Entering the house, she first opened the red cloth bundle and counted the assets Zhou Xianggui had given her.
There wasn't much silver—about four taels of loose silver, two strings of copper coins, and a few scattered coppers.
Then she opened the Pinduoduo Interface and flipped to the medicine category.
[Amoxicillin Capsules 20 capsules/box/¥18.8]
[Cough Syrup 120ml/¥15.5]
Staring at the prices, Jiang Wan shook her head.
Too expensive. She couldn't afford them.
If she bought medicine, she'd have no money to stock goods; without goods, she couldn't earn money; without money, she couldn't repay the debt.
Madam Yu was blind but sharp-minded—she kept close count of the herbs in the yard, and Jiang Wan could no longer touch those.
Besides, Zhou Xianggui's illness couldn't be cured by a single box of medicine.
He'd been coughing for so long that his constitution was already damaged. He needed slow, careful recovery.
Rice, meat, eggs, good medicinal herbs…
Every single one cost money.
She had to put her limited capital to the most critical use.
Exiting the medicine category, Jiang Wan flipped to the food section.
Food is the first necessity of the people.
This was an unchanging truth across all dynasties.
A dazzling array of products slid past her eyes—rice, white flour, cooking oil, dried fruits and candied snacks…
She looked at each one, then swiped past each one.
Too expensive—couldn't afford. Too cheap—not worth it. Too eye-catching—couldn't sell.
Finally, her attention settled on "brown sugar."
[Pure Handmade Brown Sugar 500g/¥9.9]
Unlike white sugar, brown sugar wasn't regulated by the government.
For a woman recovering from childbirth, on her period, or building up her health, a steaming bowl of brown sugar water was already something to celebrate. If she could add a poached egg on top, that would be even more perfect.
The elderly and the sick loved it too—sweet, and good for nourishing qi and blood.
It was something every household could use. If she took it to the village to trade, no one would ask too many questions.
Brown sugar was in demand, safe, and had high profit margins—perfect for the moment.
[Pure Handmade Brown Sugar 500g/¥9.9]
[Current Balance: ¥7.2]
Her account balance was limited, so Jiang Wan could only buy one catty of brown sugar to test the waters.
After placing the order, Jiang Wan took out the brown sugar and used a knife to cut it into five equal pieces, each about two taels.
Two taels of brown sugar was just right—neither too much nor too little for trading in the village.
Too large and people would be reluctant to trade; too small and it wouldn't be presentable.
She wrapped each piece of brown sugar in oil paper, folded the edges neatly, and tied them tightly with fine hemp twine.
The broken rice she'd bought last night was also loaded into the bamboo basket, with the brown sugar placed on top and covered with a piece of cloth to block prying eyes.
The load wasn't heavy—basket and goods together came to about ten-odd catties.
She hoisted it onto her back—steady, inconspicuous. She looked like nothing more than a young wife going to visit relatives.
She turned in a circle on the spot, confirmed she hadn't left anything behind, and then patted her hands with satisfaction. "Everything's ready. I can head out after breakfast."
This was her first time as a traveling trader, and she felt both nervous and excited.
But as the excitement faded, she remembered the watery, tasteless breakfast at the Zhou house. Her spirits immediately flagged.
Man is iron, food is steel. Her current small frame was at the age of growth—she couldn't hold up without eating more.
Besides, she'd have to walk quite a few mountain paths with the basket on her back today. Where would she get the strength without a full stomach?
After thinking it over, Jiang Wan gritted her teeth and spent ¥6.5 on five tall steamed buns from Pinduoduo.
[Tall Steamed Buns ×5/¥6.5]
[Current Balance: 1.2 yuan]
The steamed buns were not small—each one plump and white, thicker and longer than an arm.
She shoved one into her mouth in a fluster, choking as she stretched her neck to swallow.
Finally, something settled in her stomach.
A long-missed feeling of fullness rose from her belly—warm, drowsy, and grounding. Her whole body felt steady.
