Chapter 155:

Chapter 155:

At the break of dawn, the town of Ning Shui woke from its slumber. With the creaking sounds of doors and gates opening, whispers filled the rooms and courtyards.

As the sky brightened, without notice, various commotions arose. Roosters crowed, dogs barked, children cried, adults scolded, chopping boards thumped, morning meals cooked, and smoke drifted in the wind. Outside, in the streets and alleys, vendors' cries echoed one after another, marking the start of another bustling day.

At the back door of Tongchun Tavern, Chef Jiang was buying vegetables and eggs when he said, "If you came to sell vegetables every day, I'd save on legwork."

Pei Yan wore a faint smile as he replied, "My home is far away, but I can come every two or three days with melons. Unfortunately, I've been busy these past few days, so I thought I'd wait until I had more eggs to bring."

Hearing this, Chef Jiang asked, "Where do you live?"

Pei Yan lifted a basket of calabash gourds off his cart and said, "In Xiaohe Village."

Chef Jiang nodded. "Yes, it's quite a distance, near the foot of the mountains. When I was young and playful, my maternal uncle used to collect goods. He went to your village to buy mountain products, and I once accompanied him."

He paused, remembering something, and looked at Pei Yan as he stopped picking vegetables. "Now that autumn has arrived, have you gathered any mountain goods? Like walnuts, chestnuts, pinecones, hazelnuts, wild chickens, hares, mushrooms, medicinal herbs... The mountains are full of good things. If you find any rare delicacies, you wouldn't have to worry about a thing for the rest of your life."

Pei Yan said, "I picked some walnuts and chestnuts the other day. Pinecones are hard to gather, but I do have dried mushrooms. I haven't hunted for game recently, but does the tavern also buy these?"

"Can you hunt?" Chef Jiang, who had merely mentioned it in passing, sized him up with surprise, yet found it reasonable. Tall, with long limbs and a long scar on his face, Pei Yan didn't look like an ordinary person.

Pei Yan smiled. "I can use a slingshot and occasionally hit a target."

Chef Jiang pondered for a moment and laughed. "Here's what we'll do. Next time you come to deliver vegetables, if you manage to catch a wild hare, I'll buy it here. I won't lowball the price."

"Deal. Rabbits only? If I come across a wild chicken in the mountains, will the tavern buy it?" Pei Yan asked.

Chef Jiang said, "With autumn here, wild hares are fat and in demand. I do have some live chickens in the backyard, but if you catch a wild chicken, bring it over and let me see. Some people prefer game from the mountains."

"Alright." Pei Yan agreed.

Chef Jiang glanced at the basket of green beans while picking eggplants from a nearby bamboo basket. "Twenty pounds of green beans for me. Were these calabash gourds picked early this morning?"

Pei Yan smiled and said, "Of course they were freshly picked."

"Good, I'll take the whole basket. Can you give me a discount?" Chef Jiang placed six purple eggplants temporarily on the edge of the cart.

Pei Yan readily agreed. "Calabashes and green beans are five coins per pound at market price. Let's make it four coins. And one coin less for the eggplants too."

Vegetables were a small-margin business; too much discounting would mean little profit. Chef Jiang understood this well.

Quickly calculating in his mind, a basket of calabash gourds weighed at least twenty pounds, saving him nearly twenty coins. Add the green beans, and he'd save forty coins. Thinking this, he grinned, feeling quite content.

He bought many calabashes and green beans to dry them into strips for the cold days ahead. Yesterday, the owner had instructed him that although the backyard wasn't large, it was enough to dry some vegetables for the staff to eat.

Cheaper vegetables like mugwort could be bought for two coins per pound. If he tried to haggle down one coin, there would be no profit. Chef Jiang bought ten pounds of mugwort, and although Pei Yan didn't offer a discount, he added a generous handful.

"The eggs are the same as last time, sixty," said Chef Jiang, then reached out to lift the lid of the egg basket himself, slightly surprised. "Oh, you've done this. It's quite unique, one egg per slot."

He took out an egg and said, "This is a good method. The eggs won't crack."

"I did this because the journey is long. Every time I come, a few always break. After a few days of tinkering, I came up with this," Pei Yan explained, also reaching in to feel a few eggs. Seeing none were cracked, he looked up at Gu Lansi, and both shared a smile.

