team" continued their work. The lives of all three families improved somewhat as a result, and Liu Bei finally saved enough money to redeem his father's jade pendant.

But he gradually noticed an unusual detail: every time they returned with grain, a few regular buyers would come to their door immediately, buying small quantities but never haggling over the price.

"These people are most likely spies sent by other grain merchants to probe our situation," Liu Bei analyzed.

Sure enough, after only a few days of peace and quiet, even bigger trouble came knocking.

"I heard you bunch of lads are secretly smuggling and selling grain?" A burly man with a fierce look in his eyes, accompanied by several burly thugs, blocked the entrance to Liu Bei's simple courtyard. "Do you know who's in charge in Zhuojun City? Don't you understand the rules?!"

Qian Zhao took a step forward and blocked Liu Bei's path, her fists clenched so tightly they cracked, like an enraged little leopard.

Just as a conflict seemed imminent, a commanding voice boomed from nearby: "Stop!"

It was Liu Yuanqi, who hurried over with several members of his clan. The burly man's face instantly lit up with a fawning smile upon seeing him, his expression changing faster than flipping through a book: "Oh, Master Liu! It's you! It's nothing serious, just these few lads don't know their place, stealing business from Chen's shop. We've come to talk to them..."

"Chen's?" Liu Yuanqi sneered, his gaze sharp as a knife. "When did this Zhuojun County become Chen's territory? How come I didn't know?"

The man, sweat beading on his forehead, didn't dare reply and quickly led his men away.

Liu Yuanqi then turned around, his gaze falling on Liu Bei, his tone leaving no room for doubt: "You, come with me."

In the study, the charcoal fire burned much brighter than in the clan's private school.

"Speak, what happened?" Liu Yuanqi asked sternly. "Why aren't you studying properly? Why are you trying to do business?"

Liu Bei knew this was a crucial moment. He took a deep breath and recounted his experiences over the past three months—how he started, how he traveled, and how he profited—in detail. Finally, he said, "Uncle, I was unable to continue studying with my teacher due to insufficient tuition fees. Moreover, I am not simply greedy for money; it is only because I see another spring famine approaching, and the people will inevitably suffer. If we can sell grain at a fair price, it will not only uphold the reputation of the Liu family's benevolence but also alleviate some of the people's worries about hunger."

Liu Yuanqi remained silent, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. After a long while, he suddenly asked, "How much capital do you have right now? What's the maximum amount of grain you can transport back at once?"

"Uncle, the total capital we have so far is about 1,200 coins. The most we've ever transported back from Jicheng was six shi of millet."

Liu Yuanqi stood up, pulled a ledger from the bookshelf, and spread it out: "Do you know why Chen's company dares to so arbitrarily raise prices and manipulate the market?"

Liu Bei cautiously replied, "Is it because they monopolize most of the supply?"

"Not only that." Liu Yuanqi shook his head, pointing to the records in the account book, "They have been colluding with the clerks in charge of the granaries in the prefecture for a long time. Before each price increase, they would work together to hoard grain for speculation. Last year, when the spring famine was at its worst, they sold a full three thousand shi of old grain to the prefecture at a high price of one hundred and eighty coins per shi to be used for relief! They then split the huge profits with those clerks in private."

This figure made Liu Bei gasp. Three thousand shi of grain, with a profit of nearly sixty coins per shi, that's almost 180,000 coins! In that era, it was an enormous sum.

"Your initial attempt was small-scale, but your approach was correct." Liu Yuanqi changed the subject, his gaze sharpening as he looked at Liu Bei. "If I gave you 100,000 coins as capital, could you possibly stockpile 800 shi of grain within a month?"

One hundred thousand coins! At the current market price of one hundred and twenty coins per shi (a unit of dry measure), that's enough to buy over eight hundred shi of grain. If managed properly, the goal of stockpiling eight hundred shi is entirely achievable.

Suppressing his excitement, Liu Bei replied in a deep voice, "Yes! With 100,000 coins as capital, I can not only stockpile 800 shi (a unit of dry measure), but I also have a way to prevent Chen Ji from arbitrarily raising prices and disrupting the market this time!"

Liu Yuanqi's face showed satisfaction, and he nodded slightly: "Good! Consider this money my investment in you. However..." He looked at Liu Bei meaningfully, "De Ran (Liu Yuanqi's son) needs to be involved in the management, and all major decisions must be discussed with me beforehand."

Liu Bei immediately understood that this was both a way to let his cousin participate in training and a way for his uncle to place a supervisor.

"Nephew understands."

When Liu Bei emerged from the study, the sun was already setting. He knew that from this moment on, everything would be different.

That night, the three gathered again under the old mulberry tree and discussed matters until late into the night by moonlight. Based on his knowledge and experience from his previous life, Liu Bei outlined a relatively complete plan for procurement, transportation, and sales, and even considered some risk assessments and coping strategies, which amazed Jian Yong and Qian Zhao.

"Xuande, where did you learn all these... all these schemes from?" Jian Yong couldn't help but ask curiously.

Liu Bei looked up at the clear, cold moon on the horizon and said softly, "Read more books, and you will naturally understand. That's why I say reading is very important."

With the huge sum of 100,000 coins provided by Liu Yuanqi, Liu Bei's grain business immediately got on the fast track.

Under Liu Yuanqi's guidance, their first task was to clearly define the division of labor and establish a preliminary management system. Liu Bei was responsible for overall planning and decision-making, Jian Yong was meticulous and responsible for all accounting and management, Qian Zhao was brave and reliable and responsible for security and manpower allocation along the transportation route, and the newly joined Liu Deran was responsible for external liaison and smoothing things over with his status.

"We must establish our own reliable transportation fleet." Liu Bei drew a route on a rudimentary map. "From Jicheng to Zhuojun, if we can reliably use waterways, we can save five coins in transportation costs per shi of grain. Eight hundred shi would amount to four thousand coins!"

With Liu Yuanqi's connections, they chartered five reliable cargo ships at a relatively favorable price and also hired twenty honest and hardworking porters.

However, just as they were getting ready to make a big splash, trouble struck one after another.