Chapter 82 Selling Herself to Bury Her Father

Chapter 82: Selling Herself to Bury Her Father

The next day, all fourteen showed up, not one missing. After all, they had already undergone intense internal struggles when they came yesterday. Hearing they could get thirty taels back, everyone felt they'd gotten a steal.

Fifteen contracts, including Lu Chunfang's, were collected. That pretty much wrapped it up.

Lu Chunfang's contract was obviously different. Also for three years, but in the first year she had to split the net profit fifty-fifty with Meng Wan; in the second and third years, like the others, she only had to give twenty percent. After three years, the contract would automatically end, and whatever she sold would be hers alone.

Bi Yun stayed behind to jot down everyone's names and home addresses, while Lu Chunfang began teaching them how to knead the dough.

The key skill for fried dough was all in the kneading—a grueling, labor-intensive task. After all, running a breakfast stall was just about earning a hard-earned living.

After three days of teaching, even the slowest learners had mastered it. The Song family's breakfast stall reopened, but now Lu Chunfang was the boss.

Meng Wan teased her, "Sister-in-law Chunfang, we're practically working for you now. Won't you take us to see a play at the Washi theater?"

If it were anything else, Lu Chunfang would've been tight with her money, but she could afford the cost of a play. She agreed readily, "Alright, we'll go after we close up this afternoon."

Chang Jinhua shot Meng Wan a playful scowl, "Always teasing your sister-in-law. She hasn't even made any money yet."

Lu Chunfang quickly said, "No, no, I've got money for the play. Let's go in a bit."

"Alright, sister-in-law, I was just kidding. The last batch of furniture I ordered from the carpenter's shop is done—all small pieces. I'm afraid something might be missing, so I want to check it myself. I'll be back before lunch." Meng Wan put on his jacket, adjusted his collar and cuffs, and said.

Chang Jinhua saw him off at the door, "The new house is almost ready, right? Try to come back early. I'm making chicken soup for you today."

"I know, Mom!"

Meng Wan took Bi Yun and walked out, running off without a backward glance.

Once he was out of sight, Chang Jinhua went back into the courtyard, "He's already married, and he's still so immature. Honestly."

"Aunt Song, you're wrong. Wan Geer is even more impressive than the landlord in our town."

Lu Chunfang wished she could be like Meng Wan—smart and capable, as if no problem was too big for him to solve.

Hearing someone praise Meng Wan, Chang Jinhua couldn't help but smile, "He's just detail-oriented. Nothing special. If others heard that, they'd laugh."

The two washed dishes together in the courtyard. Suddenly, Chang Jinhua said, "Chunfang, once Da Lang returns, we'll be moving to the new house. You won't be able to manage the stall alone. Why not start hiring help early, so you're not scrambling later?"

Making fried dough takes at least one person in the back and one at the front to collect money—two people minimum.

The Song family's breakfast stall was busy, so four people were needed. Even if Lu Chunfang hated to spend the money, she couldn't handle both ends herself.

Lu Chunfang also worried. Once the Song family left, she'd be a young woman living here alone, and hiring a stranger would make her even more uneasy.

"Then... I'm afraid of hiring someone with bad intentions. What if I send a message to my hometown and ask my younger brother and sister-in-law to come help?"

Her natal family only had an older brother. The brother and sister-in-law she mentioned were from the Feng family. The couple were honest farmers who had always respected her, the eldest daughter-in-law.

Chang Jinhua placed the washed bowls upside down on the stone slab, "Alright. When they come, you'll have company in the city. Get Wan Geer to write a letter for you when he comes back."

Lu Chunfang was also thrilled at the prospect of reuniting with her family, "Alright. Once he writes it, I'll take it to the courier station tonight."

On the twenty-second day of the ninth month, the weather suddenly turned cold. Leaves yellowed and fell, leaving just a few scraggly ones hanging on.

Meng Wan dug out a thin padded jacket and put it on, also finding one for Bi Yun.

"You're better at sewing than me. When we move to the new house, make yourself two new aoqun sets."

By now, Bi Yun understood Meng Wan's personality a little. She knew he wasn't saying this to hear her kneel and thank him, so she just happily replied, "Alright, thanks, Master. I'll make your clothes too."

Meng Wan didn't mind, "I still have last year's..."

Chang Jinhua, also organizing clothes nearby, quickly said, "Take that apart and take out the cotton! Bi Yun, in a few days, you and I will go to the fabric shop. We'll buy several bolts and have them delivered straight to the new house. We'll make new clothes for the whole family."

