Over twenty plump, golden bamboo fungi were presented before him, and they were all exceptionally fresh.
Even Shopkeeper Bai of Ju Yun Pavilion was taken aback. He raised his head to size up Zhou Laosan, his gaze lingering on the heavily patched short blouse, a trace of hesitation flickering in his eyes.
“What, you won’t accept them?”
Seeing that the shopkeeper remained silent for a long time, Zhou Laosan spoke up to urge him.
“It’s not that we won’t accept them.” Shopkeeper Bai narrowed his eyes, a refined smile masking the deep calculation on his face.
Ju Yun Pavilion welcomed and hosted wealthy guests daily, and they precisely lacked such top-tier ingredients; they would take as many as they could get. However, the origin of this bamboo fungus was simply too strange.
The soil around the Lingzhou City area could not produce high-quality Golden Bamboo Fungus. As the saying goes, “The orange grown south of the Huai River is a true orange, but grown north of it, it becomes a bitter orange.” If the major restaurants in town wanted to obtain Golden Bamboo Fungus, they could only purchase it from merchants traveling from other regions, and they could never buy it fresh—only dried.
Yet, the Golden Bamboo Fungus before his eyes was not only of the absolute highest grade, but it also clearly looked as though it had just been plucked, meaning it came from the local area. But in the vast territory of Lingzhou City, where could such excellent fungus possibly be found?
Shopkeeper Bai stared intently at Zhou Laosan’s face. “Before I accept the fungus, there are a few things I must clarify. Where exactly did you obtain this bamboo fungus?”
Hearing this, Zhou Laosan’s heart skipped a beat.
However, no panic showed on his face. Instead, he chuckled. “We have our own methods. You only need to name a price, Shopkeeper. There is no need to pry too much.”
Shopkeeper Bai had seen his share of grand storms; how could he be easily fooled by a couple of casual remarks?
Thus, he stated bluntly, “In opening a shop to do business, we value clean and transparent dealings above all. If you refuse to disclose the source of this Golden Bamboo Fungus, then how can we accept it so lightly?”
Fungus of such superb quality could not possibly be homegrown. Looking at the ragged clothing of the man before him, Shopkeeper Bai naturally did not believe Zhou Laosan possessed the skill to figure out the methods of cultivating bamboo fungus. Most likely, it had been discovered deep within some unknown mountain forest. If there truly was a treasure trove within the boundaries of Lingzhou City capable of growing premium, wild Golden Bamboo Fungus, then Ju Yun Pavilion had to secure the exclusive access first! How could they let a rustic mountain villager reap all the benefits?
Zhou Laosan was put in a difficult position, hesitating over how to respond.
Just then, Zhou Mianmian, who was on his back, stretched out her small white hand and poked him in the armpit.
“Daddy, let’s go!” Mianmian’s voice was milky but full of spirit.
Zhou Laosan turned his head to look at his daughter. “We’re not selling it?”
“We are selling.” Little Mianmian puckered her mouth and rolled her eyes at the shopkeeper. “Good stuff, no worry about selling. Change to another shop.”
Although the words were not spoken clearly, they made perfect sense.
Zhou Laosan thought about it and realized she was right. This bamboo fungus was incredibly rare; he would surely find a restaurant that would simply state a price without questioning the source. Thus, Zhou Laosan smiled, listening to his daughter! He turned around and lifted his leg to leave.
Seeing that both the person and the bamboo fungus were about to walk out, Shopkeeper Bai grew anxious and hurriedly chased after them.
“Wait a moment, we never said we wouldn’t accept it. Five strings of coins in total, how about it?” When it came to pricing, Ju Yun Pavilion never haggled shabbily.
Zhou Laosan paused in his tracks and saw Zhou Mianmian nod her little head lazily on his back. Only then did he turn back to face Shopkeeper Bai with a stern expression. “Fine, then we’ll exchange the money and goods on the spot.”
Shopkeeper Bai let out a soft sigh and went to the counter inside to fetch the money. He naturally had to compromise; after all, this Golden Bamboo Fungus was far too sought after. Even without Ju Yun Pavilion, plenty of other restaurants would gladly accept it. Since this man refused to reveal the source of the fungus, he likely wouldn’t learn anything at the moment anyway. It was more critical to secure the Golden Bamboo Fungus first, lest a good product be snatched up by a competitor.
Once the five strings of coins were placed in Zhou Laosan’s hands, Shopkeeper Bai reminded him with a smile, “If you manage to obtain such fine goods again in the future, please bring them to our Ju Yun Pavilion first.”
Zhou Laosan kept his wits about him and agreed with a cheerful laugh. In his heart, however, he lacked even a shred of goodwill toward Shopkeeper Bai. Future matters could wait until the future.
At that moment, Shopkeeper Bai’s gaze was inadvertently drawn to Zhou Mianmian. A mere three-year-old child was actually born so sharp and intelligent, and even bore a somewhat blessed appearance. Thus, Shopkeeper Bai walked over to tease her.
“What a clever little girl. How old are you now?”
Zhou Mianmian disliked this man, so she deliberately closed her eyes, puckering her small mouth to blow spit bubbles for amusement.
