Mo Qianshang felt that Qin Baiyi had been acting strangely lately, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
On her way home that day, she was still thinking about this as she walked up the mountain when she suddenly heard a whooshing sound.
Swoosh—
An arrow landed two meters away from her. Mo Qianshang was stunned for a moment and looked in the direction from which the sound came.
The visitor was Zhao, a hunter from Dongshan Village. He didn't help Mo Qianshang farm, and the two didn't interact much.
He looked at Mo Qianshang, who was dressed in extraordinary clothes and had an imposing presence, and hesitated, not daring to take the rabbit in front of her.
The rabbit escaped from his trap, and he chased it all the way here. Otherwise, the rabbit wouldn't have been tripped up by the bushes in its panic. He just didn't expect there to be other people nearby.
When Mo Qianshang saw him glance at the rabbit, then at her, hesitant and afraid to approach, she paused for a moment before realizing what was happening.
"Ah, you shot this rabbit, didn't you? Here you go."
She picked up the rabbit's ears and handed them over. The hunter was surprised that Mo Qianshang, who looked like a lady from a wealthy family, spoke so kindly, which even made him feel flattered.
He had heard that Madam Mo was a kind person, but having never met her in person, he really didn't dare to believe it.
But he still obediently accepted it. This rabbit could be exchanged for several days' worth of food, and he certainly wouldn't give it to anyone else if he could.
"Thank you, Madam!"
The hunter took the rabbit, tied it to his waist, and asked casually, "Brother hunter, why are you hunting here? Is there nothing left on the mountain over there?"
Generally, whether they are farmers or hunters, they will bring out their winter food supplies when the weather is good. After all, everything is quiet in winter, and unless you are a laborer or a merchant, there is almost nothing to do.
Therefore, many farmers choose to go out and do odd jobs in the winter.
Hunter Zhao wore a bitter expression: "To be honest, Madam, I've come from Yuncheng with my whole family to stay with relatives. Do you know Yuncheng, young lady?"
In order to understand the situation here as soon as possible, Mo Qianshang spent money to buy some books. She would also talk to Third Master Wen and Qin Baiyi about things outside. They had traveled around and knew a lot.
“I know, Yuncheng is a border town of Letian Prefecture, right? It’s also a border town of the imperial court.” Mo Qianchang looked at the chilblains on his hands, then turned to look at her own courtyard in the distance: “Brother, if you’re not in a hurry to leave, why don’t you come home and have some hot water before you go?”
Hunter Zhao had been outside all day, and his lips were trembling as he spoke. Although he felt embarrassed, he nodded and followed him around the bushes, saying, "Then I'll be bothering you."
Hunter Zhao glanced at Qin Baiyi, who hadn't spoken a word. Although he couldn't see Qin Baiyi's face, he could tell from the glimpse that Qin Baiyi possessed extraordinary temperament and elegant demeanor.
Are these two a couple?
When Mo Qianshang saw Qin Baiyi looking over, she subconsciously said, "Oh right, I haven't introduced you yet. This is Young Master Qin."
Zhao the hunter came to his senses: Could it be that these two are not a couple?
Zhao, the hunter, usually went hunting in the mountains by himself. As a grown man, he wouldn't listen to the gossip in the village. His wife had passed away a few years ago, and no one told him much about Mo Qianshang.
He didn't know if Mo Qianshang had a man, or who was around her.
After sitting in the courtyard and drinking a bowl of water, Zhao the hunter looked at the large courtyard he was in with amazement in his eyes.
Seeing that his lips were no longer as pale as before, Mo Qianshang said, "Speaking of what we were talking about earlier, what did you say happened in Yuncheng?"
Hunter Zhao put down his water glass: "Oh, there has been fighting around Yuncheng since autumn. Although Yuncheng itself will not be captured, the surrounding villages have suffered. Sometimes the army has to close the mountains to enforce martial law."
When talking about his family, he couldn't help but sigh: "It was already a year of famine, and then this happened. Because of the war in the border town, many bandits took the opportunity to come out and cause trouble. If things continue like this, we definitely won't survive this winter. Therefore, many people have no choice but to leave their homes and go to other places to make a living."
Mo Qianshang sighed, surprised that life in Yuncheng was so difficult, even though they lived in the same prefecture. Qin Baiyi, standing beside her, also seemed to be deep in thought.
"A battle has broken out in the border town?"
Hunter Zhao shook his head: "It's not really a fight. It happens every autumn. Those people always fight during the harvest season to plunder grain from the surrounding area..."
Mo Qianshang nodded and thought for a moment: "Well, how about this, if you have any prey that you can't sell in the future, you can come to me and ask first, especially complete pelts, I really like them."
He thought that Mo Qianshang was deliberately taking care of him, and repeatedly refused. Mo Qianshang smiled and waved her hand: "I have some business and a large family. Collecting some wild game is nothing. Hunter Zhao, don't overthink it."
Zhao the hunter still felt a little guilty, but seeing that Qin Baiyi had no reaction, he felt that it wasn't his words meant to comfort him.
"Then, thank you very much, Madam."
Zhao the hunter never expected that what he had overheard was actually true; this lady came from a wealthy and powerful family, yet she was indeed a very kind person.
Mo Qianshang smiled and nodded, pointing to the rabbit on his waist: "Since that's the case, do you already have a buyer for this rabbit? If not, how about selling it to me?"
The rabbit wouldn't last long for him to eat, but selling it would bring in a good amount of money. Hunter Zhao quickly took the rabbit off his waist and weighed it in his hand: "This rabbit isn't very fat. Madam, just give it to me according to its weight of five catties, ten coins per catty!"
Mo Qianshang blinked and then chuckled.
“Hunter Zhao, there’s no need for that. This rabbit looks to weigh at least seven or eight pounds. I don’t have a scale with me, so I’ll take advantage of you and charge you seven pounds. But a pound isn’t worth ten coins. Pork costs thirty or forty coins a pound these days. How about you give me your own rabbit for one hundred and fifty coins?”
Hunter Zhao dared not hand over the rabbit: "No, no, this is almost the market price, how can I let the young lady pay so little..."
Qin Baiyi watched the two of them from the side. He didn't understand either. Mo Qianshang seemed to have a strange quality that always attracted some extraordinary people.
He had seen many people haggle over a few coins, but it was rare to see a seller so afraid of the other party being taken advantage of.
Even if she were given 150 coins, Mo Qianshang would not lose out at all. The rabbits on the market are all pure rabbit meat, and the rabbit in Zhao the hunter's hand, even without its head, would definitely weigh seven jin.
For ordinary hunters, the price of rabbit meat and rabbit skin is calculated differently. Most people buy rabbits mainly for their skin, so they pay close attention to the location of the wounds when the hunter catches the rabbit.
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