Casting Nets to Catch a Husband

Chapter 195: Quanzhou

In June, a conspicuous little rouge shop appeared in Anyi County.

Thanks to Liu Yanqing’s involvement, the business of the embroidery workshop and dyeing mill became much easier for Liu Yu. Aside from matters related to fabric and garments, most other affairs no longer required Liu Yu’s attention.

Since opening the embroidery workshop, this was the first time Liu Yu had some free time.

While Liu Yu could relax, Lu Chengxiao remained as busy as ever, even busier than before. As for Yangzhou and the dream associated with it, it seemed to fade from Liu Yu’s memory, as Lu Chengxiao had hoped. But the sense of vulnerability he felt on that trip, unable to fully protect his wife, lingered, pushing him to become even stronger.

With Lu Chengxiao and Liu Yanping—both ambitious men—together, peace was not likely. Occasionally, news came in from the search for shops they had spread across the counties. Liu Yanqing went to inspect them, and while not all were suitable, it was only a matter of time before they found the right ones. To open branches, they would need silver for shops, supplies, and manpower.

The manor they bought was large enough, but the dyeing mill was still far from sufficient. To increase cloth production and expand the dyeing mill, they would need more looms, manpower, and raw materials like silk, cotton, and ramie, all of which required silver.

Moreover, everyone in Yuanzhou knew that summer cloth was a specialty here, and ramie was a prized commodity for all dyeing mills. Boosting competitiveness required careful planning.

The three Liu brothers, along with Lu Chengxiao, brainstormed ideas and eventually came up with the plan of setting up warehouses in various towns. This would allow them to buy local specialties at low prices and resell them at retail. Additionally, having warehouses in each town would make it much easier to collect materials like ramie and cotton directly from the people.

Their vision was grand, but their funds were insufficient to make it a reality. Selling cloth in the two Zhejiang provinces was no longer enough to meet their growth ambitions. Both Liu Yanping and Lu Chengxiao independently thought of the Quanzhou sea trade route that Ge An had once mentioned.

If they didn’t directly export their goods but acted as suppliers, they could mitigate the risks. The challenge, however, was how to become a supplier.

Both Lu Chengxiao and Liu Yanping were intrigued.

These two brave men planned a trip to Zhejiang at the end of June and decided to first visit Fuliang, known for its ceramics. After spending seven or eight days there, they loaded three hundred taels’ worth of ceramics onto a ship. If the sea trade didn’t pan out, they would find an opportunity to sell the goods locally.

This year, Liu Yanqing and Liu Yanan still collected summer cloth from Yangshan and Chenjia villages on credit, as their businesses had grown too large for any surplus silver.

They no longer sent dyed fabric to Yuanzhou. Master He, though stubborn, came up with a compromise. From May, when ramie was in season, he and his apprentices began dyeing fabric collected from nearby villages.

Master He was a bit arrogant and had a sharp tongue, but he was kind-hearted. After working together for over six months, he saw that the young owners trusted him entirely with the dyeing process. Recognizing their sincerity, he decided it was better to help them dye their collected cloth himself rather than sending it elsewhere, ensuring quality that was at least 30% better in color and colorfastness.

As Master He put it, “Why waste time and resources on quick dye jobs at outside mills when you can do it right with over a month to spare?”

Thus, when May came, the villages that had previously supplied cloth to Lu Chengxiao and Liu Yanping were informed that they could send their cloth directly to the dyeing mill.

The Liu and Lu families both set up weaving workshops and continued to buy cloth at the same credit price as before, which pleased the villagers. They cooperated by sending their woven goods to the dyeing mill, where Liu Yanan checked and accepted each piece for dyeing.

At the end of June, Lu Chengxiao, Liu Yanping, and their team, as usual, set out for the Zhejiang provinces.

They were well-versed in the trade routes there, selling their stock of fabric and spending some time in the area. The silver they earned was invested in fine silk, and at the end of July, they headed to Quanzhou.

~

The small town was quite remote.

If Ge An hadn’t specifically mentioned the exact county, town, and village, neither Lu Chengxiao nor Liu Yanping would have associated this quiet little town with an area of sea trade activity.

The goods remained on the boat while Liu Yanan, Lin Huaigeng, and the escort agency’s guards stayed on board to watch over them. Lu Chengxiao and Liu Yanping disembarked to scout ahead.

