What did she see on the wall behind the counter?
She saw a cob of corn—a golden, shimmering cob of corn.
Moreover, it was hanging there casually as a decorative ornament; one look was enough to tell it wasn't held in any high regard.
Little corn, your sister is here! Come quickly into my embrace and let me make you shine.
Nothing in this shop can overshadow your brilliance!
Gu Wanning had a background in agronomy, so she knew clearly that under the same conditions, the yield per mu of wheat and rice was only half that of corn.
Although corn was considered a coarse grain, its high yield was undeniable; it could sustain a much larger population.
While she hadn't found even higher-yielding crops like potatoes or sweet potatoes, finding corn was already a sign that Heaven had treated her quite well.
Gu Wanning suppressed the excitement in her heart. Fearing that showing too much desire would allow the shopkeeper to take advantage of her with an exorbitant price, she stepped forward with an air of feigned indifference.
The shop assistant was well-trained and greeted her with a smile. "Madam, is there anything in particular you would like to see?"
"Nothing in particular," Gu Wanning said haughtily, as if she were merely pointing at the corn by chance. "That little trinket there is somewhat interesting."
"Madam has a keen eye. That is an auspicious object from overseas. Hanging it in your home can ward off disasters and calamities."
Gu Wanning: "…"
I may not be the most well-read person, but you can't treat me like a fool.
She didn't believe for a second that these people didn't know corn was meant to be eaten.
They were clearly trying to swindle her, thinking she was a wealthy woman with more money than sense.
Forget it. She had over thirty taels, after all, and couldn't be bothered to argue too much with him. As long as the price was somewhat reasonable, it would do.
So, Gu Wanning pulled out her purse and said, "Alright then, how much silver?"
"One hundred taels of silver."
"How… how much?!"
Gu Wanning’s movements froze, her eyes widening instantly.
"Are you trying to fleece me just because I said I wanted it?"
The assistant smiled apologetically. "Madam, you must be joking. Our shop operates with integrity and is fair to both the young and the old. If you don't believe me, look here."
He pointed to the wall, and indeed, there was a small sign below the corn that read 'One hundred taels.'
Good heavens, good heavens.
Gu Wanning was nearly knocked senseless by this insane pricing.
One hundred taels of silver? She would have to save for ten months without eating or drinking just to buy an "auspicious object" to hang up and ward off disasters?
Was she even worthy?
"Make it cheaper," she said, lowering her voice because she wanted it so badly. "Give me a realistic price."
The assistant was a professional and didn't show any trace of contempt, but he remained firm. "I'm afraid this shop has a fixed-price policy. No bargaining."
A breath caught in Gu Wanning's chest, neither going up nor down.
"Then… can you cut it and sell it in pieces?"
Calculating the proportions, if she could buy thirty percent of the seeds, there would be at least several dozen kernels—enough to start with.
"That won't do, Madam. Perhaps you'd like to check other shops?" the assistant suggested awkwardly.
"Is there anyone else selling this besides your shop?"
Yes, things were expensive when they were rare, but this owner's pricing was truly heartless!
It was practically asking for her life!
"Most likely not."
"Then… do you only have this one?"
Would she have enough time to go back and scrape the money together?
"Just this one. They sell very quickly. If Madam has set her heart on it, you should decide early."
Gu Wanning’s liver ached with frustration, but she was helpless. She couldn't exactly force a sale.
She thought about leaving a deposit, but if she came back to buy it a year later, the shop probably wouldn't be willing, and the longer the seeds sat, the lower the germination rate would be.
Finally, she steeled her heart and decided to go back and pawn the bird's nest and cordyceps!
One hundred taels it is!
Because she was preoccupied with raising the money, Gu Wanning even managed to resist the enticing aroma of roasted meat drifting from the street.
Now, every cent had to be split in two. After seeing the corn, her goal had shifted from merely surviving to building a career!
To ensure her career could launch successfully, she had to endure for now.
