“Husband, is this the house you prepared? It’s so big!” Bai Nianqing looked at the large estate in disbelief.
“Yes. I knew we’d need a place to stay and also wanted a bit of a side business. So I earned some money and bought this house. The plan was that eventually, we could move in. There are also some things stored here that you’ll put away later,” Shen Wenhe explained.
“Alright. Once we put everything away, we’ll go buy supplies. You go to the butcher to order pork, and then to the blacksmith to get farming tools, iron pots, knives, and such. I’ll go to the cloth shop to buy fabric and cotton, and also grab some buns and steamed bread. If we have to flee, we can just take these with us and eat immediately,” Bai Nianqing said.
“Good. Everything is here, so you put it away,” Shen Wenhe said, rummaging in the chest and taking out a small box.
Inside were the precious pieces of jewelry Shen Wenhe had accumulated over the years: a pair of emerald bracelets, a pair of white jade bracelets, and a pair of violet-colored bracelets. There were also over ten jade pendants and several jade rings—all of excellent quality.
The most valuable item, however, was a phoenix crown encrusted with pearls and gemstones. Its phoenix head had a ruby the size of a thumb. Shen Wenhe saw Bai Nianqing staring at it and explained, “I saved a foreign nobleman one year, and in gratitude, he gave me this.”
“That’s not something ordinary people receive. It must’ve been quite the rescue,” Bai Nianqing said.
“I know. That’s why I’ve never taken it out,” Shen Wenhe replied.
Other than these items, the rest was a stack of silver notes. Shen Wenhe handed them to Bai Nianqing: “These are the savings I’ve accumulated over the years; it’s all here.”
Bai Nianqing examined the notes: ten 1,000-tael notes, four 500-tael notes, and seven 100-tael notes—a total of 12,700 taels. Truly a massive sum.
“Really giving all of this to me? Aren’t you afraid I’ll take it and run?” Bai Nianqing asked with a smile.
“Afraid? You’re mine, where would you go?” Shen Wenhe pulled her into his arms.
“Hmph, just in case. If you treat me well, I’ll stay. Otherwise, I might run off with your silver to find someone better,” Bai Nianqing teased.
“You dare? If you run, I’ll find you even to the ends of the earth,” Shen Wenhe said, tightening his hold on her hands.
Bai Nianqing patted him and said, “Alright, we need to go buy supplies now. Are you going to exchange the silver notes too?”
They had agreed that holding silver notes wasn’t as secure as having real silver, especially with the current drought worsening, so they planned to convert them into real silver.
Shen Wenhe, noticing the time, let her go after giving her a quick, passionate kiss. “I’ll deal with you properly tonight.”
He stood, pulling Bai Nianqing up. “Let’s go together. I’ll take you to the cloth shop first.”
He escorted her to the cloth shop and, once she went inside, headed toward the butcher.
“Ah, Master Shen! What brings you here today?” the butcher, Wang Yidao, greeted him with flattery.
“I came for business, naturally,” Shen Wenhe said, exuding the authority of a young master.
“Thank you, Master Shen. I heard the magpies singing this morning and knew good things would happen. I didn’t expect…,” Wang Yidao said, squinting with joy.
“Enough small talk. I need pork. How many pigs do you have left?” Shen Wenhe asked.
“We usually raise thirty pigs a year, sold five, so twenty-five remain. How many do you need?” Wang Yidao said, getting serious about business.
“All twenty-five, all good fat pigs. And your offal—I want it cleaned properly,” Shen Wenhe instructed.
“You have good taste, Master Shen. On this street, our butcher shop kills pigs efficiently and raises the best pigs,” Wang Yidao said confidently.
“That’s perfect. Twenty-five may not be enough. Can you arrange some more?” Shen Wenhe asked thoughtfully.
“Of course! My father-in-law raises over a hundred pigs. They’ve been ready for a year, and we’ve been waiting for buyers. I’ll offer them at a slightly lower price for you. All pigs are raised to my standards—fat and meaty. Don’t worry about payment; I won’t take your silver yet,” Wang Yidao promised.
“Fine. Deliver the pork to the main street, and make sure the offal is properly cleaned,” Shen Wenhe said.
“No problem. But realistically, even with my family helping, it’ll take three to four days to slaughter over a hundred pigs,” Wang Yidao added.
“That’s fine. Just don’t drag it out too long,” Shen Wenhe replied without making it difficult.
He handed over a hundred taels as a deposit: “Keep this first; pay the rest once everything’s done.”
“Thank you for supporting my business, Master Shen. Take this as a little gift,” Wang Yidao said, handing over a large piece of pork wrapped in oil paper.
“You can keep the meat. As long as the offal is cleaned, I’ll pick it up later,” Shen Wenhe said. He knew Wang Yidao wouldn’t lose money on this deal, so there was no need for politeness.
“Master Shen, offal is stinky and tough; you might not like it. Maybe just take the pork instead,” Wang Yidao said sincerely. Usually, offal wasn’t consumed but fed to dogs, except by the poor.
“Just clean it properly; I’ll handle it,” Shen Wenhe said, waving his hand as he left.
Wang Yidao thought to himself, Why do wealthy people have such strange tastes? Good meat is available, and yet they insist on offal.
Still, he set his workers to clean the offal. That day, three pigs were slaughtered, and the offal piled up—but since Shen Wenhe liked it, he got it all.