SFS Chapter 140 Going to the Market
Chapter 140 Going to the Market
Life moves very slowly in the mountains. Chu Qingyin helped Sister-in-law Amei tidy up the medicinal herbs and swept the yard. By the time everything was done, it was only noon.
Chu Qingyin sat under the eaves, munching on a sour fruit from the mountains, trying to cool off, but her eyes kept glancing towards the direction of the forest.
The sunlight grew increasingly intense, yet there was still no sign of the men returning from the mountains and forests.
A mountain breeze rustled, and the occasional chirping of insects could be heard. Chu Qingyin leaned against the bamboo chair, dozing off. Back in the palace, even a short nap was often disturbed by someone. It was rare to have such a leisurely time.
It wasn't until the afternoon that Brother Liu and Lu Zhiheng appeared on the path.
Seeing that Lu Zhiheng was carrying some freshly hunted game on his back, with an upright posture and looking in good spirits, Chu Qingyin finally felt relieved.
"Yinyin, look, Young Master Lu is amazing! He actually managed to hunt a deer!" The two returned with bags full, and Brother Liu said with a smile, his brows full of praise for Lu Zhiheng.
Chu Qingyin stepped forward and naturally took the prey from his hand. Looking at Lu Zhiheng's flushed and sweaty face, she frowned slightly and said, "You are still injured. Why did you go with him? Aren't you afraid that your wounds will reopen?"
Although there was blame in his words, there was more of a natural concern.
Upon hearing this, Lu Zhiheng's handsome features softened with a smile as he said calmly, "Lying in the house all day is boring. Going out for a walk will help the wound heal better."
This deer is quite large and has a pair of very large antlers; it could probably be sold for a lot of money at a herbal medicine shop.
Even the deer blood wasn't wasted; Brother Liu filled the wine jug with it, as it was a valuable item.
"Yinyin, come help us! We can have a big meal tonight!"
Sister-in-law Amei called her name naturally. Today's harvest was plentiful. In addition to a deer, there were also several wild rabbits and pheasants. She was so happy that she couldn't stop smiling.
"Okay, here we come."
Chu Qingyin poured a glass of water and handed it to Lu Zhiheng, telling him to go and rest. She then quickly went to help Sister-in-law Amei.
It's summer now, and with so much meat piled up, it's very easy for it to rot if left for too long. Therefore, they decided to go to town to sell some tomorrow.
"These days, very few people can afford to eat meat. However, there are a few wealthy families in town who love to eat wild game. Whenever they bring wild game to town, it sells very easily. The income is quite substantial, and my child's tuition for this year is secured!"
As Sister-in-law Amei deftly prepared the game, she said with a smile, "We have to thank Young Master Lu for this. He's really amazing to have caught so many game."
Perhaps influenced by Sister-in-law Mei's mood, Chu Qingyin also became much happier.
The two of them helped prepare a large table of dishes and even cooked some white rice.
During dinner, Chu Qingyin sat next to Lu Zhiheng. Over the past few days, their relationship had become more natural and harmonious, and the hatred and estrangement of the past seemed to be slowly fading away in this peaceful mountain life.
The meal was very enjoyable. Although all the ingredients had only undergone simple cooking, they were even more delicious than the elaborately prepared food in the palace, retaining their original flavor.
Early the next morning, Lu Zhiheng still went hunting in the mountains with Brother Liu.
Feeling bored at home, Chu Qingyin followed Sister-in-law Amei into the county town.
It takes two hours to walk from the mountains to the town. After breakfast, the two set off. The mountain path was rugged, and Chu Qingyin followed closely behind the woman, leaning on her bamboo walking stick.
"Sister-in-law Amei, do you always have to walk this long distance to get into town?"
Chu Qingyin was a little out of breath. Now that she wasn't trying to escape, walking this path was already quite strenuous.
"Yes." The woman smiled, carrying a basket of wild game on her back, while Chu Qingyin helped carry some lighter medicinal herbs.
Their hut was on the mountainside. Going down the mountain was easy now, but going up was not so easy.
"Why don't you move to town? Walking like this is too tiring," Chu Qingyin asked.
"It's not that easy. Land in town is so expensive these days, how can we afford it? Besides, once we're in town, it'll be harder to go hunting in the mountains."
The woman didn't think walking the mountain path was difficult, but she slowed down to accommodate Chu Qingyin's pace.
The two walked for a long time, until nearly noon, when they finally saw the outline of the town.
Chu Qingyin wiped the sweat from her forehead, her eyes full of anticipation.
She has lived two lives and has never been to the town's market.
The town was small, but very lively. Various stalls lined both sides of the street, and shouts rose and fell. Chu Qingyin followed behind the woman, looking around curiously.
Sister-in-law Amei led Chu Qingyin through the winding paths of the town until they finally arrived at a fairly large pharmacy.
"Sister-in-law Amei, you're here!"
The young apprentice who was guarding the door and attending to patients saw her and immediately beamed with joy. He led the two of them to the backyard, saying, "Master has been waiting for you for so long. You've finally arrived."
"We had some guests recently, that's why I'm late,"
Sister-in-law Amei apologized to him and skillfully took out the medicinal herbs and arranged them neatly.
A short while later, an elderly man wearing a long gown walked over from the medicine cabinet.
The old man wore a simple gray robe, had wrinkled skin and white hair, a goatee, and a kind face.
"You've arrived! My husband hunted a deer this time, and it has two rather large antlers. Take a look!" Sister-in-law Amei hurriedly pulled out the two antlers, carefully wrapped in banana leaves, from under her basket.
The old doctor's cloudy old eyes lit up after examining them, showing that the two antlers were indeed quite valuable.
"Same old deal, everything else will be charged at the original price. But for these antlers, I'll give you four taels of silver. How does that sound?"
Four taels of silver, that's not a small price.
Sister-in-law Amei was overjoyed and took out a chicken from the basket, handing it to the young medicine boy, saying, "You're a regular customer, so I'll give you this wild pheasant as a bonus."
After some refusals from the two, the old doctor finally accepted the pheasant and then spent some silver to buy a few ounces of venison.
When Chu Qingyin came out of the pharmacy, her basket was empty.
However, the two did not rest. They walked around two streets and went to a wealthy family, where they sold all the wild game to them. In addition to the payment for selling the meat, they also received some tips, so they returned home with a full load.
After selling their goods, Sister-in-law Amei took Chu Qingyin for a stroll around the town.
Chu Qingyin's eyes lit up when she saw many trinkets she had never seen in the palace before.
These were all things she had never experienced before, and she would never have negotiated with anyone for a few taels of silver. Now she found them all incredibly novel.
"Sister-in-law Amei, do we have to go down the mountain every month?" Chu Qingyin followed closely behind her, both of their baskets were already empty.
But soon, Amei used the money she had just received to buy a lot of rice, flour and cloth.
As she browsed the shop, she replied with a smile, "Yes, if the hunt is good, I'll come down the mountain more often; if it's bad, I'll come down later."
"Oh." Chu Qingyin seemed to be thinking. She had followed Sister Mei to the market and learned a lot of things that she had never heard of before. She actually began to like this kind of life.