Old Li was immediately dissatisfied when he heard that it was only six taels. "Miss, my mule is in excellent condition. If it weren't for your sincere desire to buy it, I would never have been willing to sell it. This mule eats very little and works very efficiently. You won't lose out on ten taels of silver."
If he can sell this mule for ten taels of silver, he won't have to run around all year. He'll earn an extra four taels, enough for his family to live frugally for two years.
Jiang Yimian glanced at him and said calmly, "An ordinary horse in town costs between ten and twenty taels of silver. I ask you, if you had ten taels of silver, would you buy a mule or a horse?"
She wanted to buy a mule today, firstly because she happened to come across one, and secondly because mules are stamina-efficient and not prone to illness. However, if she were to spend ten taels of silver to buy one, it would be a loss.
Upon hearing this, Old Li fell silent instantly. He wanted to say something more, but couldn't think of anything to refute it, and was stuck in a dilemma.
Hearing their conversation, Chen Guixiang turned to Old Lady Sun, who was picking out chicks, with disdain and said, "Look at you, why are you trying to put on a show when you don't have any money? Horses from town? You can't even afford the mules in front of you, can you, Old Lady Sun?"
Grandma Sun frowned, ignoring Chen Guixiang, and only glanced at the mule. She said with dissatisfaction, "Old Li, don't go too far. This mule looks spirited, but it's not worth ten taels of silver. Don't think that the people in our village are easy to bully. If you keep arbitrarily raising prices, don't come to our village to sell things again."
Although she didn't particularly like the Jiang family, it didn't make sense for her to side with others when they were all cheating the villagers in front of them.
Little Zhang quickly chimed in, "That's right, Old Li, stop arbitrarily raising the price. Just like Jiang said, six taels of silver. Take it or leave it. Don't try to cheat the people of Qing Shi Village."
For a moment, all the onlookers and those buying chicks turned to look at Old Li, who awkwardly scratched his head and laughed it off, saying, "No way, I didn't ask for a price randomly. This mule is really good. I'm sure someone would buy it if I asked for ten taels. But if this young lady really wants it, six taels of silver is also acceptable."
Although he doesn't only sell these chicks in Qingshi Village, if an entire village holds a grudge against him, his business won't be so easy to run.
The worst thing for a businessman is making enemies, and he wouldn't do that.
Six taels it is, it just means I'll earn a little less.
Seeing that the other party agreed, Jiang Yimian glanced at Grandma Sun in surprise, not expecting that the other party would speak up for her.
When Grandma Sun saw her looking over, she snorted coldly, paid the coins, and left with the chicks in her arms.
She hadn't forgotten how the Jiang family had kept them busy clearing land all day. Although they were the ones who caused it, she was still somewhat annoyed.
I offered my help just now because I didn't want the villagers to be taken advantage of; my dislike for the Jiang family is something I can't erase.
Jiang Yimian didn't pay much attention to Grandma Sun's attitude. She handed Old Li six taels and four mace, counted out seventy copper coins, put the ducklings and piglets in the bamboo basket on the cart, and led the mule away.
Chen Guixiang was both angry and envious, and muttered under her breath, "I wonder where this little hussy got the money. Wasn't she supposed to be a refugee?"
She seemed to be doing better than them, casually spending six taels of silver.
It's pitiful that she was so stingy when buying a few chicks.
Several women nearby who knew the situation had already started chatting.
"Oh my, I heard that the Jiang family has set up a food stall in town and made quite a bit of money. They're spending six taels of silver in one go. Which family in our village has that much money?"
"That's right, I wonder what kind of business they're in."
"Who knows? They covered it up so tightly."
What was said in jest was taken seriously by the listener. Chen Guixiang became curious and asked the woman a few more questions before hurrying home after buying the chicks.
Jiang Yimian only looked at the person talking next to her after she had already moved away from the crowd.
"Oh my, although Old Li is a bit cunning, the ducklings he brought this time are really good. They've grown so big, and they're only seven coins each. If we raise them well and they lay eggs, we'll earn back the coins sooner or later."
As she spoke, Ms. Zhang gestured.
Jiang Yimian thought for a moment before saying, "Auntie, do you have time? My family's stall business is short-handed and we need help. Would you be willing to come?"
I was worried about who to turn to, but now I realize that Ms. Zhang is quite nice.
Although he can't keep his mouth shut, he's quite efficient, so he'd be a good candidate to help.
She didn't know many people in Qingshi Village, except for Xiao Zhangshi.
Ms. Zhang's eyes lit up, and she immediately nodded repeatedly: "Yes, I'd love to! Tell me how you'd like to help."
It's not busy farming season yet, so her husband, in-laws, and brother-in-law are handling things at home. She doesn't have much to do on weekdays, otherwise she wouldn't always be gossiping about other people's business.
Ever since she learned that the Jiang family ran a business at a stall in town, she had wanted to ask them about it, but since the Jiang family members were not usually in the village, she had no chance to inquire and had to give up.
She was overjoyed when she heard that she needed her help.
Seeing this, Jiang Yimian continued, "I need your help to grind the konjac into powder, but it may cause a slight numbness and itching in your hands. However, it won't be a big problem if you clean it up in time. It'll cost you thirty coins a day."
Little Zhang nodded repeatedly, her eyes lighting up at the mention of copper coins. "Alright, alright, don't worry, Jiang girl, I'll definitely go help tomorrow."
Her husband used to work in town, earning about thirty coins a day. He had to travel a long way, and if he was employed by a family that didn't provide meals, he had to take care of his own food. He saved every penny he earned, and at the end of the year, he didn't have much left.
Moreover, this job isn't available every day.
If she can earn these copper coins in the village, then her husband won't have to go out to work.
Thinking it over, she quickly said, "Jiang girl, you still need a few more people for your grinding job. My husband can help. He's not talkative, but he's hardworking and won't make any mistakes. If you need more people, let my husband come along."
If the couple could both help out at the Jiang family's place, they would earn sixty coins a day, which would amount to more than one tael of silver a month.
That's a tael of silver! She rarely sees any silver throughout the year. If she could have a tael every month from now on, she would be overjoyed.
Jiang Yimian recalled the few times she had seen Zhao Wenwu. He seemed to be an honest farmer. Every time Xiao Zhang was talking, he would silently busy himself.
Just as Ms. Zhang said, she was a hard worker who worked quietly.
Jiang Yimian thought for a moment and then agreed, "Okay, it's settled then. Tomorrow, Auntie and Uncle Zhao can just go to those thatched huts. Dashu and the others will teach you."
Ms. Zhang quickly agreed and happily ran back.
Jiang Yimian led the mule down the mountain. Before she even reached Zhang Xiucai's house, she saw several furtive figures squatting outside the courtyard, doing something she couldn't tell what.
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