Ding Baozhu waited for about the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn before the waiter returned, following a man who looked like the manager.
The manager was a middle-aged man with a goatee. Although he held the prestigious position of a shop manager, he wore clothes made of only semi-old silk. However, even that silk was a material the villagers would never choose to buy or wear.
The manager gave Ding Baozhu a quick look-over and asked with a polite, shallow smile, “I wonder what mountain treasures the young lady has brought? If they are of good quality, I will take them.”
It was no wonder this shop could operate on such a large scale; it must have been in business for many years. Ding Baozhu couldn’t help but feel a sense of goodwill toward him.
She nimbly set down her basket and took out a small bundle, still wrapped in broad leaves. “I wonder if the manager recognizes this?” she asked while unfolding it.
If this failed, she would have to find another way. Besides, these mushrooms wouldn’t keep for many days; at worst, she would just eat them herself and taste the true essence of the wild.
As soon as the waiter saw the somewhat oddly shaped, mushroom-like objects, he scratched his head. Even the manager leaned in to observe for a long while before asking in a skeptical tone, “Is this… Wolf-Belly Vegetable?”
Ding Baozhu remained expressionless, but she quickly realized that this might be the local name for morels. She hurriedly replied, “Yes. I found them while I was up on the mountain. There’s only this many in total. I heard that Wolf-Belly Vegetables are extremely precious and rarely seen even in the city markets. I thought I’d sell them to get some spending money.”
“Since common people usually don’t recognize these things, I thought of coming to you. You are well-traveled and knowledgeable; you surely know high-quality goods when you see them.”
These words made the manager’s smile turn more sincere. He lifted his hand to stroke his goatee and said, “To be honest, I haven’t seen them much either. It is incredibly difficult to find wild Wolf-Belly Vegetables. Those that can be harvested are likely sent to the Imperial Palace as tribute!”
“In all my years of running a restaurant here, I’ve only seen them a few times and knew they existed. I didn’t expect your luck to be so good that you could gather them in the wild.”
Following the manager’s lead, Ding Baozhu continued, “Is that so? I had only heard a few descriptions of their appearance from my elders and kept them in mind. I didn’t expect to actually stumble upon them during this trip up the mountain.”
“Moreover, I’ve heard that if these Wolf-Belly Vegetables are made into a dish, the freshness is enough to make one’s tongue drop off. So, I came here thinking they would be a good fit for this place.”
The manager naturally saw through Ding Baozhu’s true intentions, but he only smiled and did not reply. A quick glance showed that there were only a few liang of Wolf-Belly Vegetables, and their sizes were uneven. However, their level of preciousness was undeniable. He estimated that no matter how many more years he ran this shop, he would rarely see them again. Furthermore, in the spring, one ought to eat things of extreme freshness. If he purchased these, they would surely attract many gourmets.
Seeing the manager fall silent, Ding Baozhu did not panic. She waited quietly and finally heard his answer: “Young lady, please follow me to the counter.”
Upon hearing this, Ding Baozhu knew that the deal was mostly done. Morels are the king of mushrooms; ordinary people rarely see them, and even if they found them, they likely wouldn’t recognize them, wasting a golden opportunity. But how could someone in the catering business pass them up?
With this thought, she followed the manager to the counter, which stood over half a man’s height. The manager brought out a scale and weighed Ding Baozhu’s Wolf-Belly Vegetables. After mulling it over for a moment, he said, “This is less than two liang. I will pay you eight hundred and fifty wen. How does that sound?”
Mainly, the mushrooms in Ding Baozhu’s hand were quite small, though they proved they were truly gathered from the wild. It was debatable whether this amount could even make a full dish. Furthermore, he could see that she had absolutely no idea about the price.
Ding Baozhu indeed didn’t know the exact price of morels in this world. In her previous life, a fixed cultivation industry had been developed, making them relatively affordable, but she still had a sharp tongue.
Thinking of this, she smiled and said, “Manager, I didn’t damage any of these mushrooms when I gathered them; they are all perfectly intact. If someone else had gathered them, they would inevitably be mangled, and even the flavor wouldn’t be as good once cooked.”
“So, why don’t we round it up to nine hundred wen? It’s a good omen. If I have this good luck again next time, I’ll come straight to you.”
The manager had already decided on the purchase, but he thought her words made some sense. These Wolf-Belly Vegetables were rare enough to be tribute; usually, professionals were sent to gather them. The ones the girl brought were indeed intact, showing she had put in the effort.
After a moment of deliberation, he nodded and said, “Very well. Consider this transaction a way for us to become acquainted. We shall go with the price the young lady suggested. However, do you want copper coins or silver?”
One copper coin was one wen. Nine hundred wen meant exactly nine hundred copper coins. To carry that, they would have to be strung together into bundles.
Ding Baozhu thought for a moment and said, “Could the manager please give me two hundred wen in copper coins and exchange the rest for silver?”
