Chapter 52: Selling Bamboo Shoots in Jiangzhou
It gets dark early in winter.
The street vendors also close their business early.
Lu Qingyao was surprised to find that she could buy many cheap and good things at this time.
I went to buy pork ribs and pork fat, which originally cost thirty cents per pound.
The butcher shop owner said: "We're closing up shop. We have three or four pounds left, fifty cents. Take it all!"
Go buy rice and flour.
Today, corn costs 40 wen a dou, rice costs 60 wen a dou, and fine flour costs 80 wen a dou.
The grain shop owner said: "I'm closing up shop, so I'll give you a discount. Corn is 35 wen a dou, 55 wen a dou, and fine flour is 70 wen a jin..."
"Two dan of each kind of coarse and fine grains, and five jin of fine flour."
Lu Qingyao had only been out for an hour when she bought a whole cart of grain, oil, rice and flour.
I knew that the shopkeeper looked at her as unfamiliar and made some nonsense to her. These were common business tactics.
The wool comes from the sheep.
What was taken out were just some broken rice and some not-so-good pork, but it was indeed cheaper. I could take it back to make porridge or refine the oil residue.
It's nothing to worry about.
She looked at her hands, which were white and without even a callus. She certainly didn't look like a peasant woman.
When she went back, she didn't take the long way around, but walked through the village entrance in a swagger.
Anyone or any car passing by the village entrance at this time would be looked at from head to toe by the villagers.
After watching Lu Qingyao's carriage go away, he began to set up the dragon gate formation.
"Did you see that? That's a whole cart full of rice, flour, and meat!"
Everyone licked their lips unconsciously, remembering the last time they went to the Jiang family for a banquet, and they still had fond memories of it.
"Could it be that Madam Lu is going to hold another banquet?"
"She's planning a banquet, but she's not inviting you or me... She's hiring a bunch of people to dig bamboo shoots. They pay one hundred coins a day per person, and that includes a meal!"
"Really? You need more people?"
Someone was moved.
"What's a hundred coins? I heard she's taking bamboo shoots to Jiangzhou to trade, and she can get thirty or forty coins per pound. Why don't we dig some up and sell them too?"
"Are you telling the truth?"
"How could it be false? Qiao'er's mother told me that she went with Sister Lu."
"Then let's dig them up and sell them. We might even get a few dozen taels of silver. If she, a woman, can make money, why can't we?... Besides, these bamboo shoots don't belong to her family."
"That's right, the bamboo shoots are growing there. Anyone who has the ability can go and dig them up. Whoever has the ability can make a fortune..."
The crowd instantly became excited
"That's great! I'll go digging early tomorrow morning." After saying that, several people went back one after another.
Someone else asked, "Do you have a bullock cart? How are you going to sell it?"
Everyone was silent.
"We might as well dig it up and sell it directly to Madam Lu, or go work for her and get some meat to eat..."
After hearing this.
Some people were tempted and thought about looking for Lu Qingyao to find a job.
Some people were envious and thought about going there to dig bamboo shoots and sell them in Jiangzhou.
We can't let this overwhelming wealth slip through our fingers.
Some people felt jealous and wondered why an abandoned woman could live better than her.
That man turned out to be hers, why...
"That person just now was Jiang Laoer's wife, right? I heard that her family was punished, and her family fell into poverty, so she was driven back by Jiang Laoer?"
Looking in the direction of the sound, I saw a beautiful woman standing in the crowd.
She was wearing a cotton flowered jacket, had fair skin, and looked very beautiful.
"Hey, Tao Tao is back!"
Everyone looked at her with ambiguous eyes, as if smiling but not laughing.
Tao Tao smiled sweetly, "Chinese New Year is coming soon, I should come back to see my parents."
She changed the subject, "Wasn't Madam Lu sent back to Taoxi Village as punishment? Judging from her posture, she doesn't seem to be suffering, but rather to be enjoying a peaceful life..."
Old Man Liu's wife, Mrs. Zhang, couldn't stand it anymore and replied to her.
