Chapter 45: He Is the Big Boss, Not a Fraud!

Mao Xiaolong recognized Zhao Zheng at a single glance. "Oh, brother, you're back again."

"Just happens to be passing by," Zhao Zheng chuckled.

"You certainly have a good eye, brother. This is top-grade white fox fur, the kind high-ranking officials and nobles adore. If no one bought it here, I was actually planning to take it to the county seat to sell."

Zhao Zheng smiled inwardly. Was the county seat really that easy to visit?

The Da Kang dynasty enforced a strict household registration and travel-permit system. Unless times were truly desperate, leaving one's village required official reporting.

Most crucially, the county town was dozens of miles away, meaning a round trip would take at least a day or two.

Above all else, bandits roamed the no-man's-land in between.

People either had to travel in large, organized groups or risk extreme danger by setting out alone.

The only reason Zhao Zheng had come to the village market town was that he had traveled with a large crowd, and also because the local bandits had recently been suppressed; otherwise, he would never have dared to leave his village casually.

Especially in years of famine like this, every village served as a fixed harvesting ground for bandits.

Did Mao Xiaolong really not want to enter the city just because he didn't feel like it?

Zhao Zheng had no desire to expose him, clicking his tongue as he said, "The goods are fine, but without connections, going there is a waste of effort, and you might even end up getting seriously cheated."

"Does my brother know the ropes around here?" Mao Xiaolong couldn't help asking.

"I don't, but I've heard people talk," Zhao Zheng replied. "If you had an inside track, brother, you would have sold these long ago. Why drag them out to some impoverished backwater where everyone is dirt-poor and barely anyone knows true quality?"

"No matter how fine these furs are, they only appeal to the wealthy. If you rashly enter the city, forget about making money—you're more likely to get swallowed up by the underworld."

Mao Xiaolong forced a wry smile. "My brother truly understands the ways of the world. For hunters like us, survival is painfully difficult."

Had he not known Mao Xiaolong's background, Zhao Zheng would never have spoken thus, but now that he knew where the young man came from, he felt a surge of confidence. "Brother, if your supply is steady, I might be able to help you move the goods."

Mao Xiaolong frowned, his guard instantly rising. "Brother, are you a broker?"

"Not entirely," Zhao Zheng lied smoothly. "In short, if you can maintain a steady supply, I can purchase in bulk. Naturally, the quality of the pelts must be guaranteed."

Mao Xiaolong could not quite read Zhao Zheng. Having been conned before, he held zero affection for slippery brokers. Half-jokingly, he replied, "The goods are definitely fine, and the quality is guaranteed, provided you're willing to put down a deposit..."

"If you're interested, let's find somewhere to talk." Zhao Zheng gestured toward a nearby inn. "How about we grab some tea over there and chat?"

Mao Xiaolong hesitated for a moment before turning to his younger sister. "Juan'er, watch the stall. I'm going to discuss something with this brother."

Mao Wenjuan was around seventeen or eighteen, wearing a fox-fur hat, a deerskin tunic, and deerskin boots.

A coarse cloth scarf wrapped tightly around her neck obscured half her face, leaving only a pair of large, expressive eyes visible to Zhao Zheng.

"Brother, do you... does this uncle count as someone you know?"

"More or less," Mao Xiaolong nodded, looking back at Zhao Zheng. "Brother, may I ask..."

"My name is Zhao Zheng. Just call me Old Zhao."

"Very well, Brother Zhao." Mao Xiaolong smiled, leaving his sister behind as he accompanied Zhao Zheng to the inn.

Calling it an inn was a stretch; it was merely a roadside tea stall with very few patrons.

Zhao Zheng ordered a pot of chrysanthemum tea infused with ginger and garlic, which tasted rather lackluster.

Yet, Mao Xiaolong drank it with great relish.

After some polite small talk, Zhao Zheng said, "Brother Mao, if you're truly willing to sell, I have a method of cooperation: we inspect the goods on the spot, pay on the spot, and settle the transaction completely right then and there."

