Chapter 39: Just because I’m rich, you want to kill me?
The next morning, Xu Yu parked the mule cart borrowed from the Wu family at the door of his house. While Sang Zhixia was washing her face and tidying up, he carried the charcoal blocks packed in sacks onto the mule cart.
The old lady handed Sang Zhixia five taels of silver and a list.
"In addition to the pots for food, go to the cloth shop and buy two pieces of coarse cloth and cotton. If you don't have enough, you can make up for it with the money from selling charcoal."
She seemed a little worried after she finished speaking, and added, "Remember to get the receipt from the cloth shop. Look carefully when you buy things, so you don't spend money and get something bad."
When Xu Yu proposed to borrow a mule cart, the old lady had a moment's thought of going with him.
But when she saw Xu Yu directly moving a hundred kilograms of charcoal onto the truck, she immediately gave up the idea.
Xu Yu is not a good person. What if this bastard grandson asks her to help carry the coal? It will be more tiring than walking there last time!
Sang Zhixia was amused by the old lady's twists and turns that were almost engraved on her forehead. She took the silver, put it away carefully, and nodded: "Okay, then we'll be back as soon as we're done. What would you like to eat tonight, grandma?"
Countless delicacies flashed through the old lady's mind, but in the end, due to her limited money, she could only say unhappily, "Whatever is available, just buy what you like."
Sang Zhixia nodded good-naturedly, waited for Xu Yu to secure the sacks on the cart with hemp ropes, then grabbed the hem of her clothes and stepped onto the cart.
Xu Yu pulled the reins in his hand and said, "Hold on tight."
"Let's go."
The travel time was greatly shortened by using a mule cart, but Xu Yu took her straight past the original destination and headed towards the farther county town.
Sang Zhixia looked back at the entrance to the town behind her and asked curiously, "Isn't it possible in the town?"
Without even turning his head, Xu Yu said, "I've asked Brother Wu about this, and he says there's no place like the one you're looking for in town. We have to go to the county seat."
"Have you prepared everything you need to bring?"
Sang Zhixia covered the banknotes in her arms and whispered, "I have them all with me."
"Do you think it's reliable to ask someone to bring it back? Will my mother and brother be able to receive it?"
Xu Yu flicked his wrist to make the mule cart go faster on the uneven road, and said calmly, "There are postmen in the county who specialize in delivering things for people, and they usually don't make mistakes."
As he spoke, he couldn't help but look back at Sang Zhixia: "Why did you suddenly think of sending something to Kyoto?"
He knew that Sang Zhixia's biological mother did not live well in the general's mansion, but no matter what, she was a legitimate concubine who raised a son and a daughter in the general's mansion. There was no way she would fall to the point of needing support from Sang Zhixia, who was thousands of miles away.
But Sang Zhixia told him last night that she would ask someone to send some money to Aunt Xie.
Could something have gone wrong in Kyoto?
Sang Zhixia held her chin in her hand and sighed, saying helplessly, "A few days ago, when I went to the village alone to buy some snacks, I ran into the man who brought me something last time at the village entrance. He said he just got the news that my mother was punished by the madam for some unknown reason and has been ill for several days. She was also fined half a year's monthly allowance."
Those who have not experienced the torment deep in the inner palace cannot imagine what kind of life Aunt Xie is living at this moment.
But when Sang Zhixia looked through the original owner's memories, which were not very long, and saw the things that Aunt Xie had asked someone to send to her from afar, she felt a lump in her heart.
The man was already living in poverty at home, and he even gave her all his savings at one time. What should he do now that he is ill?
She was thousands of miles away and couldn't help much. The only thing she could think of was to take some money out of her own pocket and try to send it to Aunt Xie.
She was not familiar with the current entrustment method, and she was completely in the dark and couldn't find anyone she could trust, so she set her sights on Xu Yu.
But Kyoto is so far away from the northwest, and it will take a long time before it is delivered to Aunt Xie, and I don’t know whether it will be of any use.
Xu Yu's fingers gripping the reins curled silently, and he frowned and said, "Did that man say anything else to you?"
Sang Zhixia shook her head listlessly: "He doesn't know any more, but my mother must be having a hard time right now."
To be precise, it has never been better.
Seeing that she was really listless, Xu Yu paused and said, "Don't worry. It took some time for the news to reach us. Nine times out of ten, the illness over there will have been cured by the time you know about it."
Sang Zhixia hummed weakly, and when they arrived at the county town, Xu Yu took her to the post station where the postmen gathered with a clear goal.
She was taken to write a list of things she had entrusted. Xu Yu stood by the counter and thought for a moment before lowering his voice and saying to the clerk, "Can you lend me your paper and pen?"
When her house was searched, Sang Zhixia quickly took out two thousand taels of silver notes from the dowry box and carefully hid it without leaving any trace.
