Chapter 42: A Big Business Deal
Before leaving the capital, Gu Yu had wanted to chat with Chengfeng Shan. At that time, he couldn’t find him, but now they have met again in Lian Town.
This time, he had the time to chat.
“Brother Shan, long time no see!”
“It’s Brother Gu! Are you guys back from the capital so soon? I thought you would stay a few more days and look around the beautiful scenery of the capital!”
“Unfortunately, my brother-in-law is still studying in Lian Town, so we couldn’t stay in the capital for long. Why did you guys suddenly return to Lian Town?”
“This… it’s a long story…”
After Gu Yu and Mengyao Gu greeted them, Chengfeng Shan and Lin Yue Bai were both surprised. They didn’t expect Gu Yu and Mengyao Gu, this young couple, to return from the capital so quickly.
After a brief chat, they went to Chunlai Restaurant.
After opening a private room, Chengfeng Shan didn’t treat Gu Yu as an outsider. He simply explained what he and Lin Yue Bai had experienced in the capital.
It turned out that after the Grand Commandant’s son, Wen Shanyue, was enraged, Chengfeng Shan worried that Wen Shanyue would retaliate. To resolve this matter, he went to his good friend for help.
However, before Chengfeng Shan and his friend could come up with a solution, good news arrived from Lin Yue Bai, and the matter was already resolved.
After Bai Qian, Lin Yue Bai’s cousin, entered the palace as a concubine, she was highly favored by the Emperor. As soon as Lin Yue Bai sought her help, Wen Shanyue received a warning.
This time, even the Grand Commandant, Wen Li, did not favor his son and instead disciplined him properly, telling him not to provoke Lin Yue Bai again in the future.
Although Bai Qian was only a newly appointed concubine in the Emperor’s harem, she had recently gained great favor. There were even rumors in the palace that the Empress Dowager was very fond of Bai Qian and wanted her to conceive an imperial son. If Bai Qian were to become pregnant, she would be the most honored person in the capital.
Now, seeing his son so foolishly provoking the Bai family, the Grand Commandant was furious and directly locked Wen Shanyue in the ancestral hall for half a month of reflection.
After this dispute arising from a marriage alliance was resolved, Lin Yue Bai saw how powerful her cousin was and wanted to ask Bai Qian to speak to their clan and prevent her from being married off.
However, Bai Qian was unable to help.
She said that she and the Bai family were in the same boat. Marriage alliances like this were very helpful in consolidating her status. However, because Lin Yue Bai was her cousin, she had reluctantly helped this time.
If Lin Yue Bai did not want to be a tool for marriage alliances, she could only resolve this problem herself.
Bai Qian only promised not to interfere, meaning she would not help either side.
Although Bai Qian spoke earnestly, Lin Yue Bai, having lived with Bai Qian for several years, had long understood her cousin’s personality. She probably didn’t want to get involved because it was too troublesome!
However, it was already very good that Bai Qian had helped this time.
Next, it was a battle between Lin Yue Bai and the Bai family.
Thinking this, Lin Yue Bai had come to Lian Town, thinking that far from the capital, her clan could do as they pleased.
If all else failed, she would marry Chengfeng Shan and have a “concoction of raw rice,” and then return with the child.
Of course, Lin Yue Bai did not dare to tell Chengfeng Shan about this bold idea, for fear that he would be scared and wouldn’t be able to act.
Anyway, no one could stop her from pursuing happiness this time.
After listening to Chengfeng Shan’s explanation, Gu Yu understood why they were in Lian Town.
Simply put, after resolving the trouble, there was still a big problem waiting for them. But now they had no way to deal with it, so they returned to Lian Town as if escaping, preparing to think of a solution slowly.
Gu Yu did not express his opinion on this but felt that what he was about to say could help Chengfeng Shan.
Frankly speaking, Chengfeng Shan was not recognized by the Bai family because of his identity as a businessman.
However, if Chengfeng Shan had enough money, let alone his identity as a businessman, even a farmer would have to fawn over him.
And now, Gu Yu was about to send money into Chengfeng Shan’s pocket. The question was whether he could catch it.
“Actually, I’m not just here to catch up with Brother Shan, but to do a big business deal with you.”
“Oh? What kind of business are you talking about, Brother Gu? I’m very interested.”
As soon as Gu Yu spoke, Chengfeng Shan’s eyes lit up.
The white sugar recipe that Gu Yu had sold him was still bringing in a lot of income. He wondered what good thing it was this time.
“Please take a look.”
“This… Isn’t this the chili pepper that I sent to Brother Gu before?”
Gu Yu reached into his pocket and took out a few chili peppers, placing them on the table. Chengfeng Shan was very impressed and immediately remembered that it was a potted plant he had helped Gu Yu buy recently. At that time, he thought it was interesting because it had red chili peppers hanging on it.
However, he didn’t know why Gu Yu brought it out now.
“That’s right, the big business I’m talking about is this. I have ground chili powder here. You can try it now.”
Afterward, Gu Yu reached into his pocket again and took out a paper bag. Upon opening it, he revealed red chili powder and asked Chengfeng Shan to taste it.
