BXBX NOVEL Chapter 269 - 269: Taboo
As for how the shrimp were obtained, it was, of course, the result of negotiations between Jiang Chuan and Su Zhen.
Jiang Chuan was a businessman, and he was adept at the process of buying on credit.
He told Su Zhen that he had only fifty coins on him. He promised to pay the remaining twenty yuan after selling the fish the next morning, and would also pay an extra five coins as interest for the credit.
Su Zhen, being a businessman himself, wouldn’t miss out on a good deal, so he readily agreed.
After distributing the food, Su Zhen also had plans to go to town. They agreed to meet the next day at noon at the only restaurant in town for the deal. Since Su Zhen received extra money, he was willing to let Jiang Chuan take all the shrimp.
Su Zhen wasn’t worried about Jiang Chuan running off with the shrimp without paying. He bought the shrimp for two yuan each, totaling forty yuan. He had already made a profit of ten yuan. Why not gamble and potentially make an extra twenty-five yuan?
Jiang Xia didn’t understand. “Dad, we don’t have that much money. Just ten shrimps in the interspace would be enough to breed. Why did you get so many?”
Jiang Chuan’s expression turned serious as he explained, “Su Zhen is clearly in the business to sell, not to eat these shrimp himself. Taking all of them off his hands saves him trouble. Given the money involved, he’d likely want to befriend me.”
Zhou Lan interjected, “While Su Zhen seems more agreeable than other businessmen, we don’t necessarily need his friendship. Who knows if we’ll even meet again? Why go through all this hassle and unnecessarily spend thirty-five coins?”
Jiang Chuan disagreed, “Having one more friend opens up another path. It’s my basic business philosophy. But the main reason I want to get closer to him is to ask about the Zhang family. 1 feel there’s something both Zhang Ling and he are reluctant to speak about regarding the Zhangs. Why would an ordinary hunting family have secrets?”
Zhou Lan grew concerned, “You think when Jiang Qing married into their family, she might be mistreated? What if they hit her…”
She couldn’t bear to continue that thought. Just the possibility of her daughter suffering was unbearable.
Jiang Chuan comforted her, “Don’t scare yourself with assumptions. These are just my speculations. We need to ask Su Zhen to get the specifics.”
The next morning, Jiang Chuan sold thirty fully grown fish at a shopping mall, earning fifty-four coins. Before leaving, he negotiated with the manager to buy a pack of cigarettes, spending one coins and fifty cents. Then, with the remaining money, he headed to the agreed restaurant.
Zhou Lan and their two daughters were already there, looking at the menu.
Jiang Chuan met Su Zhen at the entrance, and they quietly settled their accounts outside. Once inside, without giving Su Zhen a chance for pleasantries, Jiang Chuan said, “Please, don’t stand on ceremony. I’ll cover this meal. Let’s have another drink, brother!”
When the two settled down, Zhou Lan confidently slid the menu over to Su Zhen, inviting him to make his choice.
Watching Jiang Chuan’s actions, Su Zhen was thoroughly impressed by him. Given the opportunity, he even thought about going into business with Jiang Chuan.
Jiang Chuan’s confident demeanor made it hard for Su Zhen to believe that he was merely a farmer.
After ordering two meat dishes and accompanied by the clear spirit, Jiang Chuan felt the atmosphere was ripe to delve into the main topic, “Brother Su, you often hunt on the Grand Cloud Mountain. Do you know the hunter Zhang’s family?”
Despite Su Zhen’s decent tolerance for alcohol, after downing two large cups, his cheeks had turned noticeably rosy. His guard lowered, and he began to share, “Zhang’s family catches the most wild animals on the mountain. The father drinks every day. They rely solely on the son’s sharpshooting skills to hunt. Without that, they’d have starved long ago.”
Zhou Lan, anxious, said, “If their old man drinks daily, doesn’t he hit people when he’s drunk? He wouldn’t hit my daughter, would he?”
Being a few years younger than Jiang Chuan, Su Zhen addressed Zhou Lan as “sister-in-law”, reassuring her, “That won’t happen. Zhang Ping is very protective of his wife. Anyone who dares mistreat her will face his wrath. He surely defends her at home, ensuring she’s not bullied.”
Jiang Chuan continued to probe, “So, Jiang Qing must be having a good life there. Why haven’t we ever seen her come home? Was she confined?”
Su Zhen burst into hearty laughter, “Big brother, you’re overthinking it. Everyone in their family, except the old man, has good manners. They probably treat your daughter even better than you can imagine. As for why she hasn’t come down the mountain, I’m not entirely sure..”