Jiang Sheng was in very high spirits these past few days.
Although she had spent lavishly, for the twenty-eight taels of silver it was merely a flesh wound.
The chickens and ducks she bought back were, under the skillful hands of big brother Xu Mo, turned into pot after pot of delicious food that truly satisfied her cravings.
If she wasn't worried about money, Jiang Sheng even thought about eating a whole chicken every day.
Of course, that was just wishful thinking.
Now that it was cold, no business was doing well, and some families had even holed up for the winter.
The few diligent ones, like Zheng Ruqian, still went out to collect vegetables despite the cold winds.
But it had been three days, and he hadn't collected a single vegetable.
Today was another fruitless return.
Jiang Sheng held a bowl of hot water, welcoming second brother who was covered in frost. "Is it because with the cold weather everyone has no vegetables to eat, so they can't sell to you?"
Zheng Ruqian downed the bowl in one gulp. "Impossible. Even though there are no more eggplants or string beans, there's no shortage of cabbage and radish. I was still able to collect them a few days ago, how could there suddenly be nothing left."
It wasn't that one family had none, but every household had none.
It was as if they had collectively agreed to it.
Zheng Ruqian muttered to himself.
Chang Yan beside lifted his head. "Second brother, tell us from which day you weren't able to collect vegetables."
Zheng Ruqian racked his brains. "From...the second day after selling the tiger skin."
Jiang Sheng gave a start.
The second day was nothing unusual. It was the day they sold the tiger skin that they offended a yamen clerk.
Although at that time the clerk was driven away by the eldest young master of the Jiang family, it didn't mean he wouldn't hold a grudge.
Yuan Ran Ju couldn't afford to offend him, so he could only pick on the soft persimmons.
The Jiang siblings were these soft persimmons.
Zheng Ruqian also thought of this, and hesitantly spoke up. "It can't be... I've collected vegetables from the villagers for so long, they wouldn't do this..."
Whether they would or not could be found out with a test.
Jiang Sheng found a familiar beggar, gave him one set of the brothers' clean clothes and two coins, and told him to collect some cabbage from the village.
After not too long, the little beggar came back to the broken temple hugging two heads of cabbage.
Zheng Ruqian froze.
He hadn't expected that after calling those aunties "sister" for so many months, they would betray him at the drop of a hat.
They clearly had vegetables but wouldn't sell to him. After ten days, what would he deliver to Yuan Ran Ju?
This good business of making money was just ruined like this?
Zheng Ruqian was unwilling to accept this.
Jiang Sheng consoled him, "Second brother, don't be upset, we can do other businesses, we can even hunt tigers, and make a lot more money from that."
"That's true, but how often can we run into a tiger? If we don't run into one, won't we starve to death?" Zheng Ruqian held his head. "What's more, this business was perfectly good to begin with."
Delivering vegetables to Yuan Ran Ju was not just a money-making business, it was also Zheng Ruqian's proof of himself.
Proof that he could also make money, that he had ability, that he was not a useless person needing others to support him.
But now, this proof was casually destroyed by others.
The entire village had betrayed Zheng Ruqian, making him sad, and also at a loss for how to face the villagers.
Jiang Sheng heaved a long sigh.
She understood her second brother's feelings, but she also couldn't think of any good solutions, she could only commiserate with her second brother.
For a time, sighs filled the broken temple.
The little beggar who had changed into clean clothes didn't understand, and cried out, "Jiang Sheng, what are you guys upset about? Is it that you have nothing to eat? If there's nothing here, can't you go somewhere else to beg?"
Jiang Sheng suddenly lifted her head.
After living self-sufficiently for so long, she had actually forgotten that when they used to beg, they would get a mouthful from one family, and steal two mouthfuls from another.
If one family didn't give food, they would just go to the next, there would always be someone who gave food to eat.
If they couldn't collect vegetables from this village, then they could just collect from other villages, and could definitely collect enough vegetables.
Jiang Sheng cheered up, and gave the beggar another five copper coins, telling him to buy some food and drink, and also gave him the clothes.
But when she turned back, Zheng Ruqian still had that dejected look.
Jiang Sheng was confused. "Second brother, what is it now?"
"Do you think I haven't gone to the neighboring village?" Zheng Ruqian's eyes filled with hot tears. "Forget the neighboring village, I even went to the neighboring town."
But the result was still not a single vegetable collected.
It seemed the hand behind this was truly powerful, covering the entire county.
Jiang Sheng's expression drooped again.
What to do now?
As the two siblings were about to cry facing each other again, Chang Yan in the corner shook his head.
"Since you can't collect from this county, why not try the neighboring county?"
They had already thought to go to the neighboring village, neighboring town, so why couldn't they just switch counties?
It was only because their thinking was too fixed.
It was only because the furthest they had gone was the county town, they had never travelled further.
When a person's horizons expand, their aspirations grow as well.
To see more of the outside world could not be wrong.
Zheng Ruqian was a little dazed. He had actually thought of going to the neighboring county, but humans always feel a twinge of fear towards the unknown.
He was afraid the common folk of the neighboring county would not be reasonable.
Afraid that the black hand behind this had also covered the neighboring county.
Afraid some problem would crop up along the back and forth journey.
Most afraid was that he wouldn't be able to do it.
Zheng Ruqian's heart was filled with turmoil.
He was afraid of this, also afraid of that, but thinking it over, what he feared most was becoming useless.
Especially compared to his brothers, he didn't want to be ordinary, and even less so mediocre.
After much deliberation,
Zheng Ruqian clenched his fist and stood up. "I'll go."
"I'll go right now."
After saying that he grabbed his coat, took two taels of silver from Jiang Sheng, and rushed onto the donkey cart without looking back.
Fang Heng hurriedly went up to drive the cart.
Just a moment ago he was still struggling and conflicted, but in a flash the man had run off.
Jiang Sheng was left staring dumbfounded at the disappearing donkey cart.
It took her some time before she slapped her thigh. "Second and third brother, you took away the donkey cart, what about big brother?"
And wasn't the new year almost here?
By nighttime, Jiang Sheng knew what to do.
Zheng Ruqian had actually asked a friend he knew from collecting vegetables to fetch and send Xu Mo every day, for only two coins a day.
For them right now, it wasn't a big sum, it was acceptable.
It was just that big brother Xu Mo had to shuttle back and forth with the vegetables each time, quite tiring for him.
And so, Zheng Ruqian and Fang Heng disappeared for seven to eight consecutive days.
Seeing the entire town taking on an increasingly festive atmosphere for the new year, every family slaughtering pigs and chickens, frying dumplings and vegetables, children changing into new clothes and shoes.
Only the broken temple remained calmly bleak.
After eating her fill everyday, Jiang Sheng calculated when the two brothers would be back, and how many vegetables they could bring.
By the end, she didn't even dare hope the brothers could bring vegetables back.
Little Jiang Sheng sincerely prayed to Buddha, asking as long as the brothers came back safe and sound, she had no other wishes.
This time, Buddha answered her prayers.
After being gone a full ten days, Fang Heng and Zheng Ruqian, in an evening glow, slowly returned, their cart filled with goods, having braved the winter chill.
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