Xu Mingzhu said nothing more and walked straight over to the price board. The characters on the wooden sign were written clearly: Fresh pork: 30 wen per jin. Pork scraps and offcuts: 12 wen per jin.
Her gaze swept over the messy pile of offcuts stacked to one side. Pork intestines, liver, and lungs were heaped together in a disorderly mass.
“I’m taking all of these scraps,” she said. “Can you give me a better price?”
The butcher lazily raised his eyes and glanced at them. Slowly waving a palm-leaf fan to shoo away the flies around his stall, he replied dismissively, “No. My pork costs what it costs. If you think it’s expensive, then don’t buy it.”
“Hey, what kind of way is that to do business?” Xu Ming’an immediately stepped in front of Xu Mingzhu and challenged him.
The butcher was clearly already in a foul mood and spoke with open scorn. “Go on, get lost. This is how I do business. If poor paupers like you can’t afford it, don’t ask. People like you annoy me the most. You haggle forever, then end up pinching pennies and buying nothing. Nothing but a waste of my time.”
Xu Ming’an immediately rolled up his sleeves, his face reddening. “Who are you calling a pauper?”
The butcher sneered. “Whoever answers, that’s who I’m talking about.”
People had always judged by appearance first. Xu Ming’an’s clothes were so heavily patched they were practically a patchwork garment. It was understandable that a merchant wouldn’t want to waste time on customers who seemed unable to afford his goods.
Understandable or not, Xu Mingzhu had no intention of spending her money at a stall run by someone like him. “Second Brother, since he doesn’t want our business, let’s go elsewhere.”
“But every other stall charges the same price.”
Xu Mingzhu ignored him and headed directly to the neighboring butcher’s stall.
Before she could even ask about the prices, the rude butcher from earlier loudly called out, “Madam Zhang, those two were even haggling over pig offal. They’re not buying any meat.”
Madam Zhang, who was tending the neighboring stall, merely smiled and politely welcomed them. “Take your time looking around, miss. Fresh pork is thirty wen a jin, and pork scraps are twelve wen a jin.”
“If I buy this entire basin of scraps, could you make it a little cheaper?”
Madam Zhang looked troubled. “I’m sorry, miss. Every trade has its rules. If I lowered the price for you, I’d be breaking them. How about this instead? I’ll throw in some pig’s blood for free.”
“Deal. And I’d also like five jin of fresh pork.”
“Huh?” Madam Zhang froze for a moment, unable to process what she’d heard.
“My little sister wants five jin of pork and this whole basin of offal,” Xu Ming’an announced loudly on purpose. “If our business goes well, we’ll keep coming back to buy from you.”
Coming back to her senses, Madam Zhang hurriedly began packing the meat. “Yes, yes, of course! I’ll get everything ready right away.”
Across the way, the other butcher could no longer sit still. “What? You were actually buying?”
Xu Ming’an shot him a disdainful look. “If we weren’t buying, did you think we came all the way here just to smell your meat? Stop blocking the way. You’re holding us up from shopping.” As he spoke, he held his head high.
It felt wonderful. All the frustration he’d been bottling up earlier finally melted away. Thank goodness his little sister had earned some money.
Seeing this, the butcher immediately switched to a fawning expression and moved closer. “Little brother, since you’re buying so much, I can give you a discount too.”
Seeing him shamelessly trying to poach her customer right in front of her, Madam Zhang brought her cleaver down heavily onto the chopping block with a loud thud. Her face darkened. “What? Stealing customers right in front of me? Isn’t that going a little too far?”
Xu Mingzhu spoke calmly. “Even if you gave it away for free, I still wouldn’t buy from your stall.”
“You…!” The butcher choked on his words and could only slink away in embarrassment.
Madam Zhang smiled and handed over the packed meat. “Miss, five jin of fresh pork and ten jin of offal, all packed up. I’ve also included this slab of pork fat and two bowls of pig’s blood as gifts. If you ever need meat or offal again, just come to my stall.”
Xu Mingzhu thanked her, paid 270 wen, then bought spices, spending another 200 wen. She didn’t dare touch the remaining two hundred wen. If things didn’t go as planned tomorrow, that money could still serve as emergency funds.
