Chapter 57
Lingshui Village is the poorest village in the surrounding area. The most common thing villagers see on a daily basis is ox carts. When have they ever seen a horse carriage in the village?
This was the first time that a horse-drawn carriage was seen in the village. The villagers couldn't help but wonder what was going on. Some of them followed the carriage to the gate of the Fu family to watch the excitement.
Shopkeeper Luo got off the carriage and looked at the thatched huts that could be seen at a glance. He was not surprised because he knew that Yun County was poor.
It was the first time that Fu Ning saw so many strangers coming to his home, and he timidly hid behind his grandmother.
Yu Ying welcomed Manager Luo into the thatched hut where the medicine was stored. As soon as they entered the house, they were greeted by the smell of medicinal herbs.
The room was kept dry, and the herbs were not packed in sacks. The room was filled with medicine racks, and the winnowing baskets on the racks were also filled with herbs.
Shopkeeper Luo didn't exchange many pleasantries and went forward to check the medicinal materials in a businesslike manner.
After examining her for a moment, Shopkeeper Luo had to look at the young woman differently again.
The cleaning and storage of the herbs are excellent, and the quality is even better than what you can buy elsewhere. Such high-quality herbs would definitely fetch a high price if sold north.
After checking for about a moment, Manager Luo asked someone to come in and weigh the goods before packing them into sacks.
The He family father and son, Song Sanlang, and the eldest brother all came in to help.
Yu Ying went out to help with cooking.
We have to cook for more than a dozen people today, so it will take some time.
After cooking two full earthenware pots of rice, I poured the rice into the basin I usually used to wash vegetables.
Some fat was cut to make lard, and the residue was used to cook cabbage.
Then stir-fry the chopped pork in two pans, put half into the clay pot and the other half into a shallow clay pot for cooking, add the chopped tofu and cook together.
Previously, when Yu Ying was in Yu County, she had to stay until the afternoon. Tofu would easily go bad in the afternoon, so she never bought it.
There were no extra dishes, just pork stewed with tofu and cabbage stewed with oil residue.
The rice was just ready when the herbs were packed.
By noon, after more than an hour of work, everyone smelled the fragrance of the food and was already starving. The dry food they brought no longer tasted good.
Yu Ying wiped the water stains from her hands, walked forward with a smile, and said to Shopkeeper Luo, "Shopkeeper Luo, I'm very grateful that you came to Lingshui Village to collect medicinal herbs."
Shopkeeper Luo replied, "It's just a small favor, not worth mentioning."
Yu Ying cordially invited, "It's already late in the afternoon, and I'm sure everyone is hungry, so I've prepared some simple food. I hope Shopkeeper Luo won't mind."
Shopkeeper Luo naturally wouldn't be disgusted. After all, traveling merchants were constantly on the move, and if they didn't find a post station or a farmer's house, they'd have to camp outdoors. Being able to eat hot meals was already a good treat.
Despite this, Shopkeeper Luo still declined, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Madam Yu. We'll just have to make do with some dry food."
Yu Ying said, "The food is already prepared. Shopkeeper Luo, please don't refuse. Besides, after lunch, I want to ask Shopkeeper Luo if he has any medicinal herbs brought from other places. I would like some."
Upon hearing this, Shopkeeper Luo asked, "What medicinal herbs does Madam Yu want?"
Yu Ying said, "I want the herbs white aconite root, white angelica root, and sweet pine."
Shopkeeper Luo pondered for a moment before saying, "The medicinal herbs that our merchants brought from the north have almost been sold out. Although we still have the herbs that Madam Yu mentioned, the quantity is already limited."
"That's perfect. I don't need much, just about two kilograms in total."
Shopkeeper Luo thought for a moment and said, "We still have two catties. If Madam Yu wants it after we get back, she can go to the Tongyue Inn and pick it up. It's not expensive, but you still have to pay for the transportation, so it's forty coins per catty."
The price of medicinal materials doubled when they were moved to another place, and the long distance was a major reason for this.
Yu Ying nodded and agreed.
After several attempts to persuade him to stay, Manager Luo finally had the meal.
After the meal, the bill was settled in the dining room.
The only people in the room were Manager Yu, two followers holding wooden boxes, Yu Ying and the eldest brother.
Shopkeeper Luo turned his abacus and said, "Sixteen wen worth of herbs is four hundred and two catties, a total of six thousand four hundred and thirty-two wen. Twenty-one wen worth is eighty-nine catties, a total of one thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine wen. Six wen per ounce is about thirteen and a half catties, a total of one thousand three hundred wen."
At the end of his words, the movement on the abacus also stopped. After taking a look, he looked up at Madam Yu.
He said, "The total is nine thousand six hundred and one coins."
There are a few pounds more medicinal materials than expected, but that’s not a problem.
Yu Ying roughly calculated it in her mind, and nodded when she found that it was correct.
Shopkeeper Luo raised his hand, and then two followers placed the wooden box on the table.
