Pingcheng Prefecture.
Jin Shanyao waved an iron shovel, "Shopkeeper, how much is this spatula?"
The blacksmith, sensing her accent was from out of town, rolled his eyes and said, "Three hundred coins."
Jin Shanyao for a long time, thinking that there must be a reason for its high price, so she took out three hundred coins and handed it over, saying, "I'll take this spatula."
Hehe... Qing He will be overjoyed with a spatula worth 300 coins.
She walked ahead with her hands behind her back, and the old ox followed closely behind. After a few steps, Jin Shanyao stopped in front of a stall. "Uncle... how much is this copper medicine grinder?"
Just as the old man was about to speak, the blacksmith shouted from inside the shop, "The young lady is from out of town, don't rip her off... For my sake, give her a discount."
The old man had originally intended to sell it for one string of cash, but after thinking for a moment, he changed his mind and said, "Two strings... is that alright?"
Jin Shanyao held the bronze medicine grinder in her hand, examined it, casually took out two strings of cash and handed it over, then put it into the oxcart. "This is a good thing... Xiaosi will definitely like it."
Just as she was about to take a step, a group of people suddenly surrounded her, waving their belongings and shouting.
"Young lady, how about this chicken of mine? Eighty coins, please?"
"Young lady, look at my cloth... Ouch, don't step on my foot..."
With a Jin Shanyao, the cloth had been replaced by a wooden box.
"Young lady, look at my inkstick... it's a top-quality product made with mountain spring water and ink!"
As the man spoke, he hurriedly pushed a box of inksticks in front of Jin Shanyao.
He was originally from Jianghe County, Pingcheng Prefecture. His family had been making ink for generations, relying on this craft to make a living. Unfortunately, his father was idle and the family business had already fallen into ruin by the time it was passed down to him.
Now that spring is here again and laborers are to be conscripted to repair the river dam, he has no choice but to grit his teeth and sell his family's few good inkstones in order to avoid the forced labor.
Who knew that the shopkeeper in the prefectural city was even more unscrupulous than the one in the county town, relentlessly pushing for lower prices and refusing to give a fair price.
In a fit of anger, he squatted by the roadside with the inkstone in his arms, hoping to find a discerning customer and sell it for a few more coins.
Jin Shanyao's gaze fell on the inkstone.
The ink was smooth as cream, with rounded edges. She picked it up and weighed it in her hand; it was solid yet light, dense yet not bulky. She then brought it closer to her nose and smelled only a faint, clear musky scent, neither strong nor overpowering.
Seeing that she remained silent for a long time, the man feared she didn't recognize the value of the item and quickly explained.
"Young lady, this is a family heirloom ink, made by pounding it ten thousand times with mountain spring water, century-old pine soot, and deer antler glue... My family is in dire need of money, otherwise I would never have put it up for sale."
"How much?"
The man hesitated, remembering that the shops he had just visited were only willing to offer a few taels of silver, and dared not ask for anything indiscriminately. After a long pause, he finally spoke, "Ten taels of silver per piece, or eight taels per piece if you want them all."
Jin Shanyao pulled out a one-hundred-tael silver note. "Just pay the original price. Your ink is worth that much."
Seeing the man hesitate and not take it, she raised an eyebrow, "What's wrong? Not selling it anymore?"
"Sell, sell, sell..." The man quickly closed the wooden box and handed it over, taking the silver notes and carefully hiding them close to his body.
When the crowd saw that a few dark lumps had sold for a hundred taels of silver, their eyes lit up and they began to jeer.
"Young lady, I'll sell you this chicken... for five taels of silver!"
"My lady, look at this cloth... the finest silk, not much, eighty taels a bolt!"
The blacksmith, seeing this, stamped his feet in regret. If he had known this woman was so generous, he should have asked for a tael of silver in the first place. Oh dear... He paced around the shop in a panic.
Seeing an old spoon hanging on the wall, he grabbed it and rushed into the crowd.
"God of Wealth... oh no, young lady, look at this spoon of mine... spoon..." The blacksmith stood on the outside holding a spoon, rushing in relentlessly.
Jin Shanyao put the ink stick into the oxcart, ignoring the crowd that surrounded him, and forcefully smashed a path through it, causing people to stumble and fall to the ground.
