What Did You Go Do?

After soothing the ginseng spirit, Pan Yun put away the Three Treasures Cauldron, hung it at her waist, and called everyone back to the city.

They landed by the sea outside the city. Flying back to Quanzhou City would take half a quarter-hour; walking would take perhaps half an hour.

In the end, they found an ox cart by the roadside that was about to enter the city and paid ten copper coins to ride it.

The cart carried two baskets of greens, two burlap sacks of wheat, and a basket of bean sprouts.

Pan Yun and the others sat along the edge of the cart, their legs dangling outside and swinging back and forth.

Pan Yun glanced back at the greens in the basket and asked, "Are you taking these into the city to sell?"

The old farmer answered and said happily, "A lot of people have come to the city, so vegetables sell well."

Pan Yun smiled. "People of the Jianghu?"

"That's right. They carry sabers and swords, and there are Daoists everywhere telling fortunes for people." The old farmer looked back and smiled. "They dress like young masters and young ladies. You can tell at a glance they're children of good families. They never ask for much money, even one or two coins will do, but they're generous when buying things. I can sell them a head of cabbage for five coins."

Pan Yun looked at the Chinese cabbage in the bamboo basket and nodded. "Such a big head is worth five coins."

The old farmer shook his head. "Normally, no. No one would buy it even for two coins. We grow it to eat ourselves."

Pan Yun asked, "Have many villagers been coming into the city to sell vegetables lately?"

"Not many from our village, though