Chapter 49: Li’s Price Raises
When Jiang Huai was thinking, several classmates came towards him with sneers on their faces: “Brother Jiang, what are you doing?”

Jiang Huai held a few copied books in his hand. He said modestly, “Let’s go to the Pen and Ink Hall. Are there any brothers who would like to go with us?”

“You’re copying books in the Pen and Ink Hall, but we don’t have the luxury of doing that.” A student tutted his tongue twice, “I heard that copying a book only costs 200 coins. How long does it take you to copy a book?”

Jiang Huai said calmly: “If the schoolwork is busy, it will take two weeks to copy one book.”

“That means I can only earn 200 Wen in 20 days, hahaha.”

“Two hundred wen can only buy the worst pens and ink.”

“Brother Jiang, your family is so poor, you might as well go back to farming.”

“That’s right. I can go back to farm and help my family.”

These people openly sneered, but Jiang Huai’s expression remained unchanged. He turned and left the academy gate, carrying a few copied books and heading towards the Bi Mo Tang.

Jiang Wan and the five kids sat on the ground in an empty alley.

The five kids had never learned arithmetic, and they got stuck when they counted to ten and kept scratching their heads.

Jiang Wan had to count them himself, and when he finished, there were a total of 840 copper coins.

She put all the copper coins into her waist bag, stood up and said, “Come on, Mom will take you to eat.”

The mother and her two children sat down in a noodle shop. The proprietress brought six bowls of noodles and said with a smile, “Sister-in-law bought six bowls at once, which makes her a big customer of our shop. I gave her some peanuts as a gift. You can have a try.”

There were some cooked peanuts in a small plate, and they tasted pretty good.

Jiang Wan took the opportunity to teach her, “This lady boss knows how to run a business. She gave us peanuts this time. Next time we want to eat noodles, we will definitely come to their house.”

“By the same token, when we sell mint water, we also need to give customers the feeling that they are making a profit.”

After eating the noodles, the five kids were only half full. Jiang Wan went to buy a few meat buns, one for each of them.

There were no other vegetables at home except staple food and wild vegetables. There was no shortage of wild vegetables and mushrooms in the mountains, but the most lacking thing was meat.

Jiang Wan took the five kids straight to the butcher shop. It was afternoon and there was not much fresh meat left in the butcher shop. There was only one piece of pork belly, some pig offal and pig blood left.

Jiang Wan bought all these things. Two pounds of pork cost eighty cents, and the pig blood was given to him for free by the butcher.

While Jiang Wan was shopping, Ye Erhai was silently calculating beside him: “Noodles cost 48 wen, meat buns 24 wen, pork 80 wen…”

He muttered to himself, slowly added up the money, and was suddenly shocked.

It seemed like I had earned a lot of money, but I had spent half of it just to buy a few things.

How much did my mother earn yesterday? Why was she able to buy dozens of kilograms of rice and flour, as well as twenty ducks and snacks…

When Jiang Wan turned around, she heard Ye Erhai counting money, and her heart skipped a beat.

Among these kids, Erhai is the smartest one. If he settles the accounts clearly, she won’t be able to take advantage of the situation in the future.

She said, “Everything in town has gone up in price. No matter how much money we make, it’s not enough to spend. We still have rice and corn at home, so we won’t buy any for now. Dahe, here’s twenty-five cents. Go buy Xiaohui something to eat and let her try something new.”

Ye Dahe went to do it immediately. The money was just enough to buy a bag of snacks and a red hairband.

Since there were still materials at home, Jiang Wan did not go shopping for more and returned home with his five children.

We returned to Hehua Village from Ankang Town by swaying ox cart. When the sun was setting, we finally arrived at the entrance of the village.

At this hour, everyone in the village was busy working in the fields. The mother and her six children were not surrounded by people and went straight home. The yard was tidy, and chickens and ducks were calling in the yard. They looked very energetic.

Smoke curls from the kitchen.

The soup started to be stewed in the kitchen. The large bones bought were stewed with bamboo shoots. This is a nutritious dietary soup.

Stir-fry pig blood with wild vegetables and add more oil, it tastes very good.

There was white rice stewing in the pot, and the fragrance of the rice mixed with the aroma of meat filled the yard.

Ye Sishan was chopping wild vegetables to feed the ducklings. When he smelled the fragrance, he couldn’t help it and his saliva started to flow.

Jiang Wan glared at him and said, “We can only have dinner after your eldest brother, second brother, and third brother come back.”

Ye Dahe went to weed the fields. No matter how much money he earned during the day, the first thing he did when he came back was to go to the fields. For farmers, land is the most fundamental thing.

Ye Erhai went to the mountain to fetch water. The head of the village arranged for people to dig a reservoir halfway up the mountain. The people from Hehua Village could fetch water very close by, and it took about a quarter of an hour to go back and forth.

Jiang Wan walked to the gate of the yard, ready to call Ye Dahe back for dinner. As soon as she walked out, Aunt Zhao from next door whispered to her, “Mother Dahe, after you left, Dahe’s wife fainted at the door. Luckily, my Meihua saw her and helped her back, otherwise something might have happened.”

