Chapter 10 Night Market Shopping: Skilled Bargaining

As Shen Miao walked and observed, she found that the Song Dynasty here had not yet been tainted by the distorted Neo-Confucianism of Cheng-Zhu, nor did it suffer from the humiliation of national and personal grievances. The status of women was not much different from that of the Tang Dynasty. Married women like her, who made a living in the streets, could not only go out alone, but also did not even need to wear a curtain or hat.

Although the Jinliangqiao Night Market near the Shen family's home wasn't as bustling as Maxing Street, it still had everything. She first found the old man Yang who had mentioned Gu Tusu and who made doors, windows, tables, and chairs. After explaining her purpose, she went to his home with him.

Old Man Yang has been a carpenter for decades. He lives with only a few apprentices. His yard is piled with all kinds of wood, and his house is crammed with finished wooden furniture.

Shen Miao held up the candlestick, pretending to be selecting goods. She first asked about the type of wood and then the price. After testing the old man Yang's temperament, she even touched the thick layer of dust on it without making a sound.

It seems that Old Man Yang hasn't made any sales in a long time, which is why he has so much stock.

So after Shen Miao picked out the furniture she wanted, she immediately engaged in a fierce bargaining session with him, and finally got the furniture, which originally cost 580 coins, for 400 coins. They also gave her three stools, two wooden basins, and a set of wooden bowls as a free gift.

She ordered three of the cheapest poplar beds, a set of walnut square tables with four benches made of the same material, a double-layered cabinet with two doors, and a waisted desk there. All of them were plain, with only clear or black lacquer, and were designed to be sturdy and durable.

Shen Miao and he found a middleman, wrote a receipt, paid half the money, and even wrote in the contract that the goods would be delivered to their door first thing the next morning, and that installation and one year of free after-sales maintenance would be included.

Old Man Yang's heart was bleeding from this business deal, but the money for the timber was still on loan. If he didn't sell the goods soon, the monks from Xingguo Temple who lent money would come knocking on his door to collect the debt! Oh well, this Madam Shen bought a lot and promised to introduce more business to him in the future. He might earn less, but he couldn't help shaking his head and marveling at Shen Miao as he signed the contract: "Madam, your mouth is truly amazing. You're so clever that you could probably talk the dead back to life!"

Even the middleman pointed at the receipt and laughed, "This is the first time I've seen you, stingy old man, add so many extras and even agree to a year-long repair agreement." He then said to the old man, "But this is a good idea. This woman is quick-witted. Don't just think about short-term gains. When you sell wood products in the future, add this clause, and you won't have to worry about finding buyers for your wood products."

Shen Miao laughed, "That's right. Just for this idea, you should give me another twenty coins off."

Old Man Yang was so frightened he almost jumped up, waving his hands repeatedly: "No, no, if it goes any lower, my whole family, including my three apprentices and a dog, will starve!"

Shen Miao and Zhong Ren both burst out laughing.

With that, the bed, dining table and chairs, cabinets, and even Ji Ge'er's desk for studying were all provided. Most of the furniture was acquired in one trip, and it was all very cheap. Shen Miao left satisfied.

Afterwards, she strolled around Jinliang Bridge, chatted with a plump woman selling "fragrant drinks," bought a bowl of tea for two coins, and inquired about how the bridge market was governed.

As expected, the stalls here aren't simply owned by whoever grabs them; you have to go to the "street office" and pay rent to the urban management officers. If someone illegally occupies the street to set up a stall without proper permits, according to the "Song Dynasty Criminal Code," "Anyone who encroaches on streets, alleys, or lanes shall be punished with seventy strokes of the cane."

"See those four marker posts? You can only set up a stall or open a shop within the area marked by those posts. There are also boundaries and signs on the bridge. If you don't follow them, you'll get seventy lashes!" the fat woman said with a sigh. "And if you leave your stall's filth on the street, you'll get sixty lashes!"

They then talked about how much rent the stalls on the bridge cost per month. It was cheap. If it was a small stall with only a wheelbarrow or a few baskets, it would only cost ten coins a month, taking up little space. If it was a large stall with a thatched shed and pillars, it would cost thirty coins a month.

Although it sounds like a lot, commerce was highly developed in the Song Dynasty. Once you set up a small stall and collected rent, you didn't have to pay any more taxes. The commercial taxes for opening a shop were also very lenient. Generally, you only had to pay 2% "customs duty" and 3% "transaction tax", totaling about 5%. In years of famine, rice, iron farm tools, and livestock sold could be exempted from taxes.

However, salt and iron were state monopolies, and these things were not something ordinary people could buy.

Shen Miao remembered reading somewhere that during the reign of Emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty, commercial taxes accounted for only 12% of the national tax revenue, yet they still collected over 19 million strings of cash. This single commercial tax was more than the combined national tax revenue of the best years of the Ming and Qing dynasties.

Moreover, that was during the Song Dynasty, a period in history where huge reparations and tributes were paid regardless of whether the war was won or lost.

Now, the Song Dynasty that Shenmiao has traveled through time to is not only stable both internally and externally, but also free from these damned annual tributes, and the people are much wealthier!

After understanding the situation, Shen Miao thanked the plump woman and took her leave, then crossed the bridge.

She bought three cotton quilts and three sets of coarse cotton bedding from the cotton shop across the bridge, telling the cotton fluffer she would come back to pick them up the next day after the fluffer finished. She planned to wash the bedding delivered by the Gu family and return it to them the next day; she didn't want to keep taking advantage of them.

