Dimensional Supermarket - Chapter 115

Once Chen Shang leaves, the steward asks, “Your Highness, why treat a merchant this way? Although the lady is his backer now, in front of the king, the words of the master carry more weight than hers.”

Prince Xiang smiles. “You don’t understand men.”

The steward looks confused. He’s a man too—what’s there to not understand?

Prince Xiang explains, “Once you sit on the throne, there aren’t many people you can trust. The lady has no family and not even a surname of her own. Everything she has comes from the ruler. To him, only those who depend entirely on him are truly trustworthy. Do you think I, a prince with great power, can be trusted? Or the lady, who only holds power because he allows it? Pillow talk is always effective—not because monarchs are fools, but because they believe someone who relies on them won’t have bad intentions. And the lady truly has no ill intentions toward the king. Why does this Chen Shang come here? He finds a backer when he arrives in Qufu and builds up momentum for himself. He hoards goods but doesn’t sell them, as if he’s waiting for me to approach him.”

The steward jumps in alarm. “He means harm?! Then we absolutely can’t let him leave Lu!”

Prince Xiang raises a hand to stop him. “It doesn’t matter. The Chen State is weak. Even if something really happens, the consequences are something we of the Lu State can bear—Chen cannot. Once my people accompany this man to Chen, we’ll naturally find out what he’s really up to.”

Chen Shang, sitting in the carriage, breathes a sigh of relief. He remembers the supermarket owner’s words: as long as he brings merchants from other countries to Linzi to buy and sell for him, he will be granted a monopoly on one item from the supermarket.

Holding a court position in the Lu State is certainly tempting—he almost, just almost agrees.

But his reason holds him back. All his capital comes from the supermarket owner. What Lu needs are the novel goods, not him. If he loses access to those goods, can’t find more, and fails to bring the supermarket owner to Lu, his value will disappear. A worthless merchant is worse than a slave.

Chen Shang exhales deeply again.

Now that he’s returning with Young Master Xiang’s men, the supermarket boss should keep his promise, right?

A monopoly on a single product… Should he choose White Rabbit milk candy, or crystal balls?

Ah, corn syrup is nice too, and those colorful fabrics are also great.

Chen Shang gazes worriedly out of the carriage.

It’s already dark, but the streets of Qufu City are still bustling. People carry torches as they move about, little children gnaw on some kind of food in their parents’ arms, and Chen Shang can even hear laughter.

Suddenly, he clenches his fists.

If not for Chen State’s grain, if not for the suffering common folk of Chen, could these people of Lu live so comfortably?

Why is it that the people of Chen, who toil in the fields, go hungry, while the people of Lu, who do nothing, eat their fill and dress well?

He says that merchants have no country, but so long as he is a man of Chen, he will always be a man of Chen. That identity is etched into his bones and cannot be removed. When the Chen State is humiliated, he still feels pain.

Chen Shang wipes his face and looks away from the pedestrians. As the carriage jolts along, it slowly heads toward the inn where he’s staying.

The merchants who buy goods from the supermarket and sell them in other countries eventually bring good news to Ye Zhou. The first to return is Zhao Shang, a spy sent by Zhao State to Chen State. However, due to the lack of political news in Chen, he hasn’t been able to make money or send back any significant reports for years.

After buying goods from Ye Zhou, Zhao Shang returns to Zhao without delay, making a profit. He even brings back a young man from a noble family named Baiyu, who is sent by his family to purchase items from the supermarket.

Zhao Shang doesn’t give the goods to Zhao Hou, as doing so would mean he can’t buy them cheaply. Instead, Zhao Shang sells the goods to a noble family in Zhao, making a significant profit.

After returning to Linzi, Zhao Shang finds Chen Shu and brings Baiyu along. He allows Baiyu to wander the supermarket while he speaks privately with Chen Shu at the back door.

“I wonder if what the lady said before still holds true?” Zhao Shang asks, a little nervous.

Chen Shu nods. “Since you said it before, it must be kept.”

Zhao Shang smiles in relief. “The lady is truly open-minded—more gentlemanly than any gentleman!”

Chen Shu isn’t bothered by the flattery and asks, “What do you value? I said before, if it’s candy, you can only pick one.”

