91 Who is selling Bianlijun at a low price?
◎It is indeed the first time, but Madam, why don’t you check it out◎
The next morning, Ye Yunzhao took advantage of the dim moonlight and went to Aunt Wang's house. This was what the two had agreed on the day before.
When Aunt Wang saw her, she was wearing shabby clothes and a bamboo hat that covered the upper half of her face.
"County Magistrate Ye..." Aunt Wang handed her the bamboo basket filled with weaving mushrooms. "Thank you for your hard work today."
Ye Yunzhao raised his head slightly, revealing his beautiful eyes. He took it and said with a smile, "You are clearly helping me today. There is no need to worry about whether it is hard work or not. Just call me Ah Yun."
Aunt Wang responded somewhat helplessly, then she also picked up the huge backpack, and the two of them went out together.
By the time we reached the Yuezhou city gate, the sun had already peeked out, and its golden rays of light enveloped the streets and alleys.
Now is a good time to eat shiitake mushrooms, and Xixiang is also having a bumper harvest. There are more than a dozen stalls selling shiitake mushrooms in the city's market.
"Ye...Ayun, you and I are parting ways now. Please be careful with those things inside..." Aunt Wang stared at the backpack behind her with some reluctance.
The backpack was filled with what Aunt Wang called "money lumps." Ye Yunzhao smiled and nodded, "Don't worry, we'll meet at the city gate at 3:30 pm."
After saying that, she turned and left.
Yesterday, County Magistrate Han said: There are more than a dozen households in Xixiang who are maliciously selling the fungus at low prices. As a result, those who have been honestly selling it in the market of Yuezhou City in the past few days have not been able to get the price.
He had tried to find them for a few days, but he only knew that they were selling the drugs secretly along the alleys, and he hadn't caught them in the act. Now that he was busy dealing with Sun Da's matter, he handed the matter over to Ye Yunzhao.
Dressed like this, she looked like a peasant woman who had toiled in the fields for years. If she could run into those people in the alley, it would be a reward for the hat-weaving fungus Auntie Wang had prepared.
After thinking this through, Ye Yunzhao calmed down and walked quickly into an alley behind him. After walking about a dozen steps, he felt vaguely familiar with the alley.
But now was the time when every household went shopping, so she quickly put aside her understanding and hurried forward.
Ordinary merchants were not allowed to hawk their wares in the Fang Street, but some people were still hoping for a lucky break. If farmers selling at low prices were openly hawking their wares in the market, County Magistrate Han would have already figured them out. Since he hadn't been able to identify them, he was probably selling them secretly in the Fang Street.
Yuezhou City is so vast, with so many streets and alleys, that it would take more than a day or two to figure it all out. Braided mushrooms are a favorite food of the wealthy, so if they were contracted for low prices and had regular daily deliveries, then it would be impossible to trace them.
The more Ye Yunzhao thought about it, the more worried she became. She couldn't help but sigh. But there was no reason in the world to be afraid before checking. She shook herself, looked around at both ends of the street, and quickly went into the next street.
But before she had taken a few steps, she heard someone behind her softly call out, "Madam, are there any weaving mushrooms in the basket?"
Ye Yunzhao lowered his bamboo hat and turned around. Through the gap, he vaguely saw a woman dressed in silk. Although the fabric was fine, she didn't have any valuable jewelry on her body. She didn't look like the master of the house. "But which family's backyard is this housekeeper?"
The woman was stunned: "My wife has sharp eyes..."
Seeing that they didn't look like spies from the Yuezhou government office, Ye Yunzhao asked again, "My basket is covered with a cloth, so how can you know what's inside? Could it be that you have a pair of strange eyes? It's really surprising."
"Why are you talking so funny, young lady? There's no such thing as strange eyes. It's just that my wife has always loved eating mushrooms. These mostly grow in damp and dark places. She's bought so many of them that I can naturally smell the strange smell."
Ye Yunzhao was stunned and exclaimed: "Madam is indeed extraordinary."
As she spoke, she loosened the backpack and was about to lift the cloth covering it.
A pair of large hands suddenly pressed down on Ye Yunzhao's hands. The woman patted them lightly, and said with a hint of reprimand: "Madam, is this your first time? How dare you lift the cloth in the street? Aren't you afraid of being caught by the clerks? Hurry up and carry it on your back and follow me."
Ye Yunzhao hurriedly picked up the backpack and followed her obediently, hesitatingly saying, "It's indeed the first time, but won't Madam check it out?"
The woman waved her handkerchief and said proudly, "I know what you mean, ma'am. You're afraid I'll be picky and save you money. If that's the case, don't worry. I can tell if something is fresh just by smelling it. At most, I'll negotiate the price based on the size..."
Before Ye Yunzhao could answer, she paused and changed the subject: "There are many people selling woven mushrooms these days. Don't try to tell me how difficult it is to go up the mountain to pick them. These days, no matter which woman comes to the street to sell them, they all sell eight mushrooms for one penny. If you think it's too little, then stop here..."
Ye Yunzhao was stunned. The woman in front of him might still remember the appearance of those people. Even if she could only find one person, she could still catch most of them.
After sorting this out, she quickly waved her hand: "How could that be? If Madam's family wants more, I can have more delivered in the future!"
She had previously explained in Xixiang that the woven mushrooms grown in the mushroom shed were of better quality than those grown in the mountains, and that they should be sold for at least six pieces per penny. But now, in order to sell them quickly, some people have lowered the price to eight pieces per penny. It's ridiculous!
