Anping County is the county town closest to Lantang Village and one of the four county towns directly under the jurisdiction of Haozhou Prefecture. It is less than 80 miles away from the prefectural city, so it is relatively prosperous.
Less than 20 miles from Lantang Village, we could see the city gate in the distance. Villagers nearby did not need to pay to enter the city, but if they went to the market to set up a stall to sell things, they had to pay a stall fee of several large coins.
Shen Qing entered the city, but did not go to the market, but drove to a familiar brokerage. This brokerage is a middleman who introduces transactions in the market, earning a commission by matchmaking, and also reselling things to make a profit.
Most of them deal in the trade of houses and people, but they also do small trades such as charcoal, silk, livestock, and even grain and mountain products. As long as there is profit, there is no business that the brokers will not do.
Shen Qing was familiar with a small firewood dealership that mainly did small business for ordinary people. The owners were a couple with their children and nephews and a few hired assistants. They were kind and fair in their prices, and would not deliberately make things difficult for him because he was a single man. Moreover, although the firewood dealership would slightly reduce the price when collecting firewood, it was still much more cost-effective than paying the stall fee. Shen Qing had other things to do today and did not have the time to waste time guarding the stall.
"Shen's son is here. I haven't seen you for a while. I've been looking forward to seeing you." The proprietress of the dental shop smiled when she saw Shen Qing from afar. Firewood is in short supply in winter, and the firewood brought by the Shen's son is neatly arranged in the same length and thoroughly dried. Whenever it is delivered, it is picked up by women and husbands who are good at managing their lives. It is very popular. "The price of firewood is high these days, and it has increased by two cents. If you work harder these days and make two more trips, you can have a good New Year."
"Aunt Zheng." Shen Qing called out, and let the guys unload the firewood while he chatted with the boss's wife: "I'm afraid it won't work. I was unlucky. I ran into a wild boar on the mountain. I managed to escape with my life, but my arm was injured and I can't use my strength." Shen Qing rolled up his sleeves a little to show the boss's wife: "It would be good if you can deliver it again before the New Year."
After being "enlightened" by Aunt Guixiang last night, Shen Qing thought a lot about how to be a "good talker" - he had such a big secret, and he would have to cover it up with words many times in the future, so he would just give it a try today.
When he goes to that world, he will definitely not have time to chop wood, nor will he need to do such hard work as chopping wood. However, if he does not chop wood but runs to the mountains all day, the villagers will ask him about it: winter is the idlest season for farmers, and they don't even have to work in the fields, so they naturally have the leisure to pay attention to the trivial matters of the Dongjia family and the Lijia family.
He planned to chop some firewood to cover up the problem when he went up the mountain. Anyway, many people knew that his hand was injured, so it was normal to chop less firewood.
After hearing what he said and looking at the wound on Shen Qing's arm, the proprietress felt sorry and relieved: "My God, is it fun to run into a wild boar? You are so lucky to escape with your life. Your wound is not small, you need to take good care of it." It's a pity that Shen Qing can't catch up with the firewood price increase before the New Year. She also knows that Shen Qing's life is not easy. If his family is not really in financial difficulty, how can a boy start a business as a woodcutter? She felt sympathetic in her heart, and gave Shen Qing two more coins to make it an even number when counting the money: "Why don't you go to the clinic over there to have a look. Although it is not easy to fester in winter, it is such a long wound."
Shen Qing knew his own injury well, and didn't think it was a big deal. But the lady boss said this out of kindness, so he agreed and asked, "Aunt, can I leave my car with you first? It's not convenient to drive the car to buy some things for my family before the end of the year and the price has not risen yet."
"Just leave it here with me. Ask the waiter to deliver whatever you bought to me directly and I'll have someone put it in your car." The proprietress agreed readily.
Shen Qing handed the mule cart to the clerk, left the dental office and went to the pawnshop.
Shen Qing thought about it on the way, and chose the pawnshop over the jewelry shop. First, he had been to the pawnshop before, and had pawned some things for his family, so he knew a little bit about the twists and turns inside, which was better than being completely clueless in a jewelry shop where he had never been before. Second, he was wearing shabby clothes, and those guys would first pay him for his clothes and then for him, and he was afraid that he would have to wait for a while before the deal was done. After all, silver is hard currency, and the price will not be much different, at most it is the price of the craftsmanship.
Thinking of this, Shen Qing came to the pawnshop. There were many poor people who came to the pawnshop. If life was not difficult, who would come to pawn? The clerk did not look down on Shen Qing because of his shabby clothes. He led Shen Qing to the counter.
Behind the counter was an old gentleman with a gray beard and a long gown, sitting high up, and the counter was also high. Shen Qing put two bracelets and a silver lock on the tray and pushed it over. The old gentleman picked them up one by one through his handkerchief and looked at them carefully. He squinted his eyes and looked at Shen Qing for a long time, then asked slowly and calmly, "Where did you get these things?"
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