Yunling pondered for a moment, unsure of the local customs or any implications. Fearing she might say something inappropriate or offend, she relinquished the initiative to the shopkeeper, Yu.
How many can the shopkeeper sell for?
"According to my mother-in-law, there aren't many more. Five or six would be a good deal. If you want them, young master, then buy six. It's auspicious to have six of them."
Yunling readily agreed and quickly asked, "How many copper coins is this one? I'd like to settle the payment."
"These ducks weren't expensive, but the cost of marinating them will have to be added. I'll also consider the auspiciousness of my mother-in-law's price. One duck costs 168 coins, and six ducks will be a round number, one string of copper coins."
"OK."
"Didn't you just say you wanted to buy some dried lychee peels? To be honest, the taste of dried peels is far inferior to that of fresh ones."
Yunling scratched her head and joked, "If the shopkeeper could deliver fresh fruit from here to Pingcheng, I wouldn't mind."
"That won't do. But nowadays, many places are growing lychees. Not to mention Pingcheng, even the capital can eat fresh lychees. Young master, you don't have to compromise. You can take these dried longans back with you and add them to soup as a dish."
Yunling had no idea about any of this. She was only thinking that since she had come to Qingcheng, she should buy some local products. Besides, although there were lychees in other places, they might not taste the same. So she thought she should buy some dried products. Now that the shopkeeper Yu had said this, it was a good suggestion for her.
"Shopkeeper, I'll buy two hundred coins worth of dried longan."
Yunling finished eating the rice in her bowl, and after her mouth was empty, she asked again, "Shopkeeper, how much of that beef tendon did you find?"
Are you in a hurry to leave?
"I took on an order before coming here, and I need to rush back to finish it."
Shopkeeper Yu said "Oh," assuming that Yunling and the others would stay at the cotton workshop for a longer period of time, so he wasn't in a hurry to deal with the beef tendon.
"Two days, give me two days, okay?"
Since Shopkeeper Yu had said so, Yunling naturally didn't want to push her too far. It was her own mistake not to label the matter as urgent, so she couldn't blame others for being lax. She smiled and nodded.
**
Yunling stayed in Qingcheng for two more days. Shopkeeper Yu found a total of twenty-eight pieces of beef tendon, which, together with the twenty pieces in his shop, made a total of forty-eight pieces, costing eleven strings of cash and forty coins.
Yunling gave eleven strings of cash and one hundred coins. The extra sixty coins were for the shopkeeper Yu's hard work. If she were to find that much money herself, she didn't know how long it would take or whether she could find it at all. So she had to be sensible to ensure a long-term cooperation.
For Yu, this was just a matter of talking, but seeing how worldly-wise Yunling was, he was pleased and looked forward to the next collaboration.
After packing their things, the next day, Yunling and Gangzi boarded a carriage and followed the He family's caravan. During their stay, He Da had already ordered the transport of a thousand catties of cotton to Yuecheng Port in batches. There were still about a hundred catties left, and Yunling thought it would be good to go along with them so as not to delay them.
"Second Brother, why not stay a couple more days? Let them pack everything up and clean the cabin before heading to the dock."
Yunling laughed and said, "The boss is being frugal. In business, time is money. How can you only care about your own pleasure?"
He Da hurriedly had four padded jackets brought over. "Second brother, take these with you. It's hot now, but by the time you get back to Pingcheng, it will be autumn. Besides, it's a waterway, and the nights will be cool. Wearing these padded jackets will keep you warm."
He Da's murmur reminded Yunling of Zhang Shi. Zhang Shi had also prepared two thin overcoats for her, thinking that she would return before autumn, so she only needed to cover herself with them at night to keep out the chill.
However, the waterway they are taking now will definitely be farther than the land route, and there will be more twists and turns. It is possible that by the time they return, Zhang and Granny Yun will have already dried the cured meats. In addition, Gangzi and the others did not prepare much heavy stuff, so taking what they need will be just right.
Yunling didn't stand on ceremony and said, "Thank you, sir. You may stop here. There's no need to see me off any further. We'll meet again someday."
He Da clasped his hands in a fist salute, said "Until we meet again," and then turned and went back to the neighborhood.
The distance between Qingcheng and Yuecheng is quite far. It took the group a whole day to walk out of Qingcheng's territory. Along the way, they saw the He family's cotton-carrying caravans one after another, and the caravans were quite impressive.
Yunling dreamed of making her own business bigger and stronger in the future. She wanted to expand her business to Qingcheng, Jiangnan, and even the capital.
Sweet dreams keep one asleep. Yunling turned over and hugged the sack next to her. A blurry figure appeared in her mind. It looked like a young man who seemed very busy, looking around and searching.
Yunling tried to see his face clearly, but no matter how hard she tried, it was to no avail. Suddenly, the man's figure disappeared. Yunling searched in vain, and then heard a few male voices coming from mid-air.
"All I want to do in this life is spend it with her."
"Mother, I only want her."
"She's very clever; her name is Lingniang."
Lingniang?
The scene shifts, and Yun Chu's face appears before us.
"Lingniang, you must be happy after you get married."
"Lingniang, he is so good to you."
"Lingniang, you really have met such a fine young man."
Suddenly, Yun Chu's face kept turning around and around. The carriage jolted, and Yun Ling woke up abruptly. Her heart was pounding, and she felt as if she had survived a disaster.
She felt a strong change in the supernatural power within her body, which she thought was the reason she was having dreams; it seemed like she hadn't dreamt in a long time.
"Ling-ge'er, the head镖师 said we have arrived in Yuecheng territory, and it will only take an hour to get to the dock."
Yunling raised the carriage curtain. It was only just dawn outside. She should be able to buy some facial cleansing water to wash her face when she got to the dock.
Gangzi noticed Yunling's expression and asked with concern, "Grandma, what's wrong? Are you homesick? But you don't seem like someone who's homesick."
Yunling raised her hand and flicked his forehead, "You're talking nonsense, I must be dreaming."
"Hey, old folks often say that dreams are the opposite of reality, so if you dream about bad things, it must be false, and there's no need to worry."
"What if it's a good dream?"
"Then the dream must be real, otherwise why would people say that a beautiful dream has come true?"
Yunling couldn't help but facepalm. It was so nice; she'd talked a lot of nonsense first thing in the morning and asked nothing at all.
The carriages gradually stopped at the dock, and the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) met up with the team that had set off earlier to transport cotton to discuss issues such as boats, water routes, and moving distance.
Yunling took Gangzi and the others to a shop near the dock to buy some face wash soup, but as soon as they left, they were gossiped about behind their backs.
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