On such an occasion, one was usually required to give a response, so Ye Xiaoxian replied humbly, “I’m flattered. It’s my good fortune that has protected me from being swallowed by the sand.”
To continue praising her, Li Chengyi turned around and asked his wife, “What do you think of Mrs. Ye?”
The Sixth Imperial Concubine praised her with a smile. “Mrs. Ye is modest, capable and also gracious. Although she doesn’t know martial arts, she has the bearing of a heroine.”
Ye Xiaoxian was speechless. Were they taking turns to compliment her? They were compatible as a couple, especially when they praised others without blushing. Ye Xiaoxian could only express her thanks again.
Growing impatient, Li Chengru urged, “Brother, I think that’s enough praise. Doesn’t she know how good she is? She will have her nose in the air if you go on like this.”
Ye Xiaoxian cast a glance at him. Who didn’t like praise? Although she wasn’t used to it, she would be if she heard more.
Li Chengyi laughed. “All right. I’ll stay on point.”
Then, he looked at Ye Xiaoxian. “Mrs. Ye, I’ve been in Baoning city many years, devoting myself to boosting the economy here. I want to make everyone rich or at least satisfy their needs for food and clothing. Although I’ve achieved some results, I’m far from reaching my goal. After careful consideration, I find that to increase the purchasing power we must trade with the Central Plains. But the difficulty with transportation has been troubling me. However, you managed to run a camel team and even developed your own brand of beef jerky, so I think perhaps you can help me solve the problem.”
Ye Xiaoxian was stunned. She did what she did just to earn money, and never thought in such a big way. Born in the modern era, she knew the economy was the lifeblood of a place. To develop the economy, especially in agriculture, they must sell the local products further afield.
She asked, “Your Highness, do you want me to help you transport the local produce?”
“Yes, that’s what I mean,” the Sixth King replied.
“Well… then we need more camels. The farmers also have to expand their scope of farming. For example, if we want to sell more beef jerky, the farmers need to raise more cattle. We can purchase their beef, but that requires a lot of capital and manpower.”
Li Chengyi said, “I see. I can give you money to raise more camels. Manpower is also not a problem. I will send people to assist you and you may hire some locals to help you with your work. Even Chengru can be your assistant.”
Ye Xiaoxian smiled wryly. She suddenly felt her burden becoming heavier.
Li Chengyi went on, “Weaving is also not difficult. I will ask my people to hire some weavers from the Central Plains and my wife will open a fabric factory. So you can transport the delicate fabric out from here.”
Ye Xiaoxian had a look at the Sixth Imperial Concubine who nodded with a smile. Unlike the other imperial concubines, this woman had done many practical things here. She had the ability to run a fabric factory well.
Then, Li Chengyi talked with Ye Xiaoxian about some details. Finally, he said, “If you make it, I will give you and your family considerable rewards. If you fail, I won’t blame you. But I believe you can do it well!”
Ye Xiaoxian was moved at that moment. It was because of his trust. She was not a beginner and knew she was required to work very hard when a leader said so. But such an opportunity was pretty rare in her life. She had been complaining about her identity as a peasant’s daughter or an insignificant businesswoman. Now, here was a good chance to do something for people using her skills. Therefore, she agreed without hesitation and said she needed further discussion with her companions about the specific plan.
…
When they finished talking, it had become dark outside, so she stayed in the town that night. Li Chengyi even treated her to dinner and asked Xiao Baofeng over. They didn’t eat around a table like commoners. Instead, the Sixth King and his wife sat in the upper seats with the others below them. Every two people shared a small square table and knelt on cushions while eating. It was just how TV dramas showed it.
Ye Xiaoxian wasn’t used to such a posture. But Xiao Baofeng had clearly grown accustomed to it. He behaved decently just like a cultivated boy of a big family in a TV series. It might be because of living far from home or studying too hard that he looked thinner than before. Without thinking, Ye Xiaoxian put some meat and vegetables into his bowl.
But he looked a little awkward and whispered, “Sister Ye, we don’t feed each other in the palace.”
She said in a low voice, “I’m not a member here.” Then, she continued putting meat into his bowl.
The Sixth Imperial Concubine was understanding and knew the commoners’ ways of showing care. She said with a smile, “Mrs. Ye, Baofeng, don’t stand on ceremony. Just consider this your home. It’s rare for you to come here. I hope you can enjoy the meal.”
