OFTLHFRO C163

Chapter 163 – A Lucrative Deal

Listening to Luo Mingchen go on and on, Wu Qing clicked his tongue impatiently. “We’ve lived here for years. It’s not like we’ve never had earthquakes before—what’s there to be afraid of? You think the ground’s going to swallow us whole or something?”

“A strong enough earthquake can do exactly that,” Luo Mingchen replied evenly. “Not only can it collapse buildings, it can split the very earth open. I’ve looked over the records here—there’s a history of severe quakes in this region. The last one that caused massive destruction was about fifty years ago. If you don’t believe me, go see for yourself.”

Seeing that Wu Qing was impervious to both reasoning and persuasion, Luo Mingchen pressed his lips together and said, “Let me put it this way, General Wu. If Cold City stays safe but Ice City suffers damage, can you bear the responsibility for that?”

When Wu Qing’s expression turned sour, Luo Mingchen decided not to waste another breath. “I’ve said what I came to say. Do as you please, General. I still have matters to attend to.”

“You—!”

Wu Qing tried to say more, but Luo Mingchen had already turned on his heel and left, refusing to engage further.

The decisiveness of Luo Mingchen’s departure left Wu Qing with an uncomfortable pit in his stomach.

After pacing back and forth for a while, he finally ordered his strategist, Jiang Sheng, to fetch the city’s record book.

When Wu Qing saw the account of the great earthquake fifty years ago, his confidence faltered for the first time.

But after flipping through another two or three decades of records, he saw no mention of any major quakes.

Jiang Sheng said, “Quakes of that magnitude are rare. There haven’t been any recent signs, so it’s unlikely this one will be so severe. Still, it doesn’t hurt to prepare.”

Wu Qing frowned. “Did we throw away that paper he sent over?”

“I memorized the contents.”

“Then follow his instructions.”

However troublesome it might be, it was still better than being stripped of rank later for negligence.

Whether an earthquake or an invasion from Beiyue came or not, the necessary precautions still had to be taken.

In Cold City, the tunnels had been reinforced, and the drainage system improved—so even in heavy rain, foul smells no longer seeped up from below, and stormwater could now flow swiftly out of the city.

Because Hua Niang was pregnant, she was forbidden from working too hard.

Luo Mingchen assigned two additional helpers to assist her and share the workload.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want her to rest; Hua Niang herself simply felt restless sitting around. Doing something, she said, was far more comfortable than doing nothing.

After being treated like a fragile porcelain doll for two whole days, she couldn’t take the idleness anymore and took the initiative to ask Luo Mingchen for work—specifically, to oversee production at the garment workshop.

At first, Xiao Lin opposed the idea. But seeing the way Hua Niang came alive while working—radiant with confidence and vigor—he couldn’t bring himself to stop her.

Luo Mingchen often said that women were no less capable than men.

And only now did Xiao Lin truly understand what that meant.

He realized he had been wrong to confine Hua Niang to the four walls of their home—it was selfish.

She had supported his every decision without complaint; the least he could do was respect her wishes in return.

He couldn’t keep claiming it was “for her own good” while clipping her wings.

After many busy days, Luo Mingchen finally had some time to himself and sat leisurely in the courtyard, sipping strawberry juice.

He hadn’t been sitting for even fifteen minutes when Xiao Chen came running over.

“Master Luo! Deputy General Ruan requests an audience!”

Slouched lazily in his chair, Luo Mingchen groaned. “Where’s Huo Yan?”

“General Huo took the troops out for field training.”

Luo Mingchen sighed in resignation and stood up. “Did Ruan Feng say what it’s about?”

“He said someone from Wolf King Fort has come to purchase a batch of vegetables and fruit.”

“You could’ve said that earlier!”

Instantly energized, Luo Mingchen practically bounced to his feet and headed out.

When it came to making money, exhaustion was a non-issue.

For the sake of silver, any hardship was worth enduring!

Xiao Chen couldn’t quite make sense of his excitement but followed anyway.

Regardless of how capable Luo Mingchen was, one of the five shadow guards always accompanied him—both as a precaution and to help with errands or relay messages.

Outside the city, Luo Mingchen spotted the leader of the group—it was Lan Fei—and froze for a second.

Confirming that no other officials had come, he asked, “Just you? Where are your parents?”

Though still young, Lan Fei carried himself with a composed, commanding air far beyond his years. “Uncle Luo, I can handle business negotiations on my own. Father and Mother wish for me to gain experience. If I fall short in any way, I ask for your understanding.”

“Fair enough. Come with me to the vegetable fields—take a look around and tell me what you’d like to buy.”

Last time, they hadn’t bought much, and the prices were high. Luo Mingchen hadn’t expected them to return so soon.

After touring the fields, Lan Fei said, “Uncle Luo, last time we purchased too little. You’ve cultivated a great deal since then. Why not sell ten times the previous quantity to Wolf King Fort? I recall you also rented plots in both Ice City and Cold City for farming.”

“Ten times?”

Luo Mingchen blinked. “What on earth does Wolf King Fort need that many vegetables for?”

“For eating, of course,” Lan Fei replied matter-of-factly.

“No, I mean—you have your own farms, don’t you? Can you even finish all that?”

He wanted to earn money, yes—but not by letting perfectly good food go to waste.

“Wolf King Fort doesn’t grow much produce,” Lan Fei explained. “Without supplies from Cold City, we’d have to buy from Liuli City or the Beiyue border towns. The last batch we bought—Father kept some for ourselves, and the rest was sold in the market. Everyone who tried it said it tasted exceptional. Since you can provide steady supply, we’d rather buy from you.”

Hearing this, Luo Mingchen nodded. “Alright. Same price as before?”

He wouldn’t mind giving a small discount for bulk orders—but if they tried to slash the price too low, he wouldn’t yield, even if the buyer was a familiar child.

Lan Fei said, “How about doubling the original price?”

Luo Mingchen: “…???”

Lan Fei mistook his silence for hesitation and quickly added, “Uncle Luo, that’s the highest offer we can give.”

Luo Mingchen nodded so hard it was a wonder his head stayed on. “Of course, of course… You’ll keep your word, right?”

He just needed to make sure they wouldn’t cut the price after delivery.

Lan Fei nodded solemnly. “Naturally. We’ve brought silver and gold with us. If it’s not enough, I’ll have more sent.”

He paused, then continued, “Also, Uncle Luo, there’s another deal we’d like to discuss.”

At this point, Luo Mingchen was practically looking at the boy as if he were the embodiment of fortune itself—he could’ve set up a shrine to worship him. Beaming, he said, “Go ahead.”

“These vegetables taste far better than what we bought before. Uncle Luo must have special cultivation methods. My mother loves taro, but it seems you haven’t planted any here. I’d like to ask if you could grow a few acres of taro for us. We even brought the seedlings—the price is negotiable.”

At that, Luo Mingchen suddenly remembered—he hadn’t planted any taro, only sweet potatoes and regular potatoes.

Taro was incredibly versatile and, once harvested, could be stored in a cellar for months without spoiling.

The only issue was its low resistance to cold. It was already September—he could easily grow it in his space, but outdoors would be too chilly.

Seeing him hesitate, Lan Fei quoted a number.

Luo Mingchen’s eyes lit up with visions of glittering gold ingots, and he immediately agreed without a second thought.

At worst, he’d cultivate a cold-resistant variant in his space first—call it the “second generation.”