He had already been thinking about having Chen Kaishan and his people establish a branch in the County Town.
Given enough ti, it would create a dedicated comrcial hub.
Of course, there were downsides. The County Town would beco less stable, and factions like his family would have to face a greater variety of stronger people and powers. At the sa ti, the chances of Cheng Family Village being discovered would increase significantly.
By then, however, the Soul Gathering Stele would have replaced the Geomagnetic Stone as the primary tool for the village’s Defense.
As long as Cheng Family Village remained secure, the rest was trivial. And as long as he continued to strengthen his family mbers, he would have the confidence to face any problem.
But he also knew that Chen Kaishan couldn’t make the decision alone. He would have to offer terms that would tempt the Comrce Association.
Back ho, Cheng Zongyang sat in his study and began reading the booklet Chen Kaishan had given him.
As he went through it, he grew more and more shocked, his eyes shining with excitent. The scope of this Comrce Association’s business overlapped significantly with so of his own plans.
Clothing, food, housing, transport, intelligence, assassins, bounties, Martial Arts, Weapons, dicine, physicians, Money Shops, sea freight, Exotic Beasts, mineral materials, and more!
It covered almost every conceivable field, so comprehensively that it even included services he had never considered.
’No wonder this Comrce Association operates across several nations. What imnse power they must possess to remain neutral and develop without being targeted.’
He suspected that even a Royal Family couldn’t achieve such a feat.
He flipped through the rest of the booklet. It gave an overview of almost every service, but for more detailed information, one had to inquire at a branch. The prices weren’t specific either, just general ranges. In short, costs were determined on a case-by-case basis.
For example, the selling price of Old Rice was around ten cents per pound. In places where grain was plentiful, it was only about five cents per pound.
The price for White Rice, such as New Rice, was only slightly higher than Mature Rice, ranging from ten to twenty cents per pound.
In other words, it was at most double the price of Old Rice.
Although these were the guide prices for internal mbers, local prices could still be marked up, and these were all wholesale rates.
The retail price was a different story, though it wouldn’t be much higher. All prices were adjusted based on the local grain supply.
The prices took Cheng Zongyang by surprise; he hadn’t expected the Comrce Association to be so affordable.
One peck of Old Grain cost 180 cents at most. Even with a markup, it would probably only be around two hundred cents.
’And here I thought they would rip off.’
This gave him an idea. While the recent harvest was bountiful, it still wasn’t enough to feed so many people.
He needed to make the food last until the next harvest season in October. The grain brought by the other clans helped, but it wasn’t enough to feed everyone well and simultaneously revive the County Town’s economy. A plentiful food supply was essential to ensure other comrcial activities could resu.
If his family could scrape together ten thousand taels of silver to buy White Rice, even at the highest price of twenty cents per pound, they could purchase half a million pounds of it.
He suddenly realized that after three to four months of farming, with an average yield of 1,100 pounds per mu, his nine hundred mu of land would only produce 990,000 pounds of unmilled rice.
With current de-husking technology, one pound of unmilled rice yielded at most six-tenths of a pound of White Rice. That ant only sixty percent was sellable.
By that calculation, the entire harvest was only worth a little over ten thousand taels of silver.
Of course, the rice bran could also be sold, but it wasn’t worth much.
’After the harvest, and after giving the farrs their promised share, we’ll have enough to supply all of West City for a short while. But it’s still not enough. We need more grain for our reserves. The food shortage won’t truly be solved until the second crop matures.
Besides, opening the farrs’ market will require a large quantity of other goods...’
At this thought, he summoned the butler and told him to fetch Li Yihuo.
About half an hour later, the butler led Li Yihuo in.
"Sir, you sent for ," Li Yihuo said, cupping his hands.
Cheng Zongyang handed the booklet to Li Yihuo. "Take a look at this."
Trustingly, Li Yihuo took the booklet with both hands and began to read.
But when he saw the four words "Da Yi Comrce Association," his pupils constricted. He quickly looked up at Cheng Zongyang in astonishnt.
"Sir, have the people from the Da Yi Comrce Association contacted you?"
Cheng Zongyang was surprised as well. "You know of the Da Yi Comrce Association?"
