After this incident, no one dared to provoke Xiao Yunying anymore. The journey was very quiet, with only Xiao Yunying occasionally talking to Luo Xin.
Upon reaching the city gate, Xiao Yunying and the children paid the five-coin entrance fee and headed straight for Jinxiu Pavilion.
They arrived early, and there weren't many people in Jinxiu Pavilion. Cheng Yue was leaning against the counter, calculating accounts with an abacus.
Luo Xin called out first, "Aunt Cheng."
Cheng Yue put down the ledger and came out to greet her: "Oh, the sweet-talking little girl is here."
Cheng Yue picked up Luo Xin, went behind the counter to get a bag of pastries, opened it and placed it on the small table, then greeted Luo Chen and the others:
"Here, have some snacks. I just bought them from the snack shop next door."
The children didn't move, they just stared longingly at Xiao Yunying. Cheng Yue stuffed a piece into each of their hands: "Why are you looking at her? These are for you, eat as much as you want."
Xiao Yunying smiled and said, "Aunt Cheng gave these to you, so eat them. But you can't just eat anything given to you by strangers, especially when I'm not around, understand?"
Luo Li was very accommodating; she agreed and immediately took a bite.
Cheng Yue pulled Xiao Yunying to sit down and let Luo Xin sit on her lap to eat snacks: "Look at your children, they are so good-looking, like the golden boys and jade girls under Guanyin."
Xiao Yunying casually replied, "They were born well, just like their father."
Cheng Yue lowered her voice and asked, "Has he not sent a letter yet?"
Xiao Yunying said indifferently, "No, I've thought it through. It's the same whether I come back or not. I can raise them all by myself."
"I don't know how to advise you. Just think it through. There's no hurdle you can't overcome. You're still young, and things will get better with time."
"I know, I won't think about those trivial things anymore."
She's already come to terms with it a lot; she can't be any more open-minded.
"By the way, you didn't come yesterday. I heard a lot of people at the market asking about some kind of premium snow fungus. Is it the kind you gave me?"
Xiao Yunying was surprised that someone would ask, "I think so."
"It really is you! I heard you sell snow fungus for five taels of silver a plant. You're really generous, giving me so much at once."
Xiao Yunying didn't care: "What's there to be reluctant about? I told you it was picked from the mountains, it's like it was free, so don't even think about giving it back to me."
Cheng Yue did intend to return it to her: "I only broke off one, the rest I haven't touched."
"Whether it's been touched or not, what's given to you is yours. How can I ask for it back? Let's not argue about this. Sister Cheng Yue, tell me, are many people asking about it?"
Cheng Yue took a handkerchief and wiped the crumbs from Luo Xin's mouth: "There are quite a lot. I heard that it was all the stewardesses from wealthy families who came out to ask about them. I suppose that makes sense, since ordinary people can't afford such precious things."
Xiao Yunying smiled, her eyes crinkling: "It's good to live in wealthy families. As long as my things are good, they are willing to spend the money."
"What, judging from your words, you seem to have quite a few snow fungus?"
Xiao Yunying did not deny it: "I was lucky to find a nest of snow fungus deep in the mountains. As long as the environment is suitable, snow fungus can grow indefinitely. Moreover, only I can go to that place, and no one else can find it. So, Sister Cheng Yue, you can eat it without worry and don't feel bad about it."
Cheng Yue said worriedly, "Judging from your appearance, I know you are a lucky person. However, the mountains are dangerous. You are a young lady, so please be careful when going in and out."
Xiao Yunying: ...Being fair-skinned and chubby, the only word others can use to praise me is "blessed."
Luo Li swallowed the pastry in her mouth and asked softly, "Big brother, what is snow fungus? When did my stepmother... um."
Luo Chen used a snack to shut her younger brother up: "When adults are talking, children shouldn't interrupt."
No wonder she said there was no need to worry about money; it turns out she was secretly going up the mountain to pick snow fungus to sell.
He knew that last year, a hunter had picked two stalks of snow fungus when he returned from hunting in the deep mountains and sold them for two taels of silver at the market.
The villagers talked about it for a long time, saying that this thing was very precious and rare.
Five taels of silver for a plant, how big must it be?
The fact that she was able to find a nest was entirely due to her understanding of the deep mountain environment.
Cheng Yue was worried that chatting would interfere with Xiao Yunying's business: "I'm not going to chat with you anymore. What are you doing in the city?"
“It rained yesterday, and it’s much cooler today. I wanted to prepare cotton-padded clothes for the children in advance, and their shoes also need to be replaced. That’s why I came to find you.”
Cheng Yue put Luo Xin down and stood up: "It's fine to prepare in advance, so that we don't run out of time when it snows later. This is newly arrived cotton, I'll give it to you at cost price, sixty coins per catty, how much do you want?"
Xiao Yunying stood up: "Don't rush to save me money. I need a lot, let's calculate it all together."
Cheng Yue joked, "Take as much as you want, you can't just empty my place."
Xiao Yunying directly recited the list she had already made in her mind: "Each of the four children should have three sets of inner clothes, two sets of outer clothes, two sets of cotton-padded clothes, and two pairs of shoes. We should also weigh out some cotton to make five quilts, each the size of a double, with eight catties of cotton in each quilt."
The winters here are windy, snowy, and cold, so she didn't want to mistreat herself and her child since she had the means.
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