Chapter 494: Chapter 494: A New Supply Channel

"Taohua, find some time to visit the Lian Family and tell Miss Lian the details about Gu Ruinian."

Tong Huaqiong instructed Gu Taohua to visit Miss Lian from the Lian Family.

Before she left Jufu Supermarket, Miss Lian once said to Tong Huaqiong that if she needed to contact her, she just had to pass a message through the side gate.

Gu Taohua had always disliked Gu Ruinian, and now she disliked him even more.

As a girl, if she were being schemed against by another man like this, she’d wish to take up a knife.

How dare Gu Ruinian have the audacity to covet Miss Lian.

Gu Taohua went to the Lian Family in a hurry, where Miss Lian invited her to dinner. It was dark by the time Gu Taohua returned home.

"Mother, Hengruo said thank you for the reminder. She mentioned she has a good grasp of the situation and can handle it." Gu Taohua said to Tong Huaqiong.

Lian Hengruo is none other than Miss Lian.

Tong Huaqiong learned the name of Miss Lian from Gu Taohua.

It seems Gu Taohua has gained another business friend after Lu Zhaozhao.

"Next, we can look forward to some entertainment." Tong Huaqiong remarked with a smile.

She had no doubt that Lian Hengruo could manage.

Lian Hengruo, despite her young age, managed to delve into the Lian Family pearls business as a daughter from the lesser branch. She took a share right from under her stepbrother’s nose. Knowing Gu Ruinian’s plot, she certainly wouldn’t let him off easily.

Tong Huaqiong continued her work at Jufula Supermarket.

She had stayed in Pingchuan County for two months and felt a bit homesick for Qinghe Bay.

Tong Pandi had already returned home with the children. She wasn’t comfortable leaving Tong Pandi under Wu Ji’s watchful eyes, so she had her return early, especially since the pig farm at home needed Tong Pandi.

Initially, she planned to return home in the coming days, but she was anxious about the wool blankets supply at the shop.

The merchant she previously collaborated with saw how well Jufu was doing and raised prices. Tong Huaqiong calculated that if she followed the merchant’s prices, there’d be no profit.

She had no choice but to halt purchases from the merchant, leaving a gap in the store’s product lineup.

It’s summer now, so it’s not affecting much, but in winter it would be significant. Tong Huaqiong wanted to profit from woolen goods, but the previous merchant’s prices were non-negotiable unless she compromised.

Thus, she had to find a new supply channel.

Gu Baishuang proactively volunteered and went with Gu Dashi to the provincial city, staying for ten days and successfully securing a new supply.

The new merchant was from the provincial city, mainly doing border trade, acquiring the best wool from Mo Bei and turning it into textiles sold to the Central Plains.

Such high-quality wool textiles were precisely what Tong Huaqiong wanted.

Gu Baishuang’s initial success gave her further confidence in managing the store’s supply channels.

Once the new woolen goods were displayed, the merchant panicked.

He initially planned to take advantage of Tong Huaqiong, not expecting Jufu to find a new channel with better quality wool at a lower price.

The merchant eventually turned to Tong Huaqiong, requesting her to buy his goods.

Manager Tong was magnanimous, always purchasing goods one rack at a time, saving him the trouble of selling piece by piece. If he’d known, he wouldn’t have been so greedy.

Tong Huaqiong warmly received the merchant but purposefully avoided mentioning future purchases. The merchant left full of regret.

Originally, he was certain Tong Huaqiong couldn’t find a new supplier quickly and had stocked up, planning to force her hand before selling it all to her.

Ultimately, his plan backfired.

Seeing the merchant in regret, Tong Huaqiong felt a sense of satisfaction as if reading a delightful novel.

Tong Huaqiong asked Gu Baishuang, "How did you find the supplier?"

The batch made her very satisfied, and even better, the supplier was willing to collaborate long-term without raising prices, and welcomed Jufu’s team to the border for cooperation with the main merchants.

If they could open a store at the border, it would be a significant business opportunity.

Tong Huaqiong initially planned for Tong’s Business to spread across the country.

She wasn’t familiar with the border, but now she could consider scouting it.

Before coming to Pingchuan County, Gu Daqiao had already perfected the spinning machine blueprint. Perhaps by the time she returned to Qinghe Bay, the new spinning machine would be ready.

This autumn, she planned to establish the textile industry.

Then, she’d sell cotton textiles to the border, and bring wool textiles back to the Central Plains.

Gu Baishuang laughed and said, "It was through a merchant Lai Fu met in the provincial city."

Recommended by Su Chengmin?

Tong Huaqiong felt a stirring within.

Despite his consistently mysterious identity, Tong Huaqiong guessed Su Chengmin was either a general or military.

In recent years, there had been minor border conflicts, so Su Chengmin being assigned there was indeed reasonable.

Someone introduced by Su Chengmin would surely be reliable.

Tong Huaqiong felt she had basked in the male lead aura of Xiao Long, the protagonist she raised in a prior world.

Su Chengmin, Xiao Long’s loyalist, had found her a border supplier, indirectly illuminated by Xiao Long’s aura.

With such radiant male lead aura surrounding her, Tong Huaqiong believed Tong’s Business would soon spread across the country.

With premium goods located, Tong Huaqiong was delighted, suddenly recalling the matter of Gu Ruinian and Miss Lian.

Tong Huaqiong instructed Nie Xiaofeng to keep an eye on Gu Ruinian, to report any moves. For days, Nie Xiaofeng noticed him lingering around Lian Mansion without making any further moves.

How would Lian Hengruo deal with Gu Ruinian?

As the drama unfolds, one of the main characters, Miss Lian, came to visit.

Miss Lian’s visit was naturally about the pearl stall. Tong Huaqiong had already negotiated profit sharing and awaited the pearls to be placed at the supermarket.

"Aunt Tong, please have a look at the pearl quality."

Lian Hengruo ordered a basket of pearls placed before Tong Huaqiong.

When the lid was lifted, the room was instantly ablaze with shimmering lights. Tong Huaqiong’s eyes were dazzled, captivated by the flawless, round pearls before her.

Tong Huaqiong casually picked up a few pearls to play with.

Though not an expert, she knew pearl quality depended on luster. Quality pearls should reflect images clearly like a mirror.

From this perspective, Lian Hengruo’s pearls met the standard.

"And there are black pearls."

Tong Huaqiong marvelled at the few black pearls among the white ones.

"I had my pearl farmer cultivate them," Lian Hengruo said with satisfaction, "Only my pearl farm can produce black pearls in the realm."

Tong Huaqiong looked at Lian Hengruo with newfound respect.

She was only aware of the famed Tahitian black pearl nicknamed the Queen of Pearls and Empress’s Pearl.

Aesthetically, white and pink pearls are more beautiful; black pearls are valued for rarity. It’s said nearly 20,000 oysters must be opened to find a natural black pearl, so prior to artificial cultivation, their rarity raised prices enormously.

Scarcity drives demand.

Lian Hengruo nurtured black pearls, treating them not just as business but weapons of her trade.

Tong Huaqiong reflected, whether in ancient times or modern, those who excel in commerce possess a few core competitive advantages.

Lian Hengruo remarked, "This is the first unveiling of the black pearls."

Debuting at Jufu’s pearl stall.

Tong Huaqiong recognized this as Lian Hengruo indirectly expressing her sincerity in collaboration.

"It appears this is Jufu’s fortune," Tong Huaqiong said with a smile.

Lian Hengruo smiled gently.

Aside from her mother, no one else in the Lian Family knew of her black pearls cultivation, as they weren’t worthy of the results of her dedicated efforts.

Such rare jewels she naturally reserved for paving her own path.