Zhao Tong had hunted for years and naturally had his own channels for selling game. By the time they reached the county-town gate, someone was already waiting there. They did not even need to enter the city; they simply negotiated the price and handed over the goods.
Although the tiger hide had been damaged, it was still a tiger. Several years could pass without anyone managing to hunt one, and every part of it was valuable. Even though the buyer had deliberately tried to force the price down, the tiger still sold for a full one hundred taels of silver. The man also took the wild boar and paid five taels for it.
This immediately gave Shen Ning fifty-five taels of silver.
Zhao Tong gave half a string of coins to the few people from their village. Only after they had left did he hand the fifty-five taels of silver to Shen Ning.
“I won’t tell anyone else. You should also be careful with your money.” Zhao Tong was not a talkative man. After saying this, he was about to drive the mule cart into the city.
Shen Ning hurried after him for a few steps. “Brother Zhao, I also need to buy some things. Could you take me back with you later?”
Even though this body liked walking, it could not endure an entire hour of it. Besides, she would certainly have quite a few things to carry on the way back.
Zhao Tong was not the sort of person who cared about other people’s opinions. Perhaps it was also because Shen Ning had helped his wife, and because she had contributed to the tiger hunt that day, so he did not refuse. He merely arranged a time to meet Shen Ning at the city gate.
Shen Ning thanked him repeatedly, then parted from Zhao Tong to buy the things she needed.
The first thing was medicinal herbs. This era had only traditional Chinese medicine, but fortunately, she had studied it… After entering the medical hall, she asked for paper and a brush, wrote out a prescription herself, and instructed the shop assistant to prepare the medicine according to it.
She then bought a set of silver needles at the medical hall.
If she had not just earned some money, she would not have been able to afford any of these things.
While the shop assistant was gathering her medicine, Shen Ning went to a blacksmith’s shop. She wanted to have some tools made that would be convenient to use.
Surgical knives from her previous life were out of the question, but if she spent some silver, having two narrow blades forged from fine steel would do well enough.
She drew a design and gave the blacksmith detailed instructions. After arranging to collect them three days later, she left and headed elsewhere.
When she passed a shop called Rongkang Store, she saw all kinds of food, snacks, dried goods, and seafood displayed inside. Shen Ning paused, then entered the shop.
She wanted to buy some brown sugar as payment for Lian'er, after all. If she had not borrowed Lian'er’s bow and arrows and had Zhao Tong’s help, she definitely would not have earned this sum of money.
As for her original plan to buy a bow and arrows for herself, Shen Ning abandoned it.
After going into the mountains that day, she had realized that they were simply too dangerous. Having been given a new life with such difficulty, she did not want to rely on hunting to make money.
After having two jin of brown sugar weighed out, Shen Ning instinctively wanted to buy some white sugar to take home and make pastries. But she looked around and around and could not find any.
She called over a shop assistant and asked, “Do you have white sugar?”
The shop assistant first looked her up and down at her clothes. Then he let out a snort of laughter. “Even if we did, could you afford it?”
Shen Ning froze, both angry and amused. “I asked you a perfectly ordinary question. What’s wrong with you?”
The shop assistant snorted. “You’re obviously putting on airs and making fun of me. Do you expect me to be polite to you?”
Seeing that his anger did not seem feigned, Shen Ning was puzzled. “How exactly am I making fun of you?”
The shop assistant curled his lips. “White sugar is such a scarce and precious thing. How much does the whole of Great Xuan produce in a year? And how much of that is allocated to Xinzhou? Not to mention a little place like Pingning County… If you aren’t putting on airs and making fun of people, then what are you doing?”
Shen Ning was stunned. The next moment, her eyes lit up.
Just now, she had still been thinking that these fifty-some taels of silver would not be of much use and that she would have to find another way to make money. She had never expected that an opportunity would come knocking so soon.
At this thought, even the shop assistant who was fluttering his fingers in an orchid gesture and rolling his eyes at her suddenly looked much more pleasing to Shen Ning.
She chuckled softly and said slowly, “Little brother, you misunderstand. I’m not trying to buy any. A relative of mine happened to obtain several jin of white sugar and wants to sell it.”
