"Boss, how much is the maltose?" Jiang Wanwan asked.

She had promised her brothers that she would buy them candy when she went back home.

The shopkeeper smiled kindly, showing no disrespect whatsoever to Jiang Wanwan despite her ordinary attire. "Little girl, a piece of candy costs three coins. How many would you like?"

"I want five yuan."

"Alright, I'll wrap it up for you right away." The grocer immediately wrapped five pieces of maltose in oil paper for Jiang Wanwan.

"By the way, boss, could you please weigh out half a pound of brown sugar for me?" Jiang Wanwan planned to give the half pound of brown sugar to Madam Lu so that she could also nourish her body.

"Alright, half a pound of brown sugar for 60 coins." The shopkeeper's smile deepened, blooming like a chrysanthemum.

Jiang Jialin remained silent, quickly calculating in his mind the amount of money he would have to pay and whether he had enough money on him.

Jiang Wanwan remembered the mosquito bites all over her body when she woke up this morning, so she thought about buying some mosquito coils to repel them. "Boss, do you have any mosquito repellent here?"

"Yes, young lady, you can buy a few sachets to wear or place in your room. I'm not bragging, but the mosquito-repelling effect of my sachets is top-notch." The shopkeeper smiled broadly and enthusiastically recommended to Jiang Wanwan.

Jiang Wanwan pondered, her mind racing.

There were no mosquito coils in ancient times!

It's summer now, the peak season for mosquitoes. If you don't repel them, they'll keep buzzing around your ears, making it hard to fall asleep.

Having thought this through, she already knew what to expect.

The grocer observed Jiang Wanwan's expression and, seeing that she didn't speak, assumed that she disliked the sachet. So he turned to her and recommended, "Miss, if you don't like sachets, you can also buy a bed curtain. That works quite well too, and mosquitoes certainly won't disturb your sleep."

Jiang Wanwan looked up, smiled, and said, "Boss, how much is a sachet?"

"Eight copper coins each." The grocer held up an eight with his hand. He was worried that Jiang Wanwan would think the sachet was too expensive, so he had to explain, "Miss, the sachet contains agastache, calamus, mugwort, mint, and other herbs. It can not only repel mosquitoes, but also dispel wind-heat and clear the head."

Jiang Wanwan was also shocked. A sachet actually cost eight coins. How could an ordinary family afford to spend the money to buy one!

Then, she inquired in detail about the prices of bed curtains, mosquito nets, and other items, and already had an idea in mind.

To verify the sachet's practicality, Jiang Wanwan eventually spent a large sum of money to buy one.

This time, Jiang Jialin insisted on paying the bill with his own money. After paying for his daughter, he felt a surge of pride, even more so than when he passed the imperial examination!

The father and daughter left the grocery store and went straight to the meat stall.

Jiang Wanwan glanced at the meat stall and asked, "Boss, how much is the pork?"

The butcher quickly quoted prices: "Fat pork is 35 coins per pound, streaky pork is 30 coins per pound, lean pork and ribs are 15 coins per pound, and large pork bones are 10 coins per pound. Miss, which kind of meat do you want, and how many pounds?"

Jiang Wanwan thought that given the Jiang family's poverty and near-starvation, they must have almost run out of lard and needed to render some oil. Otherwise, the stir-fried vegetables would be dry, bitter, and unpalatable, like eating grass.

"Boss, give me 15 jin of pork fat, 5 jin of pork belly, and 5 jin of spare ribs."

Jiang Jialin's eyes nearly popped out as he silently estimated the few copper coins he had left.

Thankfully, we still have enough money!

Whew~

Jiang Wanwan glanced at the pig kidneys and pig stomach on the cutting board and her eyes lit up. Pointing to the pig stomach and pig kidneys, she asked, "How much are the pig offal?"