Bai Yujun had fallen into a decadent life of fishing and walking the tiger.
The fish in the river were eaten in every conceivable way—steamed, boiled, roasted, fried, or pickled. Fat Tiger sampled all kinds of fresh live fish with many bones and little meat. Whenever he yawned, his tiger maw reeked of fish. After enduring it for many days, they began eating river crabs instead.
Early in the morning, many farmers came outside the gates to sell vegetables. With so many people in the mansion needing food and drink, demand was high. The nearby villagers had initially worried about exploitation, but now happily did business with the Princess Mansion. Medicine Empress's good reputation was one reason; more importantly, the Princess Mansion offered fair prices and had never bullied anyone.
The morning market that had once been in town had moved to the entrance of the Princess Mansion. It was close to town, and no one had to worry about market bullies throwing their weight around. The local rogues and snakes had once acted up, but after being reasoned with, they went to make contributions at the brick kiln.
Other wealthy households had many scruples and would never allow mud-legged peasants to set up stalls outside their gates.
Yet Bai preferred that bustling market atmosphere, full of everyday life—real and satisfying. As long as people followed the rules in business and behaved honestly, that was enough.
The stalls sold all kinds of things: rice, flour, oil, fish, shrimp, chicken eggs, duck eggs, wild vegetables, medicinal herbs dug from the mountains, and more. Some lucky people even found wild beehives and brought back honey. Though their faces had been stung so swollen that their eyes were squeezed into slits, they smiled the happiest.
The honey could be sold directly to the