Chapter 184

Chapter 184

After the people outside had run far away, Dahei and his two companions continued to patrol vigilantly on this side of the western fence, their ears perked up high.

As for the bones and meat chunks on the ground, none of the three large dogs went to eat them. After being bitten by Dahei as a lesson, Huīhuī and Huīzai didn’t even look at them anymore.

*

Ningshui Town.

The sun was shining brightly, and the wind wasn’t too strong. Gu Lanshi walked beside the cart, pulling down the scarf that covered her mouth and nose.

"Fresh eggs—fresh eggs—"

Pei Yan led the donkey in front and started calling out as he walked.

It was already December. The eggs laid by hens in autumn should have been consumed by now, unless wealthy households with large reserves still had some left. Therefore, selling eggs at this time was quite novel, and many people looked over.

"How much are the eggs?" A woman leading a child strolled idly on the street. She didn’t step forward but asked out of curiosity like she was just joining in the fun.

"Sister, eight cash per egg," Gu Lanshi said with a smile.

"Eight cash." The woman clicked her tongue and fell silent, looking at the two of them with some probing and curiosity in her eyes. They clearly looked like they were from the countryside, and it was uncertain whether these were eggs from their own chickens or ones they had stored.

However, such a high price meant she wouldn’t buy them, so she felt embarrassed to strike up a casual conversation with them.

Pei Yan walked slowly forward, not in the least bit anxious.

Gu Lanshi followed and called out a few times, but the people on the roadside only watched without any intention of buying. He knew in his heart that everyone knew the high price of eggs at this time. The money for three eggs could buy a pound of meat. Ordinary families simply didn’t have the spare cash.

So the two of them headed towards Qingyu Lane.

Just as they turned into Qingyu Street, they met a middle-aged man who was slightly overweight and dressed neatly in a long robe. He was holding a box of pastries. Seeing the two of them, especially Pei Yan who was leading the way, the man thought for a moment and remembered that he had seen them before on the street. He recalled that they sold vegetables and eggs, but unfortunately, it was winter now, and there were probably only dried vegetables for sale.

He glanced once and then retracted his gaze, walking hurriedly forward without paying further attention to the two farmers passing by him.

"Eggs—"

Upon hearing that there were eggs, the middle-aged man immediately stopped and shouted to catch their attention, asking, "Are they fresh eggs?"

Pei Yan replied, "Of course, they were laid recently."

As he spoke, he walked to the cart, opened the basket cover, and pushed aside the layer of rice straw on top. "Brother can take a look."

The middle-aged man approached and, upon seeing the eggs nestled in the compartments, his eyes showed surprise. But without saying anything, he first reached in and pulled out an egg, gently shaking it in his hand before examining it closely for a while. Indeed, it was an unharmed and unfrozen egg.

He put the egg back and looked at Pei Yan, asking, "Did you raise the chickens?"

Pei Yan’s voice was gentle as he nodded. "Yes, we set up a warm house, but because of the cold weather, the hens don’t lay many eggs."

It was a warm house, no wonder there were still fresh eggs. The middle-aged man pondered for a moment and then said, "How many do you have?"

"One hundred and fifty-two," Pei Yan replied.

The middle-aged man was instantly delighted. "Good, good. In that case, I’ll take all of them."

He had originally thought there would only be a few, but he hadn’t expected there to be so many. This was great; he had been looking everywhere for eggs and hadn’t expected to find them on the street.

A smile appeared on Pei Yan’s face as he said, "Where does Brother live? I’ll deliver them by cart."

"Not far, not far, right here." The middle-aged man pointed to the grand entrance ahead. "It’s Gao Mansion. Come, follow me to the back alley."

Gao Mansion.

Gu Lanshi glanced at the grand gate. When passing through Qingyu Street, Gao Mansion and Shen Mansion on the other side were the most opulent. These two families were well-known wealthy households in Ningshui Town, not only because of their tall gates but also because there were always people guarding the main entrance every day.

They had also sold vegetables and eggs in the back alley of Gao Mansion before, but it was mostly the residents of the alley who bought them. Rarely did anyone from the mansion itself come out to inquire.

"Oh right, what’s the price?" The middle-aged man asked as they walked.

