CHAPTER 58: CHAPTER 56 NOT AFRAID

Chen Zigeng tried to recall what Sister had said.

"In the woods, there’s a group of small toads... They’re quite delightful."

Chen Zigeng reluctantly agreed, yes, not ugly at all; big eyes and plump cheeks are very charming.

Manager Ding took the dried toad from Chen Zigeng’s hand. The drying of the toad was just perfect, and once cracked open, the yellow toad oil inside was visible.

Manager Ding pondered for a moment and said, "How many of these toads do you have?"

Xie Liangchen replied, "Not many are dried, but we can go catch more."

Seeing Manager Ding’s expression, Chen Zigeng’s eyes lit up, making those delightful little toads really turn into silver coins.

Xie Liangchen said, "If the shopkeeper wants more, you can come find me in the village, and you can also see the Huang Jing drying in the yard."

Manager Ding hesitated before nodding, "I’ll think about it." He first wanted to try the Huang Jing stewed chicken to see how it tasted, and then he would visit the village.

Xie Liangchen led Chen Zigeng away from the tavern entrance, Chen Zigeng’s stomach was growling noisily, it was really not easy squatting there, constantly smelling the aroma.

Chen Zigeng thought randomly, luckily he had always been fiddling with the abacus with Sister, enabling him to resist the aroma, wondering how Hei Dan and others were doing, whether they were drooling.

As it was getting dark, Chen Yuyu and others also came over, each going into the tavern to sell herbs, agreeing on a time to return to the Chen Family Village together.

Seeing the dejected looks on everyone’s faces, it was clear the herbs hadn’t been sold.

"It’s okay," Xie Liangchen comforted everyone, "If it were that easy, it wouldn’t be for us to sell."

Chen Yuyu blushingly said, "Hopefully, after the shopkeeper tries it, he’ll come to the village to find us."

Xie Liangchen was quite confident, "Good herbs, good prices, they’ll naturally come to buy, just like the herbs we collected, we’ll be able to sell them."

Chen Yuyu, originally shy, gradually became more daring and cheerful after following Xie Liangchen these days, directly asking Xie Liangchen for anything she didn’t understand: "Sister Chen, should we keep collecting herbs? Isn’t there too much? Zhenzhou is just that big, if the pharmacies don’t need them, who can we sell our herbs to?"

Recently, people in the village often whispered about this matter, but they just talked about it casually, still following Chen Yongsheng’s arrangements since the silver coin earned from collecting herbs came from the paper workshop, and the business there was thanks to Miss Xie. They merely exerted some effort.

"More is good," Xie Liangchen said, "We can save up, maybe sell it all at once."

After speaking, Xie Liangchen continued, "When the time comes, we’ll renovate the house, buy cloth to make clothes, and buy some meat from the market to make meat sauce rice for everyone."

"Sister Chen, what is meat sauce rice? Is it tasty?"

"Delicious," Xie Liangchen said, "Hot steaming rice covered with a spoonful of fragrant sautéed meat sauce, and topped with two fried eggs."

Everyone was swallowing hard, even Chen Zigeng couldn’t help but lick his lips.

Once back home, without others around, Chen Zigeng tugged at Xie Liangchen’s sleeve, "Sister, do you plan to sell both Huang Jing and toad oil to the tavern’s shopkeeper?"

Xie Liangchen shook her head, "How much can a tavern want? Not many in the entire Zhenzhou City consume toad oil."

Chen Zigeng was puzzled, "Then whom does Sister plan to sell to?"

Xie Liangchen said, "Have you seen the Taihe Building’s menu? Many Southern and Northern delicacies, where do these delicacies come from? Someone purchases for the tavern; I’m testing to show the tavern’s shopkeeper, hoping to meet the buyer through them."

Medicines like toad oil and processed Huang Jing need to be sold to places like the Capital City. We don’t have a trade caravan now but can go this route through others’ hands.

Who said her herbs must be sold to pharmacies in Zhenzhou Prefecture?

Xie Liangchen didn’t explain clearly, but Chen Zigeng understood, "Since Sister wants to sell herbs out of Zhenzhou, why inquire around the pharmacies?"

Xie Liangchen said, "Although I’ve had this intention, this opportunity is just right to understand the pharmacy situation in Zhenzhou and even the North."

Creditor Song wanted to open the court’s first medicine bureau in the North. Understanding this situation benefits both her and the creditor.

Listening to Sister’s words, Chen Zigeng was silent for a while, finally deciding and raising his head, "Tomorrow, I’ll go with Hei Dan and the village children to catch toads."

We’ll catch the kind Sister showed me, the big ones, over three years old.

Xie Liangchen smiled at Chen Zigeng, "Brother’s not afraid?"

Chen Zigeng puffed his chest, "Not afraid."

Early the next day, Chen Zigeng and Hei Dan followed Chen Yongyi to the mountain, the children went to catch toads, and Chen Yongyi and others went to gather Huang Jing.

Chen Family’s yard also had Chen Zigeng’s bedding drying.

Old Mrs. Chen laughed until her waist bent over. Her grandson wet the bed again.

After laughing for a while, Old Mrs. Chen looked at the piled-up herbs in the village, worried. The silver coins tied around her waist were growing fewer; if these herbs couldn’t be sold, this winter would be hard to endure.

...

Su Family’s courtyard.

Madam Su listened to the steward’s report.

"People from Chen Family Village, apart from the paper workshop’s business, sold only a little over ten pounds of herbs to pharmacies."

Madam Su listened, raising her lips into a smile with a hint of meaning, she knew it would be this result.

"Merchants have assessed goods and priced them for years, wanting to change the rules with her there; truly ignorant of the heights and depths," Madam Su said coldly, "Once they run out of silver coins to buy herbs, those gatherers will ultimately sell their herbs to us?"

Su Family’s Baiji Hall opened shop fronts in Zhenzhou and Qi State, now Su Family has pharmacies both in the North and South, they are comfortably purchasing herbs in the North, the excess transported to the Southern shops, and the Southern shops do the same.

Thus, mutual connections ensure Baiji Hall’s inevitable growth.

The steward said, "Many pharmacies slightly increased buying prices, should we do the same?"

"Certainly not," Madam Su said indifferently, "We won’t increase, might even decrease prices." Once the herbs from Chen Family Village couldn’t be sold, she could take the herbs seeing to her relationship with the Xie Family, but prices wouldn’t be high.

This serves as a lesson for Xie Liangchen to conduct herself properly in the future.

Madam Su still remembered the situation when Xie Liangchen discussed the marriage proposal with her; though the result was as she wanted, she felt oppressed, using her against Xie Family’s second household, truly believing she could be manipulated.

Now it’s settled; Chen Family Village became a thorn in all merchants’ sides, meddling with others’ silver coins doesn’t end well.

If the outcome had been determined, it’s better to benefit her than others.

"Aunt." Miss Lin came to greet Madam Su.

Madam Su smiled as she welcomed her niece into the room.

Miss Lin asked, "How’s the pharmacy? On my way here, I saw people from Chen Family Village selling herbs in the market; are they selling their herbs?"