Water Ink Panel: Starting with Bow Technique to Hunt the Sun and Patrol the Skies
Chapter 58 - 57: The Business Begins to Take Shape

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Hearing Shen Qing's call, many villagers from the village rushed over with their wild produce in hand to face Shen Qing.

The scene became chaotic.

Shen Qing tapped the cart and shouted, "Quiet, line up, one at a time."

A straightforward villager squeezed to the front and suspiciously asked, "Qingzi, they all say you're not taking credit anymore this time, cash only, is that true?"

"Of course, it's true." Shen Qing took out some silver taels from his pocket along with some large coins he had prepared in advance and piled them on the cart, "Today it's cash transactions only. As long as you have goods, I'll take them."

Shen Qing's voice was resounding, spreading far and wide, reaching everyone's ears.

Wow!

The many villagers craned their necks for a look forward.

Seeing Shen Qing take out so much money at once, they exchanged glances, faces filled with surprise.

They couldn't quite understand it.

Just over a month ago, Shen Qing was still worrying about making a living, suffering under the oppression of the Chen Family. How did he transform so suddenly into someone so wealthy?

In this month, Shen Qing's skills had first improved, his hunts no longer empty-handed. Then he fiercely quashed the whole Chen Yuan family.

After that, he was reading and writing, selling wild produce, practicing martial arts in the city...

Each incident appeared in their eyes like reading scriptures or listening to stories.

Living in Hongshan Village for so long, growing up, they had never heard of such a person emerging.

Was Shen Qing now "making it big"?

Most hunters who lived in the mountains for long had rather stubborn tempers and unpleasant speech, but they respected anyone stronger than them.

Not long ago, they had witnessed Shen Qing's fierce resolve when slaughtering the Chen Family, still vivid in their memories.

Knowing Shen Qing was a tough character.

Now that he had made money, no one dared say anything except that a few felt sour, secretly jealous, thinking he was just lucky.

Once Shen Qing proved he had money and wasn't just boasting, the villagers let go of their last doubts and began selling the wild produce they had on hand.

Someone brought a bunch of freshly collected wild mushrooms and some yellow root and placed them in front of Shen Qing.

After weighing them, Shen Qing bought them at the usual price.

The man, delighted to have been paid, was relieved to see Zhang Shuyuan noting it down properly and left.

After seeing someone get paid, the other hunters' families stepped forward one by one, selling their wild produce to Shen Qing.

Once they received their money, each one was beaming with joy.

There were no places to spend money in Hongshan Village, but that didn't mean there wasn't a desire to earn it.

Come spring, the government office would collect various taxes like the forest tax, household tax, and Leftover Woman Tax from each village. When autumn came, there would be land taxes and various other levies, and money would be needed everywhere.

If the county government came to collect taxes and they couldn't pay, they would be taken to dig rivers and build walls, completing forced labor. If they didn't die, they would surely suffer.

Moreover, even without taxes, villagers would sometimes head to the county town market to purchase necessities.

So money was important.

A village woman who made some money asked Shen Qing, "Qingzi, are you taking people with you to the county town this time? Can I go with you?"

The one speaking was an aunt from the clan's house. Shen Qing had a faint impression of her, though there hadn't been much interaction.

"Taking people, of course, but Auntie, you probably won't be able to go with me." Shen Qing stated honestly, "I'll be practicing martial arts in the county town this time. I won't be back for at least seven to eight days, maybe ten."

The clan auntie was quite disappointed and said, "...I was hoping to catch a ride and give you some fare."

She emphasized the word "money" heavily, trying to change Shen Qing's mind.

Shen Qing wasn't fooled.

Having lived in the village for a while, Shen Qing was familiar with the small intrigues of the village women; he wasn't surprised anymore.

This time, he couldn't possibly take others to the county town.

First, there wasn't enough space. The cart wasn't big. Once filled with wild produce, he, Shen Xiaohu, and Tian Xiaohu were packed enough, and any more would be cramped.

Secondly, it was too much hassle.

He wasn't going to the county just for wild trades; the main goal was to practice martial arts at Linfeng Hall. There wouldn't be room for anyone else.

However, the aunt did give him an idea. While he couldn't take people, he could certainly make money.

Shen Qing thought he could buy up the wild produce and, once villagers had cash, offer to help them procure other items from the county town.

Money would circulate, bringing more value.

Vaguely, Shen Qing felt the business of the Hongshan Trading Company taking shape.

Shen Qing smiled and said, "Aunt, are you looking to purchase something? If you want, I can help you bring some back."

"Really? That's great." Aunt Shen said, "I just want to buy a pair of scissors and some needles and thread for the house. If you see any, bring some for me."

"No problem, please have Mr. Zhang note it down. I'll purchase them in the county town later," Shen Qing advised Zhang Shuyuan.

Aunt Shen was immediately delighted.

Seeing this, others who felt a bit more comfortable with their money also entrusted Shen Qing to buy items for them in the county, even leaving deposits.

Some of the silver tael he had just paid out immediately returned to Shen Qing's hand.

After busily working for about three to four quarters of an hour, the wild produce from the village was fully collected, filling the cart to the brim.

Shen Qing took the shopping list from Zhang Shuyuan, and taking advantage of the good morning weather, headed to Taiping County town with Tian Xiaohu.

Teaching Tian Xiaohu and Shen Xiaohu to drive delayed them a bit, so while the usual journey took one shi chen, it took nearly one and a half shi chen this time.

Fortunately, they set off early and reached the city gates before noon.

The journey was uneventful.

As usual, after paying the City Entrance Fee, Shen Qing headed directly to the Wanfeng Building.

The back courtyard of the Wanfeng Building was still bustling, with hunters, vegetable farmers, and carriers coming and going.

The only difference was the manager, a new face.

He appeared more upright than Wang Qiyao and seemed younger.

The abacus flew in his hands, showing his competence.

As it was their first interaction, the manager was strictly business, neither pressing too hard nor giving an inch.

One cartload of goods was exchanged for thirteen taels of silver.

The silver from his wild produce amounted to about 1,300 wen, and with this trade, he earned about two taels of silver.

Not bad at all.

Shen Qing took out two hundred wen in large coins, pondered a bit, then walked over to the new manager with a smile, lowered his voice, and hinted, "May I ask for your name, Manager?"

Manager Cai glanced down at the hard object Shen Qing handed over, swiped it casually without a trace, and skillfully pocketed it, "Cai Jia Sheng."

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