newbobooks Chapter 133 Imagining a Market
Chapter 133 Imagining a Market
"Sister Yuxia is here too!" Stepping into the private room, Xia Yichen saw Zhang Jinxuan and Wen Yuxia playing chess. He smiled and said in a good mood.
Wen Yuxia and Zhang Jinxuan had already played two rounds, with one win and one loss, resulting in a tie. Zhang Jinxuan was dissatisfied and insisted on playing another round to determine the winner.
As the last black piece was placed, Wen Yuxia looked up and smiled, "Brother Chen, you've come at the perfect time! You can be our referee. Brother Jinxuan, it's the last game, so keep your word, okay?"
Xia Yichen nodded slightly and walked to the table. Looking at the black and white chess pieces on the table, he said gently, "Black wins."
Zhang Jinxuan was a little embarrassed. He took out a box of pearls from his sleeve and said, "I lost. Sister Yuxia, this is yours."
Wen Yuxia smiled and accepted the box, saying softly, "Thank you, Brother Jinxuan."
Opening the box, Wen Yuxia picked up a pearl from the East and examined it closely, muttering to herself, "Eastern pearls, as the name suggests, are pearls from Northeast China. Their high price is due to their extremely limited production."
Xia Yichen was surprised when he saw the top-quality pearls in the box. He said, "Jinxuan, you're too extravagant!"
But she was secretly overjoyed. Zhang Jinxuan, you've been tricked by Sister Yuxia again!
Zhang Jinxuan loved playing Go, and whenever he had free time, he would find someone to play a few games with him. When Wen Yuxia joined their circle, she only knew how to play Gomoku (Five in a Row), not Go.
Zhang Jinxuan ostensibly offered to teach Wen Yuxia how to play Go, but in reality, he wanted Wen Yuxia to be his sparring partner so he could enjoy the pleasure of consistently beating her every day.
Who would have thought that the exceptionally talented Wen Yuxia would surpass her teacher, achieving a draw with Zhang Jinxuan in just one month?
To protect Zhang Jinxuan's pride, Wen Yuxia would strictly control the number of pieces won or lost. When she won against Zhang Jinxuan, she would only win by one piece, and when she lost to Zhang Jinxuan, she would lose by five to six pieces.
Wen Yuxia's modesty gave Zhang Jinxuan the illusion that her chess skills were slightly inferior to his. Therefore, Zhang Jinxuan would often bring out some nice items to tempt Wen Yuxia to play chess with him.
Each time, the result was strikingly similar: all the items Zhang Jinxuan took out ended up in Wen Yuxia's pockets. Xia Yichen and the others could all see that Zhang Jinxuan's chess skills were inferior to Wen Yuxia's.
Only Zhang Jinxuan himself was still indulging in his dream of being evenly matched with Wen Yuxia in chess, and would occasionally offer Wen Yuxia a stake to play against him.
Zhang Jinxuan changed the subject somewhat awkwardly: "Yichen, you've come at the right time. Sister Yuxia said she wants to build a horse farm in Fancheng."
Soon, foals will be born at the horse farm in Xinchuan County. Xia Yichen is also planning to build a horse farm near the capital. He has heard that Wen Yuxia intends to build the horse farm in Fancheng.
Xia Yichen asked, "Have you found a venue yet?"
Wen Yuxia nodded and told Xia Yichen about her purchase of 2,400 mu of wasteland in Fancheng. Xia Yichen owns shares in the horse farm, and the cost of purchasing the wasteland will be deducted from the horse farm's profits later.
As for the 500 mu of fertile land and 800 mu of dry land, she didn't want to mention them, as they were her private property and had nothing to do with the horse farm.
Xia Yichen's upturned lips revealed his current mood. Wen Yuxia's luck was simply unbelievable; she actually managed to buy over two thousand acres of wasteland to build a horse farm.
"The cost of buying land has been reduced by several times, and the land is 400 mu more than in Xinchuan County. Sister Yuxia, could you build a street between the horse farm and the racetrack, and build shops, inns, restaurants, tea houses, eateries and all kinds of snack stalls on both sides of the street..."
Xia Yichen's suggestion gave Wen Yuxia a bright idea: turn the extra land into a market where you could find everything from food and drinks to household items and toys.
The wealthy young men who come to ride horses now have a great place to relax, and she and Xia Yichen can earn more money. Hehe, it's another win-win situation.
Wen Yuxia calmly said, "Brother Chen's suggestion is good. I will draw up the blueprints tonight and send them to Yunyi Tower first thing tomorrow morning."
Xia Yichen nodded and said, "Jinxuan, tell Old Wang to come to Yunyi Tower tomorrow morning. If there's anything on the blueprints he doesn't understand, he can ask Sister Yuxia for help in person. He will be in full charge of the construction of the horse farm."
He had many skilled craftsmen under his command, so there was no need to hire construction workers from outside. Old Wang was the manager of those skilled craftsmen. With him in charge in Fancheng, Xia Yichen didn't need to worry about the horse farm at all.
Wen Yuxia thought to herself, "Xia Yichen is so lucky. He has power and influence and is deeply trusted by the emperor. He can do whatever he wants just by talking. Unlike me, who was born with a life of toil."
Xia Yichen had official business at Yunyi Tower, and Wen Yuxia didn't want to delay him, so she said softly, "Brother Chen, you go ahead and do your work. I'm going back to draw."
Back home, Wen Yuxia shut herself in her room, refusing to leave, and retreated into her spatial dimension to draw blueprints. She had backup blueprints from when the horse farm and racetrack were being built in Xinchuan County.
The blueprints for the horse farm don't need to be modified. For the racetrack blueprints, simply change the row of elegant guest rooms against the wall into regular staff dormitories.
She then began to conceive of a market between the horse farms, dividing the 400 acres into several areas and designing three main streets and nine alleyways wide enough for two carriages to travel at the same time.
The alley was lined with residential areas, which were divided into two parts. One part consisted of large brick and tile houses, which were prepared for merchants who came here to do business.
Some of the houses were built with adobe bricks. The rent for adobe houses was cheap, and they were intended for ordinary people who worked there.
Four carriages could drive side by side on the main street, and on both sides were elevated pedestrian walkways lined with shops.
After dinner, Wen Yuxia returned to her space and buried herself in her work, staying up all night until she finally drew all the entertainment equipment she could think of on paper.
After washing up, Wen Yuxia hurried to the dining room, only to hear Butler Tang's voice behind her: "Princess, Young Master Zhang sent someone to deliver the letter of recommendation last night."
After dinner yesterday, Wen Yuxia told him that Zhang Jinxuan might send someone with a letter of recommendation, and instructed him not to bother her.
Seeing Wen Yuxia heading towards the dining room, Butler Tang quickly followed and handed her the letter of recommendation.
When Wen Yuxia entered the dining room, Wen Dashan and his wife, Wen Yunhong, Wen Yunhai, and Wen Yunqing were already seated there, each with different food in front of them.
Breakfast at the Princess's residence is a buffet style. Wen Yuxia picked up a tray, looked at the neatly arranged small bowls on the table, and finally picked up two meat buns, a fried dough stick, a cup of soy milk, and a plate of cold dishes before returning to the table.