Shopkeeper Bai wiped his face with a smile, not getting annoyed at all. He even fetched a tray of chewy, translucent lotus root starch crystal cakes from the restaurant, wrapped them neatly in oilskin paper, and offered them to Zhou Mianmian to eat.
“Next time your father has such excellent fungus, remember to have him come back here, alright? I’ll wrap up more pastries for you then,” Shopkeeper Bai said, reaching out his hand to pinch little Mianmian’s small hand.
Zhou Mianmian swiftly pulled her hand back, hiding it inside her clothes. Turning her small face away, she pretended to admire the scenery. This kind of sugar-coated bullet was useless against her!
Shopkeeper Bai’s hand met empty air, leaving him to laugh awkwardly, though he didn’t truly take offense at a child—especially one so utterly endearing.
Having finally secured the five strings of coins, Zhou Laosan felt entirely refreshed on his way back.
When Old Madam Zhou and Song Nianxi saw so much money arrive all at once, they were also overjoyed, hastily using their bundles to conceal the funds. In these chaotic times, they absolutely could not let thieves catch wind of their wealth.
“With this money, we’ll have the confidence to face the days ahead.” Old Madam Zhou’s face beamed with health. Laughing as she untied her waistband, she concealed two strings of coins into the innermost layer of her trousers. Of the remaining three strings, she tucked one into her sleeve and stuffed another into Song Nianxi’s clothing.
The final string was untied, and she retrieved a few copper coins to give to Zhou Laosan for purchasing food, while placing the rest inside the large, battered pot they carried with them. It was rare for a poor family to obtain such an amount of money; Old Madam Zhou was terrified of any accidents, forcing herself to utilize multiple hiding spots.
……
Although the shopkeeper of Ju Yun Pavilion did not seem like a benevolent soul, the pastries were nevertheless very delicious. That small package of lotus root starch crystal cakes was quickly consumed mostly by Zhou Mianmian. Holding one in each of her white little hands, she stuffed them into her mouth together, eating until her breath was fragrant with the sweet scent.
After eating her fill, Zhou Mianmian let out three small, satisfied burps before lying comfortably against Song Nianxi’s lap.
The remaining pastries were given by Song Nianxi to the boys to eat, with a few pieces also distributed to Meifu.
Seeing that Mianmian truly loved eating these pastries, yet the family could not afford to make such refined food, Zhou Erlang stared at the lotus root starch crystal cake for a long time before secretly hiding his own portion away. He would save it for Mianmian.
Sanlang and Silang were slightly younger and truly could not withstand the temptation of the pastry, devouring theirs ravenously for a moment. In the end, though they were not full, they couldn’t bear to eat it all either. Following Erlang’s example, they each saved a few pieces for little Mianmian.
The food for the adults was much simpler. Old Madam Zhou bought some flatbreads and a few vegetable buns, intending to distribute them to her sons and daughters-in-law.
Unexpectedly, as she turned her head, she saw Li Chunzhu’s dark hand acting dishonestly, attempting to steal the lotus root starch crystal cakes left behind by Sanlang and Silang.
“You even want to touch the children’s snacks?” Old Madam Zhou’s eyes widened in anger. She hastily snatched the pastries back to keep them safe; this was obtained by her precious granddaughter using her own charms!
Li Chunzhu blinked her small, bead-like eyes hungrily, offering a placating smile. “Mother, isn’t it because Sanlang and the others couldn’t finish them? I was afraid they would spoil.”
“Spoil your fart!” Old Madam Zhou wrapped her thin clothing tightly around herself. “The weather is chilly; they won’t spoil even if kept for three days.” Finishing her words, Old Madam Zhou tossed her hand, sending a large flatbread smacking right into Li Chunzhu’s arms. “You just eat this!”
Li Chunzhu swallowed her saliva several times in craving. Finally, rolling her eyes, she forced the flatbread into her mouth with great effort. This old woman was truly a piece of work!
As the family drank cold water and ate dry provisions, Zhou Laosan took the opportunity to recount what had occurred at Ju Yun Pavilion to everyone. Learning that Shopkeeper Bai wanted to pry into the origin of the bamboo fungus, Old Madam Zhou proudly stroked Mianmian’s small back. It was likely that the shopkeeper would never find out.
“They surely want to bypass us so they can directly obtain the fine fungus themselves,” Song Nianxi, who usually spoke little, chimed in. Normally, Song Nianxi rarely interrupted, but whenever she spoke, her words were mostly accurate.
Zhou Laosan also nodded. “That must be the case. After all, good bamboo fungus is rare and costly.”
The speaker was careless, but the listener was attentive.
Over on her side, Li Chunzhu finished eating and was picking the dirt from between her toes, just about to lie down and rest for a bit. But upon hearing these words, she suddenly sat up straight again. Her shifty eyes turned toward Zhou Mianmian.
Following this, Li Chunzhu let out a chuckle, having just thought of an excellent way to secure money to buy pastries to eat and new clothes to wear! Didn’t Ju Yun Pavilion want to know how the good fungus came about? If she could tell them the method, wouldn’t she be able to obtain a massive sum of money as well?
“What is Fourth’s wife laughing about, acting all erratic?” Old Madam Zhou found the laugh bizarre and glared over.
Li Chunzhu pretended not to hear, closing her eyes as she continued to pick her feet. After picking them, she didn’t forget to take a sniff… waiting to strike it rich!