Ye Xiaoxian expressed her gratitude immediately.
The Sixth Imperial Concubine asked, “How do you like the food? Chengru said you’re good at cooking and your dishes taste better than those in the palace.”
Ye Xiaoxian replied modestly, “The Seventh King has just eaten too many delicacies in the palace and feels nostalgic about homely food.”
Li Chengyi laughed. “Oh? That’s impossible. My brother is very picky. Even if it’s homely food, he is also fastidious. Mrs. Ye, if you’re free next time, please let me taste the dishes you cook.”
“Okay. If there’s a chance, I’ll try my best to live up to your expectations.”
…
That night, Ye Xiaoxian had an inn near the palace arranged for her to stay in. It was Li Chengru who sent her back.
As soon as they left the palace, he dragged her sleeve and said, “Follow me. I’ll take you somewhere.”
Such a motion was usually made to a familiar friend., but they were at the palace gates. Even if they were not inside it, Ye Xiaoxian thought they should avoid gossip. Therefore, she waved off his hand tactfully. He didn’t show any embarrassment, so he must not have touched her intentionally.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“A place to eat.”
“Eat?” She was puzzled.
He teased her, “I know you didn’t have enough just now, right?”
How could she have enough on such an occasion? It was purely a place for socializing.
…
Li Chengru took her to a noodle restaurant. Although it looked unremarkable, it was packed with customers.
He said, “This place was discovered by Fengsheng. I’ve visited all the restaurants in the city and this one is the best. Its noodles are chewy. Come in and have a try.”
Ye Xiaoxian smiled. “You’re so picky. There are so many restaurants and you like only this one.”
“What’s wrong with being picky? If I ate just anything, I’d be no better than a pig.”
All right, she gave up arguing with him. After entering the restaurant, she ordered a bowl of beef ramen. She believed in Li Chengru’s taste and found the noodles were indeed delicious after trying a bite. The slices of braised sauced beef were floating on the surface and the soup was exactly that used to braise the beef. The appetizing addition of scallion, garlic and peppercorns further enriched the flavor.
Attracted by the smell, she immediately chomped her way through the noodles.
“How do you like them? I told you, the noodles here are very delicious.” Li Chengru was also enjoying his noodles. Perhaps it was because he had stayed long here, he was much more down-to-earth than before. When eating the noodles, he didn’t mind his image and gulped just like her.
After finishing the noodles, Ye Xiaoxian lifted the bowl and drank the soup with satisfaction.
Even Li Chengru exaggerated his enjoyment. He not only swigged down the soup but also let out a cry of joy.
This amused her into chuckling. “Is this your new way of eating?”
“It’s none of your concern,” he said.
“A king can’t make a sound while eating, can he? You’re in no way like a king now.”
“I do this in front of only you. Not even in front of Fengsheng,” Li Chengru thought.
But then he was surprised. Why did he feel so relaxed with her? Was it because she was easily bullied? Or was it because he was familiar with her? When he was little, he always felt nervous in front of his parents and didn’t dare to eat much at mealtimes. Only with his fourth brother could he be naughty like a real child.
Forget it. Perhaps this is a common rule of socializing. Now that every person is different, ways of relating naturally vary.
After filling their stomachs, Li Chengru walked her to the inn and asked two men to protect her. Tomorrow, he would send her back to the tribe.
…
On arriving back at the tribe, Ye Xiaoxian gathered the Xiaos, the Lius and Tarico in a yurt. Li Chengru and Fengsheng also joined them.
Li Chengru came mainly to see what difficulties they had and what he could do to help them and also to back Ye Xiaoxian up. But obviously, Ye Xiaoxian didn’t need his support. Everyone was obedient to her.
She held a meeting and told them what the Sixth King had said. After that, she concluded, “The Sixth King and the Seventh King will sponsor the camels. We’re still responsible for transportation. From today on, we need to purchase and process beef, wool and dairy products. The Sixth Imperial Concubine will do the weaving. Now I want to ask you — do you have the confidence to do everything well?”
Squire Liu slapped the table. “Now that the Sixth King needs our help, we must try out best to do it well, even at the cost of our lives!”
The others echoed their agreement.
But Xiao Tieshu whispered to Xiao Tongshu, “If we fail, we might all be killed.”
Scared, Xiao Tongshu expressed his determination to fulfill the task immediately.