Chapter 71: "Brother, the County Town is Beautiful"

At Dong Fu Lou, Chef Yu from the kitchen had the authority to purchase mushrooms. Thanks to Sang Luo's earlier exchange of cooking recipes with him, he readily agreed to buy all the mushrooms she brought, except for a few wood ears she chose to keep for drying.

The two baskets weighed several dozen pounds. Although there were multiple varieties, none exceeded more than a few pounds, hardly sufficient for a restaurant's needs.

The modest quantity wasn't even enough to justify listing them on the menu.

This favor from Chef Yu was clearly a gesture to support Sang Luo's business.

The common grass mushrooms were cheap, only a few coins per pound, but others like the black trumpets fetched a good price, with Chef Yu offering twelve coins per pound.

Sang Luo was delighted with the price, especially for the black trumpets she had eagerly gathered. The total earnings, divided between her and Shen Ning's baskets, amounted to 283 coins.

Sang Luo mentioned that a few villagers outside the city gates had also collected mushrooms, with four more baskets available, to which Chef Yu readily agreed to purchase.

"Of course, we'll buy them. I was just thinking we don't have enough, and would have to remove them from the menu after a few orders."

He called the dishwashing boy to help carry the baskets along with Sang Luo.

……

The group from their village, unable to enter the city due to lack of permission, waited eagerly at the city gate, visibly excited when they saw Sang Luo approaching.

Passing items between inside and outside the city gates was allowed, and the city guards were cooperative. Sang Luo took the baskets from Mrs. Chen and Mrs. Shi's second daughter-in-law, while the young boy helped Mrs. Lu and Lu Danü.

After sorting and weighing, Mrs. Chen and Shi's second daughter-in-law each received 190 and 149 coins, respectively, while Mrs. Lu and her granddaughter, with their two baskets, earned 296 coins.

At the front counter for payment, Sang Luo sorted the money for the three families, not claiming her own portion, but instead asking for a receipt of 283 coins, considering it repayment to Dong Fu Lou.

With Manager Xu absent, Sang Luo didn't linger. After thanking the cashier and Chef Yu, she left Dong Fu Lou carrying six empty baskets.

She distributed the money to the three families outside the city gate. Mrs. Lu was especially thrilled, having earned the most.

Mrs. Chen was also delighted, remarking that it was enough to buy over two dou of grain, attributing their fortune to Sang Luo's help.

Mrs. Lu and Shi's second daughter-in-law warmly thanked Sang Luo, their eyes crinkling with smiles.

Shi's second daughter-in-law's admiration and envy were almost written all over her face.

"Sang Luo, you're truly capable. You've only been here a short while, yet you know the innkeepers in town. I've lived here since I was a child, and I've hardly been to the county town. I'm not even familiar with the streets."

Shi's second daughter-in-law's admiration was genuine. Although she addressed Sang Luo as 'auntie', she was only twenty-four, not much older than Sang Luo.

She had always found Sang Luo impressive, even more so than her sister-in-law. Today's mushroom picking and selling venture in town, where Sang Luo helped her earn a significant 149 coins, made her feel closer to Sang Luo.

Feeling more connected to Sang Luo, she approached and asked, "We all call you Sang Luo, but what's your given name?"

Sang Luo smiled at her approach, "I'm called Sang Luo, and my family calls me A Luo."

Shi's second daughter-in-law beamed, "Then I'll call you A Luo too, it feels closer. Auntie is actually not much older than you, just senior by generation."

Sang Luo observed Shi's second daughter-in-law, who seemed about twenty-four or twenty-five, younger than her previous life.

She brightly responded, "Sure, Auntie, you can call me A Luo."

On the way back, Shi's second daughter-in-law chattered non-stop, affectionately addressing her as A Luo and sharing the latest gossip from Sanli Village.

When it came to gossiping, Shi's second daughter-in-law was unrivaled in Sanli Village.

It wasn't so much that she was exceptionally well-informed, but her animated and vivid storytelling made her gossip particularly engaging.

She shared with Sang Luo and Mrs. Chen the recent news about grain price hikes in Zhou Village, "I was out for a walk after dinner last night, and A Luo’s Uncle Shen, I mean Shen San, was just coming back from the fields. He ran into Zhou Village Zheng on the way, who happened to mention the grain price hike and the famine outside, advising him to consider stockpiling grain. Guess how your Uncle Shen reacted?"

She paused for effect.

Sang Luo guessed, "Probably not with anything pleasant."

Shen San was known for his lack of gratitude and had a poor reputation in the village.

Shi's second daughter-in-law clapped her hands in delight, "Exactly! Let me imitate him for you!"

Clearing her throat, she stopped walking, straightened her back, lifted her chin, half-closed her eyes with a sneer, and mimicked, "Zhou Village Zheng, what nonsense are you talking? We're farmers. When grain prices are high, we sell, not buy. We can tighten our belts and get by. Won't there be new grain next autumn? It's a waste of money."

She perfectly captured Shen San’s ambiguous tone, hovering between sarcasm and mockery.