When I put it down, I could feel the box's slight heaviness; even the table moved.
After opening, there were five strings of coins in each box.
Shopkeeper Luo stood up and had a medium-sized scale brought in. He said, "To be exact, each guan of money is five catties, with a difference of five zhu."
Ten strings of coins were weighed separately, and the difference between each string of coins was only two or three zhu.
After weighing, Manager Luo asked his attendant to count out 399 coins from the one string of coins.
Half a minute later, the two followers counted out all the copper coins.
Shopkeeper Luo looked at Madam Yu and asked, "Madam Yu, do you want to count them again?"
There are more than 9,000 copper coins here, and it would take several people a long time to count them. Besides, counting them would delay Manager Luo's return to Yu County.
Even if there was a difference of a dozen copper coins, Yu Ying would not lose money. After all, it was Manager Luo who came to collect it personally, and she did not have to send it by ox cart, so the cart fare was saved.
Yu Ying smiled and said, "Shopkeeper Luo still has to rush back to Yu County before dark. Besides, I trust Shopkeeper Luo, so I won't count it."
Shopkeeper Luo smiled and said, "If I come to Yu County to buy herbs again in the future, I will have someone go to Wu's Restaurant in advance to pass a message to Madam Yu."
After thanking him, Yu Ying sent Manager Luo away.
Looking at the carriage going away, Yu Ying breathed a sigh of relief.
After two months of hard work, I finally saw real money.
When she turned around, she saw some villagers watching the fun, and Yu Ying's brows became more worried.
The Fu family's life is gradually getting better, which is bound to make other people feel gradually unbalanced.
Someone boldly inquired, "Second daughter-in-law of the Fu family, you must have made a lot of money by selling so many medicinal herbs, right?"
Yu Ying replied calmly, "It's just a small business. I can't make much money."
After saying that, she turned and went back to the dining room.
After Luo came out, he asked everyone to disperse.
However, there were still people who wanted to get information from Luo, but Luo kept his mouth shut and didn't reveal a single word.
Yu Ying waited until there was no one outside before putting the copper coins in the backpack. Since they weighed almost fifty kilograms, she asked her eldest brother to help carry them back into the house.
After Fu Zhen moved the backpack back into the house, he left, perhaps to avoid suspicion.
Yu Ying spread an old mat on the ground, then took out a string of coins from her backpack, placed them on the mat, and sat down.
She looked up at Fu Wei, unable to suppress the smile on her face: "This time we really made money. Our future life will be better, and the He family can also take He Erlang back home."
Yu Ying felt as if the sky had finally cleared after a storm, and she felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted, and she felt much more relaxed.
Fu Wei's gaze fell on her smiling face, a smile appeared in his eyes, and his heart relaxed because of her emotion.
She had been worried that something might go wrong with the delivery these past few days, and a hint of worry could be seen on her face. Even though she had a smile on her face, there was a hint of fatigue underneath it.
Fu Wei said slowly: "This is all thanks to you."
Yu Ying shook her head. "It's not all my credit. Without the help of others, it wouldn't have been so smooth. After all, it's impossible for me to deliver 500 kilograms of herbs on time by myself."
She lowered her eyes and thought for a moment, then listed them one by one: "Besides collecting herbs, everyone came to help build the thatched hut, help set up the medicine rack and weave the winnowing basket. And Auntie and Fu'an and Funing also helped with washing, drying and collecting herbs. You also helped with cutting herbs. These are also work, and we can't just ignore them."
She opened the lid of the bamboo tube. Fu Wei had difficulty walking, so he usually helped cut herbs in the house. Perhaps to give him something to do, no one rushed to do this job, so almost half of the herbs were cut by Fu Wei.
Fu Wei jokingly asked, "Could it be that you want to give me some money too?"
Yu Ying nodded seriously: "Of course I want it. The work you do is what facilitates the business. How can I not give it to you?"
Fu Wei was just joking, but he didn't expect her to actually have such an idea. He paused and politely declined, "I don't need it. You can just give it to them."
Yu Ying deliberately made an excuse and said, "That won't work. If you don't want it, how are you going to pay me back for the money I spent on pens, ink, and paper? It's so expensive."
Upon hearing this, Fu Wei burst out laughing: "Then give it to me as you like."
Yu Ying shook her head and said, "Public is public, private is private. If you can't distinguish between public and private, even the closest brothers will turn against each other over the word 'money'."
After saying that, he lowered his head and thought carefully.
Fu Wei heard this and his eyes softened as he looked at her.
Her character is something that many people cannot achieve, and that is why his eyes follow her.
Yu Ying thought for a moment before saying, "If I pay you based on the daily wage, that's five coins a day. You helped me out for about a month in two months, so that would be one hundred and fifty coins."
As she spoke, Yu Ying counted out the copper coins, strung them into a string with a hemp rope, and handed it to him.
