Chapter 27 Part II
The next morning, Li Si took her friend around to find a suitable location as per Zhenzhu’s requirents. However, no matter how hard they tried, they couldn’t find a satisfactory place. Li Si then suggested,
"How about outside the city walls? While it may not be as prosperous as inside, there are so plots that might et your needs."
"Hmm, that doesn’t sound too bad. Let’s take a look."
So, Li Si led Zhenzhu out of the city to a slightly remote area. There were a few scattered shops, not too many people, and so empty plots and overgrown grasslands.
"A’Zhu, this place isn’t bad. There’s a river flowing behind it. Though it’s a bit overgrown, if you hire soone to improve it, it will look quite nice."
Zhenzhu looked at the area Li Si suggested and nodded in approval. Although it was sowhat distant from the capital, it had beautiful natural surroundings with a large river flowing behind it. She could hire people to plant flowers or create artificial nature to enhance the beauty. That would look great.
"Yes, very good. Try consulting with the agent to see if they want to sell." The area was no less than 50 mu, a suitable space.
"Hmm, they want to sell if you want to buy it." Even if they didn’t want to sell, she would make them sell because the owner was her big brother. During this ti when he had no ti to decide, she, his sister, had to manage his property well, ensuring it wasn’t left unused.
"Hmm?"
"Alright, this place isn’t a problem. I know the owner very well. If you want it, I’ll negotiate for you. Or if he doesn’t want to sell, would you consider renting?"
Zhenzhu frowned. If she was genuinely interested, she would prefer to buy it outright. Renting would an that if the area beca prosperous like Fengfu, she wouldn’t have full rights to the land. If the owner decided to lease it to soone else, she would lose out.
"I prefer to buy."
"Ah, then I’ll ask for you."
"Alright."
"Yay, that settles the task of finding a location for a fabric shop. How about I take you to Xiangrikui flower field? Co on, follow ." Without waiting for Zhenzhu’s decision, Li Si had already galloped off. Zhenzhu could only smile at her enthusiastic host.
Li Si took Zhenzhu on a horseback ride for over an hour until they reached the foothills not far from the capital. Along the way, they encountered many people heading to admire the beauty of the Xiangrikui flower field.
As they got closer, Zhenzhu saw a field full of blooming yellow flowers, resembling stars shining on the ground. Nearby, young couples walked happily as if they were the only ones in the world. Further away, a middle-aged woman joyfully held a child’s hand as they admired the Xiangrikui flowers. This place truly brought happiness to its visitors.
"How is it? Beautiful, isn’t it?"
"Very beautiful," Zhenzhu gazed into the distance, feeling refreshed. It had been a long ti since she had gone on such a leisurely outing.
Li Si played the perfect tour guide until the late afternoon, then they headed back.
"How was it? Did you have fun?"
"It was great. Thank you."
"Hmm," Li Si nodded, like a child receiving praise from a mother. When the ti was right, she led Zhenzhu back to the manor. Along the way, they rode leisurely, not in a hurry.
"Hmm, why is that area left vacant? Such a waste," Zhenzhu noticed a large, empty plot of land, probably no less than 3,000 mu. It was a flat area, close to the capital, yet it was left unused. At the very least, it could be used for grazing or rented out, since there would definitely be soone who wants to rent the place. It was indeed strange.
"Oh, this place? It’s filled with bad luck. No one uses it. Let’s hurry and leave. If there wasn’t only one path through here, I wouldn’t have brought you this way.”
"Bad luck?" Zhenzhu raised an eyebrow in curiosity. How could one determine if a place was unlucky or not?
"You don’t know? Let tell you. This place is cursed. It has blood and flesh of hellish creatures that keep rising to the surface. A monk once predicted that anyone who owns or uses this land will be surrounded with misfortune, leading to ruin, illness, and death. Many owners have co and gone, all facing disasters. Since then, no one dares to use this land."
Zhenzhu furrowed her brows. Although she had encountered strange and supernatural things in her life, Zhenzhu remained skeptical. Was there really such a thing?
Her curiosity got the better of her, and she stopped her horse, heading straight towards the land.
"A’Zhu, don’t go! You’ll get tainted by the inauspicious aura!"
"Just for a mont."
Zhenzhu rode into the vacant area slowly, examining the surroundings carefully. Most of the area was rocky, unsuitable for farming. However, it could be developed into a comrcial area due to its vast size and the road passing through it, making transportation to various cities convenient. It was a pity no one had utilized it. Zhenzhu rode further in, with a nervous Li Si reluctantly following from behind.
Despite her fear of the cursed rumors, Li Si couldn’t let her stubborn friend explore alone, so she followed.
"A’Zhu, I think we should stop here. Sothing bad might happen."
"A’Si, you can wait outside. I’ll just take a quick look." Zhenzhu felt sorry for her pale-faced friend.
"How could I let you go in alone?"
Zhenzhu smiled at her upon listening. Look at her, she was so scared that her face turned pale, yet she still cared for her.
Zhezhu rode deeper until she encountered sothing strange.