The clothes she had made for Meng Wan last year were from a remote village—what decent styles could there be?

Now that he went out and about, she realized that even the vegetable sellers at the market wore nicer padded jackets than that one. How could she let Meng Wan walk around town in that clumsy, thick cotton jacket? So embarrassing!

They had to make new ones—for everyone!

After Meng Wan finished packing the clothes in the cabinet and folded the summer clothes neatly into boxes, he found he couldn't get into writing his story. When idle, his mind wandered. So he just took Bi Yun and went out, "Mom, I'm going to the market to buy groceries."

He had Bi Yun carry a vegetable basket and follow him out. But once outside, a sudden idea struck. Instead of heading west, he turned north and said to Bi Yun beside him, "Let's go to the market near the North City Gate today."

Qin Niang's husband's family also had a meat stall at the North City Gate. Meng Wan vaguely remembered it.

He followed the meat stalls north, discreetly checking the one he remembered.

Hmm, it seemed to be this one.

Not bad—rough around the edges but considerate, honest and reliable, the type who'd treat his wife well.

Meng Wan made a mental appraisal, satisfied his gossip craving, then headed straight for the stalls near the North City Gate.

He'd bought potatoes here at the start of the year. He wondered if that old man still came.

North of the city gate, many villages lay nearby. In the northern lands of the Yu Kingdom, crops were harvested only once a year. Now that the farming season was over, people were selling their own fruits and vegetables to make some extra cash.

Stalls lined up one after another near the North City Gate, even filling many alleys. Crowds weaved between the stalls, with hawking and bargaining sounds rising and falling. People, oxcarts, and carriages flowed endlessly.

Meng Wan hadn't expected so many people. He told Bi Yun to stick close and just looked around the edges.

He picked a few apples from one stall, a few pears from another. Peaches and plums were out of season. Apples were the best fruit for storage; if you had a cellar, they could last the whole winter.

Meng Wan calculated, "When my husband and the others come back, have Xue Sheng drive the cart over and buy two crates of fruit to store in the side room."

Bi Yun agreed, "Then we need to prepare some wooden boxes. Line the bottom with straw and put the fruit on top." Bi Yun had never met Xue Sheng. From what her master said, he was a man, but she didn't know if he would be easy to get along with.

"Once we move, the wooden chests we're using for clothes now will be unnecessary. We can clear out a few for the side room..."

"Please, young masters and gentlemen, see my filial piety and buy me! Just buy a cheap coffin to bury my late father, and I am willing to be your slave or maid to repay your great kindness."

Meng Wan had been strolling and chatting with Bi Yun when he suddenly witnessed a scene straight out of a TV drama from his past life—selling oneself to bury one's father!

A slender young woman in white mourning clothes knelt on a piece of coarse cloth, covering her face with a plain handkerchief and sobbing pitifully. Behind her was a wooden cart holding a body wrapped in straw mat. The mat was too short to cover anything but the head and torso, leaving a pair of dark, rough, callused feet exposed.

Meng Wan's spirits lifted. He immediately became interested, wanting to see if some kind-hearted fool would actually fall for it.

Bi Yun stood behind him to the side, looking at him curiously, wondering why her master had stopped. Was he tired?

Pedestrians passed by. Some, in a hurry to get home, glanced and hurried on. Others, like Meng Wan, paused out of curiosity. But there were also those who genuinely pitied her, sighing empathetically nearby.

Before long, a crowd of onlookers gathered around the young woman. Many soft-hearted people sighed, feeling helpless and sorry for her.

"Miss, there are few rich people in the north of the city, mostly poor families. They might not have spare money to help you. Why not go to the south of the city? That's where the wealthy live. Some of the madams and lords there are kind-hearted. They might bury your father and take you in as a maidservant," an elderly woman suggested.

"Wuwuwu, Auntie, I've traveled all the way here and can't walk any further. I just hope to meet a good man who will buy me and bury my father."

So that's it—

The crowd suddenly understood. No wonder the girl kept talking about "gentlemen and young masters"—she wanted to marry someone directly.

But it was understandable. At such a young age, with her father dead and apparently no other relatives, she must be lost and helpless. Rather than selling herself into servitude, marrying someone would let her keep her commoner status.

The girl was young and pretty, which did attract some young men to stop, as well as a few older women, like Chang Jinhua had thought, wanting to buy her for their sons.

"Miss, I'll bury your father for you. Come with me," said a pockmarked, reeking-of-alcohol street thug as he swaggered up to her.

The girl's mouth, hidden behind her handkerchief, twitched. She hung her head and said nothing, just kept sobbing.