Jiang Wan was stunned for a moment.

After she came back from town, Xiaohui looked no different than usual, and she even directed Xiaohui to wash the vegetables…

“Thank you, fish mother.”

Jiang Wan turned and went into the house.

She saw Gu Xiaohui sitting on a stool to rest. As soon as she saw her come in, Gu Xiaohui immediately stood up and hurriedly checked the meat in the pot.

Her eyes narrowed, her eldest daughter-in-law was just forcing herself.

She walked over and pressed Gu Xiaohui to sit down: “How do you feel?”

Gu Xiaohui hurriedly shook her head: “Mom, I’m fine, nothing’s wrong.”

“Sishan, go and invite the village doctor to our house.” Jiang Wan ordered, and forcibly pulled Gu Xiaohui to lie on the bed. “If something like this happens again in the future, you are not allowed to endure it alone.”

Gu Xiaohui’s voice choked up: “Mom, I’m so useless. I can’t help with the family’s money-making matters, and I fainted and made you worry…”

“Who said you can’t help?” Jiang Wan said, “Didn’t you help prepare the mint water every night? Which meal at home wasn’t cooked by you? Which clothes weren’t washed by you? Which one didn’t you do? We went to town to sell mint water during the day, and you dug so many wild vegetables… If you fell down, there would be no one to do these jobs, and the house would be in chaos. Xiaohui, don’t look down on yourself in the future.”

Gu Xiaohui’s eyes were red.

She was really scared today. She originally wanted to go to the fields to apply fertilizer so that she could feel more relaxed after Daha came back. But somehow, she suddenly fainted when she stood up. Fortunately, Meihua passed by, otherwise she didn’t know how long she would have to lie in the fields.

As soon as she came back, she found that she was bleeding. She was so scared that she lay in bed for more than half an hour before she recovered. After she felt better, she hurried to the mountain to dig wild vegetables to feed chickens and ducks, and then started to cut cloth to make clothes…

In short, I was busy all day long, and I was so busy that I forgot about the bleeding down there.

It was not until her mother-in-law asked her about it that she felt a dull pain in her lower abdomen.

She suddenly began to get scared. What if she couldn’t keep the baby?

Soon, Doctor Ye arrived.

Doctor Ye is the barefoot doctor in Hehua Village. However, every household is poor and if they have a headache or a fever, everyone has to rely on themselves to get through it. Doctor Ye has not seen patients for a long time.

When they heard that Gu Xiaohui had an accident, some idle women in the village came over.

Doctor Ye attracted dozens of women who were watching in the yard, waiting to see what was going on. Doctor Ye put his finger on Gu Xiaohui’s pulse, and after a long while he said, “The pulse is a little unstable, but it’s not serious. I’ll prescribe some abortion-preserving medicine, but it’s not cheap. If Dahe is sure you want it, let Sishan go back with me to get the medicine.”

Jiang Wan nodded: “Of course I want it, Doctor Ye, just name the price.”

Doctor Ye said slowly, “The consultation fee is four cents, and a packet of abortion-preserving medicine is seven cents. Mrs. Dahe needs to take the medicine for at least seven days, one meal a day, so the total is fifty-three cents.”

Gu Xiaohui’s face turned pale instantly: “Mom, I’m much better now, I don’t need pregnancy-maintaining medicine…”

“It doesn’t matter what you say.”

Jiang Wan pushed her back and turned to go to the next room to get copper coins. All the copper coins earned today were locked in the cabinet. She counted out fifty-three coins, walked out and handed them to Doctor Ye.

The women standing at the door saw dozens of copper coins clattering into Doctor Ye’s pocket.

“Who said that Dahe’s mother abused her daughter-in-law? I will spit on anyone who says that in the future.”

“Mother Dahe must have made a lot of money. Smell the aroma of meat in the kitchen. She can still eat meat in this day and age, which means she has made a lot of money.”

“I just took a peek and it was pork belly stewed with bamboo shoots. It’s 40 cents a pound in town right now.”

“I’ll spend ten cents to buy some meat to try. I have bamboo shoots at home, so I’ll make some soup later.”

“Oh, I remember now. Yesterday my maid brought over two kilograms of Fritillaria. Dahe’s wife still owed us two cents. Dahe’s wife hired a doctor. Dahe’s wife won’t be without money to pay us, right?”

“Come to think of it, Ohgawa-san hasn’t even given us the eggs from a few days ago!”

Jiang Wan sent Doctor Ye out, and Ye Sishan followed him to get the pregnancy-preserving medicine.

Gu Xiaohui was fine, and the big stone in her heart fell. A smile appeared on her face: “Sisters-in-law, please wait a moment. I will settle the bill for everyone now.”

After she said this, many people came to the village. The Fritillaria was sent by the children, and those who came to settle the accounts were the adults in the family.

Jiang Wan asked Ye Erhai to move a table into the yard. There were forty or fifty copper coins in one bowl and seven or eight eggs in another bowl.