"Look! There it is! The flesh and blood of hellish creatures rising up! A’Zhu, don’t go closer!" Li Si pointed to an area where black liquid was seeping out of the ground. Zhenzhu, curious, approached. The ground was oozing a thick, black substance, spreading over a wide area. The strange sll reminded her of visiting a volcano in a past life.
The sll of sulfur!
She realized that the so-called blood and flesh of hellish creatures did not exist. It was wealth in the ground. Her heart pounded, as if it would jump out.
"Crude oil!"
Oil! She had found an oil field!
It must be said that in this era, crude oil beneath the earth’s surface is not known and has not yet been extracted for use as it was in her previous life. Therefore, oil fields remain untouched and plentiful. Unlike her previous life, where finding oil required drilling deep dozens of li into the ground, the oil fields now are just beneath the surface, intact and abundant, and they are right in front of her.
"A’Zhu, what is crude oil? Is it like chicken fat oil?" Li Si asked curiously. She had never heard of it before. Wasn’t this the blood and flesh of hellish creatures as the monk had said?
"Pfft," Zhenzhu couldn’t help but laugh. How could this be compared to chicken fat oil? The value difference was imnse.
"What are you laughing at?" Li Si’s face turned sullen. She had followed Zhenzhu in, and now she was being laughed at. Was this acceptable?
"Alright, alright, I apologize. This isn’t the blood and flesh of hellish creatures. It’s called crude oil and can be used for many things."
"Really? Can it be used without carrying the curse of misfortune?" The one who feared the cursed aura, was not fully convinced.
"No, it doesn’t carry any curse. Don’t you believe ?"
"I believe you." How could she not believe A’Zhu? Whatever A’Zhu said was surely correct. She trusted A’Zhu.
"Good. This is called crude oil. It can be used for many things if refined and used correctly. Unfortunately, we don’t have the tools or knowledge to refine it extensively. But using it as a lamp fuel is not bad." In her previous life, crude oil could be refined and utilized in many ways. However, in this era, she lacked the knowledge to separate its components. Still, it could be used as a substitute for other fuels.
"Can it be used instead of whale oil?" Li Si asked excitedly.
"Yes, it can."
"That’s great!"
It must be said that in this era, lamp oil ca from whales that were hunted, making it quite expensive. Common people would consider the cost of whale oil each ti they used a lamp.
"A’Si, who owns this land? Can we buy it?"
"Why wouldn’t we be able to? The owner has been trying to sell it for years. No one dares to buy it. Let’s go! I’ll take you to et the owner right away."
Li Si hurried, fearing that the crude oil A’Zhu had ntioned might be bought by soone else. If it could replace whale oil, it would beco extrely valuable. How could she let it fall into soone else’s hands?
With that, Zhenzhu didn’t waste ti and quickly rode after Li Si. They made their way back to the capital. Lady Zhao, who knew the city’s routes well, led Zhenzhu through various alleys and streets until they arrived at an old, dium-sized residence. The walls were covered with vines and grass, indicating it had been uninhabited for a long ti. Peering inside, Zhenzhu saw that the grounds were overgrown with tall weeds.
"Is there really soone living here? Isn’t this a deserted house?" Zhenzhu asked curiously.
"There is. Wait here for a mont; I’ll go get the owner." Li Si said as she walked towards the front door and shouted loudly.
"Aunt Pi! Aunt Pi! Are you there?"
"Aunt Pi!"
Before long, a tall, thin woman shuffled to the door and peeked out.
"Oh, it’s Lady Zhao. What do you need?" The woman spoke in a raspy voice. Zhenzhu observed her and guessed that this woman must be seriously ill. Although she could still walk normally, her body seed weak, her life force as depleted as a lamp without oil. Was this the landowner Li Si ntioned?
"Soone wants to buy your land, Aunt. I brought her here."
"Really?" Pi Chunniu exclaid, both surprised and excited. Soone wanted to buy that cursed land?
It must be said that this land had been passed down from her ancestors. No matter how much she wanted to sell it, no one would buy it. Thus, she had to leave it abandoned. Even renting it out at a low price, no one use it. People sitting on the carriage or walking were terrified just passing by. But now, soone wanted to buy the land. How could she not be happy?
"Please, co in," Pi Chunniu eagerly invited the guests inside.
Upon entering, they found that the reception hall was old and extrely dilapidated. However, Zhenzhu was not concerned about that. Her purpose was to buy the land.
"Aunt, I am interested in buying a large plot of land to the west of the city. Would you be willing to sell it?"
"Yes, yes. Of course, I’ll sell it. Keeping it does no good. Do you want to buy the whole plot or just a part of it?" At this point, whether soone wanted to buy all or just a part, she was willing to sell.
"I want it all. How much are you asking, Aunt?"
"That land has been in my family for generations. If I had the strength, I would have used it myself. But now my health is poor, and I am often ill. That’s why the land has been abandoned. It’s a large plot, close to the capital, very convenient for travel. It’s 3,450 mu in total. I’ll sell it for just 65,000 taels. You won’t find a better price than this, miss." The owner explained at length, as if fearing that she would not get a chance to sell. She was also afraid that the lady might change her mind.