A woman shouldn't cause trouble, but if she was going to do anything, she should build a career!
The significance of a career wasn't just about making money.
Even in choosing a partner, if you had no career, a man could casually criticize you for having a "woman's shallow view" and use the Three Obediences and Four Virtues and various other rules to oppress you.
But if you had a career and worked yourself to the bone, the most he could say was that you didn't act like a woman. You wouldn't have to bear all the other criticisms leveled at women.
Gu Wanning had seen this clearly in her past life.
If there was anywhere women were inferior to men, it was perhaps that they were more emotionally impulsive, not as calculating as men, and not as pragmatic as men.
It was the same with relatives; you had to be capable to be held in high regard.
After getting the silver from the pawnshop, she hurried back to buy the corn.
As she passed a theater, however, she was stopped by a servant soliciting customers.
"Madam, Young Master Jiang is performing on stage today, and we still have the best seats left. Would you like to come in and listen?"
"No."
No money!
Don't come to me for anything costing more than a single copper coin.
The servant was stunned for a moment before saying, "Young Master Jiang rarely takes the stage…"
"I rarely enter a theater either," Gu Wanning said expressionlessly. "I pay money to look at him, but does he look at me for free?"
The servant, completely blindsided by her retort, stood there in a daze.
Gu Wanning had already walked away with Er Ya.
Er Ya whispered, "Madam, you're not even supporting Young Master Jiang anymore? You used to like him the most."
"I don't like anyone who takes money out of my pocket."
No one should stand in the way of her making money and buying that corn.
Once the corn experiment succeeded, she could sell them at a high price this year and harvest a fortune from the wealthy.
Not a hundred taels, not eighty—she’d sell them for fifty taels each!
This crop was high-yield. Later, when she presented it and promoted its cultivation, she would gain both fame and fortune. Perhaps she would even be granted an audience with the Emperor…
If the Emperor asked what she wanted, she might even successfully request an amicable separation.
Just thinking about it made Gu Wanning laugh out loud.
Growl… Her stomach began to protest.
Er Ya heard it too and said, "Madam, why don't we have a bowl of noodles before going back?"
"No. We'll wait until we get back and eat from the communal kitchen!"
Er Ya: "…"
Her mistress might really be going mad—spending so much money on useless things yet refusing to spend a single cent on a bowl of noodles.
Gu Wanning's philosophy was: Save where I must, spend where I should; ride a bike to the club if I could.
That wasn't just corn; that was cold, hard silver. That was her career!
Gu Wanning obtained her precious corn as she wished. She held the brocade box containing it tightly against her chest, grinning like a fool.
Her treasure, her great treasure!
Er Ya: She’s definitely gone mad.
At the same time, Gao Lan was reporting the day's events to Xu Weibai with his head bowed.
"The Madam pawned the supplements gifted by the Grand Princess and then bought…"
There were so many things he wanted to complain about that he didn't even know where to start.
Xu Weibai ground his teeth in anger.
His grandmother had been so good to her, yet her kindness was treated like dirt!
"What did she buy?"
"Corn."
Xu Weibai: "…"
That was just a plant brought over from the Western Regions.
An orange grown south of the Huai River is an orange, but grown north of it, it becomes a bitter trifoliate orange.
Having been brought to the Central Plains, that corn was utterly worthless. Thus, it could only be used as an "auspicious" decoration to ward off evil—the quantity was controlled to swindle fools, one by one.
After Xu Weibai returned, the manager of the specialty goods shop had come to report the accounts. He had flipped through the inventory records and clearly remembered there were still several burlap sacks full of corn.
By selling it in limited quantities, most of it would likely end up being eaten by rats.
And yet, Gu Wanning had spent a fortune to buy it.
Xu Weibai could not tolerate malice, but he could tolerate stupidity even less.
Thus, his loathing for this both malicious and stupid Gu Wanning reached an extreme. He wished he could kick her out of the manor right this instant.