Chapter 222

Chief Li thought for a while and said, “I’ll have to discuss it with the caravan! Although it sounds like a good idea, it is definitely impossible if we are in a hurry.

Since he had already said so, Xu Ran could not say anything else. He just fixed a time, and then they would meet again six days later when when the booklet are ready.

As for the cured meat and sausage, Chief Li had brought it up by himself. He had seen how Zhuo Yun sell them. These things were absolutely salable and people would definitely buy them.

Of course, no one bought it at first. It was Zhuo Yun’s idea to cook a pot of it first and let people taste it before they buy it. It completely changed people’s attitude towards these things.

However, it was Zhuo Yun’s quick thinking and boldness that made these cured meat sold out.

He agreed to Chief Li’s request for sausages and cured meat, but he also said that there were only a little bit of them left now. Anyway, they would give him as much as they can.

Chief Li hurriedly said, “All right, all right, as long as you have it, but  you are gonna have to make more of this cured meat this year,. I’ll buy them all. If it sells not well it in the north, then I’ll go to other places. There is no good thing that doesn’t sell.”

Chief Li must be interested in cured meat and sausages, but it is quite normal. Meats were rare enough, besides, People in the north and the south have different taste preferences.And the way they cook were also different, so the things they made would naturally  be different. Xu Ran can’t guarantee how good his cured meat is, but the sausage is absolutely delicious.

Xu Ran continued to say, “Don’t worry, Chief Li. We will definitely make more this year, but not too much. The main reason is that there is enough room for the meat. How about this, I’ll give you two batches of them. First batch in the twelfth month of the lunar year so you can sell them in the first moon, and I’ll give you the second batch in the first moon so you can sell them the next month. That may solve the problem.’

“Alright, alright, just as you said.” Chief Li hurriedly agreed.

In the end, apart from the trolley, everything else had been settled and it was considered a  happy ending for all.

Besides, the trolley thing was not entirely hopeless. It just might need more negotiation. They could sell the trolley for two taels of silver themselves, Then Chief Li would definitely charge more.

Xu Ran didn’t intend to charge them too much, one tael of silver would be enough. Anyway, they were all made of wood and wouldn’t cost lots of time to make once you got familiar with it.

After dinner, Chief Li was in a hurry to go back and discuss things with the caravan, and Xu Ran and Zhuo Yun also had to go to Qin Shuwu. Xu Ran could barely remember the person that Qin Shuwu had introduced before, he still needed Qin Shuwu’s help .

Xu Ran said to Zhuo Yun while they were walking,  “Zhuo Yun!” I felt like I was always bothering Big Brother Qin. I feel a little bit sorry already.

Zhuo Yun patted him on the shoulder and said, “I think he treated you as if you were his own son. Before this, I’m used to not going to him for anything. But when you ask him for help at the very beginning, he had a good impression on you, So he was very motivated to help you deal with your problems, then you got used to asking him for help when you got any trouble.”

Xu Ran nodded. ‘Indeed. Maybe it’s a kind of dependence! He can help me solve the problem every time. Although I call him Big Brother,he is like a father in my heart. You know how my own father treated me.

Zhuo Yun nodded because he certainly was aware of that.

The two of them chatted and returned to Qin Shuwu’s shop.

Qin Shuwu saw them and smiled. “What do you mean by these smiles? Are you coming to me for dinner? ”

“Like we couldn’t even afford a meal”, Xu Ran touched his nose and thought.

Seeing Xu Ran’s expression, Zhuo Yun knew that he was not going to say anything, so he told Qin Shuwu what they had just talked with Chief Li.

After hearing this, Qin Shuwu said, “Do you mean I need to get more people to print the booklets?”

Zhuo Yun nodded. “Hadn’t that person done it last time?There is no need for lettering, so there will be a lot of time left.

Qin Shuwu nodded and said. “Okay, then I’ll arrange it. How many booklets do you want?”

Zhuo Yun looked at Xu Ran. He was not sure how many chesses were there.

Xu Ran said, “Let’s see how much he can print in five days!” A hundred booklets would be necessary because there are at least 100 pairs of chess that are ready now.

“Okay, I’ll take care of it later. By the way, have you had lunch yet? If not, I’ll let your brother make it for you.”

Xu Ran and Zhuo Yun nodded at the same time. “Yes, we had. We came here just for this matter. Brother Qin, go ahead and do your work! We will go back first.” said Xu Ran.

