They walked several dozen zhang down the main street, the blazing sun beating down on their heads as sweat and body odor fermented in the crowded thoroughfare, producing a suffocating stench.
Following the directions of passersby, they helped Zhou Xianggui into a deep, narrow alley on the left-hand side.
Though the air here was somewhat more breathable, it was perpetually tinged with an inescapable bitter medicinal smell.
The alley was extremely narrow, and beneath the eaves on both sides sat patients waiting to see the doctor—a quick glance counted over twenty people.
The air was filled with labored breathing, punctuated by hacking coughs that rose and fell, wrenching at the heart to hear.
Jiang Wan instinctively held her breath, raising a hand to cover her nose and mouth, while her other hand tugged at Xiao He's hem and pressed down on Zhou Xianggui's shoulder, reminding them to take precautions as well.
With patients packed this densely, no one could guarantee that a contagious consumption patient wasn't hiding among them.
Jiang Wan hurried forward a few steps, rushing to the door of the medicine hall that didn't even have a signboard, and paid ten wen for a bamboo token carved with the number "Thirty-Nine." The rules here were the same as in later generations—wait for your number to be called.
Clutching the token, she turned back and settled the two of them at a tea stall at the mouth of the alley.
"Proprietor, a pot of chrysanthemum tea, warm please."
"Coming right up!"
Once the tea arrived, she poured a cup for Zhou Xianggui, then discreetly slipped two taels of loose silver from her sleeve pouch and pressed it into his withered palm.
"Father, wait here and rest easy. I'm going to take a stroll around Twin Stone Town and see if there are any interesting new goods around."
Back in university, she'd made money buying stock from wholesale markets and reselling it at local fairs.
Once you knew one trade, you knew them all.
You had to be diligent, but more than that, you had to keep your eyes and ears open.
Things that were popular in big cities often sparked a craze in smaller towns.
Same principle here.
Whatever was trendy in the prefectural capital or county seat—even the novelty trinkets that young masters and misses had grown tired of—could fetch a good price when brought to a town.
Zhou Xianggui pulled his thin robe tighter around himself, wheezing, "Go to West Street in Twin Stone Town… find a grain shop run by the Ma family… tell them I—" cough cough cough
"Got it, the Ma family, right?" Jiang Wan repeated.
Time was tight; she didn't have the patience to hear Zhou Xianggui finish.
It was just a greeting to his old acquaintance—all she needed was a mouth.
Zhou Xianggui nodded weakly, seeming to want to say more, but was cut off by Jiang Wan's next move.
Jiang Wan turned aside, reached into her clothes, and pulled out a string of copper coins, handing them to Xiao He.
Ever since stepping into Twin Stone Town, the girl's eyes hadn't strayed from the clay figurines, hair ribbons, and earrings on the street stalls.
Though she was sensible enough not to ask, she was still just a child.
"Keep this money safe. If you want to buy something or eat something, get it yourself." Jiang Wan paused, then looked at Xiao He with a serious expression. "Just one thing—keep your ears pricked and don't miss when they call Father's number."
At these words, Xiao He's face flushed bright red.
Under Zhou Xianggui's approving gaze, she carefully tucked away the copper coins. "Sister-in-law, don't worry. I'll take good care of Father."
Jiang Wan added a few more reminders, still uneasy, before hoisting the bamboo basket onto her back and turning to merge into the bustling crowd.
Only when her figure had completely disappeared into the sea of people did Xiao He lower her eyelids.
Clutching the copper coins still warm from Jiang Wan's body, she asked softly with a hint of disappointment, "Father… is sister-in-law really not going to leave us and go away on her own?"
Zhou Xianggui raised his bony arm and patted her head with affection. "Silly child, if your sister-in-law were going to leave, she would have done so long ago… cough, cough, cough…"
He panted heavily, yet his eyes were clear and bright. "She's a good girl… Your mother and I were planning, if we manage to survive this ordeal, to transfer the shop to your sister-in-law and dissolve her engagement to your brother…"
"Father…" Xiao He jerked her head up, her eyes instantly reddening.
Large teardrops fell directly onto the tabletop as she began sobbing in helplessness.
"Don't rush…" Zhou Xianggui picked up the chrysanthemum tea Jiang Wan had poured for him before she left.
The tea was clear and bright, with a few golden-yellow petals floating on the surface, reflecting against his ashen face.
He took a light sip, bitterness spreading across his tongue. "From now on… you'll have to call her Second Sister…"
Through the crowd, Jiang Wan's sharp eyes immediately locked onto the character "Pawn Shop" hanging high above the doorway.
Red background with gold lettering, gleaming brilliantly under the sunlight.
She hid in the shadows across the street, staring at the sign for a full quarter of an hour, her mind working through calculations the entire time.
Only when sweat from her forehead trickled into her eyes did she blink, take a deep breath, and fasten her veiled hat…
Stepping into the pawnshop, the tall counter blocked all outside prying eyes.
"Shopkeeper…" she called out softly, testing the waters.
The pawnshop counter was extremely high—so high that even standing on tiptoes, one couldn't see the person behind it.
"I'm here. What are you looking at, customer?" A vigorous male voice came from behind the counter.
Jiang Wan nervously set down her bamboo basket. "I was wondering if the shopkeeper here accepts pearls…"
In this dynasty, pearls were a rare and precious commodity.
From the corner of her memory, the original owner had once been fortunate enough to see the young ladies of wealthy households in the county—nearly all of them owned a full set of pearl jewelry.