The town wasn’t large, yet it had three inns. By the time Lu Chengxiao and Liu Yanping arrived, it was already evening. They decided to settle into an inn first and then see if they could gather any information from the locals.

The first person they approached was naturally the inn servant. Two taels of silver were enough to change his response from “I don’t understand what you’re saying” to a cautious look of contemplation.

When Liu Yanping upped the offer to five taels, any hesitation vanished from the servant’s mind, though he still didn’t dare to take the money. Glancing around, he whispered, “It’s not that I don’t want to talk, but I can’t make the introduction you’re asking for. People like us don’t have that kind of access.”

Liu Yanping, understanding the hint, nudged the five taels closer to him and said, “Just tell us what you know. If it’s useful, this is yours.”

A big smile spread across the servant’s face. “Alright then! If that’s all, you came to the right person. Our town isn’t big, but the place is full of twists and turns. If you were to search on your own, who knows how long it would take you to find anything.”

Liu Yanping and Lu Chengxiao raised an eyebrow. The servant leaned in, lowering his voice even more. “You see, there is some truth to what you’re asking. But they’re very careful, changing meeting spots regularly. We only know about it because we often deal with out-of-town merchants, otherwise even the locals wouldn’t be aware.”

Lu Chengxiao and Liu Yanping exchanged a glance. Lu Chengxiao asked, “Do you know where the latest meeting spot is?”

The servant’s eyes flickered toward the five taels.

With a smile, Lu Chengxiao handed over the silver.

The servant instinctively bit into the silver coin, his face lighting up with delight as he pocketed it. Lowering his voice, he said, “The place was just changed recently. It’s at Sun Erniang’s Tavern, north of town. Go there at Xu hour if you want to meet someone.”

As for how they’d find the right contact once there, that was beyond the servant’s knowledge.

~

At the start of Xu hour, Lu Chengxiao and Liu Yanping arrived at Sun Erniang’s Tavern in the northern part of town.

The tavern was small, with only three tables of customers at this hour.

From the local dialect and expressions, Lu Chengxiao could tell the three tables were all occupied by locals, and none appeared to be there for any sort of business.

When it was time to order, they tried probing the tavern owner, but she looked equally bewildered, as if she had no idea what they were asking about.

For a moment, Lu Chengxiao and Liu Yanping even wondered if the inn servant had given them false information.

But neither of them was in a rush. If sea traders were that easy to locate, this opportunity wouldn’t be theirs in the first place. With patience, they decided to wait, leaving only after the tavern closed for the night.

They returned every evening, right at Xu hour, leaving only when the tavern closed. This continued for two days.

Sometimes, things happen by chance. On the third night, business at the tavern was noticeably better, and this time, they overheard two different accents. Sharing a look, they turned their attention to the speakers. Despite their simple attire, the fabric was fine, and the workmanship exquisite.

Merchants!

Both men felt a surge of excitement. The appearance of out-of-town merchants here made it likely that the inn servant’s information was accurate.

Keeping their excitement in check, they carefully observed the two tables, listening closely. They hadn’t overheard anything useful yet when another group entered the tavern. The two men turned and were taken aback by what they saw.

It was a middle-aged man accompanied by a young man. The younger one seemed to be new here, looking around the tavern with wide-eyed curiosity, glancing at the people inside. By chance, his gaze met that of Lu Chengxiao and Liu Yanping.

The young man paused, disbelief evident on his face before he broke into a broad smile. He rushed over to them, calling out excitedly, “My benefactors! To think I’d run into you here.”

He bowed deeply in greeting.

Both Lu Chengxiao and Liu Yanping quickly rose to their feet. Being closer, Lu Chengxiao stepped forward to help him up, saying, “Brother Cao, there’s no need for this.”

Guess who it was?

It was Cao Jinnian, a merchant from Jinan Prefecture whom Lu Chengxiao and Liu Yanping had saved last year. During their first trade expedition to the Zhejiang regions, on their return journey from Wuxing, they had rescued Cao Jinnian from water bandits.

Seeing his benefactors again, Cao Jinnian was overwhelmed. “If it hadn’t been for the two of you saving me last year, I wouldn’t have made it out alive. I’ve thought about repaying you ever since, but never found the chance. I never imagined I’d run into you both here.”

The middle-aged man accompanying Cao Jinnian quickly walked over, hearing his words. After sizing up Lu Chengxiao and Liu Yanping, he looked pleasantly surprised and asked Cao Jinnian, “Are these the benefactors you told me about?”