Zhao Shang immediately replies, “White Rabbit Milk Candy! This one!” He smiles and adds, “It’s easy to sell. The nobles love it. It’s milky and sweet, and despite being a little hard, everyone who tries it loves it.”

Chen Shu nods and takes out a small notebook. “What’s your name? Where are you from? Go over there to measure your height and report your age. I also want to see how many teeth you have.”

Since there are no ID cards, Chen Shu comes up with this method. Height is hard to fake, and teeth can only decrease, not increase—making impersonation difficult.

Zhao Shang agrees, thinking this method is clever.

“That Master Bai is a fool,” Zhao Shang says, now that he’s secured his benefit. He begins to gossip about the rich young man he’s brought along. “He’s good at writing essays but knows nothing about daily affairs. He’s straightforward to the point of being dense. He only comes with me because his parents can’t talk him out of it—they even make his milk brother come along.”

Zhao Shang adds, “That milk brother is a shrewd one. If you do business with him, don’t let him lead the conversation.”

Chen Shu smiles. “You’ve worked hard. I won’t let you go unrewarded. There’s a product in the supermarket we haven’t sold yet—I’ll show it to you.”

Zhao Shang is overjoyed. “Thank you so much! The lady is really a good person!”

Chen Shu nods. “You’re a good person too.”

The two of them reach an “agreement.”

As they walk through the supermarket, Chen Shu notices Baiyu. He isn’t tall—about 1.67 meters—just above average. His fair skin indicates he doesn’t work much outdoors, a sign of status.

Chen Shu thinks Baiyu looks fine. He’s very fair-skinned. Among the nobility, both men and women value pale skin—it signifies a life spent indoors without labor, a mark of status.

Chen Shu thinks Bai Yu looks decent. He has a delicate face—if his sideburns are shaved and he wears women’s clothing, he might just barely pass for a beauty.

Bai Yu also notices Chen Shu. He’s startled by her height, glances at her, then at his milk brother, and can’t help but inhale sharply. He whispers, “That woman is really tall.”

His milk brother is also surprised. “Women rarely grow so tall.”

Bai Yu picks up a bottle of wine from a shelf and mutters, “I knew that merchant wasn’t sincere. There are so many things here that weren’t sold to my family—they must’ve been given to others.”

He naturally assumes Zhao Shang buys everything in the supermarket.

Since his family doesn’t receive certain items, they must have been sold elsewhere.

His milk brother says, “These things are fragile. Zhao Shang probably didn’t buy much last time. Even if your family got less than half, they probably received 30–40%. You can’t blame him.”

Bai Yu is unconvinced. He scoffs, “Merchants are all slippery, self-serving opportunists. What they say and what they do are completely different. I’ve met more merchants than you—every one of them is fat and repulsive, lacking the bearing of a gentleman or the strength of a soldier. Just looking at them makes me feel ill.”

His milk brother doesn’t respond, realizing Baiyu just has a disdain for merchants.

Bai Yu sighs. “Seeing that tall woman, I suspect the owner of this place is also some brutish fellow. I really don’t want to deal with someone like that—just the sight would offend me. But,” Bai Yu changes tone, “the goods here are worth the trip. I just hope the owner isn’t too hideous. Otherwise, you’ll have to handle the negotiations—I’d rather sleep at the inn.”

His milk brother sighs helplessly.

After a while, a servant from the store approaches.

“Master Bai, our boss wants you to come in and talk.” Cao’er stands before Baiyu, her demeanor neither arrogant nor servile.

Baiyu looks at her rough palms and less-than-perfect skin. She isn’t beautiful enough to catch his attention, but her unique temperament piques his curiosity.

After a moment of hesitation, he says, “Lead the way.”

Cao’er escorts Baiyu to the lounge. After knocking and hearing the invitation to enter, she opens the door.

Baiyu spreads his bamboo fan to cover his face, walking in with a composed expression. But when he sees the man sitting opposite him, his breath catches.

A handsome face with a gentle smile, eyes like cold stars, a straight and elegant nose, his entire bearing casual yet never sloppy—he has a unique charm.

Simply by sitting there, he makes everything else around him fade into the background.

Bai Yu takes a deep breath. This man is the pinnacle of beauty—he must be a good person!