The whole village is starving, but I have a full warehouse of meat in the mall

Chapter 45

Those who sell pens, ink, paper and inkstones are very particular about elegance. If anyone shouts out such vulgar things, the students won't even look at them!
The vendors silently lit a candle for Jiang Wan. Today was the first time they met this lady, and probably also the last time.

however!
To everyone's surprise, a few students actually came over and stopped directly in front of Jiang Wan's stall.

There are about a hundred students in Huaifu Academy, the oldest of whom is only in his early twenties, and they are all handsome young men.

These handsome young men naturally had money in their hands, which they used to buy pens, ink, paper and inkstones. An inkstone cost about four hundred coins, and the worst brush cost at least fifty coins. Among these stalls, mint water seemed particularly cheap.

"Free tasting, two flavors to choose from, sweet and sour." Jiang Wan said with a smile, "It's cheap, three cents a bowl."

Ye Dahe, who was pouring mint water, trembled a little. Didn't they sell it for two cents before? Why did the price go up after they moved to another place? Not many people would buy it for two cents in the first place, and after the price increase, they would probably lose all their money...

When Ye Dahe was frowning, he heard a rustling sound and a pile of copper coins were thrown on the table.

A handsome young man waved his hand and said, "Thank you for not abandoning me. I am willing to become a gentleman's friend with you. I am short of money and cannot afford to treat you to a drink. I can only use this mint water instead. Please don't mind."

"Brother, what are you talking about?"

"I dare not ask you to spend money..."

A group of scholars flattered and yielded to each other.

Jiang Wan was counting the money on the side. She said loudly, "It's thirty copper coins in total. Dahe, bring me ten bowls of mint water!"

Ye Dahe was instantly excited and quickly served out ten bowls of tea. Ten handsome young men held the white porcelain bowls and stood in front of the stall to drink.

Jiang Wan didn’t know whether there was mint water in this dynasty, but it was definitely unique in Ankang Town.

"This refreshing taste is just as good as an iced drink."

"I felt my clothes were sticky from sweat, but after taking a sip of mint water, the heat instantly dissipated."

"A bowl of mint water can relieve the heat of summer, and two spoons of brown sugar can make you forget your worries!"

"This is a great limerick!"

The scholar's impromptu poem spread throughout the Huaifu Academy, and soon many students came to hear the news.

Jiang Wan was responsible for collecting money and taking orders, Ye Dahe was responsible for serving the mint water, Ye Sanshu was responsible for adding brown sugar or hawthorn jam to the mint water, and washing the dishes in a timely manner... It was the first time for the mother and her two sons to work together, but they had a very good understanding of each other. In less than half an hour, the eighty bowls of mint water were sold out.

The vendors selling pens, ink, paper and inkstones nearby were all stunned.

They have been setting up a stall here for many years, and they would be lucky if they could sell one in a day. But this aunt sold out everything in half an hour.

Are they too reserved, or is this peppermint water really that cools down the body?

Several vendors leaned over and found that the wooden barrel was empty.

Jiang Wan smiled and said to the students who came later: "Today's tickets are sold out, everyone please come early tomorrow."

The mother and her two sons packed up their belongings, returned the wooden table, and then walked out to the street with their load on their shoulders, ready to buy some more things to take back.

Ye Sanshu couldn't help but ask, "Mom, why do you charge three cents a bowl here?"

Ye Dahe guessed: "Maybe it's because those scholars look quite rich?"

Jiang Wan shook his head: "If you ask for a high price because you are rich, isn't that a deliberate scam? How is it different from some unscrupulous merchants? The reason why I raised the price by one cent is because this is Ankang Town, and we carry the mint water here on foot, which increases the labor cost. If we transport the mint water to the provincial capital to sell, we have to sell it for five cents a bowl because it takes longer on the road."

Ye Sanshu and Ye Dahe nodded, not quite understanding. Walking into an alley, Jiang Wan poured out all the money, a total of 324 coins, all the income for today was here.

"Sanshu, take your twenty coins and go buy as many hawthorns as you can."

He counted out another thirty copper coins and gave them to Ye Dahe: "Go to the butcher's shop and see how much you can buy with thirty coins."

Before Ye Dahe even saw the meat, his saliva started to flow.

"After you finish shopping, you can go shopping in Ankang Town. We will meet here in half an hour."

Jiang Wan and her two sons acted separately. She still had nearly three hundred coins in her hand, which was enough for her to buy many things.

She walked out of the alley and strolled around the town. Finally, she saw someone selling chicks. Dozens of chickens were sitting in cages, looking like they wouldn't live long. In another cage were ducklings, which were a tender yellow in color and seemed to be in slightly better spirits.

"Auntie, would you like to buy some chickens? Seven cents each!" The man selling chickens spitted. "Our chickens are all very strong and can lay eggs. When they grow up, they will become roosters. Bring them back for your money. If they die, I can give you ten times the money..."

Before the man could finish his words, a chicken in the cage fell down with a thud.

Jiang Wan: "..."

The weather is too hot and the chicks' lives are too fragile.

Fortunately, there is no shortage of water in Lotus Village now, so we can buy ducklings and raise them at home.

Each duckling was seven cents. Jiang Wan selected twenty ducks that were in good spirits and put them into the basket. The ducklings quacked, and she felt inexplicably happy.

Jiang Wan returned to the alley early and bought staple food in the mall.

The food that she bought with the money she lied about from selling silver bracelets had long been eaten up. If she hadn't added some from time to time, the whole family would have starved to death. Gu Xiaohui asked her several times how the family could still afford food, but she always evaded the question.

Fortunately, I made some money today, otherwise I really don’t know how to continue deceiving her naive eldest daughter-in-law.

I bought 30 kilograms of the most common corn, rice, and white flour, and 10 kilograms of each of black flour, buckwheat flour, corn flour, etc.

She also bought some snacks, some lard soap for bathing, a wooden comb, and a pair of rustic cloth shoes...

After Jiang Wan's shameful money was squandered, there was still one hundred and forty-eight taels left.

When Ye Sanshu and Ye Dahe came back, they saw food and cloth on the ground, and even twenty quacking ducklings.

Ankang Town is half an hour away from Hehua Town.

Hehua Town is more than an hour away from Hehua Village.

The mother and her two children did not get on the ox cart, and after walking for almost two hours, they finally saw the familiar big locust tree.

At this time, the sun had already set, and dusk enveloped Lotus Village. The orange sunset was reflected in the rice fields, peaceful and beautiful.

"Mother Sanshu, why are you back so late?"

"Sister Ye, I heard that you went to the town to sell food today. How is your business?"

The women who were chatting under the big locust tree saw the mother and her two children coming and came over to ask them questions.

(End of this chapter)