When Madam Yu heard the sound…
After comparing the price difference between dried and fresh herbs,
Jiang Wan gritted her teeth and stuffed all the self-heal spikes into the wooden crate.
Two jin in total, 1 kilogram, priced at 30 yuan.
[Confirm sale?]
"Yes."
In the blink of an eye, the self-heal spikes in the crate vanished.
The balance on the Light Screen changed from "0" to "30."
Jiang Wan stared intently at that "30," a wave of indescribable bitterness and warmth surging in her chest.
After working hard all day, her back aching so much she could barely straighten up—finally, she was seeing money!
The first thing she did upon earning money was, almost instinctively, open Pinduoduo in her mind and tap on the "Rice, Flour, Grains, and Oil" section.
[Northeast Pearl Rice 5kg/19.9 yuan]
Too extravagant…
[Brown Rice 5kg/16.9 yuan]
Tsk! A bit pricey…
[Broken Rice 5kg/12.9 yuan]
Now this is suitable!
Broken rice was cheap, the texture wasn't too bad either, and most importantly, mixing it into the old rice in the jar wouldn't draw much attention.
Jiang Wan stared at that bag of broken rice for a few seconds, then placed the order!
[Purchase successful! Broken Rice 5kg/12.9 yuan]
[Balance: 17.1 yuan]
In the space of a breath, a burlap sack appeared out of nowhere at the bottom of the previously empty crate.
The bag wasn't large, but it felt heavy when lifted.
Using the moonlight filtering through the window, Jiang Wan opened the bag and examined it carefully.
The grains inside were almost all broken in half, not as pretty as whole grains. But they were processed very cleanly—white and pristine, with almost no impurities.
This was the cheapest broken rice on Pinduoduo.
Compared to what the Chen Family Grain Shop in town sold, this quality wouldn't fall far short even of their finest polished rice.
At least she wouldn't have to rinse the rice over and over, then pick out pebbles one by one like before…
Jiang Wan found a piece of rope, tied the bag's opening tightly, closed the crate lid, and locked it for good measure. Finally, she gave it a firm tug to confirm the lid was securely locked, then let out a long sigh of relief.
This room was now hers, and the crate was part of her dowry.
Having interacted with the Zhou family these past few days, she could sense that although they had fallen on hard times, they were honest people at heart. They wouldn't stoop to something as despicable as rummaging through their daughter-in-law's belongings.
"That's good enough," she said, patting the crate before climbing onto the bed with satisfaction.
The bed board was hard and uncomfortable. She'd thought she'd toss and turn for a long while before falling asleep.
But perhaps because the day had been so exhausting, her consciousness sank into slumber not long after her eyes closed.
When she opened her eyes again, the sky was faintly light with dawn, and crickets chirped all around.
Pushing open the door, the damp mountain air rushed to meet her, cool and refreshing as it filled her lungs, sending a shiver through her body that left her feeling completely invigorated.
Jiang Wan stood at the doorway, stretching her slightly sore body, and caught sight of a figure moving in the courtyard out of the corner of her eye.
Looking closer, it was Madam Yu.
She was squatting by the well, vigorously scrubbing clothes in the faint morning light.
"Mother?" Jiang Wan said, somewhat surprised. "You're up so early? Why not sleep a bit more?"
Hearing the sound, Madam Yu turned around and smiled. "I'm old—I don't need much sleep. When I can't sleep, I get up and do some work. Can't sit idle."
Jiang Wan looked up at the sky.
A waning moon still hung on the treetops, and the stars hadn't fully faded. Judging by the sky, it was barely past the hour of Mao.
From the main house came Zhou Xianggui's hacking coughs, each one louder than the last, piercingly harsh in the quiet morning.
She glanced at Madam Yu's back, said nothing more, and turned back into the room.
First, she opened the crate, scooped out a large handful of rice from the bag, and hurried to the kitchen in the back courtyard, scattering the broken rice into the rice jar.
She mixed it with the old rice already there and stirred.
Today, she planned to revive the Zhou family's original path to wealth—becoming a "traveling merchant," a peddler who went from street to street.
First, this would allow her to barter goods more quickly, with a short turnaround time for cash.
Second, this small-scale, mobile method of selling would best conceal the secret of the Mall.
This Mall was something that absolutely could never be brought into the open.
Time was tight, and debts were looming.
She had to scrape together thirty taels of silver within the allotted time. Even if she left afterward, she'd do so with a clear conscience.
