Chapter 238: Everything for One Hundred Wen

Xiao Dabao drove the Minivan, and Bai Wei sat in the passenger seat, looking out the window.

Spring had already arrived in Beijiang, and everything was lush and green.

The grass sprouted tender shoots, and the trees put forth new branches.

In the fields along the Post Road, ragged farmers held hoes, digging the earth one stroke at a time.

Productivity in ancient times was low, and farming and land reclamation were all done by manual labor, so even with the arrival of spring, the farmers still had to work diligently, otherwise they would not have enough to eat.

Two hours passed, and the Minivan drove to the vicinity of Xuancheng.

To avoid attracting attention, the vehicle was parked in a thicket outside the city.

Jia Shun had long since received the message by carrier pigeon and had sent a carriage to wait outside the city; seeing the Minivan approach, he hurriedly drove the carriage over.

"Greetings, Prince," Jia Shun said, bowing to Xiao Moting. "The Bai's General Store in the city has been fully prepared according to your instructions."

Just as he finished speaking, he suddenly saw Bai Wei get out of the vehicle and was instantly stunned.

"This young lady is..."

Jia Shun had never met Bai Wei, but Bai Wei knew him and smiled, nodding at him.

Xiao Moting jumped out of the vehicle first; ignoring Jia Shun, he immediately came over and extended his arm, signaling for Bai Wei to hold onto him as she stepped down.

Bai Wei placed her hand on his arm and jumped out of the vehicle.

Seeing the interaction between the two, Jia Shun suddenly realized, his eyes revealing a hint of a sly smile.

He understood.

He had thought Xiao Moting usually kept his distance from women, but he hadn't expected that he was a man after all.

If one is a man, one will be lustful.

Jia Shun leaned in and said with a fawning smile, "Prince, is this your newly acquired concubine?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he felt the atmosphere around him change, becoming filled with a murderous chill.

Xiao Moting's gaze was icy, staring fiercely at him.

The several trusted aides behind him also stared over with murderous glares.

Jia Shun panicked. "Did this subordinate say something wrong? Prince, is this your concubine?"

"Presumptuous!" Xiao Moting barked, a murderous aura erupting from his entire body. "Jia Shun, you are bold indeed, daring to speculate recklessly!"

"Magistrate Jia, is your neck itching?" Qin Zhan snorted coldly. "How dare you slander Bai?"

Jia Shun was terrified and stammered, "Then, who exactly is this young lady?"

Xiao Moting glanced at Bai Wei and spoke in a deep voice.

"She is my fiancée."

"What?" Jia Shun's mouth hung open in shock, unable to close it for a long time.

Following that, he plopped down onto his knees and kowtowed repeatedly to Xiao Moting.

"It is this subordinate's ignorance; I beg the Prince to forgive my sin."

"If you speak without restraint again, I will have someone cut out your tongue," Xiao Moting coldly snapped.

"I wouldn't dare, this subordinate will never dare again."

Jia Shun was covered in cold sweat.

While feeling afraid, a sliver of doubt also emerged in his mind.

It seemed he hadn't heard of any imperial decree from Shengjing granting a marriage for Xiao Moting?

However, he looked up and saw Xiao Moting's icy gaze, shuddered immediately, and hurriedly lowered his head.

Forget it, one should not ask what one should not ask.

This Prince was someone who even dared to disobey the Emperor's imperial edicts.

Bai Wei stood to the side, watching Xiao Moting reprimand the official, and couldn't help but raise her eyebrows.

Xiao Moting was not like this when he was usually in front of her.

She hadn't expected that he was actually quite imposing when managing people.

Perhaps seeing her looking at him, a flash of embarrassment crossed Xiao Moting's handsome face.

He leaned in slightly, moved close to Bai Wei's ear, and lowered his voice.

"Bai, I truly offended you just now by saying you were my fiancée."

"Xuancheng is not the Northern Frontier Camp; there are many people and eyes here, and we didn't bring many attendants on this trip."

