Chapter 10
Chapter 10 Part1
The little ones didn’t have their wishes fulfilled. By the time they’ve woken up, their mother and older sister were already gone!
The two younger ones blamed that on the older brother Zheng Yuan. They pouted and blamed him for not waking them up earlier.
While they were complaining at home, Cheng Xiao Xiao and her mother had already been well on their way and have already reached the closet large city.
The large city wasn’t all that large. It has around 10,000 households. After entering the city, there was one main market street. Other than the shops, many residents from nearby villages had also brought their goods here to be sold.
Cheng Xiao Xiao looked around curiously as she followed Mrs. Cheng into the market. She noticed that most of the merchandises being offered are regular daily supplies, nothing that stood out. She has also noticed that not all the merchants were men, there were a few women. So the two of them did not draw too much attention.
They found an empty spot and Mrs. Cheng put down her load (danzi), then helped Cheng Xiao Xiao to put her down as well. The two of them simultaneously lifted their sleeves to wipe the sweat from their foreheads.1
Danzi
Photo Credit:
“Mom, do you think we will be able to sell these rabbits?” Cheng Xiao Xiao was getting a little bit worried. They had brought with them 20 chickens and 15 rabbits. That was quite a transaction for a small town like this.
Mrs. Cheng didn’t seem too concerned. She looked around and gently replied, “I think so!”
Mrs. Cheng was still quite attractive in her thirties. Standing next to Cheng Xiao Xiao the two of them looked like sisters. They have attracted a lot of attention from the pa.s.sersby in a very short time and they had also noticed that they were offering chickens and rabbits.
Lots of the pa.s.serby looked at them, but none walked up to ask them the price. After all, Cheng Xiao Xiao wasn’t just any common person. Ideas were slowly starting to form inside her head.
“Hey, these rabbits and chickens kinda look alike!”
A middle aged man pa.s.sing by stopped and looked at the four rabbits and chickens on top of the cage. After examining them for a while, he asked eagerly, “Miss, how much for your chickens and rabbits?
“Um…..” Mrs. Cheng wasn’t sure how they should price their animals so she turned and looked at her daughter.
Cheng Xiao Xiao understood what her mom meant and nodded slightly in response. She turned to the man who looked like a steward and gently said, “Sir, our chickens and rabbits were raised with special care. Their meats are tender and juicy. We are asking for 20 coppers for a chicken, and 30 coppers for a rabbit. How many would you like?”
In the last few days that she was being here, Cheng Xiao Xiao had learned the currency of this world. A tael of gold = 10 taels of silver = 10 guan cooper money = 10,000 wen copper money.
One guan copper money = 1000 wen copper money. One tael gold = 3,000 yuan. One tael silver = one guan copper money = 300 yuan, one wen copper money = 0.3 yuan (0.043 USD).
One “guan” copper money (1000 wen)
Photo Credit:
One “wen” copper money
Photo Credit: cqcb.com
One jo of silver/gold (measured by weight in unit of taels, each bank could mold their own jo, so the weight varied)
Photo Credit: quaibao.qq.com
So a chicken was roughly 2 yuan (2.88 USD) and a rabbit roughly 3 (4.32 USD) yuan. That was an impossible price at her previous world, but for this current one, that was the fair market price.
The man nodded upon hearing their prices, “Not bad. I trust your words. Why don’t we do this? Our Ning House need these fowls for a banquet. Your chickens and rabbits look pretty good. I have other errands to run right now. Why don’t I give you one jo of silver right now, and you deliver these to the Ning House on 4th street?”
Upon saying that, he took out a jo of silver from under his sleeve and handed it over to Mrs. Cheng before he smiled and left.
“Sir, this is too much!” Mrs. Cheng shouted after him after it registered to her.
The man didn’t even turn around. He raised his arm and waived at her as he continued to walk away, “It’s fine, it’s fine. Just keep it!”
***
Translator’s Note:
1. Really? They walked four hours with chickens and rabbits in these danzi? That’s quite impressive 😀 ___
Chapter 10.2
“But….” Mrs. Cheng, holding the jo of silver in her hand, frowned slightly.
Even Cheng Xiao Xiao was a bit surprised. She didn’t think they would run into a such a generous person. This jo looked to be around five taels. It is enough to support a regular family for months.
“Mon, are you familiar with the Ning House?” Cheng Xiao Xiao tucked at Mrs. Cheng who was still in shock and asked gently.
“Ugh….” Mrs. Cheng put away the silver, looked at her daughter and shook her head, “In the past it was your dad who’d came and sold the animals he’d hunted. I have only been here a couple of times, so, no, I am not familiar of the Ning family.”
Then, nervously, Mrs. Cheng asked, “Xiao Xiao, our chickens and rabbits aren’t worth so such, could he….”
Looking at the worried Mrs. Cheng, Cheng Xiao Xiao understood what she meant, so she replied, “Mom, you are overthinking this. He just wanted our chickens and rabbits is all.”
Cheng Xiao Xiao was very observant earlier. The man was genuinely surprised when he saw the chickens and rabbits. The way he looked at her mom was pure. Her guess was, he genuinely didn’t care that much about the money.
“Mom, since the Ning family had already purchased our chickens and rabbits, let’s go deliver these to them!” She interrupted the still hesitant mother, “If anyone else came by and ask for them, it will be a ha.s.sle.”
“Okay! Let’s go deliver these!”
Mrs. Cheng calmed down shortly and the two of them picked up the chickens and rabbits, found the way by asking some pa.s.sersby. They only had to make a couple turns before they arrived at a fairly glamorous structure.
Working with a few servants, they were able to hand over the chickens and rabbits. The two of them finally felt relieved.
The butler at the Ning House was a bit confused why they received these fowls. He looked at the two of them quizzically as they walked away. He couldn’t figure out why the steward serving the master decided to purchase these fowls.
Naturally the steward he was referring to was the generous man that Cheng Xiao Xiao and her mom have met.
With the five taels of silver, the two of them bought a lot of daily items on the street. Lastly, they walked into the biggest clinic in the city to look for a doctor for Cheng Bi Yuan.
They were welcomed by the smell of herbs. The familiar smell brought a smile onto Cheng Xiao Xiao’s little face. She liked the herb smell, it reminded her of her former workplace.
It had only been a few weeks, but it felt like it had been forever.
“Miss, you need some herbs?” An old man standing in front of the counter asked kindly.
Mrs. Cheng walked up to the counter and, respectfully, she asked, “We are looking for a doctor. Do you have a doctor who will do house call?”
“Oh? Someone is sick in your household? Why didn’t you bring them?” The doctor didn’t seem surprised, he asked matter-of-factly.
With a sad look Mrs. Cheng replied, “It’s my husband. He was badly injured and couldn’t move. I couldn’t bring him here, so I had to ask you to do a house call.”
“Ooooh….” The doctor took a good look at the two of them, then said, “Give me a minute, I am just going to fetch my medicine bag.”
“Doctor, we don’t live in town. We live in Willow Village, I wonder if you are…..” Mrs. Cheng felt embarra.s.sed, but she had to explain the situation.
The doctor paused for a little bit, then turned and looked at all them with all their baggage. He nodded slightly and said to them, “Well, I have already promised I will go, but since Willow Village is a bit far from here. I will have to ask for an addition fee for making house call, is that okay?”
“Of course, of course. That’s very reasonable for a house call.” Replied Mrs. Cheng immediately.