Wolf-Raised Cub with a Space: Surviving the Disaster Years

Chapter 214: Chapter 214: Making a Killing! She’s a Little Rich Girl Now

The sun was out this morning, but by the afternoon, it had suddenly started to rain.

It really caught everyone off guard.

Wuer brought over a few bowls of hot soup. Shen Ningning’s eyes curved into crescents as she smiled. "The winters in the Capital City aren’t always like this. It just so happens to be the start of winter these past few days, so it’s a coincidence."

"The soup is hot. Please drink slowly, uncles."

The man in the lead had a handlebar mustache and a slender build.

He glanced at Shen Ningning a few times before asking with a smile, "Little girl, are you the proprietor of this shop?"

Shen Ningning nodded. "Yes, I am."

The men immediately let out sounds of admiration. "Truly incredible. To open a shop at such a young age... The Capital City is certainly full of capable people."

Shen Ningning asked curiously, "Where are you uncles from?"

"We’re from Nanzhou. We came to the Capital this time to purchase some spices, but unfortunately, fate had other plans. It’s rained so much that most of the spices in the Capital City are damp and ruined. We can’t buy them anymore."

They had traveled a thousand miles by boat from Jiangnan, only to meet this outcome. The men were all a bit worried.

Shen Ningning said nothing, only showing a look of pity.

Inside the quiet shop, the only sounds were of them drinking their soup, accompanied by a low sigh from an unknown source.

Merchants who travel far and wide fear nothing more than their goods being ruined.

Another customer came in asking about fruit, so Shen Ningning got up to help Wuer make a sale.

At some point, the mustachioed merchant had come to stand behind the little girl, looking at the baskets of fruit in amazement.

It was already the beginning of winter, yet there were still honey peaches, snow pears, and watermelons.

When they heard the little girl was selling these fruits at a clearance price, their interest was immediately piqued.

The mustachioed merchant cupped his hands in a salute toward Shen Ningning and asked respectfully, "Proprietor, all this fruit looks perfectly fine. Why are you selling it so cheaply?"

They knew the prices in the Capital City were incredibly high, often starting at ten taels of silver.

Shen Ningning’s round little face let out a sigh.

"Sigh..." She put her hands behind her back in a grown-up manner. "Just like you, I’m worried the fruit will spoil because of all the rain, so I have to sell it off quickly."

Wuer, completely guileless, added, "It looks like we’re selling a lot, but a whole hour has passed and we’ve only sold thirty catties. There’s still so much more in the warehouse."

’What should we do? Is all the fruit going to rot in the warehouse?’ he worried.

Shen Ningning didn’t say anything, but in her peripheral vision, she saw the mustachioed merchant call his companions over to whisper about something.

A moment later, the mustachioed merchant returned to Shen Ningning’s side. "Young Master, may we please see the fruit in your warehouse?"

The little girl knew exactly what he was thinking, but she feigned confusion. "See the fruit?"

The mustachioed merchant said, "It’s like this. We were already planning to buy some goods to ship back to Nanzhou."

"So we’d like to see if your fruit is in good condition, miss. If it is, we can ship it back quickly while the weather is still cold and the rivers haven’t frozen over."

The drought in Nanzhou was severe. Back there, fruit was priceless but unavailable.

’They must be thinking that if they haul a load of fruit back to sell, they could easily double their investment.’

Shen Ningning was delighted to hear this and immediately said, "No problem. Follow me."

She led the merchants to the back courtyard.

When she opened the warehouse, the sight of it packed full of fresh fruit stunned the merchants from the south.

’This Young Master is really something else, to be able to procure so much fresh fruit.’

Shen Ningning smiled sweetly. "Don’t be shy. You can have a taste. Go on and pick some. I guarantee every single one is sweet."

’Of course you have to inspect the goods when you’re buying. Quality is what matters most.’

The little girl was confident in the fruit she had grown with her Spiritual Spring Water.

The merchants each picked a few different kinds of fruit to taste.

Amazement filled their eyes, and they couldn’t stop praising the taste.

"They really are sweet! Young Master, did you grow this fruit yourself?"

Shen Ningning answered vaguely, "Mhm! They’re grown on my family’s mountain."

The mustachioed merchant immediately went aside to confer with his companions.

A moment later, he returned as their representative to negotiate the price with Shen Ningning.

