Chapter 24

Uncle Pai's Business Partner

Manfah was taken by Uncle Pai to the warehouse to handle the rice matters, and then returned to the company. Uncle Pai's secretary informed them that there were guests waiting in the room, so Uncle Pai led Manfah to the company's guest room.

Upon opening the door, she encountered ten merchants. Uncle Pai frowned because he had only arranged to meet acquaintances, but now there were unexpected guests among them. One of the ten stood up and said,

"Mr. Pai, I apologize. These four are my friends."

The man who spoke had black hair and green eyes on a tall, muscular frame. His name was Henry.

Manfah looked at everyone in the room with interest. The ten merchants of various nationalities were equally intrigued by the young girl beside Prapai.

Uncle Pai had her sit down next to him. Manfah showed no signs of fear, which put him at ease.

Uncle Pai introduced her, "This child is Miss Manfah, the owner of Manfah's Garden."

The ten men exchanged glances. "Pleased to meet you, Miss Manfah."

"Pleasure to meet you all as well," Manfah replied politely, sitting upright with a smile gracing her face.

The ten men in the room were merchants involved in international trade. Their names are as follows:

From England, there were four: Henry, Aiden, Owen, and Jonathan.

From France, there were three: Jacques, Binot, and Benjamin.

Two Chinese individuals were Fei Tian and Fei Long, who were brothers.

There was one American, Ryan.

But why did he show up alone?

There were two extra Englishmen and two extra Frenchmen.

Uncle Pai's secretary served coffee to Uncle Pai, while Manfah received fresh milk. But why milk?

Manfah glanced at the glass of milk and then at Uncle Pai, back and forth. I prefer green tea.

"Little Man, have some milk. You've been to the warehouse and must be tired. Drink it to refresh yourself."

Manfah elegantly sipped the milk, just as her grandfather had taught her.

"We've always wanted to meet you, Miss Manfah. Your fruits and vegetables are quite renowned among merchants like us. We've requested to meet your several times, but Mr. Pai always said you were unavailable."

The speaker was the one who apologized to Uncle Pai for bringing extra people. Manfah secretly smiled to herself. I'm really famous, aren't I?

Manfah set the glass down. "I just found out that people want to meet me, but I've truly been busy. I've just hired a hundred workers, which is why I could come out with Uncle Pai. I personally manage the garden myself, overseeing every step, from planting to watering and fertilizing. But I never imagined my garden's produce would be in such high demand."

All ten of them sat in puzzled contemplation. "Why do you do everything by yourself, Miss Manfah?"

Manfah took a sip of milk, preparing for a long explanation. "Sigh... it's a long story, but I'll keep it short. My parents just passed away, so I had to fend for myself. I had to manage the garden all on my own, and I didn't have any money at the time. When Uncle Pai found me, it was the village head who introduced us. Uncle Pai was a close friend of my late father, so he came to my garden to help by buying the produce. Uncle Pai was amazed at how bountiful my fruits and vegetables were. Since then, I've been diligently taking care of the garden and expanding it. Even now, I'm quite busy because I have to handle building accommodations for the workers and hiring people to help with the garden."

"That's truly impressive," Henry praised. She was just a small girl, yet she managed to oversee several rai and had a hundred workers. That was quite an achievement.

"And who do you live with now, Miss Manfah?"

"I live with my grandfather. He's from the Capital of Siam. If you're curious about my background, you can investigate. My parents' story is quite famous and even legendary in the village."

Uncle Pai nodded. "So, Little Manfah is the mastermind behind all the fruits and vegetables."

Manfah continued, "I'm currently planning to start a pig farm. I'm going to produce sun-dried pork, ham, and sausages for sale as well."

“I've tasted Miss Manfah's sun-dried pork before, and it's delicious. I'd love to buy some to sell in my town as well.” Henry said sincerely. The taste was unforgettable, and the aroma of the pork was exceptional.

“You'll have to wait until I have a factory. For now, I'm just selling it casually.” Manfah smiled.

Fei Tian revealed the purpose of his visit. “I wanted to meet Miss Manfah because of the durians. I wanted to know if you could expand your durian orchard.”

Manfah choked on her milk, and Uncle Pai wiped her mouth. 'Are you okay, Little Man?'

Manfah held her head. “Durians again? I'm exhausted from expanding already.”

Uncle Pai laughed. “It's never enough, is it? Your durians are truly special, much tastier than others.”

“Eat too much, and your blood pressure will rise. Have you warned your customers about that?”

The room was filled with laughter.

“How about everyone writes a list of what you'd like me to expand in the orchard, and I'll make sure to expand enough to meet the demand for next year."

The room buzzed with conversations and discussions about the future. It was clear that these people would soon be buying her sun-dried pork, ham, and sausages. Manfah seized the opportunity to engage with everyone, acting like a curious child as she inquired about the conditions in each of their countries, including their economic situations. Globally, there was a significant food shortage due to ongoing conflicts, resulting in many casualties. Simply put, each country was suffering greatly. It was exactly as she had anticipated—this was her time to capitalize and make money.

Because King William has shown interest in Siam, everyone is flocking here to seek trading opportunities. Everyone wants to trade with Siam. Siam is considered a land of opportunity for profit-making because money is constantly circulating and exchanging here. Other countries are experiencing economic slowdowns, making recovery difficult, even though they are already highly developed. Siam is the perfect place for people looking to start a new life because everyone wants a better life than they currently have. Most importantly, there is no war here, resources are abundant, and although it's still a developing country, many foreigners come to take their chances and settle down. However, most of them are businesspeople. She thought people around the world would even dare to migrate here permanently.

"I love beautiful pictures, especially paintings of cityscapes and people's daily lives."

The young American merchant, Ryan, flashed a charming smile. Oh my God∼

That smile is heartwarming... really.

"I'll send several pictures to you, Miss Man," Ryan thought Manfah might want to see what his country looks like.

"I probably won't have the chance to travel and see everyone's cities, so I'd love to see them through paintings. My friends would like to see them too, if it's not too much trouble."

Everyone replied, "It's just a small matter, not a big deal."

"Thank you all so much. I'll send some extra fruit to everyone."

It's just a matter of conjuring them into baskets, not too tiring, hehe.

After chatting until evening, it was time for Manfah to head back. Before leaving, she turned to speak to everyone.

"After you all find out who my grandfather is, please keep it quiet. He's just an old man enjoying his rest, and I don't want the garden to become chaotic."

Uncle Pai saw the guests off and took her to buy two packs of duck rice before escorting her home.

Within two days, all ten merchants learned who Manfah's grandfather was. They all followed Manfah's advice to keep it as quiet as possible. Manfah's grandfather is Phraya Decha Damrongsak Phakdi, after all. Who would dare to make him angry?