The shop assistant was startled. “Really?”
Shen Ning nodded. “Of course.”
The shop assistant was still somewhat suspicious, but he nevertheless entered the back room through a door beside the counter. A moment later, he came out, his attitude much improved.
“My shopkeeper says that if you really have white sugar, we’ll buy as much as you have.”
Shen Ning asked, “May I ask what price you’re offering?”
The shop assistant lifted his chin. “First-rate white sugar is one tael of silver per tael of sugar… If it’s an inferior grade, we can only pay eight-tenths of a tael.”
Shen Ning was silent for a moment, then nodded. “All right. I’ll go home and tell my relative. I’ll bring it over in a few days.”
By the time she left, even the Xiaobaiyan shop assistant had escorted her to the entrance.
After visiting several more shops, Shen Ning confirmed one thing: in Great Xuan, white sugar truly was a luxury item.
Especially in a small place like Pingning County, it would not be an exaggeration to say that it was available only to those who could name their price. No wonder that Xiaobaiyan’s attitude had changed so quickly.
For her, however, obtaining white sugar was as easy as lifting a hand… She only needed to inconspicuously visit several more shops and buy enough brown sugar.
To avoid attracting attention, Shen Ning bought a total of ten jin of brown sugar from several different shops. She put it in a basket and covered it with cloth. She then went to a cloth shop and bought two sets of clothes for Xiao Nanchen.
His trousers had been cut open. Although the weather was hot enough that he would not be cold, wearing shorts that were practically indecently short truly damaged my kingly dignity.
After buying a few other odds and ends, Shen Ning collected her large bundle of medicinal herbs and hurried to the city gate. There, she saw that Zhao Tong was already waiting.
Shen Ning hurried over with a large load of things on her back. Seeing that a layer of dry straw had been spread over the mule cart to block the bloody smell left from transporting the tiger, she immediately tossed everything she was carrying onto the cart and stood beside it, panting.
“If you’re done buying things, let’s go.”
Zhao Tong sat at the front of the cart and flicked the whip. The mule huffed and puffed as it started forward, pulling the cart away from Pingning County.
Creak, creak. The mule cart traveled along the road from the county town to the villages. From time to time, they passed villagers heading into the city. Some carried baskets, some carried shoulder poles, and some had brought their children and were resting by the roadside.
Shen Ning found all of this fascinating, with a faint sense of unreality… She really had been reborn in another world.
Thank heavens!
Just as Shen Ning was being rocked drowsily toward sleep on the cart, a voice suddenly rang out. “Oh, isn’t that Hunter Zhao? What a coincidence, what a coincidence! Take me back with you too.”
It was Shen Ning’s aunt, Dong Chunhua. With a broad smile on her face, Dong Chunhua came trotting toward the mule cart, jiggling all over with fat. When she reached the cart, she glanced at Shen Ning, then discreetly adjusted the cloth covering the basket in her hands, afraid that anyone might see what was inside.
“Ningning, you went to the county town too?”
Dong Chunhua gave a mocking laugh. “It’s not that your aunt wants to lecture you, but you just held a funeral, and your family is in that state. You still have spare money to go wandering around the county town? What did you buy?”
As she spoke, she reached out directly, intending to rummage through the pile of things on the mule cart.
Shen Ning had no time to stop her. Dong Chunhua rummaged out a packet of brown sugar, and immediately said, “Oh, you bought sugar! Where did you get the money? Can you even finish eating this much? You didn’t even think to give your aunt a share…”
Zhao Tong, who was driving in front, turned his head. “That belongs to my family. Touch anything else and get off.”
Dong Chunhua stiffened and reluctantly withdrew her hand, muttering unhappily, “We’re neighbors. Can’t I even take a look? What a stingy man.”
Shen Ning smiled. “If you think Brother Zhao is stingy, Auntie, get off and don’t ride in his cart. Show some backbone.”
Dong Chunhua was instantly rendered speechless. She rolled her eyes at Shen Ning, then gave a cold snort and said sarcastically, “Your aunt is only saying this for your own good. Otherwise, with the two of you—a man and a woman—staying together, people will see you and spread gossip.”
