The sisters found that Tea Hut Island lacked families with deep foundations. Those who profited from the natural disasters were all steeped in the smell of copper. The mere thought of marrying such a person made the sisters' hearts ache.
However, their ages were also a constraint, so quickly finding suitable partners was imperative.
Gu Qingcheng was unaware of these subsequent events. She merely urged the accompanying merchant ships to unload the goods transported from Phoenix Village into the warehouse rented by Wang Dapeng.
Wang Dapeng had rented a large warehouse not far from his shop, and it was also close to their business premises. This allowed them to directly supply goods from the warehouse if they encountered major clients.
While the laborers unloaded the cargo, Gu Qingcheng took a stroll around the warehouse and secretly took out more millet and dried meat from her storage cabinet, placing them in the current warehouse.
The merchant ships had departed from Mi Guo’s warehouse when leaving Phoenix Village. Therefore, only Mi Guo knew the exact quantity of goods on board.
Consequently, no one would notice if Gu Qingcheng replenished the current warehouse with items from her storage cabinet.
The warehouse had been thoughtfully arranged by Wang Dapeng, and the layout was quite practical.
To ensure ventilation and dryness, the ground was layered with bricks at intervals, supporting wooden boards placed on top. Two thick layers of oilcloth were then spread over the wooden boards, upon which grain could be stored, thus allowing for the storage of grains.
Gu Qingcheng planned to establish another large warehouse on a more bustling nearby island and then expand her rice shop and pharmacy businesses in the vicinity. This would allow goods to be transferred from this larger warehouse.
Gu Qingcheng intended to have Mi Guo manage this large warehouse. Since Mi Guo never questioned the origin of her extra supplies, she could confidently stock the warehouse with grains and meats produced by the Mountain Cat Farm for distribution and sale.
However, having Mi Guo manage the warehouse meant he would have to leave Phoenix Village, which Gu Qingcheng was reluctant to do. Therefore, this matter needed to be discussed with Mi Guo, and she was unsure if he would be willing to venture out and establish new ventures.
Gu Qingcheng’s perspective broadened considerably after arriving at Tea Hut Island.
Indeed, traveling a thousand miles and reading ten thousand books is invaluable; remaining closed off in Phoenix Village would be counterproductive.
If she had been afraid of danger and stayed confined to Phoenix Village, even with Wang Dapeng and the others describing the flourishing scenery down the mountain, she would not have been able to truly experience it.
Therefore, Gu Qingcheng did not merely relax and enjoy herself at the Bafang Guest Inn on Tea Hut Island. She and Mi Guo frequented the Shisi Teahouse daily, attentively gathering news from all directions.
Remarkably, they indeed acquired a substantial amount of information this way.
For instance, small islands like Tea Hut Island were emerging in various locations. Nanya Island, located about fifty li away, was one such example.
Nanya Island's location was closer to Phoenix Village, situated precisely between Phoenix Village and Tea Hut Island.
Based on Nanya Island's location, Gu Qingcheng deduced that it was the site of the former Liantang Village.
Ah, in that case, it might be possible to encounter Liao Qing and others on Nanya Island, provided they were not swept away by the flood.
Gu Qingcheng felt her trip had been highly rewarding, at least in terms of generating many new ideas in her mind.
The Bafang Guest Restaurant and the Bafang Guest Inn shared the same owner. Both establishments were extremely luxurious, even surpassing the standards before the natural disaster.
Gu Qingcheng believed that after experiencing such drastic changes due to natural disasters and calamities, a significant portion of survivors would likely harbor desires for escapism and revelry, hence the Bafang Guest owner had precisely captured the psychology of the people.
In the Bafang Guest Inn, the bedding was made of the smoothest silks and satins. Lying on the bed felt like sinking into soft clouds, so comfortable that one would not want to get up.
Staying in such a lavish inn indeed provided a sense of escapism from the calamities and disasters outside, effectively soothing the mind and body.
It was no wonder that despite the high prices, the inn was fully booked.
Gu Qingcheng and Mi Guo each booked a room. If there was an opportunity for enjoyment, Gu Qingcheng, being honest, would not deny herself.
She was not a person who stood on ceremony. Living in such turbulent times was like being a mayfly, living and dying within a day; one had to seize the moment and enjoy life.
Wang Dapeng had been busy overseeing the unloading of goods for the past few days and had not come to accompany them. However, they had already agreed to visit the mine the following day.
Gu Qingcheng seized this opportunity for some one-on-one time with Mi Guo to discuss her ideas.
For dinner, the two of them ate at the Bafang Guest Restaurant.
The siblings instructed the waiter to serve several of the restaurant's specialties, excluding fish.
You get what you pay for; the cooking skills at this restaurant were commendable.
During the meal, Gu Qingcheng discussed her plans for establishing a central warehouse and opening new shops with Mi Guo.
Upon hearing that his sister intended to open shops on newly emerging islands like Nanya Island, selling finished products from Phoenix Pharmacy and operating Phoenix Rice Shops, Mi Guo immediately responded without hesitation:
"Sister, I am willing to manage this central warehouse."
"But if you do, you will have to live alone on Nanya Island. Can you handle that? You might only be able to return home once every ten days or half a month."
Gu Qingcheng was concerned about this.
She felt that in these chaotic times, it was best for family members not to be separated, but at the moment, she lacked anyone else she could fully trust to entrust such matters to.
"Sister, I will miss you all, but I want to be independent even more. I should also do something for this family."
Mi Guo knew this was his sister's trust in him. If there was someone else he could entrust with this, his sister would not have asked him.
It was precisely because his sister was troubled that he had to be more proactive.
"By the way, I've thought of a compromise. If the central warehouse is set up, you only need to manage the registration of incoming goods. The outgoing goods can be handled by other shopkeepers. You only need to be present during inventory checks.
You will only need to go out once every two or three months for these inventory checks.
What do you think? This way, you will also have more time to spend at home."
Gu Qingcheng felt this plan was brilliant.
She intended to sell her private stock at the central warehouse, so as long as she was present during inventory checks, it would be fine.
Upon hearing this, Mi Guo also smiled brightly:
"Okay, then everyone will be happy!"
Mi Guo was also very pleased with his sister's arrangement, as it allowed him to work for her while also having more time to spend with his family in Phoenix Village.
"Yes, besides, the logistics warehouse at home also needs your management."
Currently, the only person Gu Qingcheng could truly trust was Mi Guo. Besides their parents, only Mi Guo had a vague understanding of her spatial secret.
However, Mi Guo interpreted it all as divine intervention.
With this major issue resolved, Gu Qingcheng's appetite immediately returned. She ate a large bowl of fried white rice cakes and declared them delicious, asking the waiter to make ten more portions for her to take away.
Of course, once the fried white rice cakes were ready, Gu Qingcheng carried them to the stairs and, when no one was looking, stored them in her cabinet.
She planned to bring more delicious food home for her parents to try.
Upon returning to the inn, Gu Qingcheng asked the waiter to bring a bathtub so she could enjoy a comfortable soak.
After a refreshing bath, she quickly dried her hair with a hairdryer powered by solar panels. She then had the waiter remove the bathtub and finally, with peace of mind, Gu Qingcheng lay down in bed and fell into a deep sleep.