Chapter Seven: Hopes Should Be Fulfilled

There was a mud wall that wasn't very soundproof, which was just enough to interrupt the awkward conversation. Shen Zhiyi munched on a sugar pancake while watching Tang Huaya carefully pack chili peppers. She finished the pancake in a few bites and said, "I'm done. I'll pick it up. You go eat the pancake."

Tang Huaya obediently moved aside, as they had agreed beforehand.

"How am I going to face Grandpa Village Chief when I get back?" Shen Zhiyi said softly, sounding slightly troubled.

"Sigh, you still dare to say that." Tang Huaya couldn't help but sigh, her eyes filled with accusation. "You ran away so disloyally last night."

Shen Zhiyi looked at Tang Huaya with surprise and laughed, "Huaya, you're amazing! You actually said something like that! You really make me look at you in a new light!"

Tang Huaya used to be dull and silent, then she became Shen Zhiyi's little shadow, and now she can talk and laugh and express her emotions.

"Is this a good thing?" Tang Huaya asked doubtfully.

"Yes, that's fantastic news!" Shen Zhiyi said gently.

After Tang Huaya finished eating the pancake, the two of them packed the chili peppers together, and their speed was noticeably faster. At this moment, Old Man Tang's voice came from outside: "Huaya, Chen Yatou, are the chili peppers ready?"

"Alright!" Shen Zhiyi replied, and together with Tang Huaya, they moved the fifty-pound basket out.

When Tang Laohan saw this, he immediately offered his help, lifting the basket onto his back without any assistance. His strength was so great that it truly shocked Shen Zhiyi. However, the unusually thick calluses on his hands also demonstrated his strength.

"You all go ahead, I'll stay and watch over this chili field," the village chief quickly said.

“There’s no need to guard the chili field; it won’t run away,” Shen Zhiyi advised, but the village chief had already made his decision, so she could only give up.

However, once all the wasteland in the village has been planted with chili peppers, it is indeed necessary to organize a group of people to take turns guarding it to prevent malicious damage from other villages.

Sometimes, having something that others don't can easily attract jealousy.

Of course, this defensive phase is only temporary; she won't stop there!

As the morning light gradually became clearer, the oxcart was supposed to wait until it was full before leaving, but Shen Zhiyi was preoccupied with the matter of "being punctual" and didn't care about being frugal. He waved his hand and booked the remaining seats. So the three of them should have only paid three coins, but suddenly it was seven coins, which made Tang Huaya very distressed.

“Since we’ve set a time with Jufu Restaurant, we must abide by it. Honesty is essential in business,” Shen Zhiyi said earnestly. She was determined to build this reputation for the long term, so how could she slack off from the very beginning?

"Yes, I understand." Tang Huaya nodded cautiously in response, trying hard not to think about the extra "four coins".

It was because of Shen Zhiyi's decisiveness that they arrived at Jufu Restaurant at the beginning of Chen Shi (7-9 AM) and bumped into Chef Dong who was coming out.

"I didn't expect you to be so punctual," Master Dong sighed, leading them to the side entrance of the restaurant and directly into the backyard.

Thump.

Beautiful water droplets suddenly splattered out of the large water tank in the middle, and half of a fish's tail could still be seen.

Old Tang was visiting this place for the first time. He walked nervously with his head down, and could only see Tang Huaya's straw sandals in front of him.

"Put the basket here for now, the accountant will be here in a bit." Master Dong said indifferently, not even bothering to look at Old Man Tang, and turned to Shen Zhiyi to ask, "Girl, I found out last night that the chili seeds are the spiciest. If we grind them into powder, it should be quite good."

Shen Zhiyi was surprised by Master Dong's innovative ideas. Her eyes lit up, and she began to discuss, "Chili seeds are indeed a good option. However, if you dry the chilies and grind them into powder along with the skins, the effect will be even better!"

“But after drying, it definitely won’t taste as good as fresh,” Master Dong tentatively suggested.

“That’s not necessarily true! It’s a matter of personal taste. Fresh chili peppers are crisp and refreshing…” Shen Zhiyi replied without hesitation.

During their back-and-forth conversation, a strange man carrying scales and a pen and ink walked in.

"Mr. Yuan is here," Master Dong greeted him, without even changing his sitting posture.

Seeing this, Shen Zhiyi stood up and gave an awkward bow. She hadn't properly learned the etiquette of greetings among the literati of this dynasty. Although Tang Huaya and Old Man Tang were reserved and silent, their eyes followed the scale in Mr. Yuan's hand.

In this weighing environment, even the talkative Shen Zhiyi remained silent.

After the scale had weighed all the chilies, she saw the precise weight recorded on the paper for each chili pepper, and mentally calculated the final result, which was about the same as her estimate.

"A total of fifty catties. Subtracting the deposit of one thousand two hundred coins paid earlier, according to the contract, the final payment is one thousand six hundred coins. May I ask, young lady, do you want silver ingots or copper coins?" Mr. Yuan explained in detail.

"One tael of old silver and six hundred copper coins." Shen Zhiyi quickly made her choice.

"Understood," Mr. Yuan replied, then left the main room with his writing brush, ink, and scales.

"Well, Chen girl, I'm leaving too." As Master Dong spoke, he easily lifted the basket and carried it away. "I'll return it to you later."

