Chapter 65 - 65 65 Zhan Lan Discusses a Major Deal

Words : 1510 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

Chapter 65: Chapter 65 Zhan Lan Discusses a Major Deal Chapter 65: Chapter 65 Zhan Lan Discusses a Major Deal Zhan Hui looked at Zhan Lan with a complex expression on his face. This battle they were heading to could also mean never seeing their family again. Naturally, he knew that their mother, putting on a show of strength, didn’t come to see them off, fearing it would seem like a final farewell, full of sadness and grief. With a slight smile, Zhan Hui took a few steps forward, then turned around, waved his hand back at Zhan Lan, and said, “Let’s go!” Zhan Lan waved her hand and watched the backs of her father and elder brother, then retracted her gaze. This battle, according to the memories of her past life, was a humiliating one. A few days later, Western Rong’s troops, amounting to three hundred thousand, set off, while the frontier only had two hundred thousand from the Zhan Family Army! The Zhan Family Army suffered heavy losses in this battle. Because the Main General Zhan Beicang was injured, coupled with Zhan Hui’s suicide in prison after enduring unbearable humiliation, Grandfather Zhan Xinzhang, in his sixties, returned to the battlefield. In this battle, Grandfather lost his left arm but defended several years of peace for the entire Nanjin! Zhan Beicang’s condition worsened after overhearing a private conversation between Zhan Xincheng and his son, learning of Zhan Hui’s tragic death. ... Reflecting on the past life, Zhan Lan’s eyes were like deep pools. She was not fully aware of the details of this battle, but seeing her elder brother and father return to the battlefield like this today, she felt an uneasiness in her heart! This battle could affect everything! In this life, although she had schemed to have her father return home early to avoid disaster, and her elder brother had avoided the fate of committing suicide in his previous life, the situation was unstable, and her second uncle Zhan Xincheng and his son were still at the frontier. They were not harboring any good intentions! The circumstances were completely different from her previous life! Therefore, she must go to the frontier to assist her father and elder brother! Luckily, she had prepared well, quietly waiting for the right opportunity. Zhan Lan mounted her horse, left the small path, and returned to Ding’an City. Zhan Lan arrived at the Rice and Wheat Store in Ding’an City’s western market, which managed grain trades. There were several merchants there, and Zhan Lan dismounted in front of the Rice and Wheat Store with the fewest customers. She looked around, and saw that the other stores’ rice and wheat were selling well, but only the Shen Family Rice and Wheat Store had no one lingering in front. Comparing the prices and noting the rice quality among the stores, she quickly understood what was going on. The owner of the Rice and Wheat Store, Shen Shan, was sitting upstairs, feeling troubled and anxious. Seeing Zhan Lan enter, Manager Liu immediately greeted her. “Miss, are you here to buy rice or wheat? Our store has new rice and new wheat just harvested this year.” Zhan Lan raised her gaze to the second floor, where a slender young man in his twenties sat, but what stood out were two tufts of white hair on his head, and his eyebrows shaped like the character for eight upside down. His face was full of worry, making him seem over thirty years old. With folded arms and tilting her chin up slightly, Zhan Lan called up to him, “I want to discuss a business deal with your boss!” Manager Liu was puzzled. This young girl was only about fourteen, what kind of business could she possibly discuss with their shopkeeper. Shen Shan was troubled with his own concerns, but upon hearing Zhan Lan’s words, he derided, “What is it? Has Old Shen fallen so low that a little girl wants to discuss a deal involving just a few bushels of rice?” Standing there, Zhan Lan’s posture was straight, and she boldly declared, “The business of the entire Nanjin!” Upon hearing this, Manager Liu’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably, thinking this young girl must be out of her mind! The business in Nanjin is now in jeopardy, even the trade in the Western Market! To think of