Chapter 54

Chapter 54

Zhong Yizhu spent a few days at home making incense.

In Liushan Village, the second rice harvest of the year was also done.

The weather was good this year with ample rainfall, so it was a decent little harvest. Everyone in the village was all smiles.

Zhong Yizhu also got his land rent for the year: twelve full bags of grain, each one packed tight, along with peanuts sent by the tenant families as a little extra for him and Pei Mu to snack on.

The village had its share of gossips and annoying folks, but there were also plenty of down-to-earth people who wanted to repay Zhong Yizhu for his kindness.

The two families renting his land showed up. Zhong Yizhu invited the aunties and uncles inside to sit. After a bit of polite back-and-forth, they all came in and sat down.

Zhong Yizhu poured them sugar water, and they all took tiny sips, like they were savoring it.

Families who had to rent land to farm were already barely getting by, barely able to afford enough to eat, let alone buy sugar for sweet drinks. Not many families in the village would use sugar water to treat guests.

They were a little nervous, but they also thought this young master Zhong was a genuinely good person. Not only did he give them great terms on the land, but he also didn't look down on them at all. When they found out Zhong Yizhu planned to keep all the grain for himself, the men from both families quickly offered to help husk it. Impatient Uncle Li even put down his bowl and was about to get started, but Zhong Yizhu stopped him.

"Uncle, no rush. I'll wait for Pei Mu to come back and see how much we need to husk first. Then I'll ask for your help."

Husking rice is hard work, and there's no way he'd ask them to do it for nothing. Besides, they'd just finished the rush harvest and brought the grain over. How could he have them start husking right away without a break?

Seeing that Zhong Yizhu was serious and not just being polite, Uncle Li scratched his head and sat back down. Facing this young man from the city, they really didn't know what to say.

Auntie Liu thought about that rotten Pei family and wanted to tell Zhong Yizhu about it so he could feel better, but she figured since there was that connection, it wasn't right to bring it up in front of him, so she dropped it.

So they just stuck to talking about crops and the harvest. Zhong Yizhu asked a few questions, only half understanding, which got the old farmers going, and they shared a ton of farming tips with him. Zhong Yizhu nodded along, dazed, thinking farming was no joke.

Neither side really knew each other, so everyone was polite about it. After finishing their sugar water, they all got up to leave. Zhong Yizhu picked up the cups and headed to the kitchen. Hearing the door, he looked out and saw it was Pei Mu coming back with a bamboo basket.

It had gotten cold, but Pei Mu was still wearing just thick cotton clothes. He only switched to padded clothes when he went to town or the county seat.

Zhong Yizhu felt cold just looking at him, but when he touched Pei Mu's hand, it was warmer than his own, so he kept his mouth shut.

Pei Mu had told him he wouldn't go deep into the mountains anymore. Even after he was fully better, he only went up and came back the same day. Of course, that made it hard to catch anything big, but Pei Mu had the skills, so small game was always around. He'd save them up for a few days and then sell them in town. It wasn't as good as before, but it was still a decent bit of money.

Now that it gets dark early, Pei Mu came back early too, so Zhong Yizhu never had to worry. As soon as he set down the basket, Zhong Yizhu ran over, looked up with a smile, and said, "You're back."

Pei Mu pulled him into a hug and listened as Zhong Yizhu leaned against his shoulder and told him all about the tenants bringing the grain. So much grain would last them until next year, and they'd save the money they'd have spent on buying it.

The two of them were doing pretty well in the village, and since they had no close neighbors, nobody gossiped.

Ever since he found out Zhong Yizhu couldn't stomach coarse grains, Pei Mu only bought refined rice and fine flour. There was always meat in the house, veggies were stir-fried in lard, and every so often they'd add some game to the pot. But even so, the man in his arms hadn't put on much weight.

Pei Mu reached out and pinched Zhong Yizhu's sharp chin. Zhong Yizhu paused, then obediently shut his eyes. A smile flickered in Pei Mu's eyes as he leaned in and gave him a gentle bite.

That night, the two of them huddled together on the pillow and talked about what to do the next day.

"I already told Mom and asked her to keep an eye on the house. If we really can't make it back, that's fine; Mom will stay over."

They were going to Rongcheng County tomorrow to buy spices. Rongcheng County was much farther than Songyun County; just getting there would take half a day. If they were delayed, they might have to stay overnight.

There was a pile of finished incense products at home. Even if others didn't know, it was best to leave someone to look after them. Earlier today, Zhong Yizhu had gone to find Sun Yunniang and told her about this, and Sun Yunniang naturally agreed.

Zhong Yizhu had already planned: this time, he would stock up a whole cartload of spices. Since most spices are durable, as long as they don't run out of stock, the stall business won't fail, no matter how many dirty tricks the people behind them play.