Pearls the size of rice grains, either set on silver pins to make earrings, or strung together to hang around necks and wrists. Families with more means would even adorn their silk flowers with them, or embroider them onto hems and shoe surfaces…
Walking down the street, they were a dazzling display of wealth, impossible to miss.
But pearls in the Mall were all artificially cultivated, their prices having long since fallen from their pedestal. They weren't special at all.
For just ten or twenty yuan, you could buy several hundred!
Though they weren't large in size, the price was truly beautiful.
After a moment of deliberation behind the counter, a voice asked, "Did you bring the goods?"
"I did!" Jiang Wan answered crisply, quickly placing an order for pearls in the Mall.
To keep a low profile, she deliberately chose the smallest ones.
[Un-drilled millet pearls 50g, approximately 300 pieces / ¥17.8]
The order went through successfully, and the corner of her burlap sack bulged slightly.
Jiang Wan bent down, opened the sack, and pulled out the palm-sized cotton drawstring pouch.
Peeking inside, it was filled with small, lustrous particles.
They were indeed small—at most half the size of a pinky finger.
Because they weren't carefully selected, quite a few misshapen and defective ones were mixed in.
Irregular shapes and dull luster made one feel a bit uncertain.
Jiang Wan picked out three pearls with slightly better appearance and a bit larger size, carefully placing them on the counter.
"Tap, tap, tap."
The sound of the pearls landing was crisp and pleasant.
A large, calloused hand immediately reached out, picked up the pearls, and then withdrew.
"Hiss!"
"Mmm—"
A few ambiguous gasps and murmurs came from behind the counter.
The sound made Jiang Wan's heart rise and fall with anxiety, her unease growing by the moment.
She firmly believed these three pearls could be sold, but the shopkeeper's tone still made her second-guess herself.
The atmosphere hung still for a few breaths.
The shopkeeper's voice sounded again.
"Madam, you must know the rules of a pawnshop. Dead pawn or living pawn?"
Jiang Wan's heart tightened, and she answered without hesitation, "Dead pawn!"
She had no need to redeem them—she only wanted silver safely in hand!
The voice behind the counter took on a hint of lightness. "Fifty wen per pearl. Three pearls, one hundred fifty wen."
"Deal!" Jiang Wan blurted out, suppressing the frantic pounding in her chest.
One hundred fifty wen was already far above her expectations.
After all, though the times were stable now, rice cost only a dozen or so wen per catty.
A single tiny pearl like this could buy several catties of fine polished rice—enough to feed an ordinary household for several days.
"Madam." The voice behind the counter lowered slightly, hesitating. "From the sound of it, you seem to have more pearls on you. If you trust me, why not sell them all? I'll take the lot."
The smile on Jiang Wan's lips stiffened.
Instinctively, she tightened her grip on the pearls hidden in her sleeve pocket.
A faint "creak, creak" of pearls rubbing against one another sounded, and she snapped back to her senses, quickly easing the pressure in her hand.
She had already tried to make her movements as quiet as possible, and a thick wooden counter separated her from the shopkeeper. Yet the shopkeeper's hearing was sharper than most—he could catch even such a subtle sound.
She paused, then spoke with feigned composure. "I do have more, but the remaining pearls aren't much to look at. A relative brought them from afar—just trinkets that fine ladies wouldn't spare a second glance."
"No matter." The shopkeeper's tone was calm and unhurried. "Madam, just bring them out. As for where they came from, that's your fortune, and I have no interest in it. If the quality is good, I'll pay a high price. If not, they'll still find their place.
I only ask, madam: will you sell, or not?"
As he finished speaking, a piece of loose silver and a string of copper coins were placed on the counter.
"If you're unwilling, I won't press you." The shopkeeper's tone carried a hint of reluctance. "I only hope that if you have need in the future, you'll remember us."
The words were measured and tactful.
He had both stated the price for the pearls and dispelled Jiang Wan's concerns, giving her a graceful way out.
This pawnshop keeper was truly a seasoned player.
Jiang Wan knew that at this point, hiding and hoarding was no longer necessary—it would only make her seem petty.
So she simply placed the small pouch of pearls on the counter with both hands.
"In that case, I ask the shopkeeper to give them a careful look and appraise them well."
A pair of large hands reached out, grasped the pouch by its opening, and drew it behind the counter, out of sight.
The shopkeeper said nothing.
Jiang Wan did not urge him.
She quietly sat down on the wooden chair prepared for customers and slowed her breathing.
All was still, and she could hear the crisp, rapid "ding, ding, ding" of pearls striking a copper tray.
After about the time it takes to brew half a cup of tea, the sound finally came to an end.
"Madam, there are two hundred seventy-eight pearls in total here. Sixty-seven of them are top-grade, suitable for making earring settings.
One hundred and thirteen pieces of the mid-grade pearls, calculated at thirty wen each. Though they have slight flaws, they are still fairly round and smooth.
The remaining seventy-eight pieces are of slightly inferior quality, but they can still be used for small items like fan pendants. I'll calculate those at ten wen each.
As for the final twenty broken pearls, they are indeed difficult to sell. Madam can take them home and sew them onto silk flowers or handkerchiefs—perhaps they might fetch a good price as well."
The number of pearls the shopkeeper counted did not differ much from what the Mall had estimated, and he had not tampered with the quantity.
Clearly, although this man was shrewd, he was also principled.
He was an honest businessman.
Jiang Wan swallowed hard and spoke in a low voice, "Would you trouble yourself to calculate, shopkeeper—if I were to pawn all of these as outright sales, how much would all the pearls come to in total?"
As her words fell, the crisp sound of an abacus clattering came from behind the counter.
In just the span of two breaths, the shopkeeper gave the final price.