Top-notch Little Horseman

Ye Chen didn't rush to speak. He picked up the teacup, blew on it gently, and then took a sip.

It must be said that both Qian Wansan's craftsmanship and the quality of the tea were perfect.

After putting down his teacup, he looked at the pastries on the side, picked up the plate, and handed a piece to the smoker next to him.

"This pastry is delicious. Try it and see if you like it. We don't usually get to eat this."

As he spoke, he picked up another piece of pastry and stuffed it into his mouth, wolfing it down.

Smoker took the pastry, smelling the osmanthus fragrance on it. For a moment, he didn't know whether he was reluctant to eat it or dared not eat it. He stared blankly at the pastry in his hand.

Seeing how much Ye Chen was enjoying his food, he started eating without a second thought.

Qian Wansan, sitting opposite Ye Chen, maintained a constant smile, his expression unchanged.

He didn't rush to speak, but waited for Ye Chen to wolf down his tea. He even refilled Ye Chen's teacup when he saw it was empty.

Putting everything else aside, his mindset alone is something that ordinary merchants could never possess.

After Ye Chen had eaten and drunk his fill, he sat up straight and placed one hand on the table, tapping it gently.

"Two truckloads of hay, 500 jin (250 kg). I wonder if Brother Qian would be interested?"

Upon hearing this, Qian Wansan raised his eyes slightly and met Ye Chen's gaze: "Five hundred catties of hay?"

"Young friend Ye, although you are a squad leader in the horse-herding camp, that's hay, military supplies. You dare to sell it?"

Ye Chen smiled and said, "In these chaotic times, it's hard to even get a full meal. Just being able to survive is good enough. What else is there to be afraid of?"

Qian Wansan narrowed his eyes slightly, then grinned after a long while and said, "Even if you dare, even if you have a way to seize so much hay, how would you possibly transport it out?"

He was utterly shocked. This kid was incredibly audacious to dare to sell military hay.

It's important to understand that the most formidable force in this era was the cavalry. Military hay was just as valuable as grain, and sometimes it could even fetch a higher price.

When natural disasters and man-made calamities strike, even getting a bite to eat is difficult, let alone having pasture to feed horses.

High-quality forage can sell for 200 coins per pound, while the best grain only costs 50 coins.

"I have my own way of getting pasture, but I don't know if Mr. Qian dares to take it?" Ye Chen asked calmly, staring intently at Qian Wansan.

Qian Wansan did not readily agree. He twirled his teacup for a long time before looking up at Ye Chen and speaking.

"I wonder what price Lord Ye is willing to sell it for?"

Ye Chen chuckled upon hearing this. This meant he had Qian Wansan's approval, and the deal was now 80% done.

"500 catties of hay, 50 taels of silver. From now on, I will give you 200 catties every day, settled monthly."

"However, you have to pay me half of the deposit first, which is 300 taels of silver."

Qian Wansan frowned slightly upon hearing this, but did not speak. Yan Luo, however, burst out laughing.

"What's wrong with you?" Ye Chen glanced at Yan Luo with displeasure.

"You dare to ask for three hundred taels right off the bat!" Yan Luo sneered.

"Do you even know the market price? You dare to come here to sell your goods? Although hay is a controlled product, it's available on the black market. You can get 100 catties for five taels of silver, but you come here and sell 100 catties for ten taels, doubling your price?"

Ye Chen chuckled and shook his head, saying, "Can the hay on the black market compare to my military supplies?"

"Mr. Qian knows his stuff. I've already reduced the price by half. With Mr. Qian's influence, he'll definitely make a killing."

Qian Wansan nodded slightly. Just as Ye Chen said, pasture grass could be found on the black market, but that grass was nowhere near as good as military grade.

Because they were kept privately, some of them had even dried out, making their quality incomparable.

Moreover, Qian Wansan had access to the rebel army's channels, which could double the price.

Having finally acquired these warhorses, we naturally had to take good care of them, and the military-grade hay was of extremely high quality.

"Since you can guarantee the quality of the hay, this price is reasonable," Qian Wansan nodded slightly.

He didn't even haggle and agreed immediately.

"200 jin is too little. If you can guarantee sales of 300 jin per day, I can give you 30 liang and pay you 30% of the deposit first."

He picked up his teacup, drank it all in one gulp, and then spoke with an air of authority without anger.

"But let me be clear from the start, I don't know where your hay comes from, I'm just an ordinary buyer."

"If the truth comes out someday, then we'll each have to mind our own business. Don't expect to use Qian's name to avoid trouble."

Ye Chen chuckled and said, "Of course. Business is business, I understand the rules, Brother Qian, you're overthinking it."

"Now that the deal is done, I naturally want to show my sincerity. Today I'll deliver 500 jin of hay to you first, so you can check out the quality."

As Ye Chen spoke, he took out a piece of paper he always carried with him and placed it in front of Qian Wansan.

"Once you've paid for the goods, you can arrange for someone to pick them up today."

When Qian Wansan opened it, he saw that it was a topographical sketch map, which marked the location where Ye Chen had hidden the pasture.

"This position... is acceptable," Qian Wansan nodded slightly.

Ye Chen's hiding place is in a good location. The Qian family's caravan can make a trip to transport the hay onto the official road and then return to the Qian mansion via the official road.

If Qian Wansan had a way to leave, he could simply load up the hay and head to the official location to leave Beiping City.

"Alright. Since Lord Ye is so sincere, I will arrange for someone to pick up and inspect the goods immediately, and then we can discuss the follow-up."

As he spoke, Qian Wansan handed the topographic map to Yan Luo, who took it and went to the window, whistling down at the view below.

Two people emerged from the shadows and immediately went to carry out their instructions.

"I see that you two haven't eaten yet, why don't we go and have a simple meal first?" Qian Wansan invited Ye Chen.

Of course, it's good to have food to eat, and Ye Chen would never refuse. This is the most sumptuous meal he has had since he transmigrated.

"Alright, then we'll accept without hesitation. Mr. Qian, please go ahead with your business. We'll talk again after you've inspected the goods."

Qian Wansan nodded slightly. This young man was truly remarkable. If nothing unexpected happened, he would surely achieve great things in the future.

Compared to myself, I'm still quite a bit behind.

"Okay. I still have some things to do. I'll come find you when I'm done." Qian Wansan said, standing up and turning to look at Yan Luo.

"You're taking these two to dinner; make sure they're well taken care of."

He didn't linger there; he had many things to do. Since he had agreed to discuss business with Ye Chen, he naturally had to thoroughly investigate the two of them.

When Ye Chen broke into the Qian residence before, he had someone investigate, but they only knew the surface. Now that they want to cooperate more deeply, they naturally need to investigate in more detail.

He wasn't afraid of the other party reselling hay, and the amount of money was nothing to him. What he was afraid of was that the other party was acting under someone else's orders to deliberately dig a hole for him.

Although he was very rich and had some power, he was nothing compared to the truly important people.

He wasn't doing this hay business for money; he was doing it to support his private army, which could cost him his head, so he had to be very careful.

However, after he obtained their identities, he was completely bewildered.