taking over the whole Nanjin! “Ha ha ha...” Upon hearing Zhan Lan’s words, Shen Shan, who had been wearing a mournful expression, suddenly laughed, an expression uglier than crying. “You young lady have quite the nerve, reminiscent of my youthful audacity!” Shen Shan stood up and said to Manager Liu, “Please invite this young lady up!” Under Manager Liu’s astonished gaze, Zhan Lan ascended to the floor on her own and sat unceremoniously across from Shen Shan. Shen Shan looked at Zhan Lan with a serious expression and resolute demeanor, and wondered, “Tell me then, I’m all ears on how to do business in Nanjin!” Unperturbed, Zhan Lan pointed with her finger at several stores outside the door and said, “First, I’ll help Shen Dongjia hold his ground in the Western Market!” Shen Shan scoffed disdainfully, “I disdain to be affiliated with them. Those old dogs mix old rice with new when selling, naturally their prices are lower than mine!” Zhan Lan laughed, “Does Shen Dongjia’s store have old rice, then?” Shen Shan replied with disdain, “Who doesn’t have some old rice? Hmph, I’d rather feed it to chickens than tarnish the reputation of my ancestors!” Hearing this, Zhan Lan nodded in satisfaction. “Shen Dongjia, I have a suggestion for you. Right now, have your shopkeeper set up another table. Display the old rice alongside the new, clearly labeled. Have the shopkeeper and errand boys loudly announce that the old price for new rice applies, but with a catch: buy a peck of new rice and get a peck of old rice free!” Shen Shan’s eyes lit up with interest, then he voiced his doubts, “But will this really work?” Zhan Lan raised an eyebrow, “Just try it, it doesn’t cost anything!” Shen Shan found Zhan Lan’s idea amusing. After all, if that old rice sat for another two months, it really would only be good for feeding chickens, so it was worth a shot. Manager Liu was idly bored and without a new plan, the Shen Family Rice and Wheat Store would be out of business. At this point, a desperate measure is better than none. Following Zhan Lan’s script, Manager Liu set up two tables at the entrance and started to call out. “Neighbors and friends, our family has a thousand stones of last year’s old rice. Today, if you buy a peck of new rice at our master’s store, you get a peck of old rice free, so everyone can compare the taste of new versus old rice. The Shen Family Rice and Wheat Store has a century of honest trading, fooling neither the elderly nor the young!” After a few calls, the civilians who were buying rice elsewhere gathered around. One curiously asked, “Shopkeeper, buy a peck of new rice, get a peck of old rice for free, I heard that right, didn’t I?” Others looked at Manager Liu with great curiosity. Manager Liu smiled amiably, “Yes, in another two months this old rice won’t taste as good, so our master thought it better to give it away!” “Then put me down for two stone!” A lady in a teal dress was the first to speak up. She took two handfuls of rice in her hand and said to the woman beside her, “Look, this new rice is so sparkling and transparent, while the old rice looks a bit grayish!” The lady in red suspiciously took out the rice she just bought from the opposite store and compared it to Shen’s new rice. After a careful comparison, she exclaimed, “Yeah, isn’t it! The new rice I bought, although cheaper, seems to have some old rice mixed in!” She glanced at the basket of old rice, noting its resemblance to her purchase. Manager Liu continued with a smile, “Everyone is welcome to take a handful of new rice and old rice to smell the difference, they’re not the same!” The crowd gathered around, each discerning and smelling the difference between the two. The woman in red immediately realized what was going on. Angry, she said, “Thank goodness for the Shen Family Rice and Wheat Store, or I would have never known what it means to be deceived with new rice mixed with old!” After her words, she stomped her hefty bottom towards the opposite store to return the rice. In no time, the front of the Shen Family Rice and Wheat Store was bustling with people, noisy and crowded, jostling to buy rice. “Shopkeeper, I’ll take five pecks!” “Shopkeeper, I want three pecks as well!”

Chapter 65 - 65 65 Zhan Lan Discusses a Major Deal

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