Chapter 3, The Third Inn in Pingxi Town
"Do you know how to build a thatched hut?" Yunyin asked, looking at the still dejected young man.
"A thatched hut? What's so difficult about that?" The young man's eyes lit up. "I'll do anything else you need to do, as long as you let me go, everything will be fine."
Yunyin ignored him and continued to ask, "Besides farming, what other skills do you have?"
The young man got up and said eagerly, "I also know a little bit of bamboo weaving. Although my skills aren't perfect, I can weave simple things."
He wanted to scratch his head, but his hands were bound and he couldn't move, so he had to give up and said with a silly smile, "It's just that it might not be very durable, so I can't exchange it for money."
"But don't worry, it'll be fine for everyday use, just you might need to replace it frequently."
The more he talked, the more embarrassed he became, looking at Yunyin with anticipation.
Yunyin pulled back the whip and continued to restrain his hands, saying, "Come with me to town first, and I'll arrange work for you when we get back."
"It's impossible to let you go. You did try to coerce me into doing work to correct my mistakes."
What's your name?
The young man shook his arm and said, "So that the young lady knows, my name is Zhang Lin, but everyone calls me Linzi."
"My home is in Wenxian County, Longyou..."
Yunyin did not interrupt his long-winded speech. From his rambling, she not only learned that he was the only one left in his family, but also the specific situation of his hometown, and had a general understanding of the situation in Long'an County.
As they got closer to the town, Zhang Lin quickly grabbed Yun Yin and said, "Hey, Yun Niangzi, I can't go to town."
On the way, Yunyin had already told him her name, so now he called her Lady Yun.
Zhang Lin pulled Yunyin to the side of the road, pointing to his clothes and saying, "My clothes are tattered and I have whip marks on my body. I look like a vagrant. If the town's hangers-on see me, they'll definitely report me to the authorities. If they think I'm a fugitive, I might lose my life."
Yunyin looked at his clothes, which were indeed tattered. In addition, they were even more tattered now because she had used a whip on them before, and the red marks inside were clearly visible.
Yunyin glanced around to make sure no one was watching them, then pulled him into the woods. She chose a tall tree, tied him to it with vines, and after confirming it was safe, she said:
"You wait for me here. I'll be right back. We agreed that you'd work for me for a year, and I'd provide you with room and board. If you perform well, I'll go to the village head to register you with a temporary household registration and then formally sign an employment contract with you."
"But just in case, you should stay in the tree for now to avoid running into the constables from before."
Zhang Lin looked at Yun Yin under the tree and said mournfully, "Miss Yun, if you tie me to this tree and we run into the yamen runners, won't I just get arrested?"
Yunyin watched him move around in the tree, shaking off many leaves. She said leisurely, "As long as you don't make a sound, the constables won't be able to find you."
She deliberately chose a large tree, so that even if you looked up carefully, you might not be able to see anything. As long as he didn't make a sound, how could anyone discover him?
Yunyin clapped her hands, picked up the basket under the tree, and said to Zhang Lin, "Alright, I'll be back soon. You stay up in the tree."
After saying that, she left the woods and quickly caught up with the group she had met earlier, following them into the town. Sure enough, there were people patrolling at the town entrance. The man glanced at Yunyin several times, but seeing her open and honest face, and noticing that her clothes were clean and without patches, unlike those of an ordinary young lady, he didn't dare to ask any more questions and quickly let her into the town.
Yunyin breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the idlers actually let her into town. Fortunately, before entering the town, she had used some skills she had learned on the film set to dress herself up, and coupled with her open and honest demeanor, the idlers did not ask any questions.
However, this method can only be used once or twice. If she goes to town frequently, she will definitely attract attention. After all, she has heard that recently, both the town and the county have been checking unfamiliar faces very strictly.
Even the entrance to the town was guarded, so Yunyin had to be on high alert.
Upon entering the town, Yunyin followed the flow of people across an arched bridge, officially stepping into the town.
Pingxi Town is not a very prosperous town. There is only one large restaurant. Most of the other stalls are set up by farmers, selling agricultural products. Occasionally, you can see food vendors, which are usually selling steamed buns and sesame cakes.
Yunyin strolled around Pingxi Town, carrying her basket towards the vegetable, egg, and meat vendors. Along the way, she encountered a woman carrying a wooden bucket, walking unsteadily. The woman nearly tripped as she passed Yunyin, but Yunyin caught her in time, preventing a potential disaster.
"Oh, thank you so much, young lady." The woman quickly put down the large bucket and thanked her repeatedly. "If it weren't for you, young lady, I would have done all this for nothing."
Yunyin shook her head and said, "No, I'm just lending a hand."
The woman glanced at Yunyin's basket and asked, "Young lady, are you also here to sell things in town? I'm going there too. Would you like to come with me?"
Yunyin was short of someone to lead the way, so she quickly agreed, "Then I'll help you carry it, sister-in-law."
As soon as she touched the large bucket, Yunyin smelled the fresh aroma of beans. While helping out, she asked, "Is your product tofu, sister-in-law?"
The woman laughed and said, "My lady, you have a nice nose. It really is tofu."
The two followed the flow of people to a place where the woman put her things down before asking Yunyin, "What are you selling, madam? I just saw a basket of bamboo shoots. You don't only sell these, do you?"
Yunyin took out the wild vegetables she was carrying and then picked up the bamboo rat that had been lying to the side, saying, "That's all."