In a little while, she'd have a bowl of the mixed-grain porridge Xiao He was cooking.
That would stave off hunger even longer.
Jiang Wan didn't part with the remaining four buns. Instead, she wrapped them in oil paper and hid them beneath the cloth covering.
The hour of Mao was nearly over.
From the courtyard came Xiao He's call to eat.
"Coming!" Jiang Wan hurried over.
She served Zhou Xianggui his thin porridge and took a couple of sips herself.
Before the sky was fully light, she slung her basket onto her back and left the shop.
Every second, fifth, and ninth day of the month was market day in Yongxing Town.
Today was the twenty-eighth of the seventh month. The streets were sparse with people, and no one noticed Jiang Wan's movements.
She didn't wander aimlessly.
The street-vending tricks she'd accumulated in her past life told her that the first step in doing business was figuring out "what you have in hand" and "what the other side needs."
Only by pinpointing the customer's needs could you strike with precision.
From the Mall, there wasn't much she could afford, but what she picked were hard currency items.
Wild mountain goods cost nothing in the mountains, were worth little in the village, but placed in a shop, they could earn a small profit.
Sell them to the Mall, and that was big money!
What she needed to do wasn't just "selling goods"—it was using the "cheap goods" from the Pinduoduo Interface to trade for the "no-cost goods" the villagers brought down from the mountains.
Reselling the difference.
That was called information asymmetry. Also known as a dimensionality reduction strike.
She spread out the map of Yongxing Town and the worn notebook Zhou Xianggui had given her.
These two items represented the heavy weight of half of Zhou Xianggui's life.
The map came from an official bookstore—not cheap.
But the most precious thing was that crumpled notebook.
In it, densely written in charcoal, were records of each village's customs, local affairs, and family gossip. Even some obscure, little-known secrets were noted down.
The only problem was that Zhou Xianggui wasn't very literate, so it was hard to read.
There were too many wrong characters, full of crosses and circles. Just counting the ink blots, you could find four or five on a single page.
Jiang Wan guessed her way through, following the map and the notebook's annotations, and finally settled on a village about twenty-five li from Yongxing Town.
—Lijia'ao.
As the name suggested. The first families to settle in the hollow were surnamed "Li."
The village sat deep in a mountain hollow, with narrow roads and inconvenient access, a considerable distance from town.
The villagers of Lijia'ao, aside from occasionally going to town for market days to buy daily necessities, rarely left their homes.
Living off the mountain alone kept them better off than other villages.
The village wasn't large, but there were many village women, and every household had someone going up the mountain to pick mushrooms, dig wild vegetables…
They accumulated more food than their families could eat, but selling it in town was too far a trip, and hoarding too much meant it would spoil.
Places like this were exactly what itinerant peddlers loved.
Putting away the map and notebook, Jiang Wan followed the street out of Yongxing Town…
After walking for about an hour, she arrived smoothly at the entrance of Lijia'ao.
It was a clear, crisp time of day. Many people sat in the drying yard at the village entrance—some with needle and thread, stitching soles; others shaking winnowing baskets, sifting rice.
Children chased and played around the yard, while the adults whispered and chatted among themselves. When the talk got lively, they'd occasionally cover their mouths and giggle.
A stranger appeared at the village entrance.
The villagers eyed Jiang Wan with caution.
An older woman set down her winnowing basket and called out, "Whose girl are you? You look unfamiliar."
Jiang Wan cleared her throat and shouted back, "Auntie, I'm the new daughter-in-law of Zhou's General Store in town. My name is Jiang Wan. I'm here on behalf of my father-in-law, Zhou Xianggui, to collect goods!"
Jiang Wan announced herself, clearly stating who she was.
Seeing that their guard had dropped somewhat, she walked over with her bamboo basket on her back.
She smiled and patted the basket behind her. "Today I've brought brown sugar, rice, and big white steamed buns. If anyone needs anything, come take a look!"
As she spoke, she lifted the cloth covering the basket.
The village women looked her over with skepticism, then began chattering all at once.
