“I gave him the change, but he didn’t have any change for me, so I told him to go home and get it.”
Qin Xiaoniang nodded, picked up Huan Ge'er, and went to another stall, with Zhang Xiu'e following behind.
The stalls next to her displayed fresh fruits and vegetables and lake shrimp. Qin Xiaoniang originally intended to pick some vegetables that wouldn't spoil easily, but just as she was about to speak, Zhang Xiue pulled her aside.
"What's wrong? I was just about to pick out some cucumbers. You hold Huan-ge'er and wait for me for a while."
"What are you doing? The money we have on us right now is all silver ingots and loose copper coins from the Central Plains. What if these Westerners don't accept it?"
Qin Xiaoniang was stunned for a while, then realized that Zhang Xiue's words made sense, so she did not return to the stall.
“He’er has some Xizhou currency, but we can only buy other things after she buys the chicken legs and the vendor gives us our change.”
"We've been so fortunate to have such a clever daughter along the way. But I'm curious, what do you teach her at the General's Mansion? How come my Nian'er is still so slow and clumsy..."
Qin Xiaoniang couldn't help but laugh out loud, reaching out to pat her, "You're too impatient as a mother. How old is Nian'er? Besides, she's been with us through thick and thin since she was so young, she's already a very patient child."
"That's true, but you had a daughter, and I had a daughter too. It really shows how different people are!"
"Alright, alright, stop arguing. Holding Huan-ge'er, I still need to go ask about the price."
Zhang Xiu'e took Huan Ge'er from Qin Xiaoniang's arms and held him in her arms. Then, still very worried, she reminded him again, "Be careful what you say. Don't let those small vendors find out anything."
Qin Xiaoniang nodded, turned around and continued walking towards the vegetable stall.
The stall owner was an elderly man in his seventies, somewhat hunchbacked, and with poor eyesight. If you were far away from him, he wouldn't even be able to tell whether the people coming in were men or women.
Qin Xiaoniang bent down, picked up a cucumber from the stall, and asked, "Excuse me, how much are these cucumbers per pound?"
The old man was stunned for a moment, stared at her intently for a long time, and replied in a hoarse voice, "One coin equals one jin."
"What about the potatoes and shepherd's purse?"
"Two potatoes cost three coins and three catties; one shepherd's purse costs three coins and three catties."
Although Qin Xiaoniang couldn't understand what "Tongbao" meant, she could roughly guess its price; perhaps one Tongbao was about the same as one copper coin in the Central Plains.
"Oh, the vegetables look quite fresh, please pack some of each for me."
Qin Xiaoniang didn't ask him if he accepted Central Plains currency. Judging from his old appearance, he hadn't left the pass for several years and certainly didn't know the situation in the outside world. She decided to give him some money for his current needs.
The old man was very honest and didn't ask Qin Xiaoniang where she came from. He just kept his head down and carefully selected fresh vegetables for her.
On the other side, the butcher who had gone home to get his money returned, carrying a heavy box in his arms.
When he got to his stall, he made a point of placing the box on the counter behind him first.
Then he looked up and stared intently at Song He'er, "Miss, are you sure you want these chicken legs? I'll wrap them up for you."
Song He'er nodded. "Let's wrap it up."
After saying that, he handed the piece of jade in his hand to the merchant's wife.
"Now you can rest assured, give me the rest of the money..."
The small vendor was very wary and was probably a cunning businessman. He took the jade from his wife's hand and examined it repeatedly. Only after confirming that there were no problems did he give the box of money to Song He'er.
The woman wrapped up the chicken leg and very politely handed it to Song He'er.
"Miss, here's a chicken leg, it's all wrapped up for you. There's also money; please check it carefully."
Song He'er hugged the box to her chest, opened it and roughly looked at it. Judging from the weight, it shouldn't be too bad.
Instead of counting them here, let's go to a quiet place and distribute them to each person. That way, the total number will be clear.
Song He'er looked around but didn't see Qin Xiaoniang. It wasn't until she walked several dozen meters ahead that she found her picking out vegetables at a vegetable stall.
Zhang Xiue stood in a quiet passageway with her child in her arms, while Chunrao, Chundi, and Li Qiang's wife followed beside her.
"Mother."
Qin Xiaoniang looked up and, seeing it was her daughter, quickly smiled and said, "He'er, I bought some vegetables, and I still have some Central Plains currency on me. I was actually thinking of spending it."
Song He'er interrupted Qin Xiaoniang, patting the box in her hand, "Let's use that money after we get through the border. We should spend this heavy amount of currency now."
Qin Xiaoniang glanced at the heavy box in Song He'er's hands and nodded. "Then I'll go ask the shopkeeper how much these vegetables cost..."
"Um."
The old man selling vegetables took out his abacus, fluently performed a few calculations, then looked up and replied, word by word, "A total of eighteen coins."
Eighteen? That's so cheap?
I just bought forty-five chicken drumsticks. It seems that meat is really expensive in Xizhou, so expensive that ordinary people can't afford it and it can only be sold to the rich and powerful.
Song He'er took out eighteen coins from her box and handed them to the old man.
Then, carrying bundles of vegetables, they walked towards the corner with Qin Xiaoniang.
When Zhang Xiue saw them, she quickly put down her child and came over to help. "Why did you buy so much? How are you going to spend all that money?"
"I didn't spend any money."
"Then... let's use them outside..." After saying that, she began to tidy up the vegetables on the ground.
Song He'er opened the box, took out some of the currency, and distributed it to everyone.
“Now, Auntie Si and Auntie Wu will each take thirty coins, and Madam Tian, Madam Zhang, and Mother will each take fifty coins. If we distribute this money, it will be less likely to be lost or attract attention.”
Li Qiang's wife nodded, took out the purse she had sewn into her clothes, and put the money into it one by one.
Chunrao and Chundi carried the vegetables on their backs. Although they weren't heavy, they still had many things they hadn't bought, especially emergency supplies like pots and pans, clothes, shoes, and salt for cooking...
Li Qiang's wife reminded him, "We still need to buy a car. Without the strength to walk, both the children and adults will suffer."
"Yes, Madam Tian is right. We should hurry up and find a shop to buy a carriage."
Huan Ge'er suddenly started crying at this moment, perhaps because he was a little hungry.
A note from the author:
Just to reiterate: This story is fictional! Fictional! Fictional! Don't worry about the currency; the prices are based on the most accurate figures found on Baidu.
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