Ah Mian completely ignored him and went straight to talk to Wang Wang.

Meng Chijian followed behind, smiling silently.

"Ah Mian, you really do come up with all sorts of things on a whim." Wangwang, who had dressed up specially, looked at her goods with some worry.

In fact, Ji Hengzhi was simply expressing what everyone was thinking, especially among scholars. As the saying goes, "A gentleman understands righteousness, while a petty person understands profit." To be so preoccupied with petty gains is contrary to the way of a gentleman.

However, since A-Mian was a woman and did not pursue academic studies, her reputation among scholars was of no use to her.

"I'll help you memorize some," Wangwang said, enduring the meaningful gazes of the scholars.

Amian shook her head: "No need, so as not to get your new clothes dirty. It's not heavy."

Wang Zixuan also arrived. He had probably pawned his silk clothes and was now wearing cotton clothes like A Mian.

“Let me try,” he said coolly, then attempted to lift A-Mian’s basket with one hand—

"Is this filled with bricks?! It's so heavy!"

Amian said, "I'll carry it myself; that way I'll feel more at ease."

Wang Zixuan stopped showing off. The thing that allowed him to fit in best in this era was his physique. He was very similar to the starving refugees, with hands and feet as thin as sticks.

The young ladies in the women's quarters didn't think there was anything wrong with earning money, but most of them came from well-off families and had always believed that making money meant doing what their fathers and mothers did: checking accounts with the managers of their households every month, keeping an eye on the owners so they wouldn't eat up too much of the profits, and sitting at home drinking tea while silver coins flowed into their pockets.

Instead of this, which is tiring, exhausting, and extremely unsightly.

The teenage girls exchanged glances and began to whisper among themselves:

"Look at her, she's so pitiful, practically a porter. What kind of woman is like that?"

"If I were to engage in such a shameful small business, I would truly die of shame and indignation, and I would probably have to find a well to jump into."

"What a pity. She is of above-average appearance. Even if she were to be my brother's concubine, her life would be a hundred times better than this."

"Say less... She's a school bully at the academy, and it's said she's beaten up quite a few people."

The young ladies stopped gossiping; that strange man's husband didn't seem easy to get along with either.

In the end, they have nothing to do with each other.

The teachers counted the number of people and set off in the afternoon.

The dirt road was difficult to walk on. A-Mian was currently wearing men's clothing. Before setting off, Meng Chijian had also tied her leg wraps. The two of them remained silent, quietly carrying goods at the back of the group.

Wangwang felt sorry for his newly bought dress, which was already covered in mud. He heard the scholars in front of him arguing fiercely.

"Merchants, in their pursuit of profit, disregard morality and instead corrupt the world. Mencius said, 'Only a scholar can have a constant heart without constant property'..."

“That’s absolutely right. Merchants don’t generate any value at all. If everyone in the world were to do business and no one were to farm, wouldn’t everyone starve to death?”

"No. Nowadays, the markets are not like they used to be. People are allowed to set up shops along the street, and there is even a saying that 'merchants, farmers, artisans, and merchants should each do their own thing'..."

Wangwang sighed, his mood becoming increasingly depressed and disappointed.

She glanced back at A-Mian and saw that she remained undisturbed by the outside world; she envied her greatly. Wangwang felt she looked down on these scholars, even though they looked down on her too.

After walking for more than an hour, the group came across a teahouse, and the head monk announced that they would rest there for half an hour before continuing their journey.

Meng Chijian bought two bowls of tea, then asked the shopkeeper if there was a well. He drew half a basin of water from the well in the backyard, wiped the dusty-faced Ah Mian clean, and washed his own face.

“We haven’t gone very far yet. We’ve been here before when we were traveling through the countryside,” Meng Chijian said. “You carry the two umbrellas, and I’ll carry the basket.”

He figured that if Ah Mian carried it any longer, her shoulders would get chafed, so he finished his tea and put the basket on his back.

That evening, they stayed at a hotel arranged by the academy. After dinner, A-Mian looked at his shoulder and saw some red marks from the pressure. Looking at her own shoulder, she saw nothing wrong, except for some soreness when pressed.

"We'll start selling tomorrow." A-Mian clenched her fist.

On the second day, they finally covered a certain distance, passing through several villages.

While everyone was resting, Ah Mian hurriedly walked to the edge of the village, banged two sickles together, and shouted loudly: "Look, look, look! All goods are on sale at a low price! There are needles and thread, rouge, and scented soap that makes you feel so refreshed after washing! Which family doesn't need bowls when cooking? Which family doesn't have a lamp lit? Look, look, look! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"

This was a set of words she came up with herself, and she repeated them very well. Later, worried that her throat couldn't take it, she wanted to ask Wang Zixuan to help her chant them, offering him ten coins a day.

"And could you shout and dance the same dance you did when you first came to the academy? Nobody's seen it before, they'll come and watch."

Wang Zixuan said, "That is my dignity and my stubbornness."

Ah Mian said, "Add five more coins."

Wang Zixuan took a deep breath and once again pressed his palms together and began to spin them wildly.

Soon, a number of villagers arrived and began asking about the price.

Buttons, lamp wicks, and scraps of fabric were the best sellers. A-Mian's prices were double the cost price, but they all sold out quickly.

Rouge-scented soap can sell for more than double the price! However, this price is still not considered expensive. On ordinary days, the goods brought by peddlers are not even worth this much; they are mostly sold for three times the cost price.

Then they sold two more hoes and three bowls. They were so busy that business just wouldn't stop. A-Mian asked Meng Chijian to be in charge of collecting and keeping the money.

The scholars dared not speak out against their anger, but discussed poetry and philosophy from afar, creating a scene of refined elegance.

After selling for half an hour, A-Mian waved to the villagers who were hesitant about whether to buy, "We're leaving!"

After she walked away, the villagers who were rushing home to get the money hurried over, regretting their actions and slapping their thighs in remorse.

In just over two days, A-Mian had sold almost all of her goods. All the money was temporarily entrusted to Meng Chijian for safekeeping, to be exchanged for silver at a money exchange shop later.

Back at the inn, Ah Mian was surprised to find that she couldn't even count all the money. The wooden box she carried on her shoulder pole was full of it. She thought that if she lay down on the bed, she could really sleep with copper coins under her pillow tonight!

"No, it's dirty and uncomfortable."

Seeing that this path was blocked, Ah Mian simply slept with the wooden box in her arms, fearing that someone would come in and steal her copper coins in the middle of the night.

On the third day, the sounds of scholars reciting poems and composing verses rose and fell, interspersed with the laughter of young ladies. However, not long after they set off, the sky gradually became overcast and a strong wind began to blow.