Time Travel: The Noble Family

Zhuang Ruolan asked in confusion, "How do you know all this so clearly?" Anyone who didn’t know better would think Yueyao had lived in the Coastal region before, otherwise how could she be so familiar with matters of the Coastal area.

Yueyao smiled and said, "Cousin-in-law, I heard it from my father before, and later, I also read about these things in books, which left a deep impression on me. Cousin-in-law, maritime business is really dangerous; it’s better to engage in some other business."

Zhuang Ruolan hesitated and then said, "Let me think about it." Initially, she had planned to invest all her ready silver into it, but now, hearing Yueyao describe it as so perilous, she felt uncertain.

Before leaving, Yueyao delivered a strong message, saying, "Cousin-in-law, the books say that only two kinds of people make money this way: one is those who are desperate and have no other paths; the other is those who naturally enjoy taking risks and seek high returns." These words were not from the books but the real situation of those involved in maritime business.

Zhuang Ruolan was very hesitant, not deciding until Ma Peng returned at lunchtime and she discussed the matter with him. Men’s insights were much broader than those in the inner house, and Zhuang Ruolan also hoped Ma Peng would offer her some advice.

Naturally, Ma Peng did not agree to engage in maritime business, saying, "Ruo Lan, foreign trade is not that easy to manage. Even having connections doesn’t help, it’s too complicated." Ma Peng then analyzed the reasons why foreign trade was difficult to manage. His reasons aligned closely with what Yueyao had said.

Seeing Zhuang Ruolan deep in thought, Ma Peng said, "Ruo Lan, our family is already doing well; there’s no need to take this risk." The high risk associated with maritime business was one aspect, and it also related to Ma Peng’s cautious and risk-averse nature. Naturally, he was not willing to engage in risky maritime business.

Ma Peng suggested that if Zhuang Ruolan had any extra money, she could buy shops or farmland; these were real estate and ensured an income.

Zhuang Ruolan was not averse to buying shops and farmland; it’s just that good shops and farmland were hard to come by, and the poor ones didn’t yield much profit annually. Moreover, Zhuang Ruolan felt that doing business brought money faster; using all her ready silver to buy shops and farmland would only yield so much income each month.

After much thought, Zhuang Ruolan still ended up discussing the matter with Yueyao. Zhuang Ruolan asked Yueyao, "I have some money on hand and want to do some more business. Yueyao, do you have any good suggestions?" Zhuang Ruolan felt that relying only on farmland and shops could sustain her regular expenses, but to have more financial flexibility, she still needed to do business.

Ever since returning to Lanxi Courtyard, Yueyao had been thinking about this issue. Yueyao shared her thoughts with Zhuang Ruolan, saying, "Cousin-in-law, have you thought about opening a ready-to-wear shop?" The so-called ready-to-wear shop was essentially like a modern clothing store.