Chapter 176

Chapter 176

Even for adults, time flies when they have no worries and are having fun.

After Gu Lanshi had just jumped out from under the giant rope, his back was drenched in sweat. Looking up, he saw Pei Yan returning with the donkey not far away.

Playing happily with the villagers was enjoyable, but there were more pressing matters at hand.

Miao Qiulian was talking to someone on the other side, busy as a bee. He turned around and pulled Zhu Ge'er towards their home.

When Pei Yan arrived, he took the sesame oil jar from the cart and handed it over, saying, "It's done, one catty."

Gu Lanshi accepted it and passed it to Zhu Ge'er, instructing him, "Put it away when you get back. Remember to tell your mother that the sesame oil has been bought."

"Okay, I know." Zhu Ge'er's cheeks were flushed. With the sesame oil jar in hand, he headed into the courtyard, eager to continue playing.

The donkey was a bit frightened by the swinging rope earlier, so Pei Yan gently stroked its forehead and led it away from the crowd, walking along the roadside.

Miao Qiulian finally noticed them, exclaiming and clapping her hands as she emerged from the crowd. "Son-in-law is back, I didn't even see you. How much is the sesame oil per catty now?"

Pei Yan glanced at Gu Lanshi and said, "It's expensive, seventy wen."

Miao Qiulian felt her bosom but realized she didn't have her purse. Laughing, she said, "I'll have Zhu Ge'er deliver the payment later."

"No need, it's just a bit of sesame oil," Pei Yan declined, pushing it away. He didn't intend to accept the money, considering Gu Lanshi's parents; it was only right to show respect by offering something.

"Lanshi's mother, hurry."

Someone called for her to join in the game. Miao Qiulian hurriedly walked back, saying, "I'll come over when I'm free."

Seeing how busy she was, Gu Lanshi smiled and said, "Alright, alright."

Behind them, the giant rope slapped against the ground, and the donkey quickened its pace. They didn't scold it, and together they briskly left the village.

As they moved further away, the laughter and chatter continued, albeit much quieter. Only then did the donkey calm down.

Gu Lanshi spoke with a smile, "This money, Mother and Father will definitely give. They hate taking advantage of others, especially younger people. Seventy wen, you don't have to think about anything else. It's nothing. If you're uncomfortable accepting the money, I'll handle it."

Having spent so much time together, Pei Yan had a good understanding of his in-laws' personalities and could only nod in agreement. "Yes."

In contrast to Gu Lanshi's anxiety, Pei Yan walked with ease. The money for the next loom and a room was secured, with plenty left over.

Dogs barked, pigs grunted, and the people inside the house were filled with joy.

On the bed, Pei Yan emptied the heavy bag of coins, scattering all the silver pieces before him. He picked out the scattered copper coins and placed them aside.

*

Every time Gu Lanshi went to town, regardless of the reason, he would bring Pei Yan twenty to thirty wen. Being without money while outside could never bring peace of mind.

Today, they went out to buy sesame oil, and since the price fluctuated, he brought extra.

Smiling, he pushed both the whole and broken silver towards Gu Lanshi, saying, "In total, it's twenty-three liang and seven mace. The five-step snake is the most expensive, ten liang. A live golden ringed and pit viper are each worth five liang, while a dead golden ringed snake is only two liang."

Twenty-three liang, more than last year.

Staring at the pile of white silver before him, Gu Lanshi's eyes widened. It had been a long time since he earned such a large sum. He fondled a five-liang silver ingot in his hand, turning it over and over.

Pei Yan couldn't help but say, "The other snakes aren't as valuable. The dead snakes are directly dissected by the medicine shop, and the price is calculated based on the gallbladders extracted. Large ones are three mace, there are two, small ones are two mace, there's only one. There's also one that turned out to be filled with water after extraction, making it unsuitable for medicinal use. They didn't want it, and we have no use for it either, so we threw it away."

"There are also three live snakes, one sold for three mace, the same price as last year."

As he spoke, he placed another five-liang silver piece in Gu Lanshi's hand and added, "The bulk is twenty-two liang, and the rest adds up to one liang and seven mace."

They could be considered seasoned sellers of vegetables and eggs for two years now, and calculating this amount was easy. However, at this moment, Gu Lanshi was too elated to do any calculations.

Hearing Pei Yan clearly explain the accounts, he simply gave up on trying to calculate. In his hand was a full ten liang of silver, heavy and substantial.

As for those on the bed, they were all broken silver, big and small. There were one-liang pieces and five-mace pieces, all cut off, unlike the smooth and beautiful whole silver ingots.