"Okay." Shen Zhiyi replied crisply. Not wanting to linger on someone else's turf, the three of them stayed in the bright and beautiful main room.

After waiting for a quarter of an hour, Mr. Yuan came over again and personally handed a money bag to Shen Zhiyi, saying, "Miss, please count the amount carefully. If it's less than what you expected after you leave, I won't acknowledge it."

"Thank you for informing me, sir," Shen Zhiyi replied sincerely. She liked people who were so straightforward!

They counted the money in front of everyone and then left Jufu Restaurant.

As soon as the person stepped out of the side door, they heard a child's voice: "Guests from afar..."

"Zhiyi, did you hear that?" Tang Huaya asked excitedly. She stood on tiptoe and craned her neck to look at the source of the sound, but she couldn't see anything.

"I heard you." Shen Zhiyi instinctively leaned in that direction, thinking they would start in the afternoon, but it turned out to be so early in the morning...

Suddenly, I felt that paying three cents for a job was a bit too greedy.

"Let's follow the sound to find them and settle the wages then." Shen Zhiyi said, pulling Tang Huaya along as they jogged towards the boxes nearby, with Old Man Tang catching up in a few steps.

There are only two main alleys in the county, one running north-south and the other east-west. The place where they intersect is where Shen Zhiyi and her group are.

It was easy to find the source by following the sound from the center. When Shen Zhi saw that the team of three people was led by San Tou and consisted of children who were the same age as him or two or three years older, his heart softened.

The child who was cleaning the mud off the bluestone slab yesterday is called Santou. He has two older sisters, but unfortunately, neither of them survived. I learned that Santou, who is so thin, is already eleven years old.

"My two elder sisters!" San Tou called out cheerfully, running up to Shen Zhiyi.

"Why did it start so early?" Shen Zhiyi couldn't help but ask. It was supposed to be Shenshi (3-5 PM) before they started, which meant they would start then. Judging from the condition of this team, some of them had chapped lips, so they must have been singing for a while.

"Sister, it's getting late," San Tou said, puzzled.

Shen Zhiyi took out the newly acquired money bag, counted out thirty-six coins, handed them to the three heads, and said, "This is your wages for today. You can rest for an hour when the sun is high at noon. After singing until Shenshi (3-5 PM), you must go home. Starting tomorrow at Sishi (9-11 AM), you will rest at noon and go home at Shenshi. Continue this until the tenth day, and then you can stop. You will be paid daily."

“I understand,” the three-headed creature replied earnestly.

"Here are three coins for you, keep them safe." Shen Zhiyi gave the three coins discreetly, knowing the principle that it is not scarcity that is a concern, but inequality.

"Thank you, sister," San Tou said sweetly, carefully putting away the three copper coins, and then left with the thirty-six coins in her hands.

At this moment, Tang Huaya spoke up: "Here, take this money pouch. Don't lose the money."

Although the purse was full of patches, Tang Huaya did not feel inferior at first, but instead handed it over generously.

San Tou carefully placed each copper coin into the money bag that Tang Huaya had specially opened, and said shyly, "Thank you."

Shen Zhiyi was still not used to such thank-yous and said, "Go on, see you tomorrow."

Watching the three heads return to the group, and soon start singing folk songs again, Shen Zhiyi believed that Jufu Restaurant would also react quickly and seize the "business opportunity" delivered to the door, and then they would no longer have to worry about the sales of chili peppers!

This will allow for a win-win situation for all parties involved!

"Let's go, we need to buy some things before going back to the village!" Shen Zhiyi said, heading towards the grain shop.

She had only taken a few steps when Tang Huaya pulled her back.

"Money doesn't come easily, so let's save it," Tang Huaya advised gently. She didn't even dare to recall how many times her mother had poked her forehead last night. She had sworn then to control Zhiyi's extravagant spending habits.

"Hua Ya, how could you forget about the squirrels on the back mountain?" Shen Zhiyi said with a "heartbroken" expression, then her voice softened, "We still have to return the grain to them."

Tang Huaya said shyly, "But I don't have the money to buy grain to repay it."

"How could I not have money!" Shen Zhiyi laughed. "You helped me clear the wasteland, and you helped me take care of the chili seedlings, so you got a share of the money from the chili sales this time! Not to mention you and Uncle Tang accompanied me to the city this time!"

"I didn't help you with anything, and I don't want any money," Old Man Tang said, waving his hands repeatedly.

"How can that be! The whole village has to know that I will never mistreat anyone who has helped me, Shen Zhiyi!" Shen Zhiyi said confidently. "Believe me, this is just the beginning! We will get better and better!"

"Okay!" Old Man Tang responded first, clenching his fist tightly.

Tang Huaya's eyes were shining with excitement.

“What does the village lack now? I’m going to help everyone get through this difficult time, just like you helped me back then!” Shen Zhiyi said firmly, and this time her steps toward the grain store were no longer hindered.

However, when they saw that Shen Zhiyi had bought three ounces of coarse grains, half an ounce of mountain produce, and two ounces of pots and pans, Tang Huaya and Old Man Tang fell silent.

But when Zhiyi said "both are useful," they were too tongue-tied to refute it.

Even when he was in the oxcart back to the village, he was still in a daze.