"Not talking? That means you agree? Then come with me." The thug grabbed her wrist, about to drag her away.

"Wait." A gentle male voice interrupted, making Meng Wan's eyes light up. Here it comes—the hero saving the damsel!

A man pushed through the crowd. He carried a book satchel, wore an old robe with patches, had a fair-skinned and beardless face, was thin, and exuded a scholarly air.

"This young lady doesn't seem to want to go with you."

His opening line hit the mark perfectly, exactly the image of a frail scholar in Meng Wan's stereotypical impression.

The thug didn't let Meng Wan down, delivering the classic line.

"Where did this bookworm come from, daring to meddle in your granddad's affairs?"

The scholar frowned at his insolence. "This is a prefectural city, governed by a fourth-rank imperial official. Do you dare to openly abduct a woman here?"

The woman discreetly rolled her eyes, then turned to meet Meng Wan's amused gaze.

Startled, as if she had been seen through, she felt a flicker of guilt and instinctively shrank behind the thug.

The thug grew impatient. "I'm willing to pay fifty taels of silver for her. If you can offer more, you can take her away."

The crowd buzzed. Wow, fifty taels? Are thugs this loaded nowadays?

The scholar hadn't expected this turn, but he didn't back down. Instead, he asked the girl calmly, "Do you truly want to go with him?"

The girl lowered her head, bit her lip, and didn't answer, just dabbed at her reddened eyes with her handkerchief.

The scholar's gaze was clear, his voice warm. "If you're unwilling, just tell me directly. I'll pay to help you bury your father."

The girl poked the thug in the waist. He straightened up, looked the scholar up and down, and said scornfully, "With your shabby look, how much silver can you afford? And you dare to compete with me? Hmph!"

Unfazed by the insult, the scholar calmly set down his satchel and pulled out five ten-tael silver ingots. "Miss, is this enough?"

The girl sprang out from behind the thug, nodding eagerly. "Enough, enough. I'm willing to leave with you, sir, but I need to bury my father first. Please understand."

Meng Wan watched as the scholar handed over fifty taels of silver to the girl without a second thought. The scholar even said, "No need for that. I'm glad to help you out of this immediate problem. Miss, if you have distant relatives, after you bury your father, seek them out as soon as possible. Life as a wandering orphan is inevitably lonely—it's best to settle down and live a proper life."

The girl's eyes couldn't hide her delight at getting the silver; she paid no attention to the scholar's advice.

She pocketed the silver and noticed a few prying eyes among the crowd watching her. She gave an inward snort, signaled the thug with a glance, and, struggling to push the wooden cart, headed toward the city gate.

Hearing the scholar's last words, Meng Wan hesitated mid-step. He snapped out of it—something was wrong. This scholar was definitely not an ordinary person.

He stared at the girl's retreating figure. The thug was weaving back and forth, guarding her as they approached the city gate.

Meng Wan pulled Bi Yun into the crowd, the more he thought about it, the more uneasy he became. If it hadn't been for the scholar's final line—"Life as a wandering orphan is inevitably lonely—it's best to settle down and live a proper life"—he might have stepped forward to hint that the man was being scammed.

Who would have thought this young scholar, only a few years older than Song Tingzhou, was such a force to be reckoned with?

Meng Wan led Bi Yun away from that area and actually found the potato stall. But the vendor wasn't the old man from the beginning of the year—it was a teenage girl with her brother.

"If I buy a whole basket of these potatoes, can you deliver them?"

"What is this? And how is it planted?"

Meng Wan's voice overlapped with the scholar's, leaving the girl bewildered. "Could you both repeat that? I didn't quite catch it."

The scholar stepped back, letting Meng Wan go first. Meng Wan hadn't expected to run into him again. He gave a slight bow to the scholar in thanks and didn't hesitate, repeating his earlier question. "I want to buy a basket of potatoes, but I don't have a cart. Can you deliver them to my home?"

The basket holding the potatoes was a homemade wicker one. Meng Wan, who was about 1.72 meters tall, saw that the basket reached nearly his waist. He and Bi Yun definitely couldn't carry it.

The siblings' faces lit up. "You really want that much? Yes, we deliver! But we need to sell the other basket first before we can deliver yours. Is that okay?"

Meng Wan smiled. "Of course."

"So this thing is called potato," the scholar said politely, stepping forward once they finished.

The girl's brother said, "We used to call them black mud eggs. Then an elder from our village brought them to the city, and a noble person recognized them and called them potatoes. So now everyone calls them potatoes."