After a brief period of hesitation and frustration, Zhong Yizhu was instead inspired with even higher morale. His father had built such a family business by himself back then, and now he had the unconditional support of Pei Mu and his mother. What did he have to fear?

Whether it was Liu's Fragrance Shop or any other fragrance shop, since they were so afraid of him building up his business, he would just show them by doing it.

"Okay," Pei Mu responded, reaching out to tuck his blanket in. "Tomorrow will be a tiring journey. Get some sleep early."

"Mm," Zhong Yizhu snuggled closer into Pei Mu's arms, pressed against his neck, and closed his eyes.

·

Rongcheng County was located north of Liushan Village. Taking an oxcart from Chuiliu Town would take nearly two shichen (four hours).

Pei Mu had been to this county before and knew that although it was not as bustling as Songyun County, it was still a fairly lively place.

Buying goods in such a place shouldn't be too difficult.

Both of them thought so when they first arrived in Rongcheng County, but soon, the reality in front of them dealt them a heavy blow.

They asked around for the spice street in the county, but the person blinked blankly and said there was only one spice firm in the city, and they hadn't heard of any spice street.

Zhong Yizhu immediately had a bad feeling. This meant that the spice business in the city was monopolized by one firm, giving them the confidence and leverage to raise prices arbitrarily. This was not good news for them.

But regardless, since they were already here, they had to go take a look.

When the two arrived at the spice firm following the information they had gathered, there were two clerks sorting spices inside. A young man was leaning back in a recliner behind the counter, flipping through a picture book in a sloppy manner.

Seeing customers arriving, a clerk came forward and asked, "May I ask what spices you wish to buy?"

Zhong Yizhu took a quick glance. The goods were fairly complete, and although the quality was somewhat uneven, it was still acceptable.

He pointed to the spice closest to him and asked, "How much is this sandalwood?"

The clerk had just quoted a price, which Zhong Yizhu thought was a bit inflated. He was about to ask for a bulk discount when the man who heard Zhong Yizhu's voice suddenly looked up and stared in their direction.

Zhong Yizhu's voice was very pleasant, clean, clear and sweet, making listeners unconsciously imagine what kind of beauty the voice belonged to. The man, who was steeped in pleasure houses, became interested upon hearing this voice, and when he looked up, his eyes lit up even more.

He had never seen such a handsome young man in Rongcheng County.

But the next moment, his shining gaze was blocked. The man beside the young man stepped forward, firmly shielding the young man in front of him.

The man immediately curled his lips in boredom. Such a tender young man, and he already had an owner. Feeling displeased, he naturally wouldn't let others have it easy.

Before Zhong Yizhu could continue asking about prices, he raised his voice: "Xiao Liu, are you out of your mind? Didn't I tell you that sandalwood has risen to thirty-six wen per liang? If I lose money, will you compensate me?"

The clerk called Xiao Liu was stunned for a moment, then quickly corrected himself: "Sorry, customer, I made a mistake. This sandalwood is thirty-six wen per liang."

In just a moment, the price of this spice had increased by thirty percent. It would be fake to say there was no trick. Zhong Yizhu looked towards the voice and met a pair of frivolous eyes.

Zhong Yizhu asked about a few more spices, and the prices he got were all inflated. He stopped asking, pulled Pei Mu, and turned to leave, but the man called out to him.

"Young man, if you think the price is too high, it's not impossible to negotiate, but..."

Before the man could finish, Pei Mu had already wrapped his arm around Zhong Yizhu's waist and led him out of the spice firm.

The sky outside seemed even gloomier than before.

Not only did this trip yield nothing, but they also encountered such a disgusting incident. Although Pei Mu had quickly taken him out before he could hear any nasty words, the feeling was still very unpleasant.

Zhong Yizhu, feeling unsettled, was led by Pei Mu to sit at a small stall. Soon, a bowl of hot fermented rice dumplings was placed in front of him. Zhong Yizhu didn't move. Pei Mu reached out, scooped a spoonful, and fed it into his mouth. It was sweet and warm. Zhong Yizhu looked at him, and Pei Mu said, "I'll go teach him a lesson."

Zhong Yizhu shook his head. How could he possibly teach everyone a lesson?

People always say it's hard for women and young men to do business, but aren't the ones making it hard for them exactly these kinds of people?

After finishing the sweet wine, Zhong Yizhu discussed heading back with Pei Mu, but their return was delayed by a sudden downpour.

The roads were muddy from the rain, and the oxcart driver refused to take passengers, so the two had to find an inn to stay temporarily.

Zhong Yizhu's hair was wet, and his clothes were also somewhat damp. The hot water he’d asked for was taking forever, so Pei Mu went out to hurry them up. As he did, he saw a sturdy man wearing a straw rain cape rush into the lobby.

The man's voice was loud and clear: "Waiter? Is there a place here to unload goods? Hurry, our cargo can't get wet."

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Author's note: Thanks for the thunder and nutrients~ Thanks for sticking with me.