She smiled and said, “Come one by one, don’t rush.”

“Little Fish Lady, two cents and three eggs, take them.”

“Shitou Niang, four cents for an egg…”

Jiang Wan had a very good memory and remembered everything exactly like these people, so he quickly settled all the accounts.

The women in the village were worried that Jiang Wan would default on the debt, so they came to collect it in person. Now that she had settled the bill, the women couldn’t help but ask with some concern, “Mother Dahe, are you still going to accept this Fritillaria?”

Jiang Wan still smiled and said, “Of course I will buy it. It’s still the same price as before, one penny per pound.”

The women in the village were very satisfied with the price. There were a lot of Fritillaria on the mountain. As long as they picked them, they would make money. All the money was free.

On the other hand, Dahe Niang worked hard all day and earned a few coins with great difficulty, but after seeing a doctor and settling her bills, she had nothing left.

A discordant voice came from the crowd: “Sister-in-law, isn’t it too little to pay only one cent per pound?” Li walked out of the crowd.

She had hoped that other aunts and sisters-in-law in the village would raise objections, but no one said a word, so she had to be the bad guy.

She calculated that her sister-in-law had bought a lot of things after coming back these two days. She roughly estimated that she could earn at least 150 coins a day, which might be the same for a village household in a month.

I earn 150 coins a day, but only pay them one coin per pound. Isn’t that too stingy?

Li said confidently, “Si Ya is still so young. When she heard that my aunt needed Fritillaria, she immediately went up the mountain to look for it. She only got six cents after searching for a whole day. Can you raise the price a little more?”

When Li said this, the other women in the yard immediately looked at each other.

Although they have not thought about raising prices, it would be a good thing if they could do so. Who would complain about having too much money?

Jiang Wan curled her lips and smiled. She stood up and said, “Si Ya is indeed a little young, and Guihua and Xiaohu are also too young. It is really not worth going up the mountain for a few cents. I didn’t think it through. From now on, I will leave the matter of picking Fritillaria to our Erhai, Sanshu, Dazhu and Erzhu. I won’t bother you anymore.”

Upon hearing this, the eyes of all the women present widened.

One penny for a pound of Fritillaria. A half-grown child can find three or four pounds in half a day in the mountains. They also plan to help pick some to exchange for money. How can such a good job disappear?

“Mother Dahe, I think the price of one penny is fair, so let our children continue to help pick Fritillaria.”

“Mother Dahe, Erhai and Sanshu have to go to town every day to sell things. They don’t have time to go up the mountain. We can’t let the two children go up the mountain in the middle of the night.”

“Some rich wives may despise a little money, but we don’t.”

“That’s it.”

Wife Youjin is Li. Her husband is the second child in the Ye family and his name is Ye Youjin. She has no son, so the villagers either call her Ye Ersaozi or Wife Youjin.

Li’s face turned red and white: “When did I complain about a small amount of money…”

Jiang Wan smiled and said, “Si Ya is too young. If something really happens to her in the mountains, I can’t take responsibility. I won’t accept the Fritillaria that Si Ya sends me in the future.”

Li was so angry that she could only say shamelessly, “It’s okay if Daya sent it, right?”

Jiang Wan nodded indifferently.

The women in the village said a few more words and then dispersed.

Old Mrs. Ye sat at the door and tied hay. The dried grass was rolled into a ball and used to start a fire, as it was easiest to burn.

Sitting at the door and chatting with passers-by, you can unknowingly learn all the latest news and gossip from one end of the village to the other.

As soon as Li came back, she was scolded by Old Lady Ye.

“You are such a good Li, she is your dear sister-in-law, not only did you not help her to lower the price, but you even wanted to raise the price, you short-sighted little whore, why did the second brother marry a wife like you!”

Li felt extremely aggrieved.

So what if she is my sister-in-law? I won’t give her a penny of the money I earn.

She lowered her head and said nothing. Seeing her like this, Old Lady Ye became even angrier and scolded her harshly before she vented her anger.

Just then, Ye Sishan came in holding a bowl and said, “Grandma, this is what my mother sent for me.”

He placed a bowl of pork belly and bamboo shoot soup on a stool in the yard, turned around and ran away. He had to go back to eat the meat.

Old Mrs. Ye’s face darkened again: “You just made a few coppers and you’re squandering it. You bought so much pork when the price is so high. You can’t afford to waste your money like this. No, I have to go over and tell you not to just spend money on food. There are so many boys in the family waiting to get married. You have to save up these coppers slowly…”

The old lady put the pork belly and bamboo shoots soup into the pot to warm it up, waiting for the old man to come back and eat it, then she quickly walked out the door.

Li took a quick glance and saw that the old lady had indeed gone out. Then, before the others came back, she secretly took out a small piece of pork belly from the pot and stuffed it into Si Ya’s mouth, admonishing her, “Hide and eat quickly. Don’t let anyone see you.”

Si Ya swallowed the meat in one gulp, found a deserted place, and slowly sucked the oil from the pork belly.

(End of this chapter)