They stopped the donkey cart at the entrance to Leisure Residence.
Zheng Ruqian jumped down holding Fungus, with Jiang Sheng close behind. Wen Zhiyun hesitated for a moment before getting down too.
Only Fang Heng stayed outside the inn, making excuses to look after the donkey cart and Xu Mo.
Unsuspecting, Jiang Sheng pulled her two elder brothers inside Leisure Residence.
Without any bloody obstruction or humiliating body searches, when the young waiter heard they were here to deliver fungus, he immediately went to fetch the owner.
It was the same middle-aged man in a linen robe they had seen that day.
He had grown a small mustache. Seeing Jiang Sheng's polite attitude, he smiled and came up to greet them. "I was wondering who it was. So it's the two youngsters who came to deliver fungus. Come in, come in, have a seat."
The clever young waiter swiftly served them tea as they sat down to talk.
"Owner, we've brought you the fungus you wanted," Jiang Sheng grinned toothily. "Do you still remember our prior agreement?"
The little girl had slyly changed the concept here.
The owner had only casually agreed to the business deal, and could affirm or deny it in an instant. But by using the word "agreement", she forced the owner to treat it seriously.
"You little rascal," the middle-aged man said without anger, stroking his new mustache. "Of course it still stands. Four coins per catty as agreed, however much you deliver, that's how much you'll get."
He beckoned with his hand. The waiter who had been standing by came forward to take the package and basket from Zheng Ruqian's hands to the kitchen to weigh it.
Zheng Ruqian was a little hesitant, wanting to follow and keep an eye on things, but also afraid of displeasing the owner.
Jiang Sheng noticed this and laughed while giving him a push. "Let the young waiter take it, elder brother you go help."
Zheng Ruqian followed along, even picking up two mushrooms that had fallen to the ground.
The middle-aged man watched this and nodded slightly, then looked to Jiang Sheng again. He saw the little girl sitting with legs dangling from a high stool, unhurried and unafraid, just waiting there quietly.
She strangely had an air of a young lady from a good family about her.
Soon the young waiter came back from weighing. "Owner, it totals twenty-two catties."
At four coins per catty, twenty-two catties came to eighty-eight coins.
The owner took out the coins, not a single one more or less, and handed it to Jiang Sheng.
He was a shrewd man, and had long discerned that this little girl was the most attentive despite her young age. Giving the money to her would surely be right.
Jiang Sheng nodded and put it in her bosom, saying "Then we'll deliver fungus to the owner every three to five days. The quantity may not be guaranteed, we can only try our best to collect more for the owner."
The middle-aged man smiled wryly.
It was clearly that he wanted to earn more money, yet she instead said it was to collect more for the owner.
"What a little schemer," he said, standing up. "Our Leisure Residence is a big shop, with branches all over the country. Bring as much fungus as you can, we at Leisure Residence have an endless appetite."
If that was all he said...
Jiang Sheng was completely reassured. She bade the owner farewell happily and pulled her two elder brothers outside.
Just outside Leisure Residence, they saw Fang Heng driving the donkey cart back and forth on the street, going faster and faster, his skills increasingly consummate.
Seeing his younger siblings, he drove the cart over.
They got on one by one next to Xu Mo, and discussed where to go next.
"Let's go buy some medicinal herbs," Wen Zhiyun said softly. "I used up the last at the Zhou residence days ago."
Fang Heng had already found out the location of the pharmacy, so he drove straight there.
After tethering the old donkey to a tree, he accompanied Wen Zhiyun inside to buy medicine.
Jiang Sheng hesitated for a moment before following them in.
It wasn't that she was overly curious and wanted to see everything. Rather, the atmosphere on the cart was very strange.
It was normal for the taciturn Zheng Ruqian to stay silent. But even the usually talkative Xu Mo hung his head without a peep. These two looked as if they could start fighting any moment.
Yet they had been chatting and laughing on the way here.
Sigh, men were such strange creatures.
