The Country Maiden: Fields and Leisure-Chapter 32 - The Great Merit of the Fat Pork
32: Chapter 32: The Great Merit of the Fat Pork
32 -32: The Great Merit of the Fat Pork
Shopkeeper Wu’s eyes flashed with a sharp gleam, betraying a trace of interest.
He had thought that although these Yellow Pine Mushrooms were decent, they were, as Hunter Song had said, from country folks with little worldliness, and with just a little trickery, he feared that these country folks might be cheated into selling their goods cheaply to him.
Wasn’t Old Granny Zhang about to fall for it?
Who would have thought that this somewhat unsightly plump girl would turn out to be clever, and not just clever but also composed.
In just a few words, she had flattered both him and the Yellow Pine Mushrooms. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
It made him embarrassed to press the price too low.
Who knew that in these mountainous villages, there would be such a perceptive woman, quite interesting indeed.
Therefore, without further ado, he nodded and said, “The young lady is right, we are all in luck.
How about this, for the sake of Hunter Song, five taels of silver, does the young lady find it acceptable?”
Ming Zhu blinked her eyes, silent for a moment as she was still unfamiliar with current prices and calculating in her mind how much one tael of silver was worth in copper coins.
Then she saw Song Chongjin subtlety nod his head, a sign for her to agree.
Considering Song Chongjin had just spoken on her behalf in an unobtrusive way, presumably with no ill will, and seeing how Old Granny Zhang wore an expression of excessive surprise and bewilderment, Ming Zhu realized that this price probably far exceeded Old Granny Zhang’s expectations.
Therefore, she spared herself the trouble of painstakingly calculating the value and nodded decisively, “Shopkeeper Wu, your price is very reasonable, thank you very much!”
Shopkeeper Wu took the Yellow Pine Mushrooms under the counter, pulled out a five-tael silver ingot, and handed it to Ming Zhu.
Ming Zhu didn’t accept it, and instead requested sheepishly, “Shopkeeper Wu, could you exchange this for some silver pieces and also some copper coins?”
Ming Zhu had her own considerations; she and Old Granny Zhang were, after all, not town dwellers, and as simple-minded women, it was unwise to flaunt their wealth.
In case they needed to spend money later, it would be problematic to pull out a silver ingot and attract unwelcome attention.
It was better to exchange it for silver pieces and copper coins, which would not be as conspicuous.
Shopkeeper Wu naturally had no objection and exchanged it for three to four taels’ worth of a few silver pieces and a string of coins, which he handed to Ming Zhu.
Ming Zhu took them, and then the System’s voice sounded in her ear, “Task of selling the collected Yellow Pine Mushrooms at a good price completed, reward 1 point, the host is invited to receive it.”
Ming Zhu naturally couldn’t check her points, and the System would not dare to keep them for itself, so she pretended not to hear.
She only glanced at the silver and coins in her hand before putting them all into Old Granny Zhang’s palm.
Only then did Old Granny Zhang come back to her senses, grabbing the silver pieces tightly, and, not fully trusting, she bit them with her teeth before breaking into a smile and tucking them into her pocket.
The remaining string of coins was placed at the bottom of the basket, carefully covered with leaves.
Ming Zhu felt a bit embarrassed, “Shopkeeper Wu, please don’t misunderstand, we country folks aren’t used to seeing so much money, I hope we haven’t made you laugh at our expense.”
Shopkeeper Wu chuckled and waved his hand, “You’re being too modest, young lady.
Recently, my shop has been buying up a lot of these rare foods and medicinal ingredients.
If you have more of these mountain delicacies or unusual edible items in the future, just bring them straight to me.
I treat everyone with fairness, young and old, and I guarantee to offer the young lady a satisfactory price.”
Ming Zhu remembered the Yellow Pine Mushroom cultivation business that had just started in her family, and the snippets of conversation she had overheard about some birthday banquet, hesitated for a moment, and ventured, “Of course, if we have something good, when would be a suitable time to bring it over?”
