I won't be a prince's concubine; I'll cook delicious food and raise two villainous cu

The regretful look on the manager's face was so obvious that Shen Yu caught it at a glance, and couldn't help but wonder: Could it be that the manager thought that I had twisted my leg too deliberately just now, and that it looked fake?

The steward stroked his beard and slowly said, "I'll give you five taels of silver. Is that price satisfactory, madam?"

This number was far from Shen Yu's expectations.

You should know that in the Joseon Dynasty, one tael of silver could be exchanged for one thousand wen, and one thousand wen was enough for an ordinary family to support their food, clothing and other necessities for one or two months.

However, the prices of writing materials, paper, inkstones, and medicinal herbs in the Joseon Dynasty were outrageously high.

Speaking of writing materials, a stack of ordinary straw paper can be bought for one or two taels of silver; but if it is fine Xuan paper, it can only be bought for half a ream.

A slightly better set of writing brushes and ink would cost two taels of silver, while a slightly inferior set would cost one tael and two or three mace. The finest and rarest items were so rare that ordinary people wouldn't even dare to dream of them.

Not to mention books, if you didn't have three or four taels of silver in your pocket, you wouldn't even dare to step into the bookstore.

Furthermore, in terms of healthcare, ordinary people simply cannot afford to get sick.

If a family is poor, and a child develops a high fever, the only option is to go to the mountains to collect some herbs and try to tough it out. If the child survives, it's a matter of luck; if not, the child may die.

Although there are barefoot doctors in the countryside, if they have good medical skills and are willing to stay in the village to collect and make medicine, they can help the villagers. However, such doctors are really too few.

Even the doctor Zhao whom Li Xiaoyun had previously invited for Shen Yu usually practiced medicine in town and only occasionally returned to his hometown to visit relatives, but the consultation fee was not something every household could afford.

That day, Li Xiaoyun invited Doctor Zhao to his home for a consultation, and with the cost of medicine, it cost him a total of two taels of silver.

Shen Yu still owes Li Xiaoyun such a huge favor, so naturally she wants to earn more money so she can repay the favor as soon as possible.

Her eyes darted around, and her mind instantly sharpened. She immediately countered, "I wonder, manager, are you planning to use this five taels of silver to buy the mushrooms in my basket or the ones in my carrying basket?"

It's worth noting that the basket was filled with precious mushrooms like matsutake and morels, making up the majority of the quantity; while the carrying basket also contained various kinds of mushrooms, but these two delicacies were not plentiful, and most of the contents were common mushrooms.

Upon hearing this, the manager's eyes widened immediately. He thought to himself, "This woman is really cunning. Could it be that she thinks the five taels I offered is too little? In this Shanqing Town, I'm afraid no one can offer a higher price than me. If she doesn't sell now, the Li family will come and overturn her stall. Then she'll have gained nothing. Let's see what benefits she can get then!"

Suppressing his displeasure, the manager kindly advised, "Young lady, we agreed beforehand that I would take all your mushrooms! These mushrooms are just things you painstakingly picked from the mountains; they're everywhere, so there was practically no cost to you. How can you suddenly change your mind and only sell me a portion? This kind of going back on your word is a breach of trust!"

As they talked, the manager's face darkened, his tone clearly conveying: "Fine, I won't buy it, let's see what you can do then!"

But Shen Yu wasn't buying it at all, and calmly said, "Manager, you never said you'd buy all my mushrooms for five taels of silver, did you? You're right, after the autumn rains, mushrooms are everywhere in the mountains, but in this Shanqing Town, besides me, who else can recognize so many varieties of mushrooms?"

Shen Yu had already secretly speculated in her heart: This manager dared to disregard the power of the Li family and insisted on taking her mushrooms. Logically speaking, his men should have gone to the mountains to pick mushrooms every year, but he said that he hadn't tasted this fresh mushroom in Shanqing Town for several years. This means that his men neither know how to pick mushrooms nor recognize all the varieties of mushrooms!

