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This series of remarks almost convinced everyone who heard them.

The eldest brother asked the corrupt official why he had ended up here, and whether the people under his administration had truly become wealthy.

The corrupt official remained silent for a long while, sighed heavily, and said that greed was insatiable.

Caught up in his greed, he had forgotten to stop and had also lost sight of his original intention.

His assets had been confiscated, but he insisted that his theories were correct, and the county he administered had gradually become the Town of Hundred Crafts.

The eldest brother shook his head and directly stated that it merely because the local gentry and merchants needed it that the place had gradually become the Town of Hundred Crafts, not because of the official’s accomplishments.

Indulging in greed and being manipulated by the gentry, he had become a puppet.

Such an official worked only for the gentry, not for the people, and could not bring prosperity to them.

Instead, the poor people were being drained by the gentry, leading them to become even poorer.

The corrupt official couldn’t refute this but still insisted that he was not wrong, and if he could live his life over, he would definitely do better.

There were many others with such unique perspectives; thieves didn’t think they were guilty, merely making the most of what others left unused.

Bandits believed they were following the law of nature, firm in the belief of the survival of the fittest, and so on.

There were all sorts of people and all sorts of viewpoints.

His eldest brother had trained in such an environment, his life philosophy intertwined with that of the sages, which naturally gave him clearer insights and made him different from others.

Today’s crowd, though large, was just a small scene compared to the dangers faced during exile.

Back when he first arrived at the Place of Exile, malice was everywhere. Inside, the prisoners eyed him aggressively, while outside, Guo Neng’s lackeys harassed and tormented them from time to time, which was far more perilous than today.

Nevertheless, he had come through it all. The hardships of the past had created his resilience today.

He believed that as long as his family was alive, there was no hurdle they could not overcome. Sooner or later, Guo Neng would face retribution.

A flash of resolute confidence burst from Lian Bao’s eyes as he quietly drifted away from the crowd, attentively observing his surroundings to see if the white fatty he had encountered earlier was still around.

Unfortunately, he saw no sign of him along the way and guessed that he had probably left.

Returning to where he had been weaving rattan, people hadn’t yet approached when the merchant selling Autumn Pear Paste spotted him from afar and called out to him with great excitement.

Lian Bao was surprised. This merchant had spoken to him before and mostly expressed sympathy. They hadn’t interacted much, and he had only been gone for a short while, so why was the merchant acting this way?

Before he could get close, the Autumn Pear Paste merchant came up to him eagerly, "Young brother, young brother, did your rattan sell well before? No no, is what you do the business of the wealthy? Did you choose today, knowing there’d be many rich young masters around, to set up your stall?"

He fired off several questions one after another, knowing well that the rattan wasn’t easy to sell; such big transactions were either not made at all, or if made, could feed one for months.

Lian Bao was very puzzled: "Uncle Li, why do you say this?"

The two walked over to the basket of rattan.

Uncle Li’s eyes sparkled as he covertly pulled out a large ingot of gold from under his sleeve, saying earnestly, "Young brother, this is the silver the Noble Lady paid for your rattan. I’ve weighed it, exactly ten taels of silver.

She bought one of your rattans. Wealth should not be displayed openly, you must put this away quickly! "

As he spoke, he directly shoved it into Lian Bao’s hands, blocking the view of others while continuously urging Lian Bao to put it away.

After listening for a while and looking at the heavy ingot in his hand, Lian Bao was startled, "Someone really bought it?"

He was very surprised, and upon looking at the well-made rattan pieces, indeed the best one was gone.

He was quite astonished. Did someone have the same hobby as his younger sister?

"Exactly, and it was an indescribably noble young master," Uncle Li eagerly said, seeing Lian Bao’s surprised expression, he began to get anxious. "My good brother, don’t play dumb with me, I come from a poor background and don’t understand what nobles think. You see, your business —"

Fearing others might hear, he paused, looked around, and lowered his voice, "Is it related to the upbringing of high officials and nobles? Or do rich people have some special quirks that require it? Is this made specifically for nobles?"

As he spoke, he gave Lian Bao a look that spoke volumes, and that was what he wanted to know most.

Lian Bao instantly understood Uncle Li’s intention. He probably wanted to learn the trade secrets and also enter this business.

He couldn’t help but laugh and cry, what was all this about, spoken so mysteriously.

He had never thought about doing business.

He had only thought of it because his sister liked it, and he knew that not selling it would not affect his regular affairs.

That someone took an interest today was just pure luck.

With no choice, he shook his head helplessly and explained a few sentences that he never expected to sell it.

Upon hearing this, Uncle Li became even more anxious. If he didn’t expect to sell, why set up a stall at all? It didn’t make sense. He asked Lian Bao again if he was afraid that Uncle Li would spread the word and refused to divulge the secrets.

Uncle Li quickly patted his chest, assuring that he wouldn’t tell anyone, and even offered to buy the trade secrets with silver.

Lian Bao had to find an excuse for selling the goods.

He told Uncle Li that his sister had been lost since childhood, and setting up a stall was just his way of trying to find her, hoping for a bit of luck.

The technique of making the rattan was simple, the materials were simple, and it wasn’t worth much.

Wealthy families could easily make it themselves, and there was no need to buy it.

Today was just dumb luck that it sold for a high price.

Only then did Uncle Li’s muddled mind clear up, having been blinded by the silver earlier and forgetting to consider these factors.

After such analysis, he came to his senses completely, extremely disappointed, having thought he had found a path to riches but it had all been fruitless.

Lian Bao, holding the silver, appreciated the other’s honesty, didn’t become greedy, and handed over five taels of silver to the man, attributing the credit to him, persuading him to accept it, and additionally gave him a well-made rattan, to take back for his children to play with.

Uncle Li repeatedly declined but finally accepted the silver with a joyful smile on his face, and then presented to Lian Bao the few bottles of Autumn Pear Paste that were left.

This Autumn Pear Paste was made using a secret family recipe with autumn pears, jujubes, honey, and old ginger. It nourished the yin, moistened the lungs, warmed the body, and was very beneficial to regular consumption. It was particularly effective for coughs. It was indeed a valuable product.

He had a good business sense. The Autumn Pear Paste could be sold with the bottle.

The bottle looked nice. After drinking the paste, the bottle could still be used, either for decorative flowers by young ladies or without the bottle if buyers brought their own containers, which would be cheaper.

Therefore, his business was very successful.

At the end, he gave all the leftover stock to Lian Bao with a happy heart and packed up to go home.

Lian Bao watched the joyful Uncle Li leaving, looking at the silver in his hands, and couldn’t help but laugh silently. He would take it back for his mother to drink. She was weak but recuperating, much better than before and in good spirits, improving day by day.

He sat down and continued to watch several intersections. He knew Guo Neng would not come again, but it was just in case.

He picked up the rattan, and started weaving the rattan as he had done in the morning. Occasionally, a thought would flash through his mind, wondering who had bought his rattan.