Carrying a basket full of meat on his back, Xu Ming’an looked worried. “Little Sister, what if we buy all this and can’t sell it?”
“Don’t worry. It’ll sell. And even if it doesn’t, we can eat it ourselves. Either way, it won’t go to waste.”
Just as she finished speaking, Xu Mingzhu spotted Song Ci talking with a young woman by the roadside.
The young woman was also dressed in a blue scholar’s robe. Slender and graceful, with glossy black hair combed neatly without a strand out of place, she carried a medicine chest over her shoulder. No one needed to guess who she was. This had to be Wen Yining, the novel’s heroine.
Xu Mingzhu’s gaze shifted to Song Ci. His expression revealed little emotion as usual. His tall frame stood straight and poised, but his brows were relaxed, suggesting the two were enjoying their conversation.
As expected of the male and female leads. Both talented and attractive, they looked exceptionally pleasing standing together.
If she weren’t drowning in debt right now, she’d definitely be shipping the pair first.
“Don’t notice me. Don’t notice me.” Xu Mingzhu edged toward the side of the street. If she’d known they were here, she would have wandered around a little longer before coming back.
Fortunately, a passing carriage blocked her from view.
Just as she was about to slip past unnoticed, a young boy eating candied hawthorn suddenly wandered into the middle of the road. Seeing this, the coachman yanked hard on the reins and shouted urgently.
The child didn’t react.
The sound of pounding hoofbeats drew closer and closer. By then, it was too late to stop the horse.
At the critical moment, Xu Mingzhu tossed aside her belongings and lunged forward. She threw herself over the child, shielding him tightly in her arms, and used the momentum to roll with him toward the roadside. Her back slammed painfully against the hard stone pavement, but her arms never loosened around the child.
The boy was badly frightened. A moment later, he burst into tears.
Reacting belatedly, Xu Ming’an rushed over. “Little Sister, are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
Xu Ming’an grabbed the coachman by the collar and pointed a finger at his nose. “How are you driving? If my little sister had been hit, not even ten lives would be enough to pay for it!”
“Min’er! My Min’er!” A woman came running from nearby, crying out in panic. The moment she saw the child crying, she pulled him tightly into her embrace.
Standing up, Xu Mingzhu dusted herself off and said gently, “He wasn’t hurt. He was probably just scared. But you must keep a closer eye on him in the future.”
The woman had been terrified herself and repeatedly nodded her thanks.
As Xu Mingzhu picked up her belongings, the woman took out a silver ingot from her robes. “Miss, thank you for saving my child. Please accept this.”
Xu Mingzhu looked at the silver. She was tempted. If she accepted it, she could immediately repay Song Ci, buy rice and meat, and improve her family’s living conditions. But in a situation like that, anyone with a conscience would have stepped in. If she accepted money for it, what would that make her?
Forcing herself to look away, she said, “No need. It was only a small thing.”
Song Ci stared at Xu Mingzhu in complete disbelief. This was Xu Mingzhu? She had actually saved someone, and even turned down a reward.
Remembering that both the male and female leads were still nearby, Xu Mingzhu rejected the coachman’s offer to take her to a medical clinic. She picked up her things and was about to leave when two shadows fell over her. Her breath caught.
Song Ci and Wen Yining had already walked over.
Despite all her efforts to avoid it, she had run straight into the heroine after all.
“Sis…”
Xu Mingzhu quickly cut off the form of address he was about to use and hurriedly said, “Second Brother, check whether anything in the basket was damaged.”
Xu Ming’an nodded and began inspecting the contents.
Suppressing his emotions, Song Ci asked, “What are you doing here?”
“Shopping.”
Beside him, Wen Yining’s gaze moved between the two of them. She had only recently returned to Qingzhou, and she hadn’t expected that after just a few months apart, Brother A-Ci had started greeting young women.
“And this is…?”
A brief silence followed.
Just as Song Ci was about to answer, Xu Mingzhu panicked. Grabbing the first excuse that came to mind, she blurted, “I’m his distant cousin.”