After adding the rice, Jiang Wan planned to leave the kitchen and find Zhou Xianggui to discuss this matter properly.
But the moment she turned around, she nearly scared her soul out of her body.
"Aiyo!"
A pitch-black figure stood right behind her, like a ghost.
Jiang Wan, already feeling guilty about her "sneaky business," was even more startled now. On reflex, she shoved the dark figure.
The figure let out a muffled grunt and fell straight to the ground.
"Sister-in-law…"
Hearing that aggrieved voice, it was Xiao He.
Jiang Wan let out a long breath, pressed a hand to her pounding chest, and stepped forward to help him up. "Xiao He, why are you walking so quietly?"
"I called out to you…" Xiao He rubbed his arm, mumbling. "You didn't hear me, sister-in-law."
Jiang Wan was stunned for a moment.
Just now, her mind had been full of peddling, debts, and the Mall—how could she have heard anything else?
"Alright, it's my fault," she said, brushing the dust off Xiao He's clothes. "Why are you up so early?"
"I heard noises in the kitchen and thought a thief had gotten in…"
Jiang Wan coughed guiltily. "Nothing, I just came in to take a look."
"Oh…" Xiao He blew the tinder alight and lit the oil lamp.
Out of habit, she opened the rice jar, ready to scoop out rice for cooking.
The scoop hit the bottom of the jar, and the feel was off.
She muttered a few words, then reached in to feel around again, puzzled. "Why does the rice seem like it's increased…"
She clearly remembered yesterday that there was only enough rice left for one meal. Why was there more this morning?
"Silly child, you must still be half-asleep." Jiang Wan brushed it off casually and didn't linger.
She crossed the courtyard.
Zhou Xianggui's coughs came in fits and starts, and Madam Yu was still washing clothes by the well.
Jiang Wan stood at the door of the main room and knocked.
"Father, it's me, Jiang Wan. There's something I'd like to discuss with you."
The room fell quiet for a moment.
Zhou Xianggui replied in a hoarse voice, "Come in."
Jiang Wan pushed the door open and entered.
Zhou Xianggui was half-reclining against the headboard, looking even worse this morning than yesterday.
He raised a hand to press against his throat, about to say something, but was cut off by a fit of heart-wrenching coughs.
"Heng, heng, heng…"
He bent over, his whole body curling up from the violent coughing.
Jiang Wan quickly grabbed the water bowl beside him and handed it over.
Zhou Xianggui took the bowl and drank a few mouthfuls, taking a long while before he managed to calm down.
"Father, I want to become a traveling merchant." Jiang Wan cut straight to the point while he caught his breath. "I'll go to the villages to buy up some goods and bring them back, so we can keep the shop going."
Zhou Xianggui said nothing, staring at her for a long moment before slowly speaking.
"A traveling merchant…" He seemed to recall years past, murmuring, "The Zhou family also started out as traveling merchants."
He coughed a couple more times, then said with deep guilt, "But you, the daughter of a scholar… marrying into our Zhou family was already a grievance to you… How could I let you go out and show your face in public… to suffer that hardship…"
It was so painful listening to him speak that Jiang Wan wished she could pour a bottle of strong loquat syrup down his throat right now!
Wait, loquat syrup?!
Pinduoduo had plenty of that!
Not just loquat syrup—cough syrup, antibiotics…
Even anti-inflammatories were available!
If she could trade for some medicine, maybe she could cure Zhou Xianggui, and she'd have another helper.
Jiang Wan's mind wandered far away, but her face betrayed nothing. She only nodded from time to time, patiently listening to Zhou Xianggui talk.
Zhou Xianggui coughed for a while, then spoke in fits and starts for quite some time.
Every sentence was punctuated by sighs.
She listened calmly, occasionally humming in acknowledgment to avoid an awkward silence.
When he finally finished pouring out his heart, Jiang Wan spoke.
"Father, since I've married into the Zhou family, it's only natural that I consider the Zhou family's interests."
She paused, and seeing Zhou Xianggui open his mouth to speak, quickly raised a hand to stop him. "Please don't speak yet—let me finish."
"Here's what I think. Our family is this poor now, so what's the point of clinging to those formalities? Better to take it one step at a time and live steadily in the present. Don't you agree?"
She looked into Zhou Xianggui's eyes, lowered her voice slightly, and added with just the right touch of plaintiveness, "Besides, when Qi Shan comes back, we can't have him coming home to no home at all, can we?"
Jiang Wan could spin a tale without so much as a blush, her expression sincere and earnest.