Zhenzhu was very pleased with the price. A large plot of land near the capital like this, if not for the erging crude oil causing a misunderstanding, would never be sold so cheaply. A plot of 3,450 mu should be worth at least 150,000 taels. This price was more than generous.
"Agreed, Aunt."
"Did you really buy it?" Pi Chunniu was very surprised, not expecting it to be this easy.
"Shall we go to the city hall to sign the land sale contract?" Zhenzhu smiled slightly, though inside she was jumping for joy.
"Today?" This lady was quite impatient.
"Well, I might be busy tomorrow," Zhenzhu said. She wanted to get the deed as soon as possible to ensure she would beco the owner of the oil field.
"Wait a mont, Miss. I’ll change my clothes first." No matter, she also wanted to sell the land quickly.
Zhenzhu and Pi Chunniu headed to the city hall and quickly finalized the sale contract. Having money made things incredibly easy.
Now, the land deed was securely in her dinsional bracelet. Zhenzhu was very pleased. Now she was the owner of an oil field, and it was ti to extract the crude oil and sell it!
Zhenzhu returned to the manor happily. Tomorrow, she would hire workers to repair the fence to mark her territory and set up temporary formations or characters to secure her new source of wealth.
"A’Zhu, now you are a landowner. Congratulations."
"Thank you for your help. Without you, I couldn’t have bought the land so easily."
"It’s nothing. We are friends."
"Would you like to invest in a fabric shop with ?" Zhenzhu asked. Seeing Li Si as a good friend and a quick worker, like how she took her to settle the land contract earlier. If Li Si didn’t help contact the authorities, it wouldn’t be done so quickly.
"Really?" Lady Zhao’s eyes widened in surprise before they sparkled with excitent. Could she really open a fabric shop with A’Zhu? Great! She wanted to help A’Zhu open the fabric shop!
"Of course. You can help manage the business, select suitable custors, and build trust among custors. What do you think?"
"Yes!" Li Si responded imdiately.
Li Si had been raised by Nanny Hu Qi, who was very strict with rules. Therefore, she often faced difficulties and scoldings. Additionally, she wasn’t skilled in sewing or fabric design like A’Zhu. The only thing she excelled at was martial arts, having grown up among soldiers and martial arts warriors. Her skills were on par with those of so great generals.
But if A’Zhu allowed her to invest, she would work diligently to make the shop prosper, just like the Fu Zhenzhu Shop in Fengfu city.
"A’Zhu, I like you a lot. How about you marry into my family? My big brother still doesn’t have a wife." Li Si grabbed her friend’s arm and swayed it back and forth.
“Cough, cough, cough.”
"..."
"Let’s go inside. I’m very tired." Zhenzhu hurried into the manor, her heart racing. That was too much!
In the following days, Zhenzhu hired workers to repair the fence around her land and began establishing the second branch of the Fu Zhenzhu fabric shop, with Li Si eagerly helping.
"Handle it carefully! Don’t spill anything!"
"Hurry up! It’s busy in the market this morning."
Li Si’s voice ordering the workers echoed into the residence as Zhenzhu was getting dressed. This morning, Zhenzhu and Li Si planned to distribute crude oil to the townspeople to try as an alternative to whale oil.
Zhenzhu nodded in satisfaction. Li Si was very diligent. Since they had signed the partnership agreent, Li Si had taken on every role, from laborer to manager. Zhenzhu walked out of the residence to join her friend.
"A’Zhu, you’re just in ti. Let’s go. The workers have loaded everything onto the wagons," Li Si called out excitedly. Today, she was taking their product to market!
"The shopkeeper is very diligent. Our business is sure to prosper.”
"Y... You, I’m just working hard. What shopkeeper?" The young woman blushed, twisting her body bashfully. She never imagined she would really beco a shopkeeper. This was her first serious business venture. She never thought that this day would co, the day when she would earn money on her own, without relying on her father and older brother. Even though they always provided her with plenty of money, she felt that earning it herself was much prouder.
"Let’s go. You’re twisting yourself into knots," Zhenzhu laughed fondly.
"Let’s go!"
Several wagons from Zhao Manor headed towards the bustling center of the capital.
Li Si had rented a stall in the busiest area. Once the workers had unloaded the bamboo bottles filled with crude oil, Li Si wasted no ti, shedding her status of a lady from the prominent family to beco a full-fledged rchant.
"Co this way, everyone! Co this way! I have a new product to introduce. Today, we’re giving it away for free so you can try it out!"
"Co, everyone! It costs nothing, not even a single coin!"
Upon hearing that it was free, passersby started to take an interest. It didn’t hurt to look. As one person approached, others followed, crowding around Li Si’s stall.
Li Si held up a bamboo bottle filled with crude oil and had the workers distribute it to everyone who ca to see.
"This, in your hands, is called crude oil. It can be used as fuel and is half the price of whale oil."
She placed a lamp on the stall, emptied out the whale oil, and filled it with crude oil instead. Using a fire making tool, she lit the lamp to show everyone that it could indeed be used as a substitute for whale oil.
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