Qin Shuwu said, “Wait a second. Go and get some cool dishes back. It’s quite hot now anyway, and you don’t have to make it by yourselves.”

Xu Ran refused. “No, we shall do it ourselves! Besides, It’s still hot now and might be spoiled after we take it back.

Qin Shuwu thought about it and said, “Well, you have planted your own vegetables anyway. Do you want to sit for a while before going back?”

Xu Ran looked at the sky outside. The eaves were still dripping water. He shook his head and said, “No, We’re leaving now. I’m afraid it’ll rain heavily later, plus it’s not hot even if it’s just raining now.”

“Alright then, and I’m gonna go to get your things done as soon as possible.”

“Than…” Qin Shuwu gave Xu Ran a glance and stopped him before he could finish his words.

He waved at him and walked out with Zhuo Yun.

The two of them went shopping before they go back home.

Zhuo Yun said to Xu Ran on their way home, “Guess I’m gonna live with you till this winter, not just in summer. It is much warmer than my house.”

Xu Ran answered with a smile, “If you’re willing, I definitely won’t say anything. To be honest, I really hope that you guys will live here. We don’t have any conflicts, and we’re just like a family. More importantly, it’ll be more alive. You know that we don’t have our own family, so you are always welcome here.”

Zhuo Yun also smiled, “At the beginning, we probably didn’t expect the two of us to be fiends. Fortunately, you know corn, or else we wouldn’t be such close.”

Xu Ran also smiled, “Yeah! It is all fate.”

As for the fate thing, Xu Ran has always felt that it was better to let nature take its course.They e would meet if it was predestined. Of course, it was also important to be honest. People will treat you the way you treat them, and Most of the time, the effort and the reward are always equal.

……

Five days later, Xu Ran and Zhuo Yun went to town again. They brought 100 pairs of chess and got 150 booklets from Qin Shuwu. Then they went to Mr. Chen’s restaurant and saw Chief Li Chaocheng in same room.

This time, there was another person who came with Chielf Li. Zhuo Yun also knew him and introduced him to Xu Ran. This person was the second-in-command of the caravan. The caravan called him “Acquarius”, just as these bandits did.

Hearing Zhuo Yun called him “Acquarius”, Xu Ran had no choice but to call him so, though he felt it was quite improper.

The reason why Chief Li brought him this time was to showing him the trolley. Though Xu Ran had shown it to him last time, he still didn’t know how to use this trolley because he was raised in a rich family. He didn’t dare to move anything he has never tried though it was said to be very good, so he brought Acquarius over.

The Acquarius was a farmer by birth, and he still had to Work in the fields often. He is more professional than Chief Li in this area. It was more appropriate for Chief Li to ask him to check the trolley.

Xu Ran didn’t object. He had brought the things anyway. Moreover, he dared to guarantee the quality of this thing is very good. At least no one has come to them to complain about it so far since it was sold last year.

One reason, though, was that the village was far away from them，but many people in Xu Village had also  bought it and no complaint yet also. Anyway, the quality of this thing must be up to standard.

Xu Ran stood up and walked to the trolley. He gestured to the Acquarius and said, “Acquarius, this thing is sturdy, and the weight it can bear is definitely heavier than the weight you can carry. In addition, Pushing by hand also saves your energy. More importantly, even if you put some tiny things in it, they won’t fall out, such as grain, and so on. It is much more convenient than carrying a basket.”

Xu Ran had been looking at the Acquarius after saying this, but the Acquarius haven’t noticed that. His eyes had already shifted to the trolley. After looking at it for a while, he got up and walked over to take the handle from Xu Ran.

When he finally put it down, there was a lingering smile on his face. “Alright, alright, this is indeed a good thing. I don’t know who came up with such a clever idea. Chief Li, let me tell you, this thing is not only used to carry millet and so on, it can also be used to carry bricks and tiles to decorate the house. It ‘s much faster than carrying by hand.”

Xu Ran’s eyelids twitched and he was a little annoyed. Why hadn’t he thought of this aspect back then? Wasn’t it what people use in construction site? It was just that these were made of iron.

Xu Ran glanced at the Acquarius, thinking that “The older, the wiser” was absolutely true! The traders were really brilliant, even if they had never seen this thing before,they can still immediately think of its other uses.