Even though she was clearly in the wrong, she still stood on the moral high ground.
Zheng Ruqian pursed his lips and responded to everything with silence and a bowed head.
It looked like the aunt was about to get so angry that she slapped her thigh.
Jiang Sheng rushed over from the dilapidated temple, grabbed Zheng Ruqian's arm, and whispered to him, "Second brother, why be so petty? We do business to make money. As long as we can make money, who cares about past grudges and affections?"
Currently, they are unilaterally transporting vegetables from Yunshui County to Xieyang County, and they always arrive empty, which is somewhat wasteful.
If we could transport some of the specialty dishes from Xieyang County to Yunshui County, we could make some money.
As soon as Jiang Sheng finished speaking, Zheng Ruqian thought of it.
He suppressed his anger and said as calmly as possible, "I'll take it, but it'll be three catties for one coin."
Things are different now. In the past, Zheng Ruqian had to beg and plead to buy vegetables, so he could only get two catties for one coin and dared not lower the price.
Now he has no shortage of vegetables to buy, but the villagers who want to exchange vegetables for some money have no choice but to accept being pressured to lower the price.
The woman was still unconvinced and wanted to shout.
Zheng Ruqian turned around and said, "If Auntie doesn't want to sell, then forget it."
He's not willing to accept much.
The woman gave up, grumbling as she threw the vegetables in her arms into the donkey cart.
The New Year has just passed, and everyone is a little short of money. In less than two months, we will have to harvest rice seeds again. Money is everywhere, and if we can't eat the vegetables, we can only throw them away. It's better to exchange them for some money to spend.
Pang Dashan brought out the weight with great enthusiasm, placed it on the scale, and weighed it.
Three cabbages, a total of six jin (approximately 3 catties).
Jiang Sheng took out two coins, stuffed them into the woman's hand, and said with a smile, "Take care, Auntie."
With this start, the remaining women hurriedly stuffed the vegetables over, and some even ran home to try and bring back more.
Zheng Ruqian's donkey cart was already full and couldn't hold much more. He looked at Jiang Sheng and said, "I'll leave this to you."
Jiang Sheng patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, I'll make sure the accounts are settled."
Zheng Ruqian, along with Pang Dashan, delivered two truckloads of vegetables to Youranju.
After settling the bill, he took out one hundred coins and handed them to Pang Dashan, saying, "This is the cost of the trip."
Pang Dashan stretched out his hands and reverently accepted it.
He had been a beggar for ten years, robbing, stealing, and accepting charity, but he had never earned money with his own hands.
In Zheng Ruqian's eyes, this was only one hundred coins, not even enough for him to collect half a cart of vegetables.
But in Pang Dashan's eyes, this is the hope for the future, and the key to ensuring his younger brothers have enough to eat and wear.
"I'm going to buy something."
After leaving Youranju, Pang Dashan went straight to the clothing store.
He originally had two younger brothers, but later he took in three more children. One of them, Changyan, was taken in by Jiang Sheng, leaving him with two more, making a total of four younger brothers.
A gray cotton-padded jacket costs fifteen coins. After buying four jackets, I only had forty coins left.
But Pang Dashan wasn't afraid at all. He went and bought four candied hawthorns and four pastries. In the end, he only had ten copper coins left in his palm.
Zheng Ruqian stood to the side, smiling without saying a word.
Once upon a time, the siblings were just like that, spending every penny with excitement and careful budgeting, trying to use it wisely, prioritizing food and clothing.
Fortunately, they were both hardworking and lucky enough to get to where they are today.
"When are we going to Yunshui County to collect vegetables again?" Pang Dashan asked eagerly as soon as he returned to the cave after delivering the goods.
Presumably, he gained the love and support of his younger brothers and began to yearn to earn more money.
Zheng Ruqian laughed, "I'll just fill the vegetables and leave."
The reason I agreed to accept the vegetables from the aunties wasn't because of the radishes or cabbages, but because of a type of vegetable that was a specialty of Xiyang County.
This vegetable is scientifically known as snow cabbage, a vegetable that is harvested in abundance at the end of September and the beginning of October. Fresh snow cabbage is no longer available after the New Year, but its most distinctive feature is that it tastes even better when dried.
Freshly picked snow cabbage is first dried until the leaves turn yellow, then pressed tightly with a bamboo mat and left for more than a month. When the leaves turn completely brown, it becomes dried snow cabbage that is easy to preserve and has a tender yet chewy texture.
Some people use it as filling, some stir-fry it directly, and some pair it with meat; it's delicious no matter how you cook it.
Zheng Ruqian had been buying vegetables for more than half a year. Even though Yunshui County didn't have a large restaurant like Youranju that regularly bought his vegetables, he was confident that he could sell his dried pickled mustard greens.
After five days and collecting two full cartloads of pickled mustard greens, Zheng Ruqian set off for Yunshui County again.
Jiang Sheng jumped up and down behind him, shouting, "Second Brother, you have to come back soon, Eldest Brother has to take the county exam."
February marks the time for the first examination of the preliminary examinations—the county examination.
Xu Mo had already mentioned the matter of taking the imperial examination to become a child prodigy to his teacher. The teacher was worried that he had not accumulated enough knowledge and feared that failure would affect his character. He suggested that Xu Mo should accumulate more knowledge and be more stable next year.
But Xu Mo couldn't wait.
Although Magistrate Pang tacitly approved of Pang Dashan's impersonation of his nephew, thus providing them with protection, he was still far away in Yunshui County and could not solve their immediate needs.
The magistrate and his wife of Xiyang County must be secretly plotting something, and may even be watching them, ready to strike with lightning speed at any moment.
Xu Mo longed to grow up, to become stronger, to have ability, and also to... uncover the cause of his parents' death.
He studied diligently for the county examination in February, even putting aside copying books to study every day, continuing even when he frowned.
There are twelve two-hour periods in a day. Apart from four hours for sleeping and one hour for eating, Xu Mo spends the remaining seven hours studying.
Jiang Sheng couldn't bear to watch any longer, so she hugged his arm and said coquettishly, "Big brother, you'll wear yourself out like this. You should rest."
Xu Mo shook his head.
Jiang Sheng gritted her teeth, "So, if you ruin your eyesight in the future, are you planning to become a blind scholar? Can a blind scholar still receive preferential treatment? Can he still take the imperial examination? Will he still have a future?"
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