Chapter 89

After traveling for two and a half days, they finally reached Taoyuan County. Fortunately, Jing Yi had hired an experienced guide in Anchang County who was familiar with this route. Otherwise, there was a long stretch without villages or shops along the way. Not even a roadside tea stall. If their provisions and water ran out, it would be troublesome.

Inside the county town, Jing Yi instructed Steward Tong, to go directly to the inn and take some rest.

“Darling, feeling better?” Jing Yi asked with concern as he gave Chuxia a sip of water. Seeing his exhausted state, he couldn’t help but worry. Why did he get motion sickness this time? It hadn’t happened before.

“I’m fine, Ah Yi. Much better now.” Chuxia smiled gently at him, trying to lighten the mood. “Hey, it’s all because of you, pampering me so much!”

Seeing Chuxia trying to make him laugh, Jing Yi didn’t express his worries further. “Well, I’ll continue pampering you then. I’ll think about it, maybe pamper you until you become rejuvenated again? Carry you in my arms every day?”

“Pfft! You’re the old one here!” Chuxia playfully retorted, not bothered by it.

“Alright, alright, I’m old. Chuxia, let’s have a meal at the inn when we arrive and then rest. After resting, we’ll visit the clinic. Even if it’s just motion sickness, we can get some medicine to alleviate it,” Jing Yi said more seriously.

“Ah Yi, I know my own body. Really, I’m fine. I’ll eat and sleep for a while, and if I feel better later, we don’t have to go to the clinic,” Chuxia insisted. He didn’t want to visit the clinic right after arriving in a new place.

Seeing Chuxia’s strong reluctance, Jing Yi compromised, “If you feel better after resting, we can skip it for now. But if you have any discomfort in the next two days, you must let me know. We’ll visit the doctor then.”

“Got it!” Chuxia reluctantly agreed but couldn’t hide the sweetness in his response.

They found a clean and decent inn, settled in, had lunch, and Jing Yi informed Steward Tong and others that they would set out again at three in the afternoon. Then, he took Chuxia back to their room to rest.

When Chuxia woke up, he indeed felt much better. His cheeks were rosy from sleep, and his eyes had regained some vitality. Jing Yi finally felt relieved and, lying beside him, discussed their plans with a gentle tone.

“Then let’s stick to the original plan and go check out the fruit market ourselves. If we find good fruit tree seedlings, that’s great. If not, we can locate sellers with good fruits, honest traders, and inquire if they have any seedlings for sale.”

“Well, should we also check with the official suppliers?”

“Our required quantity isn’t significant in Taoyuan County, and dealing with official suppliers might not yield good products or prices. If we approach private sellers, being unfamiliar with the place, we might get overcharged. It’s better to look for ourselves.”

“Okay. I think that’s reasonable.” Chuxia readily agreed.

“If everything goes smoothly, we can finalize it today after looking around. Then, in the next two days, we’ll head south for less than a day and reach the seaside. It’s also within Qizhou. Wife, have you ever seen the sea? We can spend a few days there, then head back home. How about that?”

“Ah! Can we really see the sea? I’ve only heard about it in stories before.”

“Haha, this time we’ll go and experience it!”

As they spoke, the couple became excited, eager to finish their business and head to the seaside tomorrow.

The inn they stayed in was not far from the fruit market, about a fifteen-minute drive, and for safety reasons, the whole family joined in.

“Fresh big plums! Purple-red big plums! Plums that people in the capital love! Come and have a look!”

“Take a stroll, take a look. The last batch of watermelons this year. If you want to eat more, you’ll have to wait until next year!”

“Big brothers and sisters, come and buy apples! Buy four baskets for safety and prosperity, buy eight baskets for wealth from all directions! It’ll sell well when you take it back!”

As soon as they entered the fruit market, the shouts were incessant. Since this fruit market was specifically for merchants to restock and trade in bulk, most were carrying baskets and carts of goods. However, there were also local residents buying fresh fruits, creating a lively atmosphere.

“Brother, there are so many fruits, and many types I haven’t seen before.” Jing Renyi exclaimed, his eyes not knowing where to focus.

“Yeah, me too. Later, you pick some fresh ones we haven’t seen before. We’ll buy them and bring them back to the inn to eat.” Jing Yi decided; after all, this place was known for its fruits, and they should make the most of it.

“All right! Thank you, Master!” Jing Renyi was delighted. At eighteen, eating was a crucial part of his current life.

His older brother, Jing Renhe, sighed and shook his head helplessly. This foolish youngster only cared about eating.

After taking a stroll in the fruit market, Jing Yi’s goal was clear. He wanted to buy fruit trees suitable for cultivation in Anchang County, ones that would thrive and bear plenty of fruit, such as peaches, apples, pears, and plums.

After a round, he noticed there weren’t many sellers of fruit seedlings, and even if there were, the quality, according to Jing Ming, was quite ordinary.

“I can imagine that the trade in fruit seedlings mostly involves regular customers, and good seedlings won’t end up being sold at the fruit market,” Jing Yi remarked.