She continued, "Manager, some of these mushrooms are common, but others are probably rare even in the capital. Take matsutake and morels, for example. I've heard they're not only served at the main tables of banquets in the homes of the wealthy and powerful, but are also specially prepared for important occasions to entertain distinguished guests. Their value must be extremely precious, don't you think?"

Hearing this, the steward was instantly furious, cursing inwardly: "You want me to speak? What can I say! This woman has laid everything bare, leaving me speechless. I'm almost completely bewildered by her! This woman is truly a silver-tongued devil!"

But he had to admit that what Shen Yu said was true.

Matsutake and morel mushrooms are rare and expensive ingredients in Beijing. Firstly, these two types of mushrooms are rarely produced in Beijing. Secondly, these mushrooms are seasonal and extremely difficult to preserve and transport. Dried mushrooms are easier to buy, but fresh ones are extremely rare and hard to find in Beijing.

If someone gets a basket of such fresh mushrooms, they would only bring it out to entertain extremely important guests.

How could a country girl like her know these things? Had she been to the capital? Her knowledge is unlike that of an ordinary country girl. Who exactly is she?

The steward scrutinized Shen Yu carefully again, but still couldn't discern anything amiss.

Although she spoke in official jargon, her behavior was far from proper, and her clothing was very plain. Even her two children seemed rather sloppy.

The manager let out a heavy sigh and said irritably, "You've got a knack for business. Fine, name your price!"

He was too lazy to deal with Shen Yu any longer.

He bought these mushrooms not to eat himself, nor was it practical to send them to the Second Master in the capital. After all, the mushrooms were too fresh and would all rot before they reached the capital. It would be better to offer them in limited quantities at Mingyue Tower in the next few days and make a fortune! As long as the woman's price wasn't too outrageous, he could agree to it.

Shen Yu lowered her head and pondered for a moment, then quickly decided on a price. She looked up and said, "Ten taels, all the mushrooms are yours."

Ten taels? While not an exorbitant price, it was double the five taels he had originally intended to pay! The manager felt a pang of pain in his heart, but still waved his hand impatiently: "Alright, alright, ten taels it is. Come with me!"

Seeing this, Shen Yu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

She knew that if these mushrooms were sold in the capital, even for a hundred taels of silver, there would be plenty of powerful and wealthy people vying to buy them. After all, those precious mushrooms were rare and priceless items in the capital.

In her previous life, when she was in Prince Yu's mansion, Li Xin gave her a small dish of matsutake mushrooms. Because of this trivial matter, she was deliberately humiliated and tormented by Princess Yu for many days.

But this is a small town hundreds of miles away from the capital. If it can sell for ten taels of silver, it's probably because the manager is generous.

Following the manager to the main entrance of Mingyue Tower, Shen Yu realized that this man was actually the manager of Mingyue Tower, no wonder he dared to buy all the mushrooms at once.

She had heard of Mingyue Tower in her previous life. The owner behind it was very mysterious. He not only opened countless chain restaurants throughout Dali, but he was also said to be doing business with the imperial merchants. He was very powerful.

That's perfect. By selling the mushrooms to Mingyue Tower, even if the Li family wants to cause trouble, they'll have to consider the weight of Mingyue Tower and won't dare to act rashly.

The group quickly arrived at the kitchen of Mingyue Tower. Two servants stepped forward to empty all the mushrooms from the baskets and hampers, but Shen Yu suddenly stopped them and said to the steward, "Wait, steward, could I keep some mushrooms? I promised to deliver them to an old man, and I can't go back on my word."

Upon hearing this, the manager's eyes widened immediately, feeling both angry and amused: She actually wanted to keep some for herself? Why didn't she mention her promise to others before? Now she wants to keep some? No way! This woman probably thinks I'll definitely buy her mushrooms and has me cornered, doesn't she?

Just as the manager was about to refuse, Shen Yu quickly added, "I'll be going into the mountains to pick mushrooms again tomorrow, and I should be able to find some fresh ones. Do you still want some?"