"Young Master, we’ll take this entire warehouse of fruit. Four taels per catty. Please consider this price, Young Master."

Shen Ningning pondered this.

’Most of the remaining fruit is in good condition.’

’Four taels per catty...’

Shen Ningning turned to look at Uncle Zhong.

Uncle Zhong understood immediately. He took out two abacuses and began calculating furiously on the table, muttering under his breath.

The wealthy merchants from the south were once again stunned.

The Capital City truly was a land of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. They all had accountants back home, but they knew you couldn’t find even ten people in all of Nanzhou who were skilled enough to use two abacuses at once with such proficiency.

In their eyes, an accountant like this was known as a "Golden Abacus."

In a short while, Uncle Zhong had his answer.

He walked over to Shen Ningning and whispered a few words to her.

Shen Ningning immediately said, "I can accept the price of four taels per catty. However, that price does not cover any fruit damaged after it’s been packed into baskets."

"If you agree, we can draw up the contract right now."

The mustachioed merchant beamed. "No problem! There is one more thing I need to explain, Young Master."

"Because we’re worried about spoilage, we’ll pay with Silver Coin now, and I’ll need to have my men haul the fruit away today. This might require you to close the shop, Young Master. Otherwise, with all the coming and going, we’re afraid the fruit might get bumped and damaged."

Shen Ningning’s eyes sparkled, and she agreed at once. "Alright."

And so, they signed the contract, affixed their thumbprints, and weighed the goods.

Uncle Zhong and a few of the shop’s clerks watched from the side the entire time.

The merchants hired a number of laborers to help pack the baskets, constantly reminding them, "Be careful! The fruit is delicate, don’t press down hard."

At one point, they tried to ask Shen Ningning to have her people help out.

But before the little girl could speak, Uncle Zhong immediately waved his hand, holding up the account book. "The silver you’re paying doesn’t include labor costs. No discussion, no help."

Shen Ningning let out a snort of laughter. "I’ll listen to Uncle Zhong."

The merchants exchanged a look and then burst into hearty laughter. "Young Master, the people who work for you are all very capable."

By evening, the fruit had finally all been moved, and the entire warehouse was empty.

The mustachioed merchant and his group paid with a single silver note for exactly ten thousand taels.

Uncle Zhong and Wuer accompanied Shen Ningning to the government office to get an official seal, proving that this was a legitimate business transaction.

With the goods delivered and the payment settled, both the buyer and seller were all smiles.

Worried the fruit would spoil, the merchants from Nanzhou decided to set sail south that very night to minimize their losses.

After leaving the government office, they cupped their hands in salute to bid Shen Ningning farewell.

"Young Master, we’ve taken a liking to your shop, Wolf’s Sweet Water, and we find you to be straightforward and generous. If we weren’t so pressed for time, we would have certainly treated you to a proper meal, Young Master."

Shen Ningning smiled sweetly and with great poise. "Uncles, when you come back to the Capital City after the new year, it will be my treat!"

The merchants looked at each other and smiled, all replying in unison, "Excellent!"

As they turned to leave, Shen Ningning overheard them discussing—

"I wonder if it’s because of the soup, but I don’t feel cold at all now."

"I didn’t even notice when my clothes dried. The joy of securing the goods has made us forget everything else."

The men walked away, laughing heartily.

On the way back, Wuer asked, "Big Sister, how did you know they would buy all our fruit?"

Shen Ningning replied with a grin, "Oh, I didn’t know. I just saw that their clothes were expensive, but they looked a bit distressed. I thought that if I helped them out, it would surely create some good karma."

At first, the little girl hadn’t expected them to buy everything.

She was just aiming for a win-win situation: taking in the rain-soaked men while also selling a bit of fruit.

But she never expected to have such good luck.

Shen Ningning started skipping happily, and Uncle Zhong hurried to catch up with an umbrella. "Commandery Princess, you can’t get caught in the rain!"

The little girl glanced back, her smile sweet and bright. "Let’s go! We’re going back to split the silver!"

Everyone had worked so hard; they deserved a reward.

Wuer was overjoyed and ran to Shen Ningning’s side.

"Big Sister, can I have a roast chicken to eat?"

"You can! I’ll buy you two!"

The little girl took the even smaller boy’s hand, and their clear, childish laughter rang out.

No matter how hard it rained or how cold it was, it couldn’t dampen their spirits.