Time Travel: The Noble Family-Chapter 520 - 197 Business (Part 1)

The maid brought over some fruit and placed a separate portion in front of Yueyao.

Zhuang Ruolan said with a smile, "This portion hasn’t been chilled." Everyone knew that Yueyao didn’t eat anything chilled.

Yueyao smiled and took a piece of watermelon to eat.

After finishing the fruit, Zhuang Ruolan stood up and said, "Let’s take a walk in the courtyard." fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com

Xiang Wei watched Yueyao and Zhuang Ruolan chat happily, feeling secretly astonished. It seemed that Madam Zhuang really treated Yueyao as if she were her younger sister.

After walking in the courtyard for about a quarter of an hour, Zhuang Ruolan’s legs were a bit sore, and she returned to the room. She took a sip of tea and then asked, "Yueyao, have you thought about doing something with all the money you have now? Money that’s just left there is dead money; it only grows when you invest it."

Yueyao didn’t understand business, and given her personality, she wouldn’t be good at it, but she certainly wouldn’t turn away the chance to invest money and receive dividends. She said with a smile, "Cousin-in-law, do you have any good money-making schemes?" Yueyao had long noticed that her eldest cousin-in-law loved doing business and making money.

Yueyao believed there was nothing wrong with loving money, just as she enjoyed painting; everyone had their own preferences. As long as no harm came to others, earning money through one’s own abilities was a commendable skill.

Zhuang Ruolan indeed loved doing business. She was very grateful for her decision to marry into the Ma’s Mansion, where she enjoyed great freedom. Her father-in-law never interfered with the affairs of the inner house, and her husband even supported her business ventures, jokingly saying that having a money-earning wife meant they would never worry about being short of funds.

Zhuang Ruolan said to Yueyao, "It’s like this: someone approached me to partner in a sea trade business. The profits in sea trade are immense, and investing in it could earn us a substantial sum."

Zhuang Ruolan had initially thought to wait until the fabric shop’s situation settled before starting another business. However, she didn’t expect her aunt to invite her to invest in a sea trade business, which was highly profitable. Because more money was said to be better, Zhuang Ruolan thought of Yueyao, who had funds, and wanted her to also invest.

As soon as Yueyao heard it was about raising funds for a sea trade business, she shook her head immediately. Since Zhou Shu was a great merchant, Yueyao had some understanding of the sea trade business. She remembered Zhou Shu saying that those who ran sea trade were essentially risking their lives to make money. The crew accompanying the ships were top-notch, as nine out of ten times they would encounter pirates. If they met pirates, they would have to fight for their lives. If they couldn’t overpower the pirates, they too would perish. Beyond pirates, there were countless natural perils at sea, where a single misstep could lead to the destruction of the ship and loss of lives. Due to these risks, only capable people would work on sea vessels. And for those running sea trade businesses, not only did they need a strong background and ample funds, but the head of the family also needed exceptional abilities to manage their subordinates and earn significant profits.

Those investing from behind the scenes only saw the huge profits but didn’t understand the dangers involved. If they were only focused on the high profits and wanted to get into the sea trade business, the chances of failing were high.

After thinking for a moment, Yueyao said, "Cousin-in-law, the profits of the sea trade business are high, but so are the risks. Auntie, my eldest aunt also suffered a loss because she trusted someone and invested her dowry into it, and ended up losing everything. My point is, the sea trade business is too risky; it’s better not to do it." It wasn’t that she was against doing business to make money, but one should only engage in business they were confident about.

Zhuang Ruolan hesitated; the opportunity was rare.

Yueyao explained all the risks involved in the sea trade business to Zhuang Ruolan, hoping Zhuang Ruolan would dismiss the idea.

Being not particularly familiar with coastal affairs, Zhuang Ruolan had only occasionally heard about the dangers at sea, and she had never paid much attention to it, let alone heard about pirates. She was extremely surprised, "You’re saying there are pirates?"

Yueyao nodded, "Yes, there are many thieves on the sea. These pirates operate outside our territorial waters and make their living by robbing passing merchant ships. Once these pirates succeed, the outcomes are usually dire."

Zhuang Ruolan furrowed her brow and asked, "Can’t the Imperial Court eradicate them?"

Yueyao shook her head, "The Imperial Court only maintains the security of the Inner Sea. These pirates’ bases are in the Outer Sea, far from the mainland. By the time the imperial troops arrive, they would have vanished without a trace. Even if the Imperial Court expends effort and sends troops to eliminate one group, soon another group emerges."

Zhuang Ruolan was puzzled, "From what you’ve said, who would still do sea trade business? They’d all get robbed by pirates. But I’ve heard that those in the sea trade business have gold as high as mountains."

Yueyao repeated what she knew about the pirates and great merchants of the sea. Her account was so truthful that Zhuang Ruolan couldn’t help but believe her.

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