Although Yun the butcher has been buying food for his family, he uses it up quickly due to his many children. However, most of the food was purchased last year when prices were low. With prices rising this year, he's bought less food than last year. Overall, it hasn't cost much.
On this trip to the city, Zhang gave Yun the butcher five hundred taels of silver. Besides the essential grain, cotton, and salt, she let Yun the butcher buy everything else. Zhang was afraid of not having enough silver for something she wanted, so she asked Yun the butcher to bring extra money. In the worst case, if they couldn't spend it all, they could just take it back, no loss at all. So, Zhang was a very good steward of the household, managing the money.
After Yun Yiyi calculated the money she needed, she ran towards Yun the Butcher.
"Dad, the three uncles at the entrance of the alley over there are selling corn, cotton, and potatoes. I heard from them that they were refugees from outside the city, too. However, they have relatives living in the city. They have a good relationship with their relatives and visit them frequently. This time, the day after they arrived at the city gate, they sent someone to send a message to their relatives. Their relatives helped them pay the deposit to enter the city, arranged a house for them, and provided them with a lot of food.
However, the elderly refugee woman was a sensible person. She felt that burdening her relatives was too much. So she asked her son to take some of the food and sell it, hoping the money would help him find a job. That way, they could gradually settle down in the city. After all, the relatives were a large family, too, and she couldn't constantly burden them. They still had to be self-reliant.
Yun Yiyi secretly thought, Dad, please don't be angry, this is just a white lie. Otherwise, there's no reason to take out the food and cotton from the space. Yun Yiyi always cooked for herself, but she felt guilty watching Yun the Butcher, Zhang, and the three Yun brothers go hungry every meal.
"Yiyi, are they really selling grain and cotton over there? Why are they selling it secretly?" Yun the Butcher asked in confusion.
"Dad, they didn't want to be discovered by their relatives, so they came out secretly to sell grain." Yun Yiyi explained.
"Is that so? Then how much do their corn, cotton, and potatoes cost per pound?" Butcher Yun asked.
"Dad, the corn they're selling is corn kernels, not corn flour. There's a basket full of them. It's about a little over a hundred pounds. They said based on a hundred pounds, the price is twenty coins per pound, which is two taels of silver in total. Dad, I looked at the corn they're selling, and it's good quality. It's not stale, it's not moldy, and it doesn't have any strange smell."
"Dad, the cotton they sell isn't the kind you buy at the grocery store. They sell the kind with bolls. It looks pretty white and clean, and it doesn't smell peculiar. They sell it for two hundred coins a pound. It's also filled in a basket, and they say that basket is forty pounds, which is eight ounces of silver in total. That basket is also forty pounds, no more, no less, so there's no need to worry about us getting shortchanged."
"There's another basket, and on top is a hen that's over a year old but less than two years old. They feed it themselves, and they say it lays an egg a day now. The hen looks quite energetic. Its feathers look quite bright. It's also quite large. They must be feeding it well. The young man said the hen cost one or two ounces of silver. I've never bought a hen, so I don't know if the price is high."
"Under the basket with the hens, there's a large basket of potatoes. They said it was a hundred pounds, no more, no less, so the weight is calculated as a hundred pounds. The price is twenty-five coins per pound. A hundred pounds of potatoes is two and a half ounces of silver. Their potatoes look big and fresh, not like they've been stored for a long time. They feel even fresher than the potatoes we bought at the grocery store before."
"Dad, do you think the prices they quoted are appropriate? Is there anyone who quoted a very high price?" Yun Yiyi asked.
"The price of cotton isn't high. Even though I've brought cotton bolls, the price they're offering is really low. Go to the middle and bottom of the basket and take out a handful of cotton. If it's as good as the ones above, you can buy it all."
"When we get back and rest, we can take the time to pick the cotton seeds. Then we can fluff the cotton and use it to make clothes and quilts. If you think about it, the price is much better than the clean cotton we bought before." Yun the Butcher said happily.
"The price of that corn is very affordable. When you go back later, check it carefully like you would check cotton. As long as the quality is the same, we will buy all the corn. Besides, the corn kernels are fine. We bought corn flour this time, and we still have flour at home, which is enough for us to eat for a while. After we finish eating it all, we will find a way to grind the corn kernels. From now on, corn kernels are easier to store than corn flour." Yun the butcher continued.
"I'm surprised people still sell hens. But let's buy a hen. Take it home. Keep it in a basket and feed it some cabbage leaves every day, and occasionally some grain, and it'll be fine. Hens don't usually crow, but I remember they crow when they lay eggs. If all else fails, feed it regularly every day and then tie its beak with a straw rope.
That way, it won't be easily discovered by others. Butcher Yun thought about it and decided this was a good idea. The hen would lay an egg every day, which would provide nutrition for the children, which was a good thing.
Yiyi, if those potatoes are really big and fresh, we can buy them all. Potatoes are easy to store, can be used as food, and are delicious. As the weather gets colder, potatoes won't sprout as easily. Don't worry about buying too much. The key is that they're really cheap. Much cheaper than the potatoes we bought before.
"I guess they didn't go to the grain store to ask for prices. Or maybe they quoted a low price so they could sell it faster, to avoid being discovered and embarrassed by their relatives," Butcher Yun muttered to himself.
"Dad, if we buy all the cotton, potatoes, corn, and hens, it will cost a total of thirteen and a half taels of silver. Can you calculate it? Is it correct?" Yun Yiyi asked.
"Cotton is 200 wen per jin, making 40 jin in total, which is 8 liang of silver. Potatoes are 100 jin, at 25 wen per jin, for a total of 2.5 liang of silver. Corn is 100 jin, at 20 wen per jin, for a total of 2 liang of silver. Hens are 1 liang each. So, all together, 13.5 liang of silver.
"That's right, Yiyi, your calculation is correct. Yiyi, your little brain is so smart and useful. This is much faster than your brothers' calculations." Yun the Butcher happily praised Yun Yiyi.
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