When the Cannon Fodder Meets the Love-Brained Female Supporting Character - Episode 6

Qin Wan worked with remarkable efficiency, reclaiming the stolen goods from the bandits in just two days. Somehow, she had learned that Jiang Nan was the cousin of the Jiang family in Yangcheng and decided to visit to express her gratitude.

As soon as she reached the gate, she was stopped by a boy of about thirteen or fourteen.

The boy asked, “Are you Qin Wan from the Qin merchant caravan?”

Qin Wan nodded.

The boy handed her a scroll of rice paper. “Miss Jiang Nan once said that if you came, I should give this to you. She also asked me to tell you that there’s no need to visit her in the future, and to keep your relationship with her confidential.”

Qin Wan clutched the scroll, cast a deep glance at the Jiang residence, and replied, “Understood.”

After returning, Qin Wan unrolled the scroll. The writing was fluid and elegant, clearly outlining the best locations for annual meetings, the goods they should purchase for maximum profit when transporting to the south, and what they should bring back from the south to the north to capitalize on price differences. Some of the items listed were ones Qin Wan had already planned to buy, while others were things she had firmly rejected.

Though Qin Wan regarded Jiang Nan as a benefactor, she dared not gamble the livelihoods of the dozens under her care. After much deliberation, she decided on a compromise; half would follow her own decisions, and the other half would adhere to Jiang Nan’s suggestions.

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Meanwhile, Jiang Nan was dealing with her own headache.

Fang Rui had been pestering her incessantly, so she decided to have an open discussion with Wei Ji.

Wei Su was also at her wit’s end.

She had shut the door and was scolding a girl of thirteen or fourteen, hands on her hips. “What were you thinking? I sent you to observe their customer recruitment methods, and you came back with pots of money trees—what’s the meaning of this?”

The girl tugged at the hem of her clothes, looking lost. “I saw that they only sold five or six money trees in the past two days, so… so I thought the money trees must be working.”

Thus, the two parties found themselves sitting together.

Wei Su and Fang Rui stared each other down.

Both were hot-tempered. Jiang Nan silently placed two cups of tea between them and informed them that the teacups were made of white jade, each worth ten taels of silver.

Immediately, their hands froze mid-air before they sheepishly withdrew them.

Once their tempers had cooled, Jiang Nan leisurely addressed Wei Su’s concerns. “Cangfang Tower has no intention of competing with Wei Ji. We won’t and can’t poach your regular customers.”

Wei Ji had endured for three generations for good reason.

Their approach to hospitality was unique. They meticulously recorded each customer’s preferences, tailored flavors for regulars, and even sent gifts during festivals. Over time, customers remained loyal out of a sense of obligation, feeling guilty if they ever visited another teahouse.

Jiang Nan, however, was targeting the entire market of Yangcheng and even the entire kingdom of Xi. It was impossible for her to match Wei Ji’s level of personalization.

Otherwise, she’d be worked to death.

Wei Su, like a rooster whose neck had been wrung, lost her aggressive edge. After a long pause, she asked hoarsely, “Really?”

“Really. I’ll instruct Fang Rui not to solicit Wei Ji’s customers from now on,” Jiang Nan promised.

“Then…” Wei Su had expected this meeting to be anything but smooth. Back when her father was alive, other teahouses had tried to compete, and he had been troubled for months before finally relaxing. She had prepared for a long, uphill battle perhaps even defeat but never anticipated such an easy resolution.

“Apologies for my sister’s rash behavior,” Wei Su said, pressing the girl beside her to bow slightly.

Fang Rui puffed her cheeks in anger, hands on her hips, and demanded, “Compensate me for my money tree.”

Without a word, the young girl brought out two money trees from the corner…

.

Jiang Nan was furious.

She had only been gone for one morning, yet Xiao Ran had already been whisked away by Jiang Huai.

A’Tuo went to ask around the household, but no one seemed to know anything. She returned dejectedly and relayed everything to Jiang Nan.

