Jiang Yue pulled Jiang Nian into the house. She was naturally not so naive.
The old woman was a little scared when she saw the tall man, but she was more concerned about the vegetables now.
Jiang Yue lifted the cloth, revealing a large basket filled with at least five pounds of vegetables. She didn't even consider a larger backpack; it would be too conspicuous and draw attention.
The long-faced old woman's eyes turned green, and she stared at the green leafy vegetables in the basket and swallowed her saliva.
The whole city was covered in white; even funerals were draped in white cloth. It had been days since their family had seen such green vegetables.
Jiang Yue whispered, "I want to negotiate a deal with the master of your house. This dish can continue to be delivered for five days, but I want to exchange it for something else."
When the long-faced old woman heard that the delivery could take five days, she took a deep breath. This was a big deal and she had to let the housekeeper and the master know.
"Madam, please come with me to the front yard. You and your husband can have a cup of hot tea to warm yourselves."
The yard here is big. I have informed the master that it will take at least fifteen minutes to go back and forth. We cannot neglect you, my lord.
Jiang Yue shook her head, "No, I'll wait here, you go ahead."
She didn't want to get entangled too much and just wanted to maintain a simple exchange of interests with the other party.
"Well, then. You must wait for me to come back..." The old woman was hesitant, worried that she would run away. Seeing the man nod, she turned around and ran into the yard.
The layout of the back courtyard here is slightly different from that of the Wang family's.
This family seemed to love the Jiangnan landscape very much. Looking up, there were rockery and flowing water in the yard, but now it was all covered with snow.
It’s good to like Jiangnan, you must love eating vegetables.
Jiang Yue patted the spot where the gatekeeper had just sat, and pulled Jiang Nian to sit down. The two of them cuddled together for warmth.
He stood up only after the old woman came with two middle-aged men.
A middle-aged man with a short beard walked hurriedly in front of him. He was about 1.7 meters tall and looked haggard. He must be the owner of this house, Mr. Huang.
Mr. Huang's eyes went straight to the vegetables. Jiang Yue didn't hesitate and said straight to the point, "Mr. Huang, I want to do business with you. I can send 5 kilograms of vegetables to your house every day for 5 consecutive days."
Mr. Huang had already heard the old woman's report, and now that it was confirmed, he was ecstatic, "I can give you 20 taels of silver or 2 qian of gold every day!"
Jiang Yue shook her head, and Mr. Huang's surprise faded by half. It was true that such fresh, green vegetables at this time of year were a unique find, so naturally they commanded a higher price.
"I'll give you at most 3 taels of gold."
Jiang Yue shook her head and said to his surprise, "Gold and silver are of no use to me. What I want is something made by a famous artist, one piece a day, whether it's a brush, ink, paper, or inkstone, or a painting, calligraphy, seal carving, jewelry, etc. As long as it's elegant, I don't judge by price, but by value."
Master Huang frowned, calmly examining the two men. His face was mostly covered, and his clothes were worn and bloated, but his aura couldn't be concealed. Especially the man behind him, with his apathetic gaze, sharp brows, and eight feet tall, he was definitely not raised by an ordinary family.
Seeing that Mr. Huang was hesitant, Jiang Yue did not urge him. If it is a good fit, come together; if it is not, then go together. Business requires mutual consent.
Mr. Huang was indeed torn. He was a man of culture and elegance, and his collection was indeed quite large. However, as the young lady had said, masterpieces by famous artists were hard to come by, and the only thing to consider was their value, not their price. If he exchanged them...
He glanced at the vegetables in the basket and thought of his own children. Never mind, the New Year is coming soon. He should change to some fresh vegetables to make his family happy for a few days.
His expression relaxed, "Okay."
Then he turned to the short and strong butler behind him and ordered, "Send a few collections from my study for the young lady to choose from."
"yes."
Of course, Butler Huang understood what the master meant and just chose those few small things.
Fortunately, Jiang Yue really didn't care about the size of things. She immediately fell in love with a small jade brush washer that felt soft to the touch.
When Mr. Huang saw that she was not good-looking but was a person of elegance, the pain in his heart subsided a little.
Jiang Yue: Master Huang, you really overestimate me...
After choosing the things, Jiang Yue and the others did not stay. They just agreed to come back the next day at the same time, and then left.
After the old woman closed the door, Jiang Yue reached into the basket and collected the small brush wash under the cover of the cloth. The number in the space immediately added 5 hours!
Jiang Yue was happy and took Jiang Nian's arm, "Big boy, let's make something delicious tonight!"
No one was around to hear them. He tilted his head and flicked the snow off her eyelashes. "What?"
“Want to eat braised pork?”
“Will the smell be too strong?”
"It's freezing and snowy, and everyone who goes out is heading outside the city to look for firewood, not our way. We've shut the doors and windows tightly, so it won't get far. The house on the left is still empty, and I don't know what's going on with the one on the right; it's been quiet for days. If anyone dares to come in, I'll blow their heads off!"
Jiang Nian pulled his scarf up, but a smile still shone through his eyes, "Yueyue, you're getting more and more aggressive."
Jiang Yue wanted to argue, but she saw two familiar figures out of the corner of her eye.
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law walked from outside the city. Liu was holding a bunch of firewood, her face relaxed, and there was even joy in the corners of her eyes and eyebrows.
Li Niang lowered her head and said nothing, as if she was so weak that a gust of wind could blow her away.
Suddenly, perhaps because she stepped into a pit or her legs were stiff from walking for too long, Li Niang fell to the ground in the snow with a thud, leaving only a muffled groan.
If she looked up, she would definitely see her good mother-in-law looking at her with disgust.
But Liu's voice was still gentle, as if she was very concerned. "Li Niang, are you okay? Get up quickly. I'm holding some firewood, otherwise I could pull you up."
Li Niang stood up, expressionless, and for the first time contradicted her mother-in-law, "Don't say things you can't do. Always saying ifs, buts, otherwises is boring and so hypocritical!"
After saying that, he pulled his feet out of the snow and walked home alone.
Liu bit her lip, feeling angry. She felt that her daughter-in-law was becoming more and more rude. If the disaster had not been so serious, she would have divorced her long ago!
She turned around and saw the couple next door watching them having fun. Their faces were stiff and they walked home without saying a word.
Jiang Yue raised her eyebrows and looked at their backs thoughtfully.
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