Fuyang Town is located along the Qingzhou River. It is said that from the town’s pier, one can take a boat westward to reach the capital city, Qingzhou Prefecture, or even southward to reach the imperial capital. Every day, countless boat owners, merchants, and laborers gather at the pier, creating a bustling scene and bringing numerous opportunities and prospects to Fuyang Town.

 

Therefore, although Fuyang Town may not have wealthy and influential businessmen, the prosperity brought by the Qingzhou River attracts merchants of all sizes. From ceramic, salt, and iron shops to moneylenders, taverns, and pawnshops, there is a wide variety of businesses. Even merchants and bodyguards can be found. Although the town is small, it has everything one could need.

 

The commercial prosperity also creates many job opportunities. Many households in the town have family members working in various shops. In addition, there are fields outside the town, making the standard of living much better than that in rural villages.

 

Jing Yi had already visited the town several times before and had explored most of the places he needed or might need. Now, he only lacked a visit to the replica pier.

 

However, the pier was crowded and not suitable for him to venture into while he was not at full strength. He planned to wait until his body recovered before going there, so that he could handle any situation and have a better chance of coming out unscathed.

 

Therefore, this time when he arrived in the town, he went directly to a restaurant called “Jixiange.”

 

During his previous visits to the town to sell medicinal herbs, Jing Yi overheard a few young medicine apprentices chatting. They mentioned that the owner behind this newly opened restaurant was a prominent figure from Qingzhou Prefecture, known for his generosity and good deeds. Jing Yi decided to try his luck.

 

In ancient times, without modern marketing techniques, acquiring information mostly relied on word of mouth among the common people.

 

As he approached the front gate, he could see that it had an antique and elegant appearance, exuding a refined charm. Although it wasn’t as grand as the “Zuixian Building” across the street, it had its own unique flavor and was probably favored by literati. It was indeed a restaurant opened by a prominent figure from the capital.

 

But what did the exquisite and elegant front gate have to do with Jing Yi? A wise person knows the current situation, so he discreetly went to the back door where the kitchen was located, with the wild chicken in hand.

 

Coincidentally, a staff member was unloading goods at the back door, which seemed to be forest delicacies collected from the nearby village, such as dried black fungus and daylily.

 

Jing Yi waited patiently until the staff member finished his work and then said, “Excuse me, I have just caught a wild chicken. I wonder if you accept it here?”

 

The staff member glanced at him. Such things happened frequently, with farmers bringing wild animals or domesticated livestock to sell almost every day. Although Jing Yi stood out with his temperament and didn’t look like an ordinary person, his clothing still indicated that he was a poor fellow. Thus, the staff member simply said, “Wait here.”

 

After a while, a middle-aged man with a long robe and a beard came out. Although his face showed shrewdness, he didn’t give an unpleasant impression. He smiled and said, “Hello, young man. My surname is Huang, and I am the owner of Jixiange. Let me see what you have caught.”

 

Seeing the friendliness of the owner, Jing Yi knew he had come to the right place, and this deal could be closed today.

 

He was dressed in his usual attire, a coarse brown short robe. Recently, he had grown taller abruptly, so he had sewn an additional piece of fabric around the ankles. He could only bring out a wild chicken in his hand, and the basket of horse radish in the corner could be ignored. The owner and he haggled back and forth a couple of times, and in the end, they settled on a fair price of one hundred wen.

 

The owner also noticed the horse radish in the basket, seeing that it was fresh and tender, weighing around twenty catties or so. He offered to buy it all for forty wen.

 

Wild vegetables are inherently inexpensive, and even at the market, the price of two wen per jin is the upper limit. It’s fortunate that this batch of horsehead blue mushrooms has good quality. Finally, Jing Yi said to the owner, “If you have any mountain delicacies or wild animals in the future, you can bring them to the shop. As long as the quality is good, we can negotiate the price.”

 

This trip to town was worthwhile. Not only did he sell the wild chicken and horsehead blue mushrooms, but he also obtained a good price. Most importantly, he found a place where he could regularly supply goods as long as the ingredients were good.

 

It’s also thanks to Jing Yi, a modern person, who is not easily intimidated, has a bold and meticulous attitude, and carries himself well in conversation. Otherwise, with an ordinary rural person, this business deal wouldn’t have been so easily accomplished.

 

In the end, he received a total of 240 wen. He received 200 wen in the form of two silver coins, each worth one qian. The remaining 40 wen were in the form of forty copper coins. Jing Yi put the silver coins in his sleeve pocket and used a money pouch for the copper coins. Thinking of how his two younger brothers looked so eager while watching the fried eggs at home, he decided to buy some snacks as a treat for his family.

 

Regarding ancient snacks, Jing Yi knew very little. The only thing he knew might be tanghulu, a snack commonly seen in novels and movies. That could be arranged.

 

Jixiange was located on the main street of the town, where there were mostly restaurants, taverns, rice shops, pawnshops, and jewelry stores for big transactions. Snacks and drinks were rare, and the consumption level was quite high, making it unsuitable for him.

 

He walked through two streets and arrived at a market in the eastern part of the town. It was bustling with people and filled with shouts. Originally, Jing Yi planned to sell the horsehead blue mushrooms here.

 

After wandering around the market, he spent six wen to buy two skewers of tanghulu and fourteen wen to buy half a jin of walnut pastries. The walnut pastries were small, but half a jin was enough for the whole family to taste.

 

Based on his original memories, Jing Yi knew that rural people rarely bought pastries and sweets for themselves, and they could hardly afford a few even during the New Year. It was usually the urban people who would give out snack boxes on festive occasions.