Considering the inconvenience of asking someone to travel, she generously took out five hundred taels and prepared to send it back to Kyoto.
When she finished the list, Xu Yu handed her a sealed envelope and said, "I have an old friend in Kyoto who I want to contact. Could you lend me a hand and help me send this back as well?"
One more letter would only cost an extra five taels of silver. Sang Zhixia had a huge sum of money on him, so he nodded and agreed without hesitation.
After coming out of the post station, Sang Zhixia couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Anyway, she tried her best.
Xu Yu looked sideways at her and involuntarily slowed his voice as he said, "You were in such a hurry to leave that you didn't have time to eat breakfast. Are you hungry?"
Sang Zhixia wanted to shake her head, but then Xu Yu said to himself, "Eat something first, and then we can do other things."
The prosperity of the county town naturally cannot be compared with Kyoto, but it is much better than a small town.
There were all kinds of small stalls on the street. Xu Yu found a place to park the mule cart loaded with charcoal blocks, looked around and his eyes fell on a restaurant whose sign looked not cheap.
Sang Zhixia followed him into the restaurant. When the waiter came to serve the dishes, she squinted her eyes exaggeratedly and said, "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"
What's up?
Just because I'm rich, you want to rip me off?
Xu Yu heard her apprehension and lowered his eyes, stroking the rim of the teacup with his index finger. He followed her example and covered half of his face with his left hand, whispering, "Yes, you have the fattest wallet. What's wrong with treating me to a good meal?"
Sang Zhixia covered her purse with a distressed look on her face: "No, no, no, I can't afford it."
"If you can't pay the bill later, then you can just follow the waiter to the kitchen to wash the dishes. I won't take care of you."
As soon as she finished speaking, the waiter who was mentioned came over with a tray, looked at the empty table and began to feel embarrassed.
He heard it.
These two look decent, but they seem to have no money!
The waiter looked hesitantly at Xu Yu and then at Sang Zhixia, and couldn't help but say, "Sir, are you really going to serve the dishes?"
It’s not too late for you poor bastards to regret now!
Sang Zhixia almost choked with laughter.
Xu Yu held his forehead and sighed, "Go ahead."
The waiter put down the dishes on the tray, looking back every few steps. He had just taken two steps when he heard Xu Yu say seriously, "It's okay. If washing the dishes isn't enough to pay off the debt, I can still help chop firewood."
"Don't worry about eating. If the store wants to detain anyone, they can only detain me. I will not let you get away."
Sang Zhixia finally stopped laughing and looked up to see the boy's face trembling with fear.
She turned her head away, not daring to look at the visible vigilance on the waiter's face. She coughed and grabbed the tea that Xu Yu had poured for her.
"Are you really just trying to rip me off?"
Xu Yu saw the haze between her eyebrows and eyes dissipate, and smiled and said, "Not entirely."
They were sitting on the second floor of the restaurant, near the window at the back. When the window was opened, they could see the side door below.
He held the teacup in his hand and pointed to the threshold below, saying softly, "Do you see those black marks?"
Xu Yu was really tall, and even when Sang Zhixia stood up, she was a shoulder and a head shorter than him. When she stood up, she couldn't see clearly where the other person was pointing when he was sitting.
With a pragmatic heart, she walked to the window, looked around carefully, and said, "Does that look like a charcoal mark?"
The dark mass was quite conspicuous, and it was obvious that a heavy load of charcoal had been dragged in from there not long ago.
Xu Yu's eyes lit up with a smile, and he hummed and said, "I asked about this at the post station, and it turns out this is the largest restaurant in town. Not only can you eat there, you can also stay overnight."
More importantly, this is the only restaurant in the county that has a ground dragon. There is an unlimited supply of charcoal in the guest rooms, and the restaurant will provide it as long as the guests ask for it.
As the weather gets colder, the amount of charcoal needed here is huge, and the store starts buying charcoal early before the cold winter comes.
This is a buyer with high supply and demand.
A hint of understanding flashed across Sang Zhixia's eyes.
Xu Yu knocked on the stool, signaling her to come back and sit down to eat. He said slowly, "I was thinking about this on the way here. It's hard to say how much I can sell if I just hawk it on the street. I'm sure we'll have to haggle over the price, which will take up too much time."
"Instead of selling it piecemeal, it's better to find a reliable buyer and place an order at once. This way, I can know where the charcoal I make at home will go, saving me the hassle of selling it every time."
Of course, there are also disadvantages to buying and selling in bulk, which is that you can’t get much discount on price, and the main advantage is the large quantity discount.
However, Xu Yu's idea was indeed correct.
Sang Zhixia has ideas for making money one after another, but when it comes to business acumen, she is not as quick as Xu Yu.
She turned the empty teacup between her hands and said, "So you're planning to negotiate a deal with the restaurant owner? Will they be impressed by our small amount?"
"Whether you like it or not, we'll know in a moment, right?"
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