“In that case, Ah Yi, let’s check with the fruit sellers. There must be one or two who can help. I can see that the competition here is intense, and the supply doesn’t seem to meet the demand,” Chuxia analyzed.

“Exactly, come on, let’s go have a look.”

With that, they led the group to the selected fruit stalls. After comparing a few, Jing Yi chose a stall run by an elderly man. The stall wasn’t large, and the fruits displayed were common, but they were noticeably vibrant in color, plump in shape, and felt heavy in hand, indicating ample moisture.

“Uncle, how do you sell your fruits?” Jing Yi adopted the local vernacular, using phrases he had just learned.

“The market price is the same,” the old man responded indifferently while puffing on a tobacco pipe.

“I can see your peaches and plums look quite juicy. Can we taste them?” Generally, when purchasing, unless you’re a regular customer, tasting is necessary.

“Help yourself. If they don’t taste good, it’s on me. Just don’t expect me to wash them for you.” The old man seemed straightforward and had a temper. Doing business with someone like him might be challenging, as he offended people with just a few words.

Jing Yi, however, wasn’t angered. People encountered all kinds in the business world, and this old man seemed to be straightforward in his own way.

Although Jing Yi wasn’t upset, Chuxia was. An inexplicable anger surged within him, and he was about to argue with the old man when a crisp apology sounded nearby.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Let me wash these for you, and you all please wait a moment. Feel free to look around. Besides peaches and plums, we also have sweet pomegranates and pears at our place.”

Saying this, a slightly dark-skinned but handsome young ger approached, followed by a tall and robust man similar to Steward Tong.

The one speaking was the young ger. He quickly started washing the plums and peaches, not forgetting to instruct the sturdy man to work and muttering a few words to the old man.

“Brother Shitou, quickly get some chairs for the esteemed guests and fetch a few bowls of water.”

“Father! Why are you in a bad mood again? You should have let the guests wait. I’ll be there in a moment.”

The old man didn’t argue with his son but muttered softly, “Humph, you’ll get tired washing these. These are all good things. Why taste them?”

Before he could finish muttering, he saw his eldest son-in-law, who had finished washing the peaches, coming over. He quickly closed his mouth, made a dissatisfied noise, and turned away, indicating his displeasure.

“Guests, please don’t mind my father’s temper. He may have a bad temper, but he’s a good person. Moreover, he’s exceptionally skilled in growing fruits. Please taste our fruits; they are all grown by my father and us.”

After saying this, he handed the fruits to Jing Yi and the others, even washing an extra peach and placing it on the table next to the old man. Although the old man didn’t turn around, he discreetly grabbed the peach and started eating.

Jing Yi: It’s not often you see a tsundere at this age. The key is, there’s not much moe factor. Thanks.

Jing Yi could tell that the one capable of doing business here wasn’t the eccentric old man or the silent, strong man but rather this young ger.

After a few conversations, Jing Yi and Chuxia basically settled on choosing this family.

The ger who discussed business with them turned out to be their son-in-law, and the robust man was his husband. When it came to business discussions, their dynamic cooperation was quite smooth. However, the most crucial factor in choosing their family was the belief that the fruits indeed had good quality, the pricing was fair, and the people were genuinely honest.

They arranged to visit the orchard in the village the next day to inspect the fruit seedlings. If the seedlings were satisfactory, they would finalize the deal.

“Well, Boss Yang, we’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow, Boss Jing.”

Around nine in the morning the next day, Jing Yi and his party met with the Yang family at the fruit market. Only the Yang couple came today. They drove a mule cart and took Jing Yi’s two horse-drawn carriages back to the village.

As the amount that the Jing family wanted was a significant deal for the Yang family, they temporarily closed their fruit stall. They wanted to prioritize and provide attentive service to the Jing family.

The Yang family’s residence was in Yangjia Village, very close to Taoyuan County. It was evident that they were well-off in the village, owning both land and an orchard. In the family, there were three brothers, all of them men. The eldest was Yang Shi, and the one handling business negotiations was Wu Tong, his wife.

Upon arriving at the entrance of the orchard, they saw Yang’s elderly father holding a well-behaved little boy in his arms, waiting there.

“Father, why did you bring Little Bao again?” Wu Tong asked.

With many bugs in the orchard, they usually didn’t bring Xiao Bao with them. He was not yet two years old, and the family was worried he might get bitten by bugs.

“Xiao Bao doesn’t like staying at home, and besides, I don’t trust those two rascals to watch over him.”@@novelbin@@

Saying this, old man Yang looked a bit reluctant as he handed the little boy over to his eldest son. However, carrying him for so long had indeed made his arms sore, so he handed the boy over reluctantly.

“This little boy looks really smart and adorable. He seems quite bright.” Chuxia, upon seeing the child, immediately warmed up, praising him.

“Xiao Bao, thank Aunt Jing for complimenting you,” Wu Tong said to his son in his arms.

“Thank you, Auntie~” The sweet voice of the child rang out, his big grape-like eyes curving. He seemed to understand that the adults were praising him.