Chapter 368: Little Uncle, Don

The uncle and nephew didn't speak long before parting; Pan Tao went home, while Pan Yun carried Pan Xiaohei out for a stroll, wandering all the way to the silk shop.

After the Lantern Festival, how far could the warm spring be?

So today, many people came to buy fabric for spring clothes, drawn by the merchants' promotions.

The wealthy not only liked to buy new clothes at the start of spring, but also liked to acquire new objects.

To the west of the silk shop stood a three-meter-long table, piled high with exquisite porcelain.

Not far away, a cart stood parked, still loaded with over a dozen crates—clearly, more goods had yet to be unloaded.

Pan Yun snapped out of her thoughts instantly, stunned, and walked forward, "Senior nephew, did we buy this many porcelain pieces on the road?"

Wang Cong lowered his voice: "The goods I brought back to Huishan last year were meant for selling, but my father locked me up on the mountain—I thought this shipment would sit unsold for years, yet now I finally have a chance to sell them."

He pulled Pan Yun to the side of the table and shouted to the crowd browsing and watching: "Top-quality Jingdezhen porcelain! Direct from the kiln, no middlemen, no rent—cheap, cheap!"

Passersby gathered around: "Really Jingdezhen?"

"True, true—look at the marks on the bottom, all from famous Jingdezhen kilns," Wang Cong picked up a vase and showed them the base, "Liming Tang—see? Their blue-and-white porcelain is renowned far and wide, just shy of imperial tribute. Only I could get these prices—if you bought them in a shop, you'd need at least this much—now I only ask for this."

"Real or fake?" Many in the crowd were swayed, pushing forward to examine the vase in his hand: "So cheap? How do you even make money?"

Wang Cong volunteered: "I came to Changzhou to visit relatives; my cart was empty, so I brought a load of porcelain along. Originally, I planned to sell it to shops, but I don't know Changzhou well and couldn't find my relatives, so I'm selling it myself."

He added: "Since I have no shop and bought these porcelain pieces cheaply from Jingdezhen, I only charge for travel costs and a tiny profit—not for gain, but to clear the cart so I can move on to find my relatives. This stall only lasts two days; after the sixteenth, I'm packing up and leaving. If you're interested, come take a look."

Not just Seeing Miao Zhen and the others—even Pan Yun stared in awe. Could her senior nephew really be this powerful?

The crowd, swayed by Wang Cong, surged forward. Soon, someone picked out a piece and loudly bargained: "Lower it further—I'd say this vase is worth one tael."

Wang Cong was distracted by another customer, a moment late to respond, when Pan Yun blurted out: "One tael? We haven't even recouped our cost, brother—give us three cash more. One cash for travel and labor, how's that?"

"Alright, one tael two hundred and ten cash."

"Three cash, three cash, brother—look at how many of us there are. One beautiful vase, after travel costs, you're only making us less than ten cash profit…"

In the end, the buyer successfully haggled down ten cash, finalizing the price at one tael two hundred and ninety cash.

Now it was Wang Cong's turn to be stunned.

Seeing Miao Zhen and the others had recovered, clumsily imitating Wang Cong and Pan Yun to greet customers, haggling prices back up—suddenly, the scene was bustling.

Wang Cong found them too slow; seeing the crowd grow, he simply assigned them to collect money, give brief descriptions, or handle customers who didn't haggle.

He and Pan Yun took charge of the haggling customers.

But… no one's money comes from the wind; when you go out to buy, how can you not haggle?

So half the street could hear Wang Cong and Pan Yun's voices; some people, far away and unaware of what they were selling, turned their steps toward the noise.

Curiosity~~~

Even the silk shop owner couldn't resist stepping out, tiptoeing to watch the spectacle.

The shopkeeper also came out, leaning on the doorframe beside the owner, tiptoeing to look down, sighing: "Is porcelain business this good?"

The owner jumped, turned around: "What are you doing here? Get back inside and serve the customers—our customers are being snatched away!"

The shopkeeper: "They're selling porcelain; we're selling fabric. No conflict."

The shopkeeper was an old hand, raised alongside the owner since childhood, so he wasn't the least bit intimidated.

He kept tiptoeing to watch: "They're just curious, coming to join the crowd. After buying porcelain and watching the show, they'll still come in to buy fabric."

"Look," the shopkeeper tugged the owner's sleeve, "these customers are all strangers—they buy porcelain here, then walk into our shop. Mutual benefit."

The owner turned his gaze back to Wang Cong and Pan Yun selling porcelain: "These two are impressive. I wonder if they'd consider becoming my shopkeeper or manager."

The shopkeeper: "One blue-and-white vase sells for over one tael. He's got at least twenty on the table, not counting what's in the crates, let alone cups, bowls, plates, and dishes. Master, he might earn more in a day than you make in a year."

The owner: "He's got to invest his own capital. I checked—the porcelain quality is truly excellent. After travel and labor costs, he's barely making anything. From his prices, I'd say he's probably losing money. But if he worked for me, it'd be pure profit."

The shopkeeper: "Then ask him."

The owner lowered his voice: "What if I opened a shop specializing in porcelain?"