Zhao Tong’s expression immediately turned ugly. “There are people all along the road. What gossip could they spread? Whoever talks nonsense, I’ll pull out her tongue!”
Dong Chunhua knew that Zhao Tong was ruthless. This time, she finally shut up and did not dare to keep chattering.
The rest of the journey was fairly peaceful. Every so often, Dong Chunhua tugged at the cloth covering her basket, making sure its contents were concealed completely.
At last, the mule cart turned into Qingyuan Village. When they passed Dong Chunhua’s house, she jumped down from the cart and asked Zhao Tong with a smile, “Thank you so much today. Would you like to come to my house to rest and have a drink of water?”
“No need.”
Zhao Tong immediately flicked the whip and drove the mule onward.
Dong Chunhua called out, “Oh, right. Lian'er is still waiting for you at home. Ningning, you should go back too. Zhao Nan can’t be left alone, so hurry home.”
She sounded almost as if she were afraid Shen Ning might go to her house.
In her previous life, Shen Ning had never dealt with a woman like this and found the whole thing amusing.
All their thoughts were written plainly across their faces. Their eyes darted about as though they were afraid people might not know exactly what they were thinking. It was rather entertaining.
Just as the mule cart turned a corner and was about to reach home, Shen Ning suddenly saw a group of people ahead.
Five or six boys around the age of fifteen were surrounding Xiao Nanchen and tormenting him. They blocked his path, refusing to let him leave, and forced him to pick up the mud on the ground and eat it.
“That’s a flatbread. Hurry up and eat it, hurry!”
“Hahaha, is this idiot not actually an idiot or something…?”
“You’re the idiot, damn it! Of course this idiot is an idiot!”
“Hey, idiot, what are you doing? You’re not allowed to leave!”
Xiao Nanchen pressed his lips together and lowered his head, wanting to leave. But one of them shoved him and refused to let him go. Shen Ning then saw Xiao Nanchen, apparently unable to endure it any longer, close his eyes and fiercely push the person in front of him away.
Although his mind was confused, his body’s instincts remained. With a single push, he sent the young ruffian flying. The boy crashed onto the ground and began crying out in pain.
The ruffian beside him flew into a rage. “You still dare to hit someone?”
As he spoke, he shoved the dazed young fool to the ground.
Xiao Nanchen already had an injured leg and could barely stand. He had also been startled by his own actions. After being shoved again, he fell heavily onto the ground. The ruffian then cursed as he raised a stick and brought it down toward Xiao Nanchen’s head.
“I’ll beat you to death, you idiot…”
“Stop!”
Shen Ning rushed forward and abruptly raised her hand to block the stick crashing toward Xiao Nanchen’s head. “What are you doing?”
“Ningning, your big brother is just teaching this idiot a lesson for you!”
The person holding the stick turned out to be Shen Qingsong, Dong Chunhua’s son and Shen Ning’s cousin. Spoiled by his mother, he was lazy and greedy, spending his days idling around with several of the village’s young ruffians.
“Who asked you to meddle? Get lost!”
Shen Ning detested scum who bullied the weak and did not give him the slightest bit of courtesy.
Shen Qingsong was about to talk back when he heard his mother calling from a distance.
“Qingsong! Qingsong, my son, come home!”
Remembering that his mother had gone into the county town that day, and knowing that she must have bought something delicious, Shen Qingsong curled his lips.
“Consider yourselves lucky.”
With that, he led his group of good-for-nothing friends away.
Shen Ning helped Xiao Nanchen to his feet and only then saw that he had scraped open his forehead.
“How is it? Does it hurt badly?”
She sighed helplessly. “Didn’t I tell you not to go outside?”
The little fool looked at her and puckered his lips aggrievedly. “Hungry.”
Shen Ning froze. Then she remembered that after hunting, she had gone straight to the county town and had spent nearly the entire day running around. The food she had left for him was probably not enough. No wonder the little fool had run out because he was hungry.
She sighed. “I’m sorry. I came back late. Come on, let’s go home first. I’ll make you something delicious.”
The little fool nodded vigorously, then followed her home step by step…