"Oh my, this bamboo rat is so fat." She swallowed hard. "But sister, is this all you sell? Although bamboo rat is meat, most people wouldn't buy it to eat."
“If you’re going to eat, eat mutton. Although mutton is expensive, you can buy some pork instead. Pork has more fat. If you can’t afford pork, you can buy chicken or fish. You can’t sell meat like this at a stall. It doesn’t have much fat and not much meat.”
“You can only sell it to restaurants or in the county town. Ordinary people can’t afford to buy this meat.” The woman glanced at the basket of wild vegetables again, her mouth twitching slightly, but she couldn’t help but say, “Sister, didn’t your family tell you that wild vegetables are only for your own family to eat? Ordinary people won’t buy these bitter wild vegetables, they’re not rich families.”
"Now that all kinds of vegetables are growing, these wild vegetables probably won't sell. However, some people do eat elm seeds, but they won't buy them with money; they'll probably just barter with other things."
“These days, everyone tries to save money wherever they can. The things you’re selling are everywhere in the mountains. In our county, only restaurants occasionally buy a little bit.”
As Yunyin listened to her sister-in-law talk more and more, she learned that this was all based on experience. She listened quietly, but seeing her sister-in-law looking at her with curiosity and increasing confusion, Yunyin lowered her head shyly and said, "Sister-in-law, I know, but you also know that there's nothing in the village that can be exchanged for money."
"Eggs and such are valuable items in my home. I can only gather things on the mountain to exchange for some copper coins. I had a hard time catching this bamboo rat."
The woman dismissed her doubts and agreed, saying, "That's true. It's not easy for farmers to save money. If I didn't have some skills, I wouldn't be able to earn any." Then she realized something was off, her gaze falling on the girl's clothes. "Hey, wait a minute, girl. You're wearing such nice clothes, how can you be short of money?"
Seeing that her sister-in-law was suspicious again, Yunyin had no choice but to scratch her cheek and say, "Sister-in-law, this is the only set of clothes I have. I don't even wear it at home." What she said was true; she really didn't wear this outfit at home, and it was her only set of clothes at the moment.
Yunyin was afraid that her sister-in-law would continue to ask questions, so she quickly interrupted her and said, "Sister-in-law, you have excellent skills. I think your tofu is delicious."
She was right. As soon as the woman opened the lid, a regular customer came over and said, "Sister Fang, give me a piece of tofu, the same price as before."
"That's right, that's right, still 3 coins." Aunt Fang carefully packed a piece of tofu for the woman. The tofu was very large, and just one piece filled the large bowl the woman had brought. After the woman who bought the tofu left, Aunt Fang waved her hand and said to Yunyin, "This is all I'm good at. Luckily, it can supplement my family's income."
"I haven't even asked where you're from yet, young lady. I've never seen such a fair-skinned lady before." Aunt Fang glanced at Yunyin's hairstyle. Although it was simple, it was still the kind of hairstyle an unmarried woman would wear. "How old are you, young lady? You're so pretty, hasn't your family arranged a marriage for you?"
It seems that whether in ancient or modern times, matchmaking is unavoidable. She quickly changed the subject and continued to talk about business.
Just then, a carriage passed by in front of them. A gentle breeze lifted the curtain, revealing a slender and beautiful woman. Her resolute eyes instantly caught Yunyin's attention.
Perhaps Yunyin had been looking for too long, because the woman followed her gaze and saw that it was a beautiful woman. She was slightly taken aback, smiled and nodded at Yunyin. Yunyin also nodded in response. After the woman's carriage left, Aunt Fang, who had been attending to the guests, secretly moved over and said, "Madam Luo is becoming more and more capable. Now she can even use a horse."
Yunyin looked away and asked Aunt Fang, "What do you mean by that?"
"I heard that Madam Luo is an only child, and her family owns a restaurant. They had a lot of arguments about this business back then. But Madam Luo was very decisive and persuaded her family to let her marry into the family so that he could inherit the business."
“If life had continued like this, Madam Luo wouldn’t have had to worry about the rest of her life. But who would have thought that her husband would die in an accident less than a year after their marriage, and they didn’t have any children.” Aunt Fang sighed. “And then, her parents also caught a cold and died. Now there are all sorts of rumors, and some people are even saying that Madam Luo is unfilial and caused her parents’ deaths.”
"Her clan had a dispute over property before, so they won't let Lady Luo off the hook this time."
Yunyin was drawn in by what Fang Sao said: "Look, Madam Luo has overcome her difficulties now."
"You have to admit she's capable. To protect the family business, she found a way to establish a female household," said Aunt Fang admiringly. "Although establishing a female household only means receiving half the land, the shop can still be kept. Moreover, Madam Luo is a capable person. Now her restaurant is quite famous in town."
“There’s only one restaurant in our town, and my wife passes by it every time she comes into town,” said Aunt Fang enviously. “So you really have to be capable. Capable people are just different.”
Yunyin glanced at the departing Luo Niangzi, then smiled and said to Fang's sister-in-law, "Sister-in-law, you are very capable. Look how well your tofu sells, while my wild vegetables are ignored."
Fang Sao smiled and said, "That's true. I already have a skill in managing a household, so I shouldn't ask for too much. Madam, perhaps you could ask Madam Luo if their restaurant accepts wild game."
Yunyin put away the basket and nodded to Aunt Fang, saying, "Thank you, Aunt Fang. I was just about to go take a look."
After saying that, he picked up his things and chased after the carriage toward Luo's Restaurant.
A note from the author:
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