Chapter 77 The Market on the Ship

After having breakfast together, the ship's steward asked the group if they wanted to go to the back. That was where the merchant ships bought goods from various places, most of which would be resold at the next port of call. They used to set up stalls in Guqu Town to do business there, but unexpectedly, the old town mayor was away this year, so they couldn't make any deals.

"This kind of trading method is mostly used by caravans from the south. The journey is long, and they can occasionally exchange some silver for passengers."

The boat manager led a group of people ahead, his face full of warm smiles.

"Hehe, this gentleman seems quite knowledgeable about merchant ships. Here we are, have a good look around. I have some things to attend to up ahead, so I won't keep you company any longer." The group stopped outside an open cabin, where people were talking loudly, and laughter could be heard occasionally. After speaking, the ship's manager bowed to the group and left. Fan Xiaoxiao peered intently into the cabin from the hatchway.

The cabin was quite spacious, with many people sitting on the floor, surrounded by scattered trinkets that looked like they came from various places.

"Hey, young lady! Come, come! Look at my rouge! It's from Persia!" Someone noticed Fan Xiaoxiao peeking in and waved to her kindly. Her companion, seeing this, laughed and slapped the man on the shoulder: "You! Don't you know how old she is? She's still a child! Trying to trick her into buying your rouge? Hey! Young lady! Would you like to see my hair ornaments?"

Come and see my tea!

The boat crew's enthusiasm was a bit overwhelming for Fan Xiaoxiao. She chuckled awkwardly and shrank back, quickly stuffing a small bag into Fan Shi's arms. "Sister, buy whatever you like."

From the moment they started buying braised pork offal, Fan's money had been kept by Fan Xiaoxiao. She had wanted to give the money to her sister several times, but Fan was always worried that she wouldn't have enough money to do business, so she always refused.

She had just slipped the money in, and Fan's first reaction was to push it back. But Fan Xiaoxiao didn't give her a chance to react; she strode into the cabin.

"Hey! This child!"

"Take it, it's a token of my appreciation," Aunt Wang said with a smile, and Fan nodded, somewhat amused, and quickly put the money away.

"Let's go in and take a look."

...

"Young lady! Come and take a look at my fabric!"

"Madam! Come and see my jewelry!"

The boatmen were clearly used to traveling all over the country, and their shouts were constant.

Fan Xiaoxiao put her hands behind her back and started looking left and right. But she didn't buy anything. Fortunately, the boat crew didn't pressure her to buy anything, and seeing that she wasn't buying, they started chatting amongst themselves.

"Hey, we'll probably be passing through Huilongzhai tonight."

"Yeah, but the boss paid protection money, so he shouldn't make things difficult for us, right?" The younger crew member, who was on the boat for the first time, looked visibly uneasy as he spoke. His companion sighed.

"Well, who knows? The leader of Huilong Village is a man of unpredictable temperament. In the past, if he took a fancy to something of yours, he would get it no matter what, regardless of whether you paid protection money or not. So later, remember to pack everything up and put it away at the bottom."

...

Xiao Miao and his companion, who were walking at the back, heard everything the men said clearly. They had never heard of Huilong Village before. Xiao Miao glanced at the faces of the boatmen. When they talked about Huilong Village, their expressions showed obvious fear and tension. He frowned.

"My lady..." Lady Ye raised her hand to interrupt Xiao Miao before she could say anything, and turned her head slightly away.

"Let's talk about it when we get back. This isn't the place to talk."

"yes."

Fan Xiaoxiao was completely unaware of the brief conversation between the master and servant. At that moment, her attention was drawn to a small stall in a corner.

It was a very inconspicuous stall. In front of the dark-skinned, thin old man, there was a faded blue cloth casually spread out. On the blue cloth were several small paper packets, each containing a few seeds. The old man sat cross-legged behind the cloth, his arms folded, his eyes drooping, as if he were about to fall asleep.

Fan Xiaoxiao walked over, squatted down in front of the stall, and began to call out to the stall owner in a low voice.

"Uncle! Uncle!"

The old man didn't wake up; instead, he started snoring. Fan Xiaoxiao felt a little embarrassed, and her gaze unconsciously met that of the boatman at the neighboring stall who was watching the commotion.

"Haha, young lady, are you here to buy seeds?"

"Yes, we want to see if there are any new seeds."

"Hey! You've come to the right person. This old man's biggest hobby is buying all sorts of strange seeds. Wait a minute. Old Zhang! Old Zhang! Hey! Old Zhang!" The boatman called for a long time, but the old man still didn't respond. He couldn't help but smile helplessly at Fan Xiaoxiao, got up and walked to the old man's side, cupping his hands around the old man's ear like a megaphone: "Old Zhang!!!!"

"Huh!! Huh? What's wrong? What's wrong?! Have you eaten?" The old man was startled and immediately jumped up from the ground, almost stepping on his own blue cloth.

"Huh? You haven't eaten? Oh, why are you calling me?" The old man looked a little annoyed at being disturbed from his sleep. The boatman, clearly used to the old man's temper, didn't seem to mind.

"That young lady wants to buy your seeds!"

"Young lady?" The old man turned his head in a daze and saw Fan Xiaoxiao squatting in front of his stall.

"Little girl, do you want to buy seeds?"

Seeing the old man's bewildered expression, Fan Xiaoxiao nodded with a wry smile: "I want to see if there are any new seeds."

"Oh, well, you see." With that, the old man sat down and crossed his arms, ready to go back to sleep. Fan Xiaoxiao, clearly surprised by his nonchalant attitude, paused for a moment before quickly asking, "Uncle! What kind of seeds are these? I don't recognize any of them!"

The old man opened one eye, his face still showing some anger at being disturbed from his sleep: "If you don't recognize them, then they are all new seeds."

"So...how much are these?"

"Ten coins a pack, you decide for yourself. Just put the money in the little cloth bag in front of me." After saying that, the old man closed his eyes again, adjusted himself into a comfortable position, and leaned against the burlap sack behind him. Fan Xiaoxiao was left looking at the various sizes of seeds with a troubled expression.

To be honest, ten coins for a packet of seeds isn't exactly cheap. But nowadays, most farmers only grow one type of crop, and Fan Xiaoxiao simply couldn't accept a life where she could only eat sweet potatoes, cabbage, or beans.

She tried hard to distinguish the seeds of different sizes in front of her, and after flipping through them for a while, she actually managed to find several that she recognized.

"This is……"

Fan Xiaoxiao's face showed a hint of surprise and delight. Without hesitation, she paid for the seeds almost the instant she saw them. She also bought two packets of other seeds she didn't recognize. After happily packing them up, she hummed a little tune as she went to find the Fan family group not far away.

The old man opened his eyes, glanced at the empty seats, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"She does have a good eye for picky."

"Hey, Lao Zhang, aren't you going to tell that young lady how to plant it?"

Old Zhang turned around and yawned.

"I don't even know how to do it myself. If I knew, I would have grown it myself."

(End of this chapter)