“Just wait and you’ll see.” Tang Zhuojun gave a sly smile. She went to a nearby stall and bought a portion of sugar-roasted chestnuts for Linlin, then found a large bluestone by the roadside and sat down to peel them for him.
“Auntie, do we really have the money to buy a horse?” Linlin finally asked.
“No. Auntie doesn’t need money to buy a horse. Do you believe me?” Tang Zhuojun blinked mischievously, teasing him on purpose.
“Th-then… wouldn’t that be stealing?” Linlin said in shock.
Tang Zhuojun: “…If it’s earned by ability, it’s not stealing! Eat your chestnuts first. You’ll understand in a moment.”
After finishing the chestnuts, Tang Zhuojun took Linlin back to find the horse trader.
The trader beamed the moment he saw her. “Miss, you’re truly my lucky star.”
Earlier, Tang Zhuojun had secretly told him that she would provoke Ruan Anruo into bidding higher. Any amount above three hundred taels would be split evenly between them.
“Just pick me a horse worth one hundred fifty taels,” Tang Zhuojun said.
The trader was even more delighted. He took the initiative to choose a horse that had originally been priced at two hundred taels and even threw in a bridle and saddle blanket.
Looking at Linlin, who was staring in stunned disbelief, Tang Zhuojun smiled brightly. “Come on, let’s go home.”
“Auntie, d-do we really not have to pay?” Linlin was utterly astonished.
Tang Zhuojun burst out laughing. Holding the horse’s reins in one hand and Linlin’s hand in the other, she slowly explained what had just happened.
Linlin was clever, but the two other men in the household were far too upright to teach him such “crooked tricks.”
“When you face an enemy, this is how it goes: if you can beat them, beat them. If you can’t, figure out a way to beat them. If you still can’t, then run. If you can’t even run, then kneel. A gentleman can wait ten years for revenge, right?” Tang Zhuojun instructed patiently. “And you can’t be too rigid. Sometimes, when dealing with disgusting people, you have to use special tactics.”
It doesn’t matter whether the cat is black or white— if it catches mice, it’s a good cat. There’s no need to be bound by appearances.
Linlin fell into thought.
But the reflection didn’t last long, because he was too overwhelmed with excitement. He could hardly believe their family now owned a horse.
“Auntie, Auntie! Let’s give the horse a name, okay?”
“You name it. I’m not educated,” Tang Zhuojun said encouragingly, deliberately lowering herself.
“Okay!” Linlin agreed at once. “Then let’s call him Lie Feng—‘Fierce Wind.’”
When Tang Zhuojun tried to load their purchases onto the horse’s back, Linlin winced in distress.
She sighed helplessly. What was the point of buying a horse if not to ride it or carry things? Were they supposed to carry the horse on their backs instead?
“Auntie, let’s go to the river first,” Linlin pleaded. “I want to brush him by the river and let him graze there. The grass by the river is the tenderest.”
Tang Zhuojun: “…”
She felt as though she hadn’t bought a horse, but an honored ancestor.
She bought two brushes and two large baskets to hold their earlier purchases, then led the horse to the riverbank.
There were women washing clothes and children playing by the river.
At the sight of the tall horse, quite a few children gathered around to look, though none dared approach.
Under the envious gazes of the other children, Linlin let Lie Feng graze while he stood on tiptoe to brush him.
When Tang Zhuojun tried to help, Linlin complained that she was too rough, so she could only warn him not to go near the deeper water and then sit idly by, watching the flowing current and letting her thoughts wander.
This river was a branch of the Lu River, still three to four zhang wide. The deeper parts were likely several meters deep, though fortunately the current was not too swift.
Tang Zhuojun thought: now that they had a horse, they still needed to buy a carriage. Who knew how much that would cost?
And after getting a carriage, they would need a Coachman— another expense.
But those two expenses couldn’t be spared. Tang Mingfan was currently going to court way before dawn until late at night; in winter especially, it was grueling.
The family’s income was limited, but she wasn’t squandering money recklessly like her predecessor. They should be able to afford a carriage.
And if that cold dish recipe could be sold, it would ease the immediate pressure… Truly, even a single coin can stump a hero. Firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, tea— every single thing costs money.
Suddenly, she felt something tickling the top of her foot and instinctively looked down.
Wow— what treasure had she found?
Tang Zhuojun grinned from ear to ear as she grabbed a crayfish, watching it wave its claws futilely in her hand.
How had she forgotten? It was precisely the season for crayfish.
Spicy, garlic- flavored, thirteen-spice— crayfish tasted delicious no matter how they were cooked!
She vaguely remembered that when her the original owner had lived in the countryside, there had also been plenty of crayfish by the river. But hardly anyone had been willing to eat them.