Zhou Xianggui was a sensible man, but even he couldn't withstand her persuasion.
His guilt toward his family, his helplessness over his own illness, his longing for his son…
All these emotions surged up in his heart.
In the end, the head of the household needed a daughter-in-law who had only been in the door for three days to hold the family together.
Zhou Xianggui's eyes gradually reddened.
He choked on his words, then propped himself up to sit.
He set the water bowl back on the stool, then lifted the mattress and fumbled around beneath it with his withered hands. Soon he pulled out an object wrapped in red cloth.
"As long as you have a plan, that's enough." He waved a hand, forcing himself not to cough. "Your father can't help you anymore now."
He handed the red cloth bundle to Jiang Wan. "Take this. Inside is a route map of the nearby villages, along with a few pieces of silver.
If you run into any trouble on the road, it'll come in handy."
Jiang Wan took it and thanked him. She tucked the bundle into her bosom and said to Zhou Xianggui, "Father, rest well. Once the porridge is ready, I'll bring you a bowl."
Zhou Xianggui waved his hand and closed his eyes wearily, saying no more.
Jiang Wan turned and left the room.
The moment the door panel closed, another muffled cough came from inside.
Standing at the door, listening to the suppressed coughing within, she couldn't help but sigh.
Perhaps it was because the Zhou family was simple and honest by nature, or perhaps because they had reached the end of their rope.
Whatever she said, they believed.
She said she wanted to become a traveling merchant and keep the shop afloat, and Zhou Xianggui handed over the money he'd been saving for medicine.
That trust was both heavy and almost too easy.
She squeezed the red cloth bundle in her hand, feeling the sharp edges of the silver pieces.
"Too honest for their own good…"
Jiang Wan was used to getting what she wanted through sweet talk, but when Zhou Xianggui, with red-rimmed eyes, pressed his life-saving money into her hands, she felt a twinge of discomfort in her heart.
Those hands were so thin they were nothing but skin and bone, and they trembled as they were extended toward her.
"Ah…"
Standing under the eaves, Jiang Wan let out a soft sigh.
She stared blankly at Madam Yu, who was still washing clothes in the courtyard.
The sky was beginning to lighten at the horizon, a murky gray glow spreading in from the east.
By the faint light, she could make out the light blue garment Madam Yu was scrubbing between her hands.
It was the one she had changed out of last night.
It was also the finest piece of clothing she had brought from the Jiang family.
She lowered her head and glanced at the dark blue jacket and trousers she was wearing today.
This was new cloth Madam Yu had bought, prepared long before she had even set foot through the door.
Even the cloth shoes on her feet had been stitched thread by thread by Madam Yu, working with those clouded eyes of hers…
Madam Yu's eyesight was poor. Every couple of scrubs, she had to bring the garment close to her face to carefully inspect whether it was clean.
She scrubbed each piece one by one, then rinsed them twice in clean water.
Wrung them dry, shook them open, and hung them on the rope in the corner of the courtyard.
Her movements were slow, but meticulous.
Every piece of clothing was smoothed out perfectly straight.
Watching that light blue garment being gently lifted by the morning breeze, then falling back down, swaying unsteadily—it was just like this teetering household on the verge of collapse.
After a moment of silence, Jiang Wan decided not to dwell on it too much. Finding some tools at the shop was the priority.
When she had confronted Accountant Chen yesterday, she had noticed a bamboo backpack in the corner of the shelves.
The backpack was half a person's height, much sturdier than the woven bamboo baskets commonly used in the courtyard. The bamboo weaving was solid, with hardly any gaps.
The shoulder straps were wide, thick cloth bands that didn't dig into the shoulders at all.
It was just that no one had used it in a long time—a thick layer of dust had settled over it.
She had originally considered using a carrying pole.
After all, most traveling merchants carried their goods on shoulder poles as they walked the streets and alleys.
With cargo boxes hanging from both ends of the pole, they would call out as they walked, and people far away would know it was time to trade.
But she had tried it. The moment she set the pole on her shoulder, both ends wobbled unsteadily.
It was fine when empty, but the moment she put anything on it, it tilted after just two steps. It wasn't something she could master in a short time.
Jiang Wan patted the dust accumulated in the gaps of the bamboo backpack, then carefully wiped it down with a rag, removing any stray bamboo splinters.
The Zhou family had no shortage of oil paper and steelyard scales—they were kept in the drawer beneath the counter.
She took a stack of oil paper, and carrying the backpack and the scale, hurried back to her room.