Jiang Sheng shook her head and sighed while keeping her eyes on Wen Zhiyun.
Perhaps stimulated by the smell of Chinese medicine, the usually timid and weak fourth brother became spirited and lively. He pointed to one type of medicine after another. "Two taels of san qi, two taels of jue ming zi, two taels of this too."
Jiang Sheng rubbed her eyes. If she saw right, the prices listed were "five coins per tael", "ten coins per tael", and "eight coins per tael" respectively.
Heavens, in this short time he had already spent forty-six coins.
Jiang Sheng only knew doctors could earn money, she didn't know buying medicine was so expensive.
She practically pounced at Wen Zhiyun and grabbed his arm, squeezing out the words from between gritted teeth, "Fourth elder brother, don't buy too much."
Wen Zhiyun paused for a second, then pointed at the last medicine, "I'll take two taels of this too."
The agile young waiter swiftly gathered and packaged the medicines for checkout. Fearing they would change their minds.
"That's fifty coins total."
Jiang Sheng nearly fainted. They had only earned eighty-eight coins today, of which forty-four coins was principal. Yet this purchase of medicine already cost fifty coins.
Money is not to be spent like this!
Jiang Sheng's heart felt like it was being sliced as she reluctantly paid. She thought to herself that in the future, medical consultation fees really needed to be raised. Two coins was clearly too cheap.
Walking out of the pharmacy.
The number of people with stiff expressions increased from two to three. Jiang Sheng's mouth had also drooped at the corners.
"Younger sister, don't worry. We'll earn this money back in the future." Wen Zhiyun held her sleeve and explained softly, "These are all emergency medicines that can't be delayed."
From village to county town, even rushing by donkey cart took one hour. A return trip would be two hours. By the time the medicine arrived, the patient could be gone.
Jiang Sheng expressed understanding, but still felt distressed.
Wen Zhiyun was perceptive and quickly assured her, "I will definitely earn this fifty coins back manifold."
Jiang Sheng's heart shook. "How many fold?"
"At least quadruple." Wen Zhiyun said earnestly. "For difficult miscellaneous illnesses, even octuple."
Fifty coins spent, quadrupled would be two hundred coins, octupled four hundred coins. That really wasn't a small sum.
Jiang Sheng's eyes lit up and her heart didn't ache anymore or face stiffen.
She threw her arms around Wen Zhiyun and said delightedly, "Just now I saw there were quite a few medicines sold by the tael. Even spending fifty coins is worthwhile. I support fourth elder brother buying medicine, buy as much as you need!"
Wen Zhiyun pursed his lips in a faint smile, a light blush emerging on his fair cheeks.
Fang Heng glanced back at them, mouth quirked. "Where to next?"
Although the quadrupled or octupled medical fees were yet to be earned back, Jiang Sheng was in good spirits. With a wave of her hand, she said "Let's go to the market to buy some meat and vegetables."
The donkey cart headed steadily towards the market.
After the medicine-buying incident, Wen Zhiyun and Jiang Sheng's relationship became much closer. The fair and frail boy, seeing his two elder brothers' long faces, finally mustered the courage to lean in and ask Jiang Sheng softly, "What's wrong with eldest and second elder brother?"
Jiang Sheng glanced at Zheng Ruqian and whispered back "I found second elder brother abandoned in the county seat."
So upon entering the county seat, Zheng Ruqian had become inactive. Passing the Yihong brothel, his face was even darker than the bottom of a wok.
As for Xu Mo, Jiang Sheng was also unclear.
She only knew his parents had both died, and his legs were crippled by enemies. His situation was even more pitiful than Zheng Ruqian's.
And Wen Zhiyun's too.
He was probably the most miserable of the five.
Hearing his younger siblings' hushed discussion, Xu Mo sighed. "I'm fine, just recalled some things from the past. Don't worry about me."
Jiang Sheng and Wen Zhiyun exchanged a look and quickly covered their mouths.
Soon they arrived at the market.
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