Because the chili powder was needed urgently, Gu Yu did not wait for it to air dry. Instead, he used a heated brick bed to dry it and then grind it into powder, saving a lot of time.
As for the taste, Gu Yu didn’t feel any different. It was all just spicy!
Having dealt with Gu Yu for so long, Chengfeng Shan did not hesitate. He directly extended a finger, dipped it in the red powder, and put it into his mouth. A spicy sensation instantly appeared on his tongue and quickly spread throughout his body.
This made Chengfeng Shan grab the teacup in front of him and drink it all without caring about his usual demeanor, as he wanted to neutralize the spiciness on his tongue.
Chengfeng Shan’s sudden action startled Lin Yue Bai, who was sitting beside him. She looked at Chengfeng Shan, not knowing why he was acting like this.
Mengyao Gu, sitting opposite them, explained that Chengfeng Shan was just too hot from the chili powder, and if Lin Yue Bai didn’t believe her, she could also try it.
Hearing Mengyao Gu say this, Lin Yue Bai was naturally very curious. However, she didn’t dip as much as Chengfeng Shan. She only dipped a little chili powder and was immediately so hot that she kept fanning her mouth with her hand, trying to reduce the burning sensation in her mouth.
After a while, when Chengfeng Shan and Lin Yue Bai had recovered, Chengfeng Shan frowned at the chili peppers on the table.
After tasting it, he really didn’t understand what was so good about this thing that Gu Yu called chili powder.
The taste was so strange, and even when ground into powder, it wasn’t delicious at all!
“Brother Shan must have many doubts. Mengyao, take this chili powder to the kitchen and stir-fry a few dishes. Brother Shan and I will continue chatting.”
“I’ll go with Sister Mengyao too. I just tasted a little chili powder, and it was so spicy I could die. I wonder what it will taste like when cooked into a dish!”
Seeing Chengfeng Shan frown, Gu Yu knew that he hadn’t realized the business opportunity hidden in chili peppers. So, at this time, he could only let his little wife show off her skills in the kitchen. Once Chengfeng Shan personally tasted the charm of spicy dishes, he would understand.
However, when Lin Yue Bai heard about cooking with chili powder, her eyes immediately lit up, and she followed Mengyao Gu to the kitchen, wanting to see how it was cooked with her own eyes.
Only Gu Yu and Chengfeng Shan were left in the private room to discuss how to do this business.
“Brother Gu brought out the chili peppers and said they can be cooked into dishes. Could it be a kind of seasoning that can give dishes different flavors… However, in that case, chili peppers are not as versatile as white sugar, as their taste is very strange.”
“You’ll know all about it after you taste it later.”
Chengfeng Shan couldn’t help his curiosity and shared his analysis. Gu Yu shrugged at him, indicating that they would talk about it after tasting and that it was too early to say anything.
Gu Yu believed that most people couldn’t resist the temptation of spicy dishes.
And now, all they needed was for Mengyao Gu to cook the spicy dishes to know if these chili peppers were valuable… However, he didn’t expect that chili peppers were called “fan peppers” in Linfeng Kingdom.
“This is just an appetizer. The main course is still waiting for you.”
As Gu Yu spoke, he took out a small porcelain bottle from his pocket and placed it on the table, pushing it towards Chengfeng Shan and indicating for him to open it and take a look.
Seeing Gu Yu’s mysterious demeanor, Chengfeng Shan couldn’t help but become curious. When he opened the porcelain bottle, he saw a purple liquid inside, exuding a strong fruity aroma.
Chengfeng Shan didn’t bother with anything else and raised the porcelain bottle to take a small sip. After the wine entered his mouth, Chengfeng Shan’s eyes widened immediately. Then, he looked at Gu Yu with disbelief, wondering where he had gotten such high-quality wine!
This wine with a sweet and sour taste was definitely a delicacy for all ages!
If this wine had no potential problems, Chengfeng Shan could even become an imperial merchant specializing in it!
This made Chengfeng Shan more excited the more he thought about it, as if a road filled with gold appeared before him, waiting for him to step onto it.
No wonder Gu Yu said it was a big meal; he wasn’t lying!
“Brother Shan, what do you think of this wine?”
“Good, good, good! It’s naturally excellent! I wonder where this wine comes from…”
“Naturally, I researched it. It’s made from a very rare fruit and brewed for a long time. If Brother Shan thinks it’s good, we can discuss cooperation later… Oh no, I dropped something at Brother Shan’s feet. Please help me pick it up.”
“Okay, I’m really happy to cooperate with Brother Gu again this time… Huh?”
As Chengfeng Shan bent down to pick up the item, he thought about cooperating with Gu Yu later and became happier and happier. However, when he handed the item in his hand to Gu Yu, Chengfeng Shan suddenly realized something was wrong.
When Chengfeng Shan took a closer look at the item in his hand and then looked at the inscribed words, he was so scared that he almost dropped it on the ground.
Isn’t this the Iron Scroll, a decree bestowed by the Emperor?
How come it also has Gu Yu’s name on it??