Fu Wei took it, but then handed it back to her: "I don't need it right now, so I'll leave it with you for safekeeping. Minus the money for the pens, ink, and paper, I'll ask you to help buy anything I need."
Yu Ying looked at the copper coin that had just been handed over and returned to her a few breaths ago, and was stunned for a moment.
…Why does it feel like the husband gives his salary to his wife?
Is it an illusion?
Yu Ying shook her head and said, "No, no, you should keep it yourself. I'll calculate the money for pens, ink and paper with you tonight. I have to calculate the money for everyone first and ask them to come and collect it in the evening."
Fu Wei, who was rejected, lowered his eyes to look at the heavy string of coins in his palm. A look of loss flashed across his eyes, but he still put the copper coins on the table.
Yu Ying said to him, "If you have time, please help me count them. Divide them into 100 coins per string, and count them as 45 strings in total."
Fu Wei stood up, held onto the bamboo bed, and slowly sat down on the old mat, counting copper coins with her.
After an hour, forty-five strings were counted.
After counting for an hour, Yu Ying's hands became numb and sore. This must be because her hands really cramped from counting money.
Even so, she still loves this feeling very much now.
After taking a deep breath, she said to Fu Wei, "I roughly calculated that four thousand five hundred coins should be enough."
At this time, there was a knock on the door, followed by the eldest sister-in-law's voice: "We had a late lunch just now, so I thought I would make porridge tonight, but I wonder if my second brother and sister-in-law would like porridge or rice?"
Yu Ying looked at Fu Wei, and Fu Wei said, "I'm fine with anything."
Yu Ying was about to reply, but when she thought about asking Fu An to go to the He family, she decided to go out and reply.
But when he was halfway up, his legs became numb from sitting for too long. A sudden tingling sensation spread throughout his left leg, and he fell forward.
Fu Wei was quick to reach out and hold her shoulders, steadying her body.
Yu Ying took a deep breath and, after a moment's rest, the numbness and tingling in her legs and feet made her afraid to move. Any movement would cause her pain. She could only tense her body and say in a stiff voice, "Don't move. Let me take a break."
Fu Wei didn't move, looking at the woman who was so close to him, so close that he could even see the fine hairs on her face clearly.
He swallowed unconsciously, his Adam's apple rolling up and down slowly.
After the most painful moment subsided, Yu Ying came back to her senses a little and was about to tell Fu Wei to wait a little longer, but when she looked at Fu Wei, she realized that they were so close.
But it was only a foot away.
As their eyes met, an ambiguous atmosphere gradually descended, making Yu Ying inexplicably nervous and uncomfortable.
Yu Ying had always known that Fu Wei had a good-looking face. The closer she looked, the clearer it became.
Fu Wei has deep facial features, especially his peach blossom eyes, which are like a pool of deep water and have a somewhat confusing feeling.
Meeting those deep eyes, Yu Ying's heart couldn't help but beat faster.
The palms holding her arms were also large and strong, and the warmth from the palms was transmitted to her arms through her clothes.
At this time, Fu Wei opened his thin lips slightly and said in a low and deep voice: "Be careful."
Yu Ying suddenly woke up and blinked a few times before she said, "I should be recovering now. You can let go now."
Fu Wei withdrew his hand, and Yu Ying slowly sat down on the ground, looking away and gently rubbing her legs.
The eldest sister-in-law, who had waited for no response, called out suspiciously, "Second brother, sister-in-law?"
Yu Ying replied, "Just make porridge, no need to bother."
The room fell silent again. The two of them remained silent for a long time, and the atmosphere was somewhat subtle.
Yu Ying lowered her eyes and rubbed her legs for a while. The numbness gradually subsided. She stood up again, holding the edge of the bed. Without even glancing at Fu Wei, she simply said, "I'll be out for a while."
After saying that, he dragged his still numb legs out of the house.
Fu Wei looked at her figure which seemed to be about to escape, pursed his thin lips slightly, and lowered his eyes.
They were together for a short while, and even though they hadn't said anything, he still seemed to sense her resistance to him...
After Yu Ying left the house, she went to the dining room, poured herself half a bowl of tea, drank it, and then she let out a breath. Only then did her mood gradually calm down.
Matters of the heart are not within Yu Ying's consideration for the time being.
She might have thought about staying in the Fu family before, and she might have thought about continuing to be his wife, but that was just a fleeting thought, not a well-thought-out one.
Even though she knew that she might never be able to return to her original world, she still had hope.
What if?
What if one day she can really go back, but she already has a family in this era?
By then, it will only add to the worries and troubles caused by the gap in time.
She didn't want anything else now. She just wanted to have money and the ability to protect herself so that she could live a better life.
After suppressing the restlessness in her heart, Yu Ying walked out of the dining room and called Fu An over as if nothing had happened, asking him to go to the He family and Song Sanlang's home to deliver a message.
Just say you'll go to Fu's house after nightfall.
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