 

Rural people always thought that it was better to spend money on buying fatty meat to increase their strength for work. But Jing Yi thought that there was still a rabbit at home waiting to be cooked, and according to modern theories, eating sweets would improve one’s mood. So buying the walnut pastries wasn’t a loss.

 

After buying the items, he didn’t delay and headed straight back home.

 

While walking back home, Jing Yi couldn’t help but feel extremely lucky. He found a stable and well-paying buyer on his first attempt at selling wild products. The buyer was from the capital, so he didn’t have to worry about the unstable factor of Mr. Liu’s steward anymore.

 

After some consideration, Jing Yi thought it would be better to sell the ferret to that buyer as well. Considering the buyer’s demeanor, they would probably be interested in more than just ingredients. Even if he bought it to resell or present it to his master, it would still be a good thing.

 

In this way, Jing Yi wouldn’t have to go to the county town to sell the sable. Although he wanted to explore broader horizons, at this stage, his family’s basic needs hadn’t been fully met yet, so it was better not to take on projects that would cost him a lot of money.

 

The most important task at hand was to earn money, earn money, and earn money, so that his family could live a good life. This was more motivating than starting his own business in modern times.

 

When Jing Yi arrived home, his mother had just started preparing dinner.

 

Their dinner was very simple: a pot of thin porridge made with a mixture of rough rice and millet, stir-fried cabbage, and a few stalks of pickled garlic sprouts.

 

Although Dayoutang had been stable and peaceful in recent years, and the situation was good, many families in the village still ate two meals a day during the slack season. Jing’s family was used to having three meals a day before, so dinner was also very simple, mainly to fill their stomachs without consuming too much food.

 

Jing Yi entered the house and called the family members to the main room. The two younger brothers, excitedly, ran in. They knew that their eldest brother had gone to town in the afternoon to sell goods, and they had also contributed to the family by helping with the wild chicken and horsehead blue mushrooms. They were very happy and proud.

 

“Come, you two take this skewer of tanghulu and share it. Xiao An, you share it with Xiao Shu, and I’ll share one with Mom and Dad,” Jing Yi handed a skewer of tanghulu to Jing’an, asking him to go and share it with his younger brother.

 

The relationship between the Jing family brothers had always been very good, and Jing’an, this little boy, was particularly fond of his younger brother, Jing Shu. There was no need to worry about him bullying Jing Shu.

 

“Mom, Dad, let’s eat too. Don’t be reluctant. Eating anything is good for the body. Oh, and this bag of walnut pastries, we’ll eat them after dinner.” After dinner, they could have some walnut pastries as a late-night snack, so that no one would have to go to bed with an empty stomach tonight.

 

The Jing family had many men, and the thin porridge they had for dinner would be digested quickly, without really filling them up.

 

“Jing Yi, you three share the tanghulu. Your father and I don’t like it. The same goes for the walnut pastries. Take a few for yourselves, and the rest can be served to guests if anyone comes over.” Jing’s father and mother didn’t want to argue with the children over these things. They were not cheap, and they didn’t need to spend money on snacks.

 

“Mom, Dad, let’s not argue. Dad needs to nourish his body, and so do you, Mom. You’ve lost weight in the past six months. Let’s all eat. As for serving guests or not, let’s take care of ourselves first.”

 

“Alright, Dad, let’s eat.” Seeing the look on their eldest son’s face that said, “If you don’t eat, I won’t eat either,” Jing’s mother picked up a tanghulu, first gave one to Jing Yi, then one to Jing’s father, and then took one for herself. She lowered her head to conceal the moist corners of her eyes, feeling the sweet candy shell of the tanghulu melt in her mouth, sweetening her heart.

 

After finishing the tanghulu, Jing Yi went to the separate room where his parents slept and took out the 200 wen he earned from selling the wild chicken and gave it to his mother.

 

He also explained the situation at Jixian Ge to his parents, reassuring them, and finally said, “I’ve heard people talk about the owner of this shop before when he used to sell medicine. He is a kind-hearted person from the capital. The shopkeeper is also reliable. I plan to take the ferret there to sell it tomorrow. If they buy it, we might get a good price.”

 

“That’s great, my eldest son. Go and inquire tomorrow. It will save you from the trouble of going to the county town to sell it.” Jing’s father spoke, pleased with the idea of having a fixed buyer in town. It meant fewer uncertainties and saved them from running around.

 

The night quietly turned dark, and the family lit an oil lamp, happily eating the small walnut pastries around the table in the main room. Jing’an and Jing Shu were still chattering loudly, talking to their elder brother.

 

Finally, Jing’s mother picked up a basin to wash up, and when everyone finished washing, they all went back to their respective rooms to rest.

 

The Jing family’s house wasn’t big. Ten-year-old Jing An and his elder brother Jing Yi shared a room, the west room, with two beds. There was no need for them to fight over sleeping at night.

 

Seven-year-old Jing Shu slept in the east room with Jing’s father and mother. They set up a small bed in the room, which was enough for Jing Shu.

 

The parents had been planning to build a few new houses since last year, as the children were getting older. They had saved enough money for it. Jing Yi would turn sixteen soon, and they needed to hurry and build the new house. Otherwise, the new daughter-in-law and son-in-law wouldn’t be able to live in the same room as their younger brother, which wouldn’t be right.

 

However, plans don’t always keep up with changes. Unexpected events can happen overnight. The Jing family started from scratch in one night.

 

As the night grew late, tomorrow, once again, would be an anticipated day.