After leaving Pingcheng Prefecture and heading north, we got thirsty when we passed through Jianghe County, so we found a tea stall to rest. There was a simple shed outside the stall, and it was freezing cold, so only a few people were sitting there.
"Shopkeeper, bring me a pot of cold water."
The innkeeper thought he had misheard. "Sir, you'd like some cold water?"
"Hmm, I don't like tea. Go get some."
The shopkeeper scratched his head, thinking to himself: This person is really strange. He'd rather drink plain water than tea, and he's not afraid of getting a stomachache from drinking cold water on such a cold day.
A moment later, the innkeeper came over with a teapot. "Sir, would you like anything else?"
"No need, how much?" Jin Shanyao pretended to reach into her purse.
The shopkeeper, noticing her accent wasn't local, chuckled sheepishly, "Ten coins."
Jin Shanyao took out ten coins and handed them over.
The shopkeeper beamed, "Sir, you're such a kind person! You're sure to have a life of wealth and prosperity!"
Jin Shanyao smiled but didn't say anything. She had just taken two sips of her drink when someone sat down at the table. Looking up, she saw it was the man who had sold ink earlier.
Jin Shanyao somewhat surprised, "You're quite fast."
The man was slightly out of breath. "The authorities are pressing us hard; we can't afford to delay..."
He then asked the innkeeper to bring him a pot of hot tea, and took out a piece of white flour cake from his bundle and started eating it.
Seeing Jin Shanyao staring at her, she thought for a moment, broke the cake in half, and handed over the smaller piece, "Want some?"
Jin Shanyao her head. She had thought the man had regretted his decision and wanted the inkstone back, but it seemed she had been mistaken.
"You don't live in the prefectural city?"
"No, I'm from Jianghe County." He took the teapot, poured a cup of hot water, blew on it to cool it, took a sip, then took out a bowl from his bundle, broke the white flour cake into pieces, and soaked it in the hot water.
Where are you going, young lady?
"To the capital."
The man held the bowl and gulped down a few mouthfuls, then wiped his mouth. "The ink I sold you is all good quality; you must cherish it."
Jin Shanyao noticed his reluctance and asked softly, "I heard you say your family is short of money. Is someone sick?"
"No." The man picked up the teapot to fill it with water. "You don't know, there's a Harmful River in our county... The government only knows how to pile up earth and build dams, repairing them every year only to see them collapse every year, wasting countless amounts of money."
Last year, as soon as the river receded, they began repairing the dikes, which lasted for more than half a year. Now that the flood season is approaching, the government, fearing the dikes will breach, has started conscripting labor again.
Jin Shanyao her cool water and casually asked, "Can I not go?"
"Not going? It's five taels of silver per person, and you still have to pull strings and give gifts, otherwise the magistrate won't even accept the money."
The man slurped all the noodles in the bowl into his mouth. "My three sons and I together cost twenty taels, not including bribes. Twenty taels a year, who in their family can afford that?"
He sighed deeply, "I don't know how I'm going to get through the days to come."
Jin Shanyao calmly said, "The river channel is silted up, and the current is too strong in the bends. Simply raising the embankment won't help. We need to dredge and clear the silt, straighten the bends, and build two flood diversion dams to ensure long-term stability."
The man took the teapot, rinsed the bowl clean, shook it, and stuffed it into his bundle. "Even a woman like you understands this. Do you think the government understands? If the river is repaired all at once, will the imperial court still allocate disaster relief funds next year?"
"Alright, I have to go."
The man slung his bundle over his shoulder, left five coins, and hurriedly left.
Jin Shanyao glanced at the five coins on the table, then at the cold water in front of her, and turned to look at the shopkeeper.
Their eyes met, the shopkeeper gave an awkward smile, slowly moved closer, silently put away the five coins, and grinned at her, "Sir, you're such a kind person."
Upon hearing this, Jin Shanyao's eyes flashed with anger. She grabbed a teacup and shoved it into her bundle right in front of the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper stared at the teacup in her bundle, his heart aching, but he dared not approach her to ask for it back. He could only watch helplessly as the oxcart drove away.