"Eight cash, market price," Pei Yan said. The egg prices this year were still quite stable and hadn’t risen too high.

"Mm-hmm." The middle-aged man nodded and didn’t say anything else.

Seeing that he didn’t think the price was too high, Gu Lanshi, who was following behind, was secretly pleased. This would save them the trouble of hawking their goods.

Soon, they arrived at the back door of Gao Mansion.

The people in the back alley were familiar with Gao Mansion. Some were servants of the mansion, and when they saw the middle-aged man, they called out to him as Manager Zhao.

So his surname was Zhao, and he was the manager of Gao Mansion. Pei Yan silently took note of this information.

Manager Zhao sent a servant boy at the back gate to call for someone from the kitchen. Soon, a fat chef came out, his face flushed red and reeking of alcohol—it was clear he had been drinking.

Having finally found more than a hundred eggs, the chef hurriedly instructed someone to pack them in baskets.

When Pei Yan saw several servants handling the first layer of bamboo trays, he gave a reminder. He only watched from the side, making sure to keep an eye on their counting.

There were one hundred and fifty-two eggs. Although a few had cracked on the road, neither the chef nor the manager complained. They picked them up and smelled them, confirming that they weren’t rotten after being left out for days. They believed Pei Yan’s explanation that they had merely been damaged during transportation.

The servants of Gao Mansion were quick and efficient, soon taking away all the eggs. Pei Yan tidied up the bamboo baskets and looked at Manager Zhao, saying, "Brother Zhao, shouldn’t we settle the account?"

"Certainly, certainly." Manager Zhao was in high spirits after finding the eggs. This year, the mansion had prepared fewer eggs than usual, and after they were consumed, there weren’t enough eggs for the sauces and egg custards used in dishes. He had been worried about it for several days.

The accounts were easy to calculate. The chef had rushed out in a hurry, so he went back to fetch the money.

Manager Zhao didn’t leave and said, "May I ask, young brother, what is your honorable surname?"

Pei Yan clasped his hands and said, "My humble surname is Pei."

Manager Zhao smiled and returned the gesture. "So you’re Young Brother Pei. Let me be frank. If you have more eggs later, bring as many as you can before the twentieth of December. When you arrive, just have the servant boys at the back gate go straight to the chef. I’ll give them instructions myself."

The Gaos' household was large, and with only 150 eggs today, they had to prioritize the higher-ups.

"Alright, it's the fourth day of the month, so in about half a month, there should be around sixty to seventy eggs," Pei Yan agreed with a smile.

Steward Zhao nodded repeatedly. "Good, good. Sixty it is then. Try to bring as many as you can; we can discuss the price later."

Eggs were scarce. In the past few days, they could only buy five or eight at a time from individual sellers. Now that they found an egg farmer, they had to secure the supply first. There were other wealthy families in town, and it would be a pity if someone else got them first.

The cook took out the money, paying the same price for both good and broken eggs. It was just three or four eggs, not worth the hassle of calculating discounts.

1,216 coins were paid, which amounted to twelve taels and two mace. As for the sixteen coins left over, Pei Yan initially thought of letting it go, but the cook simply tossed him a small string of copper coins.

The cook saw that Pei Yan was fair with his prices, unlike others who, upon hearing that the Gao family wanted to buy eggs, would hike up the price to nine or ten coins per egg, or even higher. Although market prices were just that, when one encountered someone honest, comparisons were naturally made. No one was blind or foolish, and besides, the cook was in a good mood after drinking and gambling today, so he didn't care about this small profit.

Pei Yan caught the coins and smiled without saying anything further. The Gao family was indeed rich and wouldn't look down on such a small amount.

Steward Zhao instructed the cook to deliver another batch of eggs before the twenty-third day of the twelfth lunar month, reminding him to remember. The cook gruffly agreed and hurried back to his drinking.

With all the eggs sold, Gu Lanshi felt light-hearted.

The smile hadn't left Pei Yan's eyes as he asked, "Do you want to keep looking around?"

Gu Lanshi thought for a moment. There was nothing she needed to buy, so she said with a smile, "No, let's take advantage of the good weather and head back."

"Alright," Pei Yan replied, leading the donkey towards the town entrance.

Today's good luck truly brought joy.