"How many can this basket hold?" Chef Jiang asked curiously.

Pei Yan replied, "Seventy-six large ones, forty-eight small ones."

"So, the numbers are clear," Chef Jiang understood. He put the eggs into the egg basket and stopped chatting. Seeing that it was already bright outside and customers could arrive at any moment, he needed to hurry and finish his purchases.

Pei Yan helped move the vegetables into the tavern's backyard. After settling the accounts, he left. Delivering vegetables and eggs to the Tongchun Tavern was effortless. Eggs, green beans, and calabashes were the main items, earning him over three strings of coins. As for the other vegetables, scattered together, they amounted to nearly a hundred coins.

Before delivering to the Tongchun Tavern, they sold vegetables and eggs along the streets in small quantities. This big sale lifted their spirits.

Placing the empty bamboo baskets on the cart, Pei Yan looked at Gu Lansi. "Shall we go to Qingyu Alley?"

"Alright," Gu Lansi replied just as someone called out from the alley.

"Hey, vegetable sellers, don't leave yet." Two men each carried a bamboo basket on their arms, calling out as they walked, one waving frantically, afraid they would miss them.

Gu Lansi laughed and said, "We're not leaving."

The two approached, saw the fresh vegetables and eggs, and bought ten eggs each and two types of vegetables.

Behind them, three or four more people came by. Some made purchases, others just looked, intrigued by the unique egg slots and staring a bit longer.

There were many husbands and wives, all familiar neighbors in the same alley. They chatted and laughed while buying vegetables, making it lively for a while. A few children even gathered around the cart.

After all the accounts were settled, Pei Yan led the donkey out, with Gu Lansi following behind to watch the vegetables on the cart.

Today, luck was on their side. Before reaching Qingyu Alley, the green beans and mugwort were already sold out. The largest winter melon on the cart was bought by a quick and efficient old lady, whom Pei Yan helped carry the melon into her house.

They continued walking and stopping, and someone heard them selling eggs and asked if they had duck eggs.

It was the season for pickling salted duck eggs, and without anyone mentioning it, they both noticed several street vendors selling duck eggs, doing brisk business.

They hadn't brought any, and after the person left, Gu Lansi suggested making a few more egg baskets to bring duck eggs next time. More variety meant better sales.

By mid-morning, the sun was high. Pei Yan stopped the donkey on an empty space by the street, and he and Gu Lansi took a break to drink water.

Pei Yan organized the vegetable baskets on the cart. "Not much left. We won't sell these. We'll unload everything at Uncle's place. There's a wine seller around the corner. Let's buy two strings of meat and head back."

"Alright," Gu Lansi said after finishing his last sip of water. He sealed the bamboo tube, took a deep breath, and laughed. "Today was pretty good."

"Mm-hm," Pei Yan smiled. His money pouch felt heavy with coins and a few pieces of silver.

The donkey was accustomed to Ning Shui Town. Once they left the town entrance, it started running on its own without needing Pei Yan to whip it.

Miaojia Village was roughly halfway between Xiaohexi Village and the town, making it conveniently on the way. Thus, the two of them headed straight there without returning home first.

*

In the courtyard, the old man and woman of the Miao family were working together to carry a basket of blanched long green beans into the yard. Several rows of wooden racks had been set up in the courtyard, all covered with green beans being dried under the sun. On the ground, bamboo trays held various types of cut dried vegetables.

"Grandma!"

After setting down the bamboo basket, Old Lady Miao heard something. As she looked towards the courtyard gate, she said to the person beside her, "Old man, I think I hear Lan-ge's voice."

Old Man Miao listened for a moment but didn't hear anything. He bent over to pick up a handful of still-warm green beans and draped them over the wooden rack, spreading them out evenly as he said, "What sound? Lan-ge is at home. Why would he come here now? You must have misheard."

Convinced by his words, Old Lady Miao no longer hesitated. Just as she grabbed a handful of green beans, the voice outside suddenly grew louder.

"Grandma! Grandpa!" Gu Lanshi entered the courtyard first while Pei Yan parked the donkey cart outside, ensuring it wouldn't block the gate.

"Oh!" Old Lady Miao immediately tossed the green beans back into the basket, ignoring everything else as she hurried forward, delighted beyond measure.