Mrs. Chen chuckled, "That's quite an accurate imitation."

Shi's second daughter-in-law smiled, "Had to be accurate, I was right there. Zhou Village Zheng just stared at him for a while, shook his head, said he was just giving a heads-up, and left."

"It's not surprising. Being notified about such matters is already an act of kindness. Who would listen to complaints anyway?"

Sang Luo, being the junior and not wanting to involve herself with the third family, simply smiled and changed the subject, "Did Zhou Village Zheng’s notification yesterday attract many buyers for the grain?"

Mrs. Chen shook her head, "No, aside from our five families, no one else in the village is stockpiling grain."

"Most share the same mindset as Shen San, though I guess only Shen San would rebuff those trying to help him."

Sang Luo sighed, "I'd rather we were overcautious for nothing."

"Even if it means wasting money."

The usually spirited Shi's second daughter-in-law seemed a bit down, "Exactly. Hopefully, after paying next year's tax this year, they won’t come asking again. Struggling to feed ourselves daily is tough. The best meal I had this year was actually at your place, A Luo, during the feast."

Noticing the somber mood, Sang Luo smiled and steered the conversation, "Since it rained last night, there should be more mushrooms in the mountains for the next few days. Let's pick some more this afternoon? Maybe we can ask the aunties to bring them to the town tomorrow. Auntie You Tian can inquire at the Dong Fu Lou when delivering tofu. If they don’t buy, we can sell them at the market."

Old Lady Lu agreed, "That's a good idea. We can earn some money from it, and if we can’t sell them, we can dry them for winter. They're a blessing from heaven, so it would be wasteful not to make use of them."

Mrs. Chen also smiled and suggested, "Why don’t we take the mountain path on our way back? We can walk along the mountains near the road. These areas are safe and less frequented by villagers, so we might find untouched mushrooms. We can pick them on our way home."

This suggestion was met with such enthusiasm that even Shen Ning excitedly hopped along in agreement. So, after passing Sanli Village, the group of six, spanning different ages, ventured back into the mountains.

Qin Fangniang and the others took more than half an hour to return from the town, but they ended up arriving back at the village over an hour later than usual.

Of course, their haul was significant, with all six baskets brimming with mushrooms.

The villagers, unaware of their trip to town to sell the mushrooms, assumed they had spent the entire morning in the deeper parts of the mountains foraging, and joked about their dedication to gathering just a few vegetables.

Mrs. Chen and the others kept a pact of silence about selling the mushrooms in town for a good price.

Why mention it and incite everyone to rush there?

That would quickly drive the mushroom prices down.

Besides, this abundance was only due to the recent rainfall. Even without selling in town, everyone would swarm the mountains after the rain, leaving little to forage. Like today, such a yield required venturing far. Best to quietly enjoy the profits earned.

……

When Sang Luo reached home, the area outside their house was bustling with activity. Chen Ershan, Huzi, Erniu, and Shen An were all busy working, some with hoes and others with shovels, preparing the ground from the house's entrance to the mountain spring. The first task was to clear the grass and turf.

Seeing Sang Luo and Shen Ning return, Shen An immediately dropped his hoe and rushed over, curiously peeking into Shen Ning's basket. To his surprise, it was full of mushrooms.

Shen An was taken aback, "You didn't manage to sell them in town?"

Shen Ning's eyes crinkled with joy, "We sold them, sold them! We picked these on our way back after selling the others."

Leaning close to Shen An, she whispered excitedly, "We sold them for 283 wen at Dong Fu Lou. Our sister-in-law didn't take the money, just asked for a receipt, considering it as repayment for the six liang of grain we bought. The mushrooms we picked today, we plan to send to Dong Fu Lou again tomorrow through Auntie Youtian."

"Sold for that much?" Shen An's eyes lit up with amazement.

Shen Ning nodded proudly, "I picked half of them myself."

Shen An smiled genuinely, praising his sister, "Ning is really amazing. Are we picking mushrooms again tomorrow? If so, I'll let you wear the pants again."

Shen Ning nodded vigorously, "Yes, we need to pick them, only available these next few days."

Her eyes sparkling, Shen Ning shared with Shen An, "The county town is so beautiful! The streets are paved with blue stone slabs, very clean, and beyond a small section near the town gate, there's no mud at all even on rainy days. The people there dress so well; their clothes are colorful, different from what we wear here."

"The houses in the town are grand too, made of blue bricks and big tiles. I even saw some two-story buildings."

"Two stories?" Shen An's eyes widened in wonder, "Can houses really be built with two floors?"

"Yes, that's what Chen Granny said. In those tall buildings, the bottom floor and the top floor can both be lived in."

Having never been further than Sanli Village, Shen An turned to look at their new thatched house, unable to imagine what a two-story building looked like.

Listening to his sister talk about the money they made from mushrooms and describing the county town, his eyes filled with longing, "I wish I could go to the town with sister-in-law someday. Even just standing at the town gate and looking inside would be great."

Shen An imagined finally being able to see what a two-story house looks like.

Sang Luo