Anxious, she said, “Miss Cousin, no one knows where they went. What if—”

Jiang Nan calmed herself and began thinking about the possible plot developments. Recently, there were two key events: first, the female lead was about to return, and second, after her return, an auction would take place. To provoke the female lead, Jiang Huai deliberately bid for the most beautiful hairpin at the auction and gave it to Xiao Ran.

As fate would have it, that hairpin turned out to be a family heirloom Xiao Ran’s mother had pawned to make ends meet.

Xiao Ran knew nothing of the tension between the female lead and Jiang Huai. All she knew was that Jiang Huai had spent a fortune to return her mother’s possession. Her admiration for him, which had not yet reached the point of absolute devotion, transformed into unwavering obedience from that moment onward.

This was a crucial turning point.

Not only was it the key moment leading to the downfall of the Xiao family, but it was also the pivotal point in Jiang Huai’s rise to success.

At the auction, Jiang Huai casually purchased an unremarkable trinket. Little did anyone know, this trinket was something Chen Zemin, the Metropolitan Governor, had been searching for. Upon learning this, Jiang Huai retrieved it from storage and presented it to Chen Zemin. From then on, he earned Chen Zemin’s favor. After passing the imperial exams, he secured a recommendation to serve in the capital.

For now, it was certain that the female lead had not yet returned.

The auction…

Originally, the auction was scheduled for today, but it had been postponed because Qin Wan had clashed with one of the auction organizers, who had harassed a girl from Qin Xin’s merchant caravan.

Qin Xin’s caravan had pooled resources to contribute two or three rare treasures for auction, hoping to boost their reputation. After the incident, Qin Wan was furious and demanded to withdraw their items.

The two sides argued over the matter for several days.

This was essentially a plot device, delaying the auction until the female lead’s arrival.

But this time, thanks to Jiang Nan’s intervention, Qin Wan had left Yang City early, so the auction proceeded as scheduled.

Jiang Nan said to A’Tuo, “I need to go to the Hidden Fragrance Pavilion again. You go back and gather more information.”

A’Tuo nodded and left.

By the time Jiang Nan arrived at the auction, it had just begun. She booked the last remaining private room on the second floor, tucked in the far corner and dimly lit.

She looked down below. Jiang Huai stood at the front, with Xiao Ran by his side.

Xiao Ran frowned slightly, clearly uncomfortable in the bustling crowd.

Jiang Huai wore a mysterious smile as he fanned himself, watching the stage.

The auction commenced.

The first item was an artifact from sixty or seventy years ago, which sold for three hundred taels of silver.

The second item was an emerald ring, its gemstone so stunning it resembled a deep, unfathomable green lake.

Wang Feifei’s eyes sparkled as she coquettishly begged Jiang Huai for it. He sighed and nodded, whispering something to her.

Jiang Nan had no interest in the earlier items, but she was happy to make things difficult for Jiang Huai.

The starting bid for the emerald ring was low, twenty taels of silver.

Jiang Huai lazily raised his hand. “One hundred taels.”

The initial fivefold increase in the bid deterred some from following suit.

“One hundred taels, going once.”

“One hundred taels, going twice.”

At that moment, a man from one of the private rooms upstairs called out a bid, mimicking Jiang Huai’s tactic of raising it by one hundred taels at a time.

“Two hundred taels!”

A collective gasp swept through the crowd.

Jiang Huai’s expression darkened. What could have been secured for a mere hundred taels had now been driven up to two hundred.

Unwilling to concede, he raised the bid again, though this time he didn’t stick to the hundred-tael increments.

“Two hundred and fifty taels.”

Jiang Nan whispered to the bidding attendant by the door, “Three hundred taels.”

The attendant immediately announced loudly, “Three hundred taels!”

Jiang Huai shot a discreet glance toward the room, wondering who it was.

He considered giving up but couldn’t bear the thought of letting the other party off so easily. Gritting his teeth, he called out, “Four hundred taels,” planning to withdraw if the other bidder countered, leaving them stuck with a worthless jade ring bought for five hundred taels.

To his surprise, the other side fell silent.

“Four hundred taels, going once…”

“Four hundred taels, going three times… Sold!”

Jiang Huai’s face instantly twisted in fury.