Chapter 132 132: Business Opportunity.

Leo was happy over seeing a wild plant because the wild plant was a cluster of mushrooms. Lily didn't have the knowledge of real life, but she was very observant. She was curious about the new plant that she spotted. After they reached home, Snow and Lily looked at Leo with a smile, and replied, "I had never expected to find Mushrooms here." Snow and Lily were still confused, and the young man said, "Mushrooms are like the moss that grows in damp places, but they are edible. In the southern states they are a delicacy as well. They cannot survive in the harsh cold and dry weather of the north. However, right now, the wind is still somewhat humid and thus they are germinating. We can have a few hayhouses made and use them to grow the mushroom. If we use a space as big as this one, then within two months we would be able to have around enough to reduce the food shortage." Snow nodded and said, "What shall we do to grow that many of them?" The young man took a deep breath and said, "I will go and handle this matter right away. Snow, don't dispose of the dung from the farms and the stables." seaʀᴄh thё Novelƒire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. The lady was confused but she nodded and then Leo left the room. Lily frowned and asked, "Ma, can I go with him?" Snow shook her head and said, "You have an important task. I will select the soldiers, and you will tell them about the chicken buying plan. Okay?" Lily was surprised and then she nodded with delight. The young followed the elder one, and they got to their tasks. … Leo arrived near the location where the mushroom patch was located. He was followed by Crawford and a few gardeners. Leo said, "From now on, you all have to pay attention to this path of mushroom. Tomorrow morning, I will have a big hay house ready in the back, and we will be moving these mushrooms there. Okay?" The people nodded, and they left two people who decided to stay the night around the patch. The same night, the dung from the animal farm and the stable was also collected and a few soldiers were deployed out of the town to purchase things. In the morning the next day, Leo called upon the carpenters, who were efficient in setting up the hay house. It didn't take them more than a couple of hours to cover the entire backyard into a hay house. Leo nodded and then he asked this man to use the bamboo to erect shelves around the place. Another hour passed, and suddenly the head maid arrived beside Leo and bowed as she said, "Your Grace, those cakes are ready." Leo nodded and said, "Move them inside the shelves, Dame Alora." The lady nodded and quickly instructed the maids to set up around two hundred small dung cakes inside the shelves. They were all confused, and Hao Ren looked at Crawford and said, "Tell the people to move the mushrooms inside the hay house. This place will be the farming room." Crawford nodded and left to get the men to move the mushroom. Time passed quickly. Leo and Snow continued their work while teaching Lily many things, and the situation was growing stable in the surroundings. The people acknowledged their effort and things were good. The young man commissioned the carpenters to erect some watch towers. He wanted to ensure the security of the town from all the plausible threats. However, there was another thing that he had to worry about, the almost empty treasury. Leo was sitting inside the study pondering over the solution for this impending situation. The door was knocked and the old steward came in. He bowed and replied, "Your Grace, it is time for tea." Leo sighed and leaned back in his chair as he said, "Mister Crawford, do you think we would be able to survive with the way we are being forced to spend money?" The old man sighed and said, "Your grace, I am versed in the matters of business but I cannot think of any way to elevate this situation." Leo sighed and he leaned back in the chair, he waved his hand and said, "You should go and help around the palace, I need to think." Crawford sighed and walked out of the study. However, the silence didn't last long, and the door was knocked softly, and a little head peeked at him. The young man smiled and beckoned the little girl inside. He could never sideline Lily, no matter what storm raged in his mind. The little girl skipped inside the room and then she hopped in his lap. Leo cradled her in his arms and caressed her hair gently as he asked, "Where did you go at noon?" Lily replied softly, "I went to play with Clement. He got a litter of kittens, can I bring one back tomorrow?" Leo nodded with a smile and said, "Okay, you can but you would have to be responsible for looking after the kitten." Lily nodded happily and asked, "Baba, why are you worried?" As she said, she ran her hand across his face and said, "You look so tired." Leo smiled and then he pecked her forehead as he said, "Well, I am worried about the expenses, my love. Baba needs a lot of money to build a lot of things." Lily nodded and asked, "Hmmm, then what can we do?" Leo replied, "One of the long term solutions is to start a business. The short term would be to sell some things from the house." Lily hummed and said, "What kind of business would be good?" Leo replied, "I was thinking about that only." Lily hummed and leaned against his chest as she said, "How about we sell kittens to people? They all love kittens, they will buy with good money." Leo was left between laughter and tears, as he told her that it was not a right thing to sell animals for money, that is abuse. Lily nodded for a bit before saying, "Can we sell that nice smelling oil that Aunt Merid makes?" Leo raised his brows and suddenly it struck him. He took a sniff and found a delicate smell coming from Lily. He asked, "Is this oil, something that you used?" Lily nodded and said, "Aunt Merid harvests flowers from her backyard, and then she boils them in water, and then she collects steam. You know how magical it is, Baba." She hopped from his lap, and then waved her hands around to show him how it works before he said, "Say baby, how about we go to meet Aunt Merid. I want to see these things on my own." Lily nodded and she held his hand as she said, "If you give me a shoulder ride, I will take you there." Leo chuckled and said, "You profiteer." Lily giggled and said, "I learned from Baba." The duo then set out on the quest to find the mystical scent. He carried the little girl on his shoulder as she guided him through the outer town. Lily spent most of her time in the outer town interacting with elders and the kids. She was the star of the town. Though Snow was careful and she had arranged for a strong guard to follow her. This guard was Zeenat. The young man walked through the streets before they came to a small house. Lily yelled, "Aunt Merid, Lily has come here to see you again." The wooden door opened before him and a frail middle-aged lady came out with a smile. However, the next moment, she froze and she bowed deeply, "Your Grace!!" Leo smiled bitterly and said, "Please raise your head, madam." The lady stood up but still leaned forward a little. Lily said, "Aunt Merid, can you show my Baba how you make those oils?" The young man nodded and said, "Lady Merid, if your oils are good, I would like to sell them to the bigger cities and we will give you a suitable compensation from the profits." The lady was surprised and shivered with excitement. She took a deep breath and said, "Your grace, thank you very much. Please come in, I will show you how I make these oils." Leo went inside the house and then he saw the process of distillation and his eyes shined. He realized the great deal of things that he could do if he used this process. These scented oils were basically perfumes, and another thing that could be made using these oils was liquor. In this world, liquor and brothels were the biggest industries, and they bought in a huge cash flow. The young man thought for a bit and then he said, "Madam Merid, it is a deal. We will begin production in a few days. I hope you can oversee the process and ascertain the quality of these oils." The lady nodded, and promised that she would do her best for the town to earn money.