Transmigrated as a Stepmother: Time to Bring the Family to Prosper!-Chapter 384: Failed Dock-Kowtowing

Qin Yao put down the black tea she couldn’t quite appreciate, and deliberately looked into Jiang Wen’s eyes, asking him:

"Did the cargo ships all return smoothly? Did they give you any trouble?"

Jiang Wen’s suspicions were immediately confirmed. It was Qin Yao who had been helping from behind the scenes.

Yesterday when they parted, he hadn’t placed much hope on Qin Yao, as she had clearly stated she didn’t want to use Prefect He’s connections.

But he didn’t expect that she actually got it done, and with an even more formidable backing than the He Family.

So quickly that it still felt like a dream to him.

What had troubled the trading company for two months was solved by her in just a few hours.

Qiu Yan stood up and very sincerely bowed to Qin Yao: "Thank you, Madam, for your assistance. Without you, Fulong Trading Company would have been finished. Madam, you are the benefactor of our company, the benefactor of the Qiu Family!"

"In the future, should Madam need anything, please do not hesitate to ask. Whatever can be done, everyone at Fulong Trading Company will go through fire and water for you!"

After speaking, he clapped his hands, and a trusted aide brought up a tray covered with red cloth, presenting it to Qin Yao.

"A small token of gratitude, please do us the honor of accepting it!"

Qin Yao looked at Jiang Wen with delight, and Jiang Wen encouraged, "Madam, please accept it."

Only then did Qin Yao uncover the red cloth, revealing a tray full of bright silver ingots, almost blinding her.

Yet Qin Yao remained calm outwardly, brushing her hand over the fifty-tael silver ingots, there were twenty of them.

Additionally, nestled among the silver ingots was a heavy golden hairpin.

Qin Yao touched it twice, feeling a bit reluctant to part with it, but just as Qiu Yan and Jiang Wen thought she was satisfied and would surely accept with a smile, Qin Yao put down the hairpin and only took five heavy large silver ingots from the tray.

"I’ll accept these 500 taels, the rest can be taken back by the boss."

Qin Yao placed the five silver ingots beside her in a row, finding them quite adorable.

Qiu Yan looked at Jiang Wen nervously, thinking he might understand better what she meant.

Jiang Wen was puzzled, realizing today how little he knew about the woman in front of him.

However, one thing he did know was that this person never engaged in pretense; when she wanted something, she really wanted it, and if she returned it, she truly didn’t.

Jiang Wen personally took back the remaining silver and returned it to the boss, shaking his head slightly, it seemed she wasn’t willing to continue safeguarding the trading company.

They hadn’t managed to get the right connection.

In fact, they had befriended the wrong person.

Qin Yao smiled as she asked about the details of receiving the ship at dawn, wanting to gauge the strength of the Princess Guard.

Jiang Wen and Qiu Yan recounted everything to her in detail, seizing another opportunity to thank Qin Yao.

"We had originally prepared to lose thirty percent of our goods, but unexpectedly, only a few boxes of tea leaves were missing, and the rest of the items taken were returned."

Hearing this, Jiang Wen felt a pang of emotion. Had he known earlier about Qin Yao’s strong connections, he wouldn’t have wasted the last two months.

The silver spent on bribes and the promised benefits amounted to ten times what Qin Yao took today!

Qin Yao took another sip of tea, her eyelashes lowered, hiding her emotions.

Mu Ling even retrieved the embezzled goods for the trading company, such attention to detail wasn’t done on a whim.

If she wasn’t mistaken, Mu Ling was planning to support a new establishment.

And Fulong Trading Company seemed easier to handle than Guo Lin, although its strength was no match for Jingyun. But just as they had supported one Guo Lin, they could support thousands more.

Qin Yao shook her head silently, feeling that power struggles were too complex, and life in her little village was more comfortable.

To not waste such a good meal, Qin Yao had two more bowls of rice.

Qiu Yan and Jiang Wen kept probing her, hoping she would introduce them to their real benefactor.

Qin Yao shook her head with a light laugh, "The time isn’t right yet. When the time is right, the opportunity will come knocking."

"However..." Qin Yao couldn’t help but remind Qiu Yan, "Boss, you must understand that risks and rewards often come hand in hand. The higher the reward, the greater the risk. If you’re not careful, you might lose everything and even your life..."

There was no need to spell it out, Qin Yao believed they would understand.

Guo Lin was a cautionary tale, getting involved in power struggles was no good thing.

If you win, great, but losing could mean the extermination of your entire family, right?

Thinking about it made Qin Yao want to laugh; she couldn’t even gather enough for a family of nine.

Qiu Yan didn’t quite understand why Qin Yao would speak ill of her own supporting force, but he sensed her good intentions and raised his teacup in a toast to her.

Qiu Yan smiled bitterly, "Madam, my father was weak and died of illness when I was five. My mother and elder sister remarried far away, and we haven’t been in touch for years. I grew up by my grandfather’s side, diligently learning business, and I’ve long understood that there’s no surefire deal in this world. Everything I do is to ensure the family’s foundation doesn’t wither in my hands."

"If I could create a brilliant achievement on top of my ancestors’ foundation, I would die without regrets!"

Qin Yao felt assured, knowing this was someone with only three people in the family, which meant less restraint.

She raised her teacup, returning the toast, "Then let’s wish the boss every success, and may all your desires come true!"

Qiu Yan couldn’t hide his excitement and exchanged a quick glance with Jiang Wen, both eager to connect with the Princess Guard.

With the meal finished and a new order signed, Qin Yao returned home with a down payment of 1,000 taels in silver notes and 500 taels worth of silver ingots she earned herself.

In the afternoon, she planned to go shopping, now with silver in hand, she could shop with ease.

In a good mood, Qin Yao wanted to buy Liu Ji a respectable outfit, leaving him surprised as she entered the fabric shop.

Previously, Qin Yao always bought modest colored fabrics, but this time she boldly chose a bolt of dark purple cotton.

As commoners couldn’t flaunt silk, but many merchants wore it at home, Qin Yao also bought half a bolt of pale gray silk, intending to make undergarments.

The two brocade satin fabrics gifted by Qi Xian Official were still too precious to use, so she’d first enjoy the comfort of this half bolt.

After buying a pile of fabric, Qin Yao selected two exquisite silk flowers as gifts for the women at the old house, then she and her husband left the fabric shop.

Passing other shops, she bought packages of various smoked and cured meats that were tasty and stored well.

She also bought candy and pastries that the children loved, filling Liu Ji’s arms to the point where he could barely see the path ahead, prompting him to call for a stop.

Qin Yao glanced disdainfully at his frame, "Then you go home first, I’m going to the silver building."

"The silver building?" Liu Ji widened his eyes in shock, "You’ve already spent more than ten taels, and you’re still going to buy jewelry?"

"I earned this silver myself and I’ll spend it as I please!"

Liu Ji: "But..."

"Shut up!" Qin Yao warned dangerously, "Don’t ruin my good mood!"

The attendant at the entrance of the silver building, noticing all the abundant gifts and realizing the patron must be well off, quickly greeted her enthusiastically,

"Madam, please come in. Do you prefer jade, or gold and silver? Or perhaps take a look at the gemstone-embedded hairpins recently crafted by our artisans?"

Watching Qin Yao follow the attendant into the silver building, which he had always felt too timid to enter, Liu Ji didn’t hesitate for a second, shouting "Wife!" with a grin and following her.

He too wanted to see what those gemstone-embedded hairpins looked like!