"Really?" Mao Xiaolong remained somewhat skeptical. "You can swallow all these pelts?"

"If I dare to buy them, I certainly have my own channels. As for whether I can resell them, that's none of your concern." Had he not known Mao Xiaolong's origins, Zhao Zheng would never have dared to cooperate with him—what if the other party tried to double-cross him?

The more remote and desolate the place, the fiercer the local populace.

In some villages, people acted as law-abiding citizens during good years, but turned into full-scale bandits during famines, specialized in waylaying travelers with terrifying ferocity.

Looking at Zhao Zheng, Mao Xiaolong suddenly found the man wrapped in an aura of mystery. "Brother Zhao, if you can really take all the pelts I have, I can give you a better price."

"That's all negotiable," Zhao Zheng said. "Tell you what, estimate the value of all the pelts on your stall!"

"You want all of them?"

Zhao Zheng set down his teacup and said with slight displeasure, "Of course. Do you think I'm here just to waste time making small talk with you?"

Mao Xiaolong swallowed hard. "I didn't bring many goods this time. At most, they're worth around one tael of silver."

"Fine, I'll take them." Without changing his expression, Zhao Zheng fished a silver ingot from his pocket and dropped it directly into the teacup Mao Xiaolong had just finished drinking from, keeping it hidden from the view of outsiders.

"Silver!" Mao Xiaolong gasped aloud.

Zhao Zheng frowned and hissed, "Keep your voice down!"

Mao Xiaolong hurriedly covered the teacup with his hand, staring at Zhao Zheng with eyes full of utter shock. What kind of background did this man have?

To be able to casually pull out an entire tael of silver just like that?

"Is it enough?" Zhao Zheng poured himself another cup of tea and took a slow, unhurried sip.

"Enough." Mao Xiaolong's throat felt tight. "Brother Zhao—no, Boss Zhao, do you really want every single pelt on my stall?"

"I'll say it one last time. If you don't believe me, there's no need for us to cooperate."

"I believe you, I truly believe it!" Mao Xiaolong panicked. Before seeing the silver, he hadn't believed it at all, but now he was bursting with joy, realizing he had stumbled into a massive stroke of luck.

If he could secure a long-term partnership, his family would easily weather this current crisis!

"Let's go. Time to count the pelts." Zhao Zheng poured the remaining chrysanthemum tea from the pot into his own bamboo tube, dropped two copper coins on the table, and stood up to leave.

Mao Xiaolong saw nothing wrong with this. Why waste what had been paid for?

To him, this frugality only made Zhao Zheng look even more like a seasoned, capable merchant.

Returning to the stall, Zhao Zheng began systematically touching the furs.

*Ding, Ninth-grade yellow weasel pelt...*

*Ding, Wild rabbit pelt...*

*Ding, Wild badger pelt...*

There was a great variety. The most valuable item was a deer hide, though it was slightly incomplete. All in all, it would fetch around two thousand five hundred copper cash.

In total, the batch was worth roughly fifteen thousand copper cash, equivalent to about fifteen taels of silver.

A profit margin of less than twentyfold could not compare to wild mushrooms at all.

Even so, Zhao Zheng was more than satisfied.

"Boss Zhao, where is your shop? I'll have them delivered right to you," Mao Xiaolong offered enthusiastically.

"No need. Just tie them up securely and stuff them into my bamboo basket. Such a small batch is nothing. Pack up your stall and head home early," Zhao Zheng waved his hand dismissively, acting as if the furs were of no consequence whatsoever.

Mao Wenjuan stood frozen in place, tugging at her brother's sleeve. "Brother, what is going on?"

Mao Xiaolong whispered, "Juan'er, this Boss Zhao has bought out our entire stall in one go."

Stunned, Mao Wenjuan—who hadn't expected such extravagance from this middle-aged uncle—grew anxious. "Don't let yourself be scammed! Wasn't the last lesson enough?"

Mao Xiaolong shoved the silver ingot directly into her hands. "This is the money Boss Zhao gave us. He's a true major merchant, not a swindler!"