The stove is under the eaves outside the house, and there is a cornfield and a lotus pond in front of the door.
Before dawn, Aunt Guan got up early and tended the fire under the stove, where several ears of tender corn were boiling, emitting a fragrant aroma.
After Lan Yamei woke up, she followed her usual routine and ran around the thatched hut a dozen times to loosen up her muscles and bones. Then she practiced one-handed push-ups on the ground for half an hour until Aunt Guan called her to eat.
I quickly washed my face; there were no toothbrushes in this day and age, so I just dipped my finger in some salt and rubbed my teeth haphazardly. Then I untied my complicated updo, cut off a section, leaving just enough length to tie into a low ponytail, before going to eat at the small square table under the eaves.
When Aunt Guan saw the young boss's new attire, she simply smiled and served breakfast.
There were seven or eight tender, golden-yellow ears of corn in the porcelain basin. In front of each of them was a large bowl of porridge with a few red beans that had been cooked until they were split open, and a small plate of pickled radish cubes. This was their first meal together.
Lan Ya Mei sat down, picked up a corn cob, and started eating. The corn was slightly fibrous, not soft and sticky, not as good as the corn from her generation. Last night on the way home, she had already considered using corn for the new product, but this corn looked so bad that it would need to be deep-fried first before making skewers; otherwise, it would be as hard as a rock and chewy!
After finishing their meal and tidying up, the two walked into Longyang Town. Upon entering the town gate, the bustling prosperity was dazzling. Lan Yamei secretly thought to herself that she should open a shop in the city in the future; that's what real business is all about.
Aunt Guan knew this place well. Every month, Lan Ya Mei would give her some savings, and Aunt Guan would come here to gamble a couple of times. Outside the gambling den, there was a simple wooden board with dice drawn on it, and everyone who passed by knew it was a gambling den. Aunt Guan was itching to go in again, so Lan Ya Mei could only take the money and go to the mule and horse market to check out the prices of carts and horses.
After walking around the market, I had a basic understanding of the prices. A fine horse cost around 150 taels, and my four or five taels of silver were far from enough. I could only try to find something cheaper. After searching the entire market, the cheapest option was a small, thin horse, which I took home for 50 taels of silver.
Lan Yamei clutched the few taels of silver in her hand tightly, pinning her hopes on the jade pendant. She left the mule and horse market and headed towards the pawnshops on the main street. Knowing she didn't have enough money, she had already chosen a pawnshop beforehand when she passed through the market.
The pawnshop door was wide open. Upon entering, one was greeted by a railing with a small window. Behind the window stood a middle-aged man in fine clothes, with a mustache who looked somewhat familiar. His expression was shrewd. He asked, "Young lady, what would you like to pawn?"
Lan Yamei took out a jade pendant from her bosom, placed it on the window, and said, "Shopkeeper, how much can I pawn it for?"
The man with the mustache picked up the jade pendant and glanced at it, thinking to himself that it was truly excellent, a fine piece of material. But when he turned it over and saw the inscription "Murong," his heart skipped a beat. He rolled his eyes and asked, "Young lady, where did you get this jade pendant?"
From the moment the man with the mustache picked up the jade pendant, Lan Yamei stared intently at his every move, saying calmly, "The customer didn't have money to pay, so he gave it to me. What, is there a problem?"
Upon hearing this, the man with the mustache was secretly delighted. It seemed that neither the diner nor the young woman knew the value of the jade pendant. He had to get this jade pendant. He then asked, "What kind of business do you run, young lady?"
"Barbecue!" Lan Yamei said neither humbly nor arrogantly.
Upon hearing this, the man with the mustache thought it was a good idea and immediately started spouting nonsense, "This jade pendant is very ordinary, crudely made, and not worth much. Five taels of silver, how about it?"
"Only five taels?" Lan Yamei snatched the jade pendant back and stuffed it into her bosom. This old man was clearly very interested, yet he offered such a low price. It was pure nonsense. Somewhat angry, she said, "Old shopkeeper, you really don't know what's good for you! This jade pendant is warm and green, clearly made of top-quality material. How dare you shamelessly ask for five taels of silver! With such poor eyesight, what kind of pawnshop are you running?" After saying that, she walked out.
The man with the mustache quickly had the shopkeeper at the door stop him, waving and saying, "Come back, come back, young lady. What price do you want to sell yourself for? Let me hear it."
Lan Ya Mei didn't actually know how much the jade pendant was worth, so she raised one index finger and remained silent.
"Ten taels?"
Lan Ya Mei shook her head. "Why sell it for ten taels? I'd rather keep it for myself. We're already so poor anyway, ten taels won't make us rich."
"100 taels?" The man with the mustache pretended to be conflicted, clenching his fist and hesitating for a long time before feigning heartache and saying, "One hundred it is!"
The fact that the other party agreed to 100 taels was indeed beyond Lan Yamei's expectations. Actually, Lan Yamei initially only wanted to exchange the jade pendant for a horse worth fifty or sixty taels, meaning the jade pendant was a valuable treasure. After a slight hesitation, she shook her head and refused the 100 taels. She planned to try 1000 taels; if she was kicked out, she would know roughly what price the next pawnshop would offer.
"Miss, you actually want 1000 taels?" The man with the mustache was surprised that this girl, who looked thin and weak, was so ruthless in her bidding. If the pawnshop hadn't received a secret letter, he would never have been able to sell the jade pendant, which was only worth 180, for 1000 taels.
"What, shopkeeper, you think it's not worth it?"
“Young lady, your jade pendant is worth at most a hundred taels. Our pawnshop needs to make money too. Without a profit margin, who would do this business? They might as well go home and take care of their children. 180 taels. If you want to sell, I'll take it. If you don't want to sell, go ask around at other pawnshops and see if I've been talking nonsense.” The man with the mustache decided to take a gamble and get it for the least amount of money.
At this point, everyone will usually agree to the price offered by the pawnshop.
180 taels was indeed enough to buy a carriage, with some left over. However, my long experience in bargaining told me that I couldn't lower the price too quickly, so I said, "Old shopkeeper, 500 taels, cash on delivery, no questions asked."
The old shopkeeper gave the girl in front of him a deep look. She had met her match. He gritted his teeth and said, "Deal! Write: one piece of green brittle, engraved with the words 'Murong,' worth 500 taels."
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