Meng Zhizhang’s gaze swept over the numbers on the paper and naturally landed on Zhuang Yubai’s face. The porcelain-like fair face had a striking beauty mark at the corner of his eye that seemed even more vivid:
“Today, there are 12 pre-orders from the academy, totaling 103 packs of jade slices and 63 packs of gold balls.”
…!
166 packs!
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Yubai slumped back into his chair. His amber-colored hair cascaded down the back of the chair, losing its luster in an instant.
How many gluten pieces need to be washed, how many doughs need to be made, how many embryo slices need to be dried, and how many lotus leaves need to be wrapped… Oh heavens!
Traveling back to ancient times, every day is like being a beast of burden, farming day in and day out.
Lazily slouched in the chair, Zhuang Yubai tilted his chin slightly, casting a powerless glance at Meng Zhizhang and then at the page of paper. Suddenly, he saw something shocking and sprang up from the chair:
“Why is your name on this list?”
“It’s for Mr. Nan.”
“I say, Young Master Meng, the household is already busy enough, and you insist on joining the fray at this time. I don’t care about Mr. Nan or Mr. Bei, this money cannot come from the public funds. Your private dealings with that Mr. Whatever must come from your own pocket!”
“Naturally.”
Meng Zhizhang’s voice remained calm as usual, suppressing the curve of his lips. He pulled out a money pouch from the document bag and placed it heavily in front of Zhuang Yubai.
“Half of the deposit from the academy classmates. 640 wen.”
As he spoke, Meng Zhizhang also counted out 24 wen from his usual pocket and placed it on the table: “This is my part of the deposit, please have a look, Mr. Amber.”
The sound of the money pouch jingling immediately revitalized Zhuang Yubai, as if he had been plugged into a power source, and he perked up instantly.
Zhuang Yubai poured all the money onto the table with a “whoosh,” and wow, at this moment, he was completely oblivious to the outside world, focusing solely on counting the money. Who would have thought that the day would come when counting money would make one’s hands cramp so quickly?
If only they had said so earlier! With enough money, even being a beast of burden isn’t out of the question!
After counting the 664 wen, Zhuang Yubai quickly stuffed the money back into the pouch and tied the opening. Then, remembering something, he rolled up his pants and dashed out the door like the wind, only to return shortly after, dumping the contents from his clothes onto the table and continuing to count.
In the afternoon, Aunt Liu and the others “cleared the inventory,” collecting a total of 168 wen.
664 wen + 168 wen = 832 wen!
Wow, when Peddler Zhang returns from his “hunt” tomorrow, the first 1000 wen, the first tael of silver, will be in the account!
However, Zhuang Yubai didn’t have to wait until tomorrow.
As dusk fell, Peddler Zhang arrived, banging on the wooden gate loudly and shouting “Young Master” and “Scholar Meng” as he did so.
The two recognized Peddler Zhang’s voice and, thinking something had happened, hurried to open the door and let him in, helping him unload his burden by the pomegranate tree.
“Did a black dog chase you?” Zhuang Yubai was still haunted by the shadow of being chased by a black dog on the mountain. He looked at the sky and then at Peddler Zhang’s anxious face, “No, why are you here at this time?”
Peddler Zhang lived on the north side of the mountain and mainly traveled to nearby villages and towns. He usually came to Meng Family Village once every three or four days, but because of the gold ball and jade slice business, he had been coming more frequently, now every other day.
But it was getting dark, and he still had to cross a mountain to get home. Even if he left now, it would be completely dark by the time he arrived. Peddler Zhang was a family man, with a pregnant wife waiting at home. If it weren’t for something urgent, he wouldn’t have made a special trip to see Zhuang Yubai at this time.
Peddler Zhang wiped the sweat from his forehead and neck with a cloth, trying to catch his breath. He had rushed over so quickly that he couldn’t even form a complete sentence.
Zhuang Yubai looked anxious: “Did something happen? Were you robbed? Is someone chasing you? Or, is it something at home… Say something!”
Peddler Zhang waved his hands frantically, the more Zhuang Yubai urged, the more anxious he became. His face turned red, and after a long struggle, he finally managed to squeeze out a sentence: “…Young Master, I need to increase the order tomorrow… to 60 packs!”
“I thought something big had happened! You…” Zhuang Yubai let out a big sigh of relief, poured a cup of water for Peddler Zhang, and let him rest his feet.
