The villagers were unaware, but Shen Xingmian knew very well. Not to mention Tiger's mother's little schemes, she had seen many people with even more cunning minds.
However, those who consider themselves to be of high status and position are generally more concerned about saving face and will not make their actions too obvious.
It's rare to see someone as direct as Tiger's mother.
Er Ya's mother stood to one side with her daughter, looking at Hu Zi's mother with such enthusiasm, feeling quite at a loss.
She felt that she should learn from this and invite people home, as if this was what a sensible mother who would pave the way for her children should do.
But her mouth was as if it had been sewn shut; she couldn't open it at all.
Shen Xingmian wasn't one to publicly embarrass someone, but given the situation, a firm refusal was truly necessary.
She had done what she needed to do; if she delayed any longer, it would be dark soon.
Seeing the children looking at her so enthusiastically, Shen Xingmian's heart softened. She took out a handful of candy from her pocket and gave five pieces to each child.
She didn't make it herself. She was too busy before, and even though there were various recipes for making different kinds of sugar, she didn't have time to study them.
These candies were just bought casually on the street, and in her opinion, they weren't very tasty; they were just ordinary sweetness. But for the children, they were very precious.
All the children jumped and skipped happily, repeatedly saying thank you, their smiles practically reaching their eyes.
Kids are so easy to please. When they grow up, it will take a really big happy event for them to be this happy again.
For example, Tiger's mother was willing to treat her to chickens raised at home. If she hadn't left something behind when she left, she probably wouldn't have just received a scolding.
Actually, judging from what just happened, she's not a malicious person. She'll lend a helping hand if she sees someone in real trouble.
When nothing major happens, these rare shining points of human nature are deeply buried, leaving no trace.
This kind of person is fine when things get serious, but in daily interactions, people who aren't good with words will probably be driven half to death by her.
Look at Er Ya's mother, she's probably the unlucky one.
He must have been bullied a lot in the past, which made him afraid to step forward when something happened, let alone answer Tiger's mother's questions. He looked so pitiful.
Seeing that Shen Xingmian seemed about to leave, the village chief quickly spoke up:
"Oh dear, you women, stop arguing! You're giving our benefactor a headache. No one should argue. Since our benefactor cured the old man's leg today, it's only right that our family should entertain him."
Upon hearing the village chief speak, Tiger's mother dared not say anything more, though she looked somewhat displeased.
The surroundings finally quieted down, and Shen Xingmian remembered her initial plan, so she asked:
"Uncle Village Chief, your place is near the mountains. Does anyone have any dried mushrooms or dried wood ear fungus? Other mountain products are also fine, I can buy them all."
Upon hearing this, the village chief's eyes immediately lit up, and he nodded repeatedly, saying:
"Yes! Our village is too far from the town. Unless a family has a lot of mountain produce, they won't take it to town to sell."
Quick, everyone, go to your homes and search around. Bring all the mountain produce to my house so we can weigh it together.
"Look carefully, make sure there aren't any infested with insects or that are spoiled. Don't try to fool your benefactor!"
Upon hearing this, the villagers no longer cared about whose house the little girl on horseback would end up eating at; they hurriedly ran home to search for mountain produce.
They live close to the mountains and have had enough of mushrooms and such all winter. If they could exchange them for some money to buy rice and other grains at the market, that would be wonderful.
What good luck! This little Bodhisattva actually walked into their village on its own!
Everyone spread the word and knocked on the doors of all the families they were on good terms with, afraid of missing anyone.
Seeing that the villagers had all disappeared in a flash, the village chief asked with some concern, "My benefactor,...aren't they all going back to get their things? Isn't that a bit much?"
Shen Xingmian shook her head: "No, I'll settle the bill first, and the things will be left at your house for now. My people will come and pick them up later."
The village chief was overjoyed to hear this.
No matter what they were selling, everyone had to carry it to town themselves, and then the townspeople would pick and choose and try to drive down the price.
Not only will you not get much money from it, but you might also end up feeling very angry.
Now he doesn't have to travel far; he can sell them right at his doorstep. How could he not be happy!
"By the way, my benefactor, there are quite a few bamboo groves around here, and it's the perfect time of year for spring bamboo shoots. Would you like some? If so, I'll have everyone go dig some up in a bit. They're not worth much, just consider it a bonus, I'll give them to you."
Shen Xingmian was delighted to hear about bamboo shoots, as she hadn't planted any bamboo in her space and had completely forgotten about bamboo shoots as an ingredient.
Upon hearing this, he immediately became very interested and waved his hand, saying, "No need to send it, I'll buy it. Let them dig. I'll take as much as they dig up by tonight."
Fearing that some people might worry about the money, Shen Xingmian specially took out a money bag, which was full of loose silver coins, perfect for making such a large number of small transactions.
Shen Xingmian stuffed the money bag into the village chief's hand and said directly, "Uncle Village Chief, this amount of silver should be enough, right?"
Although it was a question, Shen Xingmian knew very well that agricultural product prices had always been low, regardless of the era.
This amount of silver is definitely enough.
Her action was simply to tell the village chief that she wasn't deceiving them, but genuinely wanted to do the deal.
The village chief hurriedly stuffed the money bag back into Shen Xingmian's hands, hastily refusing it.
"With so much silver, my benefactor, you should keep it safe yourself. There's no need to take it out in advance. We can weigh it and settle the account later."
The village chief, being a man of the world, knew after just a quick glance that the bag contained enough silver, which put him at ease.
He had previously harbored some petty thoughts, thinking that with so many people going back and inviting even more people to come, they must have brought back a lot of goods. Could his benefactor, a young girl, really have that much silver?
If it's not enough, but not by much, he can make up the difference. After all, his benefactor healed his leg quickly and thoroughly, and he can't be a heartless person.
However, if the gap is too large, even if he had the will, he wouldn't be able to. After all, he had never left the village in his entire life and didn't have much savings.
Now, he finally doesn't have to worry about it anymore.
The villagers quickly returned, carrying baskets and running back, and lined up in the order they had arrived.
It seems that the village chief is doing a pretty good job managing things.
The village chief told them about the bamboo shoots, but everyone was a little worried about what they had brought, afraid that it would be messed up.
Upon hearing the village chief say that the money would be put in a basket and that they only needed to find their basket when they returned, the people immediately put down their things, turned around, and ran away.
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