Hearing this, the woman looked back with interest and said, "Hurry up and catch up."
The two walked one after the other to a redwood side door. The woman knocked gently on the door, and immediately a servant opened it and poked his head in, saying, "It's my aunt. You've returned from shopping. Please come in quickly..."
Ye Yunzhao glanced sideways, realizing that the doorman and the woman bore a striking resemblance, presumably to a cousin. This wasn't surprising; guarding the gatekeepers of wealthy families was a lucrative occupation.
The woman stepped inside, and the servant then noticed another woman wearing a bamboo hat following behind her. He said cleverly, "Could it be that Auntie ran into someone hawking in the street again while she was shopping? Do you need a backpack? I'll go get it now!"
The woman glanced at him and said with a smile, "You are the smartest one in this backyard. Go quickly."
Ye Yunzhao entered the house and closed the door. Then he took down the backpack and lifted the cloth. Inside was a pile of neatly arranged woven mushrooms, each of which was plump and thick. Although there were not many of them, the quality was excellent.
A hint of surprise flashed across the woman's eyes, and she felt a surge of joy in her heart, but she quickly suppressed it and said with some dissatisfaction, "This is too little!"
Before Ye Yunzhao could answer, the servant came hurriedly with a backpack, glanced down, and said in surprise: "It looks good today!"
"Tsk—" The woman glared at him fiercely. The servant then realized that what he said was inappropriate. He wanted to explain, but it was of no avail.
Fortunately, Aunt Wang always carefully looked after the treasures in the mushroom shed. Ye Yunzhao smiled and said, "The woven mushrooms in my house are naturally top-notch. I'm not exaggerating. If you don't believe me, just go and ask."
The woman paused. "Seeing you're an honest and decent person, I can't hide it from you. These fungi are indeed better than the ones I bought two days ago. I want them all. I'll take as many as you have at home. Don't worry, I won't let you get away with anything. I'm buying eight from others for a penny, but I'm buying seven from you for a penny."
She spoke with conviction, but Ye Yunzhao was unhappy. If Aunt Wang were selling these sticks at the market, she could get five for a penny. Now, she pretended to be friendly, but she didn't tell him the truth.
Although this is what I feel in my heart, my expression is naturally different.
Ye Yunzhao smiled and said, "Then I would like to thank you in advance, Madam. However, we agreed before that eight sticks are priced at one penny. If the price goes up now, it would be against the rules."
As soon as these words came out, the woman and the servant standing by were stunned, looking at her as if she were a fool. The servant was even more blunt and said, "Other people are trying every possible way to raise the price, but I've never seen anyone as stupid as you."
Ye Yunzhao showed a bit of worry: "In this case, I also want to ask Madam for a favor..."
The woman, who had been stunned just now, understood and asked, "What's the matter? Are you planning to keep my business for a long time?"
"How could I possibly have the guts to do that?" Ye Yunzhao waved his hands fearfully, pausing for a moment. "I just wanted to ask Madam to tell me what the man who sold the woven mushrooms looked like. To be honest, Madam, I have three or five sworn enemies who have poached several of my regular customers. I'm really upset.
But don't worry, Mammy. I won't tell anyone about this, and I won't argue with them. I just want to be more cautious in the future and not be so confused all day long."
The words were spoken with sincerity. The woman took a look at the woven mushrooms in the basket. With such quality, it would be no mistake to tell the master and mistress that they were worth fifty coins and a half. In this way, after deducting the cost and giving her nephew three or five coins as a hush money, she could at least make more than thirty coins. It was really a good business.
The woman raised her head slightly, looking at Ye Yunzhao standing before her. She didn't seem to care about what she had just said, whether to hide it or not, or whether to curse or not. Even if she revealed her name, what would happen? Could those peasant women who lived in the mountains picking mushrooms have the courage to come to her house? The woman sneered inwardly. The peasant women in the countryside were indeed foolish.
She pretended to be embarrassed: "This...this..."
Ye Yunzhao pretended to pick up the casserole and leave, but the woman stepped forward to stop him. "Don't worry, don't worry. I told you what I said. I just vaguely remember a peasant woman with very thin hair, who was not tall and walked a little unsteadily."
"Is there anything else?" Ye Yunzhao asked immediately.
The woman looked embarrassed. "I've met so many strangers these past few days that I can't really explain it clearly at the moment. Why don't I think about it tonight? Maybe I'll remember it when you come back to give me the mushrooms next time!"
Ye Yunzhao sneered in his heart. There would never be another time for such a cheap price. It was really difficult to talk to these cunning people in the backyard.
At this moment, the servant who had just made the mistake spoke again: "Auntie, I remember! In addition to what you said, there was a tall and thin man with a horrible scar on his left hand, probably injured by a hoe. There was also a plump woman. At first glance, she didn't look like a skinny peasant woman who worked all day. She had frostbite on her hands, so she must have been making a living in the mountains..."
He spilled the beans like a bamboo tube pouring out, completely unaware that the woman standing beside him was becoming more and more unhappy. Finally, she asked with a smile, "Is there any mortal enemy you know here?"
Ye Yunzhao was so amused by this silly boy that he couldn't help but laugh. He said hurriedly, "Yes! Yes! Thank you very much!"
The woman quickly paid the money and sent her out. Turning around, she twisted her silly nephew's ear and said, "Why didn't I realize you were such a loose-lipped person before..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