Peddler Zhang beamed: “The last 20 packs weren’t enough to sell. Thanks to the sign written by Scholar Meng, it’s grand! It attracts people! As I walked along, people kept asking what ‘Gold and Jade Full House’ was. Those who had heard of it or tasted it even helped spread the good word.”
Peddler Zhang had taken over his father’s peddling business for several years. Since he was a child, following his father through the streets and alleys, to now supporting the family’s livelihood, he had never seen, nor dared to imagine, a day when people would flock to his goods like this.
It had only been a few days since ‘Gold and Jade Full House’ was added to his peddling goods, and he had suddenly become a well-known peddler in the area. The name “Gold and Jade Full House Peddler Zhang” had also become famous.
Peddling was hard work, not only carrying the goods on his shoulders and walking dozens of miles every day but also having to shout in different ways. In the past, by the end of the day, his throat would be hoarse and painful, often so sore that he couldn’t speak by the time he got home. Even so, few people would stop by his goods.
Now it was different. In just a few days, wherever he went, he would quickly be surrounded by a crowd, and many children would follow him, clapping and shouting “Gold and Jade Full House Peddler Zhang”!
The gold balls and jade slices were naturally in high demand, and even the other items on his peddling goods sold better, earning him an extra thirty wen a day. The family’s dining table was no longer so tight, and occasionally he could buy an egg for his pregnant wife to supplement her diet. Scholar Meng and Young Master were truly the family’s lucky stars.
Zhuang Yubai had expected the shrimp chips to sell well, but he hadn’t anticipated them being in such high demand.
Selling 20 packs in a short time was already quite good. Naturally, the more sold, the better for everyone. Yesterday, 20 packs were sold, today 40 packs, and the day after tomorrow 60 packs… But Peddler Zhang could only cover the surrounding ten miles or so each day. Although everyone was enthusiastic now, there would eventually be a day when interest waned. It would be better to limit sales from the start, which would be more beneficial for long-term operations.
Firstly, current production capacity was limited, and they couldn’t make much more. Secondly, a bit of “scarcity marketing” was appropriate. If something is always available, people won’t think much of it. But if there are only so many available each day, no matter how much you raise the price, people will think it’s rare and valuable, and naturally, they’ll keep it in mind every day. This way, the business can last as long as possible.
Of course, during festivals, they could increase the quantity, like the upcoming Dragon Boat Festival.
Zhuang Yubai looked at the embryo slices drying in the courtyard: “We have 30 packs of jade slices, but we’re out of gold balls at the moment… How about this, we’ll make them tonight and have 30 packs ready by tomorrow morning.”
Peddler Zhang first listened to a lecture on “scarcity marketing,” understanding only half of it. Then he heard that there were no gold balls, and his heart sank. But when he heard they would help make more, he was relieved and grinned, showing all his white teeth, nodding repeatedly and saying “good.”
“Oh, my memory!” Peddler Zhang scolded himself and hurriedly pulled out a slightly worn money pouch from his clothes, “Thank you, Young Master. This is the money for the last 20 packs, a total of 140 wen. Please count it, Young Master.”
Zhuang Yubai didn’t stand on ceremony, taking it and pouring it onto the wooden table in the courtyard, counting it carefully: “140 wen, not a penny short! It’s late, so we won’t keep you. But I was thinking you’ll be back tomorrow morning. If you trust us, you can leave the goods here. This way, you can save some energy on the return trip and walk faster, and if you hurry, you might get home before it’s completely dark.”
Peddler Zhang was more than willing. This was Scholar Meng and Young Master’s home; if he couldn’t trust them, who could he trust? It was touching that they considered even such small matters for him.
After Peddler Zhang left, Zhuang Yubai piled all the money from today onto Meng Zhizhang’s desk. Previously, he thought 7000 wen would fill a table, but that was wishful thinking. Just today’s income had already filled the tabletop.
Zhuang Yubai pushed the stone inkstone and bamboo pen rack aside and continued counting money!
664 wen + 168 wen + 140 wen = 972 wen
972 wen!
“If we could just earn another 28 wen today, we’d have a full tael of silver.” With the lamp lit in the room, Zhuang Yubai looked up from the pile of copper coins, smiling with a hint of proud boasting at Meng Zhizhang.
People are always greedy for more. Previously, he was satisfied with earning a few dozen or a hundred wen a day, but now, sitting on over nine hundred wen, he was thinking about the 28 wen needed to round it off.