"So, to keep our identities hidden, I must wrong you by having you temporarily act as my fiancée. I have offended you, and I ask for your forgiveness, Bai."

Bai Wei hurriedly said, "It is no wrong; let it be done as you say."

Xiao Moting's thin lips curved slightly, and he smiled.

"Good. From now on, we are merchants here in Xuancheng to sell goods, and your identity is my fiancée."

His warm breath hit Bai Wei's earlobe, feeling a bit ticklish, which gave her goosebumps.

She didn't know if it was just her imagination, but Bai Wei always felt that Xiao Moting had said that on purpose.

Jia Shun signaled the city guards to move all the goods from the Minivan onto the carriages to be transported to the general store in the city.

Personnel in Xuancheng were complex; the Minivan could not be allowed to drive into the city to avoid attracting attention.

The goods from four vehicles filled ten carriages in total.

Bai Wei adjusted her veil and followed Xiao Moting as they walked toward the city.

Walking through the city gate, they were met with a bustling long street.

She looked out; the street was crowded with people, many passersby were coming and going, and there were peddlers, traveling merchants, and street performers by the roadside—it was a lively scene.

Compared to not long ago, Xuancheng was now even more prosperous and lively, with an air of peace everywhere.

Looking at the scene before him, Jia Shun also felt many emotions.

"It is fortunate that the Prince led the soldiers to defeat the barbarian army."

"Otherwise, Xuancheng would not have today's peace, nor would it be as prosperous as it is now."

"If not for the Northern Frontier Army, who fought to the death to protect the common people, Xuancheng would likely have been slaughtered long ago and become a desolate city."

Bai Wei nodded in agreement.

Even if she provided the food and equipment, without the Northern Frontier Army fighting heroically and blocking the barbarian army with their own flesh and blood, Xuancheng would not be as prosperous and stable as it is today.

The most bustling street in the city was where the Bai's General Store was located.

The shop had already been cleared out, and over a dozen wooden cabinets for stocking goods had been set up; the shopkeeper was busy cleaning with a few shop assistants.

"Come over here quickly and move the goods from the carriage into the shop," Jia Shun stepped forward and shouted.

He was the ostensible owner of the Bai's General Store, and the shopkeeper hurriedly led the assistants forward to help unload the cargo.

The goods in the cardboard boxes were dazzling and varied.

As the shopkeeper and the assistants placed the goods on the shelves, they were so shocked that their mouths fell open.

"Oh my, what kind of goods are these? I have never seen them before!"

The goods placed on the shelves were all Yiwu Small Commodities sent by Bai Wei, which simply did not exist in ancient times.

Seeing that the Bai's General Store had new stock, passersby on the street crowded around to watch the excitement.

"Shopkeeper, what good things are you selling today? What are those? I've never seen them before."

"There are so many things, all colorful; what are these basins made of?"

"Are these more good things from the Western Regions? Shopkeeper, you really have magical powers; you have all sorts of rare items we've never seen."

Relying on the sales of laundry powder, soap, and laundry detergent, the Bai's General Store had already made a name for itself in Xuancheng, so as soon as the goods were placed on the shelves, the area outside the door was packed with crowds, making it exceptionally lively.

Xiao Moting scanned the shop; the goods displayed on the shelves were diverse and varied.

He turned his head to ask Bai Wei, "Bai, how much do you intend to sell these goods for?"

"One hundred wen for everything."

"One hundred wen?" Jia Shun was stunned. "This... isn't this a bit too cheap?"

After all, the previous laundry powder, laundry detergent, and such had cost ten taels of silver per pack.

One hundred wen was only enough to buy ten catties of rice.

"Yes, exactly one hundred wen," Bai Wei nodded decisively.

The goods she was selling this time were meant for the common people, so the price would not be too high.

A successful merchant does not just sell high-end goods; they must capture the high, middle, and low markets.

Furthermore, Zhou Yuchuan had also said that the proportion of wealthy people was one in a thousand; although they could afford luxury goods, they could not buy them every day, and the common people were the primary purchasing power.