Pei Yan continued, "I checked the weight myself. The medicine shop is an old establishment and would never engage in deceitful practices like cheating or swindling."

"Mm-hmm." Gu Lanshi trusted him completely, looking at him with a warm smile.

"Selling the snakes, I then went to buy the sesame oil. I only took ninety wen when I left, so I took out one mace of silver from selling the snakes. Two catties of oil cost one hundred and forty wen, leaving fifty copper coins." Pei Yan honestly reported.

Gu Lanshi said, "So these are twenty-three liang and six mace."

"Yes." Pei Yan nodded.

"It's true that wealth comes from taking risks," Gu Lanshi sighed, looking at the silver. Compared to this, the money earned from growing vegetables and selling eggs throughout the year was just pocket change.

He quickly reassured himself. What was wrong with small money? Without relying on growing these vegetables and raising these hens, they wouldn't know where their annual expenses would come from. Working hard throughout the year, besides covering their own food and drink, they could still make a small profit.

Whether it was big money or small money, they had to hold onto it tightly. They couldn't discard the small money upon seeing the big money. Small money was actually more stable.

After hearing his sigh, Pei Yan spoke with a smile, "Twenty liang isn't a great fortune or a great risk. In a few days, I'll go out again and see if I can catch a few more."

Despite his love for money, Gu Lanshi remained clear-headed. He said, "I think we should rest more. Gather enough energy before doing anything. Catching snakes isn't easy, and venomous snakes are fierce. You must be extremely careful. Naturally, it's exhausting, so you can't be careless."

He knew Pei Yan wanted to earn more money, so he tried to persuade him differently. Their current pig and hen farming was going smoothly, and they could earn over ten liang by the end of the year. In fact, they didn't have to worry about their livelihood.

"Mm-hmm." Pei Yan smiled and reached out, gently touching his head. Seeing that his cheeks were flushed from jumping the giant rope earlier, the warmth had yet to dissipate. Unable to resist, he caressed his face a few more times. His touch was light, neither pinching nor applying force. Afraid that Gu Lanshi might be shy during the day, he quickly withdrew his hand.

Putting down the silver ingot in his hand, Gu Lanshi's gaze lingered on the silver, somewhat reluctant to part with it. He said, "There's nothing urgent right now. Let's set aside the money we need to spend first, and put the rest away properly."

Pei Yan chuckled and said, "Three liang for the loom."

Gu Lanshi picked up a large silver ingot and asked, "Is this one tael?"

Pei Yan took it, weighed it in his hand, and nodded. "It should be."

Putting the silver ingot aside, Gu Lanshi then picked up two smaller pieces of roughly the same size. He said, "These two should both be one mace each."

Pei Yan replied, "Mm, they were weighed together on the balance scale. But the shopkeeper mentioned that all the small silver pieces received at the pharmacy over the past few days were one mace, with none lower than that."

Quickly, Gu Lanshi set aside three taels for the loom, then looked up and asked, "For building a house, should we gather the mud and timber ourselves, or buy them from someone else?"

"Let's do it ourselves. We'll only pay for the labor to build the house and the cost of the brick stove," Pei Yan thought for a moment and said, "Since it's just one room, it will be built quickly, and the labor won't cost much. So, let's set aside one tael for now, which should be more than enough."

Following his instructions, Gu Lanshi set aside one tael, keeping it separate from the money for the loom.

He hadn't thrown away any leftover scraps of cloth from making clothes and shoes. Instead, he made several pouches of various sizes, which could be used freely. By separating them like this, it would be convenient to take out money when needed.

"We have nineteen taels and six maces left," Gu Lanshi smiled and said, "Just four maces short of twenty taels."

Upon hearing this, Pei Yan got up and went to the chest at the end of the bed. He rummaged through to the bottom and found a small pouch containing the money earned recently from selling eggs and pigs, amounting to several taels, all in small silver pieces. He didn't even bother taking out the strings of copper coins.

"That's enough." Putting in the four maces of silver, Pei Yan tightened the mouth of the pouch.

Just as he was about to suggest counting their recent earnings, he heard barking outside, followed by Zhu Ge's voice announcing his arrival to deliver the money for the sesame oil. Gu Lanshi had to put off the idea.

"I'm coming!" He responded as he walked out, leaving the money on the bed for Pei Yan to tidy up.

The twenty taels saved from last year had never been touched. Today, they had accumulated another twenty taels, bringing their total savings to at least forty taels.

Calculating this in his mind, Gu Lanshi's steps were incredibly light, considering they still had three pigs that hadn't been sold yet.

The more he thought about it, the happier he became. He was almost humming a tune.