Looks very profitable~~

The shopkeeper turned and walked away: "Master, it's not even dark yet."

The owner stopped watching, trailing behind, muttering: "Why did I just dream this? Seeing how he sells these porcelain pieces—he must have a source of cheap, high-quality goods."

The shopkeeper was beginning to suspect Wang Cong was a con artist, deliberately setting up a scheme for their owner.

"Master, Grandfather always said: we know silk, so we stick to silk. Porcelain is unfamiliar territory—you go in expecting to lose everything. You just admitted: for all his fiery sales, we don't know if he's really making or losing money."

Porcelain flew off the table; Tao Yanbai and Seeing Miao Zhen and Seeing Miao He collected money until their hands went numb.

Wang Cong's throat was dry from shouting, yet he was exhilarated. He told Pan Yun: "Once the porcelain's sold out, we'll buy fabric at the silk shop and take it to Jingcheng to sell." Pan Yun: "What if we can't sell it all?"

"Simple—we take it all to Jingcheng. I carefully selected every single piece. I guarantee: these are the most popular styles for this year and next."

"If people in Changzhou love them, northerners will love them even more," Wang Cong said confidently. "To make them want it, you only need to say: this is this year's most fashionable style from Jiangnan."

Pan Yun: …

The crowd never thinned; by nightfall, when the city's lanterns lit up, Wang Cong had opened three more crates.

Lanterns had just been lit—the street was at its emptiest, everyone home for dinner or eating in restaurants.

Finally, their stall grew quiet.

Wang Cong bought them sugar water and noodles, urging: "Eat fast, eat fast—crowds will return soon."

Pan Yun and the others wolfed down their noodles, then asked: "Cong'er, did you used to do business like this?"

Wang Cong nodded: "Everyone starts this way—only way to start. Later, once you build ties with local shops, you stop setting up stalls."

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"But sometimes you still need to set up stalls," Wang Cong smiled, handing out sugar water. "First time doing this, exhausted, right?"

Pan Yun asked: "How old were you when you started selling things?"

"Very young—I sold small items myself, around ten. By twelve, I was traveling with assistants."

Pan Yun and the other three stared at him with starry eyes—so powerful. Truly, so powerful.

Pan Yun took a sip of the sugar water and said, "Senior Brother really has given a great deal for Mount Sanqing, and you, Senior Nephew, really have given a great deal for Senior Brother and the Sanqing Monastery."

Wang Cong laughed it off and said, "I really enjoy the feeling of making money. Little Xiao Shishu, how is the improved power system you mentioned coming along? Another seven days have passed."

Pan Yun lowered her head and sipped the sugar water.

Wang Cong: "And what about the *New Mohist Canon* and the *Treatise on Curiosities* you said you'd transcribe for me?"

Pan Yun coughed and said, "I've already transcribed one-fiftieth of a volume, which can count as one fascicle. I'll go get it for you later."

Wang Cong was stunned. "What kind of book is it that one-fiftieth makes a whole fascicle?"

"The *New Mohist Canon*. It covers mechanics, optics, geometry, engineering knowledge, and super-modern physics, as well as mathematics."

Wang Cong raised an eyebrow. "Speaking of which, I've always had a question. Little Xiao Shishu, since you have the *New Mohist Canon*, does that mean you have the *Mohist Canon*?"

Pan Yun's lips curved slightly. "I really do."

It was compiled later from archaeological discoveries, combined with various ancient books passed down through history, after restoration and aggregation.

Later, it was collected as data and stored on a jade slip in the Spirit Realm.

And the *New Mohist Canon* is a set of scientific books compiled by the state with a hundred scientists after the revival of spiritual energy, covering mathematics, mechanics, optics, geometry, physics, and engineering.

At the time the great war was still raging, civilization was being damaged, and no one knew whether, upon waking, this scientific world would still exist. So the *New Mohist Canon* was aggregated starting from the technical level before steam technology, working forward step by step to contemporary science and technology.

Of course, it's all foundational.

To go further, one would need to study more specialized knowledge.

One could say that, having learned the *New Mohist Canon*, one could turn the ancient world into the modern world by making one-tenth of the things in the *Treatise on Curiosities*.

Pan Yun said mysteriously, "I wouldn't tell just anyone — these are all treasures."

Wang Cong was so excited he nearly leapt to his feet, saying eagerly, "Aren't these exactly treasures?"

"Little Xiao Shishu, you really have the *Mohist Canon*? The *Mohist Canon* passed down by the Mohist school?"

Pan Yun nodded.

Wang Cong immediately lost interest in running his stall. "Little Xiao Shishu, let me have a look."

"I haven't finished transcribing the *Mohist Canon* yet. Right now I've only transcribed a small part of the *New Mohist Canon* — didn't I already tell you? Wait a bit longer."

Wang Cong calmed down. "Little Xiao Shishu, you mean you've memorized the entire *Mohist Canon* and just need to transcribe it?"

Pan Yun nodded.

Wang Cong squatted back down and continued eating his noodles. After a moment he still couldn't help saying, "Little Xiao Shishu, my father has plenty of good qualities, but could you not pick up his habit of talking big?"

Good night.

(End of chapter)