Cao Jinnian nodded eagerly, affirming repeatedly, and introduced them to his uncle, calling him “Second Uncle.” He then turned to introduce Lu Chengxiao and Liu Yanping to his uncle, impressively remembering their names exactly after a whole year.

It’s said there are three great joys in life: achieving academic success, wedding night bliss, and meeting an old friend in a distant land. For the Cao family, running into Lu Chengxiao and Liu Yanping was even more significant than just reuniting with old friends. They exchanged greetings, pulled their tables together, and invited the innkeeper’s wife to bring more wine and dishes.

Over dinner, the Cao family expressed endless gratitude for last year’s rescue.

Cao’s Second Uncle, a shrewd, tall man in his forties from the north, let a few rounds of wine pass before he leaned closer to Lu Chengxiao, discreetly asking, “What brings you two young men to this place at this hour…?”

He left the question hanging, watching their reactions.

From the moment they spotted the Cao family, Lu Chengxiao and Liu Yanping had realized their good fortune. At this time and place, the Cao family — who ran a tea business — seemed to be here on serious business. And what sells well overseas? Silk, tea, and porcelain.

Sharing a look, Lu Chengxiao leaned in and whispered to Second Uncle Cao, “To be frank, we brought a boatload of silk and porcelain, and heard there might be opportunities here, so we’ve come to find out more.”

Second Uncle Cao raised an eyebrow.

Cao Jinnian, unable to contain himself, was about to speak, but Second Uncle Cao held him back with a smile.

He looked at Lu Chengxiao and Liu Yanping with a grin and asked, “Have you managed to find any leads?”

Lu Chengxiao shook his head. “Honestly, we’ve only gotten this far. This is our third day waiting here, and today feels a bit different.”

Second Uncle Cao chuckled, giving them a thumbs-up. “To get this far is impressive.”

This confirmed their suspicions, and the two men’s eyes lit up as they looked eagerly at him.

Laughing, Second Uncle Cao clapped Lu Chengxiao on the shoulder and said, “Let’s eat first. In a while, just follow us.”

Clearly, he intended to act as their guide.

Delighted, Lu Chengxiao and Liu Yanping refilled his cup and poured more for Cao Jinnian, who, though a few years older, quickly insisted, “Let me do it,” jumping up to take the wine jug from them.

With much laughing and toasting, they filled their cups and all four drank to Second Uncle Cao.

Since they had business on their minds, they didn’t drink too much. As Xu hour drew to a close, Second Uncle Cao glanced at the time, declared it was enough, and called for the innkeeper’s wife to settle the bill. Coincidentally, as they did so, the two other tables of out-of-town customers also called for their bills.

Exchanging a look, Lu Chengxiao and Liu Yanping were a bit confused but kept their questions to themselves. Lu Chengxiao moved to pay the bill, but Second Uncle Cao stopped him, chuckling, “No need to hurry, Brother Lu. This round’s on my nephew.”

Smiling, Cao Jinnian strode to the counter to settle the bill.

After leaving the tavern, Lu Chengxiao noticed that the patrons from the other tables had already paid and exited as well, heading in opposite directions.

This puzzled him even more. Had they guessed wrong?

Second Uncle Cao laughed, clapping them both on the shoulder. “Come along, you’ll see soon enough.”

He led the way, heading in the direction of their inn. Just as Lu Chengxiao was about to ask something, a figure emerged from a nearby alley, hurrying along with his head down.

Lu Chengxiao and Liu Yanping instinctively tensed up, but Second Uncle Cao merely smiled and stopped, as the stranger approached them, quickly scanning their faces before asking, “The white snake crosses the river?”

Stunned, Lu Chengxiao, Liu Yanping, and Cao Jinnian all froze, baffled.

Second Uncle Cao responded smoothly, “With a red sun overhead.”

At these words, the man relaxed, smiling as he pulled out an invitation from his sleeve and handed it to Second Uncle Cao. After receiving it, the man cupped his hands in respect and slipped away into the night, disappearing after only a few steps.

Lu Chengxiao was impressed, finally understanding how to connect with the sea merchants. You had to appear at the right time and place, exchange the correct passphrase, and only then would you receive the invitation.

That invitation must contain the true meeting location.

Lu Chengxiao and Liu Yanping exchanged a glance, both thinking the same thing: running into Cao Jinnian and his uncle here was an incredible stroke of luck.

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