“Husband, is this the residence you purchased? It’s so large?” Bai Nianqing stared at the grand house before her, speaking incredulously.
“Yes. I knew I couldn’t rely on my family, so I secretly ran some small businesses. After earning enough silver, I bought this house,” Shen Wenhe explained. “I’ve been planning to move out eventually. There are some items stored here – you should gather them all later.”
“Alright. After collecting everything, we’ll go shopping. You head to the butcher to order pork, then visit the blacksmith for farming tools, an iron wok, kitchen knives, and such,” Bai Nianqing said. “I’ll go to the fabric shop for cloth and cotton. Oh, and we should buy some steamed buns and mantou too. If we need to flee from disaster, these supplies will be ready to eat and convenient.”
“Good. Everything’s here – you can pack it up now.” Shen Wenhe rummaged through a chest and produced a small box.
Inside were the precious jewelry Shen Wenhe had acquired over the years: a pair of emerald bracelets, a pair of mutton-fat white jade bracelets, and a pair of violet jade bracelets. There were also over ten jade pendants and several jade thumb rings, all of exceptional clarity and quality.
Yet these weren’t the most valuable items. The most precious was a Phoenix coronet adorned with pearls and gemstones, particularly the ruby on the phoenix’s head that was as large as a thumb.
Noticing Bai Nianqing’s fixed gaze on the coronet, Shen Wenhe explained, “One year I saved a traveler from out of town. He gave me this as thanks.”
“This isn’t something an ordinary person would wear. The man you saved must have been remarkable,” Bai Nianqing remarked.
“I know. That’s why I’ve never shown this to anyone,” Shen Wenhe replied.
Besides these treasures, the remaining item was a stack of silver certificates.
Shen Wenhe retrieved them and placed them in Bai Nianqing’s hands. “These are my savings from all these years. Everything is here.”
Bai Nianqing examined the certificates: ten worth 1,000 taels each, four worth 500 taels, and seven worth 100 taels. The total came to twelve thousand seven hundred taels – truly a substantial amount.
“You’re really giving me all of this? Aren’t you afraid I’ll take the silver and run away?” Bai Nianqing asked with a laugh.
“Not at all. You’re mine now – where could you possibly go?” Shen Wenhe pulled her into his embrace.
“Hmph, that’s not certain. If you treat me poorly, I’ll take your silver and find someone who’ll treat me better,” she retorted playfully.
“How dare you! If you try to run, I’ll chase you to the ends of the earth,” Shen Wenhe declared, tightening his arms around her.
After allowing him to hold her for a while, Bai Nianqing patted his shoulder. “Alright, we should go shopping now. Don’t you need to exchange the silver certificates?”
This was their agreed plan: silver certificates felt less secure than actual silver, so they intended to convert all the certificates into real gold and silver while the drought remained manageable.
Shen Wenhe also felt time was growing short. Before releasing her, he kissed her firmly. “I’ll deal with you properly tonight.”
Then he let go and helped Bai Nianqing to her feet. “Let’s go. We’ll leave together – I’ll escort you to the fabric shop first.”
Shen Wenhe accompanied Bai Nianqing to the fabric shop entrance, watching her enter the establishment before turning toward the butcher shop.
“Well now, isn’t this Young Master Shen? What brings you to my humble shop today?” The butcher shop owner immediately fawned over Shen Wenhe upon seeing him.
“I’ve come with good business for you, naturally.” Shen Wenhe carried himself with the full air of a young nobleman here, quite different from how he behaved around Bai Nianqing.
“I thank Young Master Shen in advance! When I woke up this morning and heard the magpies singing, I knew something fortunate would happen today. I never expected…” The butcher’s eyes crinkled into slits as he smiled.
“Enough with the pleasantries. I need pork – how many pigs do you currently have?” Shen Wenhe cut straight to the point.
“I raised thirty pigs this year, sold five, so twenty-five remain. How many would Young Master Shen like?” Wang Yidao became all business when discussing trade.
“All twenty-five, if they’re quality fat hogs. But let me be clear – I won’t accept inferior meat, and I want the pig offal too, though you must clean it thoroughly.”
“You’ve come to the right place for pork, Young Master Shen! Not to boast, but on this street, my butcher shop not only slaughters efficiently but raises the finest pigs.” Wang Yidao thumped his chest proudly.
“That’s ideal. Still, twenty-five isn’t quite enough. Can you source more?” Shen Wenhe pondered briefly.
“Absolutely! To be frank, Young Master Shen, my father-in-law keeps over a hundred pigs. They’ve been raised for a year now and he’s been seeking buyers lately. If you take them all, I’ll negotiate a better price. Rest assured, his pigs are raised using my methods – plump and meaty. If they’re unsatisfactory, I won’t charge you a penny!” Wang Yidao guaranteed confidently.
“Done. Deliver all the pork to Front Gate Street. And the pig offal – have your people clean it thoroughly.”
“Excellent! Don’t worry Young Master Shen, I’ll ensure everything’s spotless. Though timing-wise… even with my brother-in-law helping, slaughtering over a hundred pigs will likely take three to four days.” Wang Yidao raised the practical concern.
“That’s acceptable. Arrange it as you see fit, just don’t drag it out too long.” Shen Wenhe didn’t press him.
After speaking, Shen Wenhe produced one hundred taels of silver. “This is the deposit. Keep the remainder for final payment.”
“Thank you for your patronage, Young Master Shen! Please accept this small token of appreciation.” Wang Yidao knew how to maintain relationships. He took a large slab of pork belly from the counter, wrapped it in oiled paper, and offered it to Shen Wenhe.
“No need for the meat. If you insist on giving something, prepare the pig offal for me instead – cleaned thoroughly. I’ll collect it later.” Knowing Wang Yidao would profit handsomely from this order, Shen Wenhe didn’t stand on ceremony.
“Young Master Shen, pig offal is foul and rank – completely inedible. You should really take this pork instead.” Wang Yidao spoke sincerely. Aside from the desperately poor craving meat, nobody ever wanted pig offal. They typically took it home to feed dogs.
“Never you mind that. Just have it properly cleaned.” Shen Wenhe waved dismissively and departed.
Leaving Wang Yidao behind, he muttered to himself, “What’s wrong with these rich people? They don’t eat the good meat but insist on having the stinky pig offal.”
But complaints aside, he still called his assistant to clean the pig offal.
Three pigs had been slaughtered today, and the pig offal was piled up with no one wanting it.
Since Shen Wenhe liked it, he might as well give it all to him.