Meng Zhizhang didn’t say anything, turning to take the money pouch and counting out 24 wen: “Meng will give the remaining 24 wen in advance, please have a look, Mr. Amber. And please, Mr. Amber, try to prioritize these few orders for me. As for the remaining 4 wen…”
“Stop right there! I’m someone who keeps business and personal matters separate, don’t try to get close to me.” Zhuang Yubai quickly took the 24 wen and added it to the pile, but stopped the 4 wen that was handed over, “I only accept income from the gold balls and jade slices here, 4 wen short is 4 wen short.”
Meng Zhizhang found a larger coarse cloth bag for Zhuang Yubai to use as a money pouch. Amidst the “jingling” sound of coins entering the bag, the wooden gate sounded.
Meng Zhizhang went to answer it and soon led someone inside.
Zhuang Yubai saw it was a boy of about fourteen or fifteen. Though his body was still growing, it was clear he was sturdy and robust, like a blade of grass in a stone crevice, ready to thrive with tenacious vitality.
“This is Er You, Dayou’s younger brother.”
Er You was cheerful, completely unlike his brother’s reserved nature, and spoke straightforwardly: “Hello, Brother Amber! This is the flour you left at the mill this afternoon. My dad saw it at the mill and asked me to bring it over on my way.”
Zhuang Yubai recalled his hasty escape from the mill and smiled: “Thank you so much. I haven’t seen your brother these past few days. Is he doing well?” Zhuang Yubai intended to offer some shrimp chips to this young guest. After searching around, he found there wasn’t a single piece left at home.
“My brother is doing well; he’s been busy with Mr. Wu’s charcoal and firewood these days. The first batch of charcoal was finally delivered today, and when I came, he was unloading in the yard. Mr. Wu’s mother’s birthday is on the third of May, so he has to deliver another batch by the first or second at the latest.”
Zhuang Yubai had heard from Meng Zhizhang that the Niu family’s charcoal was of good quality. Although the price was similar to others, it produced less smoke and burned longer. Even if it cost an extra wen or two per pound, the kitchens in the city were willing to buy Niu family’s charcoal.
It was getting late, and Er You was eager to go home for dinner. Just as he was about to run off, Meng Zhizhang, out of Zhuang Yubai’s sight, pulled Er You aside and whispered something to him.
Er You glanced at Meng Zhizhang, then at Zhuang Yubai, his eyes twinkling with mischief. He smiled and approached Zhuang Yubai: “Brother Amber, the gluten balls you made are delicious. My mother really likes them and asked me to pre-order a pack. Here’s the deposit.”
With that, he ran off, shouting as he ran, “Brother Zhizhang, Brother Amber, I’m leaving!” Before his voice had even faded, he was already out the gate.
Zhuang Yubai opened his hand, and there were exactly 4 copper coins in his palm.
1000 wen collected!
Zhuang Yubai looked at Meng Zhizhang, his eyes curved with a smile, a hint of something deeper in his expression. The two shared a tacit understanding, neither saying anything more.
*
Above the village, the sky was filled with stars, like diamonds of various sizes scattered on black velvet, sparkling under the light.
A crescent moon hung in the sky, a thin sliver hiding behind a row of tree shadows, eavesdropping cautiously.
In the thatched house on the north side of Meng Family Village, it was bustling with activity.
A single lamp flickered, casting shadows that swayed back and forth, occasionally intertwining.
The sound of water, breathing, and the clatter of a wooden basin… all mingled together.
…Uh, something seems off.
“My… my back is so sore!” Zhuang Yubai’s voice squeezed out a muffled complaint.
He struggled to straighten his back, tilting his neck back, his arms propped behind him, casting a shadow on the paper-covered window like a black swan singing with its neck stretched high.
“Are you done, Brother Meng? My back is about to give out…”
“Almost.” The sound of water resumed, “Take a break. Leave the rest to me.”
“Easy for you to say, how can I rest like this!”
The sound of water didn’t stop: “Maybe… change positions?”
The black swan held its lower back, its voice starting to whine: “Change positions? No way… Are you almost done? Seeing how hard you’re working… I’ll stick it out a bit longer.”
“Mm. Almost done…” The sound of water intensified a few more times.
The battle temporarily paused, and both let out a long breath simultaneously.
Water droplets dripped, and Meng Zhizhang’s voice said, “Brother Amber, lend a hand.”
“…What? Brother Meng, how can you… this… hurry up, I can’t hold on much longer…”
The sound of furniture being moved echoed inside.
Author’s Note: