Chapter 1929: The Arrival of Da Niu (Patreon)

Chapter 1929: The Arrival of Da Niu

Shu Yu gave Jiang Fengshou some money for initial preparations, encouraging him to spend it where necessary without hesitation. Just as with the prizes prepared for the opening of Dong'an Prefecture, in order to reap rewards, one had to invest.

On February 11th, after several weeks of repairs, the shop was finally renovated to perfection. Shu Yu settled the wages for He Gong and closed the shop doors, which had been shut for over ten days.

This left the nearby shops and their shopkeepers, who had been closely monitoring the situation, baffled. Although the shop had been refurbished, they still had no idea about the type of merchandise it would carry. It had been quite some time, and the shop remained empty, leaving them puzzled about what County Princess Shu Yu was planning to sell.

Shu Yu was waiting—for the arrival of the "Da Niu" and the delivery of the goods.

However, considering the time it took from her sending letters to the fast horses of the post station, to the preparation and transportation of the goods by the "Da Niu" and his team, she knew she needed to exercise patience.

On February 23rd, a convoy finally reached the outskirts of the Changjin Prefecture City.

The young man leading the group wiped sweat from his brow and let out a long sigh of relief as he gazed at the imposing city gates. "We've finally made it."

He dismounted from his horse carriage and walked up to one of the carriages trailing behind. He addressed the occupants inside, a middle-aged couple, "Uncle, Aunt, you should follow me into the city first. We're not familiar with this place, so we'll ask Ah Yu after settling in at the county."

Inside the carriage, a middle-aged man nodded, "Alright, alright. Since we're already here, we're not in a hurry. Da Niu, your business is important. Go into the city first. We'll follow your lead."

"Okay." Da Niu then walked forward and lined up with the rest of the group at the back of the queue for entry into the city.

It was already afternoon, and the number of people entering the city was relatively low. Consequently, Da Niu's group attracted a lot of attention, especially given the length of their caravan.

Even the gatekeepers gaped in surprise at them. Da Niu smiled and handed over his registration and travel documents, "Sir, we've come from Dong'an Prefecture. The carriages behind us are loaded with goods. Take a look."

The gatekeeper nodded. Security checks for entry and exit were quite strict at this point, and they expected this to continue for at least half a year.

The gatekeeper followed Da Niu to the rear carriage, lifted the oilcloth covering it, then peeled back the layers of felt on top, and finally opened a bag covered by oilcloth. He peered at the contents inside.

Then, he paused, "What is this?"

"Sir, these are sunflower seeds, a type of nuts." Da Niu grabbed a handful and offered it to him. "Sir, give them a taste. They're very flavorful."

The gatekeeper indeed caught a fragrant scent but had never seen or tasted this kind of thing before.

He couldn't really be blamed for his lack of exposure; after all, sunflower seeds were relatively new and produced in limited quantities. The biggest supply came from Dong'an Prefecture, followed by the capital, with a small amount even reaching Linzhang Prefecture in the southwest.

Sales in the capital city were managed by the Liao family's "Hundred Fragrance Fruit Store." Although the Liao family had branches in other prefectures, their production was limited. Even the capital faced high demand that they struggled to meet, let alone other places.

Moreover, the Changjin Prefecture did not yet have a Liao family store.

So, not many people had actually tasted sunflower seeds.

For the gatekeeper, unfamiliarity with the origins of the items and his lack of knowledge about how to consume them contributed to his wariness. The turmoil that had unfolded in the Changjin Prefecture before the new year only heightened his caution toward unfamiliar goods.