Upon seeing that it was indeed his grandson who had arrived, Old Man Miao also grinned widely, dropping what he was doing to rush over.

"Grandma, Grandpa," Pei Yan called out with a smile.

Old Lady Miao responded eagerly, then scolded, "This old coot! I told him I heard our Lan-ge, but he insisted there was nothing. His own ears are failing, yet he said I misheard."

Gu Lanshi smiled and said, "We went to the town today to sell some vegetables and decided to drop by since we had some left. Is my uncle at home?"

Old Lady Miao and her eldest son lived together. She had previously heard from her son about the incident at the restaurant and immediately understood their purpose. She laughed and said, "He's busy in the fields. Wait, I'll send Xiao Wu'er to call him back."

She shouted towards the western neighbor's house, "Xiao Wu'er! Xiao Wu'er! You little monkey, still playing around! Go! Call your grandfather back from the fields."

Xiao Wu'er was the son of Second Cousin's son, only six years old this year, right at the age when children were most playful and energetic. Gu Lanshi glanced at the western neighbor and asked, "Auntie and my brother and sister-in-law aren't here?"

Old Lady Miao explained, "Your auntie has gone back to her natal family for a visit. Your elder brother and his wife went to the market to buy things. The two kids heard they were going to the market and insisted on following along. In a few days, your sister-in-law's younger brother is getting married. Your second brother and his wife went to cut grass. Only me, your grandpa, and Xiao Wu'er are at home. I found Xiao Wu'er annoying, so much so that even the dogs avoided him at home. That's why I let him go out to play."

Xiao Wu'er emerged from the western neighbor's house, his clothes covered in dirt from who knows where. Old Lady Miao couldn't help but laugh in exasperation as she scolded, "Come here! You're filthy. I don't know who you followed, but not even your father or your grandfather were ever this troublesome when they were young."

She helped Xiao Wu'er wipe his runny nose and scolded again, "Go find your grandfather in the fields. Tell him that Little Mama has come and that I'm calling him back."

Xiao Wu'er recognized Gu Lanshi and Pei Yan. His black eyes stared at them for a moment before he dashed off like a bolt of lightning.

"This little guy may be small, but he can sure run fast," Gu Lanshi chuckled from behind.

Old Lady Miao watched her great-grandson's lively back as she couldn't resist laughing as well.

Pei Yan was unloading things nearby. When Old Man Miao saw the wine and meat, he smacked his lips, unable to resist picking up a jar of wine and examining it from all angles, clearly craving a drink.

"You old drunkard, is this for you?" Old Lady Miao glared at him.

Old Man Miao chuckled and said, "I'm just looking, just looking."

Gu Lanshi helped carry two pumpkins into the house, placing them behind the courtyard gate as he said, "Grandma, make sure Grandpa doesn't drink too much. I'll keep an eye on him; he won't have a single extra sip."

Old Man Miao immediately beamed, scooping up the two jars of wine as he said, "Our Lan-ge is so filial. Grandpa will only have a couple of cups, never overindulging. This is good wine. It would be a shame not to taste it."

Normally, if Old Man Miao wanted to drink, Old Lady Miao would have started scolding him long ago. However, since the wine and meat were brought by Gu Lanshi and Pei Yan, she did not stop him.

Gu Lanshi divided the vegetables, remembering that he still had two uncles. While his eldest uncle hadn't returned yet, he informed them and then left with Pei Yan to deliver the vegetables to his other uncles.

Miao Chengcai followed his little grandson home and saw a pile of vegetables in the main room. Meanwhile, his old man was secretly drinking.

"Chengcai," Old Lady Miao came out of the kitchen and said, "Lan-ge and his husband came. They bought wine and meat. I've already sliced some of the meat; I'll stir-fry a dish later. The vegetables were also brought by Lan-ge and his husband. They're all good vegetables."

Having covered for Old Man Miao, Miao Chengcai pretended he hadn't seen anything as he laughed and said, "I was just thinking that when I had some free time in the next few days, I'd take that brat Pei Yan to the town. They came today, but why haven't I seen them?"

"They went to your second and third brothers' places. They'll be back after delivering the vegetables," Old Lady Miao glanced at Old Man Miao, unaware of his secret drinking, and continued talking to her son.