"No matter how Madam Lu came back, she is a lady from a noble family after all. Even a poor phoenix is still better than a chicken!"
Tao Tao's face suddenly changed, but because her husband was right beside her, she did not get angry.
She gritted her teeth, glared at Mrs. Zhang, and took her husband and daughter away.
After taking a bath, Jiang Miaomiao comfortably lay on her brother's back and had a good sleep.
But I didn't sleep well.
I was half asleep and half awake when I heard my elder and second brothers chatting.
"Brother, look, Miaomiao's saliva has flowed onto your clothes. Why don't you put her in the cradle to sleep? If she is comfortable, you will be comfortable too..."
Jiang Zifeng felt his shoulders were wet.
Thinking about everything that happened last night, I feel a little scared.
"Let's forget it. The village is not safe. What if there's another child thief who steals my sister away while we're not paying attention?"
"Brother, let me take your turn carrying her for a while. Mom said she won't let my sister take a nap at night. Wake her up!"
Jiang Miaomiao was then transferred to her second brother's back, with her eyes wide open.
It’s so annoying. I didn’t get enough sleep!
It seems that in the future, she will either grow on her mother's back or on her brother's back.
Then I heard the second brother continue to say: "Brother, are you afraid of everything?"
"No way! Heiwa was just playing alone in the yard when he was stolen. And the person who stole him was someone Aunt Wang knew..."
"An acquaintance!" Jiang Ziyan said in disbelief, "Did the villagers do this in collusion with outsiders?"
"That's right..." Jiang Zifeng lowered his voice unconsciously and leaned close to his brother's ear.
"The county magistrate said he found out that the traffickers had appeared in our village before, and that they were brought here by Aunt Wang. But the strange thing is that Heiwa was also abducted by them. My aunt secretly said that Aunt Wang sold her grandson for money..."
"Yan'er, don't tell anyone. Mother won't let you."
Jiang Zifeng gave his instructions again after he finished speaking.
Jiang Miaomiao woke up from her nap and her ears perked up.
No wonder my mother had a smile on her face after she sent Heiwa back.
She understood a little.
Everyone in the village said that Aunt Wang looked down on her daughter-in-law and often bullied her.
If her daughter-in-law knew that her child was lost because of her mother-in-law, she would definitely make a big fuss.
A wicked mother-in-law who suffered a stroke and is bedridden, and a daughter-in-law who has been bullied for a long time.
It must be a wonderful battle between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.
I have to say that my mother knows how to kill people and destroy their hearts!
"Feng'er Yan'er, take these two bowls of meat to your uncle and Sanlang's house." Mother brought out two bowls of meat from the kitchen.
Steaming hot, the aroma lingers in the air.
Sure enough, the bear meat with more than ten kinds of spices tasted different.
Jiang Miaomiao could no longer smell any fishy smell.
It's a very rich aroma.
Jiang Zifeng's eyes lit up, he licked his lips, and involuntarily stretched out a hand.
My mother slapped me back, "Don't eat secretly."
The eldest brother smiled awkwardly and said, "Mom, I didn't eat it secretly. I was just worried that you would get burned."
As she said this, she took the bowl from her mother's hand.
"Brother, you go to uncle's house, and I'll go to Sanlang's house." The second brother Jiang Ziyan took the bowl and carried his sister to Li Sanlang's house.
Wherever they went, dogs barked.
He stopped screaming only after being beaten.
They knocked on the door and it was opened by Li Sanlang's mother, Mrs. Zhang. She had known that Jiang Miaomiao's family was stewing meat and had informed them.
Please wait and don’t eat the meal too early.
So she had been looking inside and outside the door for a long time.
"Auntie, my mother asked me to bring you some meat to try." Jiang Ziyan glanced inside. "Is Sanlang home?"
"Yes, yes, I'm feeding the cows in the back. Brother Yan, do you want to come in and play for a while?"
"No, no, my mother is still waiting for us to eat at home. I just wanted to tell him that the person who colluded with the traffickers to kidnap them has been found. It's Aunt Wang. I want him to be more careful when he goes out next time..."
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