Even though, in Madam Jiang’s eyes, 181 copper coins was already a huge fortune for an eight-year-old child.
And although Zhao Shiyu knew Madam Jiang refused to let her wander off alone because she was worried about her safety and genuinely cared for her…
She still couldn’t bring herself to feel happy.
Seeing her youngest daughter looking so dispirited, Madam Jiang found it strange.
“Seventh Girl, why are you still so down? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”
“No.”
Zhao Shiyu shook her head.
“Then are you upset because you think I sold the rabbits and herbs too cheaply?”
“Mother, you’re overthinking it. I don’t understand market prices anyway, so how would I know whether they sold high or low?”
“Then why are you unhappy? Don’t tell me you think your mother’s trying to pocket your silver?”
“No. I’m just tired.”
Madam Jiang immediately understood.
Truthfully, she herself was exhausted too. It was only because they had just earned money from selling the rabbits and herbs that she was too excited to notice her fatigue.
Although they had ridden a donkey cart the whole way here, the cart was nothing but hard wooden planks. After all that bumping and jolting, anyone would feel miserable.
Her youngest daughter was only eight years old, so it was perfectly normal for her to be tired now.
Madam Jiang led her daughter to a wonton stall and ordered two bowls.
A bowl with pure meat filling cost ten copper coins, while a vegetarian one cost six.
Madam Jiang ordered the ten-coin meat wontons for her daughter and the six-coin vegetarian bowl for herself.
Even though she still had uneaten flatbread in her bundle, she wanted her daughter to eat something better today.
After all, they had made money.
Besides, she had something she wanted to discuss with her daughter.
Zhao Shiyu had no idea her mother had other thoughts in mind.
Ever since transmigrating here, although she had eaten chicken once at the Zhao family home, it had been served with coarse mixed-grain flatbread. She didn’t even know what grains were mixed into it. After steaming, the buns came out yellow with black specks inside, and eating them scratched her throat.
The wontons now might not contain much meat, but at least the wrappers were made from pure white flour.
And the stall owner’s seasoning smelled wonderfully fragrant too.
As a result, Zhao Shiyu finished the entire large bowl cleanly, not leaving behind a single wonton. She even drank every drop of soup.
Of course, before eating, she had exchanged three meat wontons from her bowl for the three vegetarian wontons in Madam Jiang’s bowl.
The sight made Madam Jiang feel deeply comforted and gratified.
Sure enough, this daughter hadn’t been raised for nothing.
She was truly filial.
Only after Zhao Shiyu finished eating did she stretch out her hand toward Madam Jiang.
“Mother, give me my share of the money. I want to buy some things to bring back.”
“You’re just a child. What if you lose so much money? Your mother should keep it for you. If there’s something you need, just tell me and I’ll buy it for you.”
Zhao Shiyu looked at her mother with a complicated expression.
“Mother, you should understand better than I do the difference between one full meal and being full every day, right? You need to think long-term. Otherwise, if something like this happens again next time, I won’t bring you along anymore.”
“I don’t want to work hard only to end up without a single coin in my own hands. If that happens, I won’t have any motivation to work anymore.”
Madam Jiang looked embarrassed after hearing that.
“You child, what nonsense are you talking about? I’m only doing this for your own good. You’re too young to carry around so much money. What if someone targets you?”
Zhao Shiyu rolled her eyes.
“Mother, do you even believe that yourself? Besides, who said I planned to carry the money around? I want to exchange it for food. We eat those coarse grain cakes every day at home—where’s the nutrition in that? Haven’t you noticed your daughter’s about to become as skinny as a bamboo pole?”
“If this kind of malnutrition continues long-term, not only will my body develop poorly, I won’t even grow tall. It can even affect lifespan…”
“Alright, alright.”
Madam Jiang hurriedly cut her off.
“You’re making it sound like your mother’s trying to steal your money. Since you insist on holding onto it yourself, then fine, I’ll give it to you.”
“But whatever you buy, I’m coming with you. You’re still young. What if you get cheated?”
“Fine.”
Zhao Shiyu agreed readily.
Because she genuinely did want to exchange the money for food.
Honestly, she really couldn’t endure eating those coarse grain cakes every single day.
Zhao Shiyu started counting on her fingers all the things she wanted to buy.
“I want those dry baked white flour cakes, and some pastries that store easily, candied fruits, dried nuts, some jerky, and also—”
“Enough, enough. I’ll take you to buy them. Listening to your shopping list, anyone would think you had 181 taels of silver instead of 181 copper coins.”
“Mother, how about you just give me the money and let me shop by myself? You can buy whatever you need too, and we’ll meet up afterward.”
“No need. I already bought what I needed yesterday. You’re just a little child. What if someone tricks you?”
Trying to find an excuse to shake off your mother?
No chance!
At this point, Zhao Shiyu truly wanted to know what her mother was thinking so she could come up with a strategy accordingly.
Unfortunately, her mind-reading ability seemed to work only on transmigrators and reborn people.
She genuinely couldn’t hear her own mother’s thoughts.
Now, seeing Madam Jiang staring at her closely while tightly holding her hand—as if afraid she might disappear in the blink of an eye—Zhao Shiyu could only sigh helplessly and go shopping together with her mother.
The white flour cakes were alright. Buying ten only cost forty copper coins.
But pastries were genuinely expensive.
They bought only three half-jin portions of pastries, and after that, she had merely twenty-one copper coins left in hand.
No wonder when Zhao Shiyu listed all those things earlier, Madam Jiang had looked at her as though she were joking and mocked her for treating 181 copper coins like 181 taels of silver.
As for the things bought specifically for herself, Zhao Shiyu stubbornly insisted on carrying them personally.
Madam Jiang couldn’t win against her stubbornness, so she emptied out the bundle they had brought along, packed all the food inside for her, and tied it securely against her chest.
After the two of them left the streets of Qingshui Town and arrived at the tea stalls lining both sides of the fork leading toward the official road, they spotted the young man suspected to be reborn.
Seeing that he was still sitting there, Zhao Shiyu immediately realized he probably hadn’t intercepted the opportunity that should originally have belonged to her.
“Mother, I’m thirsty. Let’s drink some tea here.”
Zhao Shiyu tugged on Madam Jiang’s sleeve and spoke pitifully.
Madam Jiang herself was somewhat thirsty from all the walking. Thinking that the tea at these roadside stalls was cheap—only two copper coins for a pot, with one free refill—she didn’t hesitate much before nodding in agreement.
Zhao Shiyu walked into the tea shed first.
Instead of choosing the nearest seat, she deliberately picked the same tea stall where the reborn youth was sitting.
And before Madam Jiang could sit down, Zhao Shiyu had already taken a seat at an empty table.
Although her table wasn’t directly beside the reborn youth’s, only one small square table separated them—well within the effective range for overhearing his thoughts.
That had been her goal from the start.
Sure enough, the moment she sat down, she heard the young man’s inner voice.
Ever since Zhao Shiyu appeared, Fu Yasong’s attention had remained fixed on her.
Naturally, he also noticed that she had chosen a seat not far away from him.