“Do you think we’ll still be able to buy silkworms?”
“I honestly don’t know. It’s hard to say.”
“If this year’s crop fails, we’ll just have to wait for the spring silkworms next year.”
She let out a long sigh.
“This weather…”
“The common folk really have it hard.”
“It won’t just be the silkworms. I’m afraid the grain harvest will suffer too.”
Lowering her voice, she quietly added,
“If your family still has a little money, don’t rush into starting a business.”
“Stock up on food and firewood instead.”
“The summer’s scorching hot.”
“If winter ends up being especially cold, not having enough firewood will be a real problem.”
“I understand.”
“Thank you for the reminder, Auntie.”
Auntie Zhang clicked her tongue to herself.
Old Jiang was gone.
The two children he’d left behind barely knew how to survive.
The fact that they were still alive was already remarkable.
And now they wanted to start a business?
As if business was that easy.
What she didn’t know was that her warning hadn’t discouraged Jiang He in the slightest.
Instead…
It strengthened her resolve.
If the countryside really suffered massive silkworm losses…
Then cloth prices would inevitably rise.
She needed to buy finished bolts of fabric now.
Once prices increased, she could deliver them to the Textile Administration and earn the difference.
That profit would be far greater than a handful of copper coins.
Jiang He quickly calculated the numbers.
She would purchase only coarse silk.
She had already investigated the local market prices.
Depending on quality, each bolt sold for around 250 to 370 copper coins.
Using the cheapest price as her estimate, a thirty-percent deposit came to seventy-five copper coins per bolt.
For one hundred bolts, she’d need a deposit of 7,500 copper coins—
Seven and a half taels of silver.
That wasn’t impossible.
Who said there was nothing left to sell?
Her bed could be sold.
So could her wardrobe and dressing table.
Back when the family had still been prosperous, Jiang Mother’s had hired craftsmen to make them.
They had originally been intended as part of Jiang He’s dowry.
Any family with even modest means began preparing a daughter’s dowry while she was still young.
The Jiang family had been no exception.
The bed, wardrobe, and dressing table had taken the craftsmen nearly three years to complete.
They were undoubtedly worth quite a bit.
Like the house itself, Jiang Father had stubbornly refused to sell them, no matter how poor the family became.
Having made up her mind, Jiang He grabbed an umbrella and headed for a nearby pawnshop to inquire about selling furniture.
“You want to pawn a dressing table?”
“Yes.”
“What kind of dressing table?”
The shopkeeper looked her up and down with a trace of disdain.
“We don’t accept just any piece of junk.”
“It’s not junk.”
“It’s practically new.”
“The carvings were done by master craftsmen.”
“The dressing table, wardrobe, and bed took nearly three years to complete.”
“They’re only around ten years old.”
“Oh?”
Now she had his attention.
Still, judging from her clothing, she hardly looked like someone who owned furniture of that quality.
Curious, he asked,
“Where did you get them?”
“They were my parents’ wedding gifts for me.”
“Later, my family fell on hard times.”
“My parents both passed away.”
“I’m short on money recently, so I thought I’d pawn them.”
The explanation immediately made sense.
He’d seen countless families like hers.
Once a household declined, they sold or pawned everything they owned.
Sometimes the pawnshop even acquired genuine treasures that way.
“I’ll send someone to inspect them.”
“Thank you.”
The shopkeeper called toward the back room.
A young assistant emerged.
“You.”
“Go with her and inspect the goods.”
“Yes, sir.”
The young man grabbed an abacus and ledger before following Jiang He back to the Jiang residence.
Standing outside the front gate, he looked up in surprise.
The entrance…
The threshold…
It was obvious the family had once been quite wealthy.
The house itself was still in excellent condition.
It was probably worth a considerable sum.
He wondered how much longer she’d hold out before selling it too.
After entering the inner courtyard, Jiang He led him straight into her room.
It was a suite with a side chamber.
Judging from the signs that someone lived there, she clearly wasn’t living alone.
The young lady’s room was pleasant.
Just rather empty.
There was only an intricately carved bed, a dressing table, and a wardrobe.
Looking at the matching carvings, it was easy to tell they belonged to the same set.
“These are the pieces.”
“How much do you think they’re worth?”
The assistant slowly circled the dressing table.
He examined it from every angle.
He ran his hands over every carving.
Then, to Jiang He’s utter disgust, he spat onto the bronze mirror before wiping it clean with his sleeve.
How filthy.
Couldn’t he be a little more civilized?
After inspecting it for quite some time, he suddenly raised his voice.
“One piece of used wooden furniture~~~”
Jiang He stared at him in confusion.
He’d been inspecting it perfectly normally.
Why had he suddenly started shouting?
And how had such a beautiful dressing table become “used wooden furniture”?
“Are you sure you’re looking at this properly?”
“You call this used wooden furniture?”
she asked indignantly.
The assistant smiled apologetically.
“Please don’t take offense.”
“It’s simply our shop’s procedure.”
“It doesn’t mean your furniture is poor quality.”
Jiang He: “…”
What kind of ridiculous rule is that?
“So…”
“How much can I pawn it for?”
The assistant rapidly worked his abacus.
“I estimate it’s worth around twenty taels.”
Twenty taels?
Jiang He was delighted.
She hadn’t expected it to be worth that much.
“However…”
That single word immediately made her heart sink.
The assistant continued clicking away on his abacus.
Who knew what he was calculating?
“Pawnshop rules.”
“Items worth ten are pawned for five.”
“In other words…”
“Although it’s worth twenty taels, we’ll lend you ten.”
Jiang He had heard of this practice before.
She could understand it.
“Then…”
“How does repayment work?”
“For furniture, we charge two percent interest.”
“If you pawn it for ten taels, the monthly interest is two-tenths of a tael.”
“How many months do you want the loan for?”
So…
0.2 taels per month.
How long?
At least six months.
She needed plenty of time.
If she couldn’t repay it before the deadline, the furniture would permanently belong to the pawnshop.
“Six months.”
The assistant worked his abacus again.
After a moment, he said,
“That comes to one tael and two mace in interest.”
“We deduct the interest upfront.”
“So you’ll receive eight taels and eight mace.”
“We’ll send someone to carry away the dressing table.”
“As long as you repay ten taels before the six months are up, you can take it back.”
Jiang He thought for a moment before asking,
“What if I repay it after only five months?”
“Will you refund the unused interest?”
The assistant shook his head.
“No.”
“Once the pawn ticket is issued, the interest is fixed.”
“Even if you repay it tomorrow, we still keep the full interest.”
“So think carefully.”
“How long do you really want the loan?”
She couldn’t afford to shorten the term.
After gritting her teeth, she nodded.
“Alright.”
“Six months.”
The assistant looked once more at the dressing table.
Then he remembered how empty the rest of the house had been.
With genuine goodwill, he offered some advice.
“Miss…”
“To be honest, pawning it isn’t the best deal.”
Jiang He paused.
Of course I know it isn’t.
But do I have any other choice?
“What do you mean?”
“I actually suggest selling it to us outright.”
“It’s a fine piece.”
“The bronze mirror is made with good materials too.”
“I can speak to the shopkeeper on your behalf.”
“I think we could negotiate somewhere between twenty-two and twenty-five taels.”