The mont the words left his mouth, he felt he’d asked a foolish question. Back when Li Yihuo was managing the An Family’s business, he would have traveled widely. Of course he would know.
Sure enough, Li Yihuo nodded. "I’ve encountered them, of course. Back when I was managing the An Family’s businesses, I visited Xiangyang Prefecture City. The Da Yi Comrce Association is the largest one there. They’re an absolute behemoth; no one dares to cross them. They sell everything, and you can buy almost anything you could ever want. There’s a saying among the rchant guilds: if you can’t find sothing at Da Yi, you probably won’t find it anywhere else."
Cheng Zongyang was impressed by his tone. He knew such a reputation wasn’t just talk; it was a testant to their strength and the foundation of their confidence.
Cheng Zongyang nodded. "Since you already know, that saves an explanation. We can discuss the details later. For now, see what supplies we need. We should be able to make an internal purchase."
"Yes, Sir!" Li Yihuo bowed and resud reading.
As he saw the prices listed in the booklet, he couldn’t help but grow excited. The prices for many goods were far lower than what he used to pay when sourcing them as a traveling rchant.
This wasn’t true for things like grain, but for items like cloth, dicinal Materials, Martial Arts Techniques, and Weapons and armor.
He then took out a brush and paper from a desk in the study and began listing the supplies they needed.
Cheng Zongyang watched from the side without interrupting.
Li Yihuo mostly wrote down essentials like grain and cloth.
These were the daily necessities required by the city’s residents. He didn’t list things like dicinal Materials, Weapons, or Cultivation Techniques, as they weren’t urgently needed. Besides, the Cheng Family could already supply so dicinal Materials, albeit in small quantities.
Overall, the list was dominated by basic necessities—firewood, rice, oil, salt, and the like. Next ca fabrics for making clothes, followed by household goods like pots, bowls, and other kitchenware. They were all fundantal living supplies.
After he finished writing down the list of required goods, Li Yihuo turned to Cheng Zongyang.
"For now, these are the main supplies we need to purchase. Once we can provide these necessities, the living conditions for the County Town’s residents will gradually improve.
"When people have enough to eat, they will naturally start looking for ways to improve their lives. A person who can’t even fill their stomach won’t think about anything beyond their next al."
Cheng Zongyang agreed. "Alright, I’ll use this list when I talk with them later."
After Li Yihuo left, Cheng Zongyang summoned his butler.
"Young Master." Zhang Chuchu entered the study.
"Butler," Cheng Zongyang said with a smile, gesturing to a chair. "Have a seat. Let’s talk."
"Thank you, Young Master." Zhang Chuchu bowed slightly and sat on a chair before the desk. He perched on the edge, his posture ramrod straight and serious.
Cheng Zongyang paid it no mind. "Over these past few months, I’ve seen how capable you are at handling affairs," he said. "I’m very satisfied."
Zhang Chuchu’s heart skipped a beat. Sothing felt wrong. ’Is he about to fire ?’ He suddenly grew tense. But in the next mont, Cheng Zongyang continued.
"So, I’m planning to have you assist Zhou Zhendong. You’ll help him manage the Cheng Family’s logistical affairs."
Zhang Chuchu was taken aback. He felt a wave of relief, but also confusion. "Young Master, I don’t quite understand."
Cheng Zongyang explained it simply. "The situation in the County Town has mostly stabilized. Once I finish up a few things here and tie up so loose ends, I’ll be heading back. I’ll only visit occasionally from now on.
"Therefore, I’m entrusting all matters in the County Town to Zhou Zhendong. He will take full responsibility for the Cheng Family’s business here, and will also be involved with the Celestial Break Gang’s affairs. You, of course, won’t need to worry about the Gang.
"That’s why I want you to assist him. Help him with managent, and teach him how to handle logistics. Whatever he wants to learn, I want you to teach him diligently.
"I’ve also heard about your long-held wish: for your son to have a good livelihood so that the Zhang Family can enjoy a prosperous future.
"So, I’ll give you a choice. If you assist him well, I can either allow your son or grandson to beco a Martial Artist, or I can grant the Zhang Family a stable enterprise of its own. When I return, I hope to see things have changed for the better."
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