Seeing that the copper coins in Zhang's large box were too scattered, Yun Ruoxia helped count them. Once there were a thousand copper coins, she strung them together with a rope. In the end, she counted out twenty strings of copper coins and more than eighty copper coins.
The copper coins in this large box were used for the family's daily expenses. Zhang didn't expect to save much here, so she didn't need to take money from the small box.
“If we remove 5,300 strings of cash, then my sister-in-law will only have 500 strings left…”
Seeing that the conversation was about money, other family members gathered around. Old Man Yun and Yun Shenghua also came over from the next room. Yun Shenghua said:
"Five hundred strings of cash is quite a lot; it's better than many other people's wealth."
Old Man Yun was somewhat reluctant to speak, but he had no choice but to say it.
"I still have some wages and material costs to be settled later, and it adds up to quite a bit."
Zhang also said:
"Aunt Fan and the others' wages are due soon, and it's not a small amount."
Old Lady Yun immediately turned her gaze to Yun Ruoxia and said softly:
“You never spend a penny normally, but you probably have two or three thousand strings of cash hidden away. Right now, your family is in urgent need of money, so take it out and help out. We’ll talk about it when Ling’er comes back.”
"What do you mean???"
Yun Ruoxia immediately reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, her fur standing on end and even her voice becoming shrill. Over the years, she had only earned a meager living, and she had given the lion's share of the profits from selling royal jelly to Zhang Shi.
Right now, she has only saved up a little money, not two or three thousand strings of cash, just a few hundred strings, but it is money she has worked hard to earn. How can she just take it out like that?
Yun Ruoxia refused, saying directly:
“It’s not even winter yet, there are still two batches of royal jelly to sell and make money. Our family is not as poor as Mother said.”
"you,"
"Sister Xia is right..."
Zhang could understand Yun Ruoxia. She saved some of the money she earned and spent some. Yun Ling was always running around doing business and building relationships, so naturally she had to spend money. Yun Ruoxia didn't need to go through that trouble, so it was normal for her to save her money.
We absolutely cannot take her money just because she saved it and didn't spend it. That would be neither kind nor fair.
“I remember it was more than five thousand guan. I don’t know if I put some of the money somewhere else when I moved here from my home.”
Zhang rummaged through the boxes again, and when she saw Yunling's clothes, she suddenly realized what was happening and said:
"Oh, I remember now, Sister Ling went to Bianjing and asked for three thousand strings of cash."
“Mother has misremembered. Lingniang clearly said that night that she had three thousand strings of cash on her, which she had wanted to return to Young Master Lu, but he returned it to her and even added another thousand strings. She said she was worried that she wouldn’t have enough money to buy this dyed cloth, so she left two thousand strings and kept only one thousand strings for herself to go on her journey.”
To avoid forgetting things herself, Yun Chu simply recited everything she remembered.
“Lingniang also said that she wanted Father and Mother to arrange for the musicians and the young ladies to have a New Year’s Eve dinner together so that everyone could have some fun. If they wanted, they could also give them New Year’s money. Mother really forgot about that.”
As Zhang listened to Yun Chu's words, she recalled the night she helped Yun Ling pack her luggage. Her expression softened. Yes, Yun Ling had said something like that, but she had forgotten because she was in a hurry to move things after returning from the dock.
"Where did Ling'er put those two thousand strings of cash?"
Yun Ruoxia asked impatiently.
Yun Chu reached into the soft pillow and, sure enough, pulled out twenty banknotes from inside.
"Here it is."
Yun Ruoxia snatched it and placed it in Zhang's hands, then looked triumphantly at Old Madam Yun.
"I knew it. Before Lingjie left, she only told me to go and talk business. She didn't tell me to pay out of my own pocket. I guess she must have had some plans. I knew our family wouldn't be unable to make ends meet."
"You're such a dead grass, I wouldn't even let you pick the manure, for fear you'd feel you've picked too much and would be dissatisfied and try to steal some."
With the financial crisis resolved, everyone was in high spirits and had a good laugh.
Yun Ruoxia was happy to see that she didn't have to spend any money, so she didn't care how her mother scolded her. She was just happy.
**
The next day, Yunling slept until she naturally woke up. She hadn't had such a comfortable sleep in a long time, so much so that she didn't even know that her youngest son had gone out early in the morning to sell lotus root candy. Now that he had returned from town, it wouldn't be appropriate for him to drive the donkey cart out again, so she went up the mountain with him.
After lunch, Yunling was too lazy to move, so she stayed at home helping her father-in-law make lotus root candy. In the evening, she strolled around the village.
Today the sky is clear, and there's a beautiful sunset in the evening. There's still rice in the fields that hasn't been harvested yet. A cool breeze blows, making the rice waves roll, and the fragrance of rice wafts in the air—it's wonderful!
Gangzi and Tang Ling followed behind Yunling. Yunling looked at the rice paddies, and he looked at the rice paddies; Yunling looked at the sunset, and he looked at the sunset. However, when his gaze swept to the right, his eyes couldn't help but fall on Tang Ling's profile.
The setting sun cast its last rays on her face, outlining her most beautiful features. This person seems quite handsome too. Sure enough, the eldest brother knows how to pick people. Someone like him is good-looking, even better-looking than the second brother.
On the third day, after her youngest son returned, Yunling brought up the matter of leaving. The elderly couple were very reluctant to see her go. Yunling and her family had brought a lively atmosphere to the house, and they were naturally saddened to see her leave after only two days.
"Let's stay a little longer. They say it takes a hundred years of cultivation to share a boat ride and a thousand years to share a pillow. We are able to live under the same roof. I don't know how many lifetimes of cultivation we have to cultivate to have such a rare and precious opportunity."
If Yunling hadn't been dressed as a man, she would have already taken the old woman's hand.
"Thank you for taking care of me these past two days. It's just that we have some things to take care of in town, as we're leaving for Bianjing early the day after tomorrow, and we don't want to bother you here..."
"If you're leaving the day after tomorrow, that's perfectly fine."
"I wonder if Grandma sells her smoked pork? And Grandpa's lotus root candy, please sell them to me too, so I can take them with me on the road, there are a lot of people on the boat."
Yunling quickly stopped the old woman from trying to persuade her again. She hated the tug-of-war during partings; the more tug-of-war there was, the more reluctant she would be to leave. The best thing was to just leave as soon as possible, so that she would have fewer worries in her heart and her journey would be easier.
"Take it if you like it, I'm not saying whether it's for sale or not."
“Grandma didn’t charge me, and even if it tasted delicious, I wouldn’t want it. But Grandma agreed and sold it to me. Otherwise, if I come to Shucheng again, I won’t dare to stay here with you again.”
Upon hearing Yunling say she would come again next time, the old couple were very happy. They quickly gathered up the cured meat, tearing off about ten catties for Yunling, and said they would stop at fifty coins. They also gave Yunling the lotus root candy they had already torn, asking for only ten coins.
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