The Lucky Farmgirl

Chapter 2285 - 2260: Sales Promotion (April Bonus Vote +10)

Bai Shan said, "The most important thing in appeasing military families is speed, whereas trade requires time. The longer it takes, the more the people’s hearts can change."

Assistant General Nie wanted to say that he would not change.

Bai Shan seemed to see through his thoughts and smiled slightly, "Assistant General Nie, this is a matter for both parties, so you can’t just look at your own side."

You may not change, but that doesn’t mean others won’t. Moreover, when military families suddenly learn they’ve lost a loved one, their thoughts are likely to become extreme, and when people overthink, things can go wrong.

He said, "Emotions also need to be managed with care. Otherwise, no matter how deep the feelings, too many entanglements can lead to resentment, and reputation is the same."

Assistant General Nie’s eyebrows twitched, taking it as a reminder to cherish his reputation.

Indeed, Assistant General Nie did not mention the matter again. After returning, he thought briefly and sealed all the gold and jewels, making two copies of the list. He gave one to his subordinates for safekeeping and sent the other to Zhou Man.

It meant asking Zhou Man to supervise. If he accidentally got killed in battle while returning, she was to ensure these items were returned to each family.

This was a military matter, and strictly speaking, it wasn’t under Manbao’s jurisdiction, but Manbao still accepted the items.

Manbao folded the list and put it away, saying to Bai Shan, "Assistant General Nie is really cautious. His men shouldn’t do anything to betray their comrades, right?"

Bai Shan chuckled and then said, "The possibility of encountering danger on the way back is not high. I ran into Junior General Meng on the street today; he said that the Anxi army is clearing bandits from the trade routes lately to deter the constant actions of the Western Turkic, Kucha, and Tubo."

He paused and then said, "The leader is Jin Kui’an."

Manbao almost choked on saliva, "Who?"

"Jin Kui’an," Bai Shan nodded at her, "Just like you’re thinking. I’ve heard he only went out twice, consecutively, and has already accumulated enough achievements to form a small team. Plus, he’s been leading the way in eliminating many horse bandits, so he should be getting a promotion soon."

Jin Kui’an was a dominant figure beyond the border, and in his own words, the Western Regions beyond the pass were his territory.

He was most knowledgeable about the bandit forces in and around his territory before. Previously, he hadn’t acted against those small horse bandits because he couldn’t expand his domain that much.

Now that he’s joined the imperial court, with no worries left, he’s naturally dealing with every bandit he knows.

Of course, he’s only the guide; the one leading the troops is Guo Zhao, and Jin Kui’an follows to fight and accumulate military achievements.

To be honest, he’s really good at fighting. In just two or three days, his military rank skyrocketed.

Manbao asked, "Why isn’t Junior General Meng going?"

Like Manbao and the others, Junior General Meng and Jin Kui’an also had old and new grudges accumulating.

"He’s still recovering from his injury."

Only then did Manbao remember, "Right, he had an abdominal injury, so he shouldn’t move too much. Hmm, then why is he out strolling in the street?"

She was a bit angry, "Walking can also pull on the wound, patients like this are too disobedient."

"He’s just out to join the fun," Bai Shan knew she had been immersed in making medicine with Zhou Liru these past days and wasn’t aware of outside events. He couldn’t help the smile in his eyes as he said, "Bai Erlang took Liu Huan to avenge him, and they’re slapping General Guo’s face in the street right now."

Manbao was curious, "What are they doing?"

Bai Shan glanced outside and asked, "Did you finish making the medicine today?"

Manbao nodded, "I finished."

That’s why she had time to see Assistant General Nie, right?

Bai Shan took her hand and said, "Alright then, let’s go out and watch the show."

Bai Erlang and the others were on the busiest street in Xizhou City. Early in the morning, they had the guards stand watch and were the first to rent a big stall. At this moment, the stall was filled with an array of beautiful silks, fabrics, ceramics, and jewelry.

Many well-dressed people were gathered around.

However, it wasn’t the items at the stall that drew the most attention. Although it’s rare to see a stall on the street selling high-quality silks and fabrics, it’s not unheard of;

What drew attention were the five beauties behind the stall.

They were truly beautiful, and they wore Hanfu that looked very different from the locals, with hairstyles that were also in the Han fashion, making them exceptionally attractive. They were softly introducing the items at the stall to the customers.

Many people came with money not just to buy things but to see them, hoping to purchase from their hands. If a piece they handed over, the buyer could hold onto it, enchanted, for half the day without letting go.

Then looking at Bai Erlang and Liu Huan, who were helping to attract customers, even Zhou Liru was there, working hard with Bai Erlang and the others. She said to the crowd, "Although these young ladies live in the Protectorate, they long for life outside. As soon as they heard that if someone was willing to take them in, General Guo would let them go unhesitatingly, they immediately came to my aunt and volunteered themselves."

Liu Huan nodded vigorously on the side, "That’s right, the ladies all think that following Lord Zhou is the best."

"My aunt found them pitiable and took them in. Sigh, when General Guo announced he would let them go, he looked quite reluctant, which shows just how wonderful these ladies are," Zhou Liru turned the conversation, "With such wonderful young ladies selling things themselves, you shouldn’t be harsh even if you don’t buy anything."

So a group of people followed suit in indignantly decrying those who caused trouble the day before.

That’s right, just yesterday!

They had been talking about yesterday’s conflict over selling things. It’s amazing how it still resonated with everyone... perhaps the entertainment life of Xizhou residents is a bit lacking.

Bai Shan explained, "Yesterday, everyone sorted through their things, and Steward Li took some items out to several shops. We were idle, and since we’d bought quite a bit of silk, fabrics, and ceramics from Governor Duan, we decided to rent a stall and sell them."

"It turned out that having them standing behind the stall selling things sold more than if we shouted by ourselves."

Manbao said, "Everyone likes to look at beautiful women."

Bai Shan nodded with a smile, "So yesterday, we encountered some unruly scoundrels. Since they were our people, we couldn’t just let them be bullied for nothing. Plus, these past days, General Guo has been continuously sending Liu Huan valuable gifts and... people. Liu Huan’s reputation outside has become not very good, so I let it be rumored that these ten people are yours."

Manbao: "Oh, so I’m the shield? But aren’t these beautiful ladies too precious for Liu Huan to part with?"

Bai Shan laughed, "He couldn’t be happier for them to quickly establish a name with you. If his reputation here spreads back to the capital, he might not survive without losing a layer of skin."

Manbao slightly frowned, "Why exactly is General Guo doing this?"

Bai Shan, after a while, said, "Perhaps just to purely disgust people?"