Chapter 232 He's gone off to fool around somewhere.
"You have no taste. Mine is corn. I'll give you one to try during the autumn harvest, and you'll know how good mine is."
Jiang Nuanzhi had heard Aunt Wang talk about Liu Ma's story; her husband had been sent to the army years ago. This made her deeply resentful of military service.
As she spoke, she lifted Xiao Er onto the donkey cart: "It looks like it's going to rain. Aunt Liu, you should go inside early. I'm going home too."
"Hey, wait a minute, I see you have pork in your truck, can I have a pound of it?"
As they spoke, he counted out twenty copper coins and handed them over.
Aunt Liu was actually shocked, especially when she saw the cart packed full of so many things. Such a large piece of pork fat must have cost quite a bit of money, right?
You have to understand, back in the winter, her family was struggling to make ends meet and had to sell their children to feed themselves. And now, in such a short time, they've bought a house, a donkey cart, and even horses.
Her family's previously skinny, lame little boy is now dressed in clean clothes and has been well-fed and plump; she almost didn't recognize him.
Everyone in the village said that Jiang Pangya had struck it lucky, but Aunt Liu thought otherwise. She knew best what Jiang Pangya's family was like in the beginning. Now it seemed that she had really underestimated her back then.
Just by looking at her offering two taels of silver to buy someone, you can tell that this girl is smart.
Jiang Nuanzhi took the twenty copper coins and deftly cut a piece of meat for her. She asked casually, "Aunt Liu, where do you plan to sell Xiaoya'er?"
"Where to sell her?" Aunt Liu was only brought back to her senses when she heard Jiang Nuanzhi's question. "Heh, at her age, no brothel would want her. I was just fooling that stupid thing so she wouldn't keep disgusting people."
"Business is really tough right now, and employers are reluctant to buy servants these days. After all, whoever buys a servant has to pay an extra two taels of silver in taxes. I'm afraid I'll be stuck with this. It's a real hassle."
Hearing this, Jiang Nuanzhi couldn't help but twitch the corners of her mouth: "Aunt Liu, you're actually a good person."
Aunt Liu was taken aback: "I'm not a good person! I figured she was pretty and clever. If we really couldn't sell her, we'd keep her as a child bride for our little Tu. I'm never one to do anything without a profit. What kind of good person am I? That's ridiculous."
Jiang Nuanzhi suddenly returned the twenty coins to her: "Fine, if you say he's not a good person, then he isn't. I won't take the twenty coins. I feel a connection with Xiaoya'er, so please cook this pound of pork and share a bite with her."
After saying that, he grabbed a handful of candy and gave it to her: "Here, take some candy for Xiaohu."
Before she could react, he got on the donkey cart and went home.
Suddenly, a clap of thunder rang out, and the sky, which had just been ablaze with red clouds, instantly changed color. Dark clouds rolled in, and the sky grew even darker.
Looking at the meat and candy in her hands, Aunt Liu frowned deeply.
"Hey, did the sun rise in the west today?"
Her family was considered wealthy in the village, so people in the village always tried to take advantage of her. This was the first time someone had given her something.
Oh no, last time, when Jiang Pangya sold her child, she changed her mind and gave herself some things in return.
Wait, could it be that she only did this because she wanted to cook some meat for that little girl?
"Hey? Damn it, why did the rain suddenly start?"
Raindrops fell on Liu Ma, but she didn't care about anything else and ran back to the yard.
"Sinbo!"
Jiang Nuanzhi drove the donkey cart through the gate and saw Uncle Xin holding an umbrella, standing at the door waving at them.
"Why are you standing outside in this heavy rain? Come inside quickly!"
Upon seeing the group, Xinbo grinned and said, "Come inside!"
Jiang Nuanzhi: "."
She chuckled as she took the umbrella from Xinbo, quickly unloaded the donkey cart, and sent Da Niu to Xiaoli's side. They had managed to build a makeshift thatched hut, though it leaked slightly, but it was better than them constantly being outside exposed to rain.
The rain was getting heavier and heavier. It took everyone a while to finally move everything from the donkey cart into the house. By then, the rain was pouring down even harder.
"Mother, Mother, your clothes are wet. Change into something clean," Baozhu said, tugging at Jiang Nuanzhi's hand.
"Yes, Aunt Nuan, change your clothes so you don't catch a cold." Xuan Ting handed over a clean handkerchief.
Jiang Nuanzhi took it, dried her hair, looked around, and asked, "Has Ping'er not returned yet today?"
Xuan Ting nodded: "Yes, Brother Ping and Dean Yue went out and said they would be back later."
"Hey? Where's Li Rong?"
"I'm going out."
The old man said, and after he finished speaking, he pursed his lips: "He left right after me. He asked me to pick you up, but he went off to fool around somewhere, acting all sneaky. He must have been up to no good."
“Grandpa Jing!” Xuan Ting frowned first: “Master has his own things to do, Grandpa Jing, you can’t say that about him!”
His master had repeatedly instructed him before leaving, so Xiao Xuanting knew what he was going to do. Therefore, he was secretly sweating with anxiety. Already anxious, he frowned even more upon hearing the old man's words, his face full of disapproval.
"Alright, alright, yes, yes, it's my fault, okay?" the old man said, pursing his lips. "I don't know what kind of bewitching potion that kid Li has given you these past few days, making you, the little brat, always side with him!"
Xuan Ting strongly disagreed with this statement: "Grandpa Jing, Master didn't try to bewitch me!"
As she was speaking, it seemed as if she had accidentally aggravated her wound, and she gasped in pain.
Jiang Nuanzhi rushed over to check on him, and after looking at him, she breathed a sigh of relief and said, "You still need to move around less and rest more. You can't lift heavy things in your hands, so as not to aggravate the wound, understand?"
"Don't worry, Aunt Nuan, I'll be careful." Xiao Xuanting nodded vigorously.
"Did your master say when he would be back?" Jiang Nuanzhi asked again.
“Master said we can go to sleep first and don’t need to wait for him.” Suddenly remembering something, he added, “Oh, right, Master cooked a pot of hot porridge and eggs before he left. He said you can have something to eat when you come back tonight.”
"Oh. Okay."
"Waiter, didn't you bring gifts for your older brother and sister?"
Upon hearing Jiang Nuanzhi's words, Xiao Er immediately perked up: "Yes, yes, we also bought ducklings and goslings! Come and see!"
Perhaps because the rain had cooled the weather a bit, the ducklings and goslings huddled together in the basket, silent and still. But when the waiter opened the basket lid, the little creatures immediately squawked at the light.
The three children had never seen anything like it before, and they excitedly clung to the basket, chattering incessantly. They were all very excited.
Jiang Nuanzhi glanced at the spot on the wall where the longbow hung. His bow was still there; he hadn't taken it. A hint of worry flickered in her eyes. For some reason, she felt uneasy.
...
South Street, Liujiang County.
The area is bustling with activity from early morning, with a dazzling array of goods and accessories lining the streets, as well as wonton shops, sesame seed cake shops, and noodle shops, the aroma of which lingers for a long time.
But today, a sudden downpour occurred, and the street vendors pushed their carts home, making a lot of noise. Before long, there were hardly any people left on the street.
As darkness fell further, Li Rong, still damp from the sweat, entered the Daqingshan Teahouse and was led to the entrance of a private room on the second floor.
"This is the room, sir."
Li Rong nodded, wiped his wet hands on his clothes, and urged his eyes to push open the door to the tea room.
(End of this chapter)
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