Shopkeeper Wu waved his hand dismissively, “There’s no rush for that.
If you have such fine goods by the end of next month, we can negotiate a good price.”
Ming Zhu felt reassured and thanked Shopkeeper Wu.
She then turned to Song Chongjin, who had been silent on the side, and bowed in gratitude, “Thank you!”
Song Chongjin’s face stiffened, and without uttering a word, he gave a cold nod of the head and quickly walked away.
Ming Zhu wasn’t offended, knowing that Song Chongjin was the type with a cold exterior but a warm heart.
She grabbed hold of Old Granny Zhang, who was still gleeful, bade farewell to Shopkeeper Wu, and left the restaurant.
As soon as they stepped out of the restaurant, Old Granny Zhang couldn’t help but ask, “Zhuzhu, how did you know to sell these mushrooms to the restaurant?
And what was that Song Family brat doing here?
Did he bully you?”
After patiently explaining the situation, Ming Zhu managed to convince Old Granny Zhang that Song Chongjin, that good-for-nothing, actually lent them a big hand today.
Otherwise, it would have been difficult to sell the Yellow Pine Mushrooms, let alone at such a high price.
After a long discussion, Old Granny Zhang begrudgingly conceded, “That good-for-nothing Song Chongjin has some sense after all, acknowledging what he owes our Wang Family and you; he’s not completely heartless!
Humph!
Zhuzhu, you mustn’t be swayed by his minor kindnesses.
Remember, he ruined your reputation by breaking off the engagement.
Does he think he can settle it all with such trivial matters?
He’s dreaming!
What he did was his debt to you; you should accept it with peace of mind!
But you mustn’t go soft again—”
She feared that if Song Chongjin showed the slightest bit of kindness, her daughter would be swayed and come to pester him relentlessly once more.
Ming Zhu couldn’t help but smile wryly.
For Old Granny Zhang’s peace of mind, she agreed to everything said.
Feeling they had no choice, she said, “Mother, we’ve earned some silver today, and didn’t we agree to buy some meat?
Let’s hurry before it’s all sold out.”
These words reminded Old Granny Zhang of what was essential.
No more dilly-dallying; she quickened her pace towards the butcher’s stall.
Old Granny Zhang and Ming Zhu arrived neither too early nor too late, but the prime cuts of fat meat were already gone, leaving only the streaky pork, lean cuts, and some pork bones and offal.
Old Granny Zhang felt it was a pity and reluctantly chose the fattiest piece from the assortment, asking the butcher to cut two jin.
Turning to see her daughter’s frown, and thinking about the considerable sum of silver earned today through Zhuzhu’s efforts, yet unable to get the fatty meat her daughter wanted, how could she face her child?
So, she bit the bullet and spent two more copper coins to buy a large pork bone, planning to make a hearty soup for Zhuzhu to replenish her health, considering that she looked thinner these days.
If Ming Zhu knew Old Granny Zhang was intent on fattening her up again, she would probably be upset.
At the moment, she looked at the meat in Old Granny Zhang’s hands and remembered that at this time in the rural mountains, there was a general scarcity of oils and fats.
When families bought pork, they would choose the fattiest pieces available to render lard, which made the meals both aromatic and nutritious.
The cracklings from the rendered fat were also a treat—rare and valued delicacies in the countryside.
It was no wonder Wang Yongzhu had grown to her size, with large portions of fatty pork contributing significantly.
What a sad tale it was!
Old Granny Zhang promptly paid for their purchases, picked up the pork, and went on to buy some salt, soy sauce, and vinegar from the neighboring sundry shop—this was already rather extravagant.
In those days, people in the mountains seldom had spare money to buy such condiments.
Most of their meals were boiled, cooked until just done, and seasoned with some salt.
Old Granny Zhang was willing to spend in this manner mainly because she had five taels of Snowflake Silver in her purse, giving her confidence, and secondly, because she doted on her daughter who enjoyed savory flavors.
Now that she had some money in hand, wouldn’t she want to indulge her precious daughter?