She bought two bolts of coarse cloth from the cloth shop, one with a blue background and flowing water pattern, and the other with a pale yellow floral pattern. She also bought some needles and thread, intending to make two sets of clothes for Ji-ge and Xiang-jie. The original owner of this body was a girl cherished by her parents, who had never done any heavy work. She only helped out when the shop was busy, and spent most of her time doing embroidery to pass the time.

Shen Miao didn't know if she could inherit the original owner's embroidery skills, but she had memories of how the original owner embroidered flowers and made shirts, jackets, shoes, socks, and hats, so she decided to give it a try!

The main problem is that she has been here all day, and the Shen family has tidied up the place, but she hasn't seen any of Ji-ge'er's or Xiang-jie'er's clothes or luggage. The two children probably haven't changed their clothes either, and they both smell a bit bad.

They were probably driven out empty-handed.

Thinking of this, Shen Miao became a little angry.

Once things are settled at home tomorrow, I must take a bus to the outer city to vent my anger at Uncle Shen's house!

With that in mind, Shen Miao went to the pottery shop and ordered two large water vats, two small clay stoves, two griddles, a flat-mouthed, round-bellied earthenware oven, and several stacks of the cheapest earthenware bowls.

Finally, the most important thing is to buy a "dirt cart". The dirt cart that Gu Erlang used to help her transport things today is a single-wheeled cart. It can be pushed by hand, and in the future, it can also be used to tether livestock. It can carry goods and people. It can go through mountain roads, alleys and field ridges. It is very convenient.

However, Shen Miao wanted to improve a vehicle with wheels, a sail, and a sunshade. Unicycles were too strenuous, while two wheels would make it easier to maintain balance. But after asking several vehicle manufacturers, the prices quoted by them were all quite high.

After wandering around for a while, Shen Miao returned to the old man Yang's house where she had originally ordered furniture.

Old Man Yang was squatting at his doorstep, polishing new wood, leaving wood shavings all over the ground. When he looked up, he saw the sharp-tongued young woman standing under the lantern, just smiling at him.

The dim lamplight made Chen Niangzi's face appear even more gentle, like a lotus standing gracefully in the night breeze.

But as he held the plane in his hand, he suddenly felt a chill.

***

After a night of extravagant spending, Shen Miao returned to the Shen family home. The two little ones were already so sleepy they were pecking at rice like chicks, and they didn't want to turn on the lights, so they waited for her to come back silently in the dark.

As soon as Shen Miao reached the door, Xiang Jie heard footsteps and excitedly exclaimed, "It must be my elder sister coming back this time!" Hearing this, Shen Miao couldn't help but smile.

In the evening, he squeezed together with Ji-ge and Xiang-jie on the bed made of several benches. The three of them slept sideways, with Chen Miao's legs dangling in the air. He had a very difficult time sleeping through the night.

But because she was busy all day yesterday and was exhausted, she still woke up late the next day. When she woke up, the sun was already high in the sky, and she was awakened by the aroma of steamed buns in the kitchen.

She rubbed her eyes and sat up. Xiangjie was still fast asleep, nestled against her arm. Jige was squatting in front of the stove, fiddling with the firewood with tongs. Clearly, he had quietly gotten up and put the leftover buns from yesterday into the steamer.

After finishing his breakfast, Old Man Yang actually brought several apprentices to deliver goods early in the morning.

According to custom, a special day must be chosen for setting up the bed, but Chen Miao's family was too poor to wait.

How dilapidated is the Shen family now? When Old Man Yang arrived at the address she left behind, he was so shocked by the charred and collapsed house that he dared not come in. He hesitated at the door for a long time before finally poking his head in and asking, "Is this...is this Madam Shen's house?"

Shen Miao came out to greet them, and both Old Man Yang and his apprentice looked at each other with three kinds of pity.

She pretended not to see and calmly directed Old Man Yang to place all three beds in the intact rooftop bunk, with the headboards of the beds against the wall. From now on, Ji-ge'er would sleep in the innermost bed, Xiang-jie'er in the middle bed, and she would sleep in the outermost bed, with a curtain hanging to separate Ji-ge'er from the others.

A writing desk was also placed next to Ji Ge'er's bedside, so that he could use it for writing in the future.

The dining table, benches, and cabinets were placed in the kitchen.

Let's make do like this for now. Once we make money in the future, we can rebuild the rooms in the back that were burned down and then we can sleep in separate rooms. At that time, we won't have to feel so cramped.

Fortunately, Ji Ge'er wasn't too old. Shen Miao had many cousins ​​in her previous life. When they returned to their hometown for holidays, there weren't enough rooms, so Grandpa would often push the beds together to make a large communal sleeping area for them. Of course, the siblings would never stop all night. They would either go downstairs to steal Grandma's braised duck feet or shout and play Dou Dizhu and Werewolf all night long in the quilt.

After inspecting the delivered beds, tables, chairs, and other items, Shen Miao readily settled accounts with Old Man Yang. As he saw them off, he asked with a smile, "How have you thought about the matter of building a cart that I mentioned to you yesterday? Is it possible to make it happen?"

Old Man Yang smacked his lips: "Give me three hundred coins, and I'll do it with my wife!"

Shen Miao narrowed her eyes: "Two hundred coins! I'll buy the sun umbrella myself!"

Old Man Yang held up five fingers: "Two hundred and eighty coins! That includes an umbrella, no less!"

"Each person takes a step back, and the price is two hundred and thirty coins!"