Three hundred taels of silver was, at that time, an enormous sum of money, especially for ordinary people. Yet, despite carrying such a fortune, Xu Huaiyi felt not a trace of fear. Seeing no one around, he slipped into the RV in a flash.
This was a secret he had just discovered: he could enter the RV anytime he wished, but when he exited, he would always reappear at the same location. For instance, if he entered in the county town, he would only be able to exit there. If his wife was at home, he would exit at home. It didn’t possess the magical convenience of Doraemon’s Anywhere Door.
Gu Huanxi happened to be inside the RV and was momentarily startled by his sudden appearance.
Xu Huaiyi eagerly showed her the silver. “Wife, look at these ingots—aren’t they festive? Hehe, I feel like taking a bite out of them…”
Gu Huanxi picked one up and felt it. “Did that glass ornament sell for just this much?”
“Of course not! There are also banknotes…” Xu Huaiyi pulled out several pieces of paper stamped with the seal of a money house and showed them to her. “It sold for three hundred taels in total. I’ve exceeded the target, haven’t I? Huh? Do you think if we kept these banknotes until later times, they’d count as antiques?”
Gu Huanxi gave him an exasperated look and asked, “Why did you come in?”
Xu Huaiyi quickly summarized the information he had gathered in the county town and then discussed with her, “Wife, I want to go buy a mule first, then get a cart frame. I plan to build the carriage myself and make it comfortable so you won’t suffer on the road.”
“Alright. What about the grain?”
“We definitely need to buy grain too—sorghum, beans, and such. How much do you think we should buy? Too little won’t last us the journey, but too much might draw attention. How about a hundred jin of each?”
Gu Huanxi thought for a moment and nodded. “That’s fine. Buy some wheat too. Once we bring it back, we can grind it into flour. I’ll bake naan or make flatbreads for easy eating on the road.”
Even if they had endless delicacies in the RV, they still needed surface-level food to cover up.
Xu Huaiyi agreed, hugged his daughter, and gave her a couple of affectionate kisses. After drinking a bottle of ice-cold juice to quench his thirst and cool off, he slipped out again.
With money in hand, he could buy whatever he wanted. Xu Huaiyi asked around along the way and found out where the livestock market was. When he arrived, he realized the so-called market was just an open space surrounded by a dozen locust trees. The air was filled with an unpleasant odor, and there weren’t many buyers or sellers—just scattered individuals, giving the place an unimpressive feel.
Fortunately, after walking around, he spotted a decent-looking mule and stopped to examine it carefully.
The mule’s owner was a burly man in his thirties with a rugged face. Seeing Xu Huaiyi’s interest, he approached eagerly despite doubts about his patched clothing and launched into an enthusiastic sales pitch.
He praised the mule’s long neck, narrow hooves, and perfect teeth, claiming it was excellent for travel, had great endurance, and was at its prime—a purchase that would surely be worthwhile.
Xu Huaiyi listened attentively, occasionally offering noncommittal “hmms” in response.
After talking until his mouth was dry, the man finally ventured to ask, “What do you think of my mule, young man?”
No matter how satisfied Xu Huaiyi felt inside, he kept his expression neutral—otherwise, how could he bargain? With an inscrutable look, he said, “It’s alright. How much are you willing to sell it for?”
Unexpectedly, the man countered, “How much are you willing to offer, young man?”
Xu Huaiyi replied, “…”
Why does everyone like to put him on the spot first?
He expressionlessly held up two fingers.
The other man’s eyes lit up. "Twenty taels? Deal!"
Xu Huaiyi immediately understood how Shopkeeper Yao must have felt earlier—this guy was desperate for money, wasn’t he?
He hadn’t come without checking the price of mules beforehand. Depending on their quality, mules generally cost between five and ten taels. Asking for twenty taels right off the bat—did this guy take him for a fool?
"It’s two taels, brother."
Hearing this, the man’s face fell. He shook his head and waved his hands vigorously. "Two taels won’t do. Don’t even think about it. I’ve been feeding this mule for almost seven years. The grain alone cost more than two taels of silver. Selling it to you at that price would mean I’d be taking a huge loss!"
Xu Huaiyi naturally knew that two taels wouldn’t buy a mule. He was just testing the waters, and the result wasn’t bad. This brother might look rough, but he was honest. If it had been someone with a worse temper, they’d have kicked him out right away. He put on a smile and said, "Then I’ll raise the price a bit. How about five taels?"
The man still shook his head.
Xu Huaiyi patiently increased the offer one tael at a time. When he reached eight taels and saw the man still unmoved, he fell silent. He took another long look at the mule, then turned and walked away.
The man was taken aback. After a moment, he hurriedly grabbed Xu Huaiyi’s arm. "Don’t rush off, brother. Raise the price a little more, or I really can’t sell it to you…"
Xu Huaiyi sighed. "To be honest, brother, when I left home, my family only gave me a little over ten taels of silver, and that was all they could scrape together. But I can’t give it all to you—I still need to buy grain to cook when I get back. So it’s not that I don’t want to raise the price, I just can’t. If I can’t buy it, why should I stay?"
The man frowned, looking conflicted, and asked again, unwilling to give up, "Really can’t go any higher?"
Xu Huaiyi nodded firmly.
The man gritted his teeth and stamped his foot. "Alright, eight taels it is. Consider it me making a friend."
Xu Huaiyi immediately introduced himself warmly. "Well, brother, I’m Xu Huaiyi, from Xu Family Village. If you ever pass by, you must come to my home for a drink of water."
The man, "…"
Was this guy even more naive than him?
Wasn’t what he’d just said just a sales tactic? How could he take it so seriously?
But since the other was so sincere and earnest, he couldn’t put on airs either. He cupped his hands and said, "This humble one is Ma Changshan, from Changmiao Village. If you ever come by, just ask anyone for Ma the Third."
"Good, good…"
Once the price was settled, the rest was simple—though not as straightforward as a simple exchange of money for goods. They had to find a specialized intermediary for such transactions; otherwise, if something went wrong, there’d be no one to turn to.
The paperwork was quick, taking only about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. After paying the intermediary one hundred wen, the mule belonged to Xu Huaiyi. Not wanting to trouble another person, he asked the same intermediary to help him buy a set of carriage fittings, including a saddle, which cost him nearly three more taels of silver. Now everything was set except for the carriage itself.
After warmly waving goodbye to his newly acquainted "brother," Xu Huaiyi contentedly led the big mule to the grain shop to buy grain. Walking down the street, he felt like the brightest star on the block.
But as soon as he entered the grain shop, he was instantly brought back to reality.
Good heavens, just an hour ago, sorghum was thirty-five wen and beans twenty wen. In such a short time, the prices had already gone up. Wheat was even more outrageous, directly rising to sixty wen—nearly ten times higher than last year.
What they're selling isn't grain—it's people's blood and sweat!
Xu Huaiyi clicked his tongue in disbelief. Inside the grain shop, chaos reigned as everyone denounced the shopkeeper for raising prices indiscriminately and making money with a guilty conscience, without fearing any retribution.
One man broke down completely, squatting on the ground and wailing, "There's no way to survive…"
The shop assistants wore numb expressions, unafraid of any trouble. The grain shop owner had long hired five or six burly men to guard the door. Anyone who caused a scene would be grabbed and thrown out.