Taking it all in copper coins would be too conspicuous, but taking it all in silver might make it difficult to get change later. Fortunately, the manager readily agreed. He had the waiter fetch the copper coins and had someone find a dengzi—a small scale specifically used for weighing silver.
Before long, two hundred wen of copper coins were strung into small bundles. The remaining seven hundred wen—which was seven qian of silver—was also weighed and settled.
Ding Baozhu accepted the money and offered her thanks. Yet, as she stepped out of the building, for some reason, she still felt a bit like she had been cheated. Who could blame her for not knowing the true value of morels? She was effectively an outsider who had only been here for a few days; she had to take things slowly.
But at least she now had a bit of capital. Nearly one tael of silver, if used sparingly, would be enough for them to live for over a month. The village lacked neither vegetables nor water, firewood, or other daily necessities. Clothes could be patched as needed, so the bulk of their expenses was on grain.
Carrying her “wealth,” Ding Baozhu felt an immediate boost in her mood. she plunged into the streets, which were beginning to grow lively, ready to go on a shopping spree.
The family’s grain had just been replenished, so Ding Baozhu bought ingredients for making Liang Gao. Glutinous rice was the most essential item and what she bought the most of, followed by some broomcorn millet. Next were red beans and dried dates—this time she didn’t have to be so stingy. Then she bought chestnuts and peanuts.
Besides those, she went to buy a bag of green tea. This was the tea-picking season. She had heard that in Changsen Village, which was not far from Xiangshan Village, there were many tea-growing families and many people who went there to buy tea. This kind of packaged tea was more expensive than loose tea, so Ding Baozhu bought one bag to test the waters.
Lastly, since she was making pastries, the one thing she couldn’t do without was sugar. Ding Baozhu bought several bags of brown sugar. Brown sugar was cheap, while white sugar was slightly more expensive; this time, she bought the same amount of white sugar as she had of brown sugar last time.
Having finished buying what she wanted, Ding Baozhu didn’t forget the family. The house wasn’t short on vegetables, and once she finished the Liang Gao, everyone would have a taste. So, the only thing left was…
As she thought, she passed by several meat stalls. There were stalls selling chickens and ducks, pork, and the most expensive was mutton, which was available in small quantities. Every butcher was busy working while calling out to customers.
Ding Hong actually killed livestock and sold meat sometimes, but he wandered through various villages to sell it. He didn’t have a fixed stall and moved from place to place. If he wanted to be like these butchers, he would likely have to settle down in town first.
Ding Baozhu checked a few shops and suddenly smelled a familiar fishy scent. Up ahead were several fishmongers. At this time of year, several types of fresh fish had hit the market, especially since this area was near water and had many fishermen.
She went up to take a look. The mandarin fish and sea bass, considered spring delicacies, were not cheap, but many people were still looking or buying. Ding Baozhu walked to the end and bought a carp at a fish stall. The fishmonger knocked the jumping carp unconscious and hooked its mouth with a straw rope. Ding Baozhu put it into the basket on her back and continued her shopping.
She also wanted to buy a suitable amount of seasonings. Without them, no matter how good her skills were, she could only make boiled dishes. Moreover, before she arrived, the family clearly didn’t pay much attention to seasoning; having enough oil was sufficient for them.
Ginger and garlic were essential. Ding Baozhu also bought some coarse salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and starch. Spices were more expensive, and those that might have come from foreign lands were nowhere to be seen.
She saw the Sichuan peppers mentioned last time and understood why Yao Dan had spoken the way she did. Since the locals weren’t accustomed to using Sichuan peppers in cooking, she decided against it.
Though she didn’t buy the peppers, she found something even more suitable: fermented black bean sauce. Not knowing the difference between the sauce here and the modern version, she only bought a small amount to try out.
Ding Baozhu calculated her spending. She had asked the manager for two hundred copper coins earlier, and she hadn’t even spent half of it yet. However, this was because she was holding back on her purchases and hadn’t bought every type of item available.
Having bought so much, most of which was wrapped in oil-paper bags, Ding Baozhu’s basket was nearly full, so she prepared to head home.
As she walked down the main road, some of the small stalls on either side had either sold out or left for other reasons. Only a few remained. Ding Baozhu saw that they, like Xu Ye last time, had brought their own midday meals.
From time to time, a gentle spring breeze blew by, scattering a few petals that looked like dots of rouge. Ding Baozhu reached out to catch one and stared at it, lost in thought for a moment. Although she didn’t know exactly what kind of flower it was, the flowers that bloom in spring are generally the same few types.
But while these were blooming on the main road, another kind of flowering tree was blooming near the Ding house in the village, and those petals…
Lost in thought, she returned to the village. The men who went to the fields in the morning wouldn’t return all day. Instead, they either brought their own food or had family members bring it to them. At this time, most were sitting in the shade of trees, chatting or eating heartily.
She looked up and saw that some of the trees had different blossoms on their branches—crowded, delicate pink flowers like the faces of beauties in their prime.
It turned out those were peach blossoms.
Thinking of something, Ding Baozhu curled her lips into a smile and opened her wooden gate to go inside.