11 Chapter 11
◎Flowering sesame◎
The night was dim and the road was unclear, so he just chose a quiet path to walk on. Someone shouted from behind him, and he panicked. When he turned around, he saw only a cluster of torches.
Torches were hanging in the sky, and it was a dim day. The group was searching the stalls behind them. The streets and alleys were wide and there was no place to hide. They saw a lazy beggar lying down, so they turned their coat over and covered his head with it. In a blink of an eye, she became an orphan who had to sell herself to bury her father.
The orphan girl was in rags and had a sign stuck on her head, which attracted the attention of Madam Cheng. She asked her if she was selling herself to bury her father. The group of people walked away one by one, and no one paid attention to the dead body that had nowhere to be buried.
The dead man lay on a wooden board and was carried away by several people. He then sat up straight in the cemetery and shouted: "Tongzi..."
The copper coin was on Madam Cheng on the kang. She was as straight as a corpse, without a trace of life. Suddenly, a dark cloud descended, and the surroundings were dark. The cold air penetrated people and made their hair stand on end.
That night, Mu Yun woke up from a dream!
After he woke up, he recalled the past events several times. That night, Mrs. Cheng was in a good mood and drank a jar of Fenjiu. She died in the middle of the night.
He had touched the bodies of his parents and knew what a corpse felt like.
It was just a compromise, he didn't really sell himself to her. He took a gold hairpin from her, finished his business, and came back to collect her body. He had done his best.
The strange thing is, when the daybreak came, she took a nap and all of these things were covered up. It was not until she took the initiative to confess yesterday that the veil was lifted and she could recall them again.
Mu Yun also gave Cheng Mu the seeds he bought in the East Market, "These, plant them."
Cheng Xi took a look and asked, "Sesame?"
Mu Yun was sure that there was no sesame at home, and he wanted to see with his own eyes how she grew it.
Cheng Mu took the sesame seeds and knew that Mu Yun wanted to get to the bottom of it. She smiled and said like a magic trick, "Just watch..."
A thought transfers the sesame seeds into space.
My little pocket is empty!
Mu Yun looked at her in amazement.
Cheng Mu explained, "It has been planted."
Mu Yun: "Where to plant it?"
"A place you can't see or reach, a place that doesn't exist in this world."
Although Mu Yun was shocked by Zhima's instant disappearance, he was still half-believing and half-doubting. He stayed with Cheng Mu for an hour, and after an hour, Cheng Mu asked him to spread out paper and grind ink while she started painting.
The blooming sesame seeds emerge clearly on the paper.
Mu Yun thought of the flowering ginseng from last time.
He had also seen some paintings by literati and poets, which were completely different from Cheng Mu's paintings. Her paintings had no virtual or real artistic conception, and each part was very clear, and you could tell what it was at a glance, just like a carving by a carpenter or a painting embroidered on clothes. They were especially suitable for demonstrations. No wonder Jiang liked her paintings.
Another hour passed, and Cheng Mu told him, "Bring a bag."
Mu Yun only had a small bag for buying sesame seeds in his hand, and Cheng Mu shook her head.
She found a piece of clothing, moved everything on the table away, and spread the clothing on the table.
Cheng Mu said to Mu Yun, "We've gained something."
In the blink of an eye, a pile of sesame seeds appeared on the table like a small mountain.
Mu Yun almost jumped up. Madam Cheng...
"Don't look at me like that. My abilities are limited to this. I can't make a fortune or become an official, but I can keep myself from starving. Of course, I can support you."
Mu Yun: ...
Reincarnated from the dead...with some magical powers, probably a spirit or ghost!
"What are you two talking about? Oh, sesame seeds! Are you buying so many to make oil?" Jiang brought the food over. Mu Yun's first reaction was to cover it up. He stepped forward to wrap the sesame seeds, but Jiang slapped his hand away. "Such nice clothes, why are you using them to wrap sesame seeds? You're wasting good things. Don't you have sacks at home?"
Cheng Mu said, "I forgot to buy it."
"I have some. I'll give you one for ten cents. If you want a few, I'll get them for you right away."
Cheng Mu said two, and Jiang went to get them.
Mu Yun remembered that she once said that she had no father, no mother, and no brothers or sisters, which was completely different from what the oil mill said, and everything made sense.
"Your secret—why are you telling me?"
"It's intuition. We're destined to be together. I knew it the first time I saw you. It's a deep bond, not a bad one. You see, Madam Jiang is enthusiastic, but she's clearly after profit. How can she be as reliable as you?"
Reliable. Mu Yun felt like he was scalded. Is he reliable?
Cheng Mu trusted her intuition, "So we can become a family."
Cheng Mu used coercion and inducement, and she was also very thoughtful. She was young and malleable. If she believed the wrong thing, she would die. Anyway, the existence of this space made her feel unreal.
"You...what else do you want me to do for you?"
Young and receptive, as expected. Cheng Mu smiled, "First, keep the secret, second, buy the seeds, third, sell the goods, and fourth, protect me. When you want to leave, I will give you a large sum of money."
Even spirits have to hire bodyguards, so how could Mu Yun be afraid of them?
Mu Yun arrived at Renxin Hall. Shopkeeper Wang was preparing medicine for a customer. Seeing Mu Yun carrying a bag, he casually asked, "Young man, are you here to see a doctor or get medicine?"
The young man who was waiting for the shopkeeper to weigh the medicine turned around and saw Mu Yun, his eyes lit up, "It's you."
Mu Yun also recognized him. He was the one who sold him the ginseng seeds that day. "Young Master, are you here to get some medicine?"