"Zhou's? Didn't they close down? Old Man Zhou took a fall, and his wife was already a sickly blind woman. With two invalids in the house, who could afford to keep that going…"
"The Zhou family took in a new daughter-in-law? Really? From which family? When did this happen?"
"Really! I heard about it—just a few days ago… Hey! Come closer…"
"Let's just take a look first. It won't hurt to look, right, Zhou's daughter-in-law?"
Brown sugar was a luxury item in the village, something people only splurged on for special occasions. A young wife like Jiang Wan, carrying a basket and offering to trade? Would the Zhou family really back what she said?
Facing their doubts, Jiang Wan didn't explain much. Instead, she casually pulled out a piece of brown sugar from her basket.
She unwrapped the oil paper around it and broke it apart.
The dark red cross-section gave off a sweet, rich aroma, and the fine sugar crystals glistened faintly in the morning light. This enticing sight immediately drew everyone's attention.
Jiang Wan tilted her head, wiped the sweat from her temples against her shoulder, and raised her hand, calling out, "Take a look! Everything I brought this time is top quality. My father-in-law said the people of Lijia'ao are kind, so he specially asked me to bring these over."
"Oh my, this sugar is so fine!" The woman who had first called out to Jiang Wan set down her winnowing basket and hurried over. "Zhou's daughter-in-law, why is this brown sugar so fine this time?"
Watching the women gradually gather around, Jiang Wan smiled with satisfaction.
She broke off a piece of brown sugar the size of a fingernail and handed it over. "Auntie, you have a good eye! This came all the way from Guangnan West. Isn't it something special? Why don't you try it?"
The woman held out her palm, wanting to take it but hesitating. "This sugar… must be expensive, right?"
Everyone in Yongxing Town knew about the Zhou family's troubles. If this brown sugar was too pricey, how could she in good conscience take advantage of them?
Jiang Wan waved her hand. "It's fine, go ahead and try it. Whether we trade or not is another matter—this is my first time here, so consider it a way for me to get acquainted with the folks of Lijia'ao."
With that, she broke off a few more small pieces of brown sugar and handed them to the women gathered around.
Seeing that Jiang Wan was genuinely generous and not just putting on airs, the woman's smile grew warmer.
She pinched a bit and put it in her mouth, chewed, and froze entirely.
"It really is good…" She pinched a little more but couldn't bear to eat it, so she passed it to the child beside her. "Lu Wazi, go back and tell your mother to bring out the things she's been saving."
The half-grown boy called "Lu Wazi" let out a cheer and took off running toward the village.
The women who had tasted the sugar could no longer contain themselves, turning around one after another to urge their children to go back home and fetch things.
Those who hadn't tasted it didn't intend to keep waiting either.
Whatever they had saved up at home would have to be traded away eventually—and what did it matter who they traded with? So they, too, began gathering up the goods in their hands.
"This red sugar is excellent—far better than what they sell in town."
The old woman who spoke licked the last grain of brown sugar from her palm and said seriously, "Young wife of the Zhou family…"
"Just call me Jiang Wan," Jiang Wan said with a smile, cutting her off.
The old woman seemed to think of something and quickly grabbed Jiang Wan's arm. With slightly furrowed brows and a look of tender affection, she patted the back of Jiang Wan's hand. "Alright, alright, then this old woman will call you Wan girl? You've really had a hard time. How do you plan to trade this sugar?"
She shifted the topic, and with a face full of joy, boasted to Jiang Wan, "To be honest with you, my youngest daughter-in-law is due at the end of next month. I need to prepare something good for her."
Hearing this, Jiang Wan understood.
She smiled brightly and clasped the old woman's hand in return, offering exaggerated congratulations. "This is wonderful news! My red sugar is the most nourishing—perfect for a woman after childbirth." She paused, a hint of hesitation creeping into her voice. "But unfortunately, this is my first time here, and I only brought five pieces, and I just gave one away. If you need more, I'll have to deliver them tomorrow."