"Hmm."
"Master, are you still staying at the Dongsheng Inn?"
"Hmm."
The young man asked, "Have you planted your seeds? Have they sprouted?"
Mu Yun weighed the bag and thought to himself, the ginseng has grown, it’s all here.
Shopkeeper Wang praised the medicine as a good one and said to the young man, "Young Master Qin's illness needs to be treated every day. Only by taking ginseng pills to nourish and recuperate can it be effective."
"Hmm."
Young Master Qin carried a few packets of medicine, nodded to Mu Yun, and left.
The shopkeeper said "Goodbye" from behind, and Mu Yun followed Master Qin out.
Young Master Qin walked for a while and felt that there was a tail following him. He looked back and saw the child following him with a bag on his shoulder. He stopped when he stopped, and he stopped too. He walked a little and looked back, and the little tail followed him.
Arriving at the Dongsheng Inn, Master Qin handed the medicine to the waiter, who was very skilled and seemed to have been preparing it for him for a long time. Mu Yun thought that Master Qin must be ill after staying here for so long.
Young Master Qin found a table and sat down, then waved to Mu Yun.
When Mu Yun came over, he asked, "What are you following me for? Is it because the seeds won't sprout? Just wait and see. Ginseng won't grow in just one or two years. It takes several months to sprout."
He originally planned to grow ginseng himself, but his health was not good and he was afraid that he would not live as long as the ginseng, and it was even a question whether he would be able to see the seedlings emerge.
Mu Yun asked him, "Do you have any money?"
"Hmm?" Young Master Qin didn't know what he meant by asking this question suddenly.
Mu Yun asked, "Do you want to grow ginseng yourself because you don't have money to buy it?"
Young Master Qin burst out laughing and thought for a moment, "I guess so."
Mu Yun looked around the inn. Dongsheng Inn was the best inn in Puyang City. The person who could live here for so long was not short of money. Mu Yun asked, "Do you have seventy taels of silver? If so, I will sell all these to you." He put the bundle on the table.
Young Master Qin glanced over and asked what it was.
Mu Yun opened a corner of the bundle, and Master Qin took a closer look and gasped.
This is a lot of money, only seventy taels?
Young Master Qin gestured, "Let me take a closer look."
Mu Yun untied the bag and showed him everything, pinching the edges to block other people's view.
The plump fresh ginseng was full of life-prolonging energy. Young Master Qin couldn't help but widen his eyes with surprise, and his handsome eyes curved slightly. "Boy, did you grow all these?"
Mu Yun tied the bag again and said, "If you can't afford it, I'll sell it to Renxin Hall."
Young Master Qin held his hand and said, "Don't worry, don't worry."
When Mu Yun came out of Dongsheng Inn, he had a silver note worth one hundred taels in his arms.
Fortunately, he could recognize a few words, and Master Wen had just told him about silver notes a few days ago. He had already seen what silver notes looked like from Master Wen, so this time he chose silver notes over silver.
He guessed correctly. Young Master Qin, who had the leisure to grow ginseng, was indeed a rich man. Moreover, since he had no change for the seventy-liang item, he forced him to give him a hundred liang.
Mu Yun returned to report, and Cheng Mu admired the banknote of the Great Xuan Dynasty very carefully.
Silver notes were issued in the early days of this dynasty, but their value became increasingly worthless over the decades, and the market was in chaos. Twenty years ago, reforms were implemented, and officials' salaries were paid in silver notes, and the credibility of silver notes gradually increased.
Of course, ordinary people still prefer real gold and silver. Although silver notes are easy to carry and exchange, people still prefer to exchange them for gold and silver and keep them.
Cheng Xi was going to use the money to buy a house, just to pass it on to someone else.
"Madam Cheng! Madam Cheng!" Jiang came into the inner courtyard with a look of astonishment. "Madam Cheng, that Mr. Li from the alley is Mu Yun's Master Wen. His family just came to ask for the bill!"
Cheng Mu asked, "Ask about the bill? What bill do you want to ask about?"
Cheng Mu didn't know, and the original Cheng Jiuniang didn't know either, that before people in this dynasty sold a house, they had to write down a list of their relatives, friends, and neighbors, and ask them one by one. Only when everyone agreed and there was written evidence could they sell it, and they were the priority buyers.
Jiang glared. "They're selling the house and asking all the neighbors. This is too sudden. Mr. Li still has to take the imperial examination, how come his family can suddenly afford to buy a house? Mr. Li said he wants to move to a three-story house in the south of the city."
The imperial examination cost a lot of money, and sometimes the whole family had to work together to support one person.
Cheng Mu recalled Mu Yun's words about Li Xiucai teaching him how to recognize banknotes. The banknotes in Li Xiucai's hand...
Has Li Xiucai become rich?
Jiang was also wondering if Li Xiucai had some kind of opportunity. "Madam Cheng, will you buy it? His house is about the same size as mine, and it's priced at two hundred and thirty taels. But it's not as new as mine, and there are too many people, so it costs money, food, clothes, charcoal in winter, everything, including the house."
Cheng Mu, the wife of Li Xiucai, had been to the house when she took Mu Yun to learn from her teacher. Regardless of the quality of the house, she was currently very satisfied with it. "Aunt, I want to buy it. Please be my middleman."
Jiang clapped her hands and said, "It's good to buy it here! I'll go and talk it over. It's fine. You still need to find an official and sign the deed."
Cheng Mu nodded, "Let's go find that Guan Ya from last time."
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